Haykin on Learning to pray

In the keeping of Leominster Baptist Church, Herefordshire, there’s an unpublished manuscript that records a precious friendship of two men: Joshua Thomas (1719-1797), who for 43 years was the pastor of this church; and his fellow Welshman, Benjamin Francis (1734–1799), the pastor of 42 years at the Baptist work in Horsley, Gloucestershire. The manuscript is actually a transcript, drawn up by Thomas, of letters that passed between the men from 1758 to 1770.

Francis and Thomas would mail two or three questions periodically to the other. Then, some months later, the recipient would mail back his answers, together with fresh questions of his own. These answers were commented on, new questions were answered, and both the comments and answers were mailed back along with new queries—so on and so forth. All in all, there remain 68 questions and answers in two volumes. The manuscript is entitled “Queries and Solutions of Joshua Thomas and Benjamin Francis of Horsley 1758-70, being the answers of one to questions posed by the other on matters of theology, church government, preaching.”

The questions and answers are extremely instructive as to the areas of personal theological interest among these mid-eighteenth century Calvinists. In fact, a good number of the queries relate to what we would call “spirituality” and some to prayer, which I will focus on below.

 

LORD, TEACH ME TO PRAY!

“How often should a Christian pray?” To this vital question posed by Francis, Thomas has an extensive answer. He considers prayers that arise spontaneously during the course of a day’s activities—and then “closet prayers” offered during times set apart, what our later generation of evangelicals often calls “the quiet time.” In response to Thomas, Francis confesses to his friend:

I am too barren in all my prayers, but I think mostly so in closet prayer (except at some seasons) which tempts me in some measure to prefer a more constant spontaneous prayer above a more statedly closet prayer, though I am persuaded neither should be neglected. Spontaneous prayer is generally warm, free, and pure, tho short: but I find closet prayer to be often cold, stiff, or artificial, as it were, and mixed with strange impertinences & wanderings of heart. Lord teach me to pray! O that I could perform the duty always, as a duty and a privilege & not as a task and a burden!

In another of Francis’ comments we find the same honesty and humility: “How languid my faith, my hope, my love! how cold and formal am I in secret devotions!” These remarks surely stem from deep-seated convictions that both of these men had about the vital importance of prayer. As Thomas remarked: “[The] great and chief delight, his meat & drink, the life of his life” is his “closet prayer and communion with God.”

Francis’ frank remarks also have their root in the belief that because the Lord had led him to seek Christ at a very young age he should be more eager to pray out of a sense of gratitude. But he confessed:

The more spiritual, divine & disinterested any duty is, the more opposition there is in sinful nature to it. I have sometimes wondered at the opposition, or at least disinclination I find in my wicked heart too often unto prayer, as if it were to perform some very painful service, and also at the vile excuses that offer me their enchanting couch to rest myself upon. I can follow you and even outstrip you in all your complaints; only that my negligence in this solemn duty may be much more appreciated than any in you, since the Lord, I hope at least, inclined me to seek him very young, & overwhelmed me with Joy by a sense of his Love. . . . It is but comparatively seldom that I am enabled to pour forth my whole soul to God in prayer according to my desire. A stupid, indolent, sensual or legal temper sadly clogs the wings of my prayers. . . . True prayer has humility, faith and love for its ingredients, and it is for want of having these graces in their lively exercises that I pray not more frequently, more fervently.

Thomas sought to encourage Francis by reminding him that

closet prayer [is like] the smoke on a windy day. When it is very calm the smoke will ascend and resemble an erect pillar, but when windy, as soon as it is out it is scattered to and fro, sometimes ’tis beaten down the chimney again and fills the house. Shall I not thus give over? Satan would have it so, and flesh would have it so, but I should be more earnest in it.

Francis sought to pray to God twice daily, but he confessed that his difficulties with following a discipline of a set time for prayer stemmed from his being away from his home on itinerant preaching journeys. He also admitted that he had taken up “an unhappy habit of sleeping in the morning much longer” than he should have. And this cut into valuable time for prayer. He did not try to excuse such failings.

How much has changed since Francis’ day—and yet how much remains the same: the same struggle with sin and poor habits that hinder our praying and devotion!

 

ANSWERED PRAYERS

In 1767, Thomas asked of his friend, “How may one know whether his Prayers are answered or not?” Francis has six brief answers:

1. By the removal of the evil prayed against, or the reception and enjoyment of the good prayed for.
2. By the peculiar and extraordinary circumstances that may attend the removal of the evil or the reception of the good: as the success of Abraham’s servant etc.
3. When one does not receive the blessing prayed for, but receives another, perhaps not thought of by him, yet more seasonable, needful & useful.
4. When he is assisted by the Spirit to pray, to pray in faith, and to wrestle with God. His prayer will then be answered, whether he perceives it or not, or whether he lives to see it or not, yea though he does not receive the particular good he prays for.
5. When God meets, that is, revives and relieves him in prayer, that is a speedy way in which God answers the prayer of his people. “I will not remove thy sore affliction, Paul, though thou hast entreated me thrice; but my grace shall be sufficient for thee to bear it.” Thus God sometimes answers a prayer with a promise, but not the immediate blessing.
6. In general one may conclude that God answers his prayers, when he is made more holy and resigned to the will of God, and enabled to persevere in all the duties of religion, and to rejoice in the God of his salvation.

The last of these six answers is especially important. It displays the mature realization that four of the most important things for which we could pray are: (1) growth in holiness; (2) unreserved commitment to God’s sovereign will over one’s life; (3) perseverance; and (4) a heart of joy in God.

When Francis died in 1799, it is noteworthy that what was remembered by his close friends in regard to his devotion were his “fervent prayers.” He would have been surprised!

Elegy on Samuel Pearce

Francis's elegy on Samuel Pearce is here. The full title is An elegy on the death of the Rev. Samuel Pearce A.M. who finished his course Oct. 9 1799 Aged 33. Bristol: printed by Ann Bryan, Corn-Street. Sold by Button in London, and James in Bristol, [1799]

Elegy on John Gill

Francis's elegy on John Gill can be found here
The link downloads a pdf.

Ivimey on Francis

The most distinguished of its pastors was the excellent Mr. Benjamin Francis, who entered upon his labours at Shortwood October 1757 - On the 12th of October, 1758, he was ordained to the pastoral office by Mr. J. Tommas, and Mr. Hugh Evans, of Bristol; Mr. Davis, of Fairford; and Mr. Bowen, the late pastor; between whom and the church, Mr. Francis had interposed his good offices, and renewed the feelings of Christian love. On this interesting occasion Mr. Tommas gave the charge, from Colossians iv. 17; and Mr. Evans addressed the church, from 1 Thessalonians ii. 19.

