fore, put not off. So commending you to God & to the wch is able to build you up & to give amongst them that are sanctify'd in word of his grace, you an inheritance Christ Jesus, I rest. your truly Affectionate and PHILIP HENRY. II. FROM THE REV. MATTHEW HENRY TO THE REV. MR. TALLENTS, OF SHREWSBURY. HONOR'D SIR,. Oct. 15, 94. You can scarce imagine how much I please myself with the interest I have in your affections, signify'd by your frequent kind remembrances, your last endearing lines were by a stranger, it happen'd I was abroad when he call'd, so I saw him not. I am glad of this opportunity though I have no other business but to profess my continued respects for you, and to desire your continued prayers for me. I have a little daughter now about 18 dayes old added to my family, I trust in mercy, you wil lift up one Ejaculation for her, that God wil own her for his own, among his Esthers (that's her name) his hidden Ones. My wife is but weak and low, and recovers strength slowly, but I hope he that hath begun wil perfect in mercy. We are here driving on fair and softly, God grant it may go far, as far as heaven. I should more hope to see the Impressions of the Word strong and permanent upon others, did I but more experience the power of it upon my own heart. I had the Bristol articles sent me by Mr. Showers, relating to a General Correspondence. The Min in Lancashire concurr'd with them very much, those in Cheshire made several objections, and I am apt to think the thing wil fall to the ground. Mr. Traver's wil give you an account of the Providence which brought one Mr. Isaac Owen a young Preacher, to dy among us lately, in his return from Dublin, towards Mr. Woodhouse. As also of Dr. Sampson's project of a History of Nonconformity, which, if you have acquaintance with this Dr. I hope you wil encourage him to publish. The eyes of the Nation I suppose wil for a while be upon this County and Lancashire, what they wil do with the impeached Gentlemen. I cannot but see it hugely in their favors that they are sent down to be try'd in their own Country, where the evidence must be very palpable indeed if they come off otherwise than wellfor I am sure it is not now as while the Tables were on the other side, when all the world saw that Blood was thirsted after. It is said the Treason will be proved very home, but it is altogether a secret. We had the assizes here last week, Judg Combs gave a very excellent charge, called the Prot. Dissenters their younger Brethren. I rejoyce to hear Mr. Bryan recovers in any measure, and hope that God will perfect in mercy. Mine and my wife's very affectionate respects to yourself and my dear friend Mrs. Tallents, and to Mr. Bryan, and to good Mrs. Porter. I rest, Dear Sir, yours under manifold obligations MAT: HENRY. For the much honor'd Mr. Tallents, in Shrewsbury These. III. FROM SIR WILLIAM DAWES, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK, TO THE BISHOP OF LONDONDERRY. MY LORD, Cecil street, Feber. I HOPE this will reach you time enough, to bring you my best wishes & prayers, for a safe voyage to Londonderry, & all manner of happiness there. Your presence, amongst your people & Clergy there, will, I dare say, give new life to them, at this Critical juncture. I should wonder at the Conduct of quartering a Presbyterian Regiment at London. derry, if it were not of a piece with all the methods, which have been used of late for the safety of the Church. God, in his due time, put us into better methods. I will trouble y' Lordship no longer at this busie time, than onely to desire you to let me hear of yr health, & the state of y Irish affairs, at your leizure, and to believe me to be, My Lord, Y' Lordship's Affect:nte W: EBOR: IV. FROM COLONEL GARDINER TO THE REV. PHILIP DODDRIDGE, D. D. MY DEAR DOCTOR, Leicester ye 25th of No body can tell what a day, nor what an hour may bring forth. the one day you gave us great Joy that your children were in so fair a way; and the next morning we had the Mellancholy news of your youngest child being in ye greatest extreamety. My wife and I do simpathise with you most sincerely, but I hope it shall please God to bring the child from the gates of death, as he has done to our son, for I bless God we have had very good news about him this morning; I dont think I need to give you the advice I give to every body as well as to myself which is, to prepare for the worst & pray for the best. I hope you have received ye one I sent you last night by your friend. My wife presents you her service in ye kindest manner. I need not tell you, my Dear friend yt I am we shall long to hear from you. Entirely yours, Ja: GARDINER. V. FROM THE REV. JAMES HERVEY, A. M. TO MADAM, MRS. ORCHARD. BEFORE this can reach your Hands, the most joyfull of all Solemnities will commence. Permit me to pay my most sincere Compliments on the Occasion. Wishing, that You may see many, very many of these revolving Festivals below; &, at length, be admitted to enjoy the illustrious Authour of them in the Regions above. I hope my pretty Godson continues well, and promise myself, that by this time He is become a fine Reader. I don't doubt, but He can say some of his Catechism; & has perfectly learned, and constantly uses his Prayers. How should I rejoyce to see Him! To hear his entertaining Chat. But cheifly to tell Him of his honour'd Papa; and point out, as his little Mind should be able to bear it, his