were not a special article in this work devoted to the memoirs of a man who was an ornament to our denomination while he lived, and who will be enrolled among its most eminent members for ages to

come.

In

"Mr. John Townsend was born March 24, 1757, in the parish of Whitechapel, and baptized by the curate of that church. He had not, indeed, to boast of a noble or rich ancestry, but his father had received his education from a respectable clergyman in Yorkshire, under whom he attained a considerable acquaintance with the Latin tongue. early life he settled in London, in a family where the late Mr. Whitfield, of pious memory, used to visit, and was so much charmed with his vivacity, and the interesting nature of his conversation, that he was led to hear him preach; first at Allhallow's Church, and afterwards at the Tabernacle, near Moorfields, of which congregation he became eventually a stated member. This, however, so degraded him in the estimation of his father's family, that he was menaced with loss of station and property. His god-mother, a rich aunt, promised to make him her sole heir, if he would forsake that enthusiast, a whole night was passed in entreaties and discussions, but conscience or principle prevailed over human pride and policy. The trea sures of Egypt were renounced, the humble path of poverty chosen, and things eternal estimated more highly than things temporal.

"On this circumstance Mr. Townsend himself remarks, 'It is a greater mercy to be the child of providence than the child of fortune. How many have I seen left by their parents in affluence, but it 'made to itself wings and flew away.' I am perhaps placed in easier circumstances than some of those who inherited the property referred to. It is an honour to descend from those who suffer for righteousness sake.'

"I owe much (says our deceased friend) to the love and care of an affectionate mother, not only for her regard to my personal safety, but also for her instructions and admonitions. Well do I remember standing at her knees to repeat Dr. Watts's hymns, and kneeling to say my prayers, which was often very irksome to me, and which I therefore tried to evade by the most frivolous excuses. As a proof of her regard to my religious interests, I recollect that on one occasion, when I had committed a great fault, and then told a falsehood to

conceal it, (having the strongest possible conviction of my guilt,) she kept me fasting in my chamber till I confessed my sin.' This to some may appear as a trivial circumstance; but as Mr. T. doubtless recorded it by way of admonition to his own family in the first instance, so we retain the fact as an admonition to parents in general, never to trifle with the truth, nor to pass over a falsehood, as a slight and venial fault : nothing, indeed, was more conspicuous or admirable in Mr. Townsend's character, than his sacred regard to truth in all his conversation."—pp. 2-4.

"Mr. Townsend received the first rudiments of his education, as most of the first scholars in the world have done, from a good old lady, for whom he always entertained a strong recollection of esteem;' in which he may put many of us to the blush, who generally undervalue the pains and patience required to instil into young minds that A, B, C, which is the foundation of all literature. From this tuition he was put successively to two boys' schools, where he made but little progress; and his mother, anxious that he might have a good education, and finding the expense likely to be inconvenient, by means of one of his father's more wealthy brothers, procured him a presentation to Christ's Hospital. This was in the year 1774."-pp. 4, 5.

It is not in our power to record all the circumstances in the early life of Mr. Townsend, by which his mind was either gradually prepared to receive the word of God, or formed under its power. following passage, however, is too interesting to be passed over.

The

"Among the many sermons which Mr. Townsend now heard, that which most deeply impressed his mind, and which he reckoned most effectual in his conversion to God, was one preached at Tottenham Court Chapel, by Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Peckwell, from Psalm ciii. 13, As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.' Alluding to this circumstance many years afterwards (in 1816), when himself preaching in the same chapel on behalf of the Missionary Society, Mr. T. thus expressed himself, 'It was in this house of God that the Gospel came home to my rebellious heart with a saving power. I have in my immediate view the spot where I sat, when, with a mind deeply impressed, and eyes streaming with tears, I implored the mercy of heaven. Nor can I say,

whether I wept most tears of sorrow, because I found myself a lost sinner; or tears of joy, because I perceived the fulness and the freeness of that salvation which I have long been, and am still, privileged to preach to others.'

66 The Christian life was now commenced in spirit and practice, self-indulgence was resigned, and the pure principles of our holy religion acted on, and evidenced in every part of the subsequent conduct. No time, no effort was hereafter considered too great to be devoted to the glory of God, and the good of man."-pp. 10, 11.

Mr. Townsend's education for the ministry was very limited; we might, indeed, say, he scarcely received any education with a view to the ministry. He became a member at the Tabernacle; engaged at its prayer-meeting, read theology, and began to preach occasionally. His first sermon, of which the volume gives an interesting account, was preached at the village of Mitcham, a few miles from London. He afterwards went to Kingston occasionally, and was, at last, fixed there. The account of his studies and diligence gives an admirable view of the character of the man, and shews us how he compensated for the deficiencies of his education.

