THE

Evangelical Magazine,

FOR FEBRUARY, 1796.

BIOGRAPHY.

THE REV. WILLIAM SALTREN, Late Pastor of the Independent Church at Launceston, in the County of Cornwall.

THE Rev. William Saltren was born at Launceston, in the county of Cornwall, on the 13th of January 1755. His grandfather was John Saltren, of Treludick, Esq. many years in the commission of the peace for the said county. His father, Mr. Thomas Saltren, was the youngest son of the above gentleman. He married a Miss Askham, a lady of respectable family; but dying early in life, this Mr. Saltren, his brother, and sister, were left from their infancy to the care of their mother. She carefully instructed them in the duties of morality, and would not suffer them to use such vain and improper words as too often mark the characters of persons who are brought up, as they were, in the established forms of religion. Mr. W. Saltren was kept at school till he was about the age of fifteen. His mother, who designed him for a trade, placed him as an apprentice at Tavistock, in Devonshire, to learn the woollen business. During his apprenticeship, his sobriety and diligence in his master's business were very conspicuous. He was in a respectable family of dissenters, where he had an opportunity of perusing the works of some divines of the last century, which, there is reason to believe, were of some use to him. His brother also lived in Tavistock, and had at times very serious convictions of sin, and of the necessity of religion, which occasioned their separating themselves from other companions, and of their being very much with one another.

VOL. IV.

Some time in the year 1773, it pleased God very deeply to impress the mind of a Mr. E., a young gentleman who resided in the same town, and who is now a clergyman of the Established Church. He immediately sought an acquaintance with the two Mr. Saltrens, from observing the great sobriety which marked their conduct. Mr. E. was so alarmed about the state of his soul, that his conversation was the means of increasing their convictions. At this time neither of them knew of any way of acceptance with God, but by fulfilling the moral law; the threatenings of which would often fill their minds with the utmost anguish. In this state of distress they continued for some time. Mr. W. S. was so extremely affected with the deep sense he had of sin, his inability to fulfil the law, and of his lost condition, that he thought every one happy compared with himself. At last he providentially met with Mr. Hervey's Theron and Aspasio, which was the means of bringing him acquainted with the way of salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ., Meeting with his brother immediately after, he exclaimed, with the strongest emotions of wonder and delight, Brother! I have found it! I have found it! Mr. Hervey says, "The Son of God, infinitely compassionate, has vouchsafed to become our Mediator. That nothing might be wanting to make his mediation successful, he placed himself in our stead. The punishment which we deserved, he has endured; the obedience which we owed, he fulfilled. Both which being imputed to us, and accepted for us, are, the foundation of our pardon, are the procuring cause of our justification." He likewise says, that

this righteousness of the Mediator is to be received by faith, all of which he proves by the word of God." Both brothers now exceedingly rejoiced together, having found the pearl of great price. Mr. W. S. said to his brother,, "I will "go and find poor E., that I may tell him the way to be saved;" but Mr. E. had discovered it by some other means.

In November 1774, his brother left Tavistock. From this time Mr. W. S. and his friend Mr. E. continued to seek the Lord together. About this period he began to think, that if the Lord Jesus Christ had done every thing for the justification of a sinner, he had no occasion to be so very strict in his deportment. He, therefore, soon after this, attended a dancing assembly. But gaining a further acquaintance with the power of Christianity, he began to be exceedingly distres sed that he had so far conformed to the world. He was now convinced that if he rightly gloried in the cross of Christ, the world thereby would be crucified to him, and be unto the world.

In the beginning of the year 1775, this Mr. S. and his friend Mr. E. spent a Lord's Day at Plymouth Dock, and heard the Rev. Mr. Kinsman preach: This visit was of great use to them both. On their return they were lament

ing the numbers that were in Tavistock who knew nothing of the power of the Gospel. This made them determine to hire a room, and give out that they were ready to converse upon religion with as many as would assemble. As soon as it was known, the room was filled with people, and Mr. E. gave them a word of exhortation. After this, he continued to preach to them'twice in the week till the latter end of the same year, when he left Tavistock. The consequence of this was, that several were wrought upon, and became truly serious characters. When Mr. E. left Tavistock, Mr. S., after much persuasion, was prevailed on to succeed Mr. E., and preach to the congregation, which he continued to do till the latter end of the year 1781.

About this time a circumstance in Providence made Mr. S. determine to return to Launceston, his native place, and settle there. He had not preached in vain at Tavistock; but at different times had met with a good deal of disturbance in the place of worship, and his success not answering his expectations, he was tempted to believe he was not called of God to preach, and resolved henceforth to be silent. After his return to Launceston, he sat under his brother's ministry, who had been the instrument of raising a congregation, and had been labouring among them with considerable success for several years. About Lady-day 1782, a variety of circumstances occurred to make it appear as the path of duty for his brother to leave Launceston, which he did soon after. The congregation now began to find they were without any one to minister to them the word of life. They immediately applied to Mr. S., the subject of this memoir, that he would succeed his brother, and preach to them. He could not be prevailed on for many days. The serious people were therefore incessant in their supplications, that the Lord would incline his heart. At last he found he could not resist their solicitations any longer, and began to preach to them with great liberty and power. His labours were soon followed with the conversion of several, whom, we trust, will be his crown of rejoicing in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ a bis coming.

It may not be improper to mention the following circumstance in this place. The same day that Mr. S. returned to Launceston with the resolution of not engaging again in the

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