We have been of late greatly struck with the placid, heavenly lives of some of the Puritans. In these days piety is frequently superficial, and meditation and religious exercises are much neglected. We thought it would be one f the best rebukes of this evil, and one of the surest ways of stirring up our brethren to better things, if we give a specimen of how a believer has lived, and how he thought and spoke. The person whose life is here described was John Row, of Crediton, a country magistrate, who died in 1660. Reader, look at his life, and then at your own, and see wherein to amend.

In his accounts, which he made up every day, the method that he used in his meditation was to consider what God had done for him, and what his carriage had been towards God; and he said, when he considered what God’s carriage towards him had been, he saw that God had been doing him good in a constant tenor, but when he reflected upon himself he saw many failings; whereupon he said there was no action done by him that was ever so good but that he could see and lament some circumstance or other in which it was defective; and he said, I have accounted it a great pitch when the Lord hath shewed me some defects in my best actions, that I may go clean out of myself unto Jesus Christ. By this constant practice of reviewing his life and actions he kept much inward peace of conscience, and usually at the close of the day, after the casting up his accounts and fervent prayer, the Lord made it out to him that all was pardoned, and by this means he attained to such an habitual persuasion of the love of God, so that he for the most part walked in the light of God's countenance from day to day. Much of his prayers were that his faith might be so strengthened as to see and behold the love of God in all the passages of his life, that [with Abraham] he might give the Lord glory by believing.

He was very jealous of losing this blessed privilege, namely, the sense that he had of the love of God and the light of his countenance that he walked in. He said there were two things that he mainly desired of God - first, that having been a professor of religion so long, he might be kept from scandalous sins. Secondly, that God would not hide his face from him, saying that he was a man of low spirit, and that without God's presence he could not subsist. And, therefore, said he, I saw it necessary to be kept under affliction, that I might be humble, knowing that God would not reveal himself to proud persons.

He was much in prayer, and had a singular ability in meditation, and this made him a wise man and a wise Christian. He would seldom answer any serious matter but he would first pause awhile. He was much delighted in a saying of Dr. Preston that the greatest musers are the best artists. He was so much taken up in meditation that he found himself much spent by it, and would say that meditation was a spending thing. Sometimes in a morning, before he rose, he would be meditating an hour or two together. When he was riding or walking abroad [if he was alone] he would still be in meditation. When he went about his worldly affairs he would contrive them beforehand, and spend what spare time he had in heavenly contemplation. He seldom prayed in secret without preparing himself for it by meditation, saying he preferred a short prayer after long meditation above a long prayer without meditation. Whenever he heard a sermon he spent a considerable time in meditating upon what he had heard.

He used to say, ‘That if he were in a place wherein he might have opportunity of hearing more than two sermons a day he should not like it so well to hear much, unless he could have liberty to digest it by meditation.' In meditating upon the things he heard he would diligently look into all the texts that were quoted, often speaking of that famous instance of the Bereans, of whom the Holy Ghost testifies that they were more noble than those of Thessalonica, because they searched the Scriptures whether those things were so. This meditation helped him greatly, insomuch that by a diligent inquiry into the Scriptures, and musing upon what he had heard, he was sometimes carried much further than what the minister had touched upon: and when he came to repeat those sermons in his family [as his constant practice was], having meditated upon them beforehand, he would clear up those passages which had most difficulty in them, or that had been delivered more darkly. And if the preacher was of meaner parts and gifts, and what he had delivered might not seem so useful, he would so explain and illustrate what he heard that the sermon was always rendered profitable in his repetition of it.

After his repetition on the Lord's days, he used to call his children and servants to an account of what they had learned of that which had been taught. If any had been careless, he would admonish and reprove them for their negligence, and show them the danger they were in, by reason of their unprofitableness under the means of grace. Such as were apt and forward to remember he would commend and encourage them, often mentioning that speech of our Saviour, 'To him that hath shall more be given; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.' And, though where there was occasion, he would speak with great authority, yet when he came to discourse with his children and servants he would speak with much familiarity and condescension to the meanest of their capacities, thereby insinuating himself into their affections, begetting a love in them to the Word, and taking opportunity thereby to make things more plain and easy to their understandings.

