CHAPTER II.

"The Church of Christ assembling on Castle Hill, Northampton, to the Church of Christ in Salop assembling.

"Dear Brethren and Friends, beloved in the Lord,— As the providence of God hath seen fit to remove from us to you our reverend and dear brother, Mr. Job Orton, who has for many years resided amongst us, and has of late years, with great honour and acceptance, ministered unto us and assisted us under the office of an elder; though we cannot resign him without the most affectionate and tender concern and deep regret, yet, being obliged to acquiesce in the determination of the great Head of the Church, though to us a very painful one, we think it our duty by these letters to dismiss him from our stated communion to yours; which accordingly we hereby do, blessing God for all the advantages we have enjoyed by his ministry and presence, and earnestly praying that his labours may not only be highly acceptable and delightful to you, as we are persuaded they must be, but that they may be crowned with abundant success. We cannot doubt but your conduct to him will be so obliging and affectionate, as abundantly to demonstrate the sense you have of the singular favour of Providence to you in sending among you so able, so faithful, and so zealous a labourer; and we earnestly desire your prayers for us, that God may make up to us, by his immediate presence and blessing, the unspeakable and otherwise irreparable loss which we sustain by his removal from us."Signed, by the unanimous direction of the Church, at their Church-meeting, October 1st, 1741, in the name of the whole society,"Philip Doddridge."

"Signed, by the unanimous direction of the Church, at their Church-meeting, October 1st, 1741, in the name of the whole society,

"Philip Doddridge."

Another memoranda by Doddridge we shall here insert:—

May 2nd, 1748.I reviewed the list of the Church from the beginning, and found that from 1694, when Mr. Hunt was settled as theirpastor (that is, within the compass of 54 years), 784 members have been admitted, inclusive of those then found—that is, one year with another, more than 14 members each year: of which 240 only continue alive and reside still among us; of which, 58 were admitted before my settlement with the Church;—and, as I have admitted 299, they show that 117, who have been admitted from that time, are either removed or dead, besides many others who were admitted before.N.B.—Seventy-eight have been my pupils.

May 2nd, 1748.

I reviewed the list of the Church from the beginning, and found that from 1694, when Mr. Hunt was settled as theirpastor (that is, within the compass of 54 years), 784 members have been admitted, inclusive of those then found—that is, one year with another, more than 14 members each year: of which 240 only continue alive and reside still among us; of which, 58 were admitted before my settlement with the Church;—and, as I have admitted 299, they show that 117, who have been admitted from that time, are either removed or dead, besides many others who were admitted before.

N.B.—Seventy-eight have been my pupils.

This would average, during the ministry of Doddridge, 16 admissions in a year.

The following letter of Doddridge, written about this period, containing some statements relating to his Church and his feelings as a pastor, we think never before published, may here be suitably introduced. It was addressed to "the Rev. Mr. Ryland, in Warwick," father of the late Dr. Ryland, of Bristol, and afterwards minister of College Street Chapel, Northampton.

Northampton, May 17th, 1747.Rev. and dear Sir,—I am much obliged to you for your affectionate letter, and shall be very ready to give you a visit and a sermon, if Providence give me a convenient opportunity; but my motions are at present uncertain, depending partly on some visits I expect from my friends, and partly upon other circumstances. Be assured, Sir, that if I have an opportunity I shall be very glad to see you and serve you to the best of my little power, and think myself happy in an opportunity of doing anything to promote the kingdom of Christ amongst you or elsewhere. I beg your prayers for me. Through the Divine goodness I continue well. I have been much afflicted by the breach made in our Church by the Moravians, who have got from us a little congregation. The affliction has been increased by the death of some very promising and hopeful persons, especially of one who died last night, and whose age, circumstances, and character concurred to give us the greatest hopes of usefulness from him; so thatit is one of the greatest blows of that kind that I have received since I came hither. My spirits are much grieved and oppressed; pray that I may be enabled to wait on the Lord with quiet submission and humble hope.We congratulate you on your marriage, and heartily recommend you and Mrs. Ryland to the Divine blessing.I am, Rev. and dear Sir,Your affectionate brother and obliged humble servant,P. Doddridge.

Northampton, May 17th, 1747.

Rev. and dear Sir,—I am much obliged to you for your affectionate letter, and shall be very ready to give you a visit and a sermon, if Providence give me a convenient opportunity; but my motions are at present uncertain, depending partly on some visits I expect from my friends, and partly upon other circumstances. Be assured, Sir, that if I have an opportunity I shall be very glad to see you and serve you to the best of my little power, and think myself happy in an opportunity of doing anything to promote the kingdom of Christ amongst you or elsewhere. I beg your prayers for me. Through the Divine goodness I continue well. I have been much afflicted by the breach made in our Church by the Moravians, who have got from us a little congregation. The affliction has been increased by the death of some very promising and hopeful persons, especially of one who died last night, and whose age, circumstances, and character concurred to give us the greatest hopes of usefulness from him; so thatit is one of the greatest blows of that kind that I have received since I came hither. My spirits are much grieved and oppressed; pray that I may be enabled to wait on the Lord with quiet submission and humble hope.

We congratulate you on your marriage, and heartily recommend you and Mrs. Ryland to the Divine blessing.

I am, Rev. and dear Sir,

Your affectionate brother and obliged humble servant,

P. Doddridge.

One more entry we have in the Church-book, relating to his success as a pastor:—

Some Remarks which have occurred to me on the State of the Church since January 1st, 1747, which I note for the Instruction of any future Pastor.

At the time above mentioned, I took a review of the number of Church members, which I found more decreased since Michaelmas, 1745, than I ever knew it to be in double that time; for I found that since that time we have received only 15 members, and have lost 17; 12 have died or removed the last year, and only 8 of the 15 have been admitted this year; so that our decrease since Michaelmas, 1745, is 2, and since this time twelve-months, on the whole, 4—a very discouraging circumstance, especially considering how much I have abounded in exhortations to the Lord's table during the last year.N.B.—Theomissionof the names of three, since recollected, who were admitted in 1745, made the state of affairs appear more melancholy than I afterwards found it to be.

N.B.—Theomissionof the names of three, since recollected, who were admitted in 1745, made the state of affairs appear more melancholy than I afterwards found it to be.

His last statement is—"In looking over the account for the year 1749, I find that 22 had been admitted, and 22 removed by death or otherwise; so that we were just as at the beginning of the year—in all, 239."

These statements rather surprise us; considering what the writer of them had devolving upon him in the care of his academy, in his extensive correspondence,in his numerous and valuable publications, that he should, amidst all this, pay so particular and minute attention to the state of the Church of which he was pastor. It shows strikingly the activity, ardour, and entire devotedness of his spirit. But, alas! it was too active and ardent for the material framework long to sustain the efforts to which it was impelled. Hence the very next entry we meet with is, "That the Rev. Philip Doddridge, Doctor of Divinity, after being twenty-one years pastor of this Church, died at Lisbon, to which place he had resorted for the recovery of his health, on the 26th of October, 1751, we may truly say, to the unspeakable loss of this Church."

How he lived and how he died is very extensively known, by the Memoir published by Orton—the "Centenary Memorial" of him recently sent forth by Stoughton; so that, though we would fain linger over his memory, yet anything further respecting him would seem to be out of place here.

We happen to have in our possession a copy of the poem sacred to the memory of Doddridge, as it was first published by its author, Mr. Henry Moore, who had been one of the Doctor's students, and was afterwards settled as a minister in Devonshire. It is the same poem in substance as is given by Orton at the close of his 'Memoirs of Doddridge'; but it is there considerably altered from this first copy. It is thus inscribed to Mrs. Doddridge:—

Permit me, Madam, to present to you the following poem, as a testimony of my high veneration for the memory of my deceased tutor, and my tender sympathy with his afflicted family.I am, Madam, your most obliged humble servant,H—— M——.Northampton, February, 1st, 1752.

Permit me, Madam, to present to you the following poem, as a testimony of my high veneration for the memory of my deceased tutor, and my tender sympathy with his afflicted family.

