OCT.. The Half-yearly MeetSng of the Independent Ministers and congregations of the county of DORSET, was held at the Rev. B. Howell's Meeting, in Bere Regis. Mr. Keynes, of Blandford, intre duced the morning service with prayer and reading the Scriptures; Mr. Higgs, of Dorchester, prayed; Mr. Gray, of Stalbridge, preached; and Mr. Field, of Blandford, concluded with prayer. In the afternoon, the ministers transacted the business of the county which came before them. In the evening, Mr. Rogers, of Beaminster, prayed; Mr. Cracknell, of Weymouth, preached; Mr. Sedcole, of Swanage, ended with prayer. Mr. Banister, of Wareham, preached os the Tuesday evening. - The next meeting to be held at Lyme, on Easter-Wednesday. The preachers Messrs. Howell and Banister.

LONDON.

Members of the Scotch Presbytery attended; and the congregation was numerous and respectable.

SEPT. 10. The Rev. W. Jay, of Bath, preached the Sixth Anniversary Sermon, at Cambden Chapel, Peckham, from Ps. cxliv. 12, before a very numerous and respectable auditory, contaming, it is supposed, not less than $500 tion it was particularly intended. young persons, for whose instruc

Wednesday, Oct. 19, being appointed by Government as a day of humiliation and prayer, on account of the present state of public affairs, was observed, we trust, with more religious attention than such days for some years past. Many excelJent discourses were delivered; scveral of which will, we understand, be printed; and, we hope, the spirit of grace and supplication was poured forth upon many congregations throughout the United Kingdom.

tion to every professor of religion who wishes the promotion of bratherly love:

By Letters lately received at the prayers appointed for this ocThe following passage, in one of Edinburgh from Petersburgh, it ap-casion, must afford sincere gratifica pears that the Missionaries, who left that city last April, had reached Sarepta in safety, the beginning of July. Sarepta is within 350 versts of Astracan; but instead of going round by that city, as they first intended, they had thoughts of crossing the desart directly to Georgewesk, by which their road will be Considerably shortened.

By a Letter from Fulnec, in Yorkshire, the Directors of the Missionary Society have been in formed, that the other Otaheitan youth Oley, who had been baptized by the name of Joseph, departed this life Oct. 13; and was buried Oct. 19.

AUG. 31. The Rev. Mr. Young was set apart to the pastoral care of the Scots Church, London-Wall, late Dr. H. Hunter's. The service was opened by Mr. Smith, of Camberwell, who prayed and read suit-, able portions of Scripture. A Sermon was preached by Dr. Rutledge, of Wapping, from 1 Pet. v. 2.; and the service was concluded by Mr. Nicoll, of Swallow-street. The

And give us all grace to put away from us all rancour of religi. ous dissention, that they who agree faith, and look for pardon through in the essentials of our most holy the merits and intercession of the Saviour, may, notwithstanding their differences upon points of doubtful opinion, and in the forms of external worship, still be united in the bonds of Christian charity, and fulfil thy blessed Son's commandment, of loving one an

other as he hath loved them "

These liberal sentiments certainly do honour to those dignified ecclesiastics from whom they proceed; and. we hope, will diffuse their influence to the inferior orders; among whom some have occasionally discovered a bitter op. position against their brethren who dared to differ in points of doctrine, or forms of worship. Those also who dissent, will, we trust, imitate this condescending example of conciliating candour.

G. AULD, Printer, Greville Street, London.

THE

EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.

DECEMBER, 1803.

MEMOIR

OF

CHARLES TOWNSEND, ESQ.

MR. CHARLES TOWNSEND, the fifth son of Mr. Townsend, a reputable clothier at Steanbridge, in Gloucestershire, was born there, on the 26th of January, 1731. Of the earliest part of his life we have no account. His education, like that of others in his condition of life, at a time when a moderate degree of learning was more rate than at present, did not extend beyond the elementary' rules of arithmetic. At the usual time, he was apprenticed to a fishmonger, in London; and such was the severity of his service, that it is believed to have produced the asthma, with which he was afterwards so much afflicted. When his apprenticeship expired, he entered into business; which, after several years, he relinquished, and became a gunpowder merchant. This business he continued until about a year before his death.

There is no reason to believe, that he had had the advantage of a religious education; yet he was very regular in his attendance at his parish-church, and correct in his moral conduct. He acknowledged himself, however, at that time, a stranger to the peace which arises from faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. In this state of mind his brother Samuel, who had gained an earlier acquaintance with the way of salvation, invited him to hear the late Mr. Hart, in Jewia Street. Under his ministry, by divine grace, he felt the depravity of his nature; and was taught to apply to the great Physician of souls for a remedy. "This," said Mr. Townsend, "was just the sort of preaching that I wanted." Our readers will not be surprized that be afterward went very regularly to hear Mr. Hart, and ever afterwards retained a strong affection for him. He was soon missed at church; and did not escape the observation and taunts" 3 U

XI.

uld

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of his neighbours. "Aye," said one who met him going to hear his favourite minister, "if your father was alive, Master Townsend, you durst not go on in this way: he would cut your legs off rather than you should forsake your parishchurch." It appeared, as Mr. Townsend was one day going to the Rosemary Branch, to hear the Rev. Ab. Booth, in passing through Devonshire Square, he met the minister of his parish-church: So, Mr. Townsend,' said he, and clapped him on the shoulder, you are going the wrong way.' That is an awful thing indeed, Sir, if it be true," replied Mr.Townsend; "but I hope I am not. I am going, Sir," added he, “where the gospel is preached." I don't know what you call the Gospel, returned the clergyman; but I know, if you go to church you will be sure to hear it there.' Whatever he might hear from the reading-desk, Mr. Townsend knew he should not hear the gospel from the pulpit, and therefore persevered, regardless of the intreaties of his relations, and the opinion of the world. The evangelical principles he had embraced, did not he dormant; but produced such effects, that numbers who bated the truths which were so precious to his soul, were obliged to confess, that he was a good man, and had no blemish,

but this religion. His whole life abounded in acts of extraordinary benevolence. His accounts of expenditure, from the time of his setting out in trade, are filled with items of money applied to the relief of poor people of every description. He paid for the education of some scores of indigent children; and has saved many a needy tradesman from ruin. Poor persons, of honesty and industry, seldom applied to him for the loan or gift of a small sum of money, without success. He had formerly tried his fortune repeatedly in the lottery, in expectation of a large prize; but he made it the constant matter of his prayer, that he might never have one, without a heart to use it to the glory of God. He knew how to relish the happiness of overwhelming a needy person's feelings with his kinduess. There have been some very affecting instances of this: he could not relate a conversation he had with Mr. Winter, of Painswick, last August, without tears. Few persons knew more of the motives and principles of the lower orders of mankind, or were better acquainted with their manners. It was dangerous to go to him with a false tale of distress, for he could generally detect it. Though he conferred bis favours without exacting homage, he took care to let the objects of his bounty know, that he thought they were obliged to him. He had been among the poor as a benefactor, and had encouraged them to consider him under the character of a friend; and their frequent applications to him, in consequence, gave him an opportunity of acquiring an insight into their principles of action. There is a curious story told of