liberty to make or adopt any alterati. at Wisheach, on Wednesday and ons whatever, which they considered as Thursday the 3rd and 4th of June. of themselves improvements, or which Mr Madge and Mr. Aspland are -appeared necessary by a due regard invited and expected to preach on the Unitarian Book Society will be kept at Bridport, on Wednesday, the 17th of June: The Sermon to be preached by Mr. Aspland. to the object and ends of religious occasion. worship. They have been particularly desirous to increase the number of The Anniversary of the Western suitable hymns, peculiarly referring to Christian privileges and requisitions: and while they have constantly kept in view the grand truth that the Father is the only true God, and the only proper object of worship, they have studiously endeavoured to avoid all expressions directly implying opinious which are commonly controverted among those who are united by their adberence to this fundamental principle. It has been their object to enable the Christian worshipper to sing with the understanding; but they trust it will not be found that in doing this, they have sacrificed any thing really calculated to excite and cherish the warmest and noblest affec. tions of the heart.-The collection is printed in demy 12mo, on a good paper and distinct type. Farther particulars may be known, by applying to the Rev. J. Manning, or Rev. Dr. Carpenter, Exeter. Agreeably to a proviso of the last annual meeting of the Welch Theo. Unitarian Society, held at Neath, the next annual meeting is appointed to be held at Aberdar, near Merthyr Tydvil, on Thursday, the 25th of June 1812-and not at Landilo as was once intended. Mr. Kentish has just published a Second Edition of his Sermon before the Western Unitarian Society, last year, on the Connection between the Simplicity of the Gospel and the leading Principles of Protestantism. The Annual Association of Unita rian Ministers in Lincolnshire, Cam. bridgeshire and Norfolk, will be holden Mr. Aspland has in the press a Serinst. at the Old Jewry Meeting-house mon preached on Wednesday the 8th in Jewin Street, on behalf of The Widows' Fund, for the Relief of the necessitous Widows and Children of Protestant Dissenting Ministers :The Subject, The Beneficial Influence of Christianity on the Condition and Charac ter of the Female Sex. The Annual Meeting of the Subscribers and Friends to the Unitarian Fund will be held as usual on WhitWednesday, which falls this year on May the Twentieth, at the Chapel in Parliament Court, Artillery Lane, Bishopsgate Street. The Sermon on behalf of the Fund will be preached by the Rev. W. Severn, of Hull; or in case of failure, by the Rev. Edmund Butcher, of Sidmouth. Divine service to begin at 11 o'clock. After Service, the Society will proceed to business. (See Advertisement on the last page of the Wrapper.) A General Meeting of the Subscri bers and Friends to the projected UNITARIAN ACADEMY will be held on Thursday, May 21st.. (See also Advertisement on the last page of the Wrapper.) The Annual Assembly of GENERAL BAPTISTS will be held in Worship Street, on Whit Tuesday, May 19th. Divine Service to begin at 11 o'Clock, For Correspondence, see the Fourth Page of the Wrapper. ཝ། Letters of Mr. Bartholomew (Concluded from p. 218.) LETTER III. To the Rev. Samuel Slater, Minister of the Dissenting Congregation at Colyton, in Devon. DEAR SIR, [Vol VII. was soon enough to be numbered amongst Mr. Towgood's auditors; whose discourse was drawn up in terms and delivered in a manner he set this transaction in a just and quite suitable to the occasion: as rational light by asserting the right of ordination to be primarily in each respective congregation, disAs the late signal mercy I have claiming all pretences of conferring received, has in all probability any latent gift or qualification; set our next interview at a much and that no more was intended by greater distance than I had other that rite, than the recommending wise intended; so I hope this con- the persons ordained to Almighty sideration may free my present God for his especial blessing and addressing you from the imputa- assistance, and to their flocks as tion of impertinence, which other. persons duly qualified to be paswise it might justly be deemed, tors in the Christian church. unless your peculiar candour should prevail on you to give it a more favourable turn. : Which also I think Mr. Amory very seasonably premised, when about to enter on the interrogatory part of this exercise; the giving you my sentiments on which was the chief design of this epistle. And here as I think Mr. Kiddel's answers relating to the Reformation, his motives as to entering into As I had never been present at an ordination, so from the first notice I determined to give my at tendance on the 28th ult. at Sid. mouth but from some unfore. seen disappointment relating to the horse I had hired, I unhappily the