them, and preached to them; by which means he once in a week served them all. But this proceeding gave such offence, that in a short time a violent obstruction was given to it; when his flock, and particularly his dear young men (as he called them) prayed without ceasing, and not without fasting, for his release; and humble applications were made to the judges at the assizes on his behalf. But no release could be obtained, without his giving security for leaving the country within a short and limited time.—It was not long before wrath came to the uttermost upon the city which had thus persecuted this faithful minister of God. And that very person who had been the chief instrument of his persecution was shortly after, on other accounts, thrown into prison, where he cried out with horror of the wrongs he had done to this good man, and died distracted.

66

But New England, a country originally the retreat for persecuted nonconformists, afforded Mr. Bailey an opportu nity for labouring near fourteen years more, in the work which he loved above all things in the world. A younger brother, Mr. Thomas Bailey, a pious sweet-tempered person, accompanied him to that country, and was his assistant as well as his comfortable companion; of whom however he was soon deprived by death, Jan. 21, 1689, and (as his brother noted in his diary)" He died well; which is a great word: so sweetly (says he) that I never saw the like before." This elder brother survived him about eight years, in which he continued to exert himself with encreasing diligence and delight for the good of souls. At length dismal pains of the gout, with a complication of maladies, confined him for three months, During this time he took peculiar pleasure in reading the 53d chapter of Isaiah, concerning the sorrows of our Lord, whereby all our sorrows are sanctified. When the remainder of his flock, who accompanied him to N. England visited him, his usual address to them was, "I charge you, that I find 66 you all safe at last."-For some time in his last sickness, his heavenly soul was harrassed with terrible discouragements; under which it was yet a common expression with him, "The master hath done all things well." But at last he attained a blessed satisfaction that he was going into eternal peace. When his affectionate friends were weeping about him, he rebuked them, saying, "Away with your idols: 66 away with your idols." A little before his last illness, he wrote in his diary-" I was affected with what I read of Mr. "Shewel of Coventry, who died in the pulpit. Lord let me

not

"not die meanly; but in dying bring much glory to Thee !" And so it was. Just as he was going to expire, he seemed as if he had some extraordinary apprehensions of the glory in which our Lord Jesus is enthroned above. He strove to speak to his virtuous consort, and at length exclaimed, Oh "what shall I say? he is altogether lovely." And to another relative," Oh! all our praises of him here are poor low "things!" He then added, "His glorious angels are come "for me." Upon which he closed his eyes, about three o'clock on the Lord's day afternoon, and never opened them any more.-It appears that he had a presage of his approaching end, while he was yet in health, and that he had begun to study a sermon on the text upon which Mr. Mather preached at his funeral: Into thy hand I commit my spirit. But he never had opportunity to deliver or to finish it.

Mr. Bailey was a man of eminent holiness, whose life had been a practical comment upon his doctrine. He was remarkable for watchfulness over his words as well as his actions, and discovered great uneasiness if at any time he had spoken unadvisedly. He had so tender a conscience, that he often expressed great concern in his diary, if he had given into any little indulgence which most others would have thought perfectly innocent, lest he should have grieved the Holy Spirit. It was his desire (as he expressed it)" to get three "things: patience under the calamities of life: impatience "under the [moral] infirmities of life: and earnest longings "for the next life."-At another time he writes: "O that I may not be of the number of them that live without love; speak without feeling; and act without life!"-When some kind presents were made him, he wrote, "I have my wages quickly: O that God may not put me off with a reward "here!"-When he parted with the greatest enjoyment he had in the world, he thus wrote upon the occasion : " If I "can but exchange outward comforts for inward graces, 'tis "well enough. O for a heart to glorify God in the fire!" -He took much notice of what he heard in the sermons of other ministers, and his papers abound with remarks upon them, which shewed that he was as desirous to get good by their labours as to do good by his own. But our limits do not admit of half the useful extracts that might be made on this and other subjects. Let it suffice to give the reader a few passages respecting his ministerial character.

