SILVER-STREET. Calvinistic Methodists.

the Independent congregation. For many years past Mr. Bogue has supported a respectable seminary in the same town, and has supplied many destitute churches with able ministers. His abilities as a tutor, pointed him out some years ago to the London Missionary Society, as a proper person to superintend the education of such young men as they employ in the work of missions. Of this society he is an active member, and has printed two sermons preached at their annual meetings. He has likewise published several other single sermons preached upon public occasions. Besides these, Mr. Bogue has published, " An Essay on the divine authority of the New Testament, which has passed to a second edition; and he is now carrying through the press, in conjunction with the Rev. James Bennett, of Rumsey, a much larger work. This is "A History of Dissenters from the Revolution in 1688, to the year 1808," to be completed in four volumes, two of which are already published.

SILVER-STREET.

CALVINISTIC METHODISTS.

HAVING dismissed the two Dissenting congregations

that successively occupied the meeting-house in Silver-street, we are now to take some notice of it under its present form. And here we would observe, that the face of the building, as well as the constitution of the people, who are Calvinistic Methodists, is materially changed. From a small plain structure, adapted to the taste of old-fashioned noncon

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formists, it has been metamorphosed into a large and splendid chapel, adorned with every attraction that can dazzle the senses of the religious public. The change has been gradual, and the progress of it as follows: Mr. Smith's people being unable to support the expences of the place, let it out for a lecture on a Thursday evening, to the Rev. Thomas Wills, who had just quitted the Countess of Huntingdon's connexion. This service he commenced at Michaelmas, 1789, and continued it till Christmas following, when he engaged the place wholly upon a lease of nineteen or twenty years. He entered upon his stated labours here on the first Sunday after Christmas-day, preaching at first for a short time only in the evening, but afterwards on both parts of the day, and his lecture as usual. The building now underwent some alteration. A new vestry was built on the west side of the pulpit, being the opposite side to the old one. A communion table was fixed opposite to the pulpit, near the old gallery stairs, which were removed to the side of the new vestry. A reading and clerk's desks were built; the liturgy of the Church of England, and the Countess of Huntingdon's hymns introduced; an organ erected; and the name of the place was altered from Silver-street meeting, to that of Silver-street chapel.

Mr. Wills preached for several years to a crouded assembly; but lately his congregation fell off, partly through the decay of his strength and faculties, and partly by the attractions of a neighbouring preacher, who was of the antinomian cast. Mr. Wills resigned this place in January, 1800, into the hands of Mr. Caldwell, under whose labours the congregation revived. But he dying in April, 1803, gave place to the present minister. Since his accession the chapel has undergone a complete transformation. For this purpose it was shut up in the summer of 1808; and as the increased congregation required a considerable enlargement, the whole of the adjoining yard was thrown into the chapel. By this means it received a large extension, both in length and

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breadth, insomuch that it may be computed to seat twice as many people as it would under its former state. So much for the size. As to the fitting up, it is in the highest style of elegance. The pews and walls of about half the chapel are covered with crimson serge; and as the place is well lighted up, and the congregation numerous, the effect, on a winter's evening, is peculiarly striking.

The area of the chapel is fitted up with pews and seats, which are rendered very commodious, and are let out to the public by quarterly and annual tickets. The three large galleries are also ticketed, so that the space allotted to those who cannot pay is very inconsiderable. From thence it is concluded that but few of the poorer sort of people attend. Without staying to inquire how far it is strictly legal to exclude the public from so large a portion of a Dissenting place of worship, we may hazard a query, whether it is agreeable to that canon of the New Testament, which says, "The poor have the gospel preached to them." As the minister who rents the place, has also another chapel, he divides his labours between the two, and is assisted at each, on one part of the day, by some other minister. This constant change, which is founded in policy, is also productive of a roving disposition in religious professors, who are thereby rendered unfit for a stated ministry. Among the attractions at Silver-street, besides a variety of preachers, are an elegant and commodious building, an organ, and a prayer-reader, with his parapharnalia of office, and a crouded congregation. Besides the two services on the Sabbath-day, there is a lecture on a Tuesday, and a prayermeeting on a Monday evening. We had almost forgotten to mention that this is one of the associated Methodist congregations.

The ministers of Silver-street chapel, since it has been in the hands of the Methodists, have been as follows:

THOMAS WILLS, A. B. was born on the 26th of July, 1740, at Truro, in Cornwall. His parents were persons of respectability, and his father descended from the Rev. Jonathan Wills, one of the Nonconformist ministers ejected in that county. Being left an orphan in early infancy, Mr. Wills was taken under the protection of a maiden aunt, Mrs. Lucy Spry, who left him at her death, in 1755, the principal part of her fortune. His guardianship then devolved upon her brother-in-law, T. Mitchell, Esq. of Croft-West, a few miles from Truro. By this gentleman he was placed under the care of Mr. Conon, an eminent Christian, and master of Truro grammar-school. He also attended the preaching of that valuable minister, Mr. Samuel Walker, curate of Truro church. In 1757, he removed to Oxford, and entered a commoner at Magdalen-Hall. At this time, the present Dr. Haweis, who had been at the head of Truro school, and often acted as usher to the younger boys, was a student at Christ-church. From under Mr. Walker, he had brought to college a deep sense of religion, and abandoning the profession of physic, for which he was designed, he devoted himself to studies for the ministry. In order to forward his views, he formed a society amongst a few of his fellow-collegians, who were eminent for seriousness, and who used to spend the evening in his room to read the Greek Testament, and to converse on religious subjects. To one of these social meetings Mr. Wills was soon introduced, and imbibed strong impressions of religion. Mr. Haweis removing about this time, as a gentleman commoner,

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to Magdalen-Hall, their intercourse became more frequent, and mutually profitable.

As Mr. Wills was, diligent in study, his improvement in human knowledge bore proportion to his advancement in the divine life; and at a proper age he entered upon the work of the ministry. He was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Oxford, in 1762, and priest by Lavington, Bishop of Exeter, in 1764. After this he left the university, and settled as curate to Mr. Walker's brother, at St. Agnes, one of the most populous parishes in the county of Cornwall. Here he resided upwards of ten years, and his services were both acceptable and useful. The great extent of his parish, and the attention which he paid to parochial duties, made it a very laborious cure. Few men in his station ever acquired more personal weight and influence with their people. His presence every where inspired awe, and his advice was heard with deference. In a neighbouring village, called Church-town, out of ten houses, nine were public ones, for the use of the miners. These were all shut during divine service; and as he would sometimes visit them, if any person perceived him coming, he instantly fled, without waiting for a rebuke. Hardly any man was more beloved, or feared, by his parishioners, than the curate of St. Agnes.

Mr. Wills having, upon a journey to Bath, contracted an acquaintance with Miss Selina Wheeler, daughter of the Rev. Granville Wheeler, and niece to the Countess of Huntingdon, he married her in 1774. This connexion drew him into a particular intimacy with the above religious and valuable lady, who invited him to join her connexion, and change a stationary life for one of a more itinerant nature. He accordingly left Truro, to the great regret of his people, in January 1778. After visiting Trevecca, and Brighton, he came to London, where he narrowly escaped a prosecution from Mr. Sellon, minister of Clerkenwell, for preaching at the Countess of Huntingdon's chapel, in Spa-fields.