ministry, and his resolutions of failed of what I prefer to any demeaning himself agreeable to other consideration of that nature, that character to be very satisfac your company on the way thither: tory; so I must confess when he which likewise rendered my arrival came to the controverted articles much too late for the whole so- of Christianity, he did not answer lemnity. However, I happily my expectation. For as the word God (though its real import be old; (which I wish there was not no more than a great king, yet) too much reason to resume in our in our common language is always days) "That his brethren and understood to respect the Supreme countrymen were not valiant for Being, who in scripture by way the truth," which as it is the of eminence is styled "the blessed most valuable thing in the world, and only Potentate," and "the so, I think, all, but especially miGod of our Lord Jesus Christ;" nisters, ought tenaciously to adand though St. Paul indeed de- here thereto; though it should clares Christ to be "over all God have the misfortune to lie under blessed for ever:" yet it is evident the most discouraging circumthat to reconcile this expression to stances. But I cannot be perthe general current of the New suaded, that to act the part of a Testament, it ought to be taken in reconciler is quite consistent therea qualified sense as spoken of him, with. However I cannot discowhom that primitive writer Justin ver any material objection, which Martyr calls God by the will of the most bigoted Tritheist could the Father: and whom as the have advanced against Mr. Kiddel's sacred writings abundantly testify, whole declaration. God the Father as the reward of his obedience has invested with all the authority, power and dominion which He possesses. As to the Holy Spirit, as neither a throne, nor kingdom, nor church nor people, are any where assigned him in scripture; nor to the best of my remembrance a single petition either immediately or by consequence addressed to him, I can't conceive how the same with a very little variation may be declared of him as of the other two persons: much less how an Unitarian could with the least propriety sum up his confession with that glaring interpolation of 1 John v.7. which the most eminent confessor of the present century, of which the three kingdoms can boast, (now with God) has beyond all peradventure proved to be spurious, both in his tracts against Martyn and also in his Address to the Convocation. It was the subject of an affec. tionate prophet's lamentation of * Rev. Mr. Emlyn, of Dublin. As it seems to be of very little moment with respect to another life, in what sphere we are to pass over the present; so I have always concluded that to fill up that station well, which the divine Providence has assigned us, will entitle us to as resplendent a crown and place us as near the throne of God and the Lamb in the present state, as if we had filled an archiespis copal throne and worn a mitre here below; since we are all by virtue of our covenant relation said to be "a royal priesthood" and made "kings and priests unto God by his Son;" which inclines me to look on a great part of Mr. Moore's performance as an exuberance of affection, to, for which due allowances ought to be made. I can assure you, Sir, I should not have so freely animadverted on this solemnity, but to that friend, who is as my own soul. But waving all apology, I am, &c. LETTER IV. To the Brother of the Writer. children in a way of passing through life with comfort, decency and usefulness, and of contributing towards the support of that religious society, with whom we statedly join in the worship of Almighty God. But this is a situa tion, in which, perhaps, an Allwise and Gracious Being does not see proper to place me; and I hope I shall still make it my endeavour, as I have hitherto, to acquiesce in the following petition of Mr. Pope's Universal Prayer: "This day be bread and peace my lot; All else beneath the sun, Thou know'st if best bestow'd, or not, And let thy will be done." grief on your account is, what indeed you pretty well know before, that it is out of my power either to extricate you out of this wretch. ed situation, or to assist you in it: for you well know that my business which consists chiefly of keep ing a small shop here in the country is what (especially of late) brings a mere trifling advantage with it. For the present exorbi. tant price of the necessaries of life puts it out of the power of the common class of mankind to apply any part of their earnings to the purchase of clothing; and as to the debts, which they contracted before the advance, I can discover no distant hope of their being in any condition to discharge them. This circumstance renders my pre- As to the inquiry which you sent situation very embarrassing make in relation to our family, I on account of my traders. You shall endeavour to satisfy you as well know