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Wren and his instruments; the suspending and silencing of divers godly ministers, and the persecuting of godly men and women, caused divers of them in Norwich, Yarmouth, and other places, to pass over into Holland, to enjoy freedom from superstitious human inventions in God's worship. After they came into Holland, divers joined themselves to the Church at Rotterdam, and abode members of that Church five or six years, among whom was William Bridge." In 1642, with the consent and approbation of that Church, many of the exiled ones returned to Norfolk, and after much deliberation and prayer, constituted themselves into a Church, June 28th, 1643, agreeing, that for the present, Church ordinances should be celebrated at Yarmouth. The newly-formed Church had not far to seek for a suitable pastor. William Bridge, their companion in exile, had for many years proved himself a "good minister of Jesus Christ." They had known his faithful zeal in Norwich, and had witnessed his efficiency in the pastoral office at Rotterdam. And now that their eyes beheld their teacher, they called him to "the pastor's office in the Church of Christ, on 9th September, 1643," and on the following day, "hee was by the Church ordayned into ye pastor's office." Often during the next twelve months, "with many psalms and lively recollections of former deliverances, did the Christians of Norwich journey in company to meet the whole of the united brethren and their joint-pastor, around the table of the Lord. There they lingered in delightful occupation, and parted with a devout trust in God to bless and preserve them till they met again."

But the manifold inconveniences arising from this arrangement, led those resident in Norwich to desire permission to gather into a distinct Church. This was readily assented to by the brethren at Yarmouth, and on the 10th of June, 1644, they were duly

organized as a Christian Church. In the first instance they met in private houses, then, by permission of the city corporation, in a part of the Blackfriars Convent; then in a renovated brew-house, and in 1693, in the spacious and handsome edifice where their descendants now worship. "In a little while after its formation, the activity of this Church roused the opposition of the clergy of the city and their adherents. The Independents were denounced from the pulpit and the press, and every plan which promised to undermine their influence was gladly made use of. The Common Council were appealed to by a petition or remonstrance from the city ministers, as if the gathering together of such a congregation were dangerous to the well-being of the community." As a Church it enjoyed the services of no less than seven ejected ministers, several of whom are buried in the graveyard adjoining the Meeting House. The list of pastors, from the first, would furnish materials for a volume of interesting biographies, but here we have no space even to enumerate them.

Up to this period the Independents and Baptists formed one community, but henceforth they became distinct in the city of Norwich, though not in the county of Norfolk till much later. In a return made by Reynolds, bishop of the diocese, by command of the primate, seven conventicles were found in Norwich alone in the year 1669. Since that time Nonconformity has so grown in the city that one fears to give the numbers of the congregations, lest some should be omitted that ought to be enumerated. Of necessity, therefore, we must now confine our remarks to those of the Independent denomination alone. Nearly fifty years ago, a large chapel known as Princes Street Chapel," was built for the Rev. John Alexander, in which, for nearly half a century he laboured with great success, and on his retirement was succeeded by

the Rev. G. S. Barrett, B.A. And about ten years since, an elegant structure was erected called "the Chapel in the Field," in which the Rev. P. Colborne ministers to a large congregation. These two chapels with their school-rooms have involved an outlay of nearly £13,000. The ancient church at Yarmouth, too, whose early history is of an intensely interesting character, still flourishes, having been blessed with a succession of wise and holy pastors. In the year 1849, steps were taken for the erection of an additional chapel, on a most commanding site in the very centre of the town, and now, as many visitors to that famous watering place can attest, a large and attractive building occupies the spot, and probably before this reaches the eye of the public, the old chapel will be demolished to give place to one more consonant to the requirements of the age.

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1662. Probably the first formed after the Norwich and Yarmouth Churches was the Church at Mattishall, although authentic information is wanting in reference to its rise or its succession of pastors. Not so, however, is it with the next formed, which was that at Wymondham. In the Church book belonging to the Old Meeting, Norwich, under date July 14th, 1652, there is to be found a Minute, to this effect. "This day a letter was received from John Money and other brethren at Windham desiring leave to join with the Christians there into Church fellowship." At the same e time John Money and Thomas Manfield were dismissed from the Old Meeting Church, paratory to the formation of the new Church at Windham, and Messrs. Timothy Armitage and John Toffe were appointed messengers' to witness their ingathering. Mr. Money was ejected from the Church in the same town, and his successor, Mr. Robert Purt, from the Church at Godnaston. From the same source we learn that on the 15th of the September following. the Christians "about North Walsham" gathered into fellowship the Church at Bradfield, now one with that at North Walsham, having at first joined with that at Tunstead, now extinct. The Rev. John Green, ejected from Tunstead, was set apart to the pastoral office in the year 1659, and he is the first pastor of whom we have any record. He died in 1709," after having sustained the labours of his ministry with credit to himself and to the honour of the Gospel among that people for more than fifty years." Drawing from the same fountain we find that on the 20th October in the same year, the Church at Guestwick was formed, and Mr. Richard Worts was chosen pastor, of whom Calamy writes:"A very worthy man, and a great sufferer for Nonconformity:" whilst the Church book tells us "that with fidelity and success, he

