was forced to escape into Yorkshire, with his numerous family. While he was there, he suffered much, being illegally imprisoned in York for several weeks. In 1668, after many troubles, he returned to his people in Cumberland, and God was pleased to crown his labours among them with abundant success. He died Dec. 26, 1700, aged 71, after he had exercised his ministry in that place 48 years. He was a man of bright parts, and a courageous temper, till the latter part of his life, when he grew somewhat pensive.

CROGLIN [R.] JOHN ROGERS, M. A. Of Wadham Col. Oxf. The eldest son of Mr. John Rogers, minister of Chacomb in Northamptonshire. Born Ap. 25, 1610. He was for some time preacher at Middleton Cheyney in that county, and afterwards at Leigh in Kent. Thence he was sent, by order of parliament, to Bernard Castle, in the bishopric of Durham, where he settled in 1644, and continued till March 2, 1660, when he removed to Croglin, where the Act of uniformity found and ejected him. He often spoke with pleasure of Mr. Wheatly of Banbury as his spiritual father. When he came to Bernard Castle he made out a list of the number of souls in his parish, which were about 2000. He took an exact account who of them were persons of knowledge, and who were ignorant; who were fit or unfit for the Lord's table, &c. Those who were ignorant he conversed much with, gave them good books, catechized and instructed them, till he thought them qualified for that sacred solemnity. He took great care of poor children, that they might not be trained up in ignorance and idleness. He was much respectby Sir Henry Vane and his son, whose seat at Raby Castle in that neighbourhood gave opportunity for frequent conversation. As an old acquaintance, he afterwards waited upon young Sir Henry when imprisoned in the Tower, for his concern in the death of Charles I. and found him resolute, and not sensible of any crime.-In those times of confusion, when soldiers often became preachers, an officer of note then quartering in the town, sent to Mr. Rogers to demand the use of his pulpit, bidding him refuse at his peril. But Mr. Rogers, instead of complying, desired to know who gave him authority to preach? saying, "That the ministerial office was very distinct from the military; and that therefore, though the soldiers kept the town, he resolved to guard the pulpit.”—He was a zealous observer of the Lord's-day, and always opposed the driving of cattle through the town on

that

that day. He had some difficulty with the Quakers, who much increased thereabouts; but his carriage was so engaging, that even many of them could not forbear giving him a good word. He was given to hospitality, and was indeed the Gaius of those parts, entertaining all ministers and Christians, who passed that way, with great openness and freedom. His removal to Croglin, after he was ejected at Bernard Castle, was by the procurement of lord Wharton. And though he was ejected there also, yet he kept his temper and moderation. He was of a catholic spirit, and a great enemy to narrow and uncharitable principles or practices. He had always a good correspondence with the neighbouring clergy, and was treated very respectfully by those of the greatest eminence, viz. Dr. Stern, Abp. of York; Dr. Rainbow, Bp. of Carlisle; and the Bp. of Durham; on the latter of whom he often waited, and by reason of his acquaintance in his younger days with the old lord Crew, was always received in a manner peculiarly obliging,

He continued the exercise of his ministry, after his being ejected, without fear. He licensed a place or two in 1672, at Darlington and Stockton in Durham. When the Indulgence expired, he preached in his own house at Startford, one Lord's day; and another, either in Teesdale, or in Waredale, among those who wrought in the lead-mines. Many a troublesome journey did he take to those poor people, thro' very deep snows, and over high mountains, when the road was extremely bad, and the cold very severe. But he made nothing of the fatigue, through his love to souls; especially as he was encouraged by the mighty eagerness of those honest people to hear the word. He used to preach frequently on the week-days also. And yet for all his pains he did not receive above 10l. per annum, but lived upon what he had of his own, with which he was both generous and charitable. He used to embrace all occasions for good discourse. It being customary in the North, after a funeral, to have an Arval, (as they call it) or dinner, he would speak so suitably of divine things, even in the midst of the entertainment, that some bitter malignant people would refuse to be present there, when they knew he would be one of the company; because, said they, we shall find Rogers preaching there.-He died with great calmness and resignation, at Startford, in Yorkshire, Nov. 28, 1680. His funeral sermon was preached by Mr. Brokill of Bernard Castle, where he was buried. Mr.

Tim. Rogers, of Wantage, Berkshire, was his son, who was afterwards colleague with Mr. Shower at the Old Jewry.

WORKS. A Little Catechism.—And two Letters to Mr. R. Wilson, upon the death of his daughter, whose Life was published under the title of The Virgin Saint.

