THE LISTENER IN THE PORCH

Samuel Long was born at Standlake, in Oxfordshire on March 16th, 1774, and died on October 8th, 1873, just five months short of a hundred years of age. When young he was full of spirits, and he could recount many a reckless adventure; by trade he was a wheelwright. He was married at the age of twenty-six, and lived with his wife upwards of seventy years. In the early part of their married lives they were both of one mind, as regards the things of this world, and Samuel was remarkably fond of singing. This led him one day, when passing a place of worship, to stop and listen in the porch to one of the hymns which, as he said to himself, “those people are singing pretty well.” The hymn proved to be the one before the sermon, so Samuel decided to listen a little longer. The minister gave out his text, which was Romans 8, verse 6; “To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” In the early part of his sermon the minister drew a clear picture of the natural man under the influence of the carnal mind, and as he went on Samuel was struck at hearing his own character and feelings so strickingly depicted, that he kept saying within himself, “That is I! That is I!” “Who can have been telling the man all about me?”, he said, almost aloud; “how does he know so much about me?” The more so when the minister went on to describe the very thing Samuel took such delight in.

The minister went on to speak to those who were spiritually minded, but Samuel could not follow him here because he heard the spiritual man described as being one who hated the things which Samuel took pleasure in, and loving the things after which Samuel had not the least desire, which quite puzzled the listener. Coming to the end of his sermon the minister spoke very solemnly, and told his hearers that those who answered to the first description of being carnally minded, were, according to God’s word, on the way to everlasting death, and that, if grace prevented not, to that end they would most assuredly go. This was an arrow from God’s bow sent right into the conscience of the listener in the porch. He went home, and his wife perceived a difference in him and asked what it was, but he was not able to tell her.

They went to bed, but he was not able to sleep. When he thought his wife was asleep he got out of bed to try to pray. This awoke his wife and she asked what he was doing. He said, “Oh mother, we shall be lost,” and then he told her what the minister had said. “I hope you won’t go again,” she said, “if you do they will drive you mad.” He said, “I feel I must go again.” There was to be a prayer-meeting on the Monday evening. Samuel went, and in the course of the prayers, mention was made of the Sunday sermon, upon which there was a strong desire expressed for the Lord’s blessing to rest. The Lord was entreated, if there were any present who still only had a carnal mind that He would be pleased to give them a spiritual one. He felt this was just what he desired, and after some length of time it pleased the Lord to give him precious faith in Christ, and take away his burden of sin.

The effects of his conversion were seen in his long life of consistent walking in the ways and truth of God. He commenced the worship of God before his family, and would call them together three times a day for many years that he might read and pray with them. He had eleven children, and passed through many sore trials, one of which was the loss of a son at sixteen years of age in a very painful manner. This lad was an apprentice at Abingdon, and had been spending the Sabbath with his father, who warned him to go straight home, and not to bathe in the river. The lad however disobeyed his father and was drowned. This was a bitter trial to one who bemoaned him as one who died without any evidence of a new birth, and in an act of disobedience.

Samuel lived more than sixty years after his conversion, and was all these years a consistent member of the church. His pastor, Daniel Holmes, was accustomed to go on a week night to preach in the villages around Faringdon, such as Stanford, Longcot, Shellingford, and Coxwell. On the dark winter nights he would carry a lanthorn, and in the light of that lanthorn might generally be seen the wheelwright walking with his pastor after his hard day’s toil. When the chapels at two of these places were erected Samuel Long freely gave his labour.

On the last Sabbath of his life, his pastor, stooping down to his ear, asked him if he knew him. He replied, “No.” “Do you know Jesus,” asked the pastor. Samuel replied, “I should think I do. I love Jesus and Jesus loves me.” He then went on to repeat correctly from Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies.” This he followed with several of the concluding verses in the 8th of Romans, and then asked them to sing the hymn, “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds.” At the time of his death he had living five children, twenty-seven grandchildren, forty-five great, grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren. He chose His Lord’s words for his funeral sermon: “Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and your children,” no doubt fully realising that unless they, like him, were brought to weep over their own sins they would stand at last among that carnal company of whom he heard for the first time when he listened in the porch.

—The Sower, 1876

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