CURRIERS-HALL Particular Baptist. their pastor, Mr. Brine, invited Mr. Reynolds to pay them a visit, which he did in April, 1766. After continuing with them some time, he went back to the country, but returned in the September following, and was admitted a member, by dismission from the church at Bourton. He was ordained at Curriers'-Hall, on the 2d of October; and the service was conducted in the following manner: After the congregation had sung, Mr. John Wynn, one of the deacons of the church prayed; Dr. Gill then desired that some proper person would mention the reason of the meeting; Mr. Wynn, who was on this occasion the mouth of the church, informed the audience, that having lost their late excellent pastor, the Rev. John Brine, they had been earnest at the throne of grace, beseeching the Lord to provide for them a successor according to his own heart; that he had in his kind providence sent Mr. Reynolds amongst them, whom they had in private called to be their pastor, which office he had accepted, and that they were now met publicly to testify the same. Dr. Gill then desired the members of the church to recognize this call, by the lifting up of the right hand; which being done, and Mr. Reynolds having renewed his declaration of acceptance, Dr. Stennett prayed; Mr. Wallin preached to the people; and Mr. Anderson closed the service with prayer and benediction. Nothing very remarkable attended the labours of Mr. Reynolds amongst his people. His sermons were methodical, and appeared to be delivered memoriter, with a considerable degree of earnestness, which was generally conspicuous, notwithstanding the injury his voice had received from a peculiar accident. One day shirting himself, he thoughtlessly put his studds between his lips: On a sudden his breath drew one of them into his mouth, and down his throat. This so affected his organs of speech as to render his delivery unpopular, particularly so, if at any time he took cold, when it was difficult for him to speak loud enough to be anderstood, unless by those who were near the pulpit. His CURRIERS'-HALL.--Parcular Baptist. success was far from being equal to his wishes, but probably greater than his own modest opinion would suffer him to judge. He has been heard in the private circles of his friends to speak with a peculiar solicitude for the conversion of souls, if it were but one soul under his ministry. Mr. Reynolds was distinguished for prudence. No man, amongst his brethren, was more frequently consulted in difficulties than himself, and he was deservedly esteemed by Christians of different denominations. In 1770, he received from the college of Rhode-Island, the degree of Master of Arts. His name never appeared in print, excepting to a single discourse, preached before the Bristol Education Society, in 1782. His text is Eph. iii. 8. Of late years Mr. Reynolds grew rather corpulent. For some months before his death, he felt a general langour overspread his frame, which confined him to his house. During his affliction, he was visited by several of his brethren, who found him always serene, sometimes happy. On the Thursday before his death, Mr. Giles (now of Eyethorn, in Kent,; going to see him, mentioned the late Mr. Rogers's saying, "I have been the Lord's working servant, and I am now his waiting servant." Mr. Reynolds replied, "I trust with an honest heart I can say the the same." Mr. Giles said, "That death was a solemn subject to the people of God, in health, but he supposed it appeared much more so in the near prospect of one's own dissolution." Mr. Reynolds answered emphatically, " It is really so ;" and added, "I have sometimes been entertained with elegant compositions of divinity, and also with such as have displayed a good taste, free from wit, but full of argumentation and genius.”Here he paused and panted for breath, and then said, "But none of these things will do now; nothing short of the good old plain truths of the Bible. The unchangeable love of God, and the vicarious sacrifice of Christ, are the foundation of my faith and hope." Now he was again exhausted, but recovering a little, with solemnity, and a peculiar accent, he said, CURRIERS'-HALL-Particular Baptist. "Here is terra firma ;" and repeated with much exertion, "I say, Mr. Giles, here is terra firma for a dying man."