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son's memoir, we must refer our readers to the second volume of the Bunyan series. We should like to have said something about his itineracy, his church-government, his home preaching, his exhaustive studies, his passion for farming, love of a quiet home life, and affection for children; but we must forbear. We content ourselves with a few more citations. The first is from a letter written soon after the death of his daughter Julia.

Julia was the beauty and pride of my family. She was straight as an arrow, five feet ten inches high. A dark eye like fire, and an oval visage full of sensibility and sweetness. A complexion like the lily tinged with the blush of the rose. She had a fund of sterling wit, and a wise, grave reason that directed the use of it. Nothing escaped her observation, and whether she roved in the regions of fancy, or plodded in the facts of creation and providence, her fine reasoning powers reduced all to truth, arranged all in order, and directed all to make her circle happy. She had the most just and sublime notions of God, and a perpetual veneration for Him. No suspicions invaded her serene bosom during a gradual decline of three years; on the contrary, often would she exclaim, His tender mercies are over all His works! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? She has felicity enough to enjoy and to communicate, and her sisters, who always waited on her, said, "Father, Jule is an angel." My heart, my aching heart! She was an angel. Ah! too true! She had wings and flew away. Do, dear Mrs. Tforgive me. It eases me to write to you, for you, I know, share my grief.

"As on some lonely building's top
The sparrow tells her moan,
So, far from tents of joy and hope,
I sit and grieve alone."

I am not offended with the good Father in heaven. I have no fear about the lovely spirit of the departed. But will the Great Spirit be angry for perceiving, when my family assemble, that "David's place is empty?"

Here is a picture of quiet home

life.

'You must know my eldest daughter is married, and to her husband I have put off my farm and all business, so that I have no employ of that kind, except to keep my house in repair, to cultivate my garden, to keep my pleasure boat in trim, to watch my bees, and to purr like old puss by the fire, to my wife and family. We are a sort of nunnery, concealed by brick walls and high trees, guarded in front by the river,

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But we must hasten to the end.

Mr. Robinson went to Birmingham to preach for Dr. Priestley, He was, however, but the shadow of his His sermons were former self.

desultory and feeble, full of Unitarianism and containing abundant evidence of an overworked brain and wounded spirit. On Monday, he had a fit, from which Dr. Priestley feared he would not rally. The next day he was the guest of William Russell, Esq., of Showell Green. He seemed better, and in the evening appeared to have regained much of his accustomed vivacity. He was found in the morning, June 8th, 1790, dead, the bed-clothes without a ruffle and no marks of pain in his features.

The Editor has very wisely devoted a large space in this volume to Mr. Robinson's letters. They have been collected from sources widely scattered and not generally accessible. Written to friends at different periods of his life, from the year of his first public effort as a preacher to within a month of his deaththey are a faithful mirror of his opinions and of his character. There are several to Dan Taylor, for whose judgment he had the highest esteem, and whose friendship he dearly loved. 'We retain in our minds, (he says in one,) with singular pleasure a recollection of your excellent discourse to us at Cambridge, and we do ask one another what the General and Particular Baptists differ about; for, say we, either Mr. Taylor is a Particular, or we Generals! This was written sixteen

are

years after the formation of our denomination. In another, written a year later, he says: 'My wife, who sits by, asks how people found their way to heaven before Calvin and Van Harmin were born? I answer, By the light of Scripture alone. Then, she adds, I shall content myself with my New Testament, and leave the great Latin folios to your friend Taylor and you.

Mr. Robinson's Letters.

I reply, you may very safely, and we shall debate our points with as little gall as if the inquiry were, which of us would most dexterously jump over a five-barred gate.'

In a third, he thus refers to his labour of love. I keep poring over my manuscripts, and do not regret delay, for baptism is an amazing subject, and occupies a large part of ecclesiastical history. My first volume is on Baptism, not Baptists. I never knew till lately that any had been baptized in milk; but this, and a thousand other curious facts go to prove that when men depart from pure Scripture, no bounds are to be set to their extravagancies.'

