By Rev. ARCHD. BEATON, Gairloch.
SUFFOLK was this learned and pious man’s native County. Here his father was a “faithful minister of Christ.” This youngest son of the family of four sons showed “a strong propensity to learning” from a child; so that his father on his death-bed desired that he might be “bred a scholar.” At the age of fourteen he was sent to the University, with this testimony from his tutor, “that he was the best scholar that he had educated in the course of thirty years.” He was early impressed by the Holy Spirit. One remarkable instance of the early effect of a remark made in a sermon, which he heard, is worth recording. The subject of the preacher was the conversion of Zaccheus, and in the course of the sermon he said, “No one who has wronged another can expect pardon from God, who does not make restitution, if in his power.’ This was like a dart directed by the hand of God to the heart of the boy Fairclough, who with another boy stole some pears, the previous week, from an orchard belonging to a man of the name of Goodman Jude. This remark, and in fact the whole discourse, drew forth many tears and he could get no sleep that night. Early next morning he went to his companion, and told him he was going with a shilling to pay to Jude for the pears he had stolen. His companion tried to persuade him not to go for he was afraid the old man would tell the schoolmaster. ‘But God will not pardon the sin without restitution,’ replied Fairclough. ‘You talk like a fool, Sam,’ replied his companion, ‘God will forgive us ten times, sooner than old Jude will once.’ But Samuel persisted in his design, and Jude refused to take the money and forgave him the wrong. He then went to see this minister, whose name was Ward, who received him tenderly while he opened his heart to him and told his state of mind and how his sermon had impressed him. From this visit he derived such benefit that he confessed himself a true convert, and from this time devoted himself to the service of Christ.
There is a story told of him which shows his firmness even when tempted with what the world called ‘honour.’ It was while he attended Cambridge University. King James VI. paid a visit to that University and the Professors and Lecturers of it proposed to entertain him with a play. Young Fairclough was appointed to take a female’s part in the play. But he told the Vice-Chancellor that he could not in conscience put on a female dress nor take any part at all. The Vice-Chancellor laughed at him at first, then argued till he got angry. Thus the pious youth exposed himself to ridicule and to the loss of the smiles of the Court, rather than suffer the reproach of his own conscience. After this incident several eminent men desired his acquaintance.
For a time he was a tutor in the family of the Earl of Northampton. When his pupil, the Earl’s son, was to travel abroad, the Earl made it known that he wished Fairclough to accompany him. But on consulting his mother, who lost sons abroad, she objected as Jacob did to part with Benjamin. His answer to her objection was, ‘Dear mother, though my inclination is strong to travel with such company, since I know your pleasure, I feel already far greater pleasure in denying my own will for yours, than I can in any way find in the journey.’
After being licensed to preach the gospel he ministered in several places, but in Keddington he laboured for thirty-five years. When he went to this place he found the people ‘ignorant and profane,’ and very few had family worship; but before he was very long their minister there were few but ‘offered up to God their morning and evening sacrifice.’ He regularly preached four times a week. He was a great catechizer of young and old. He visited his people regularly, ‘inquiring into the state of their souls, counselling and directing them as there was occasion.’ Hundreds owned him as their spiritual father during the time of his ministry at Keddington. He, too, was turned out of his Parish by the Act of 1662 when he could not turn with the times.
When the members of Westminster Assembly of Divines were nominated, Samuel Fairclough’s name was among them, ‘but he got himself excused from attending’ owing, probably, to a sense of unfitness. He was a very generous man. He often used to say, “We don’t read of any good man, in all the history of Scripture, or the primitive times who was covetous.” He was equally removed from ambition and pride. He was once thanked for a sermon which was of great benefit, but he said to the person, “Pray, friend, give God the glory; no praise was due to the rams’ horns, though the walls of Jericho fell at their blast.” His behaviour was meek and lowly. He wrote upon one of his sermons which he preached at Cambridge which might have tempted him to vanity “Leadern pipes are full or empty according to the measure they receive from their head-spring.”
The day before he died he told some visitors that he had great comfort in considering that his Saviour had tasted death for him, and that it was the duty of believers to rejoice that death had lost its sting. He then told his friends that he did not know how to reward them for the love they had shown him, “better than by exhorting them to redeem the time, especially the time of youth and health in preparing for eternity.” He continued preaching to the end for he maintained his vigour and strength. He died at the age of 84 years on December 14th, 1877.