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American States. By John Lowe. 8vo. 18. 6d.

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Sermons.

On the Love of Truth and Benefit of Theological Controversy: Two, preached at Essex Street Chapel, November 1822. By Thomas Belsham, Minister of the Chapel. 8vo.

On the Means of obtaining Satisfaction with regard to the Truth of Religious Sentiments: preached at the Monthly Association. By J. P. Smith, D. D. 1s. Religion not Speculative, but Practical: preached before the University of Oxford, Nov. 24, 1822. By J. Kuight, M. A., of Lincoln College.

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Time's Telescope, for 1823; or, a Com

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POETRY.

To Mrs. Webb, on her Birth-Day, August 29, 1801.

BY FRANCIS Webb, Esq.

(Nor feels the lapse between,) Preserves the image deep imprest, In all its charms within my breast,

And seventy appears but seventeen. But few can boast at such late hour,

Muse, string the lyre this day to softest Midst soft'ning shades, to charm, such

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pow'r :

Thy virtues shall embalm Those charms within that won my heart; May Heav'n still act its gracious part,

And grant our evening a propitious
calm.

Long hand in hand the varied day
Of life we've spent-its devious way
We've trod with equal feet:
And Heaven, I trust, will gently slope
Our downward path, whilst Faith and
Hope

Lead to the seat of bliss again to

meet.

( 767 )

OBITUARY.

Memoir of Dr. Benjamin Spencer, late of Bristol, born at Southwold, in Suffolk, died at Hackney, Nov. 5, 1822, aged 67.

THE power of religion to develope and expand the faculties of the human mind has seldom been more strikingly illustrated than in the subject of the present memoir. To a singular train of events, which led him at an early period of life to investigate with seriousness the doctrines and duties of the Christian religion, he owed the awakening of intellectual faculties of no ordinary strength: the growth of the religious principle and the developement of the powers of the understanding were strictly correlative: the former was the immediate cause of the latter, and this he was accustomed to acknowledge with deep gratitude.

The early habit of reflecting on a subject containing such powerful sources of emotion as religion, by a mind naturally contemplative and strong, was likely to absorb it, and to render it comparatively indifferent to every other concern. Accordingly, he soon conceived the desire of devoting himself to the Christian ministry, in which he perceived that he should not only have ample opportunity, but in which it would become the business of his life to investigate the most interesting subjects and as his friends recognized in him indications of talent which would render him capable of filling the office with usefulness and honour, combined with a gravity of deportment which promised to secure his steadydevotedness to it, they warmly encouraged his wish. Circumstances had led him to unite himself with a society of Particular Baptists: hence he received the theological part of his education at the Baptist academy at Bristol. When he first arrived at this institution, the students were warmly engaged in the discussion of, what to many will seem a very singular question, namely, Whether it be the duty of all men to believe in the gospel of Christ? He entered with earnestness into this controversy; he took the affirmative side of the question, and he soon saw that it would lead him far, though he did not at first suspect how far, from Calvinism.

While at the academy he applied himself with diligence to the study of the Greek and Hebrew languages, and to the ordinary, but very limited course of instruction pursued in that institution. His progress was so steady and rapid in

every thing to which he directed his attention, the good sense he displayed on all occasions so great, his seriousness so deep, and his general demeanour so exemplary, that he attracted the particular notice of Dr. Caleb Evans, then the resi dent tutor, who soon ceased to treat him as a pupil, and made him his companion and friend.

On leaving the academy, Dr. Spencer was chosen the pastor of the Particular Baptist congregation at Alcester, in Warwickshire. Here he resided several years in great harmony with his people, much respected as a man of sound judg⚫nent, and universally considered by his brother ministers as an acute and able reasoner. His manner of conducting an argument was excellent; he was precise, logical, guarded, and rarely lost his temper. His style of preaching was somewhat singular. It was generally an exposition of a passage of Scripture, rather than a discourse from a single text, which latter method he considered better calculated to keep men in ignorance of the sacred books, than to elucidate what is obscure, and to register in the memory a clear and connected ac unt of what is certain and important. His usual plan was to give what he conceived to be the precise meaning of the passage selected for consideration; then to state, to explain, and perhaps to defend the doctrine it might teach; and, lastly, to deduce and to enforce the moral precepts it might contain.

