RED-CROSS-STREET.Particular Baptist, JOHN STEVENS, of whom some notice has been already taken, under the article Devonshire-square, was born about the year, 1722, at a small village near Exmouth, in the county of Devon. His parents were in poor circumstances, and placed him first with a farmer; but afterwards they bound him apprentice to a rope-maker, in Plymouth. It was at that place that he first received his impressions of religion, under a celebrated Methodist preacher, in Mr. Whitefield's connexion, probably Mr. Kinsman. Afterwards commencing preacher himself, he went up to London, and was introduced to the Tabernacle, near Moorfields. After officiating there for some time, he paid a visit to Scotland, in company with another preacher. When he had been about two years in the Tabernacle connexion, he embraced the leading sentiments of the Baptists, and after preaching a short time upon trial, received an invitation to succeed the Rev. George Braithwaite, as pastor of the Particular Baptist congregation in Devonshire-square. He was ordained there in the month of May, 1750. Soon afterwards, upen the resignation of Dr. Gill, he was chosen, in conjunction with Mr. Brine, to carry on the Wednesday evening lecture in Great Eastcheap, which the Doctor had preached alone for about thirty years. At his setting out in the ministry, Mr. Stevens was exceedingly popular, and wherever he preached, had a crouded congregation. In this course he continued about ten years, and during this time his meeting-house was enlarged. But in the year 1760, a heavy charge of moral guilt was alleged against him, and cast a stain upon his character for the remainder of his life. In consequence of this he was discharged from his congregation; but several persons, under the apprehension of his innocence, still adhered to him, and engaged a newly erected meeting-house in Red-Cross-street, where he formed them into a church, and preached to them till his death. Mr. Stevens survived this transaction about RED-CROSS-STREET.Particular Baptist. eighteen years. He endured a long affliction from the stone, which subjected him to the most excruciating pain, till he was released by death, on the 17th of October, 1778, in the fifty-seventh year of his age. He published several single sermons, which will be specified below. (K) His remains were interred in Bunhill-Fields, where, upon his tomb-stone, is the following inscription: Sacred to the Memory Of the Rev. JOHN STEVENS, Who exchanged mortality for immortal vigour After a long affliction of excruciating pain from the stone, &c, Lively joys, and strong comforts; Composedly and resignedly waiting and wishing October 17, 1778, Aged 56. Rev. xiv. 13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord Look up my friends, pant towards the eternal hills. There pleasures all sincere glide on in crystal rills. There not a dreg of guilt defiles, Nor grief disturbs the stream. That Canaan knows no noxious thing, No cursed soil, no tainted spring, No roses grow on thorns, no honey wears a sting. (K) Several single Sermons.-1. The Necessity of the Spirit's Help in Prayer; two Sermons preached at Devonshire-square, June 15 and 2, 1755. Rom. viii. 26, 27.-2. Christ made of God unto his People Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption: an annual Sermon to the Society that supports the Wednesday Evening Lecture, in Great Eastcheap, Dec. 29, 1757. 1 Cor. i. 30.-3. God the unerring Leader of his People to RED-CROSS-STREET.-Particular Baptist. THOMAS MABBOTT, was born at Digby, in Lincolnshire, in the month of November, 1742. His parents were members of the church of England, and in circumstances of inediocrity; but they gave him an education according to their ability. Mr. Mabbott grew up ignorant of God, ran into open profaneness, and continued so till his marriage in 1764, when he fixed his residence at Naneby, in Lincolnshire. His first convictions he received at that place, under one of the preachers in Mr. Wesley's connexion. These were increased by a book of Mr. Bunyan, entitled, "Sighs from Hell; or, The Groans of a damned Soul," which he accidentally saw, and borrowed. After this he fell into great distress of mind, from which he was relieved by reading the scriptures, and other good books, from whence he derived a more thorough knowledge of the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. About this time he became a Baptist, and offered himself as a member to the people at Lincoln, who were a branch of the Baptist