soul: I say, he who considers this, as all should, would certainly be afraid to commit such impieties. Now of such considerations, you have given us many in your book, and those grounded on the clear light of nature, or on evident reason, or revelation; and it is my prayer and hope that many may read, and (to their great benefit) remember, and practise them. I am well pleased with your discourse against usury; which (as is commonly managed) I take to be one of the crying sins of our ungrateful nation... ... Give me leave, (faithfully and as a friend) to add one thing more. In your second page, there is, I believe, a little mistake. For you seem to say, that James, who wrote the canonical epistle, ́ was brother to John the apostle. Now it is certain, that amongst the apostles there were two of that name. 1. James the son Zebedee, and brother of John. 2. James the son of Alpheus, Mat. x. 2, 3. who was called James the less, Mark xv. 40. whose mother was Mary, who was sister to the virgin Mary; and so our blessed Saviour and James the son of Alpheus were sisters children, cousin-germans. Now that James the son of Zebedee, and brother of John, did not write that canonical epistle, will be certain, if we consider, 1. That James, brother of John, was slain by Herod Agrippa. (Acts xxii. 2.) which was Anno Christi 44 or 45. And 2dly, If it be considered, that the epistle of James was not written till the year of Christ 63: for so Baronius, Simpson, and the best chronologers assure us. They say, that epistle of James was not writ till almost twenty years after James the brother of John was slain by Herod: and therefore it is certain, he neither did nor could write it. I beg your pardon for this tedious, and I fear impertinent, scribble. My love and due respects remembered. I shall pray for a blessing upon you and your studies: and your prayers are heartily desired by and for * Your affectionate friend and brother," Buckden, March 16, 1681. For my reverend friend Mr. Sam. Shaw, at his house in Ashby de la Zouch. If such a correspondence as this, between the bishops of the church of England and the ministers among the Dissenters, had been generally maintained, it might have produced Jac. Usserius. Annal. pag. 645. Baron. Annal. Tom. 1. much much better effects than the great distance that has been kept up on both sides.-Mr. Shaw was a man of a peaceable disposition. He was frequently employed, and very successful in his endeavours, to reconcile differences. He had a public and generous spirit, and was ever ready to encourage any good designs. He was given to hospitality, and was very moderate in his principles. For the space of almost thirty years he spent himself in endeavours to make the world better, tho' with no great gains to himself. It was his chief aim to live usefully; and he thought that a considerable reward to itself. He was of a middle stature, and his countenance not very penetrating; like another Melancton, that could not fill a chair with a big look and portly presence; but his eye was sparkling, and his conversation witty, savoury, affable, and pertinent. He was ready at repartees and innocent jests, with a mixture of poetry, history, and other polite learning. But his greatest excellency was in religious discourse, in praying and preaching. One that knew him well, writes as follows: "I have known him spend part of many days and nights too in religious exercises, when the times were so dangerous that it would hazard an imprisonment to be worshipping God with five or six people like-minded with himself. I have sometimes been in his company for a whole night together, when we have been fain to steal to the place in the dark, to stop out the light and stop in the voice, by cloathing and fast closing the windows, till the first day-break down a chimney has given us notice to be gone. I bless God for such seasons. If some say it was needless to do so much: I reply, the care of our souls and eternity, which only was minded there, requires more. I say, I bless God for the remembrance of them, and for Mr. Shaw at them, whose melting words in prayer, I can never forget. He had a most excellent faculty in speaking to God with reverence, humility, and an holy awe of his presence, filling his mouth with arguments by his strength he had power with God; he wept and made supplication; he found him in Bethel (such were our assemblies) and there he spake with us.' I have heard him for two or three hours together pour out prayer to God, without tautology or vain repetition, with that vigour and fervour, and those holy words that imported faith and humble boldness, as have dissolved the whole company into tears. &c.”—In short, a mixture of so much learning and humility, wit and judgment, piety and plesantness, are rarely 6 found found together, as met in him. He died Jan. 22. 