"Under the ministry of Mr. Francis, both church and congregation rapidly increased in numbers and respectability, so that, in April, 1760, only eighteen months after his ordination, it became necessary to make some addition to the size of the meeting-house.

"The labours of Mr. Francis were not confined to his own church, - the towns and villages around engaged much of his attention; - Minchin-Hampton, Aveniug, Uley, and Nympsfield, in particular, called forth his exertions; in the first of these places, in the year 1765, he undertook the erection of a place of worship, which, including the purchase of the ground, cost four hundred pounds, which was opened in the month of September, by Mr. Hugh Evans, of Bristol. From this time, also, Mr. Francis, whose popularity was now considerable, visited, and preached frequently in, most of the churches of our denomination, within a circuit of about thirty miles.

"Mr. Francis had the happiness to see a continued and progressive increase in the church and congregation; though, at this time, he had his trials, as well as comforts, from some of his flock, who, in their own estimation, were wiser than their teacher, and from others, whose immoral conduct rendered their separation necessary.

"Of Mr. Francis, as a man, or as a minister, it is not necessary for me to say much. His character has been drawn, his talents displayed, and his labours delineated by those who had the advantage of an acquaintance more intimate than any to which I can pretend. Yet a few observations may not be altogether impertinent.

"In contemplating the character and labours of this almost invaluable minister of Christ, the mind is naturally impressed with the peculiar adaptation of his talents to the station he was called to occupy. He was not learned, nor did his situation require it. His address was popular, his language plain, and his style simple and unadorned. His voice was clear, harmonious, and impressive; and the tears which frequently accompanied the exhibitions of a Saviour's sufferings and grace, when beseeching sinners to be reconciled to God, rendered his exhortations often truly impressive; while the animating and heavenly glow which rested on his countenance, when speaking of the beauties of holiness, and the joys of another world, was such as kindled the warmest emotions of heavenly mindedness in the pious hearts of his converted hearers. His sermons were never laboured; short notes were all he ever committed to paper, - mere outlines of a general plan, - everything else besides depended on the Divine assistance he might receive in the pulpit. Living near to God, as he eminently did, his plan was, perhaps, the best that could be adopted among a plain people; but it would have been far otherwise in a minister whose mind and feelings were less habitually under this influence.

"The features, also, of his ministry, deserve notice; warmly attached, as he was, to the doctrines of Free Grace, there was yet nothing in his sermons of a controversial or disputatious kind; - nothing calculated to form the noisy and contentious sectary, but everything to call forth the spirit of a humble follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, the taste and religious feeling of the church, at his death, exhibited the best monument of his worth as a minister, and excellency as a preacher.

"That his labours were eminently successful, will appear evident, when we consider, that, from 1758, when he was ordained, to 1799, when he died, there was only one year in which the church did not experience a considerable addition to its numbers; and that the number of members united to the church, while under his care, was four hundred and thirty-two, only thirteen of whom were received from other churches.

"The importance of Mr. Francis to the church at Shortwood was not, however, confined to his exertions at home; his labours in other places were so abundant, his usefulness so great, his talents so admired, and his character so revered, that he shed a lustre over the Society to which he belonged, and created a general interest throughout the denomination, on behalf of a church, which, from the peculiarity of its local circumstances, would, under another minister, have been comparatively un. known.

"The popularity of Mr. Francis, and the high estimation in which he was held, while it exposed the church to the frequent hazard of losing his labours, in consequence of the temptations and allurements which were held forth for his removal to the metropolis and other places, were highly beneficial to the poor of his charge. He became the secret almoner of many a rich and pious follower of the Redeemer; and, however scantily his own purse might be supplied, that which he carried in trust for others was seldom, if ever, empty. The fact was, and I here speak within the range of my own knowledge, that, while every thing exhibits his unwearied solicitude for the welfare of his charge, when at home, he never lost sight of them, or forgot to plead their cause, while abroad. He was always the pastor of his church, wherever he was, or however he was engaged: his poor people, their excellencies, their privations, sufferings, and wants, were always prominent, when aught could be obtained for them; and the manner in which this bounty was doled out, undoubtedly gave him an influence, powerful indeed, but always exerted for the benefit of the church.