He was much and frequent in prayer; he often prayed with his wife alone; and when any great occasion fell out in the day he would retire into his closet to ask counsel and a blessing from the Lord. Every month he kept a private fast by himself, besides what he did upon emergent occasions, to seek the Lord; and the better to prepare himself for the Lord's Supper, at which time also he had much upon his heart the concerns of the church. Whenever any affliction befell him, or any in his family, or of his relations, his constant course was to seek the Lord in an extraordinary way. And if there were any great business that he was to undertake, or any great strait wherein he needed divine counsel or protection, he still set time apart in a more than ordinary manner, so as to obtain a special blessing from the Lord, or render special thanksgiving.

Besides his set time of prayer, he was frequent in holy ejaculations, which proceeded from the spiritual frame of his heart; he was very punctual in keeping his times and seasons for prayer, reading, and meditation. Though his worldly businesses were sometimes very urgent, yet was he always very loathe to abridge himself in his wonted enjoyment of holy exercises; and if at any time he was deprived of his full time, he would redeem the next opportunity to regain what time he had lost. He used to say, that when he did hasten over holy duties out of an eager desire to follow his worldly business, he did many times meet with a cross in them, but when he spent his ordinary time in devotion God did make his other business to prosper the better; or, if not, his mind was brought to submit to the will of God.

If he awoke in a morning before his ordinary time, yet he would get up; and his manner was to spend some time in meditation, for the most part about the great work of our redemption, and on the eternal sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, which he offered up to his Father for the taking away of his people's sins; and he used to counsel his children every morning to take a turn at the cross of Christ, and to think of his sufferings, which, said he, will be a means to make you love Christ the more. As he dressed himself in a morning he would drop some holy instructions or other among those that were about him; and when he was ready his first work was to retire into his closet, where he spent a considerable time in reading, meditation, and prayer. Every morning he read in some part of the Scriptures, with some commentary upon the same, especially with Calvin's Expositions which he much delighted in for the spirituality and solidness thereof. Having ended his private devotions he used to call his family together to whom he communicated what he had learned by his own meditation, and what he had learned from the authors which he read; and whatsoever his worldly business were, he would rarely omit this exercise in his family: and such was his modesty and humility in managing this business, that he would tell them that he would not take upon him to interpret the Scripture, but only would communicate to them what he had learned from judicious divines. By this constant course of reading and meditation he became expert and mighty in the Scriptures, so that in his family duties he would open the Scriptures with much clearness of judgment, the Lord enduing him with a more than ordinary ability to make things plain and familiar to the meanest capacity; and when he came to apply things to those of his own family he would carefully consider every one’s condition, and to those whom he feared to be still in the state of nature he would lay open the danger of their present condition, and what a sad thing it was for them to remain out of Christ; and whatever the matter was that he had been speaking of, his exhortation still was to press them to look after Christ, in whom the Father had laid up all grace, and from whom they must expect to receive all grace. His exhortations were attended with great authority: and there was so great a presence of God with him, that many, besides his own family, who occasionally came to his house, and heard him, will have cause to bless God for him to all eternity.

Having spent a quarter of an hour, or a little more, in these exhortations, he would close up the duties with prayer, wherein he would not be long; but his prayer was so substantial that he would comprehend the whole of religion in a short prayer. His prayer seemed to be nothing but a digested meditation acted by the Spirit of God; every passage in it had its weight, and not one sentence could well be spared. Though he varied in his form, yet the substance and materials of his prayers were for the most part the same, yet still he took in the other necessities of his family as the various providences of God gave occasion. The main scope at which his prayers were leveled was the glory of God. He was still carried above himself to eye and aim at that, and still he would thus be expressing it: 'Lord, glorify thyself in our salvation; glorify thyself' in bestowing this or that grace upon us.' The matter of his prayer was still commensurate to the word of God; what Scripture required of us as a duty, either in our general or particular callings, or in relation to the various providences of God, that was still the matter of his prayers; he was most eminent in this, for having a very large and comprehensive charity he would still take in the concerns of the church Catholic, and would constantly pray for that election wherever they were.