I am, Madam, your most obliged humble servant,

H—— M——.

Northampton, February, 1st, 1752.

We extract the following lines from pages 7-9:—

O, snatch'd for ever, ever from our view,Thou best, thou greatest of thy kind, adieu!Thou, in whose ample, comprehensive mind,All the ten thousand streams of science join'd;—All the fair train of social virtues smil'd,And bright religion beam'd divinely mild.Ah, love shall listen with delight no more,While from thy lips Truth pours her sacred store;—No more, while studious to instruct and please,You temper serious sense with graceful ease;—No more, with zeal for God and virtue fired,By reason govern'd, and by heaven inspired,Thy various eloquence our ears shall charm,Command our passions, and our bosoms warm;Bid in our breast seraphic raptures roll,And spread the generous flame from soul to soul;While sinners start, by conscious terror stung,And tremble at the thunder of thy tongue.Once more, adieu! O friend, instructor, guide,With whom our hopes, our fairest prospects died.With what fond zeal we press'd the throne divine,To rescue from the grave a life like thine!If ardent prayers—if streaming sorrows, shedIn all the bitterness of soul—could plead,Our prayers, O Doddridge! had revers'd thy doom,And tens of thousands wept thee from the tomb.But cease, rash Muse—oh, tremble to repine!'Tis heaven demands him, and we must resign.All-perfect Goodness ever wills the best:Then bow submissive to the high behest,And silent drop the tributary tearThat nature's forced to pay to friendship dear.Though heaven forbids us to indulge our grief,A tear it will allow—the soul's relief.Yet who would wish him still confin'd below,Struggling with dire disease, or loads of woe?Then dry the tear, suppress the rising sigh,Weep not for him who could rejoice to die.E'en when the quiv'ring pulse, the panting breath,And clay-cold sweat, presag'd th' approach of death,His steady soul, by conscious virtue arm'd,No inward stings or gathering clouds alarm'd.Calm as the silent surface of the sea,When ev'n the gentle breeze has ceased to play,Fair hope, strong faith, his sinking soul sustain'd,In smiling peace each rising care seren'd;Heav'n on the saint shed down her cheering ray,And open'd on his mind her dawning day.Then his warm breast with bliss ecstatic glow'd,Fir'd with th' approaching vision of his God.Impatient of his soul-confining chains,Eager he welcom'd the dissolving pains;Already seem'd on seraphs' wings to rise,Already spurn'd his dust, and tower'd into the skies.Methought I saw him mount the starry way,His temples beaming with celestial day.Rapt in a flamy car, sublime he flew—The flamy car fire-breathing coursers drew;Swift as the lightning glimpse he flash'd along;While, waiting for his flight, a white-rob'd throng(Once wretched souls, enslaved by Satan's yoke,Whose painful bonds his arduous labours broke),Grateful and happy, smile to see him rise,And hail him welcome to th' applauding skies;Ten thousand harps, harmonious as the spheres,Proclaim their joy, and charm his ravish'd ears.

In proceeding with the Memorials of this Church, now bereft of its beloved and honoured Doddridge, we find that the Rev. Robert Gilbert was called to be the pastor, and entered upon the pastoral charge at Lady-day, 1753. This worthy man died December 28th, 1760. We are unable to ascertain what was the condition of the Church during the ministry of Mr. Gilbert; but have some reason to conclude that it was not in a united or prosperous state. Considerable difficulty might be expected to attend the choice of asuccessor to such a pastor as the one that had immediately preceded; and this more fully appeared after Mr. Gilbert's short course of labour had closed.

Mr. Hextal was the next pastor of the Church. He was a native of Broughton, near Kettering; became a member of the Church at Kettering under Mr. Saunders; for which, see the Memorials of the Church at Kettering. He was a student at Northampton under Dr. Doddridge; first settled at Creaton, then at Sudbury, from which place he came to Northampton. We have no record of the time when he entered on his ministry at Castle Hill, and no account of anything that transpired during his ministry; but under the date of April 16, 1775, we have this record: "It was this day agreed, by a majority of eighteen brethren of this Church, to dismiss the Rev. Mr. Hextal from his office as pastor, minister, and teacher." This appears to have led to very painful altercations between the friends of Mr. Hextal and those that were opposed to him, which ultimately led to a separation from the Church and congregation. Those who were attached to Mr. Hextal endeavoured to regain the pulpit for him by a process of law, pleading the right of the subscribers to a vote for the pastor; but this was overruled, as contrary to the deed which gives "the power to the Church (upon giving six days' notice by the deacons) to elect, place, and displace a minister as they think proper." The result was, that Mr. Hextal's friends withdrew, and built the Chapel in King Street, where Mr. Hextal ministered till the close of his life. The names of thirty members are given, as having been first admonished for withdrawing themselves from the Church, and, refusing to return, were declared as no longer standing in this relation to them. Thename of Mary Doddridge occurs amongst those who had withdrawn. In 'Orton's Letters to Dissenting Ministers,' we have the following passage, in a letter dated December 26, 1762: "My last letters from Northampton encourage me to hope that Mr. Hextal will be comfortable and useful there." To this, Mr. Palmer, the editor, appends the following note:—

An amiable and respectable minister, who removed from Sudbury on account of dissensions occasioned by a party spirit in electing members of Parliament, and succeeded Mr. Gilbert in the congregation of which Dr. Doddridge had been pastor, where he soon met with equally cruel usage, and was obliged to withdraw to a new Chapel which his friends erected for him, where he ended his days in peace. His great candour and benevolence gave occasion to morose-minded people, who disliked some that espoused his cause, to charge him with a want of orthodoxy; whereas, in point of sentiment, he was in fact higher than the generality of acknowledged Calvinists. Such is the blindness of bigotry.

These unhappy circumstances greatly diminished the numbers in the Church. Under date of April 24th, 1777, we find the names of only 64 members, showing a great decrease since the death of Doddridge.

Rev. John Horsey was unanimously invited to the pastoral office February 2nd, 1777, and testified his acceptance of it on the 2nd of March. He was dismissed from the Church at Ringwood, to be received as a member of the Church at Northampton, and then ordained as the minister. The following is the account Mr. Horsey gives of the ordination service:—

Having accepted the pressing solicitations of my friends, I was solemnly separated to the pastoral office over the Church of Christ assembling on Castle Hill, Northampton, on May 14th, 1777. Mr. Scott, of Hinkley, began with prayer, and reading the 100th Psalm and 3rd Chapter 1st Epistle toTimothy. Mr. Towle, of London, delivered an introductory discourse, received the Church's account of the steps they had previously taken, read by Mr. John Wood, together with a renewal of their call; I testified likewise my acceptance of it, and delivered my confession of faith. Mr. Saunders, of Bedworth, set me apart by prayer and imposition of hands; Mr. King, of Welford, gave the charge, founded on 1st Cor. iv. 2; Mr. Rowley, of Warwick, prayed; Dr. Mayo, of London, preached on 2nd Cor. iv. 5; and Mr. Bull, of Newport, concluded in prayer. Our assisting friends officiated respectively with an amiable order and propriety, the Divine Spirit was eminently with us, and his blessing, we hope, will attend the important transactions of the day.June 1st.—I administered the Lord's Supper for the first time; it was a very comfortable season. May God grant us his presence in our future engagements of a similar nature!

June 1st.—I administered the Lord's Supper for the first time; it was a very comfortable season. May God grant us his presence in our future engagements of a similar nature!

Mr. Horsey's ministry over this people extended to the lengthened period of fifty years, during which time 170 members were added to the Church. He died on May 12th, 1827. Mr. Horsey was a man of very gentlemanly appearance and manners, great ease, affability, and much kindness; his style as a preacher pleasing, and rather attractive, not distinguished by much energy; but we have heard that in the first years of his ministry at Northampton it was popular, and drew together a rather crowded congregation.