"I have glanced, in an expression above, at Mr. Francis's temporal circumstances, as scanty and limited; and I conceive it no censure on him to say, this was the case for a great part of his life. His family was large and afflicted; and, amidst the concerns of the church, he lost sight of himself, and preferred his labours here, on a limited income, to offers which would have placed him above inconvenience and want.
"On his assumption of the pastoral charge, his salary was not more than forty pounds per annum; and it was only a few years before his death, that it was made up to one hundred pounds.
"The day which witnessed the death of Mr. Francis, December 14, 1799, saw the church over which he had presided covered with a gloom which few beside himself had anticipated, and for which none were prepared. His mind, indeed, seemed to have realized its approach. He felt it, in anticipation; and often suggested to his friends the importance of being prepared for it. But in them, fond hope triumphed over all those forebodings, and thus contributed to render the stroke more afflictive when it was actually felt. There was, indeed, something in the time and circumstances in which the event took place, which tended much to aggravate the loss; nor can I better express my own views of it, than in the language of him whose situation rendered him most capable of estimating the magnitude of the evil sustained. 'It was,' says Mr. Flint, 'at the time when the meeting-house was greatly enlarging, - the day for its being reopened almost fixed, - the auditory much increasing, - myself gradually stepping forth into public labours, and needing a friend so discreet and affectionate to lead me forward to larger services and greater acceptance.'
"Every usual mark of respect was shown to the memory of this faithful servant of our blessed Lord. His deacons bore his mortal remains to the adjoining grave-yard. The ministers around attended the solemn scene, and Dr. Ryland delivered on the occasion a serious address, and further improved his death, on the following Lord's-day, in a sermon, afterwards printed by the desire of the church. - A monument was erected over his grave, where the eye still weeps over departed excellency, and the heart feels the flutter of joy at the hope of one day meeting him again.
"At the death of Mr. Francis, the number of members in church fellowship amounted to two hundred and forty-one; scattered through a number of parishes; many at a considerable distance, poor and afflicted, and the far greater part requiring a degree of watchful superintendence, of which none can judge who are unacquainted with the nature of manufacturing districts. These, together with the congregation, constituted a heavy charge, when devolving on a young man hardly acquainted with his own powers, and less acquainted with the world or the church.
"After the death of Mr. Francis, Mr. Flint, his son-in-law, who had been chosen his assistant at the beginning of the year, occupied the pulpit, regularly, till February the 16th, when, the enlargement of the meeting-house being completed, it was formally re-opened with two sermons, by Dr. Ryland; after both of which, collections were made towards defraying the expenses incurred: forty-six pounds were contributed, which, together with fifty pounds presented by a family present on the occasion, was all the church received towards an expense of six hundred and eighty pounds, the remainder of which was cheerfully defrayed by themselves within a few months. On the 12th of March, the church held a solemn day of prayer, to implore the Divine guidance and blessing; and, on the 16th of the same month, they gave Mr. Flint a call to assume the pastoral office, which, being present at the meeting, he must have accepted at the same time, as, at this meeting, the ordination service was fixed for the 16ih of the following month. "If any thing can justify the hasty manner in which Mr. Flint engaged in this arduous undertaking, it must have been the almost unanimous feeling with which the invitation was given; there being but one voice opposed, and that more to the hastiness of the measure, than to the union itself. Both parties were evidently carried forward rather by their feelings than their judgments; for, if reflection had been exercised on a variety of circumstances obvious to every observer, the period of this interesting union would have been more distant; but the union itself would, probably, have been more enduring. As it was, however, the ordination took place at the time appointed; and few anticipated the painful results which followed.
"Mr. Wilkins, of Bourton-on-the-Water, originally a member of the church, and called by it into the ministry, opened the business of the day, and received the confession of faith. Mr. Enoch Francis, then at Wantage, offered the ordination prayer. Dr. Ryland gave the charge, from Proverbs xxii. 17, 18. Mr. Burchell, of Tetbury, preached to the church from 2 Peter iii. 1.
"Under the ministry of Mr. Flint, the church and congregation continued gradually to increase; yet his situation soon became very paiofa!.—A feeling of dissatisfaction early manifested itself, which continued to increase, until June, 1803, when he saw it right to relinquish his pastoral labours, and to retire from further services in the pulpit. "It would be no difficult task to portray the causes which led to this painful event, or to delineate the circumstances by which it was effected: let it, however, suffice to say, that whatever they were, they were nothing derogatory to Mr. Flint's character, as a man, a Christian, or a minister.
"Mr. Winterbotham succeeded Mr. Flint, in April, 1804, and is lately deceased. This church is now one of the largest in the denomination: it is at present destitute of a pastor; and, on account of the poverty to which the bulk of the people are reduced, unable to provide for the suitable support of a minister. Mr. John Reynolds, afterwards of Cripplegate, London, was with this church from 1750 to 1761. From that time, till the settlement of Mr. William Dore, in August, 1776, the church was in a very uncomfortable situation. Mr. Dore was a brother of the late Mr. James Dore, of London. He was baptized by Mr. Stredling, at Lymington, in 1772, and sent by that church to Bristol Academy. When Mr. Dore became the pastor the church was reduced to seven members; but in September, 1786, they had increased to thirty-seven. Mr. Dore died in 1791. He was succeeded by Mr. White, who is still pastor (1804). 

Ivimey on the Shortwood Church before Francis

CHURCH AT SHORTWOOD

The origin of this church is thus stated by Mr. William Winterbotham, in a discourse made on the centenary of its establishment, 1805:

"About the year 1705, two individuals, William Harding, and John Howard, then in the habit of attending on the ministry of Dr. Giles, pastor of the Paedobaptist church meeting at Forest Green, became dissatisfied with his ministry, principally on account of his views of the person of Christ - communicating their sentiments and feelings to each other, they withdrew their attendance, and visited together the different places of worship in the neighbourhood. They soon, however, became more particularly attached to the ministry of Mr. Jonathan Davis, then pastor of the Baptist church at King-Stanley; and here, for a time, they constantly attended. Howard, from some cause now unknown, subsequently withdrew from his companion, who afterwards became a decisive advocate of Believers' Baptism, and was, at length, with his daughter, baptized, and united to the church at King-Stanley.

"Previously to this event, Dr. Giles, at an appointed interview, seems to have entered with him into a controversy on the subject of Adult Baptism, on a profession of faith, but found him fixed and determined as to the change of his sentiments. The Doctor was led afterwards to address his congregation, for fourteen Lord's-days successively, in the afternoon, in defence of Infant Baptism.

"The wisdom of this effort, or the ability with which it was conducted, forms no part of my plan to investigate; but the result enters deeply into it, and was precisely what might have been foreseen by any man conversant with human nature. Many, from this time, gave up attendance on the Doctor's ministry, and went to Stanley; so that, on the Lord's-day, the number who accompanied each other to that place amounted, on an average, to fifty persons, many of whom were soon baptized, and united in the fellowship of the gospel with that church. "

"About the close of 1707, or the beginning of 1708, at the suggestion of one Edward Essex, several of those persons licensed the house of William Harding, of Walkley Wood, in the parish of Horsley, and entered into an agreement with each other to hold meetings for prayer in the week, and on the evenings of the Lord's-day; - an agreement arising out of their distance from the church with which many of them were united, and the want of a gospel ministry near them, on which they might occasionally attend.

"At this house Mr. Davis, their pastor, and Mr. Joseph Matthews, of Malmesbury, occasionally preached to them; and here they continued their prayer-meetings for about six years, until the increasing attendance became such as rendered it too small and inconvenient, and, consequently, they turned their attention to building a larger place, for the exclusive purpose of divine worship.

"A plan of this nature was more easily conceived, than realized, by a poor people, unknown, and unconnected with any but those as poor as themselves. They were, however, determined to make the attempt; and were much encouraged by Mr. Henry Allen, a member of the Baptist church at Frome, and a Mr. Bull, who appears to have been his intimate friend - These persons, visiting this county on business, and occasionally meeting with them, entered into their views and necessities; and, by a donation of ten pounds, and other contributions, obtained among their friends, greatly assisted them, and forwarded the completion of the proposed object. A Mrs. Keene, also, though not professedly one of their number, but who worshipped with them, greatly encouraged them by the assistance she afforded.

"Thus encouraged, in 1714, a piece of ground, part of that on which the present building stands, was purchased; and, in the following year, a contract was entered into for the building, with a person of the name of Newth, and for which, through the kindness of friends, they were enabled to discharge all claims as soon as erected. The building was, however, the mere shell, without any ceiling, gallery, pews, or pulpit. These were, as yet, articles too costly for their circumstances, and to which their ambition did not therefore aspire.

"For this building a license was obtained at the Michaelmas sessions, 1715; and, on the Tuesday in the Easter week of the following year, it was opened by Mr. Joseph Price, pastor of the Baptist church at Tewkesbury, by a sermon from the Gospel by John, 1st chapter, and 12th verse.