'It is questionable,' he says farther on in the same letter, whether I ever write the history of modern English Baptists; and if I do, I shall not come at them these three or four years. My notion of the dignity of history forbids me publishing anything little or unimportant, and therefore I see very little to publish of the modern Baptists in London. The glory, the love of liberty universal, is departed from Israel, at least that part of it which presumes to strut forward, and give itself out for the cause.' Mr. Robinson then gives the following picture of things amongst us eighty years ago:

"The Particulars are intoxicated with a

false system of disjointed metaphysics, which they call the gospel. The Generals, if one may judge by their books which they publish as a body, are less tenacious of a system of faith, but equally zealous for an impracticable discipline. What else can be understood by the Leicester case, where they tax some of their members with faction? Or by the case of Leake, where they busy themselves about suits,-I suppose they mean courtship! What does Halifax mean, by speaking of expenses necessary to maintain the cause of Christ? Is there not reason to fear that Nottingham hath been too busy in excommunicating? Is Burnley wise to lay out £300 when they can raise only £50? And what do they mean at Nottingham by zeal in the cause of the Lord Jesus Christi Does the Association take cognizance of property, deeds, titles, &c. ?'

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The most amusing letter in the whole series is the one addressed to Henry Keene, Esq., Walworth, and written in May, 1784. With this we must close. It is

379

A DIARY OF ONE DAY. 'Rose at three o'clock-crawled into the library, and met one who said, "Yet a little while is the light with you. walk while ye have the light-the night come when no man can work - my Father worketh hitherto, and I work."-Rang milking-went up to the farm, roused the the great bell, and roused the girls to horse-keeper-fed the horses while he was getting up-called the boy to suckle the calves, and clear out the cow-houselighted the pipe, walked round the garden to see what was wanted there-went up the paddock to see if the weanling calves were well-went down to the ferry, to see whether the boy had scooped and cleaned the boats-returned to the farm -examined the shoulders, heels, traces, chaff, and corn of eight horses going to plough-mended the acre staff-cut some whips-pumped the troughs full-saw the thongs, whip-corded the boys' ploughhogs fed-examined the swill tubs, and then the cellar-ordered a quarter of malt, for the hogs want grains and the men want beer filled the pipe again, returned to the river, and bought a lighter of turf for the dairy fires, and another of sedge for ovens-hunted up the wheelbarrows, and set them a trundling-returned to the farm, called the men to cheese, and saw the wooden bottles filled breakfast, and cut the boys' bread and another to the three half-acres, and so on -sent one plough to the three roods,

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shut the gates, and the clock struck five-breakfasted-set two men to ditch the five roods-two more to chop sods, and spread about the land-two more to throw up muck in the yard-and three men and six women to weed wheat-set set them up till winter-the wheeler to on the carpenter to repair cow-cribs, and mend up old carts, cart-ladders, rakes, &c., preparatory to hay time and harvest -walked to the six acres, found hogs in the grass-went back, and sent a man to hedge and thorn-sold the butcher a fat calf, the suckler a lean one-the clock strikes nine-walk into barley fieldbarleys fine, picked off a few tiles and stones, and cut a few thistles-the peas fine, but foul; the charlock must be topped-the tares doubtful; the fly seems but could not see a cloud-came round to have taken them-prayed for rain, but the finest colour in the world-sent to the wheat field-wheats rather thin, four women on to the shortest wheatsordered one man to weed the ridge of the long wheats and two women to keep rank and file with him in the

