The Life And Testimony Of George Roots

Gospel Standard 1871:

Death. On Sept. 9th, 1870, at Lenhall Farm, near Canterbury, aged 52, George Roots, member of the church at Flimwell.

I have in the first place extracted a little from his own writing: “I am a wonder to many, and a far greater wonder to myself; and am often brought to a stand, to wonder I am out of hell; and I wonder I am suffered to live here on earth. Thus I go wondering on my journey homewards; and when I get home I shall find it the greatest of all wonders that such a mass of corruption could be raised to bliss immortal, to spend a never-ending eternity of solid joy and peace with the Lord of life and glory; there to cast all my praise and thankfulness at his feet, and ever crown him Lord of all.

“I was born in sin and in iniquity, and therein grew up; and greatly delighted was I with all its pursuits and maxims; and often, to my shame be it said, I was foremost in all manner of evil; yea, the ringleader of the village. If ever mischief was done by any, I was sure to be among the crew, if possible. I had several narrow escapes of being brought before the justice of peace; but somehow I always escaped. In this way I spent 14 years of my natural life; till I became what is termed a changed character. I now attended chapel regularly, was very zealous, and thought by many a very pious and confidential youth in the good way of God. Yes, and I was not a little proud of my new standing, as I concluded I was right for heaven. Thus I went on for four years; and was soon to have been baptized, had I continued with this people.”

But God had determined a better, a more enduring religion for him. And now the time appointed by God arrived; the place appointed he must go to, the arrow must enter, the means must be sat under, whilst God makes use of them to accomplish his purpose, humble his pride, and strip him of a fleshly religion. God had also other things for him to learn, and he led him to hear a man preach that he had always hated and all his hearers. These he would not join, or be found with at any time, during his four years’ profession. The first sermon he heard this man preach so confused him that he was at a loss to know what to do. The arrow as directed entered the right place. He goes on to say, “Truly I did not like to give up my former place of worship and the many friends and acquaintances I had; yet I must go now and then to hear the new man, W. Crouch. After a time, I was compelled to leave my former place, and choose the latter; though I had hard work so to do. But being now shown by God’s servant that I was a lost young man, living and dying in such a religion as I had, I was resolved to try for one more durable and lasting. So to work I went with all my might, and no one could stop me in my endeavours. I thought my time on earth was short, and that but little time awaited me to carry out my intention and pursuit. But O what sad work did I make; for that which I built up one hour, I lost and pulled down the next; yet so resolved was I that I sat up nearly whole nights reading and praying, if so be there might be any hope for my never-dying soul. I continued going to hear Mr. Crouch in this way for two years regularly, and often to my soul’s dismay and confusion. Seldom did I ever meet with anything to comfort my soul. These words would sound in my ears: ‘Eternity! Eternity! How shall I ever dwell through the countless ages of eternity?’ O what sorrow of soul! My poor frame sank under it, when I was brought to the consideration of the state I now stood in. And again: ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord.’ Yet I loved them whom I believed to be the children of God; and they only were the excellent of the earth to me. Often when going to the house of God, if I have happened to come alongside of them, O the great trembling of soul within me, none know but those poor things who have been exercised in like manner. Many times did I take to my heels and run when I saw any of them following me on the road. Sometimes I have got over hedges and into other places, to hide from them, and to listen if they were talking about me; for truly I believed they saw what an awful wretch and fool I was. But I worked hard night and day to commend myself to God, if possible that I might find hope.

“But as time rolled on, I now and then got a little ray of comfort under the word preached by Mr. Crouch, but often, how often, was it the reverse! I had nine miles to walk to chapel, and nine home, making eighteen miles; but go I must, I could not stay away. I was like poor Esther; I must go; I can but perish if I go; and to stay away, perish I thought I must for ever. I kept going in hope something might turn in my favour; till really I thought and felt within myself, ’tis no use to go.”