In the evening, before supper, if he could get liberty, he would spend some time in reading the works of some eminent divine; and he took most delight in Dr. Preston's books, wherein he was so conversant that most of the choicest passages in his writings became very familiar with him. Then he betook himself to his constant course of prayer and meditation. After supper he caused his children, and the young scholars that were in his house [which for many years was never empty of such, who were sent to the grammar school, and by their parents were placed in his family, to enjoy the benefit of his instructions and holy example], each of them to read a chapter; which, being done, he would call together his whole family, and would spend the rest of the evening in catechizing, or in repeating some sermon that had been preached in the week-day.

When the Sabbath was approaching he would endeavor so to order his affairs that he might dispatch his worldly business in due season, and so have the more liberty in the evening to set his heart in order for the duties of the Lord's-day; when it was come he would spend most of the morning in secret prayer and meditation, and he used to be shorter in his family duties on that day than on others, that so they might not be hindered from attending upon the public ordinances: and his care was to be there at the beginning; and he used to say that it was fitter for them to wait for the minister than that the minister should wait for them; and he would often mention the example and speech of Cornelius, Acts 10, 33: 'We are all here present before God, to hear all things which are commanded thee of God.' The morning service being ended he would spend the little time he had before dinner in looking over his notes, and in meditating upon what he had heard.

Dinner being ended, he used to repeat the sermon to his family, and so hasten to the congregation. After the sermon he used to spend a considerable time in secret, and the rest of the evening was spent in repetition of the sermon, and in calling his family to give an account of the things which they had learned.

His charity towards others was very exemplary. Where he saw anything of Christ or sincerity, though mixed with some errors in judgment, and accompanied with other infirmities, his charity would pass over those defects, and embrace the grace of God that he apprehended to be in them. He loved to make the best constructions of the conduct of others; and if it could possibly admit of a candid interpretation he would he sure to construe it in that sense. It was a rule with him never to speak of the faults and failings of others behind their backs, except it were in two cases; either that it might in some way or other tend to the person's reformation, or else to prevent mischief to others. Neither could he patiently endure to hear an evil report; and it was the most unpleasing discourse to him to hear the infirmities of others blazoned without a cause.

He was ready to distribute to the necessities of others to his power, yea, many times beyond his power. His house was free and open at all times for the entertainment of godly ministers and other good persons that came to visit him. He was a lover of hospitality, and spent a great part of his estate that way. Few weeks passed wherein his house was not a receptacle to entertain and lodge some godly person or other; and none could be freer, and more hearty in the entertainment and respect that he gave unto others, than he was. His love was truly according to the apostle’s rule – ‘Let love be without dissimulation.’

As was his manner of life, so at his death he was much in the acknowledgment of his own nothingness and vileness, and much in magnifying the free grace and mercy of God to him. The minister that preached at his funeral had this passage concerning him: ‘He was much,’ said he, ‘in self-denial even to the last; looking on all that he had done as nothing, as dross and dung in comparison with Christ.’ Once, when his wife came to him and said she prayed that she might follow his steps, he replied, ‘Follow Christ, follow Christ; he hath given you an example. Blessed be God for friends, but blessed be God for Jesus Christ, who hath saved us from wrath to come.’ Two or three days before he died he had a sore fit, and thought he should then have died; but reviving a little he called for his wife and children, to whom he said, ‘This is the true grace of God, wherein I stand; that I expect salvation by Jesus Christ and by him alone.’ And this he repeated again, and withal exhorted them, that they should give themselves up to Christ and live upon him. A day or two before he died, when he saw his children weeping about him he said, ‘Weep for your sins;’ and when his wife was lamenting, saying what should she do when God took him away? he said, ‘You must repent for that word. Did Joseph say, Without me God shall provide for the life of Pharaoh, and shall not God provide for you? Yes, he will; only cast yourself upon him.’