"The prospect of possessing a place of worship had naturally awakened the desire of being more closely united, by entering into a church-state; hence, when the foundation of their meetinghouse was laid, thirteen persons, four men and nine women, all of whom had been previously baptized, were united together in the fellowship of the gospel, as a church of Christ; on which solemn occasion they enjoyed the assistance, advice, and prayers, of Mr. Benjamin Britain, pastor of the church at King-Stanley, and of Messrs. William Freeman, and James Lowell, of the church at Cirencester. This to them must have been a memorable year, as in it they laid the foundation of a house for the stated worship of God, and formed a union among themselves, destined, on a future day, to realize their fondest hopes and expectations.

"After the meeting-house was opened, Mr. Freeman and Mr. Lovell appear, for some time, to have supported the ministration of the gospel in it; on what terms, or in what character, we know not. They were succeeded by a Mr. Seville, a young man, who is said to have suffered considerable persecution from his friends, on account of his joining the Baptist denomination. He was removed, after a short illness, by death, in August, 1719. and interred just within the door of the meeting-house, where a stone, with his initials, attests the resting place of his mortal remains. Whether Mr. Seville was ever united to the Society, we possess no means of ascertaining. Great expectations were, evidently, formed from his labours; and his death .spread a gloom over the Society, which was dispelled with difficulty. That he was cordially united with the people, and that they, in turn, cherished a sincere affection for him, appears evident, by a legacy of ten pounds which he left towards the erection of a vestry, and the interest with which some of our aged members still dwell on the records of ancient times respecting him.

"After the death of Mr. Seville, there was no preaching for five months; at the termination of which a union was formed, to supply the pulpit, by Mr. Foskett, of Bristol; Dr. Ingram; Mr. Thomas Jones, of Fairford; Mr. Ketterel; Mr. Ludlow; Mr. Plomer; and Mr. Price, of Tewkesbury

"This united effort appears to have been continued between three and four years; after which the pulpit was occupied by a Mr. Read, of whom we know, at this time, only, that he continued to officiate for nearly four years more. He was succeeded by a Mr. Caleb Brooks, who remained about a similar period, and was then succeeded by a Mr. John Ballinger, who remained only about nine months.

"During this period of fifteen years, from the death of Mr. Seville, it appears evident, that the church was in a very low condition. No regular administration of the Lord's Supper had taken place, till the time of Mr. Ballinger, and twelve persons only were added to their number; while the extreme poverty of the church and congregation seemed to exclude the hope of a settled pastor, and a more prosperous condition. During the time Mr. Ballinger occupied the pulpit, two neighbouring pastors, Mr. Flower, and Mr. Parks, engaged for the regular administration of the Supper every two months; and, after Mr. Ballinger left, Mr. Flower, Jun. a son of the above, became the most constant supply, till September, 1732, when he received an invitation, apparently unanimous, to supply the pulpit every other sabbath, and for which the church offered him a salary of twelve pounds per annum; five pounds ten shillings of which were supplied by the London and Bristol funds.

"Mr. Flower accepted the invitation; and, in December, 1734, he was invited to the pastoral office, which he refused; notwithstanding which he steadily continued his engagement, until March, 1736, when he accepted a call from the church in Unicorn Yard, in the Borough of Southwark, and removed to London.
"The period of Mr. Flower's residence and labours was the most prosperous era the church here had seen: forty members were added to their number, thirty-eight of whom were baptized on profession of faith in the Redeemer, and two received from other churches, by letters of recommendation. Some of these also appear to have been valuable for their prudence and energy of character, particularly William Harding, who, though he had contributed so much to the formation of the church, had continued his connexion with the church at Stanley, till about the period when Mr. Flower accepted the invitation given him in 1732. The letter of his dismission, and the intermediate election of him by this church, to the office of deacon, speak much for the character of the man and the Christian.
"The intermediate sabbaths, on which Mr. Flower was not engaged, were supplied by neighbouring ministers, among whom we find the names of Mr. J. Flower, Sen. of Cirencester; John Read, their former minister; Robert Major; John Ballinger; John Beddome, of Bristol; Mr. Parks; Hugh Evans, of Bristol; Morgan Harry; Edward Cooke; and others.
"The average allowance made by the church to these supplies was, from five to ten shillings, according to the distance they had to travel.
"After the removal of Mr. Flower, for the next half-year, the ministry was carried on by some of the above individuals, who had previously assisted; among whom we now find also the names of Mr. John Wilkins, Mr. Bennicke, and Mr. Humphries; in the last quarter of this year, we find them also visited by Mr. Haydon, of London, who subsequently became their pastor. He appears to have returned to London, after this first visit; to have accepted a further invitation on probation, early in 1737; and, in the month of July, of the same year, he accepted the invitation of the church to become its pastor.
"Mr. Haydon had lately been called into the ministry, by the baptized church, in Prescott-street, Goodman's-fields, then under the pastoral care of Mr. Samuel Wilson.
"On the 27th of September, he was ordained over the church, as its pastor. On this occasion, Mr. Hugh Evans, of Bristol, began the service with prayer, reading, and expounding the scriptures. Mr. Flower, of Cirencester, asked the questions, and offered up the ordination prayer, in the usual way, which was accompanied by laying on of hands. Mr. Foskett, of Bristol, gave the charge, from John xxi. 16. 'Feed my sheep.' Mr. Thompson, I believe, of Clapham, preached to the church, from Ephesians ii. 21. 'In whom all the building fitly framed,' &c. and closed the service.
"Mr. Haydon, in accepting' the pastoral office, does not appear to have covenanted for any particular salary. On an average of the accounts, while he remained, he appears to have received twenty pounds per annum, besides the London and Bristol funds; and four pounds, four shillings, annually, from Abingdon; - averaging, together, about thirty pounds.
"In consequence of ill health, Mr. Haydon was, at his own request, dismissed to the church at Tewkesbury, on August 23, 1752, between which, and himself, a friendly connexion had long subsisted. He printed two sermons on original sin, of which the late Mr. Benjamin Francis presented a new edition to the public in 1779. There is a good portrait of him.
"In September, 1753, the church invited Mr. Samuel Bowen, a member of the church in Prescott-street, London, and lately called into the ministry, to supply, as a probationer, for six months; with which request he complied, and, in January, 1754. he was invited to the pastoral office; - to this invitation, in the following month, he replied, postponing a definitive answer for twelve months, for reasons which he states to be well known, and which were, evidently, the then distracted state of the Society, arising out of the late connexion with Mr. Flower. To this proposed delay all parties assented, and Mr. Bowen continued his labours until the 20th of February, 1755, when the church renewed their invitation to him to exercise among them the office of pastor, and to take the charge and oversight of them in the Lord.
"Mr. Bowen was, accordingly, dismissed from the church to which he was before related, on the 22d of June, and ordained to the pastoral office, July 16th, 1755, by Dr. Stennett, of London; Mr. Hugh Evans, and Mr. J. Tommas, of Bristol; Mr. Davis, of Fairford; Mr. Parsons, of Bath; and Mr. Haydon, their former minister."