Under a sermon he heard Mr. Crouch preach, he says, “It so cut me off from all hope of ever attaining heaven that I was brought down indeed into a low place, where no hope was seen or even hoped for. O the horror! My feeble frame sank under it in such a way as I never had experienced before, though dark and dreary had been my path thus far. But now there was no hope. O! The agony and distress of mind I then endured no tongue can tell. I at last was brought to the spot and place to give up all for lost, and just to sink into utter despair, when God, the ever-blessed Spirit, indited this prayer in my inmost soul: ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner! O Lord, save, or I perish!’

“O how most blessedly did Jesus show himself to my view, hanging on the cross! O that look! I never can forget in time the words he spake to my troubled breast in the last moment. When I looked for hell to swallow me up, he so kindly said, ‘Look at Paul, a persecutor; at David; look at Manasseh; the dying thief;, and Magdalene! They all found the mercy of God; and so shall you!’ At the words, ‘So shall you!’ and the look he gave me, and again repeating, ‘So shall you find my mercy!’ At that moment I lost my burden of guilt and sin. I wondered, indeed, with astonishment, what it all meant. What unutterable joy and peace then flowed like a full river into my soul. What a mighty change was wrought within me! O the glory, the beauty, the comeliness, and love I had, viewing the sacrificed Lamb of God! The sight I can never forget. Such feelings have never since returned to my soul to that great extent as then. Yet hath he been pleased to shine most blessedly since then, causing me to rejoice in him, and find his name sweeter than any music, yea, as ointment poured forth in rich perfumes. He is the altogether lovely to my soul. Come when he will, there is no one like my best Beloved. O! How soul- humbling it was when he first made his appearance to my sight. Faith gave the view of him, and God gave me faith in him, or I never should have had the view. I could say, ‘He is mine, and I am his. His mouth is most sweet, he is unto me the chief among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely.’ Truly, old things were passed away, and all things become new. All my guilt, misery, bondage, fears of death and hell, were clearly removed from my view. Not an enemy could I find to annoy or disturb my peaceful breast. But all was love and praise to him whom I clearly saw had suffered in my stead. Now I saw plainly salvation is not of works, but all of free, eternal, sovereign grace. O how my soul went forth in the dances of them that make merry; my song was, ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, and crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies. O! Bless the Lord, O my soul.’

“For seven days and nights did I travel in this blessed and glorious light and love, with my dear Lord, and his written word was then so opened and unsealed to my faith’s view that I stood astonished to think I had never before seen the like as now. When day closed, I was blessing and praising my God; and when the morning came, I found him still all my delight and peace.”

Aug. 18th, 1870. I visited him, and found him very ill, but still thought he might get about again. We had some sweet conversation about what a precious Christ had done out of us, and what the Spirit had done in us, in creating us anew in himself, in convincing us of sin, showing us our deathless and helpless condition, as depraved, polluted, filthy creatures before a holy God, by the Spirit applying the word with power; also in leading us to Jesus, who disarmed death for us, spoiled the powers of hell, put away sin, by the offering up of his own body, who bore them on the cross, and there made an end of them; and in place of them brought in an everlasting righteousness for us. He told me this day, that some years ago he was labouring and lying under the temptation that he had sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost, and that so powerful was the temptation that he felt deeply under it; and said, “Then there is no forgiveness for me, a rebel and wretched sinner. But the Lord appeared in his time for me, and broke the snare, set my soul at liberty, brought me to feel my sins all forgiven, and to rejoice again in the Lord.” His deliverance from this temptation was effected under a sermon by the late Mr. Crouch.

He was baptized by Mr. Pert in 1862. He told me that in the morning of the day on which he was to follow his dear Saviour’s example, viz., to be immersed in water, his soul was full of darkness, that he groaned, being burdened, and that he would have got away out of the place could he have done so. Mr. Pert spoke in the morning of the work of the Spirit of God in the hearts and souls of his tried and living family, and God blessed the word so that it went home with power and much sweetness to his soul, broke his bonds, chased away the darkness, and removed the burden; so that he said, “I could be baptized every day, to have such a blessing; it was a blessed day to my soul.”

