{"id":21301,"date":"2024-04-14T23:35:26","date_gmt":"2024-04-14T23:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/?p=21301"},"modified":"2024-04-14T23:35:44","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T23:35:44","slug":"the-life-and-ministry-of-augustus-toplady","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/2024\/04\/the-life-and-ministry-of-augustus-toplady\/","title":{"rendered":"The Life And Ministry Of Augustus Toplady"},"content":{"rendered":"

William Rushton:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. A. M. Toplady. If ever a believer of modern times finished his course with joy, and was honored to bear his dying testimony to the truths of the gospel, it was the celebrated Mr. Toplady. For nearly two years before the Lord took his highly favored servant to himself, he was pleased to fill him most remarkably with the Holy Spirit, and to give him extraordinary foretastes of glory. He was delivered from all doubts and fears, and possessed the fullest assurance of an eternal salvation in Christ. In public ministrations he was sometimes carried out beyond himself, and appeared almost in an ecstasy while discoursing on everlasting love, full redemption, free grace, and absolute salvation. The divine consolations with which he was favored increased the nearer he approached his end. About a month before his decease, in consequence of a wicked report that he had changed his sentiments, circulated by the followers of Mr. John Wesley, he published his dying avowal of those precious truths which he had so zealously and so ably defended. In this avowal he say, “Should any hostile notice be taken of this paper, I do not intend to make any kind of reply. I am every day in view of dissolution. And in the fullest assurance of my eternal salvation, I am waiting, looking, and longing for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [See the Memoirs of Mr. Toplady, prefixed to the first volume of his works, 8vo. 1794.]\n

In conversation with a gentleman of the faculty, not long before his death, he frequently disclaimed with abhorrence the least dependence on his own righteousness, as any cause of his justification before God, and said that he rejoiced only in the free, complete, and everlasting salvation of God\u2019s elect, by Jesus Christ, through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. The same medical gentleman has related the following particulars of their conversation. After observing that a remarkable jealousy was apparent in his whole conduct, for fear of receiving any part of the honor due to Christ alone, he adds, “His feelings were so very tender on this subject, that I once unintentionally put him almost in an agony, by remarking the great loss which the church of Christ would receive by his death, at this particular juncture. The utmost distress was immediately visible in his countenance and he exclaimed to this purpose: \u2018What, by my death? No! By my death? No! Jesus Christ is able, and will, by proper instruments, defend his own truths. And with regard to what little I have been enabled to do in this way; not to me, not to me, but to his own name, and to that alone, be the glory.\u2019<\/p>\n

“Conversing on the subject of election, he said; \u2018That God\u2019s everlasting love to his chosen people, his eternal, particular, most free, and immutable choice of them in Christ Jesus, was without the least respect to any work or works of righteousness wrought, to be wrought, or that should ever be wrought in or by them; for God\u2019s election does not depend upon our sanctification, but our sanctification depends upon God\u2019s election and appointment of us unto everlasting life.\u2019 At another time, he was so affected with a sense of God\u2019s everlasting love to his soul, that he could not refrain from bursting into tears.<\/p>\n

“A short time before his death, at his request, I felt his pulse; and he desired to know what I thought of it. I told him that his heart and arteries evidently beat weaker and weaker. He replied immediately, with the sweetest smile upon his countenance, \u2018Why, that is a good sign that my death is fast approaching; and, blessed be God, I can add, that my heart beats every day stronger and stronger for glory.\u2019<\/p>\n

“To another friend, who, in conversation with him on the subject of his principles, had asked him whether any doubt remained upon his mind respecting the truth of them, he answered; \u2018Doubt, sir, doubt! Pray use not that word when speaking of me. I cannot endure the term; at least while God continues to shine upon my soul in the gracious manner he does now. Not but that I am sensible, that while in the body, if left of him, I am capable, through the power of temptation, of calling in question every truth of the gospel. But that is so far from being the case, that the comforts and manifestations of his love are so abundant, as to render my state and condition the most desirable in the world. And, with respect to my principles, those blessed truths which I have been enabled in my poor measure to maintain, appear to me, more than ever, most gloriously indubitable. My own existence is not, to my apprehension, a greater certainty.\u2019<\/p>\n

“Speaking to another friend on the subject of his \u2018Dying Avowal,\u2019 he expressed himself thus: \u2018My dear friend, those great and glorious truths which the Lord in rich mercy hath given me to believe, and which he hath enabled me (though very feebly) to stand forth in the defense of, are not (as those who believe not or oppose them say) dry doctrines, or mere speculative points. No. But being brought into the practical and heartfelt experience, they are the very joy and support or my soul; and the consolations flowing from them carry me far above the things of time and sense.\u2019<\/p>\n

“Another of his friends, mentioning likewise the report of his recanting his former principles, he said, with some vehemence and emotion, \u2018I recant my former principles! God forbid that I should be so vile an apostate.\u2019 To which he presently added, with great apparent humility, \u2018And yet that apostate I should soon be, if I were left to myself.\u2019<\/p>\n

“Another time he cried out, \u2018O what a day of sunshine this has been to me! I have not words to express it. What a great thing it is to rejoice in death!\u2019 Speaking of Christ, he said, \u2018his love is unutterable.\u2019 He was happy in declaring that the eighth chapter of the epistle to the Romans, verse thirty-third to the end, were the joy and comfort of his soul. Upon that portion of Scripture, he often descanted with great delight, and would be frequently ejaculating, \u2018Lord Jesus! why tarriest thou so long?\u2019<\/p>\n

“Within the hour of his death, he called his friends and his servant, and asked them if they could give him up. On their answering in the affirmative, since it pleased the Lord to be so gracious to him, he replied, \u2018O what a blessing it is you are made willing to give me up into the hands of my dear Redeemer, and to part with me; it will not be long before God takes me, for no mortal man can live (bursting, while he said it, into tears of joy, ) after the glories which God hath manifested to my soul.\u2019 Soon after this, his redeemed spirit took its flight, on Tuesday, August 11, 1778, in the 38th year of his age.”<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mr. A. M. Toplady. If ever a believer of modern times finished his course with joy, and was honored to bear his dying testimony to the truths of the gospel, it was the celebrated Mr. Toplady. For nearly two years before the Lord took his highly favored servant to himself, he was pleased to fill him most remarkably with the Holy Spirit, and to give him extraordinary foretastes of glory. He was delivered from all doubts and fears, and possessed the fullest assurance of an eternal salvation in Christ. In public ministrations he was sometimes carried out beyond himself, and appeared almost in an ecstasy while discoursing on everlasting love, full redemption, free grace, and absolute salvation. The divine consolations with which he was favored increased the nearer he approached his end. About a month before his decease, in consequence of a wicked report that he had changed his sentiments, circulated by the followers of Mr. John Wesley, he published his dying avowal of those precious truths which he had so zealously and so ably defended. In this avowal he say, “Should any hostile notice be taken of this paper, I do not intend to make any kind of reply. I am every day in view of dissolution. And in the fullest assurance of my eternal salvation, I am waiting, looking, and longing for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [See the Memoirs of Mr. Toplady, prefixed to the first volume of his works, 8vo. 1794.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":17373,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1290],"tags":[1226],"class_list":["post-21301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-augustus-toplady","tag-gospel-preachers"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21301"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21302,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21301\/revisions\/21302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}