In the comparative seclusion in which he was placed he had much leisure; he visited but little, and he had few books. His active mind thirsted for fuller information on many of the doctrines which are usually considered essential parts of the Christian system, and on this account he regretted his distance from those sources of knowledge which larger towns afford; but at length it occurred to him, that all the real knowledge on these sub jects which men possess, and which they have recorded in their writings, must have been derived from a study of the Scriptures, and that this great source of instruction was as open to him as to them. Immediately, and with great ardour, he applied himself to the study of the Greek of the New Testament: he read through, in a conuected manner, the four Gospels, next the Acts of the Apostles, and then their various epistles; and where one author has written several epistles, he always read these in succes

sion. In this manner, he read through the New Testament several times with great care: explained, as well as he could, scripture by scripture; interpreting what was obscure by what was clear, and registering and arranging as he went on the passages which appeared to favour or to disprove the doctrines which are commonly received as true. At the end of this process, to his no smali astonishment, he found himself a Unitarian. Here, then, is an instance in which a man of a sound judgment, of sincere piety, influenced by an ardent love of truth, pursuing it with that patient industry and in that manner which are most likely to discover it, and with all his prepossessions in favour of Trinitarianism, becomes a Unitarian simply by reading the New Testament in the language in which it was originally written. He perused no other book: he consulted no expositor: he was guided to the conclusion in which he rested by nothing but the language of scripture, operating on a mind as favourably circumstanced as can well be conceived to interpret it aright. Rarely, indeed, does there happen a concurrence of circumstances so favourable to the discovery of the real meaning of Scripture; and therefore both the fact and the consequence deserve to be recorded. He often expressed his surprise that Arianism should so universally be considered as the direct route, the halfway house, as it has been termed, from Trinitarianism to Unitarianism: and he who considers what the most extraordinary and astonishing doctrines of Ari. anism are, and contrasts them with the simple and calm and cold language of the evangelical narratives, will understand the ground of his wonder.

On this change of opinion, after having distinctly stated to his congregation the nature of it, the process which conducted to it, and the considerations which produced it, he resigned the pastoral office, and finally determined on studying medi. cine; intending still to perform the duties of a Christian teacher, should he be placed in a situation in which his services would be useful. In conformity with this resolution, even while he was pursuing his professional studies at Edinburgh, he conducted a regular religious service in his own lodgings every Sunday. This service was commenced in the year 1791, and he was occasionally assisted by Mr. Fyshe Palmer, with whom he had formed an intimate friendship, whose talents and excellences he respected and loved, and whose cruel persecution he never ceased to deplore. From that period, Edinburgh has never been without a number of avowed Unitarians, who,

with a few interruptions, have regularly met together for public worship.

Dr. Spencer had continued thus publicly to read and expound the Scriptures, for the space of about two years, when a gentleman, a resident of Glasgow, happened to hear him, who was so much pleased with the service that he invited him to Glasgow, and requested him to repeat the same service in that city. On acceding to this request, he was heard in Glasgow with so much acceptance, that he was earnestly solicited by several persons to fix his residence there, and, as an advantageous offer was at the same time made him which would enable him to pursue his medical studies with satisfaction to himself, he readily yielded to the wishes of his friends. Thus he be came the public and avowed preacher of Unitarianism in Glasgow, and although his style of preaching was peculiarly scriptural, the way in which he stated his opinions guarded and judicious, and the manner in which he defended them uncommonly mild, yet so great was the sensation produced, and so violent the opposition excited, that his very life was in danger. Several fanatics threatened to lay violent hands on him; and his friends, though not himself, were under serious apprehension that the menace would be executed. He fearlessly continued his labour: the ferment gradually subsided. By his mild and judicious manner, some of his most violent opponents were induced first to examine and next to believe; and he had the honour of sowing that seed which, though at several periods it seemed to be lost, has since sprung up abundantly, and is now flourishing.

