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WITHAM.-Mr. Lisle (George Lisle,

the ejected vicar of Rivenhall). KELVEDON (Hatch ?).-Mr. Billoway

(Robert Billio, the ejected vicar of Wickham Bishops). PATTISWICK.-Mr. Hill (Ralph Hilles, the ejected incumbent of the parish).

WEATHERSFIELD.-Mr. Cole, now in Chelmsford Jail (the ejected rector

of the parish). STAMBOURNE.-Mr. Havers (the ejected vicar of the parish).

COLCHESTER, hard to be suppressed.—

Mr. Stockdale (Owen Stockton, the silenced "Town Preacher ") and Mr. Done (George Downe, the silenced curate of Lexden). SPRINGFIELD.-Mr. Reeve (John Reeve, the ejected rector of the parish). THAXTED.-Mr. Billowe (see Kelvedon)

Mr. Scambridge (Stephen Scanderet, the silenced lecturer of Haverhill), and Mr. Ball (Nathaniel Ball, the ejected vicar of Barley, Hertfordshire). SAMFORD MAGNA. Scanderett (see

Thaxted). FINCHINGFIELD.-Mr. Glover (Hugh

Glover, the ejected vicar of the parish). HENNINGHAM SIBLE.-Mr. Dod (Robert

Dod, the ejected rector of Inworth). HATFIELD BROAD OAK.-Warren (John Warren, the ejected vicar of the parish).

AYLTHORP ROOTHING.-Billoe (see Kelvedon).

DEDHAM.—On the 16th of September

last, upon the occasion of Mr. Newcomen's death, in Holland, an outrageous conventicle was kept, and dangerous words said to be spoken by Mr. Fairfax, late minister of Barking, in Suffolk (Matthew Newcomen, the silenced lecturer of the parish).

In the Archidiaconal Act Books of the period, many other "Conventicles" are also traceable, as at Stebbing under Billio; at Lindsell, under Timothy

Clark, the ejected vicar of the parish; at Dunmow, under William Janeway, who is mentioned by Calamy as having been ejected at Kilshal, Hertfordshire, but is described in the Act Book as having had a sequestration in the Parliament time in Lincolnshire;" at Belchamp Walter, under Robert Davey, who was ejected at Gestingthorpe; at Saling, and also at Felsted, under Billio and Clarke; two at Cricksea, one under Thomas Archer, the ejected of Chickney, who is said to have "a great concourse of people there," and another, in which it said that "John Cooke takes upon him to preach: at Matching, probably under Henry Lukin: at High Easter, under Nathaniel Barnard: at East Donnilend, apparently under George Downe, and at Toppesfield and Stisted, under Billio. From other sources we also know of many more, as at Aldborough Hatch, under Edward Keightley, who was ejected from the chapelry there; at Copford, under John Argor; at Billericay, under Nathaniel Ranew, the ejected vicar of Felstead; at Finchingfield, under Samuel Fairclough, the ejected of Ketton, and his two sons, Richard, of Mellis, Somerset, and Samuel, of Houghton, Bedfordshire; at Ridgwell, under Giles Firmin, the ejected minister of Shalford; at Chishill, under Ball, of Barley; at Ovington, under Francis Crow, the ejected of Hundon, Suffolk; at Woodford, under Thomas Doolittle, the ejected of St. Alphage, London; at Arkesden, under Day, the ejected Fellow of Emanuel, Cambridge; at Clavering and Stanstead, under Joseph Oddy, the ejected of Mildred, Cambridgeshire, dred, Cambridgeshire, and Francis Holcroft, the ejected fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge; and at Wimbish, under Abraham Wright, the ejected vicar of Chevely, Cambridge. Further researches will probably bring to light several more. How many of these were Congregationalist it is not yet in our power to say; it is, however, clear that those at Marks Tey, Coggeshall,

Colchester, Springfield, East Donniland, Ovington, Arkesden, Clavering, and Stanstead, must have been such.