Letter from Francis to Sutcliff

This letter was written by Francis while at Northampton, to [John] Sutcliff at Olney in Buckinghamshire. He had arrived in Northampton at about 12 o’clock that day, where he received Sutcliff’s letter of the day before (the 20th). He intended to be with Sutcliff on Thursday the 26th, which left enough time to attend preaching in the morning. He intended to be in Northamptonshire at Kettering and Walgrave, etc over the next week as he had been invited to preach three Sundays in a row at Northampton. His love was to be passed to Mrs Andrews and Sutcliff should tell her that he slept last Tuesday and Wednesday night at good Mr Palmer’s house and all the family were well. The letter was written 21 September, 1793, and can be seen here.

Letter of thanks to the PB Fund 1792 (and 1790)

See here for the image of a one page letter Francis wrote to the fundees of the Particular Baptist Fund in London in 1792. In it he apparently wrote how very grateful hew as for the previous year’s financial assistance and indeed for all their help over the previous thirty-five years. He hopes that in the future, notwithstanding the cost of his preaching the gospel in different places, to be able to support himself and his family without recourse to the fund. It is dated  21 August 1792 .
A very similar letter dated April 9, 1790 can also be found here.

Some hymns by Francis

Hymntime lists some twenty hymns by Francis, six of which are in his native Welsh. They reproduce three of the English hymns (*) elsewhere on the site.

1. Arglwydd grasol, clyw fy nghri - a’m griddfanau (Gracious Lord, hear my cry - and set me free)
2. Be Thy Kingdom, Lord, Promoted
3. Before Thy Throne, Eternal King
4. Clod i’r bendigeg Oen - a oddefodd (Praise to the Lamb wonderful - and enduring)
5. Deffro ’nghalon, deffro ’nghân - i ddyrchafu (Wake heart, wake song - to lift up)
6. Glory to the Eternal King
7. Great King of Glory, Come*
8. Great King of Zion, Now Arise
9. Gwyn fyd y dyn a gred yn Nuw (Blessed is the man who believes in God)
10. In Sweet Exalted Strains
11. My Gracious Redeemer I Love*
12. O King of Glory, Come
13. Our Head Is One
14. Pa Feddwl, Pa ’Madrodd, Pa ddawn (What thought, what phrasing, what talent)
15. Praise the Saviour, All Ye Nations*
16. See How Beauteous on the Mountains
17. Wele gadarn sylfaen Sion (Behold a firm foundation Zion)
18. While the Heralds of Salvation
19.With My Substance I Will Honour
20.Ye Objects of Grace and Enjoyments of Time

Memoir from the Baptist Magazine 1818

Memoir of the Late Benjamin Francis Pastor of the Church at Horsley Glocestershire, England

The subject of the following Memoir, though long since deceased, (he died 19 years before, December 14, 1799) yet possessed so much excellence, and was so extensively known and respected, especially in our own denomination, that we doubt not but the following brief account of him will prove highly acceptable to all our readers. It is extracted from a narrative of his life and death, published with the sermon preached to his bereaved church and congregation on the occasion of his death, by Dr. Ryland.

THE late Rev. Benjamin Francis, M.A. was the youngest son of the Rev. Enoch Francis, a very eminent Baptist minister in South Wales. He was born in 1734, and his youthful mind began to be deeply impressed with a conviction of the great worth of the soul, and of the necessity of being truly religious. When only seven years of age, he felt an abiding reverence of the divine Majesty, a dread of associating with wicked companions, and such an abhorrence of all profane and impure conversation, that if he ever heard any thing of the kind, he could not forbear severely reproving it. He had, at this early period, such a flow of affection sometimes in prayer, which he then began to practise, that "his whole heart was overwhelmed with rapture."

He was baptized at fifteen years of age, and began to preach at nineteen, as his father had done before him. He went to the academy at Bristol in 1753, where he continued three years. He preached for some time at Sodbury, but removed to Horsley, in Gloucestershire, in 1757, where he was ordained the year following. At his ordination in October, 1758, Mr. Thomas, of Bristol, gave the charge, from Colossians iv. 17; and Mr. Hugh Evans preached to the people, from 1 Thessalonians ii. 19. The church consisted then of only 66 members, and such was their poverty, that they could raise for their minister no more than £20 per annum. But however discouraging the prospect as to externals, our young evangelist girded up the loins of his mind, and put his trust in the Lord; he laboured indefatigably in his Master's work, and through the Divine blessing on his ministry, he not only introduced thirteen persons to church connexions in the first year after his settlement, but the auditory was so much increased, as to require the enlargement of the place of worship in 1760.

About this time, and in following periods, he had pressing invitations to settle in the metropolis, especially from the church in Carter-lane, Southwark, just before the death of Dr. Gill, when many very respectable ministers united in urging him to comply with the request of the doctor and his people; but his attachment to his friends at Horsley was immoveable, and their affection in return was very strong and permanent. His continued success, and the many open doors of usefulness which Providence pointed out in Gloucestershire, might well indeed strengthen his resolution to continue with his charge.*

Within two years after, he had a farther addition of 31 members, and 40 the next two years. In the meanwhile he made frequent excursions into the neighbouring towns and villages, to seek for lost souls. In 1765, he resolved on building a place of worship in the town of Minchin-Hampton, about three miles from Horsley, where some of his members lived, and whose inhabitants appeared greatly to need religious instruction. He kept up a lecture once a fortnight in this place for 35 years. He persisted in his unwearied efforts for the good of the inhabitants of this town, notwithstanding his want of success, of which he had more room to complain than in any other instance. For as it had long been noted for the peculiar wickedness of many of its inhabitants, and the violence of persecution in the early part of Mr. Whitfield's ministry 21 years before, when they riotously assaulted Mr. Adams, one of his preachers, dragged hint through the town, and threw him into the brook; so it seemed as though the people were given up to judicial hardness, even to the present day. God grant the set time to favour them may yet appear to be at hand, in which he shall pour out his Spirit upon them, in answer to the unnumbered prayers his servant offered up in their behalf!