Much has been said and written respecting Mr. Horsey's deficiency in orthodox views, or in distinct statements on some of the great points of evangelical truth. He had the charge of the academy for a time after its removal from Daventry, at the resignation of Mr. Belsham. Suspicions arising as to his sentiments on the person and work of Christ, he resigned his office as tutor, and the academy was for a time broken up; nor was the Church or congregation after thisin a flourishing state under the ministry of Mr. Horsey. The attendance declined; the number of members diminished. This may be the case under certain circumstances where there is no deficiency in truth, or piety, or ability, on the part of the ministry, and hence may present no certain criterion of the one or the other; and there were a number, we believe, of truly pious devout persons of evangelical sentiments, who continued under the ministry of Mr. Horsey, esteemed his character, and prized his preaching. Yet it must be allowed, we apprehend, that there was a certain vagueness in his statements respecting the person and work of the Redeemer, which showed either that the mind of the preacher was not earnestly intent on discovering and grasping the truth, under a powerful impression of the value of the truth, or that it had formed opinions to which it was unwilling to give a clear and distinct utterance; but Mr. Horsey manifested the spirit of devotion, and a humble reliance on Christ as the Saviour of sinners, and would be found "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."

When Mr. Horsey's infirmities increased so as to render him incapable of fulfilling all the duties of his office, Mr. Charles Hyatt was invited to become co-pastor; but Mr. Horsey being removed by death before this connexion had been completed, Mr. Hyatt was then invited to take the pastoral charge, which he accepted, and was ordained September 25th, 1827. We present Mr. Hyatt's account of the engagements of the day:—

After solemn deliberation and prayer to God for direction, I accepted the invitation of my kind friends at Castle Hill to become their pastor, and conveyed that resolution in a letterto the Church, 1827. On Wednesday, September 26th, I was solemnly recognized as the pastor of the Church. Mr. Edwards, of King's Head Lane (now King Street) Meeting, commenced the services of the day by reading and prayer; Mr. Robertson, of Wellingborough, delivered the introductory discourse; Mr. Toller, of Kettering, asked the usual questions; Mr. Hyatt, senior, offered up the ordination prayer; Mr. Morrell, of Wymondley, delivered the charge, founded on Rev. ii. 10; Mr. Fletcher, of Stepney, preached to the people, from 1st Cor. xvi. 14; Mr. Gray, of College Lane, concluded with prayer. It was a most delightful and interesting service. Nearly 50 ministers were present, and the impressions then made will, it is hoped, never wear away.

After this settlement, some of the friends of the late Mr. Horsey separated from the Church and congregation, and commenced the Unitarian interest in the town. On this subject we present the following statement—

Friday, November 22nd, 1827, we held our first Church-meeting, when the following letter was read to the Church:—"To the Church of Christ assembling under the pastoral care of the Rev. Charles Hyatt."We, the undersigned members of the Church of Christ assembling in Castle Hill Meeting, having, in obedience to the dictates of our consciences, united in the formation of a society of Christians, whose worship is directed solely to the one God the Father, agreeably to the express injunctions of our Saviour, deem it proper to withdraw, and hereby beg leave to announce our withdrawment, from the worship and communion of the Church to which we have hitherto belonged, on account of the discordance existing between the mode of worship as there practised and that which we believe to have been enjoined and observed by Christ and his apostles."—(Signed by nine members.)

Friday, November 22nd, 1827, we held our first Church-meeting, when the following letter was read to the Church:—

"To the Church of Christ assembling under the pastoral care of the Rev. Charles Hyatt.

"We, the undersigned members of the Church of Christ assembling in Castle Hill Meeting, having, in obedience to the dictates of our consciences, united in the formation of a society of Christians, whose worship is directed solely to the one God the Father, agreeably to the express injunctions of our Saviour, deem it proper to withdraw, and hereby beg leave to announce our withdrawment, from the worship and communion of the Church to which we have hitherto belonged, on account of the discordance existing between the mode of worship as there practised and that which we believe to have been enjoined and observed by Christ and his apostles."—(Signed by nine members.)

The individuals who signed this letter, in connexionwith some of the subscribers, formed themselves into a society professing Unitarian sentiments.

The list of the members at Castle Hill after this contains but fifty names.

Mr. Hyatt's ministry in Northampton continued six years and three months, when he removed to be co-pastor with his father in London. He preached his farewell sermon March 21st, 1833. Something more than eighty members appear to have been admitted during this period.

Mr. Hyatt was the son of the Rev. Charles Hyatt, of Shadwell, London. He was born in the year 1805. Trained in the fear of God, he resolved, on leaving school, to devote himself to studies preparatory to the Christian ministry. Although but fifteen years of age when he formed this resolution, yet he was eligible for admission into Wymondley College, under the auspices of the trustees of Mr. Coward, and accordingly he entered there in 1820, under the patronage of Dr. Collyer. He honourably occupied six years in his studies, and then became the pastor of the Church at Northampton.

He was strongly urged by his father to resign his charge at Northampton, to undertake the co-pastorate with him in the Church at Ebenezer Chapel, Shadwell—the people having invited him to this office. His acquiescence in this request proved a great source of comfort to his venerable father, with whom he indeed laboured "as a son with the father" in the Gospel. He took an active part in the labours of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, and, in 1844, was chosen to be its secretary. The growing infirmities of his honoured father threw the whole weight of pastoral duties upon him; and his frame,always delicate and prone to disease, began to yield to the pressure of labour, which was too much for his strength. On the 16th of June, 1846, his venerated father died; and in nine short months after this, the happy spirit of the son was gathered to his fathers. This change came upon him somewhat by surprise. It is a well known symptom in pulmonary disorders, to look for restoration to health and activity even to the last; and when, therefore, he learned from his physician that there was no hope of his ultimate recovery, it was to him an unexpected announcement. But it caused him neither depression nor alarm. He was prepared for the event; and in the last days of his sickness he was favoured with a continued rapture of love, hope, and joy, which was never interrupted but by the paroxysms of pain which terminated his amiable and holy life. He died in the 42nd year of his age.

Rev. John Bennett succeeded Mr. Hyatt in the pastoral charge at Castle Hill in June, 1833, and is the present minister of this Church. The number of communicants at the present time is 160. There are 300 children in the Sabbath-schools.

Since the commencement of Mr. Bennett's pastorate, four young men have gone out from this Church into the regular ministry. Three members of the Church are almost constantly engaged in village-preaching; but there are no stations connected with the Chapel.

The present Meeting House was built in the year 1695. It is just according to the general fashion of Dissenting places of worship of that era, in respectable towns—a plain building, entirely destitute of architectural ornaments, three galleries, and large pillarsto support the roof. Commodious school-rooms were built for the Sabbath-school in the year 1825, at a cost probably of £500. About fourteen years ago the lower part of the Chapel was entirely repaired; lobbies made for the gallery stairs, stone steps to the galleries, new aisles, and cost about £400. It has just undergone considerable alterations—pillars removed, new roof, and new galleries, at a cost of £500. It was re-opened for worship on Wednesday, the 6th of October. We have been favoured with the following account of the services by the pastor:—

On the Wednesday morning the Rev. J. Sherman, of Surrey Chapel, preached an admirable sermon, to a very large and deeply interested audience, the Rev. T. Thomas, of Wellingborough, having commenced the service with reading and prayer. In the evening the service was opened by the Rev. W. Todman, of Yardley, Hastings, who read the Scriptures and prayed. The Rev. Dr. Archer, of London, then delivered a most eloquent discourse, which was listened to with the deepest interest by an audience which filled the Chapel to overflowing. The friends dined together, and took tea at the Milton Hall. On the following Sabbath the Rev. H. Toller, of Market Harborough, preached morning and evening, with his customary power and acceptance, to overflowing congregations. The various collections amounted to more than £85. The cordial and fraternal spirit manifested by the other Dissenting Churches in the town was such as to afford the deepest gratification to the friends of the Redeemer at Castle Hill. Altogether, the occasion will long be remembered with pleasure and thankfulness by this ancient Christian society.

In the vestry are Doddridge's table, chair, and looking-glass.

