Obituary. The Rev. Edmund Butcher. visitors at Sidmouth availed themselves of his ministerial labours. Some members of a wealthy and very respectable Jewish family occasionally attended him, and on their departure made him a pecuniary present in return for his instructions. Within the last few years he was afflicted with a kind of paralytic stroke, which produced great debility; but he continued preaching once a day till lately, when he altogether gave up the ministry. He, about a twelvemonth ago, visited his only son, Mr. Edmund Butcher, residing at Bristol, where he abode for several months. Hence, though under much weakness, he wrote me more than once with his accustomed cheerfulness and resignation to the will of God! In November, 1821, he removed to Bath, with the hope of gaining some relief; but soon after, walking across the room, he fell down and dislocated his hip. This confining him to his bed, increased his debility, which terminated in his placid dissolution. He expired, without a sigh or groan, early on the morning of April 14, 1822, in the 65th year of his age. His beloved widow writes thus on the Sunday after his interment: "Blessed spirit this was to have been the day we were to have consigned him to the tomb; but the sudden transition from severe cold to heat made it improper to retain him longer than Friday, and we wished the last beautiful impression of his fine countenance to remain upon our minds Never was there a more angelic countenance; it seemed to say, 'I am happy! The prospect was all delightful to him beyond the grave; he only shrunk when he thought of the struggle, but, blessed be God, that was all done away in seemingly nothing of pain or anxiety, but a sweet forgetfulness!" He wished to die on the Sabbath, and his wish was gratified. He was buried in a most sequestered and rural spot at Lyncomb, in the vicinity of Bath, a portion of ground set apart by the generosity of Henry Edward Howse, Esq, about four years ago, for the interment of Unitarian Dissenters. He was followed to the grave by his own affectionate family; and the service was performed by the Rev. Joseph Hunter, with an impressive solemnity. Here, "early in the morning," the precious deposit was laid till the resurrection of the just! His funeral sermon was preached at Sidmouth, to a crowded and weeping audience, by his esteemed successor, the Rev. Mr. Yeates, from Psalm xxxvii. 37: "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace!" 311 And, as a singular coincidence, I from the same passage, at Worship Street, paid a similar tribute of respect to his beloved memory; the conclusion of which forms the greatest part of this communication for the Repository. His friends, the Rev. Joseph Cornish, of Collyton, and the Rev. John Hughes, of Honiton, delivered sermons on the occasion, as well as other ministers in the West of England. His grateful little flock at Sidmouth are about to raise a tablet to his memory. His character is best ascertained from his writings. Besides his pleasing Picture of Sidmouth, and his entertaining Tour through various Parts of England, [Mon. Repos. I. 357,] he published three volumes of Sermons for the Use of Families, [Mon. Repos. I. 544 and XV. 163,] exceeded by none in the English language for plainness and simplicity. There is a rich vein of devotion and benevolence that runs through the whole of them. The last volume has a prefatory account of his adoption of Humanitarianism, without the least censure of those who differed from him. Indeed, with his usual liberality, he concludes: "The liberty in religious matters which I claim for myself, I most cheerfully and unreservedly allow to all other followers of Christ. Let all uncharitable thoughts and measures be for ever abandoned. Let each be fully persuaded in his own mind. May the spirit of Jesus animate all his disciples, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, will fill us with comfort now, and fit us for glory hereafter! With these sentiments, I remain the friend and wellwisher of every sincere and virtuous inquirer after truth." His last publication was a volume of Prayers for the Use of Families and Individuals, adapted for each Discourse in his three volumes of Sermons, and Forms suited to particular occasions. The work is well executed and of inestimable utility. The close of the Prayer for Saturday Evening is a fair specimen of the rest:-"To thine all-protecting Providence we once more commit ourselves and all that are near and dear to us! The day is thine, and, blessed be thy name, the night is thine also! Thy sacred eyes never slumber nor sleepno fatigue ever wearies thine attentionno darkness hides from thy notice-no danger too great for thy power to withstand-no maze too perplexed for thy wisdom to unravel-no blessing too rich for thy goodness to bestow! Guardian as well as Creator of the universe! take us into thy holy care; preserve us during the watches of the night; and if it shall please thee to raise us again in the morning, may refreshing sleep have recruited our bodies, and may our minds with fresh vigour rise to the duties and enjoyments of a new day, a new Sabbath! Prepare us, O God! for the approach of that solemn morning, when all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, when the last slumbers of mortality shall close, the last night of probation terminate, and the endless day of