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When Charles II. issued his "Declaration of Indulgences," in 1672, seventy places were licensed as 'meeting houses' in Essex; several of them, however, were situated in the same parish. There were three at Coggeshall, two at Cranham, four at Dunmow, three at Romford, and two at Witham. Only six of these are described in the licence book as Congregationalist;" one at Boxted, in the house of Robert Maidstone; two at Coggeshall, "the house of Thomas Lowry;” and “the house of John Sames;" one at Manningtree, "the honse of Robert Backlar," the ejected vicar of Whatfield, Suffolk; one at Epping, "the house of Richard Haylies;" and one at Colchester, the house of Robert Howlett," the ejected minister of Hinderclay, Suffolk. It is further to be observed that more than one of the ministers who took out licences as Presbyterian teachers in one or more places, also took out licences to be Independent teachers in others; as for example, Owen Stockton, of Colchester, who took out a licence to be a Presbyterian and Independent teacher in Grey Friars' house, St. Nicholas parish, Ipswich, also took out a licence to be an “Independent teacher in the house of Robert Howlett, in St. Martin's Lane, Colchester." The licence book, however, by no means records all the Nonconformist places in the county at that date. There were others, as at Colchester, Terling, and Finchingfield.

After the passing of the Act of Toleration, and before the close of the seventeenth century, we find entries of twenty-three places as "meetinghouses" in the Episcopal Registers; five were Quaker, and of the remainder only four are in parishes not mentioned in the Licence Book of 1672. The information which we have from this source also, is exceedingly imperfect,

however; much more so, indeed, than that which is supplied at the date of the Licence Book.

At this period Nonconformists very generally began to erect themselves places of worship. There seem to have been some three-and-thirty, and perhaps more, then erected in Essex. Some of the churches for whose use these were built, have since become extinct; they were all Presbyterian: at Barking, Brentwood, Burnham, Colchester, Matching, Parndon, Tollesbury, Wicks, and Wivenhoe. At all these places, however, with the exception of Parndon and Matching, both small hamlets, the one in the neighbourhood of Harlow, and the other in that of Felstead, there are now flourishing Congregationalist Churches, and at Colchester and Burnham, Baptist Churches also. The surviving twenty-four are now, and have been for many years, Congregationalist. The extinct churches at Brentwood, Burnham, and Colchester, early became Unitarian.

In 1715, Lord Barrington, who was then connected with the now Congregationalist church at Little Baddow, obtained returns of all the Nonconformist churches in the county, which are still to be seen among the MSS. that formerly belonged to Dr. Evans, in Dr. Williams's Library, Queen's Square. These embrace forty-five churches; only twelve are described as “Independent;” eight are described as Baptist, and the remainder as "Presbyterian." More than fifty years afterwards, in 1772, another set of returns was collected, which is also preserved among the MSS. at Queen's Square. It is there observed-"The Essex congregations have always been considered very numerous, but upon strict examination they will not be found so numerous as they were in 1715." The list then given embraces only thirty-five churches, and does not distinguish the denominations to which they severally belonged. Mention is also made, in some notes

that are appended, of two others--one at Messing, and another at Borely.

Between April 1700 and April 1719, ninety-seven places in Essex were registered in the Episcopal Court. Two were Quaker, ten were Baptist, and the remainder were all Independent. Five of these were included in the returns of 1715, and with the exception of the "meeting-house" at Walthamstow, which was registered as an "Independent," by William Coward, the well-known founder of the Trust, January 20th, 1718, they were all either barns or private houses which had been opened in connection with churches in their respective neighbourhoods. Those which were thus registered at Langham, Waltham Abbey, and Saffron Walden, afterwards proved to be the origin of the Baptist, and those at Rochford and Henham of the Congregationalist churches, now existing in those places. From April, 1719, to January, 1791, there are no further entries in the Episcopal Registers. In those of the Clerks of the Peace, however, there are fourteen; two are Baptist, five are Methodist, and the remaining seven are Independent. From January, 1791, to February, 1800, there are fifty entries in the Episcopal Registers, and seven in those of the Clerks of the Peace. Of those in the Episcopal Registers, twelve are Baptist, and thirty-eight are Independent; and those in the registers of the Clerks of the Peace are all of them entries of places opened by the Independents. Three of the entries between 1791 and 1800, relate to recently erected "meetinghouses;" a Baptist at Coggeshall, a Congregationalist at Woodford, and another Congregationalist at Fordham.