The present state of the Church at Castle Hill is such as, we have no doubt, excites grateful emotions to the God of all grace from the pastor and his flock;and in the words of their beloved Doddridge they would say,—

"Th' eternal Shepherd still survives,New comfort to impart;His eye still guides us, and his voiceStill animates our heart."

When discord and contentions arise in a Christian society they are productive of great evils—opposed to the spirit of the Gospel, they prove a hindrance to the advancement of individual piety, and to the extension of the kingdom of Christ among men. Yet the God who "makes the wrath of man to praise him," often overrules the disagreements that arise in his Churches for "the furtherance of the Gospel." In the preceding account of the Church at Castle Hill it will have been seen that during the ministry of Mr. Hextal dissensions arose, which led to his dismissal from his office as pastor by a majority of the Church.

In the month of August, 1774, Mr. Hextal was afflicted with a disease which rendered him incapable of fulfilling all his duties as pastor of the Church at Castle Hill. It was therefore determined to invite an assistant; and it appears that the greater part of the Church wished to have a minister who was not quite agreeable to Mr. Hextal and the major part of the subscribers. This was the occasion of much dissension. A great deal of acrimonious feeling was manifested; pamphlets were written on both sides; and at length a separation ensued; the Chapel in KingStreet was built, and Mr. Hextal carried on his ministry there. It was erected in the year 1776.

In a preface written by Mr. Hextal to one of the pamphlets that was published, we find the following paragraph, which we extract as expressive of the principles he maintained, and the spirit he wished to exemplify and promote. After censuring the injudicious zeal of some, he observes,—

I mention these things, not to encourage a disregard or indifference about the peculiar doctrines of the Gospel—far be such a thought from me. I believe them, and will earnestly contend for them in the spirit of meekness. The doctrine of the divinity of Christ, on which I humbly apprehend the efficacy of his atonement depends; the fall of man, or his lost estate by the great apostacy; the deity of the Spirit, and the necessity of his influences to renew fallen man to the divine life, are doctrines I believe evidently discovered in Scripture. These I have constantly insisted upon in the course of my ministry, for the truth of which I can appeal to those who have heard me ever since I came to this place. But it has ever been my opinion, that these doctrines, which I look upon as the distinguishing glory of the Gospel, should be maintained in the spirit of love and candour, with soft words and the strongest arguments we can use; and sorry I am that the word 'candour' should sound harsh, and give offence to any Christians, especially to any that belong to the Church and congregation that enjoyed so long such a burning and shining light as Dr. Doddridge, in whose example and ministry the zeal for Gospel truth adorned with moderation, benevolence, and charity, appeared with such an amiable lustre; and who, "though dead, yet speaketh" in his learned, valuable, and useful writings. * * * May we all be thoroughly convinced, and helped to act agreeable to the conviction, that he is the brightest ornament of his Christian profession, the best friend to the Church of Christ, and partakes most of the temper of heaven, who best loves all of every denomination that he thinks bear the name of Jesus, and mostreadily exercises candour and forbearance to those who differ from him in non-essentials. Should the separation here be permitted to continue, may we live in peace, and sincerely pray for each other.

Here Mr. Hextal laboured until the close of his ministry, and ended his days amongst this people, dying at the age of 66 years.

The following inscription is on a tablet in the Chapel:—

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Sacred to the memory of the Rev.William Hextal, a faithful minister of the Gospel, and sometime pastor of this Christian society; who remarkably exhibited in his life what he warmly recommended from the pulpit,—unfeigned piety to God, and universal benevolence to men.Having endured many and great afflictions, both in body and mind, he entered into the rest which remains for the people of God, November 4th, 1777, aged 66.

Having endured many and great afflictions, both in body and mind, he entered into the rest which remains for the people of God, November 4th, 1777, aged 66.

Mr. Porter was the next pastor of the Church, entering on his office a short time after the death of Mr. Hextal. The register of baptisms, it is stated, was beguna.d.1778, by Thomas Porter, pastor of the congregation that assembles in Kingshead Lane, Northampton. The last entry made by Mr. Porter is of a baptism that took place August 8th, 1784; the next being by Mr. Edwards, August 13th, 1786; so that Mr. Porter's ministry was not continued for much more than six years.

About the year 1786, Mr. B. L. Edwards became the pastor of this Church, and filled this office for 45 years, as he died January 2nd, 1831, aged 66 years. The following account of Mr. Edwards appeared in theCongregational Magazine, shortly after his death:—

Mr. Edwards pursued his preparatory studies for the ministry at the Theological Institution then conducted at Hoxton, we believe under the tuition of Drs. Savage, Kippis, and Rees; and from thence he proceeded to the station which for so many years he has occupied with an unblemished character. As a minister of Christ, he united orthodoxy of sentiment with liberality of spirit; as a man, he was admired most by those who were best acquainted with him—warm and faithful in his friendships, of a most enlarged benevolence, and universally regarded as the ardent and consistent advocate of civil and religious liberty throughout the world. The later years of life were distinguished by a growing spirituality of mind; and as he drew near to the close of his labours upon earth, he seemed to increase in the fervour of his public ministrations. The illness which terminated in his death was of short duration. On the second Sabbath in December he preached three times: on the afternoon of the day he delivered a funeral discourse, founded on the exhortation of Christ to his disciples, "Be ye also ready," and distinguished by unusual earnestness and deep solemnity; and in the evening he closed his public labours by a sermon from Psalm xxxi. 19. Though from that time till within three or four days of his departure he was too unwell to leave the house, yet no painful apprehensions of immediate danger were excited in the minds of his friends. On the Thursday night preceding his dissolution he became, however, materially worse, from which time he rapidly declined, until, on the morning of the Sabbath, he received the summons, and entered into rest. An individual who on two occasions saw him during his illness, was gratified with the delightful frame of spirit he discovered when speaking of the heavenly world, and the blessedness of those who had reached that place. He is understood to have declared, a short time before his departure, his simple reliance upon the atonement of Christ; and in the anticipation of the great change, to have adopted the words of the Apostle, "I know whom I have believed." The nature of his afflictions, however, prevented him from conversing much; and though he expressed sufficientto satisfy his friends as to the calm and happy state of his mind, their hope of his meetness for the kingdom of heaven rests upon the evidence which a long life furnishes to them spent in the cause of Christ, and for the good of men.His mortal remains were committed to the earth on the 11th of January, in the presence of a large assembly, within the walls of the place in which, for so long a period, he had preached the Gospel of the grace of God. Mr. Griffiths, of Buckby, delivered the funeral oration; Mr. B. Hobson, of Welford, and Mr. T. Toller, of Kettering, conducted the devotional parts of the service. On the Sabbath following, the funeral sermon was preached to a crowded auditory, from a part of the 7th and 8th verses of the 4th chapter of the 2nd Epistle to Timothy, by Mr. James Robertson, of Wellingborough. Mr. Edwards for many years filled the office of Secretary to the Association of Independent Ministers of the County of Northampton, and was a liberal and disinterested supporter of the Provident Society connected with it.

His mortal remains were committed to the earth on the 11th of January, in the presence of a large assembly, within the walls of the place in which, for so long a period, he had preached the Gospel of the grace of God. Mr. Griffiths, of Buckby, delivered the funeral oration; Mr. B. Hobson, of Welford, and Mr. T. Toller, of Kettering, conducted the devotional parts of the service. On the Sabbath following, the funeral sermon was preached to a crowded auditory, from a part of the 7th and 8th verses of the 4th chapter of the 2nd Epistle to Timothy, by Mr. James Robertson, of Wellingborough. Mr. Edwards for many years filled the office of Secretary to the Association of Independent Ministers of the County of Northampton, and was a liberal and disinterested supporter of the Provident Society connected with it.

The following inscription is in the Chapel for Mr. Edwards:—

To the memory ofBenj. Loyd Edwards,upwards of 45 years the able, conscientious,and affectionate pastor of the congregationassembling within these walls,this tablet is placed by his bereaved flock,as a testimonial of his faithfulness in,and their gratitude for, a connexionwhich terminated only withhis lamented death, on the 11th of January, 1831,in the 67th year of his age.