Miss A., a sister in the Lord living in the house with him, told me that he had been weeping much; but he said to her, “They are not tears of sorrow, but of joy, over the free mercy of God towards me.”

We were speaking of death; when I said to him, “What a mercy to be able to meet death as a conquered enemy.” He replied, “Yes, I can as a debtor to mercy alone. That hymn has been much blessed to my soul.” On my leaving him in the evening, I told him I should go to Sturry and see poor F. He said, “Give my love to him, and tell him I shall be home before him.”

On the 21st he said to a friend who called to see him, “I have been looking for all my sins, but I can’t find them; they are all covered.”

On the 24th I saw him again; he was changed in appearance, and much weaker. His breath was very troublesome. His complaint was disease of the heart. Many times in his affliction was his struggling for breath so great that it seemed as if he must die in it. In conversation with him, I said, “I hope, if it be the Lord’s will, he will raise you up again. “He replied, “I am quite resigned to God’s will; for I never have found the promises of God so sweet to my soul as I have in this affliction. I feel assured I am the Lord’s; and I thought in the night I had got through,” meaning the Jordan of death. His soul was so blessed in the night that he felt as if he was in heaven with his Saviour.

I saw him again on the 26th. His strength was fast failing; the disease was making sure work upon his mortal body. He said, “Once, when I was threshing, I had such a sweet and blessed manifestation of Christ and his righteousness to my soul as mine that I was obliged to turn aside from the men, to weep over the abundant mercy of God to me; and I want to feel now more and more all wrapt up in the precious robe of a precious Christ.”

Shortly afterwards he said, “I am afraid I shall be impatient; but I don’t want to die to get away from pain, like a coward. No; but that I may be with Jesus, to embrace him, as he has embraced me in his everlasting love.”

28th. In the evening he was much distressed; darkness set in upon his soul, and hid his best Beloved from his view, so that he sank very low; He dreaded the night before him, and said to Miss A., “O! What shall I do tonight? Do remember me in your prayers.” God bowed down his ear to their supplications, and answered them, and gave him a quiet night. In the morning he said to Miss A., “The Lord hath been better to me than all my doubts and fears. Come, and let us praise him.” But he was too weak to sing with the voice, though his soul through grace could praise the God of his salvation.

20th. I saw him again. He was pleased to see me, and with a countenance beaming with joy he said, “I never thought of seeing you any more here.” Then, as soon as he got a little breath again, he said, “When languor and disease invade,’ &c. “The whole of that hymn is mine.” (See 472, Gadsby’s.) To a friend who came to see him he said, “The devil has not done yet.” The friend repeated,

“Jesus, thy blood and righteousness

My beauty are, my glorious dress; 

‘Midst flaming worlds, in these array’d,

With joy shall I lift up my head.”

He said, “I shall! I shall!”

Sept. 1st. He said, “The work is finished. The way is lined with love and blood.”

2nd. He had a very bad night, last night. Inflammation came in his legs, from which he suffered very severe pain. And greater pain and distress in his soul, because he could not feel his Beloved’s presence. This morning mortification set in in his legs, and the pain ceased. He said, “It’s a night to be remembered.” The Lord again appeared, revealed himself to his soul with comfort and peace. Then he cried out, “O!When will his chariot-wheels move on?” At another time he said, “The nearer I get home, the more vile and filthy I feel.” “O let my name rot, and Christ alone be exalted.” He said to me, “What I went through last night I could not tell, turned upside down, inside out; I passed through something of the horrors of the lost.” I said, “You have got safe through, and so have proved the power and mercy of God again to deliver.” He replied, “Yes, bless his name.” A little afterwards he said, “Eye hath not seen nor ear heard what God hath prepared for them that love him.” I replied, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.” He said, “Yes; but I do not feel that triumph in my soul I should like; but I have calmness of soul, and am resting on Christ.”