From all the information hitherto accessible, it would appear that there certainly were not more than thirtyfive Congregationalist churches in Essex at the commencement of this century; indeed, even that is probably an over estimate. There are now

VOL IV.-NEW SERIES.

NINETY: so that they have nearly trebled their number during the last sixty-seven years. The population, which in 1801 was 234,000, had only increased to 379,705 at the date of the last census; so far, therefore, our denominational progress in the county has been, at least, satisfactory. Seven of the existing churches have been formed within the last twelve years. Since 1800, new places of worship have been erected at Abridge; Barking, two; Canning Town, Forest Gate, Grays, Ingatestone; Ilford; Plaistow; Romford, two; Mark's Gate; Stratford; Upminster; Walthamstow; Wanstead; Woodford; Battle Bridge; Billericay; Brentwood; Orset; Southend, two; Henham; Stanstead; Saffron Walden; Bumpstead; Felstead; Wakering; High Easter; Burnham; Chelmsford, two; Takeley; Purleigh; Southminster; Steeple; Tollesbury; Totham; Woodham Ferris; Braintree; Hedingham; Halstead, two; Purleigh; Kelvedon, two; Maplestead; Ridgwell; Stamford Rivers; Witham; Brightlingsea; Stock, two; Colchester, three; Layer Breton, two; Manningtree; Mersea; Tiptree; Wivenhoe, two; Walton-on-the-Naze; and Tillingham: altogether sixty-eight; and thirteen others have been considerably enlarged, some of them more than once ; at Chigwell Row, Epping, Ongar, Roydon, Stebbing, Thaxted, Waltham, Bocking, Coggeshall, Colchester, Finchingfield, Fordham, and Harwich. Commodious schoolrooms also are attached to most of these chapels, and at Romford; Epping; Ongar; Plaistow; Walthamstow; Woodford; Billericay; Rochford; Saffron Walden; Stanstead; Bumpstead; Dunmow; Hatfield; Easter; Stebbing; Thaxted; Chelmsford, two; Malden; Southminster; Tollesbury; Bocking; Braintree; Hedingham; Coggeshall; Finchingfield; Halstead; Kelvedon; Witham; Colchester, three; Fordham; Chigwell Row; Layer-Bre

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ton; Tiptree and Wivenhoe; new ones have been built within the last sixteen years; and in connection with the ninety churches there are upwards of a hundred preaching stations, regularly supplied every Lord's day: at the great majority of these there are also small village chapels.

In the absence of any statistics on the subject, it is impossible accurately to estimate the number of persons who constitute these churches; certainly there cannot be less than 10,000, and probably the number is much larger still. The attendants at the different places of worship may be computed at from three to four times the number of those who constitute the churches. The Sunday schools are commonly large, and are effectively worked by at least an adequate supply of teachers. The day schools are, for the more part, flourishing, and, with very few exceptions, those also connected not with the poorer, but with the wealthier congregations, are supported entirely by voluntary contributions.

As might be expected, the congregations in the villages and smaller towns consist largely of agricultural labourers. Many of these have great difficulties to contend with, arising chiefly from the almost extinction of the once numerous and powerful class of yeoman freeholders, but partly also from the unscrupulous opposition of many of the landlords, and the unremitting proselytism of the local clergy. The cases even of decay, thus far, however, are but very few; for the more part, even these congregations continue to enjoy a great measure of prosperity. In the larger towns there is a considerable proportion of the professional and

wealthier tradesman classes. We cannot boast, indeed, of so many of still higher social standing, as our fathers could in 1715; yet there are not wanting several of these; and though we lack the amplitude of means with which our brethren of the north and the metropolis are happily enriched, in even this respect we also have no little cause for thankfulness and hope. What school and chapel debts we have to struggle with are but of recent date, and promise to be speedily defrayed. Our county institutions are, upon the whole, well sustained; while we are also able to do at least our part in aid of our denominational movements generally. Our great deficiencies are those in which, alas! all churches but too largely share. We need more godly earnestness; more of "the mind" that

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also, was in Christ Jesus," more of the "fulness of the Spirit." Our opportunities are great! There is not the village in the county where we cannot readily obtain a hearing for the Gospel ; but there are too many for which, even now, there is but little done-not a few, in some districts, for which there is nothing regularly done at all. Many of our ministers are also much discouraged, their labours seem so little blessed. Still we are not "forsaken: "

God hath sown, and He will reap;
Growth is slow where roots are deep;
He will aid the work begun,
For the love of His dear Son.