* A memorandum, written on this occasion, has been found among Mr. Francis's papers, in the following words: "In 1772, spent two sabbaths in London, and preached both days at Dr. Gill's ineeting-house, and had a call to succeed him, which greatly affected and perplexed me; but I determined to continue with my poor dear people at Horsley."
A copy of a letter has also been found, written on this, or a similar occasion, for neither date nor address has been preserved positively to ascertain it, which breathes so amiable a spirit, that the reader will be gratified by the insertion of some extracts. "Surely, there never was," says he, "so unworthy a creature so honoured, so courted, so perplexed with engaging prospects before! Lord, what am I? I blush, I tremble, I wonder, I praise! Yes, indeed, the fibres of my heart are entangled among you, and I know not how to give you the parting look, and bid you a final adieu! My love is strong enough to carry me to-morrow to London, and yet such is the sense I have of my unfitness and inability to succeed your late eminent pastor; such is my relation to, and concern for, my poor affectionate people at Horsley; such is the success which seems to have attended my labours in these parts, and such the call there still is for my continuance here, that I am not satisfied it is my duty to remove, and change my present difficulties for future affluence and ease. The people here will advance my salary a few pounds if I stay; but I have discountenanced them from doing this hitherto, and they can make but a dull sound in harping upon this string (which, by the bye, may soon snap,) while their own circumstances are so extremely indigent."
Though Mr. Francis met with so little success at Hampton,* (*this was written in 1799; we understand that since that period considerable success has attended the labours of Mr. Winterbotham, at Minchin-Hampton) his labours at Horsley, and in the neighbourhood, were owned to the spiritual benefit of many. In 1771, 2, and 3, fifty-four members were added to the church. In 1774, his meeting-house at Horsley required another enlargement, which was accomplished at the expense of £500. Thus, through the blessing of God on the labours of his dear servant, a very numerous congregation was collected in a situation which, at the first, appeared very unpromising. From more than fifteen parishes round, his members and hearers flocked to the house of the Lord; and, surely, any friend of evangelical religion must have enjoyed the sight of the several companies descending the surrounding hills on the Lord's-day, to assemble for public worship; where, on the rising ground above the meeting-house, one group after another would appear emerging from the woods; some of them having come from the distance of 10 miles, and upwards: nor was it uncommon for persons to unite in worship under that roof whose dwellings were 30 miles asunder.

During the whole of his ministry, he baptized at Horsley nearly 450 persons. At the time of his decease, the church consisted of 262 members: but his usefulness was by no means confined to his own congregation; his occasional labours for the good of souls were abundant. He was the first means of introducing evangelical religion into many dark towns and villages in all the neighbourhood around. For many years he made excursions monthly, into the most uninstructed parts of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Wiltshire; besides visiting his brethren, and strengthening their hands in God. In the course of his journeys through Worcestershire, which he regularly made from about 1772 to 1784, it appears he had preached at Cheltenham, 130 sermons; at Tewkesbury, 136; at Pershore, 137; and at Upton-upon-Severn, 180. His manner was to set out from home on Monday morning, and return on Friday evening, after having taken a circuit of 90 miles, and preached every evening. At Malmsbury, in Wiltshire, also, he established a monthly lecture; where, from 1771 to 1799, he preached 282 sermons; and at Christian Malford, 84; at Devizes, 56; and at Melksham, Frome, Trowbridge, and Bradford, 90 in each. At Wotton-under-Edge, he kept up a monthly lecture for 30 years, and preached there 394 times. His sermons at his own place amounted to more than 4000; and at Hampton, 802. On his visits to Bristol, he had preached 101 times at Broadmead, and 28 at the Pithay. He had preached 22 sermons at Portsmouth, and an equal number at Plymouth and Dock; and 20 times he had preached in Cornwall. He frequently visited his native country, and was often at their annual associations, and preached in the principality, both in Welsh and English, about 150 sermons. In 1791, he visited Ireland, and preached, chiefly in Dublin, 30 times. Whenever he visited London, he was abundantly employed in his Master's work, and in various other parts of the kingdom, his mere occasional labours were highly acceptable.
Whenever he engaged, it was his evident concern to declare the whole counsel of God, and to be pure from the blood of all men. At home, or abroad, he was careful not to handle the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, to commend himself to every man's conscience in the sight of God. When invited to preach occasionally in different connexions, he never was known to preach another gospel, to disguise his sentiments, or to palliate the more fashionable vices, that may be patronized by laxer and more opulent professors. Among the people of his charge, especially, he ever discovered the most impartial fidelity, in reproving sin, and in the exercise of church discipline; united with the tenderest sympathy and gentleness toward the afflicted and necessitous. While his compassion for perishing sinners would often vent itself in floods of tears, so as sometimes to interrupt his utterance in his public, discourses; he showed the sincerity of his benevolence, by a continual readiness to communicate to the supply of their temporal wants according to his ability, yea, and often beyond it.
At the same time, he gladly improved his interest with several wealthy friends at a distance in favour of his poor neighbours, especially those of the household of faith. To disperse their bounty seemed as high a gratification to him as to the recipients. Such was his interest with some of them that delighted to devise liberal things, that more than £300 were, by this means, distributed through his hands, to the poor of his church and congregation, and other distressed objects in the neighbourhood; while many additions were made to the beneficence of his friends from his own private property. His numerous and heavy trials appeared to have been greatly sanctified to himself; and, perhaps, it was in the school of affliction that he acquired the tongue of the learned, to speak a word in season to burdened and disconsolate mourners.
He was first married the same year that he was settled at Horsley. His wife's maiden name was Harris, a native of Wales. By her he had several children, but all were soon taken from him by death, except the second, which was a daughter, named Mary, who lived to be thirty-one, and then was removed, nearly ten years before her father, leaving a motherless family of five children behind her. His first-born, named Enoch, died when eighteen months old; this was a painful stroke: but in the year 1765, he met with such a succession of bereaving providences as are not often allotted to mankind, and under which he must have sunk, had not He, whose strength is made perfect in weakness, put underneath him his everlasting arms. The wife of his youth was removed first, on the 26th of April; on the 18th of June, his son Benjamin, aged four years; his youngest daughter, Sarah, died July 4th; and his daughter Elizabeth, three years old, July the 10th. He was constrained by these distressing events to leave his former dwelling for a season. The plaintive elegy he printed on this occasion, describing the anguish of his wounded spirit, and the relief he found in the compassion of his God, and in the prospect of future bliss, is truly affecting.
On July 27, 1766, he was married again, to Miss Wallis, his present sorrowful widow. By her he had ten children, but three only survive their honoured and beloved father. The first child, by this second marriage, received the name of Enoch; but the hope of his resembling his excellent grandfather was soon precluded, by finding he was deprived of the sense of hearing, and, consequently, of the faculty of speech. This affliction, however, seemed only to draw the affection of the parents more strongly towards a child, who stood in such peculiar need of their attention. This child discovered not only a singular sagacity in imbibing knowledge by unusual methods, but, for a considerable time before his death, gave surprising evidence of a deep sense of religion. He always shunned the company of wicked boys with the strongest tokens of abhorrence, and took a wonderful delight in attending divine worship, both in public, and in the family. But he was removed at fifteen years of age, after a short illness, in which he strangely signified his expectation of his approaching death. One daughter, Esther, and two sons, died young: of a second Esther, some account was inserted in the Baptist Register, Volume I. p. 159. She died August 25, 1790, in the eleventh year of her age, and gave the most satisfactory and delightful evidence of her true piety. The like mitigation attended the loss of her elder sister, who was also taken from her affectionate parents that same year, at the age of sixteen, after a lingering illness, wherein she enjoyed very extraordinary consolations. A son, named Benjamin, by the present Mrs. Francis, was spared for twenty seven years, who went to America, where he had a pleasing prospect as to temporal circumstances, and was on the point of being married to a very amiable young lady, when he was cut off by the yellow fever, in 1795, at Petersburgh, in Norfolk, South Carolina. This was a stroke peculiarly severe: but it may give the reader some idea of the supports his father derived from evangelical religion in the midst of this, heavy trial, if we insert an extract from the letter he sent to the lady, with whom his son was about to have formed the closest connection on earth:
"Though overwhelmed with grief at the loss of a dear and affectionate son, whom 1 tenderly loved, yet I dare not repine at the disposal of unerring Providence, but am enabled to say, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Christ is altogether worthy of your entire confidence, chief esteem, and everlasting adoration. May this bitter cup be abundantly mixed with divine consolations; and while you lament the loss of the uncertain stream of temporal felicity, may you drink eternal happiness at the fountain head."
Mr. Francis composed and printed several elegies for his earlier correspondents and intimate acquaintance, for Mr. Whitfield, Mr. Day, Dr. Caleb Evans, Mr. Williams, of Cardigan, &c. Some of his elegies were in Welsh, with various other poems. On his death-bed he composed an elegy for Mr. Pearce, of Birmingham, who was just deceased. He would weep at the remembrance of his dear acquaintance, such as the Rev. Joshua Thomas, of Leominster, with whom he kept up a constant correspondence for many years; the Rev. D. Turner, of Abingdon, &c. and looking up toward heaven, he would call it "the residence of his most numerous friends, containing far more of them than death had left him to enjoy on earth."
God rendered the latter years of his life honourable and useful in a very high degree. Large additions were made to the church; and among the rest he was gratified with being called to baptize both his own daughters. The congregation was multiplied to that degree, as to require a third enlargement of the place of worship: the day was appointed for the opening, but was unfixed, Dr. Ryland being called that day to attend the funeral of Mr. Pearce, at Birmingham; and Mr. Francis's own illness rapidly increasing, the same friend, who had been solicited to preach at the opening of the meeting-house, was called upon to improve the mournful event of committing the remains of this excellent servant of God to the tomb.
It appears that Mr. Francis adopted a method, of which he probably took the hint from Dr. Cotton Mather, of proposing questions to himself every morning of the week, to assist him in the best method of doing good in all his connections.
Lord's Day morning. What can I do more for God, in the promotion of religion, in the church over which I am pastor?
Monday. What can I do for my family, as a husband, a father, or a master?
Tuesday.  What good can I do for my relations abroad?
Wednesday. What good can I do in the societies of which I am a member?
Thursday.  What good shall I do for the churches of Christ at large?
Friday.  What special subjects of affliction, and objects of pity, may I take under my particular care? and what shall I do for them?
Saturday. What more have I to do for the interest of God in my own heart and life?
From the preceding sketch, some idea may be formed of the nature of true religion, as exemplified in this faithful servant of Jesus Christ.
As to the frame of his mind during his last illness, it did not seem to be raised to that height of rapture with which some have been indulged, but habitually placid, and supported by strong consolation. One morning, having his Welsh Bible put into his hand, he directly referred to his favourite Psalm (the 23d), and when he came to the last verse