After finishing his medical studies in Scotland, Dr. Spencer removed to Bristol, where he settled as a surgeon, and by those who best knew him, and were best able to appreciate his worth, was esteemed a most judicious practitioner. He had indeed studied his profession with a diligence of which there are few examples, and his knowledge was not only uncommonly extensive, but precise and scientific. Yet he never neglected to cultivate his prior, and perhaps his favourite, pursuit, that of theology. He possessed, more in consequence of extraordinary labour than as an original endowment of nature, a great facility in acquiring language, and he had an admirable method of teaching whatever he knew. It was his custom to reduce every subject he attempted to teach to its first or most simple principles; to begin with the inculcation of these, and then, in a regular series, to advance to the higher and more complicated parts: and this he did in so

Obituary, Rev. Ebenezer Aldred.

excellent a manner, that it may be justly affirmed that of all his pupils there is not one who does not feel deeply indebted to him, not only for the actual knowledge which he gained, but for the improvement which his understanding received from his method of teaching. It was

this valuable talent which rendered him so well qualified to commence that plan of communicating an accurate knowledge of the Scriptures which we owe to him, and which will render his name honoured and revered.* That plan occupied his thoughts many years: when he had sufficiently matured it, he spared no time nor labour to carry it into effect. Aud his efforts were crowned with success. He has added to the reasonableness of the plan, the proof from experience, that it is capable of accomplishing, to a very great extent, what it professes. It is an instrument of diffusing the knowledge of Christianity in its genuine simplicity and beauty, such as has never before been thought of, and such as, if fairly tried, cannot fail of success. And if through the want of zeal or the want of virtue, Christians neglect it, it will afford another melancholy proof that to think for the good of mankind, and to shew them the clearest and surest means of securing it, is too often vain and futile.

Seldom does there exist a more disinterested mind than that of this excellent man. He was benevolent and virtuous in the highest sense, for he laboured for the welfare of others simply from a desire to promote their happiness, and without any reference to his own gratification or profit. He was truly pious. There was always on his mind a serious and devout sense of the superintending providence of the Deity; of his dependence upon him; of his accountableness to him, and of the duties which he owed him. And these duties it was his sincere and habitual endeavour to perform. He knew the tendency of the pursuits of life to absorb the mind, and therefore he was careful not to neglect the means of keeping up a sense of religion in his heart. He read

See a tract entitled, The Plan of Dr. Spencer's Institution in Bristol, for acquiring and communicating an accurate and critical Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures without Expense. London: sold by R. Hunter, (Successor to J. Johnson,) 72, St. Paul's Churchyard; and by Barry and Son, Bristol. 1817. See also The Christian Reformer, Vol. III. pp. 368-372; and, for a still more detailed account, see The Monthly Repository for August 1822, art. Nonconformist, No. XXV. pp. 419

425.

VOL. XVII.

769

some portion of the Scriptures daily: daily he meditated on the sublinie precepts they inculcate and the glorious prospects they unfold, and he was uniform in his attendance on the ordinances of public worship. In a word, he was truly, what he ever deemed it his honour to be, and to be esteemed, a Christian. He was a Christian from conviction; he was a Christian in feeling; he was a Christian in conduct.

S. S.

Oct. 25, at Sheffield, where he had resided for the last few years of his life, the Rev. Ebenezer Aldred, at the advanced age of 77. His remains were interred in the burial-ground belonging to the Unitarian Chapel at that place, Nov. 1st. The following extract from the funeral sermon has been kindly furnished by Dr. Philipps, by whom it was delivered. The text of the discourse was taken from Acts xi. 24: "He was a good man."

"I have been led to the choice of this subject in consequence of the death of the Rev. Ebenezer Aldred, who for many years was the minister of the united congregations of Protestant Dissenters assembling for public worship at Great Hucklow, Bradwell, Middleton and Ashford, in Derbyshire. He was the son of the Rev. John Aldred, formerly pastor to the Presbyterian Chapel in Wakefield, and was himself intended for the pulpit. The early part of his education was conducted with a view to this object, but he entered on commercial life. In this walk he proved unsuccessful, and he determined to retire from the world and devote himself to that profession for which he was originally designed, and was settled as a minister of the gospel in the places before mentioned. His public services were for many years highly acceptable and useful; but growing infirmities and increasing age compelled him to resign his office, and he removed to Sheffield, where, after a confinement to his bed for some years, the scene of his pilgrimage and his life was closed.