Mr. John Woodward became the pastor of the Church July 1st, 1832. It appears that though this congregation has been highly respectable, yet the number of Church members has been comparatively few; for when Mr. Woodward became pastor, a list of members is given, numbering 33. From this timeto April 5th, 1835, when Mr. Woodward resigned, 15 persons had been admitted to the fellowship of the Church.

The next pastor was Mr. Thomas Milner, M.A., known as the author of 'The Seven Churches of Asia;' 'The Life and Times of Dr. Watts;' 'Scripture and Astronomy;' 'Gallery of Nature;' 'Descriptive Atlas of Astronomy,' &c., &c.

November 28th, 1847, Mr. G. Nicholson, B.A., the present pastor, entered on his labours here. Since that time 25 persons have been admitted to the Church, so that the present number of communicants is 72.

During the ministry of Mr. Milner new school-rooms were erected, at a cost of £336. 6s.5d.There are 95 children in the Sabbath-schools.

The accommodation in the Chapel, we are informed, is not so great as it ought to be; nearly every seat being taken, so that there is no surplus room to which to invite the poor. Architectural difficulties have hitherto stood in the way of enlargement, but it is hoped that some way of surmounting them will, in no very distant period, be found.

The Independent Chapel in Commercial Street, Northampton, presents a pleasing memorial of the Christian zeal and liberality of the late Thomas Wilson, Esq., of Highbury Place, London—a gentleman who devoted his time, his energies, and his property to the promotion of the cause of Christ, more immediately among Protestant Dissenters of the Independent denomination.

Mr. Wilson's attention was directed to the town of Northampton as a place which, on account of its increasing population, required some additional efforts for promoting the kingdom of the Redeemer. After many inquiries had been made for ground that would present an eligible site on which to erect a Chapel, a purchase was made in Commercial Street for £600; and a neat and respectable Chapel, sixty-two feet by forty-two, was there erected, at a cost of £2,000, besides £100 for alterations. This was at a considerable distance from other places of worship.

The Chapel was opened for public service on the 9th of April, 1829. The Rev. J. A. James, of Birmingham, preached a very excellent sermon in the morning, on sanctification, from John xvii. 17—"Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth."

Rev. J. Stratten, of Paddington, preached with much energy in the evening, from 2 Thess. iii. 1—"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified."

The Chapel was for some time supplied by the Rev. Messrs. Blackburn and J. Clayton, of London; Adkins, of Southampton; Gear, of Harborough; Johnson, of Farnham; and Prust, of Highbury College.

After the Rev. Edmund Thornton Prust had finished his studies at Highbury, he was invited by the congregation, no Church having then been formed, to supply for six months.

On the 1st of December, 1829, a Christian Church was formed in the presence of Mr. Walter Scott, late of Rowell, now of Airdale, and the late J. Pinkerton, of Weedon.

Mr. Prust was afterwards chosen to the pastoraloffice by the Church and congregation unitedly, and was ordained on the 21st of April, 1830, when the following ministers were engaged:—Mr. B. L. Edwards, of Northampton, read the Scriptures and prayed—Thomas Toller, of Kettering, delivered the introductory discourse—John Sibree, of Coventry, asked the questions, and received the confession of faith—Walter Scott, of Rowell, offered the ordination prayer—John Leifchild, of Bristol (now Dr. Leifchild, of London), gave the charge, from 1 Tim. iv. 6, "A good minister of Jesus Christ," which was published by request—Charles Hyatt, sen., of London, concluded with prayer.

In the evening the Rev. C. J. Hyatt, of Northampton, read and prayed—J. W. Percy, of Warwick, preached to the people, from 1 Thess. v. 13, 14—W. Gray, of Northampton, concluded with prayer.

The following reference is made to the services of the day, in an advertisement prefixed to the printed charge:—

The ordination was attended by a number of his brethren of the town and neighbourhood, of several denominations, who gave on that occasion an instance of brotherly love and concord that will not soon be forgotten. The young minister, with his only remaining parent, and the patron of the Institution from whence he had emanated, seated on either side, received the following address from a minister of his native city, who was well authorized to bear on that occasion a public testimony to his respectable attainments, his unblemished reputation, and his amiable manners, which from a child had procured him the esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintance. A spirit of fervent love, of ardent prayer, and of devout seriousness, characterized the services of the day, and inspired the hearts of all who witnessed them with hopes of the most pleasing results.

Twenty-two years have passed since then, and those pleasing results have, through the blessing of the great Head of the Church, to a great extent been realized. The Church, which was originally formed of eight members who had received dismissions from Churches to which they had previously belonged, has received from the commencement to the present time 315 members. The present number of communicants is about 150. The number of scholars in the Sabbath-schools is about 400.

Since the decease of Mr. Wilson, a marble tablet has been erected in the porch of the Chapel, with the following inscription:—

This Chapel was builta.d.1829, at the sole expense of the late Thomas Wilson, Esq., of Highbury Place, London.This tablet is erected in grateful commemoration of his liberality.

This Chapel was builta.d.1829, at the sole expense of the late Thomas Wilson, Esq., of Highbury Place, London.

This tablet is erected in grateful commemoration of his liberality.

The congregation have erected galleries in the Chapel, with organ, and an additional school-room, at a cost of nearly £1000. A commodious school-room has also been lately built, on a site adjoining the Chapel-yard, for Sunday and Day Infant-schools, with class-rooms for senior scholars. The daily Infant-school numbers more than 120 children, and the Sunday Infant Class about 170. A tablet in the school-room has the following inscription:—"This School-room was builta.d.1851, for the use of Sunday and Day Infant Schools in connexion with Commercial Street Chapel, and in memory of Stephen Prust, Esq., of Bristol, who was only prevented by death from erecting it himself."

In looking at the whole, encouraging indications, we consider, may be very clearly discerned of the Divine blessing attending the word of heavenly truth, and giving sanction and success to the efforts of his servants.

In the days of the Commonwealth, when Cromwell was Lord Protector of England, a greater degree of liberty for the worship of God and the preaching of the Gospel was enjoyed, than had been known for many centuries before, or was again known till the revolution by William. During this period there came to Rowell, a populous village in the county of Northampton, Mr. John Beverley, a devoted Puritan, to preach the Gospel of Christ. This was in the year 1654. His labours were rendered successful in bringing a number of persons to an acquaintance with the Saviour he preached; and they were willing to make a profession of their faith in Christ Jesus. He directed those who had received the Redeemer to form themselves into a Congregational Church, for the enjoyment of divine ordinances in their purity.

Mr. Beverley appears to have been a man of eminent devotedness to God, partaking largely of the spirit of evangelical, practical, and experimental piety. His attainments in learning were considerable: he had been a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; but he dedicated all that he had attained to the service of God in the ministry of the Gospel. He had a living offered to him worth £200 per annum, but he preferred labouring at Rowell, where he was not sure of £50; and hegreatly rejoiced in the success that attended his labours. In the year 1655, those who had been converted under his ministry became united together in the fellowship of the Gospel as a Christian society. A Church covenant was drawn up, and signed by every member. This being the earliest of the kind that we have discovered among the Northamptonshire Churches, it may not be unsuitable to give it a place in these Memorials.

The memor. of a Covenant renewed and subscribed by thereformed Church at Rowell.