my foundation at enter- far as it lies in my power; but it ing into a little trade was very cannot be expected to be either so slender, and an increasing family, correct or particular as could be tender constitution, together with a variety of unavoidable afflictive incidents, have conspired to preyent an amendment in my circumstances indeed my utmost am. bition as to trade is to be able to make short payments for my goods, because such as can do so, are at iberty to deal when and with whom they shall think proper and Nonconformist minister at Beminnot undergo the mortification of ster, where he continued to the looking on and seeing themselves day of his death, (which happened imposed on without remonstrating. more than thirty years since) great. This is certain, that no man does ly esteemed for his piety and learnwell in trade of any kind, unless ing by all his acquaintance; and he has the command of it. This my father, observing my uncom therefore has still been the summit mon inclination to books, (even of all my wishes: because could from my childhood) has several I have attained this, it would have times took me with him, for two enabled me to assist my dear rela- or three days together, when a tives in their necessity and the in- lad, to visit this uncle. My father digent, fatherless and widows in entertained some hope, as the old their affliction, to have set my gentleman was childless, that when wished because our grandfather was removed from this world before our father had reached eighteen months of his life: so that he was deprived of all that his immediate predecessor could have in formed him, in his, growing up, concerning the family. However there was a brother, who was a apprised of my genius, he would the parliament; in whose army have taken and brought me up a two brothers of the family hore student; (for he had several young commissions; and after the king's gentleman at a time in bis house, death were in the administration to whom he taught the classics during the interregnum; all which and prepared them for higher se. time I particularly remember he minaries of learning,) but his wife said one of them resided in was a perfect Xantippe, and dic- London and kept a coach and tated to him in ail his undertakings, splendid equipage (which in those which prevented his complying days was, I imagine, something with my father's proposal, when extraordinary,) till the Restoration he moved him about it: for he an- put an end to that form of govern swered that he hoped a secular call. ment. Their brother from whom ing would turn out as much for we are descended at the same time my advantage upon the whole, possessed an estate of 400/. per an. and that he could not grant him here at Comb-pyne; who married his desire consistent with his three wives successively, and had peace. But this I doubt, you several children by each wife. By will think a needless digression. the first wife in particular, he had This uncle, I well remember, but one son, (whose name I bear) I have several times heard give my and one daughter; to him at his father a detail of the family; for death he left 300l. per annum of he (as I have been since told) his estate: he, I have been told, was a great antiquarian : but always appeared like a gentleman youth is too inattentive to subjects and particularly wore a sword, of this nature. What I retain of when he was dressed (which by his discourses on that head is his the way I suppose was as distinasserting that our's was hereto- guishing then, as a commission of fore a very considerable family- the land tax is now.) This young that one of our ancestors bad the gentleman dying a batchelor by a honour of knighthood conferred fall from his horse, and leaving upon him—that in those intestine a testamentary disposal of all his troubles betwixt Henry VI. and estates real and personal to his Edward the IV. when most of the only sister, and she intermarrying considerable families in England with one Broughton in this neighengaged on one side or the other, bourhood, had by that marriage a several of this family took com- daughter; who intermarrying with missions under Henry VI. whose the predecessors of the Oke family cause failing and being by some of Pinhay (which family you means or other, rendered obnoxi. know) carried thither the family ous to the victors, our ancestors estates, who possess them to this removed from one of the midland day. The elder brother by the counties, (if I remember right, it second wife was our great grandwas Huntingdonshire,) and retired father; who had also an estate left and settled at Comb-pyne, in this him by his father: and our grandneighbourhood. I cannot recol. father had possessed it after his lect any thing said by himn parti- mother had he survived her, it cularly relating to them, till the being I imagine what is called coContests betwixt Charles I. and pyhold; but when the Duke of |