1696, in the 59th year of his age. His funeral sermon was preached by Mr. William Crosse, his brother-in-law. from Luke xxiii. 28. WORKS. A Funeral Oration for Mr. Blake-The Welcome to the Plague.-a Farewell Sermon in 1663, on Phil. i. 12. which is the 8th in the Country collection.-A Farewell to Life, on 2 Cor. v. 6.-The Angelical Life; on Mat. xxii. 30. (These two are annexed to the Welcome to the Plague, and were all printed together in 1666, entitled, The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Immanuel; or, A Continuation of the Angelical life; on John iv. 14.-The great commandment; a Disc. on Psalm lxxiii. 25. To which is annexed, The spiritual man in a carnal fit; on Psalm lv. 6.-A Latin grammar.-A receipt for the state palsy: Or a Direction for the government of the nation; a Serm. on Prov. xxv. 5.--Samuel in sackcloth; a Serm. on 1 Sam. xv. 35. essaying to restrain our bitter animosities, and commending a spirit of moderation towards our brethren, 1660.-The true Christian's Test; or a discovery of the love and lovers of the world, in 149 meditations ; *-An epitome of the Latin grammar, by questions and answers. Adam, Abel, or vain man; Sermons on Psalm xxxix. 6.-A Serm. on the death of Mr. Richard Chantry.Words made visible, or Grammar and Rhetoric; a Comedy.The different humours of men; a Comedy. (These two were acted by his own scholars for their diversion, and for the entertainment of the town and neighbourhood at Christmas-time.) He had in the press, a description of the heavenly inheritance; on 1 Pet. i. 3-6. But the bookseller failing, it was never perfected. WOODHOUSE [Chap.] Mr. CHESHIRE. Mr. Dixy and Mr. STATHAM were silenced by the Act of uniformity, tho' not ejected; not being then fixed in livings. They lived and died Nonconformists. The following afterwards conformed. Mr. DOUGHTY, of Medburn. Mr. BLACKERBY, of Langton. Mr. JENKIN, of North Kilworth.-Mr, BLACK, of Sadington. Mr. HENRY PIERCE, of Claybrook. -- *Mr. Job Orton says, "I wish this was reprinted. It is a most serious useful and entertaining book. Short chapters, and many excellent stories, and references to the classics," J. Orton. In § In NICHOLS'S History of Leicestershire, is a list of the names subscribed to "The humble representation of divers well-affected ministers of the gospel," in this county, which was presented to parliament, A. D. 1659, in relation to Sir George Booth's rising in behalf of Charles II. for which they received the thanks of the house. The following copy of it, may be thought worth being inserted here, particularly as it shews where the ministers resided at the time. Mr. James has given the names both of persons and places, according the spelling in DUGDALE's Troubles of England, which book is Nichols's authority. That author stiles these ministers "a precious pack." Nichols every where calls this paper" the famous representation." &c. George Wright, Congeston By mistake printed Harborow. * Nicholas Kestyn, Gumley Burbage Stanton Wivile [Beby] + Mis-spelt in the copy, and no place, ** Some additions to the accounts of YAXLEY, SHEFFIELD, HORNEBY, and SHUTTLEWOOD, received too late to be inserted in their proper places, will be found in the ADDENDA, at the end of this volume. MINISTERS MINISTERS EJECTED OR SILENCED IN LINCOLNSHIRE. LLINGTON [R. 160/.] Mr. GEORGE BECK. He was chaplain to the Earl of Manchester for some time during the civil war, and particularly attended him at the battle of Winsby near Horncastle. This perhaps might be the chief cause of Dr. Sanderson's great displeasure against him, who drove him out of the country. After the war, he was minister of Rippingal, three miles from Folkingham, at which Mr. Cranwel was sequestered. He was one of the Folkingham classis. About 1655 he was presented to Allington, by the lord-keeper Fiennes, where he succeeded Mr. Robert Clark, an eminent old Puritan. During his residence there, he was one of the Tuesday-lecturers at Grantham, and had a sine cure annexed to his rectory. He was a very popular and useful preacher, an affectionate pastor, and much beloved. His life also was unblameable. He resided some time in London, till the plague drove him away to Tottenham; but it followed him, as it did many others, and he died of it in 1666. AUTHORPE (in the Isle of Axholme) [R.] Mr. TнOMAS SPADEMAN. Of Lincoln Col. Oxf. Born at Rotheram in Yorkshire. He was much esteemed for his learning, diligence and charity. He was so hearty in his affection to the old English form of government, that he refused to sign the Engagement, tho' it was generally signed by the neighbouring ministers, who afterwards conformed. And tho' he would not sign the declaration appointed by the Oxford-act in 1665, yet his known loyalty and peaceable behaviour induced the deputy-lieutenants and justices of the peace, to per mit |