JEWIN-STREET.-Independent. obliged to keep his bed. After continuing in London five weeks, he went into the country; where he continued five weeks longer, and endured excruciating pain from the weakness of his inside, attended by a violent fever. In the time of health he would often ask, " If it was the will of God, that when he was to pass over Jordan to the promised land, the waters might be shallow, and the ark of the covenant go before him." All which the Lord in mercy granted; for he frequently told his visitors, and the dear partner of his cares, "That not a dog of the pit was suffered to wag his tongue during the whole course of his sickness." (g) Just before his departure, he thanked God, "That his sun did not set in a cloud, but that it was bright day in the valley of the shadow of death." At length a blood vessel bursting in his inside hastened his dissolution, on the 29th of May, 1773. In his last moments he exclaimed, "I have no other refuge for my immortal soul than this, God loved me from all eternity, loved me when a sinner in my blood, and will. love me for ever." His funeral sermon was preached by Mr. Thomas Chorlton, from Isaiah lvii. 1. The righteous is taken away from the evil to come; which words were chosen by himself for a funeral text. His age is not mentioned, but he appears to have been advanced in life. RICHARD WOODGATE.-After the death of Mr. Hughes, there was a vacancy at Jewin-street for about a twelvemonth, and during that time there were seven candidates (2) We desire to enter our decided protest against the use of language similar to the above, which it has been our reluctant duty to record in the lives of Mr. Hughes, Mr. Hart, and some other pious Christians. It cer tainly is not warranted by the word of God, at all times our best guide; neither is it consistent with the dictates of a sober judgment. By giving too great a loose to those religious feelings which are very frequently the offspring of fancy, we do an injury to religion, and expose it to the contempt of infidels. The gospel of Christ is in perfect harmony with truth and soberness; and needs none of those rhetorical embellishments, which, when they come to be analyzed, very frequently end in nothing but smoke. JEWIN-STREET.-Independent. for the pastoral office. These were Mr. John Stevens, of Red-cross-street; Mr. Robert Heath, who died minister of an Independent congregation at Roborough, in Glocestershire; Mr. George Durant, who preached occasionally at various places, in connection with the Calvinistic Methodists; Mr. West, the king's carpenter, who built a meetinghouse at Hammersmith; Mr. Augustus Clarke, who settled in Meeting-house-alley, Red-cross-street; Mr. Richard Woodgate; and another person, whose name we do not recollect. Mr. Woodgate was the successful candidate, and came from Chatham, where he worked for many years in the King's Dock-yard, and also preached for some years at a meeting-house in the same town. After his removal to London, he was very popular, supported a numerous congregation in Jewin-street, and met with great success in his ministry. Though Mr. Woodgate was not a man of literature, he was, nevertheless, much esteemed for his knowledge of the sacred scriptures, and for the readiness with which he saited his preaching to the capacities of his hearers, and to their different attainments in the Christian course. He preached at Jewin-street about thirteen years, and supported a respectable character to the time of his death, which took place June 28th, 1787, in the 57th year of his age. His remains were interred in Bunhill-Fields, where the following inscription is placed on his tomb-stone. The Rev. RICHARD WOODGATE, Who departed this life the 28th June, 1787, TIMOTHY PRIESTLEY, the present minister of Jewinstreet meeting, is younger brother to the late celebrated Dr. Joseph Priestley. He descended from a respectable family at Birstal-field-head, near Leeds, in Yorkshire. At an early age he went to reside with his grandfather, a respectable JEWIN-STREET.