Whereas, being by nature enemies to God and aliens from his covenant of mercy, hateful and hating one another, it pleased God of his free grace to admit us into covenant privileges by baptism, wherein we engaged, and whereby we were bound, to walk as new creatures adopted and redeemed, wholly attending to his blessed will revealed in the Gospel, we do now, with shame and loathing of ourselves, most solemnly acknowledge to his glory that we have most abominably corrupted ourselves, his worship, and the holy covenant of our peace, to the blemish of our holy profession, the scandalizing of many, the grief of God's Holy Spirit and people, and now, through mercy, to the grief of our own spirits; so that we abhor ourselves for all our former ignorant and disorderly walking. And seeing how God hath called upon us by his word and Spirit to lay hold yet again of his covenant, as in a proper season of reformation—seeing he is pleased to continue the proposal of such an unworthy people to himself, lo! how can we be ashamed of his truth and Gospel? We do, therefore, humbly tender ourselves to Jesus Christ and his ministry, in this renewed profession and covenant subscribed—viz., that, through the grace of God, we will constantly maintain and walk according to the whole will of God revealed in the Scriptures, and comprised in the articles above mentioned;[1]professing them against allerror, heresy, and profaneness, in due order, as members of this one particular Church, for enjoyment of all Christ's ordinances, performance of all members' duties, in subjection to our pastors, ruling officers, and to each other in the Lord; holding due communion with all other reformed Churches of Christ in the world, that so we may be built up in knowledge and holiness, better to maintain our obedience to Christ, the common interest of the saints, and so more please and glorify God. Accordingly attest to remember his covenant and us, in the approaching day of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom be all glory for ever. Amen.Anno Domini 1655.(Signed, John Beverley, Pastor; John Ponder, John Cooper, Elders; John Fox, Ralph Mun, Deacons. Then follow the names of thirty members.)

Anno Domini 1655.

(Signed, John Beverley, Pastor; John Ponder, John Cooper, Elders; John Fox, Ralph Mun, Deacons. Then follow the names of thirty members.)

Mr. Beverley's was a short but a useful course at Rowell. After about four years' labour amongst them, he was removed by death, June 2nd, 1658. Some extracts we have seen from his diary strikingly indicate the possession of deep and experimental piety, and show that he often had great enjoyment in intercourse with God. It was seen in his spirit and conduct that he was a "man of God." His labours at Rowell, though short, were attended with the most important and permanent result, the benefits of which were experienced by the descendants of his flock.

He was a zealous advocate for the Congregational principles of Church government, writing several tracts in their support, addressing a letter to Dr. Owen, entreating him to employ his powers in their defence, in which he says—

To whom should such a truth, in such an extremity, betake herself for relief among all her children rather than to yourself, or such as you can prevail with? and judge, if you can justly, any more fit than yourself, even yourself, who havesuch a name in the learned and Christian world already, as that your very appearing might be sufficient vindication. May I not charge you in Christ's name to rise up once more for Christ, and for this part of his truth, also as in a former Church case, Esther iv. 14? What account can be given, but that God, foreseeing how useful you might be in such a juncture for relief of his truth now abused, did choose to set yourself in that signal place at Oxford, even for so signal a service, for such a signal portion of truth? And can you forbear to extend your hand in such a cause, who can dispatch so noble a work with such ease and facility?

It is justly observed by Mr. Maurice, that Mr. Beverley was a man of great zeal for the cause of God, guided by that wisdom which is from above. This zeal was expressed in his own personal labours for Christ, in the place and among the people where Providence had fixed him; in his great concern for those places within his knowledge where the Gospel was not preached; and then in his earnest endeavours to stir up his fellow-labourers to be found forward in all their duty to Christ and his house.

When Mr. Beverley was removed by death, the Church at Rowell was "young and tender"; yet its members had been so well instructed in the things of the Gospel, and in their connexion with each other as a Christian society, that they exhorted each other and prayed together, and went constantly to Desborough for a time, two miles distant, to attend on the ministry of Mr. Browning, who, being afterwards ejected from his living, became pastor of the Church at Rowell.

Of Mr. Browning's early life, conversion to God, and entrance on the ministry, some account has been preserved, from which we obtain the following information:—That he descended from pious parents—was a child of many prayers—that his parents early dedicatedhim to God with a view to the ministry of the Gospel, and sent him to Oxford with this design; but his conduct was such as to cause great grief to them, and to involve himself in distress. After some years he was brought, by the divine blessing on the faithful preaching of the Gospel, to deep conviction of sin, and a real return unto God. He became united to a Church at Coggeshall, in Essex; his pastor and friends encouraged him to devote himself to the ministry. He went with Mr. Simms, his pastor, to a commencement at Cambridge, where he met Mr. Beverley, of Rowell, and Mr. Beverley was the means of introducing him to the people at Desborough; who, after hearing him preach, gave him a unanimous invitation to become their pastor, in the year 1657. He laboured successfully amongst them during five years, when, on the passing of "the Act of Uniformity," he gave up the living, rather than comply with the terms required.

He then received an invitation to become the pastor of the Church at Rowell, which had been under the care of Mr. Beverley; and then the pious people at Desborough united with those at Rowell to form one society, under Mr. Browning's ministry. Though it was a stormy day, and scenes of trial, opposition, and suffering were before them, yet this worthy minister undertook the charge, dwelt amongst them, and preached the Gospel unto them; maintaining with great fervour and clearness the doctrines of divine grace, with the purity of God's worship, and the interests of holiness. In these trying days, his labours were successful in bringing, during his ministry at Rowell, about 135 persons to be united to the Church, many of whom came from different places around. In the year 1684, we have a brief statement in the records of the Churchof this nature:—"From this time dates a sore persecution and scattering which lay upon us, that we hardly got together, much less obtained Church-meetings." A note to this statement observes, "This proceeding condemned afterwards by the Church." Again: "Kept a night in prayer to God, humbling ourselves before him. We partook of the Lord's Supper, and admitted two members." So anxious were they to be faithful to their God and to their principles in this time of trial.

Mr. Browning was for some time confined in Northampton gaol for preaching the Gospel. From thence he wrote several letters to his flock in different places where they were resident. There is one published addressed to the Church at Rowell, another to the brethren of the Church at Broughton. From the former we give the following extract, as showing Mr. Browning's spirit, and the wise and pious counsels he gave to his people.

He addresses them as "his dear brethren and beloved," and in one part of the letter observes:—

You are under the awe of that word, Heb. x. 23—25. A suffering day is the trial of our love to Christ. When there is no opposition it is easy. Do not hypocrites do so? But this is the commendation of Christ's followers; they "follow him whithersoever he goeth." "These are they that came out of great tribulation; they are before the throne, and serve him night and day; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them; the Lamb in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall wipe away tears from their eyes." Come, my brethren, you weep now. Our tender Father has a handkerchief in his hand to wipe away our tears, ere long. Do not offend with weeping; too many tears may defile. "Woman, why weepest thou?" was our Lord's inquiry. Tears of joy become the saints, and there is no danger in them; they will be sure to drop into his bosom, and draw out, it may be thelike in him; for he rejoices over us with singing, he rests in his love. Oh, my brethren, methinks I am with you, weeping with you, joying with you, praying with you, and hearing with you. It is true fellowship my soul has with you at a distance. I long after you much in the Lord; yet rejoicingly stay his good pleasure. I would not come out a moment before his time. I would not take a step without his direction. I am wonderfully well, better and better. The cup of affliction for the Gospel is sweeter, the deeper; a stronger cordial, the nearer the bottom—I mean death itself. Oh the joy, unspeakable and glorious, the dying martyrs of Jesus have had! How full freight have been their souls in their passage to their port! I tell you, if you knew what Christ's prisoners some of them enjoyed in their gaols, you would not fear their condition, but long for it; and I am persuaded, could their enemies conceive of their comfort, in mere vexation of heart they would stay their persecutions. "Therefore, my brethren, my joy, my crown, stand fast in the Lord;" rejoice greatly to run your race; fear not their fear; sit loose from the world; allot yourselves this portion, that God has allotted you, "through many tribulations to enter into the kingdom of heaven." Come, the worst is death, and that is the best of all. What, do we stick at dying for him, who stuck not at it for us? Do we find difficulty in that, which will be an entrance into glory? Do princes dread their coronation days? or any loath to come to their nuptials? Foolish hearts! why do we err, not knowing, rather, not believing the Scriptures? I must stay my pen to dry my eyes, because of the overflowing of God's love upon my soul. And now I see, if I had not something to keep me down, I could not bear the loads of God's favour. Blessed be God, blessed be God! "let every one that hath breath praise the Lord." "Oh, love the Lord, ye his saints!" My brethren, do not budge. Keep your ground: the Scripture is your law, God is your king. Your principles are sober; your practices are peaceable; your obedience to superiors known, in all those things wherein your obedience is required. If men have nothing against you but in the matters of your God, rejoice and triumph in all your persecutions.