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever,"

he discovered the strongest emotions of gratitude; saying, that he had ever been a living evidence of the truth of such divine beneficence. Then fondly embracing his Bible, he laid it by his side, as if only satisfied when that blessed word, all whose promises and consolations he called his own, was near at hand, to brighten his passage through the valley of the shadow of death, and encourage his faith in his conflict with the last enemy.
On Lord's-day evening, Dec. 1, finding his illness increase, and being very apprehensive that this would be his last sabbath on earth, he expressed a wish to enjoy a final interview with the officers of the church; and no sooner had they entered his chamber, than he felt such violent emotions as forbade his utterance for a time; but when he had a little recovered himself, he counselled them to watch over the welfare of the church with the tenderest sympathy, and to promote its welfare with the utmost assiduity. He cautioned them against the love of the world, and exhorted them to beware lest a carnal spirit should abate their zeal, and cramp their exertions. He earnestly besought them to lay themselves out for the benefit of the whole community, and to prefer the interest of Zion to their chief joy. With the utmost fervour he recommended to them to cultivate the Christian temper; and as all his views of practical religion were connected with the doctrine of the cross, he burst forth in a strain of evangelical exhortation

"O! cling to the cross, to the cross, to the cross! Here learn all you want to know; hence derive all you wish to possess; and by this, accomplish all you can desire to perform." He took them, at parting, each by the hand, and comprised his whole prayer for their welfare in the final address of Paul to the elders of Ephesus, Acts, xx. 32, "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified."