The following remarkable anecdote of Mr. Rogers is well worthy of being here recorded. Sir Richard Cradock, a justice of peace, who was a violent hater and persecutor of the. dissenters, and who exerted himself to enforce all the severe. laws then in being against them, happened to live near Mr. Rogers, to whom he bore a particular enmity, and whom he wanted above all things to have in his power. Hearing that he was one day to preach some miles distant, he thought that a fair opportunity offered for accomplishing his base design; and in order to it hired two men to go as spies, and take down the names of all the hearers whom they knew, that they might appear as witnesses against both them and Mr. Rogers. The plan seemed to succeed to his wishes. These men brought him the names of several persons who were present at the meeting, and he warned such of them as he had a particular, spite against, together with Mr. Rogers, to appear before him. Knowing the violence of the man, they came with trembling hearts, expecting to be treated with the utmost severity. While they were waiting in the great hall, expecting to be called upon, a little girl, about six or seven years of age, who was Sir Richard's grand daughter, happened to come into the hall. She looked at Mr. Rogers, and was much taken with his venerable appearance. He being naturally fond of children, took her upon his knee and caressed her, which occasioned her to conceive a great fondness for him. At length Sir Richard sent a servant to inform him and the rest, that one of the witnesses being taken ill, was unable to attend, and that therefore they must come again another day. They accordingly came at the time appointed, and being convicted, the justice ordered their mittimus to be written to send them all to prison. Mr. Rogers, expecting to see the little girl again, brought some sweat meats with him to give her. As soon as she saw him, she came running to him, and appeared fonder of him than before. This child, being a particular favourite of her grand-father, had got such an ascendancy over him, that he could deny her nothing, and she possessed such a violent spirit that she could bear no contradiction, so that she was indulged in every thing she wanted. At one time when she had been contradicted, she

66

run a pen-knife into her arm to the great danger of her life. This bad spirit in the present instance was over-ruled for good. While she was sitting on Mr. Rogers's knee eating the sweet-meats, she looked earnestly at him, and asked, "What are you here for, Sir?" He answered, "I believe your grandfather is going to send me and my friends to jail." "To jail," says she," why what have you done?" " Why "I did nothing but preach at such a place, and they did nothing but hear me."-But, says she, my grand-papa sha'n't "send you to jail.' "Aye but, my dear, said he, I believe "he is now making out our mittimus to send us all there.” Upon this, she ran up to the chamber where Sir Richard was, and knocked with her head and heels till she got in, and said to him, "What are you going to do with my good old gentleman in the hall?" That's nothing to you, said he, get you about your business. "But I wo'nt, says she: he tells me that you are going to send him and his friends to jail, and if you send them, I'll drown myself in the pond as soon as they are gone: I will indeed." When he saw the child thus peremptory, it shook his resolution, and induced him to abandon his malicious design. Taking the mittimus in his hand, he went down into the hall and thus addressed these good men. "I had here made out your mittimus to send you all to jail, as you deserve; but at my grand-child's request, I drop the prosecution, and set you all at liberty." They all bowed, and thanked his worship. But Mr. Rogers, going to the child, laid his hand upon her head, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, said, "God bless you, my dear child! May

the blessing of that God whose cause you did now plead, "though as yet you know him not, be upon you in life, at "death, and to all eternity!" He and his friends then went away.

The above remarkable story was told by Mr. Timothy Rogers, the son of the ejected minister, who had frequently heard his father relate it with great pleasure; and the celebrated Mr. Thomas Bradbury once heard it from him, when he was dining at the house of Mrs. Tooly, an eminent christian lady in London, who was distinguished for her religion, and for her love to Christ and his people; whose house and table, like Lydia's, were always open to them.-What follows is yet more remarkable, as containing a striking proof of the answer which was returned to good Mr. Rogers's prayers for this child, and the blessing which descended upon her who had been the instrument of such a deliverance for these

these persecuted servants of God. Mrs. Tooly had listened with uncommon attention to Mr. Rogers's story, and when he had ended it, she asked him, “And are you that Mr. Rogers's son ?" He told her he was: upon which she said, Well, as long as I have been acquainted with you, I never "knew that before. And now I will tell you something "which you do not know: I am the very girl your dear ،، father blessed in the manner you have related; and it made "an impression upon me which I could never forget.". Upon this double discovery Mr. Rogers and Mrs. Tooly found an additional tie of mutual love and affection, and then he and Mr. Bradbury expressed a desire to know how she, who had been brought up in an aversion to the Dissenters, ánd to serious religion, now discovered such an attachment to both. Upon which she chearfully gave them the following narrative.

After her grand-father's death she became sole heiress to his estate, which was considerable. Being in the bloom of youth, and having none to controul her, she run into all the fashionable diversions of the age, without any restraint. But she confessed that when the pleasurable scenes were over, she found a dissatisfaction both with them and herself that always struck a damp to her heart, which she did not know how to get rid of other any way than by running the same round over and over again; but all was in vain. Having contracted some slight illness, she thought she would go to Bath, hearing that it was a place for pleasure as well as health. When she came thither she was providentially led to cousult an apothecary who was a very worthy and religious man. When he inquired what ailed her, she answered, “ Why, doctor, I don't ❝ail much as to my body, but I have an uneasy mind, that I "cannot get rid of."-Truly Miss, said he, I was so too till I met with a certain book; and that cured me. "Books! said she: I get all the books I can lay my hands on: all the plays, novels and romances I hear of: but after I have read them my uneasiness is the same." That may be, Miss, said he, and I don't wonder at it. But as to this book I speak of, I can say of it what I can say of no other I ever read, That I never tire in reading it, but can begin to read it again as if I had never read it before; and I always see something new in it." Pray Doctor, says she, what book is that?"—Nay, Miss, answered he, that is a secret I don't tell every one. "But could not I get a sight of that book ?" says she, "Yes, replied he, if you speak me fair, I can help you to a sight of it.

66

Pray