The following entry we find in the records of the Church relating to the death of Mr. Browning:—Mr. Thomas Browning, pastor of this Church, was gathered to his Father's house in peace, in an evil, persecuting day, May 9th, 1685, having served his Lord in this house with much pains and many tears, with much presence and success, about 23 years.

After this, trials pressed heavily upon them, so that we are informed "the Church had but little communion for some months, till God put it into our hearts to humble ourselves, reform his house, and set upon his work, almost lost by five or six years' persecution, and the death of our pastor. We kept a solemn day of prayer, April 22nd, 1686, with good encouragement in it, by drawing out an account of God's dealings with the souls of those following." Then are given the names of seven persons admitted to the Church. Others were added in subsequent months of the same year; and admonitions were given to those who had fallen back for fear of persecution.

After an interval of four years, when a great and momentous change had taken place in the government and in the prospects of England, by the accomplishment of the glorious revolution by William, Prince of Orange; and when, by the passing of the "Act of Toleration," Nonconformists could no longer be persecuted according to law—a measure which our forefathers hailed with great joy, and which made a great change from their former condition—the Church at Rowell heard of the piety and talents of Mr. Richard Davis, who was a member of a Church in London of which Mr. Thomas Cole was pastor. Mr. Davis came to them on probation, and they highly approved of his services—desired him to obtain his dismission from theChurch of which he was a member, that he might be received amongst them; and then they invited him to take the pastoral oversight of them, which invitation he willingly accepted. The account of his ordination is given in the following terms:—

On the seventh day, March 22nd, 1689, the said Richard Davis, by fasting and prayer of the Church, and imposition of the hands of the eldership in the name of the said Church, was set apart to and installed in the office of pastor or bishop of the said Church of Christ at Rowell; being the answer of many prayers of the said Church. The neighbouring Churches were made acquainted with their design, and sent to, that they might be present by their messengers to behold their faith and order; but when they saw how it was to proceed, several of the neighbouring ministers withdrew, saying, there was no business for them.

In this the Church at Rowell, with their pastor, proceeded according to what they considered to be the primitive model; but it was different to the practice of the Churches around them, and the pastors coming only to be spectators of their proceedings was by no means pleasing to them; hence they appear not to have looked with a very favourable eye on Mr. Davis, or on the subsequent proceedings of his Church.

Mr. Davis was born in Cardiganshire, in South Wales, in 1658; had a liberal education in his own country; and after some years removed to London, where he rose to such attainments in literature, that he was looked upon as well qualified to fill the office of master in a general school in the great city; and for several years he continued in a laborious and faithful discharge of its duties. He became a man of earnest, consistent piety.

In the first part of his acquaintance with divinethings he sought an interview with Dr. Owen—with Christian kindness he was received. The Doctor inquired of him, "Young man, pray after what manner do you think to go to God?" Mr. Davis answered, "Sir, through the Mediator." To which the Doctor replied, "Young man, that is easily said; but I do assure you that it is another thing to go to God through the Mediator indeed than perhaps many men, who make use of the expression, are aware of. I myself preached Christ some years when I had but very little, if any, experimental acquaintance with access to God through Christ, until the Lord was pleased to visit me with sore affliction, whereby I was brought to the mouth of the grave, and under which my soul was oppressed with horror and darkness; but God graciously relieved my soul in the powerful application of Psalm cxxx. 4, "But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared;" from whence I received special instruction, peace, and comfort in drawing near to God through the Mediator, and preached thereupon immediately after my recovery." So free was this great man of God in communicating to others what he had felt, which, with other suitable remarks then made, was of great use to Mr. Davis, who, resolving to follow the Lord fully, made a profession of his faith in Christ, and became united to a Congregational Church. He was soon after urged to devote himself to Christ in the ministry of the Gospel. He began to preach, and "with that savour of spirit," it is said, "that warmth of soul, that zeal and judgment, that those who heard were amazed, and glorified God in him." Leaving the advantages of London, he came down to Rowell and became the pastor of this Church. He entered upon his work here with greatearnestness of spirit, and pursued it with great and untiring energy. But the methods he adopted were very different to those which generally prevailed amongst the regular pastors of the day. Such was the ardour of his zeal that he could not confine himself within the bounds of the congregation that met at Rowell, or to the places immediately around them. His course of labour somewhat resembled that of Bunyan, of whom it is said, "that he took the whole circuit of Bedfordshire, and some neighbouring counties, for his diocese." But Mr. Davis did not confine these services for the diffusion of divine truth to his own personal ministry, but he called out and employed the brethren in the Church who were considered to be endowed with suitable gifts and attainments in the knowledge of the Gospel, to go and preach the word of the Lord in places that were destitute of a Gospel ministry. He employed what is denominated "a lay agency" to a considerable extent. There were many in those days who were strictly observant of ecclesiastical regularity, who thought none should preach but those who were educated for the work and ordained to the office. The proceedings of Mr. Davis gave great offence to such, and they severely censured this part of his procedure. The view which he took of the subject, and which he promoted among his people, is thus stated in the records of the Church:—

The Church unanimously agreed, that though human learning was good in its place, yet it was not essentially necessary in the qualifications of any to be sent forth to preach the Gospel; and the Church unanimously agreed, that a Church of Christ had power within itself to choose, approve of, ordain, or send forth any to preach the Gospel, either by virtue of office, or otherwise in a probationary way in order to office,without calling in the assistance of the officers or elders of other Churches to approve with them, unless at any time they thought it necessary to desire their assistance by way of advice.

Hence the Gospel was preached, to a large extent, by the pastor and some of the members of the Church at Rowell. Considerable numbers were brought from different places to become united to that Church. Those who were too distant to attend regularly the Sabbath services at Rowell, held meetings for prayer and religious intercourse where they resided; sometimes having the Lord's Supper administered to them, and sometimes attending with the united Church at Rowell. In some places this gave rise to another Church being formed, when the numbers were sufficient to sustain an interest, and to have a pastor of their own; this was the case at Wellingborough, Ringstead, Kimbolton, &c. It is said that the members of the Church have come to Rowell a distance of 20 miles and more, travelling with lighted lanterns part of the way on the winter mornings, and in the same manner on their return in the evening.

An interesting account is preserved of the method adopted, when the members that resided in Wellingborough and its vicinity were dismissed from the Church at Rowell, to be formed into another Church of the same order meeting at Wellingborough.

There were dismissed from us these following, to build a Church for Christ at Wellingborough, which dismission ran in these words:—"Whereas it is the appointed way of the Lord Jesus (as it may be evidently manifest and deduced from the primitive practice), when Churches are growing too big and unwieldy to answer the ends of communion comfortably, and suitable to the design of Congregational societies, that they then divideand multiply into more Churches, whereby the Gospel as to its faith, order, and worship, may come to be spread, propagated, and commended to many dark places and corners, by multiplying the golden candlesticks that are properly to hold forth the light thereof; the work of conversion, and the great method divinely appointed for gathering in the flock of God, may be most ably managed; the comfort and establishment of the saints by instruction and exhortation, with the due exercise of authority, and mutual holy watch and care, may be more effectually carried on; the conveniences of believers, their families and neighbours, most charitably consulted and provided for; and antichrist working in its various invented forms of Churches, as diocesan, provincial, national, patriarchal, and catholic, as under one universal pastor and pope, fully prevented: this Church therefore of the living God, that chiefly assembles at Rowell, has declared over and again this to be their judgment, that when any of those dear brethren and sisters that live remotely from Rowell increase into a complete number, so as to be able to answer the ends of their dividing and inchurching, and to bear the weight of those duties incumbent on a particular independent Church of Christ (in all which there must be high living by faith in the Lord Jesus), that this Church of Christ will not only consent to their dividing for to inchurch apart, but have declared it is their duty so to do. Hereupon, after the Lord Jesus having increased this Church of Christ into a great number through his mighty blessing, and especially that branch of them that lives in and near Wellingborough, our dearly beloved brethren and sisters there and thereabouts have requested us to dismiss them from us for this end, that they might incorporate into a Church distinctly and apart from us, and independent of us; we, therefore, by virtue of power and authority leagued by the Lord Jesus amongst us, with our officers, by the present do (they having first acknowledged their faith and oneness with us in the faith and order of the Gospel) dismiss our dearly beloved brethren (then follow the names of the brethren), and also with the like proviso dismiss our dearly beloved sisters (then follow thenames of the female members), for that aforementioned end of incorporating together as an Independent Church; declaring that these, or any of these, as then actually dismissed from us, that same moment they actually incorporate by actually covenanting with the Lord and one another in the presence of messengers delegated and appointed by us for that affair, and not another—and those of them that do not at first covenant, shall be deemed still members of us till they actually covenant with that body; but do then declare them dismissed from us, and give our consent for them so to do, when they shall so covenant. Now, committing them to the Lord Jesus, to be blessed with the blessings of the upper and nether springs, and with all manner of spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, that they may multiply and increase accordingly to many hundreds, and be fed and watered every moment by the Lamb in the midst of the throne, we do in testimony of this our letter of dismission put our names."(There were included in this dismission 27 brethren, 45 sisters.)