As from a child he had been full of solicitous care about his own soul, when he became a preacher of the gospel he in

sisted on nothing so much as the care that all men should have about the conversion of their souls to God, and the sincerity of their hearts before him. There were many great points of our christian faith which he treated with shorter touches, because his thoughts were continually swallowed up with the vast concern of not being deceived about the marks of a regenerate and sanctified soul, and the hope of being found in Christ at a dying hour. Those two words, a SOUL and ETERNITY, were great words with him, and his very soul was habitually under the awe of them. Hence the spirit of his preaching lay in the points of turning from sin to God in Christ; the trial of our doing it; the peril of our not doing it; andthe danger of procrastination in this grand concern. The method he prescribed to himself respecting his preaching, may be judged of by the following memorandum. "Old "Mr. Shepherd, when on his death-bed, said to the young "ministers about him, That their work was great, and called "for great seriousness, and he would tell them three things"That for his own part, 1. The studying of every sermon cost him tears. 2. Before he preached any sermon he got "good by it himself. 3. He always went into the pulpit as "if he were to give up his accounts to his Master.-Oh that "my soul, says Mr. Bailey, may remember and practise ac"cordingly."-His ministry was very acceptable to the people whose good he most aimed at, wherever he came, and great auditories usually flocked after him. But that he might not be lifted up, it seemed meet to the wisdom of heaven to humble him with sore temptations, and much dejection of spirit, lest after preaching to others he should be himself a cast-away. He often entreated those who saw his depression, that they would not take up a prejudice against the good ways of religion on this account.-When he found that God gave any success to his preaching, he took as thankful notice of it as if great riches had been heaped upon him; but would add such passages as the following: "Let my soul rejoice; "but Lord keep me from pride. I desire to be humbled for "it. Do I not know that God makes use of whom he

pleases, and usually of the weakest? No flesh shall glory." -It doth not appear that he published more than one piece, concerning The chief end of man, in which he has fully described that savour of spirit which was maintained in his daily walk.

CHURCH-HOLM, or HOLM.CHAPEL, Mr. JOHN RAVENSHAW. He was a hard student, a good scholar, a

useful

useful preacher, and an excellent Christian. He had a turn for poetry, but greater skill in preaching. Besides a good judgment, he was remarkable for his diligence and piety. He gave himself to reading, meditation, and prayer.' He died in London of the Miserere, or Iliac passion, which he endured to the last with admirable patience.

CHURCH MINSHAL.

Mr. HIGGINSON.

CONGLETON. Mr. THOMAS BROOK.

It is said that

he read the Common Prayer till he read all the people out of the church; and then he thought it was high time to desist. His enemies used to call him Bawling Brook; but he was really a humble good man, a great adversary to pride, and no mean scholar, of which some manuscripts of his give full proof. It was as true of him as of Knox, that he never feared the face of man. His reproofs, though sometimes blunt, were always levelled against sin; and often were ingenious, keen, and convictive. He took great pains to serve his master. He expounded in the public chapel in Congleton on the Lord's-day morning by six o'clock. He expounded, prayed, and preached, both morning and afternoon, and repeated in public in the evening. He preached also on Tuesdays and Fridays. In 1660 he was turned out of Congleton, and preached for some time at Morton Chapel. By the favour of the old incumbent, Mr. Hutchinson, he preached his last public sermon in Astbury church, on Aug. 24, 1662. He was very infirm in his latter days, and preached in much pain. He was buried Aug. 31, 1664, aged 72.

DARESBURY. Mr. ROBERT EATON, who lived after his ejectment in Manchester, and preached to a people within a few miles of it.

DODDLESTON [R.] Mr. BAKER.

GOSWORTH [R.] Mr. THOMAS EDGE. He was first minister of Goostree, and from thence was translated to this place, upon the removal of Mr. Newcome to Manchester, After his ejection he lived at Chelford. In 1672 he preached at a meeting-house which was fitted up for him at Withington. He had a very numerous auditory; no meeting in the country was more crowded. Even such as shewed little love to seriousness esteemed him an excellent preacher. He afterwards preached more privately, in the neighbourhood of Chelford, and other parts of Cheshire and Staffordshire.

The