immortality begin! Grant, heavenly Father, that, through thy abounding grace in the gospel, we may then enter into the joy of our Lord!" He had a pleasing talent for Sacred Poetry. Some of his Hymns are far above mediocrity. The following specimen may be deemed among his happiest effusions. I have long used it at the Lord's Supper on the commencement of the year :"Stand still, refulgent orb of day!" A Jewish hero cries; So shall at last an angel say, And tear it from the skies! Shall melt his golden urn; Thou sun of nature, roll along, And bear our years away; In matters of religion, his characteristics were good sense, great modesty and a truly Christian liberality. He had not a spark of bigotry in his composition. He loved good men of all denominations, and rejoiced in the anticipation of meeting them in heaven! As to his private character, our deceased Brother was exemplary in all the relative duties of civil and social life. He was a kind husband, an affectionate father and a faithful friend. His widow and children bless his memory! Never did a person relish more truly the pleasures of domestic life-never was an individual more happy in the bosom of his family. A proof of the truth of this statement is afforded by the recital of a few lines sent me from his own pen many years ago, for insertion in a periodical miscellany. Ask me to choose my happiest lot, This is the true spirit of Christian contentment. He has left behind him for publication, a Fourth Volume of Sermons; and it is his widow's intention to add a small volume, with a portrait, of Poems and Letters, which, from their intrinsic merit, cannot fail of meeting with due encouragement. For some time past, such were his corporeal infirmities, that his pen was his constant and almost only amusement. His daughter, in one of her excellent letters to the writer of this article, describing the latter days of her deceased parent, says, that even when confined to his bed, he would dictate small poetical effusions, indicative of the truly devout and pious state of his mind! To the very last, few individuals possessed more of the spirit, and none shared more largely in the consolations of Christianity. The fruits of his pen were of no ordinary cast -and whilst they have been admired by his contemporaries, will be duly estimated by posterity. Islington, May 14, 1822. J. EVANS. BENJAMIN HAWES, Esq. (The brief notice of this gentleman's death, p. 188, is incorrect: we now insert a more authentic account, the publication of which has been delayed by accident.) 1822. Jan. 10. Suddenly, aged 79, being struck with a fit while on his usual walk, three miles distant from Worthing, Benjamin Hawes, Esq. Mr. Hawes was a native of Islington. He was the youngJames Hawes, the eldest, died in 1789, est of three brothers, of whom Mr. lamented Dr. William Hawes,-died in the other, the philanthropic and much1808, and was the founder of that admirable charity, the Royal Humane Society. Mr. Hawes was for many years a respectable indigo merchant in Thames Street; and having, by great skill in business, with unremitted industry and unsullied integrity, acquired an ample fortune, he relinquished trade, and passed his latter years at Worthing, where his loss will be felt in an extraordinary degree, even by many who did not know him to be their benefactor. The great distinctive feature of his mind was an ardent and conscientious desire to relieve the distresses of his fellow-creatures, without taking to himself the merit of his good works. Having retired from the busy scene of life, he lived very abstemiously, and his constant study was not only to communicate good to all around him, but, if possible, to conceal the hand which thus diffused blessings, Obituary.-Benjamin Hawes, Esq. In his own immediate neighbourhood, his charity, which often amounted to munificence, could not always escape the detection of gratitude; but, wherever it was practicable, his benefactions were anonymous; he seemed even ingenious in devising means of "doing good by stealth;" and he literally "blushed to find it fame." In many instances he even made considerable transfers of stock to meritorious individuals whom he saw struggling with adversity; and who were never informed of the source from which their timely accession of property was derived. With the same shrinking modesty, he became an anonymous contributor to many public institutions for the alleviation of pain and suffering, the instruction of the ignorant, or the reformation of the depraved. Naturally attached, for 48 years together, to an institution founded by his brother, and congenial with his own generous sensibility, his liberal annual donation to the Royal Humane Society was nevertheless contributed under the mere designation of "A Life Governor in 1774." But the great object which interested his philanthropic feelings through life was the abolition of the Slave Trade. To promote this measure of enlightened humanity, he in many different ways contributed large sums anonymously. Nay, so indignant was he, on the close of the late war, at the treaties which tolerated that abominable traffic, that in a letter which he had sketched to Mr. Wilberforce (whether he ever sent it we know not) he offered to sacrifice several thousands a-year, if that sum could ensure the adoption of means to compel all the European powers to put an end to the Slave Trade