"The character of Mr. Aldred for benevolence, and that most feeling and active, will long be remembered by the poor of Hucklow and its neighbourhood, where he gave the vaccine inoculation to many hundreds of families with the greatest success, and was in the habit of performing many other acts of kindness, rather beyond than below his scanty means and income. He administered consolation and assistance to the sick wherever they were needed and desired, and this without regard to any religious opinions or party whatsoever. He was in his religi5 F

ous sentiments a decided Unitarian Christian: and if he entertained certain notions upon the sacred prophecies which are imaginary and erroneous, let it be remembered that almost all who have I presumed to apply these prophecies to the states and revolutions of Europe, have failed in their conjectures, and that the books of prophecy still remain, in many respects, sealed up from human investigation and developement.

"The errors of a disordered imagination, or a fond attachment to peculiar opinions, are not errors of the heart, and cannot destroy the excellence of character. The memory of the benevolent and just is blessed.

"Let us seek rather to attain the reputation of the good than of the great. Goodness, indeed, is true greatness, whe ther in the humble and private walks of life, or in the broad and open path of activity and usefulness. A Cornelius, 'who feared God with all his house; a Dorcas, who was full of good works,' and alms-deeds which she did;' a Saviour, who went about doing good,'throw all the splendour of ambition in the shade."

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Mr. Aldred possessed great integrity of mind, and was strictly conscientious in acting up to that which he considered as his duty. The pure and simple doctrines of the gospel were firmly embraced by him. These he was zealously desirous to disseminate, and these were his solace and support during a long and truly painful illness. Consoled and animated by these, he looked forward to his approaching dissolution with composure, and with a well-grounded hope of immortality.

One of Mr. Aldred's ancestors was of the number of Ministers ejected by the Act of Uniformity, 1662, and afterwards was minister of Morley Chapel, near Leeds, where his remains were interred. Several of the family were ministers of note among the Protestant Dissenters. His father, as noticed above, was pastor of a very large and respectable congregation at Wakefield; and the subject of this brief memoir was himself a warm and decided advocate of the right of private judgment, and of the liberty of worshiping God according to the dictates of an enlightened conscience.

J. W.

Oct. 26, at Salisbury, SAMUEL WHITCHURCH, Esq., the universal supporter of all Christian denominations and societies in the city. In him all men seem to have lost a friend, for his charity was almost unbounded.-Evang. Mag.

On the 15th November, at her house, the Willows, near Preston, Lancashire, deeply lamented by her family and friends, Mrs. PILKINGTON, relict of the late John Pilkington, Esq., whose death was recorded in the obituary for January last, pp. 61-63. She was the second daughter of Mr. Ormerod, of Foxstones, near Burnley, in this county, and was born in the month of June, 1750.

Though educated in the principles and accustomed to the form of worship of the Established Church, she possessed a mind too independent to be confined within the limits of human creeds, too ingenuous to attach infallibility to the opinions she had imbibed, too charitable to condemn those who differed from her in matters of faith and worship, too deeply convinced of the importance of right views of religion to be indifferent as to the system she espoused. With a mind thus adapted for the reception of truth, she became the wife of one who encouraged and assisted her in the pursuit of it.

By the study of the Scriptures, together with the conversation and example of her beloved partner, she was induced gradually to abandon "the traditions of the elders, and the commandments of men," and to adopt the plain, but sublime, faith of the gospel. She rejoiced that her researches had introduced her to a better knowledge of the only living and true God, the universal Father, and to a more scriptural view than she had hitherto entertained of the one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.

It has been asserted that Unitarianism affords no healing balm for the ills of life, no firm and chastened hope of acceptance and happiness beyond the grave; in short, that it is the frozen zone of Christianity, wherein the sun of Divine love and mercy never shines, in whose ungenial clime the fairest blossoms of religion wither, and its choicest fruits fall blighted from the parent tree. It is delightful, however, to oppose to the dogmas of this uncharitable theory, the practice of one of the professors of the faith every where spoken against. She found it to yield comfort and happiness to her heart even when the trials of life assailed her; and with respect to its influence on her temper and conduct, it produced those virtues, which the apostle calls the" fruits of the spiritlong-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance;" together with that highest and best attainment of the Christian character, complete resignation to the will of God. It was her aim and delight to observe strictly and consci entiously the several duties of her station; as an affectionate and dutiful wife, a ten

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