He was particularly desirous of impressing upon the minds of those whom he visited the importance of individual and experimental religion, and would constantly remind them that their great aim should be to prepare for heaven.
He took also occasion to warn them of open sins which they were in the habit of committing, such as drunkenness, or the neglect of public worship. An old man, who frequently gave way to a habit of intoxication, and, perhaps from this cause, has now become prematurely infirm and almost childish, alluded to the last visit of his pastor in the following manner:—“On the Thursday—the Thursday, you mind, before he died—old Mr. Mortimer came to see me in his little carriage, and his man drove him: and he gave me a caution. He said, ‘Mr. —, I saw you on Yonge-street a short time since, and you were drunk;’ and on the next Saturday he was a corpse, and I lost my brother:” and the old man turned aside to hide his tears.
The husband, or rather the widower, of a Presbyterian, mentioned that his wife had frequently remarked to him, that there could not be a better minister by a sick bed than Mr. Mortimer: for that he never excited persons, but that at the same time he did not delude them about their eternal prospects, but spoke candidly to them, according to their different states of mind. She said that there was no minister that she should so much like to see, if she were ill, as Mr. Mortimer. Her wish, however, was not gratified, for she survived him about half-a-year.
Another person, a member of a Presbyterian family in the neighbourhood, after stating that Mr. Mortimer was very much missed, said, “And no one misses him more than my mother; for he used to come and sit with her, and talked so nicely to her, that it did her so much good—it did her good till he came again. There will never be another minister like Mr. Mortimer: if there were to come five thousand, there would not be another like him.” { 268a}
He took an interest in the concerns of those whom he visited, and, following the example of St. Paul, strove to “please all men in all things, not seeking his own profit, but the profit of many, that they might be saved.” “He was not naturally fond of children, and I was much struck, on that account, with the remark of a woman when talking about the visits of my dear father; ‘Ah, miss, your father was mighty fond of this little one, and he took so much notice of him the very last time he was here!’ Another woman said, ‘Ah! he was a real gentleman, and he would sit down with us, and talk so free and pleasant-like.’” { 268b}