His master, Squire Bell, under whom he was employed as bailiff at Lenhall Farm, went to see him many times, and was very kind to him in sending him things he wished for. And God gave our dear brother strength to talk to him about spiritual things, and to tell with confidence that he feared not death. The squire said he never heard any one talk with such an assurance as he did. The doctor one day was speaking about the state of his legs, when he said, “Ah, doctor! Never mind about the legs. It’s all right. I shan’t want them any more.”

3rd. He was very much tried through the day. Clouds obscured his Saviour from his view, till about five in the evening, when he said to Miss A., “He is come! He is come! with his still small voice; but not in the way which I had chalked out. What a poor erring mortal I am; but now he is come in love and mercy. I wish Mr. Rowden was here now; I could talk to him.”

Shortly afterwards he said, “The battle is fought, the victory is won! O what a shelter is Christ to me! I’m only waiting for him to say, ‘Child, come up higher.’ He has cut short the work in righteousness.”

4th. He said, “Dear Lord, do let this be the last day; but not my will, but thine be done.” He was exceedingly happy through the day, and said many times, “I can sing ‘Victory! Victory!'” though he was scarcely able to speak from weakness.

5th. I again saw him. He was fast sinking, and extremely weak. We could only understand a few words now and then. To his wife he said, “I have got my harp and strings all right, but I cannot praise him as I would till I get out of this body.’ To me, after a little time, he said, “O the horrid, infernal suggestions of the devil!” I answered, “He cannot drive you off the Rock.” He said, “No; that’s the mercy. O what a God is our God! Such a fulness! I want to go home to praise him; I’m so pent up here in this vile body.”

At night he was got to bed, after sitting for three weeks day and night in an easy chair. He was much exhausted, but after he had lain awhile, he recovered a little strength, and expressed great thankfulness, and called upon those present to thank and praise the Lord for his mercy and kindness to him, in enabling him once more to lay his weak and weary body to rest on his bed.

6th. Through the day he uttered many very precious things. To Miss A. he said, “You may think I lie here very dull and dreary; but I am full of the blessing of the Lord.”

7th. He said to Miss A., “O! I do want to tell you of the vast fulness which I see, and feel treasured up in Christ, but I am so pent up with this clog of flesh. Set me up, and help me to praise him.” Here his breath failed him, and he could say no more.

8th. Miss A. said to him, “Is Christ precious to you on a dying bed?” He replied, “He is! He is! O that I could tell you of his goodness to me! “Then he said, “Tell, tell,” He could say no more. She said to him, “Tell what? Tell of the goodness of God to you?” He replied, “Yes, yes.” At another time he said, “He is a precious Saviour. He’s precious on a dying bed.” Then he said again, just after, “But, O what a sinner I am! I did not know I was such a broad sinner or Jesus such a great Saviour before I came here.

“‘Glory, honour, praise, and power be unto the Lamb for ever.'”

In the evening, whilst I was with him, the doctor came to see him. The doctor said his pulse was much lower and he was fast sinking. He took no notice till the doctor had finished speaking, and then he raised his hand and whirled it round several times, and said, “It’s all right! I know in whom I have believed. I’m going home. I shall shout ‘Victory!'” After I left him in the evening the squire came to see him, and said to him, “Well; the same good hope still?” He replied, “Yes, the same good hope; and can’t you help me to sing a song to praise the Lord, for his great goodness to so vile a wretch as I am?” The squire replied, “I hope to do so.” 

9th. In the morning he said to his dear wife, “My dear, it will be all over today.” At another time, his wife being with him, he pointed his hand towards heaven, waved it, and said, “Victory! Victory!” His whole soul seemed full of a precious Christ, and he much wanted to talk, but could not.

About 20 minutes before he died he kept on saying, “Vic! Vic!” meaning victory, and waving his hand. He then turned on his back and breathed heavily for a few minutes; then drew one long breath, moved his tongue, and all was over. His soul was in glory, absent from the body and present with the Lord.

John Rowden

Canterbury, Oct. 10, 1870.