Father's Virtues for his Imitation. This wou'd certainly be the kindest office in the World, & therefore I dare say, his tender Mama is carefull to execute it. So that I the less regret the Loss of this Satisfaction. Be pleased, Madam, to bid Him command my most respectfull Services; and inform Him, that the only Present I can make Him this Christmas, the only Testimony of Affection I can send Him, is the following prayer: "The LORD who made Heaven & Earth, GIVE THEE BLESSING out of Sion! Miss Orchard & Miss Betsy, I suppose, are almost Mistresses of the Harpsichord by this time. I am somtimes tempted to wish, that the Melody of its strings might reach to Westón; for I have not once heard such an Instrument speak since my residence in these Parts. So little do I go abroad among the Polite. The cheif of my Visits are among the serious Poor, who give me leave to talk of CHRIST'S Righteousness and Salvation; or else to a few ingenious Clergymen, who are pleas'd to honour me with their Ac quaintance, & improve me by their Conversation. I hope the young Ladies, among all their other Accomplishments, do not discontinue their Application to the Scriptures. The Knowledge of that divine Book will be a richer Portion than thousands of Silver & Gold. A conformity of their Hearts & lives to its sacred Doctrines, will be a nobler ornament, than the most costly & splendid Apparel. My And old Friend, I imagine, is grown a perfect woman. if she grows in Sweetness of temper & innocency of Behaviour, every Body will love her ALMOST as well as I do. Our Hospital, lately erected at Northampton, is in a flourishing Condition. It meets with the desired Encouragement from the Wealthy, & has done considerable Service to the Poor. Wou'd you think it, Madam? I am going to venture abroad in publick, and become an Authour. Two Letters, containing Meditations among the Tombs, & Reflections on a Flower-Garden, after many Alterations for their Improvement, & the Revisal of several judicious Friends, are intended for the Press. They are to be comprised in a neat Pocket-Volume. Might the former of these Essays be a Means of awakening some serious Considerations, in the mind of any Reader; of convincing Him of the shortness of Time, the Vanity of the World, the Littleness of every Thing but GOD Might the other Display some Traces of the REDEEMER'S Amiableness, of his complete Sufficiency for the Recovery of Sinners, and prove a means of stirring up in the Peruser & Writer some ardent Longings after his great Salvation, I should then obtain my End. For in these things is the Wisdom, in these the Happiness of our Nature. And I cannot think of a properer Conclusion of my Letter, or a more real Expression of my most affectionate Regard for Mrs. Orchard, than to wish Her an abundant Encrease of these Blessings. Which is not only the Wish, but the Prayer, of, Madam your most obliged humble Servt JAM: HERVEY. Weston, Dec. 22, 1744. My humble service attends the young Ladies & Mrs. Dodd. If You please to make my Compliments acceptable to your Visitants, I shall acknowledge it as a favour. Το Mrs. ORCHARD DEVON 315 REVIEW. Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Religious Connexions of John Owen, D.D., Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, and Dean of Christ Church, during the Commonwealth. By William Orme. 8vo. London, 1820. Hamilton. pp. 532. THE talents and learning of Dr. Owen-the extensive reputation which his writings have obtained-the station he occupied in the church, and in the principal University of the land-the times in which he lived, and the important events in which he took an active part, conspire to give unusual interest to a faithful and well written memoir of his life; and though this has long and unaccountably been suffered to remain a desideratum in the literary and religious world, the work before us has, at length, very ably and satisfactorily filled up the void. Dr. Owen appears to have been a lineal descendant-for in a Welsh genealogy what can we say beyond appears-from Kewelyn ap Gwrgan, prince of Glamorgan, lord of Cardiffe-a scion of the last branch of the five royal tribes of Wales. Mr. Orme informs us, that this Welsh prince was vice-chamberlain and baron of the Exchequer, about the middle of the reign of Henry VIII.; and that he continued so until the 8th of Elizabeth; but an ancient manuscript life of this great man, in the possession of one of the editors of this Work, gives those united offices to Lewis Owen, of Dolgelly, Esq., undoubtedly the same person with the Lewis Owen, of Kwyn, near Dolgelle, a gentleman of about £300. per annum, from whom our biographer derives the doctor's pedigree, and who is stated by both these conflicting authorities to have been sheriff of Merioneth. He lived, according to our MS., "in great credit and authority in the time of Henry VIII., Edward VI., and queen Mary, as appears by their letters to him, and John Winn ap Meredith," of Gnedi, Esq., (where those letters are kept), who were both very active in apprehending felons and outlaws; who were exceedingly increased by the civil wars of York and Lancaster, and thereby keeping the country in peace and quietness." To his zeal in this important, but ungracious service, he fell, however, a lamented victim; for in returning from the assizes at Montgomery, he was slain" at a place called Dugsed," says Mr. Orme; but "in the woods of VOL. III. No. 6. |