By REV. ARCH. BEATON, Gairloch.
THOMAS TREGOSS was born at St. Ives, near Land’s End. He was a descendant of John Tregoss, who was made a Baron by William the Conqueror. Both of the parents of this Dissenter were pious and ardent puritans, and they were careful to train their son in the doctrine of God’s Word.
As a young lad, our subject heard a sermon on the words of Hosea vi, 4: “O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.” This sermon struck great terror into his conscience, but alas! the effects of it soon vanished away, and he himself discovered that he was not then converted. His mind was, however, very early inclined to the ministry of the Word, and though at first he appeared to his teachers and tutors to be of a dull capacity, yet afterwards he made good progress in his education. By the time he finished his university career, he possessed “such a seriousness of spirit” and “such ministerial gifts,” that the people of his native town, upon hearing him preach, invited him to settle among them as their minister. He at first “modestly refused”; but on their continuing to plead with him, he at length yielded and, after spending some time among them, he was set apart to the pastoral office on the 17th August, 1657. Here he continued his ministry for two years.
During the first year he was at St. Ives, he witnessed a remarkable providence. This town in those days, it seems, depended on the pilchard fishing. The summer was near at an end but no pilchards appeared, and the inhabitants were distressed. Mr. Tregoss advised them to keep a day of humiliation and prayer. They accordingly did so, and the very next day there appeared great shoals of fish, and were caught in large quantities. The following summer, the fishing began well, and on a certain Saturday, the fishermen, having taken a large number of pilchards, were busy in drying their nets on the Sabbath. For this their minister reproved them severely, telling them that they provoked the Lord to withdraw His blessing, and it happened accordingly. There was no mere fish that season. This should be a warning to any of our readers who may think that they can have gain by working or trading on the Lord’s Day. “The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”
It was in 1659 that he left St. Ives and was settled in the combined charge of Milor and Mabe. From this charge he was ejected by the iniquitous Act of Uniformity. He did not, however, cease to preach, but continued to hold services for his people in his own house. He was soon reported and tried and cast into prison for three months. On his release, he removed to the house of Baron of Kigilliach, in another part of the country, where he kept up his meetings on the Lord’s Day, to which many flocked. It was here that the following remarkable incident happened, which is better told in the words of Dr. Edmund Calamy, his biographer. “On January 1st, 1665, he was led to preach on Luke xii, 47, when he showed what a dangerous thing it is to sin against knowledge. When the duties of the day were over, the Lord brought his own sins to his remembrance, and one above the rest, in such a manner as led him to conclude that he had never been thoroughly converted; and that text, Heb. xii, 17, occasioned him inexpressible terror. He applied himself earnestly to prayer, but for five weeks he was kept under the spirit of bondage, till he met with a passage in a good book, relating to the love of God in Christ, which was the means of affording him consolation; and on the following Sabbath he experienced the delightful exercise of repentance and evangelical faith, in contemplating the promises of the Gospel, and the sufferings of Christ; after which he was carried on in the discharge of duties with more enlargement and affection than ever. From this period, he dated his conversion: for though, for a considerable time, his conversation was irreproachable, his labours in the ministry indefatigable, and his zeal for non-conformity ardent, he now looked upon all his former good deeds as sins, and as a combined series of formality and hypocrisy, notwithstanding all that his friends urged to the contrary. He lamented the condition of the Church, that so many were made ministers in it, before they were real Christians, and expressed his fears that not a few who, in the esteem of men, pass for good and able ministers, will at last, when they come to be ‘weighed in the balance, be found wanting.’ He was the more confirmed in his apprehensions concerning himself by this circumstance. That notwithstanding all his labours in the ministry for some years, he could not say that God had made him the instrument of conversion to one soul; whereas afterwards he had many seals to his ministry.” In comparing this remarkable incident to the first part of his life, I am afraid it is difficult now to come to any definite conclusion in the matter relative to the time of his conversion. Even in his own day, when he held that this was the time of his conversion, “his friends urged to the contrary.” The least, however, that can be said about this incident is that it wrought a great change in his life and ministry.
During the few years that remained, he continued an “outed minister,” preaching the gospel of God’s grace to his fellow sinners in private houses and barns as opportunities were given in God’s providence. His own parish, Mabe, enjoyed much of his services, and sometimes he got the use of the church there. He was often cast into prison and was confined for periods of months there. He suffered a good deal from the hands of a wicked man in the parish of Mabe, who is known as Justice Robinson, as also did other Dissenters at that time. The tragic death of this man gave Thomas Tregoss a short respite. The story is told in the life of another Dissenter. Robinson charged this Dissenter, a Mr. Sherwood, with preaching from a “rebellious text.” “Sir,” replied Mr. Sherwood, “I know man is a rebel against the Creator, but I never knew that the Creator could be a rebel against his creature.” In answer to this, Robinson cried out: “I say, Sir, it was a rebellious text.” On this Sherwood addressed Robinson in these words: “Sir, if you die the common death of all men, God never spake by me.” Sherwood was then sent to prison and Robinson returned home. A few days after, Robinson had his bowels torn out by a bull and he died. It is said: “This strange providence brought to mind what had passed at Sessions” a few days before, and the Dissenters had some peace for a time.
Though his age is not mentioned, it appears that he had not been more than fourteen years in the ministry. The shortness of his life in this world may account for these words in his dying speech: “I have been but a young branch, and you see the Lord is cutting me down this morning.”