entirely. Even in this princely conception, however, ostentation had no part; for he stipulated for the absolute concealment of his name, and only identified himself in the letter as the individual who, between 1780 and 1790, had inclosed to the then Treasurer in Lom bard Street, five Exchequer Bills, and about 1810 had sent an India Bond directed to the Secretary of the African Institution. Mr. Hawes was habitually an early riser, usually quitting his bed, in winter as well as summer, at four o'clock, or earlier. One of his great delights was to observe the rising sun. He considered exercise in the open air to be essentially conducive to health; and, by a prudent arrangement of his time, even when engaged in an extensive business, he generally contrived to walk on an average about twenty miles a-day; and this practice he continued at Worthing 313 till the afternoon which terminated his mortal existence. Though he sedulously avoided company, he well knew what was going on in the busy world. His dress was always neat, but so plain that it might be mistaken for that of a Quaker; and, in fact, though not one of the Society of Friends, he occasionally attended their meetings. His religious faith was that of a Protestant Dissenter. Having diligently made the Holy Scriptures his habitual study, he was from principle and conviction a firm believer in the great and important doctrines inculcated by the inspired writers. It is needless to say, that this model of true Christian charity acted under the impulse of the strongest religious feeling; but it was a feeling so destitute of all prejudice, that he embraced in the large circle of his beneficence his fellow-creatures of every religious persuasion, as well as of every species of affliction; and the records of testamentary bounty afford few parallels to the following list of benefactions, which are to be made to va rious societies after the death of a near and dear relation, a daughter of his eldest brother, who had constantly contributed to his health and comfort. 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 Jews' Poor, Mile End Roman Catholic Ditto Mr. Hawes had no children; but he had numerous relations, among whom he distributed the bulk of his ample property, with strict attention to their just claims on his notice; nor is there one of them who has not reason to remember him with gratitude. INTELLIGENCE. Somerset and Dorset Unitarian Association. THE Half-Yearly Meeting of this Association was held at Taunton, on Tuesday, April 9th. The Rev. Mr. Bowen, of Ilminster, delivered a discourse from John xvii. 5, on the analogy between Natural and Revealed Religion. In the evening, the Rev. W. Hincks, of Exeter, preached from 1 John iv. 1, with particular reference to the doctrine of immediate Divine Influence. Ten new members were added to the Association, and nearly thirty of its friends dined together at the Bell Inn. The Rev. William Wilson, of Crew. kerne, is engaged to preach at the next Meeting, which will be held at Yeovil, in October. G. B. W. Opening of Unitarian Place of Worship in the Borough. OWING to the shutting up of the chapel in St. Thomas's, in the Borough of Southwark, and the removal of Dr. THOMAS REES'S congregation to Stamford Street, Blackfriars, the remaining members of the late Mr. Brown's congregation at Horselydown, who chiefly reside at a distance, which renders their worshiping at Stanford Street inconvenient, and sometimes impracticable, have, in con Quarterly Meeting of Unitarian Mi- junction with a few other zealous indi nisters in South Wales. THE Quarterly Meeting of Unitarian Ministers in South Wales was held at Blaen-y-gwrach, on Thursday last. There was service at the Meeting-House on the preceding evening, when Mr. E. Lewis, a student in his last year at the Caermarthen College, introduced, and Messrs. J. Jones, of Bridgend, and J. Thomas, of Pant-y-defaid, preached; the former from Acts ii. 36; the latter from Eph.i. 7. On Thursday morning, Mr. J. Griffiths, of Llandy-fân, conducted the introductory part of the service; and J. James, of Gelli onnen, preached from 1 Tim. iv. 8; and Mr. D. Davies, of Neath, in English, from John ix. 3. After concluding the service with a prayer, an open conference took place, Mr. W. Williams, minister at the place, in the Chair. The subjects discussed were, Reason and Zeal in Matters of Religion; what they are, and how far useful. There were present about ten preachers, and the audience, though not very numerous, was respectable and attentive, and consisted of men of very different and opposite sentiments. The friends of Unitarianism seemed to be much pleased with what they had heard, and its opponents were perhaps in an equal degree dissatisfied; some of whom, the writer has been informed, expressed (though not publicly in the Meeting) their disapprobation, if not in the mildest, yet in very significant terms. The summer's Quarterly Meeting is united with the Annual Meeting of the Unitarian Society, which is to be held at viduals, engaged a large and commodious room for Unitarian worship, in White Horse Court, High Street, Borough. This was opened on Sunday, April 14, when a sermon was preached in the morning by Mr. DAVID EATON, from Psalm xcv. 6, to a congregation of about 130 persons, S. W. BROWNE, A. B., the minister of and another in the evening, by the Rev. Monkwell Street, from John