mons: It pleased GOD several years ago to stir up the hearts of many good people of several denominations, to endeavour the giving a check to that immorality and profaneness that had proceeded so far, and prevailed so long in England; against this encroaching enemy, London made the first stand, and their example encouraged many others both in England and Ireland too.

We are yet to behold him in a more large and extensive sphere of usefulness, not to the neglect or prejudice of his own place and people, for he was so constant to them, that he has observed in his Diary, on June 3, 1711, being then at London, "That it was the first time he had been absent from Chester on the first day of the month, the Saerament day, for this twenty-four years." But though his own flock were not neglected, yet he could not confine his services to them; he had a just care for all the churches, and especially those that were within his line; I mean, such as he could visit and return home at the week's end; he took a circuit of near thirty miles, and frequently lent his assistance to the dissenting ministers and churches that were in that compass, and he was always thankfully received by them. Those that put together the various parts of Mr. Henry's labours, and consider that, besides what has been mentioned, he spent a great deal of time and pains in composing his Expositions and other writings for the press, will surely be desirous to know what method he took, and what means he used to maintain and keep up so much life and industry for so many years, and to go on so unweariedly in his Master's work. Among other things that contributed to this his uncommon zeal and diligence, I shall mention a few, which all that know him could not but observe, and which the papers he has left behind him very amply testify; I mean his great value for time, his prayerfulness, observation, and frequent renewings of his covenants with GOD; by these means he was not only kept close to his work, but greatly encouraged and strengthened in it. In the year 1699, GoD called up the learned and every way excellent Dr. Bates to the spirits of just men made perfect: Hackney had for many years been happy in his ministry. As we have observed in his life, the Doctor might have had almost any preferment, could he have conformed to the established church. Upon his death, the first person that was thought fit to succeed him was Mr. Matthew Henry; it was unanimously agreed that an invitation should be given him, and Mr. Shower was

desired

desired to prepare him for it by a letter, which he did, urging him with great affection and respect to hearken to it; he returned his answer to Mr. Shower the very next post, in which he wholly declined it, and desired no further solicitation might be made to him about it; and in his Diary he avers, that the stress of his refusal was truly laid upon his great affection for the people at Chester. The congregation at Hackney did not iminediately desist from what their hearts were much set upon, but themselves sent up a letter of invitation in very pressing terms, which in a few days time Mr. Henry answered with great respect, but plainly and fully in the negative, which I think put an end to all further importunity on their part. The peremptory refusal that Mr. Henry had given to the congregration at Hackney, discouraged that of Salter's Hall from making any attempts of that nature, and Mr. Chorley of Norwich was chosen, but he declined it; and there being still some disputes among them about the choice of another, it was proposed to them to give Mr. Henry an invitation; and accordingly letters were written to him by Mr. Howe, Mr. Williams, and Dr. Hamilton, urging this among other arguments, That there being some contests, both sides would agree in him. But he still declined it.

But upon the death of Mr. Billio in 1710, the congregation at Hackney renewed their importunities so forcibly, that, thinking it a proper call, and wishing too for the advantage of superintending his great work then in the press, he at length complied, and removed from Chester thither in May 1711. His Lord's Day's work he managed at Hackney in the same method as he had done at Chester, only, that instead of beginning with the 100th Psalm, he began with a short prayer; for the rest the order was the same. Though his natural strength was abated and distempers growing upon him, yet he abated nothing of his wonted zeal and diligence, either on the Lord's Day or lecture days, in expounding, preaching, or catechizing 5 he kept his usual hour of beginning public worship, and though it was earlier than the congregation at Hackney had been accustomed to come together, yet he was punctual to the time, and they soon came to it, and that without reluctancy, and were many of them well pleased with it; and thus he did in the afternoon as well as in the morning. He made it plainly to appear he sought not his ease and pleasure in coming up to London; here was a large field of service, and he had a large heart, and on that ac

count

count the place suited him very well; he has more than once preached the Lord's Day morning lecture at Little St. Helens, and then returned to Hackney, and preached and expounded as usual both parts of the day there; sometimes, after having preached morning and evening at Hackney, he has gone to Mr. Lloyd's meeting-house in Wapping, to the charity-school at Shakespeare's Walk, and sometimes over the water to Redriff, and preached the evening lecture, and returned home, and gone through the several parts of family worship as usual.

In

We come now to the close of this valuable life. May 1714, he made a visit to his old friends in Cheshire, and towards the end of the next month, as he was upon his return to London, he was taken ill at Nantwich. His old intimate friend (says Mr. Tong) Mr. Illidge, was then with him, and had been desired by the Honourable Sir Thomas Delves and his lady to invite him to Doddington, and he had fully intended to have waited on them, and their steward was there, with Mr. Illidge, to have conducted him to a house that has been famed for impartial and disinterested religion, and I hope will be ever so, but he was not able to proceed any further; he went to bed at Mr. Mattershed's house, and said to his friends, "Pray for me, for now I cannot pray for myself." When they were putting him to bed, he spoke of the excellency of spiritual comforts in a time of need, and blest GoD that he had those comforts: He had said to Mr. Illidge, you have been used to take notice of the sayings of dying men; this is mine, "That a life spent in the service of GOD and communion with him, is the most comfortable and pleasant life that any one can live in this world." He had but a restless night; about five of the clock in the morning he was seized with what the doctors agreed to be an apoplectic fit; he lay speechless with his eyes fixed, and about eight of the clock on Tuesday morning, June 22, he breathed out his precious soul into the hands of Christ, in the 52d year of his age. The physicians could not impute his death to a fall he had some time before received, from which he had all along said he felt no ill consequence. Though Mr. Henry's constitution was very healthful and strong, yet there is a great deal of reason to believe he put too much trust in it, and that not only by his frequent and fervent preaching, in which he used to sweat profusely, but chiefly by his sitting so long together in his study, and writing so much; this stopped the due circulation of the blood and spirits, and caused an obesity of body and flush

ing in his face; but his study was more to him than the palaces of princes, and his work was his most pleasant

recreation.