Thursday, Dec. 12, he appeared to be struck for death, and was from this time rapidly declining. Stretching forth his hand to each of his family he said, "Come, as we must part, we had better now take our mutual farewell, and then you shall withdraw, that I may languish softly into life." About this time he would frequently repeat, in the most pleasing accents, these lines, "Sweet truth to me, I shall arise, And with these ejes ray Saviour see." Saturday, December 14, was the day appointed to terminate all his sufferings. About two o'clock in the afternoon, his faculties appeared nearly lost; yet. he would faintly lisp out hints of his inward peace. Standing by his side, a relative whispered in his ear "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;" he replied, "No, no," adding, "for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Though his dissolution was unusually lingering and painful, yet not a sigh heaved his bosom, nor a trace of melancholy appeared on his face, nor did one convulsion agitate his body: he still, when sinking into the arms of death, retained that affectionate, endearing smile, which through his life was the beauty of his countenance; and thus, a quarter past eight in the evening, he sweetly fell asleep in Jesus.
His remains were interred in the meeting burying ground (where he had chosen a spot before hand) on Friday, Dec. 20, 1799, aged 66. Dr. Ryland delivered an address at the grave, and on the following Lord's-day preached a funeral discourse, from 1 Thessalonians iv. 17, 18, "So shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." The sermon was printed, from which we make this short extract. "The church of Christ, which worships statedly in this place, has been blessed, for above forty years, with one of the best pastors that could preside over a Christian society. Alas! that very day two months, that I, and many now present, attended your venerable pastor to his grave, I was preaching the funeral sermon for brother Pearce, of Birmingham, cut off in the midst of his years at 33. Now they are both gone! We have lost the most active, diligent, humble, spiritual, zealous, successful ministers, within about eight weeks of each other. You cannot but mourn, and all our churches mourn with you. This neighbourhood, especially, for a wide extent, has suffered a great loss. No more shall that man of God, whose soul glowed with such tender concern for the salvation of souls, take his circuit round the country, to publish the glad tidings to perishing sinners. I hope God has not said of all who stopped their ears to his charming voice, 'They are joined to idols, let them alone. He that continued impenitent under the awakening ministry of my servant FRANCIS, let him be given up to hardness of heart for ever!'"
We shall close the account of Mr. Francis, by giving an extract from a letter to a friend, under some of his severe trials, which were the means of forming him for extensive usefulness in the church of God. "In my afflictions and confinements, I have felt inexpressibly for perishing sinners; especially for those under my own ministry; and I would, in every sermon I preach, enjoy much of that compassion which dwells in the heart of the dear Redeemer. I want to preach as if standing at the bar of God. I now see so many sad defects in every grace, and imperfections in every duty I perform, with so many errors and sins in professors, that by these things my heart is heavily pressed, and I could dwell long on these painful subjects. But as to myself, I am more or less daily a burden to myself. I find my heart to be my chief, if not my only enemy. If the devil accuse me, I seldom accuse him; and it often disgusts me to hear professors charge their sins on that evil spirit. When I was young in religion, I wanted joy and assurance; but what I now mostly desire is, the mortification of all corruption, the spirit of Christ in my heart, and a universal conformity to the will and image of God. My consciousness of great deficiency in these things fills me with shame and sorrow; nor shall I be perfectly easy and happy till I am perfectly holy. O! how sweet, how beautiful, is true holiness! This is no part of our justifying righteousness, but it is a great part of our salvation. I desire to love the truths, and to embrace the promises of the gospel, not only as calculated to enlighten .my understanding, and to rejoice my heart, but also to transform me into the divine image, and to fill my soul with a holy admiration of the infinite Jehovah. I want to lose sight of self in the refulgence of his glory, and to shrink into nothing, that God may be all in all. I long, I long, at least in some of my happier moments, to serve, to praise, to glorify my dear Redeemer, as my chief business, my chief delight, and as the chief part of my heaven. O when shall I praise him as angels do!" _____________ 

 [From The Baptist Magazine, Volume 10, April, 1818, pp. 121-125; May, 1818, pp. 161-164.]

Julian's Dictionary of Hymnolgy 1907

Francis, Benjamin , M.A., was born in Wales in 1734. He was baptized at the age of 15, and began to preach at 19. He studied at the Bristol Baptist College, and commenced his ministry at Sodbury. In 1757 he removed to Horsley (afterwards called Shortwood), in Gloucestershire. There he remained, through a happy and very successful ministry of 42 years, until his death in 1799. He was the author of many poetical compositions :—

(1) Conflagration, a Poem in Four Parts, (1770);

(2) Elegies on the Deaths of the Revs. George Whitefield, Caleb Evans, Robert Day, and Joshua Thomas;

(3) The Association, a Poem (1790);

(4) A Poetical Address to the Stockbridge Indians

(5) Two satirical pieces on the Baptismal controversy; The Salopian Zealot; and The Oracle, the former passing through several editions and being reprinted in America.

Francis was the author of five hymns in Rippon's Selections, 1787, all of which are still in common use :—

1. Before Thy throne, eternal King. Meetings of Ministers: or Church Conferences.

2. Glory to the eternal King. Majesty of God. In Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory for Private, Family and Public Worship, 1872.

3. In tweet [loud] exalted strains . Opening of a Place of Worship . This was given in Rippon, No. 338, in 6 st. of 6 l with the note:—“Sung on opening the Meeting House at Horsley, Gloucestershire, [his Chapel,] September 18, 1774; and also at the opening of the New Meeting House, at Downend, near Bristol, October 4, 1786." This hymn is abbreviated in the Baptist Hymnal, 1879, to 4 stanzas, and begins with st. iii. which is altered to "Come, King of glory, come." No. 1020 in Spurgeon's Our Own Hymnbook is the same arrangement of stanzas altered by Mr. Spurgeon to "Great King of Zion, now." In several American hymnals it reads: "Great King of glory, come."

4. My gracious Redeemer, I love. The love of Christ to Men. In various collections.

5. Praise the Saviour, all ye nations . Offertory. In Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory, 1872, No. 739, "With my substance I will honour," is a cento from this hymn.

6. Ye objects of sense and enjoyments of time . Death. A long hymn of 16 st. of 4 l given in the new and improved edition of Rippon, 1837, No. 553, Pt. ii. with the heading, "The dying Christian bidding adieu to the world." This hymn had previously appeared in the Baptist Register, 1795.

It was as a writer of Welsh hymns, however, that Francis excelled. In 1774 he published his Alleluia, neu Hymnau perthynol i Addoliad Cyhoeddus (Hymns pertaining to Public Worship). To this he contributed 103 hymns. A second volume appeared in 1786, to which he contributed 91 hymns, being a total of 194 in all [D. Sedgwick’s Manuscript]. Of these many are still in common use in Wales, the most popular being:—

1. Clod i'r bendigedig Oen—-a oddefodd.

2. Deffro 'nghalon, deffro 'nghan—-i ddyrchafu.

3. Gwyn fyd y dyn a gred yn Nuw

4. Arglwydd grasol, clyw fy nghri—-a'm griddfanau

5. Wele gadarn sylfaen Sion.

[Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.]

NLW Dictionary of Welsh Biography Entry

FRANCIS , BENJAMIN (1734 - 1799), hymnist, Baptist minister , b. at Pen-y-gelli near Newcastle Emlyn , was the youngest child of Enoch Francis (q.v.) . As his parents died when he was only six he was brought up at Swansea, and was baptized there in 1749. In 1753 he went to Bristol Baptist Academy, and at the close of 1755 was invited to assist in the ministry at Broadmead. He removed in 1756 to Chipping Sodbury, and thence in 1759 to Horsley, where he d. 14 Dec. 1799 . Though he lived for so many years in England, Benjamin Francis clung to the Welsh language. He frequently attended the Welsh Association, and preached fourteen times at its meetings. He published two collections of hymns in Welsh (1774, 1786), each bearing the title Aleluia. As a hymnist, he is in general held to have been over-fond of alliteration and internal rhyme, but several of his hymns are still sung. Other Welsh verse of his is specified by Charles Ashton (406), and he also published English poems.