SAMUEL LONG was a remarkable instance of long life. He was born at Standlake, Oxfordshire, March 16th, 1774, and died October 8th, 1873; thus only five months short of being one hundred years of age.
Samuel Long seems to have been when young very full of spirits, and would in later days recount some of his youthful doings. He was never in any way addicted to taking too much drink, and was never known to smoke a pipe. His occupation was that of a wheelwright.
He was married on December i6th, 1800. He was at that time twenty-six years of age, and his wife was eighteen. She lived with him for upwards of seventy years. In the early part of his married life Solomon and his wife were quite of one mind, living an industrious life but both of them were strangers to the grace of God. Solomon was remarkably fond of singing. He used to buy ballads, which he rolled together until he got a very thick bundle of them.
On one occasion, in or about the year 1810, he was walking along the road humming a tune, when his attention was arrested by the sound of singing. He said to himself, “Those people sing pretty well; I will just go in a bit, and hear them out.” He stood in the porch, and as they were singing, he thought, “I wonder what they talk about. I will stop and listen.”
The hymn proved to be the one sung before the sermon. Upon its close, the minister of this humble sanctuary, a Mr. Holmes, announced his text: “For 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 striking picture of the natural man as under the influence of the carnal mind. And as the preacher went on, Solomon was struck at hearing his own character and feelings so clearly pointed out. He kept saying, “That is I! that is I! who can have been telling the man all about me? I wonder how he knows so much about me!” Just what Solomon delighted in, the minister described as the delight of the carnal mind.
At length the sermon went on to describe those who are spiritually-minded. Here Solomon could not follow the speaker. The spiritual man was described as hating what he had no desire after. All this puzzled the listener. At length came the closing remarks. The minister solemnly told his hearers that those who answered to his description of the carnally-minded were, according to God’s word, on the way to everlasting death; and that, if grace prevented not, such would be lost forever. This was an arrow from God’s bow lodged in the conscience of Solomon. He went home. His wife soon perceived a great difference in him, and inquired what was the matter. He was unable to tell her.
He went to bed, but not to sleep. When he thought his wife was asleep, he got out of bed to try to pray. His wife awaked, and said, “What is the matter?” He said, “Oh, mother, we shall all be lost!” She exclaimed, “You have been amongst those meetingers.” He said, “Yes; I have been hearing the preacher.” She replied, “I hope you will not go again; if you do, they will drive you mad.” He said, “I feel I must go again.”
There was to be a prayer meeting on Monday evening. He went; and in the course of the prayers that were offered the Sunday evening’s sermon was much alluded to. There seemed a great desire for the Lord’s blessing to attend His truth. The Lord was entreated that He would be pleased to give the spiritual mind to those who had only the carnal mind. He felt this was just what he desired.
After some time, the Lord gave him faith in Jesus, and took away his load of guilt and sin.
The effects of his conversion were seen in a long life of consistent walking in the ways of God. He very soon commenced the worship of God in his family. He was accustomed for many years to call them together three times a day that he might read to them the Word of God and pray for them. He had eleven children. He passed through many sore trials, one of which was the loss of a son in a very painful manner at sixteen years of age. This lad was an apprentice at Abingdon, and had been spending the Sunday with his father. When he left to return to Abingdon, his father charged him to go straight back, and not stay to bathe. The lad, however, disobeyed his father, and was drowned. This was a bitter trial to his father, who bemoaned him as having died without giving any evidence of the new birth, and by an act of disobedience.
Solomon lived more than sixty years after his conversion and was for all these years a consistent Christian. Daniel Holmes used to go out on week evenings to preach in the villages around Faringdon, such as Stanford, Longcot, Shellingford, and Coxwell. He would on dark winter nights carry a lantern; and by the light of that lantern might generally be seen the wheelwright walking with his pastor after his day’s toil.
When the chapels at Stanford and Shellingford were built, this zealous man freely gave his labor towards their erection. And for forty years he was not known to be absent from the prayer meetings on Lord’s day mornings and Monday evenings. What does the reader think of this?
On the last Sunday of his life, this old pilgrim requested the friends who visited him to sing some hymns. One of them said to him, “Mr. Long, do you know me?” He answered, “No.” Stooping near to his ear, and speaking loudly, his minister said, “Do you know Jesus?” He smiled, and answered, “I should think I do! I love Jesus, and He loves me.” He was then asked, “Solomon, are you afraid to die?” He replied, in the Berkshire dialect, “Bean’t afraid.” He was asked if he was happy. He answered, “Very!”
He then repeated two portions of Scripture: “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: who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Psalm 103; Romans 8)
After his minister had prayed, he followed with clearness; and then said, “Sing to me about Jesus.” These verses were sung:
“How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
“Dear Name the Rock on which I build,
My shield and hiding-place;
My never-failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace!”
There was a pause, and he said, “Don’t gie out; it is so beautiful!”
His mind continued thus happy in the Lord until the Wednesday morning, when his ransomed soul, so long lodged in the clay tabernacle, soared to its mansion in the Father’s house. His wife had died only two years previously.
He left behind children and children’s children to the fifth generation. At the time of his death, there were living five children, twenty-seven grandchildren, forty-five great-grandchildren, and four of the fifth generation. He was looked upon as a patriarch in Faringdon and its neighborhood. His consistent, industrious, lowly life had won for him general respect. The children loved him; and received his loving pat on the head when they came near him.
What a grand and noble thing it is to be a Christian! Dear friend, are you born again? Have you the spiritual mind; or do you delight in sin? Do you know and love Jesus? Do you delight in His grace and love His people and His service? Or are you on the way to hell?
And this will be read also by some who are Christians. Does your religion speak well of you? Do you stick to the prayer meeting? Do you help your minister? Do your love the children? And does your holy and consistent life speak well of your religion?