xiii. 7—9, to a very crowded audience. Mr. Browne has vices to the congregation for three months generously offered his gratuitous seron the Sunday evening. In this service copies of which have been presented to the Essex-Street Liturgy is used, fifty the Society by Mr. AGAR, through the kind offices of the Rev. T. BELSUAM. As the individuals who have opened humble circumstances, they respectfully this chapel are, for the most part, in solicit the aid of their Unitarian brethren, and of the various Fellowship Funds, in discharging the necessary expenses. They have consulted rigid prudence in the scientiously believe, that, with the Divine whole of their expenditure, and they conblessing, on which they rely, much good will result to the cause of Christian truth and piety from their humble undertaking, of Mr. W. WOOD, Treasurer, 63, High Auy further particulars may be learned Street, Borough. Eastern Unitarian Society. Unitarian Society will be held at Diss, on THE Yearly Meeting of the Eastern Wednesday and Thursday, the 26th and Intelligence.-Law Report: Lawrence v. Smith. 27th of June, when the new chapel will Secretary. The Annual Meeting of the Southern Unitarian Society will be held at New port, Isle of Wight, on Wednesday July 24, 1822, when the Rev. J. B. Bristowe, of Ringwood, is expected to preach before the Society. Service to begin at twelve o'clock. THOS. COOKE, Jun. Secretary. Managers of the Society for the Relief of the Necessitous Widows and Children of Protestant Dissenting Ministers, deceased, for the year 1822. 315 dissolve the injunction which had been granted in this case, to restrain the defendant from printing, publishing and disposing of a book under the above title. He stated, that Mr. Lawrence was a professor of surgery, and lecturer to the Royal College of Surgeons: the defendant was a respectable bookseller in the Strand. The injunction was granted on the ground of piracy. The Lectures in contention were delivered by the plaintiff, at the College of Surgeons, and he afterwards printed them; the defendant had put them together, and published them in one volume, and this was the piracy complained of. What he (the learned counsel) had to contend for was, that the plaintiff had no copyright in the work, for it was a publication denying Christianity and revelation, which was He would not have his Lordship take it contrary to public policy and morality. on his ipse dixit that they were so, but those Lectures had undergone criticism by persons in the habit of performing that duty; they were reprobated by the writers of the Edinburgh Medical Review, the Quarterly Review, by the Lecturer on Christianity in the University of Oxford, and by the Rev. Mr. Whitfield, of Bath, as being irreligious, and of such a tendency that public policy ought not to tolerate them. The object of the publication was to send out to the world the doctrine, that when man dies, his soul dies with him; denying the immortality of the soul. He would admit that the Lectures were most ably and eloquently written, which only tended to give the poison they contained greater influence over weak minds. It was impossible that he could express his opinion of the mischievous tendency of the Lectures better than it was expressed in the Edinburgh Medical Review-that they could not believe that the plaintiff would have attempted to have brought his pupils into a state of total darkness; for what was the doctrine of the plaintiff ?-that a man had no more soul than an oyster, or any other fish or insect. The learned counsel then quoted several passages from the Lectures, to prove, that the death of the soul was announced to them in as strong terms as it could be pronounced; it was no accidental doubt that was expressed in them, but it was a positive assertion, and read at the Royal College of Surgeons. He not only denied that the race of man sprang from Adam and Eve, but went so far as to say there was no truth in the deluge. Having called his Lordship's attention to the passages, it would be for him to decide whether the plaintiff Mr. Wetherell on Thursday moved to could have a copyright in such a work, Ebenezer Maitland, Esq., Clapham Common, Treasurer, William Ashlin, Esq., Belton Street, Long acre; the Rev. Joseph Barrett, Mecklenburgh Square; Joseph Bradley, Esq., Clapham Common; Joseph Bunnell, Esq., Southampton Row, Bloomsbury; the Rev. John Clayton, Sen., Shore Place, Hackney; William Burls, Esq., Lothbury; James Collins, Esq., Spital Square; John Danford, Esq., Aldgate; James Esdaile, Esq., Bunhill Row; James Gibson, Esq., Lime Street, Fenchurch Street; the Rev. Thomas Griffin, Mile End Green; Joseph Gutteridge, Esq., Camberwell; William Gillman, Esq., Bank Buildings, Cornhill; George Hammond, Esq., Whitechapel; Samuel Jackson, Esq., Hackney; William Marston, Esq., East-Street, Red Lion Square; John Towill Rutt, Esq., Clapton; John Rogers, Esq, Swithin's Lane; Thomas Rogers, Esq., Clapham; Josiah Roberts, Esq., Terrace, Camberwell; Robert Sangster, Esq., Denmark Hill, ditto; Thomas Saville, Esq., Clapton; Benjamin Shaw, Esq., London Bridge Foot; James Smith, Esq., Hamper Mill, Watford, Herts.; Thomas Stiff, Esq., New Street, Covent Garden; William Titford, Esq., Walworth; and Thomas Wilson, Esq., Highbury Place, Islington. LAW REPORT. Court of Chancery, Lincoln's Inn, Lawrence's Lectures on Physiology, LAWRENCE v. SMITII. |