Edward Wallin

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Edward Wallin was Benjamin's father and his predecessor in the pastorate at Maze Pond..He was converted early in life. His parents were too poorto to keep him at school, and he was hurried into business. However, he found time to acquire a considerable knowledge of Greek, Hebrew, and Oriental dialects. He had not spoken of entering the ministry but two churches at the same time invited him to the pastorate. He accepted the call of the poorer and less promising one and earnestly devoted himself to the work of the ministry, bearing a large part of the burden of his own support by teaching school. His church was largely prospered under his ministry, and his influence outside his own immediate field of labour, was extensive and valuable. John Gill, in preaching his funeral sermon, spoke of him as follows

He had a large experience of the grace of God, and a considerable share of light and knowledge in the great truths of the gospel. He had a heavenly skill to lay open the wretched and miserable state and condition of sinners by nature, and to set forth the glory of Christ in his person, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice. His language was plain and easy, though strong and masculine; far above contempt, and yet free from the swelling words of vain rhetoricians. His reasoning was clear and nervous, his mien and deportment was grave, his address wus with majesty, which at once had a tendency to command awe, engage attention, and strike the affection. (see Crosby).

Edward Wallin by G Holden Pike

Pike tells us that the second pastor at Maze Pond Church was Wallin's father.

The second pastor, Edward Wallin, whose grave is at the rear of Maze-pond chapel, was born in 1678. On account of a brave adherence to the principles of Nonconformity, the family greatly suffered amid the troubles of the Restoration, and their temporal circumstances were correspondingly injured. His parents were prevented from bestowing upon Edward so liberal an education as they thought desirable. They nevertheless appear to have early designed their son for Christian work, although necessity obliged their keeping the boy for a season in trade. Young Wallin promoted his parents' wishes by persevering against difficulties until he gradually acquired a respectable amount of Biblical and literary knowledge. When only in his twenty-fifth year, he was simultaneously invited to the pastorate by two societies; and notwithstanding the pressure of poverty, he chose to serve the least wealthy. At Maze-pond he maintained a position of usefulness till his death in 1733. Dr. Gill, who preached Wallin's funeral sermon, has unfortunately left us but few particulars about the life of his subject, whose character he extols in a high strain of panegyric.