"Let Thy work appear unto Thy servants, and Thy glory unto their children! And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it."

GOLDEN WORDS FOR BUSY PEOPLE. "READY FOR EITHER."

On the seal of one of the American Missionary Societies is a touching little picture. There stands the faithful

patient OX. He belongs not to himself, but to his master. On either side are the plough and the altar. He knows not whether it is for

service or for sacrifice that he is brought thither, but he is "ready for either." Oh, what a lesson of reproof may that little picture give to many who are called the followers and servants of Jesus Christ! They are not their own, but bought with a price, even with the precious blood of Christ. Yet they are too often like the ancient people, of whom the prophet complained-"The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people do not consider."

THE NEW YEAR-GREATER

SPIRITUALITY.

Let this New Year be a year of greater spirituality. As the holy Joseph Alleine wrote from Ilchester prison to his flock at Taunton, "Beloved Christians, live like yourselves; let the world see that the promises of God, and privileges of the gospel, are not empty sounds, or a mere crack. Let the heavenly cheerfulness, and the restless diligence, and the holy raisedness of your conversations, prove the reality, and excellency, and beauty of your religion to the world." Aim at an elevated life. Seek to live so near to God that you shall not be overwhelmed by those amazing sorrows which you may soon encounter, nor surprised at that decease which may come upon you in a moment, suddenly. Let prayer never be a form. Always realize it as an approach to the living God for

some specific purpose, and learn to watch for the returns of prayer. -James Hamilton, D.D.

THE NEW YEAR-GREATER ACTIVITY.

Let this new year be a year of greater activity. Be diligent in your proper callings, in seeking personal improvement, and in doing good. Ply your daily employments in a Christian spirit, doing nothing by constraint or grudgingly, but adorning the doctrine of God your Saviour by your patient, sprightly, and thorough-going industry. Seek personal improvement. yourselves to the reading of instructive and religious books; and when friends meet let them strive to give the conversation a profitable turn, and one which may minister to the use of edifying. Engage in some direct effort to do good. Seek to leave the world

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the better for your sojourn in it. Whatever you attempt, endeavour to do it so thoroughly, and follow it up so resolutely, that the result shall be ascertained and evident. And in your attempts at usefulness, be not only conscientious but enthusiastic. Love the work. Redeem the time. Remember that the Lord is at hand.-James Hamilton, D.D.

GOD'S TIME THE BEST.

The physician turns the hour-glass, and resolves the physic shall work so long; the impatient patient desires ease, cries out that he is tormented, and thinks every hour two, till he be refreshed; but the other knows the fittest time, and will not till then afford any comfort at all. Thus the children of God cry out in the midst of their heavy pressures, "How long, Lord, how long, shall the rod of the wicked lie always on the back of the righteous?" But He hath turned the glass; He will not hearken to their cry. They must stay their time; He knows best when and how to deliver them, had they but so much faith as to believe it, or patience to wait for it.-Stock, 1616.

TRUE PRAYER AND LOOKING AFTER IT.

Children shoot arrows on purpose to lose them, and never so much as look where they light; but men, when they shoot, aim at the mark, and go after the arrow, to see how near it falls. So, wicked, carnal men, when they have said, not made, their prayers to Almighty God, it is but opus operatumthey have no more regard of them. But God's children, when they, upon the bended knees of their souls, dart out their prayers, when they pour out their requests unto Him, they look after their prayers, eye them up into heaven, observe how God entertains them, and wait for a happy return at His good will and pleasure.-Wilkison, 1639.

THE ATHEIST A COWARD AND AN INVOLUNTARY WITNESS.

It is remembered of Caius Caligula, that wicked and incestuous emperor, that he was a notable scorner and contemner of God, and made no reckoning of any other to be God but himself; yet this abominable and wicked atheist, as God let him not unpunished, for by His just judgment he was slain by some

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