* Mr. Reynolds departed this life February the 6th, 1792, aged 62 years and one month, and was buried on the 14th in Bunhill-Fields, near to his predecessors, Mr. Skepp and Mr. Brine. Mr. Booth delivered the address at his grave, and preached the funeral discourse to his bereaved church, from John xiv. 2, 3. Upon his tomb-stone may be seen the following inscription : MARY REYNOLDS, Wife of the said John Reynolds, Who died the 11th day of August, 1802, aged 70 years. followers of them who thro' faith and patience inherit the promises." Also, SUSANNAH REYNOLDS, Grand-daughter of the above, Who died the 7th day of April, 1793, JOHN WILSON.-After the death of Mr. Reynolds, the congregation at Curriers'-Hall was supplied by various ministers, particularly by Mr. Broody, till he settled at Poplar, in 1796. Towards the latter end of 1798, Mr. John Wilson, who had been settled about two or three years at Warwick, removed to London, to take charge of the church at this place. In the following year he removed his people, * Baptist Annual Register, vol. ii. p. 41-44. CURRIERS-HALL.Sabbatarian Baptist. who were but few in number, to Redcross-street, where he continued to preach to them till 1807, when he was dismissed the pastoral office, and from his connexion with this church. Since then they have had no pastor, but attend the ministry of Mr. Franklin, to whose people they let the place; but they keep up the distinction of a separate church, in order to preserve the annuity bequeathed to them as long as they continue together. CURRIERS'-HALL. SABBATARIAN BAPTIST. THE Sabbatrians are those Christians who observe the seventh day, or Saturday, as a Sabbath. They are to be found principally, if not wholly, among the Baptists. They object to the reasons commonly alleged for keeping the first day; and assert that the change from the seventh to the first was effected by Constantine, upon his conversion to Christianity. The three following propositions, form the basis of the principles by which they are distinguished: 1. That God hath required the observation of the seventh, or last day of every week, to be observed by mankind universally for the weekly Sabbath. 2. That this command of God is perpetually binding on man, till time shall be no more. And 3. That this sacred rest of the seventh-day Sabbatlı, is not (by divine authority) changed from the seventh and last to the first day of the week, or that the scripture doth no where require the observation of any other day of the week for the CURRIERS-HALL.Sabbatarian Baptist. Above a cen weekly Sabbath, but the seventh day only.* tury ago, there were at least three, if not four congregations of this persuasion, in London; (E) but at present there are only two one in Redcross-street, Cripplegate; the other in Mill-yard, Goodmans-fields. The Sabbatarian congregation of Particular Baptists, lately meeting at Curriers'-Hall, Cripplegate, was gathered in the reign of Charles the Second, by Mr. Francis Bampfield, the ejected minister of Sherborne, in Dorsetshire, and a man of considerable learning and abilities. The date of its formation, as appears by the church-book still in existence, was March the 5th, 1675-6. The members forming this church assembled for divine worship first at Devonshiresquare, and afterwards at Pinners'-Hall, where Mr. Bampfield continued to preach till his imprisonment in Newgate, where he died a martyr to Nonconformity, in 1684. After this event the church dispersed; but the times becoming more favourable, they re-united into church-fellowship on the 14th of October, 1686. At this time they invited Mr. Edward Stennett, of Wallingford, to take the oversight of them, which he accepted; but continued their pastor only-a short time. His son, the famous Mr. Joseph Stennett, succeeded to the pastoral office, in which he continued till his death, in 1713; after which there was a vacancy till • Evans's Sketch, Art. Sabbatarians. (E) We have notice of a third congregation of Sabbatarian Baptists in the reign of William III. under the pastoral care of Mr. John Belcher, who died in March, 1695, far a lvanced in life. Mr. Joseph Stennett preached his funeral sermon, from whence it may be collected, that he began to be religious betimes, and underwent some sufferings for the cause of Christ, but was supported under them. In his last sickness he enjoyed much peace, and sometimes joy, declaring his entire resignation to the will of God. He was succeeded in the care of his congregation by a Mr. Henry Cook, with whom it became extinct. The remainder of his people joined Mr. Stennett's church at Pinners'-Hall, |