church at Horncastle, under Mr. Hill, who went once a month to Lincoln. By this church he was called to the work of the ministry. In 1774, he was ordained pastor of a society consisting only of eight persons, at Spalding. In 1777, he removed to Birmingham, in the prospect of becoming co-pastor with Mr. Turner; but he did not continue there. Shortly afterwards, he went to Dudley, in Worcestershire; from whence, in 1780, he removed to London, upon a call from the church in Mitchell-street, but did not settle there. In the following year, he was set apart as pastor over the church in Red-Cross a City of Habitation; occasioned by the Death of Mr. Joseph Mayor, who died August 3, 1758, aged 28 Years. Psa. cvii. 7.-4. The Comfort and Establishment of Saints, God's own Work, and the fervent Wish of Gospel Ministers at the Wednesday Evening Lecture, in Great Eastcheap, Dec. 27, 1759. 2 Thess. xvi, 17,-5. Christ made Sin for his People, and they made the Righteousness of God in him: a Sermon occasioned by the remarkable Conversion and Repentance of Robert Tilling, late Coachman to Samuel Lloyd, Esq. who was executed at Tyburn, April 28, 1-760. 2 Cor. Y. 21. RED-CROSS-STREET.-Particular Baptist. street; and continued in that situation till October, 1791, when he accepted a call from the Baptist church at Hoddesdon, Herts. From thence, in 1794, he removed to Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, where he was the instrument of much good. During some of his latter years, he laboured under the pressure of weakness, and of a diseased body; but when he could ascend the pulpit only with a slow pace and faultering step, he often preached like a man enjoying the full vigour of life and animal spirits. His complicated disorders at length terminated in a consumption of his lungs, and during the space of six or eight months, nature seemed gradually decaying. He endured his last affliction under much darkness of mind; but this was mercifully removed, and succeeded by the Divine supports, and rich consolations arising from a firm persuasion of his interest in the unchangeable love and mercy of God, which accompanied him to the gates of death. He died on the 11th of December, 1800, in the 58th year of his age.* MEETING-HOUSE-ALLEY. MEETING-HOUSE-ALLEY, Red-Cross-street, is situated nearly opposite to Dr. Williams's Library, and to the meeting-house before described. It is a good, clean, paved court, without a thoroughfare, and at the upper end is the meeting-house we are about to describe. It is an ancient building, and must have been erected either at the latter end of the seventeenth, or quite at the commencement of the eighteenth century. It is a small, plain structure, of an oblong form, and has three galleries. The early state of this place is involved in obscurity. The first mention that we find made of it is about the year 1710, when it was occupied by a Mr. John Lewis, a minister of the Independent deng Baptist Annual Register, vol. iii. p. 306–310. RED-CROSS-STREET.-Independent. mination, who was succeeded by his son, Mr. Jenkin Lewis, whose church became extinct in 1728. After this the meeting-house was taken by Mr. Samuel Stockell, likewise an Independent, who, with his successors, occupied it more than thirty years, when they gave way about the year 1760, to a society of Particular Baptists, under the care of Mr. Thomas Craner. His church falling to pieces in the time of his successor, Mr. Augustus Clarke, the meeting-house again became vacant. It was then taken by a society of Scotch Seceders, under the care of Mr. Alexander Easton, who, after continuing there upwards of three years, removed his people, at Christmas 1795, to the meeting-house in Miles's-lane. It was then taken by Mr. William Moore, an Independent minister, who removing into the country in 1797, the meeting-house passed to a society of Baptist Sandemanians, from Glovers'-Hall, who at present occupy it. Having thus given a brief outline of the state of this place during the last hundred years, we shall proceed to take up each society separately; and here, also, we are compelled to be very brief. JOHN LEWIS.-Concerning this person but few particulars can be procured. The first time we hear of him is in 1698, when he became pastor of the Independent congregation at Bethnal-green. From thence, in 1702, he removed to Rope-makers'-alley, Moorfields. With the congregation in that place he continued about five years, but in 1707, he was discharged from his situation, "not behaving |