furrows no end

thistles many-blue-bottles harmonious tongues," and set Mount traversed all the wheat Ephraim tune-rose up-whistled-the field came to the fallow field - the dogs wagged their tails, and on we went ditches have run crooked -set them got home-dinner ready-filled the straight the flag-sads cut too much, pipe-drank some milk-and fell asleep rush-sads too little, strength wasted, -woke by the carpenter for some slats, shewed the men how to three-corner which the sawyer must cut-the Reverend them-laid out more werk for the ditchers Messrs. A. in a coat, B. in a gown of -went to the ploughs-set the foot a black, and C. in one of purple, came to little higher, cut a wedge, set the coulter tea, and to settle whether Gomer was the deeper, must go and get a new mould- father of the Celts and Gauls and Britons, board against to-morrow went to the or only the uncle-proof sheet from Mr. other plough-picked up some wool, and Archdeacon corrected it - washedtied over the traces-mended a horse- dressed--went to meeting, and preached tree, tied a thong to the plough hammer from The end of all things is at hand, be ye -went to see which lands wanted plough- sober and watch unto prayer-found a dear ing first- sat down under a bush brother reverence there, who went home wondered how men could be so silly as to call with me, and edified us all out of me reverend-read two verses, and thought Solomon's Song, with a dish of tripe out of His loving kindness in the midst of Leviticus, and a golden candlestick of His temple gave out, "Come, all out of Exodus.........

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Correspondence.

SUPPORT OF DENOMINA-
TIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
To the Editor of the General Baptist
Magazine.

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DEAR SIR,-When leaving the chapel after the discussion on the Support of our Connexional Institutions,' which took place at our late Association, I heard one of the brethren, who had supported the resolutions presented by the Committee, say to one who had voted against the third, 'You need to go and live with Mr. Jones and get a conscience,' alluding of course to the remark our estimable friend had just before uttered relative to his having a conscience.

Now, whilst I am quite disposed to believe it would benefit not a few amongst us Glorious General Baptists' to reside for a time within the more immediate influence of our good friend at Spalding, I am equally disposed to believe that it is not altogether conscience that we are needing in order to come to a wise decision, or to entertain correct views on this important subject. I am not quite sure, in fact, if the hint thrown out by Mr. Salisbury, relative to a catechism on the first principles of nonconformity for adults' might

not be exceedingly beneficial. Be that, however, as it may, I do feel Mr. Editor, it would be doing good service to the denomination generally, and to the progress of right principles in particular, if you would at your earliest convenience give us definitely and distinctly the main reasons for, or grounds upon which it is felt desirable and necessary to make so important a change in our Constitution' as the one recommended by the Committee in question.

I trust and believe that I ask this from no cynical motive, and I may say I hasten to do so from the remarks contained in your mention of this subject, on the third page of your late issue.

I am, dear Sir,

Yours truly,
ENQUIRER.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON
CHAPEL DEEDS AND OTHER
DENOMINATIONAL TRUST
PROPERTY.

To the Ministers and Representatives of the

New Connexion of General Baptists. DEAR BRETHREN, - The Committee appointed at the Annual Association,

Correspondence-Report of Committee on Chapel Deeds, &c. 381

held at Wisbech, in June, 1860, to draw up details of a plan for the Registration and Custody of Chapel and other Deeds belonging to the Denomination; submit the subjoined mode of registering such deeds as practicable, efficient, and highly expedient and for the due execution of the same your committee carnestly recommend that a Registrar be appointed, whose duty it shall be

1. To supply all churches in the denomination with a schedule, which when returned shall be copied into a book prepared for the purpose.

2. To forward to each new church admitted into the denomination a copy of the said form.

3. To enter from time to time, as information may be furnished, any changes occurring in relation to the said deeds,-and

4. To notice and advise the churches of any alterations of the law affecting trust property.

Your committee recommend that the schedules for the first return be issued to the churches at least two months before the next Association, with a request that they be returned as early as convenient to the address of the Registrar, and that in succeedingforms,' issued for 'states of churches,' space be allotted for answer to the query,- What altertion (if any) in the state of Trust Deeds since last return ?'