His Works. "I. A small Discourse concerning the Nature of Schism, 1689. II. His Father's Life, 1696. III. A Discourse about Meekness and Quietness of Spirit, on 1 Pet. iii. 4. to which is added, A Sermon preached at Mr. Howe's Meeting-house in London, 1698. IV. A Scripture Catechism, 1702. V. Family Hymns, gathered most out of David's Psaims, and all out of the inspired writings, 1702. VI. A plain Catechism for Children. VII. A Sermon concerning the right Management of friendly visits; preached at Mr. Howe's meeting in London, 1701. VIII. A Church in the House, preached at Mr. Shower's meeting, and published at the request of the congregation, 1704. IX. The Communicant's Companion : or, Instructions and Helps for the right receiving of the Lord's Supper, 1704. X. Four Discourses against Vice and Immorality, viz. 1. Against Drunkenness. 2. Against Uncleanness. 3. Against Sabbath-breaking. 4. Against Profane Speaking. 1705. XI. Great Britain's present Hopes and Joys opened, in two sermons; the former on the national thanksgiving day, December 31, 1706, the latter the day following, being New-year's day, Psalm lxv. 11. XII. Two Funeral Sermons, one on Dr. Samuel Benyon, the other on the Rev. Mr. Francis Tallents, ministers of the gospel in Shrewsbury, with an account of their lives, 1709. XIII. A Method for Prayer, with Scripture Expressions proper to be used under each head, 1710. XIV. A Sermon concerning the Work and Success of the Ministry, 1710. XV. Disputes Reviewed: a sermon preached at the evening lecture on the Lord's Day, from Mark ix. 33, 1710. XVI. Faith in Christ inferred from Faith in GoD: a sermon preached on the Tuesday's lecture at Salter's Hall, from John xiv. 1, 1711. XVII. A Sermon concerning the Forgiveness of Sin as a Debt, on Matth. vi. 12, 1711. XVIII. Hope and Fear balanced, in a lecture at Salter's Hall, July 21, 1711. XIX. A Sermon preached at the Funeral of Mr. Samuel Lawrence, minister of the gospel at Nantwich in Cheshire, on Phil. ii. 27, 1712. XX. A Sermon preached at Salter's Hall, to the Societies for the Reformation of Manners, June 30, 1712. XXI. A Sermon preached at Haberdasher's Hall, on the Occasion of the Death of the Reverend Mr. Richard Stretton, July 13, 1712. XXII. Directions, for Daily Communion with GoD, in three

Sermons,

Sermons shewing how to begin, how to spend, and how to close every day with GoD, Sept. 8, 1712. XXIII. An Exhortation at the close of the Ordination of Mr. Samuel Clark at St. Alban's, Sept. 17, 1712. XXIV. Popery a Spiritual Tyranny, shewed in a Sermon preached on Nov. 5, 1712. XXV. A Sermon preached at the Ordination of Mr. Atkinson, Jan. 27, 1713. XXVI. A Sermon preached on Occasion of the Funeral of the Reverend Mr. Daniel Burgess, Feb. 3, 1713. XXVII. Christ's Favour to little Children opened and improved, in a Sermon preached at the public baptizing of a child in London, on Mark x. 16. March 6, 1713. XXVIII. A Sermon concerning the Catechizing of Youth, preached to Mr. Harris's Catechumens, April 7, 1713. XXIX. Self-Consideration necessary to Self-Preservation; or, The Folly of despising our own Souls and our own Ways, opened in two sermons to young people, June 14, 1713. XXX. Sober-mindedness pressed upon young People; preached at the catechistical lecture at Mr. Wilcox's meeting-place, and printed at the desire of many of the Catechumens, most of them being ministers' sons, Sept. 2, 1713. XXXI. A Memorial of the Fire of the Lord, in a sermon preached Sept. 2, 1713, on Numb. xi. 3, being the day of remembrance of the burning of London, at Mr. Reynolds' meeting-house. XXXII. The Pleasantness of a religious life, opened, proved, and recommended to the consideration of all, and particularly of young people, May 21, 1714. XXXIII. His Expositions of the Bible; in which he has gone through the Old Testament in four large volumes folio, and through the Evangelists and the Acts of the Apostles in a fifth; and was fully bent, if God had spared his life, to have finished the whole in another volume, but in that death has prevented him. XXXIV. An Account of the Life and Death of Lieutenant Illidge, father to Mr. George Illidge of Nantwich, Mr. Henry's very particular friend.”

JOHN SHOWER,

THIS valuable and gracious minister was born in the city of Exeter, and baptized on the 18th of May 1657. His father was a man of great piety and liberality to the poor, thinking money so expended, to be laid out