Of the Churches now existing in the county, nine were formed in the seventeenth century, four only in the eighteenth, and fifteen in the nineteenth. Of course, many Churches have been formed in the long lapse of more than two centuries that are now extinct, and many chapels have been built that cannot now be traced, and others that can be traced, but which have passed into other hands, or have become altogether disused as places for divine worship. The number of chapels now belonging to the denomination is fifty-one, with sitting accommodation for 17,050 hearers. There are also some additional preachingstations in the county, as well as in the city of Norwich, which are not included in that number. Most of the older Churches owe their origin to the labours of clergymen, ejected, like Bridge, by the notorious Bishop Wren for not reading the "Book of Sports," and they afterwards enjoyed the services of some of the godly men who were cast out of the Establishment in

laboured among them till his death, about May 6th, 1686." Next on the list stands the Church at Denton, which, according to the records of the Old Meeting, Norwich, gathered into fellowship in May or June, 1655. Mr. Thomas Lawson, who probably was the ejected rector of the place, and who was for many years a member of the Church at Norwich, was the first pastor. Great, and many were the changes this Church experienced during its earlier history, but at times it must have been flourishing, for we find many he minis and messengers of Norfolk and Suffolk gathering there more than once to once to take DOR counsel together on the spiritual conlition of their Churches. On these to HB101 999 0177016789 accasions some man of note was inNited to meet them, hence Occurs the the

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with one of those meetings out Towards the end of the century, Probably about 1680, a Church at Lynn Regis was formed, the Rev. Mr. Williamson being its first pastor, of whom all that is known is that be was in affluent circumstances, and well respected by the principal inhabitants, The Rey. John Rustrick succeeded him, a clergyman, who was who was Prosecuted for conscientiously refusing

his own pulpit. After his decease, great divisions in doctrinal sentiments took place, and the Church's history is unknown till 1803, when the Presbyterian Meeting House, which had long been closed, was re-opened, and the Rev. Isaac Allen, of Hoxton Academy, became the first pastor of what may be called the modern Congregational Church in this town. 101 the latter L

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half of the seventeenth

century, several Baptist Churches were formed in the city and county, who maintained a most friendly union with the Independents, and were accustomed to confer together upon all matters fare and the exaffecting their own welfare, tension of the kingdom of Christ." An interesting illustration of that union is preserved the minutes recorded in the Norwich Old Meeting Church book, which is as follows: The 29th day of the 12th moneth (February 1655-6). The brethren, being incited by some brethren of neighbouring Churches in County, that a meetsend letters to all the

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man notorious for his immoral habits of life, Mr. Rustrick, was pastor of the Church for thirty years, and die in 1727. He was succeeded by his son, who preached from 1727 to 1752, but who refused to assume, the pastora office on account of dissensions among the people. He was noted for his attainmentsin natural and experimental philosophy. In the accounts of the philosophical transactions, there is//a register of observations of the Aurora Borealis for four years, drawn ups by him in Latin, He is said to have been a modest, sensible, pious, and truly benevolent man, but was never known to have preached out of

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unto the several Churches in the 1 10 8 tente olar bonenq ovul

county" beboervenca ére Twenty-five years intervened another, Church was added to the number, but in 1706 Harleston came into existence, and was considered,” says Harmer, as appendant to Denton." In 1724 the Church at Oulton was organised, or rather consolidated. Its early history is of a most interesting character, but cannot, at any length, be inserted here. Its first pastor was the Rev., Abraham Coveney, who came to Armingland Hall in 1710, as chaplain to the family of Lieutenant-General Fleetwood, sonin-law of Oliver Cromwell. In the

as neither less nor more than they have been spoken. I am also anxious that no nervousness on my part should lead me to leave out anything I have to say, and that no enthusiasm should lead me to add to it. I am honoured by having to propose to you the toast of the day-Prosperity to Cheshunt College.' I stand before you, if my strict position is to be defined, as representing one of those Christian bodies into which, by the constitution of this College, its students may be ordained ministers. That such a purpose of the College was intended most of you are aware, but it may not be amiss to remind you how expressly, and beyond doubt, it was provided for. (He then read a passage from the deed, which provided that students on leaving the College should be left entirely at liberty to seek ordination in the Church of England, or to become ministers in any other evangelical community.) It is clear, then, that in the welfare and expansion of this College the various Christian bodies comprised in this description are deeply interested. And, as a member and a minister of one of those bodies, I have considered it not beside my path of duty to occupy the post assigned me to-day—and to be the mouthpiece of your good wishes for the prosperity of your College. So much, gentlemen, may be said, confining oneself to the narrowest and most technical considerations. But I am sure I shall carry you with me when I go wider than this, and profess other reasons why I feel this wish, and am here to express it. This College

represents to me, as I read its documents, a very sacred principle-that of hearty mutual recognition of one another as servants of our common Lord. We, in this land, have been long endeavouring to make our Christianity stand on its narrowest and finest point. And the inevitable result of equilibrium on the apex has followed. It has been unstable equilibrium, Our English

Christianity has had to be propped all round-so thickly indeed, that many have failed to discern the building itself for the multitude of shores that surrounded it. It is high time that this vain experiment were abandonedhigh time that we change our course, and try whether we cannot attain stable equilibrium by setting our English Christianity on its base. It may be true that this reversal of position will require great caution and delicacy of handling. Two things certainly are true that the process cannot be accomplished unless the artificial props be struck away-and that, when it is accomplished, they will no longer be wanted. Now it has seemed to myself, and to others, that the day has come for setting one's hands with advantage to this work. And this has been a further reason why I stand here to-day as the proposer to you of prosperity to your College-that we may, if it be God's will, inaugurate, or at least give expression to, a spirit of hearty, loving recognition of one another as brothers and equals in God's work. But there is another reason, arising from circumstances within the Established Church herself. It is no matter of dispute that her Reformation vesture was a coat of many colours. Though in the main the hues were sobered, there were not wanting pieces of the original scarletand here and there a tinsel ornament remained, tolerated for old custom's sake, and for the sake of those who cared for it. And when fault was found with us, there were many who could. say-and my own feeling went with them that we were far from disliking the effect of an occasional stripe of warm colour, or the glitter of an occasional spangle; and the more so, as three centuries' wear had toned down and harmonised all; so that in the brightness there was no glare, and in the richness no incongruity. But, gentlemen, the case is now widely altered. Men have arisen, who are for