Your committee consider the advantages of a uniform and systematic mode of registration are so obvious that it is not necessary to occupy time by enlarging thereon; and believing the Association is only discharging its duty by affording facilities for such registration, cannot conceive any valid objection to the adoption of the plan suggested inasmuch as it will be entirely optional with churches whether they avail themselves of its provisions or not.

In regard to the custody of Deeds your committee think there are difficulties which render it unadvisable to attempt to carry out a plan of general deposit, especially as the denomination does not possess a central building eligible for the purpose.

Lastly, your committee refer to recent Acts of Parliament of great importance to all Nonconformist churches, and with which each church should be acquainted.

By the Act of 13 and 14 Vict. cap. 28, commonly called 'Peto's Act,' a new Appointment of Trustees of Chapel Property, when required, may be made at a church meeting duly convened, on a memorandum of such appointment, in the form given by the Act, being signed by the chairman of the meeting, without the formality and expense of the usual deed of transfer, such memorandum bearing a thirty-five shilling stamp; and by an Act of the 24 Vict. cap. 9, bearing date the 17th May, 1861, all Chapel Trust Deeds to be thereafter made must be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six months after the date of such deeds, and where any deed shall have been heretofore made and not enrolled within the time prescribed, power is given to enroll the same within twelve months from the date of the Act, otherwise such deed will be null and void.

Schedule referred to in the foregoing report, the heads of which are as follows, viz.:

1. Description and Tenure of Property.

Trustees to be made.

2.

Date of last Trust Deed.

3.

Trustees then appointed.

4.

Trustees now living.

5.

When new Appointment of

6.

7.

Doctrines referred to (if any).
Trusts.

8.

With whom Deeds deposited.

9.

For what purpose deposited.
General Remarks.

10.

And the committee have taken the liberty of forwarding with this report the accompanying statement of the property belonging to Ely-place church, Wisbech, as fully illustrating the method of filling up the schedule.

THOMAS WATTS.
ROBERT CLARKE.
ROBT. WHERRY.
THOS. DAWBARN.
F. C. SOUTHWELL.
Wisbech, 21st June, 1861.

JUNE, 1861.

STATEMENT OF PROPERTY BELONGING TO THE GENERAL BAPTIST CHURCH, ELY PLACE, WISBECH,

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AND THE TRUSTEES AND TRUSTS THEREOF.

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4. Buildings and Yard adjoining Chapel, Ely Place, 1847 Wisbech.

Butterfield, Richard
Clarke, Robert
Judd, George

Abbott, John
Batterbee, William
Adams, Benjamin
Brewin, John
Rumball, Josiah
Bags, Wm. Pike
Green, William
Ewen, Henry
Wherry, John

Pike, James Carey
Clarke, Robert
Wherry, Robert
Batterbee, William

Freehold. February 10 Southwell, Fredk. Chas.

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Smith, Theophilus
Raithby, Thomas

Pike, James Carey
Wherry, Robert
Batterbee, William
Raithby, Thomas
Gromitt, John
Edes, Joseph
Gray, Thomas
Abbott, John

Smith, Theophilus

Watts, Thomas
Wherry, Robert
Raithby, Thomas
Gromitt, John
Gray, Thomas
Smith. Theophilus
Hutchinson, William
Butcher, Thomas
Cave, John Joseph

Clarke, Robert Abbott, John Rumball, Josiah Bags, Wm. Pike Ewen, Henry Wherry, John

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the benefit of

and

Annuity

the Society Thomas Dawbarn of General Esquires,

of £18

during

Baptists with

Wisbech

the life of

in the Town

of Wisbech,

St. Peter's

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Remarks.

Mrs. Jarrom

This Proper-
ty is convey-
ed to the
Trustees ab.
solutely.

Custody A Deed of

Declaration of Trust will be prepared whenthought expedient.

Resolutions Mr.Robt. Wherry Custody

PlaceChurch

Wisbech

either absolutely or conditionally

Wisbech

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