-Independent. tradesman, in the same town, and for instruction was sent to a school at about two miles distance; in which school, his brother Joseph, who had been taken into the family of an aunt, was likewise placed. At fifteen years of age, his friends finding he could learn the languages with facility, provided him suitable instruction; but at this time he was unacquainted with religious subjects, which his brother made strong attempts to fix upon his mind. About a year afterwards, however, a great revolution took place in his views, and he determined to enter upon a course of studies preparative to the ministry. He was accordingly placed in an academy at Heckinondwike, superintended by the venerable Mr. James Scott, and continued there several years. His first charge was at Kipping, near Bradford, in Yorkshire, where he was ordained to the pastoral office about the year 1760. After remaining there about four or five years, he accepted at invitation to Manchester, where he resided about seventeen or eighteen years. During this period he occasionally visited London, and preached at the Tabernacle, near Moorfields. Being there in the year 1774, when his brother was at Lord Shelburn's, in Berkeley-square, as they were one day walking in the street, the Doctor appeared particularly struck with the idea of the great difference in their acquaintance, and situations in life. He said, two brothers were surely never thus situated; it mortifies me when I am told, here is a brother of your's preaching at the Tabernacle. When the Dissenting ministers applied to parliament for a repeal of the penal laws, Mr. Priestley was applied to for his signature, but refused to give it, from an apprehension, that it would be lending his assistance in advancing the cause of heterodoxy. The lecture at Oldbury, in Lancashire, on Bartholomewday, instituted in commemoration of the two thousand ejected ministers, had been many years in the hands of the Arians. Two ministers were appointed to preach, and it was usual for each to appoint his successor for the year ensu JEWIN-STREET.-Independent. ing. It happened that upon one of those occasions the two brothers were fixed upon for that service. This was a great mortification to the Doctor, who wished his brother to decline, and wrote to him for that purpose. Mr. Priestley replied, that his honour was at stake, it was known in so many places, and he particularly wished to let the world see, that though they differed so widely, yet they could, upon such an occasion, preach together. He, moreover, promised that nothing angry should escape his lips. The Doctor being sensible that his brother would not hide his sentiments, declined being there at all, though it would have been particularly pleasing to him to meet so many of his friends. Mr. Priestley preached on Heb. i. 3. “The pleasure I had (says he) I shall never forget; also, the having so great number of ministers of the opposite party before me, gave me such an opportunity of speaking for God, as I never had before, nor suppose I ever shall have again."* Mr. Priestley removed from Manchester to Dublin about the year 1786, and continued there about two years. He then removed to London, upon a call to succeed Mr. Woodgate, in Jewin-street. Since his settlement in London, he has appeared several times in print. His works consist of a large Family Bible with notes, in two volumes quarto; the Christian's Looking-Glass; Family Exercises; and a few single sermons as one on the death of Lady Huntingdon ; another at the ordination of Mr. Sibree, at Frome; and a third on the death of his brother, Dr. Priestley, in 1804. This last publication contains several anecdotes relating to himself. JEWIN-STREET.Presbyterian. JEWIN-STREET. PRESBYTERIAN. THE meeting-house in Jewin-street, called the OLD JEWRY CHAPEL, was lately erected for the use of the Presbyterian congregation, which assembled for upwards of a century, in a substantial building in the Old Jewry, but which they have been lately obliged to leave. The first stone of the new building was laid on Bartholomew-day O. S. September 5, 1808, a day memorable in the history of Protestant Dissenters; for on that day, in the year 1662, about two thousand ministers of excellent talents, learning, and character, were excluded from the church by the Act of Uniformity. Upon occasion of laying the first stone of this building, Dr. Rees, the pastor of the society, delivered an appropriate address, which was printed at the end of the second volume of the Doctor's sermons. It is also inserted in the "Monthly Repository" for November, 1808. After tracing the principles and sufferings of the Nonconformists through various periods, from the reformation down to the time of passing the Act of Uniformity, in the persecuting reign of Charles II. he proceeds to take a brief historical view of his own church, which it will not be unsuitable to introduce in this place. "It was soon after the period to which we now refer, (says the Doctor) that our congregation had its rise. Mr. Edmund Calamy, the worthy son of Dr. (Mr.) Calamy, who was ejected from the church in Aldermanbury, and who was himself one of the ejected ministers under the act of Uniformity, laid the foundation of our society, by preaching, as often as the spies and myrmidons of power would allow, and |