There were dismissed from us these following, to build a Church for Christ at Wellingborough, which dismission ran in these words:—

"Whereas it is the appointed way of the Lord Jesus (as it may be evidently manifest and deduced from the primitive practice), when Churches are growing too big and unwieldy to answer the ends of communion comfortably, and suitable to the design of Congregational societies, that they then divideand multiply into more Churches, whereby the Gospel as to its faith, order, and worship, may come to be spread, propagated, and commended to many dark places and corners, by multiplying the golden candlesticks that are properly to hold forth the light thereof; the work of conversion, and the great method divinely appointed for gathering in the flock of God, may be most ably managed; the comfort and establishment of the saints by instruction and exhortation, with the due exercise of authority, and mutual holy watch and care, may be more effectually carried on; the conveniences of believers, their families and neighbours, most charitably consulted and provided for; and antichrist working in its various invented forms of Churches, as diocesan, provincial, national, patriarchal, and catholic, as under one universal pastor and pope, fully prevented: this Church therefore of the living God, that chiefly assembles at Rowell, has declared over and again this to be their judgment, that when any of those dear brethren and sisters that live remotely from Rowell increase into a complete number, so as to be able to answer the ends of their dividing and inchurching, and to bear the weight of those duties incumbent on a particular independent Church of Christ (in all which there must be high living by faith in the Lord Jesus), that this Church of Christ will not only consent to their dividing for to inchurch apart, but have declared it is their duty so to do. Hereupon, after the Lord Jesus having increased this Church of Christ into a great number through his mighty blessing, and especially that branch of them that lives in and near Wellingborough, our dearly beloved brethren and sisters there and thereabouts have requested us to dismiss them from us for this end, that they might incorporate into a Church distinctly and apart from us, and independent of us; we, therefore, by virtue of power and authority leagued by the Lord Jesus amongst us, with our officers, by the present do (they having first acknowledged their faith and oneness with us in the faith and order of the Gospel) dismiss our dearly beloved brethren (then follow the names of the brethren), and also with the like proviso dismiss our dearly beloved sisters (then follow thenames of the female members), for that aforementioned end of incorporating together as an Independent Church; declaring that these, or any of these, as then actually dismissed from us, that same moment they actually incorporate by actually covenanting with the Lord and one another in the presence of messengers delegated and appointed by us for that affair, and not another—and those of them that do not at first covenant, shall be deemed still members of us till they actually covenant with that body; but do then declare them dismissed from us, and give our consent for them so to do, when they shall so covenant. Now, committing them to the Lord Jesus, to be blessed with the blessings of the upper and nether springs, and with all manner of spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, that they may multiply and increase accordingly to many hundreds, and be fed and watered every moment by the Lamb in the midst of the throne, we do in testimony of this our letter of dismission put our names."

(There were included in this dismission 27 brethren, 45 sisters.)

A certain gentleman once asked Mr. Davis "what business he had to go up and down babbling?" for so he called the preaching of the Gospel. Mr. Davis, in the presence of all, turned to him, and, with a countenance which testified a good cause and a good conscience, said, "Sir, I was upon the work of my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Do you know him?" Whereupon the gentleman was struck with silence, and many more with amazement.

The preaching of Mr. Davis, we suppose, must have been very fervent and affectionate, calculated to a very considerable degree to work upon the passions. It was probably in connexion with this that some disorders arose in their public assemblies. Some females became hysterical, and cried out; and various indications of strongly excited feeling were manifest for a time; and numerous cases of affliction, many of them nervousdisorders, appeared amongst them. These things being noised abroad, and exaggerated, caused some reproach.

The subject is thus noticed in the records of the Church:—"Feb. 17th, 1691, a day was kept solemnly by fasting and prayer for the afflicted, where Satan raged extremely; and the faith of God's children was by the uplifted arm of the mighty God of Jacob made to rise proportionably, to the praise of the glory of God in Christ; and since that day, through the goodness of God, the distemper has much abated on several, as a testimony that our God is the God hearing prayer in Zion." Again: "May 23rd, 1691, was a day kept solemnly in fasting and prayer for the afflicted, when God was eminently present; and at the close of the day some of our brethren, naming the awful name of Jesus of Nazareth, brought several of them to themselves, to our great amazement, and as an earnest to encourage our faith that that glorious name ere long will make them perfectly whole." Again: "June 31st, 1691, was kept, the greatest part of the day, solemnly in prayer for the afflicted, for the discovery of any secret mystery of iniquity, if any was at work in reference to them; and for the more clear discovery of the matter of Thomas Haley, because it had been such a thorn in the flesh of this Church of Christ."—We present these extracts to show that there was something rather peculiar in the state of the Church at this time, and in the view they took of the circumstances that arose.

As a specimen of the spirit of the times we may state, that there was a pamphlet published by the opposers of Mr. Davis, entitled, 'A plain and just Account of a most horrid and dismal Plague begun at Rowell, alias Rothwell, in Northamptonshire, whichhath infected many places round about; or, a faithful Narrative of the execrable and noisome Errors, and abominable and damnable Heresies, vented by Richard Davis, pretended pastor to a people at Rowell, and by his emissaries, the shoemakers, joiners, dyers, taylors, weavers, farmers, &c.; together with a brief account 1. Of his and his parties' practices; 2. Visions and revelations; 3. Great boasts; 4. Admission of members into their society; 5. His people's self-condemnedness; 6. The number and quality of his hearers' admired fits; 7. Some queries to the country people as matter for further search; 8. An expostulation and advice to the people of Rowell. By Mr. P. Rehakosht, &c., inhabiting on the east side of the seat of the Plague. London: printed for the Author, 1692.' Whoever this author might be, the spirit of his work reflects far greater discredit on himself than any of its charges do on the pastor and his flock. Mr. Davis condescended to reply, and near the close of his pamphlet we find the following noble passage:

If there be any errors I maintain, I care not how soon they fall, though I fell with them; nay, if I could be convinced that I erroneously worded any matter, I should soon publicly declare against my own wording. It is not my own honour I seek, but the honour of him that sent me; and I hope I am always ready to bury my own honour in shame, provided I could secure thereby his name from dishonour and contempt. I should think hard of no confession of mine that should give glory to God. But if it be the truth of Christ I am assaulted for (as thereto I am persuaded it is), then all the attempts against it will be in vain: his truth is like himself—eternal, and will abide steadfast, bright, and insuperable, when I and my opposers are moulded to dust and ashes. In parting, I shall again recommend to them Gamaliel's prudent advice, viz., to let us alone; for if this council be not of God, it willfall of itself; but if it be of God, it shall stand in spite of all their rage and persecution, and they themselves will at last be found fighters against God.

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