"Fixed in this situation, he commenced Greek and Hebrew, which he soon laid aside that he might devote his whole time to theology, in the study of which, he passed fourteen, and sometimes sixteen hours a day. His aim was not to shine as a speaker-to preach useful and instructive sermons was his highest ambition. It may not be unprofitable to the reader, to young ministers especially, to trace the probable progress which the subject of this memoir made, to the ho

nourable and influential station which he

afterwards filled in society. Humility, and a deep sense of his own insufficiency and weakness, were the bases of future influence and usefulness. Conscious of the necessity of extraordinary diligence, he seized every opportunity of increasing his limited knowledge of scriptural and experimental theology. That he might collect a store of excellent and interesting materials for ministerial use, he adopted the following plan, which is given in his

own words :-'Method being necessary, I procured three quarto books, consisting of four hundred pages. One of these, I appropriated for the Old, another for the New Testament, and the third, for a body of divinity alphabetically arranged. If any text, either in private or family reading, impressed my mind, I indulged the feeling, and wrote all that was freely suggested in its proper place. The first train of thought sometimes branched into so many parts, and with such facility, that in a few minutes I had formed a plan for an hour in preaching. reading a well-written book, or on conversing with well-instructed Christians, I marked every thing new and important, treasuring it up in my memory, till I had an opportunity of committing it

On

to paper. Somewhat resembling the industrious bee, I strove to make the flowers of every garden contribute to increase the stock of my (as yet) ill-furnished hive.' This practice so enlarged his treasures in divinity, that his books were soon filled, and to these was added a large store of materials, written on loose pieces of paper, as he never walked in the country without providing himself with the latter, and a pencil, that some meditation or remark from the work he was reading might be preserved. This habit gave him such facility in writing, and induced such a power of abstraction, that when he afterwards became so fully occupied in committees, he could write during the progress of speeches to which he intended a reply, and yet take up every point of discussion in the clearest and most perspicuous manner. The contemplations of Bishop Hall were a source of rich instruction and entertainment. So enraptured was he with their beauty, and so charmed with the light which they threw on the Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament, that he would scarcely allow himself time for food or rest. Gurnall's Christian Armour was also a favourite work at this period. Through the influence of a friend he received a large box of books from the late John Thornton, Esq., among which was Brown's Self-interpreting Bible, and his Dictionyet small, but, to him, valuable, library. ary. These made a good addition to his Among the many ways (remarks Mr. T.) in which rich Christians may do much good, one is to give a few standard books in divinity to poor students, who have not the means of procuring them, and to whom, if I may speak from experience, they would be more precious than gold.'

- pp. 22-24.

With some of the habits of Mr.

Townsend, here referred to, we are quite familiar. He seemed always thinking, yet never absent, and often, while conversation was going on around him, on matters which did not interest him, we have seen him writing skeletons of sermons on backs of letters or scraps of paper, which we have no doubt he frequently turned to excellent account. From his good

sense, and fund of scriptural knowledge, sustained and increased by his diligent use of time, though he was never an eloquent preacher, he became remarkably. solid, instructive, and frequently impressive; he rarely preached to a listless or inattentive audience, and the preaching of few men was more useful both to sinners and to believers.

Mr. Townsend removed from Kingston, and was settled at Bermondsey, over a small congregation, in 1784, where he remained till his death. Under his ministry it became a regular Independent Church, which it had not been before. Shortly after his settlement in this charge, he became connected with the Orange Street Congregation, in which he officiated a certain number of times every year to the end of his life.

The fourth chapter of this work contains an interesting account of the institution and progress of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, in which every body knows Mr. Townsend was the main instrument. can make room only for paragraph.

We

Children of Indigent Parents,
Was first projected and established
In London, A. D. 1792, by
The Rev. John Townsend
and

The Rev. Henry Cox Mason.
and

This first Stone

Of a new Asylum,
Built by Voluntary Contributions,
was laid

On the 11th of July, in the Year of our
Lord 1807,

And the 47th of the Reign of
King George III.,

By His Majesty's Nephew,
His Royal Highness Prince William,
Duke of Gloucester.

"As soon as the Duke had placed the

stone, the Rev. Dr. Yates, of Chelsea College, the Secretary, read a suitable and devotional prayer, for a divine blessing to rest upon the Institution, and upon all those who were engaged in this work of faith and labour of love. Mr. Townsend then addressed the vast multitude assembled on the occasion. At first he was much agitated, but soon became more composed, and delivered a speech, the substance of which is comprised in the following words: -

"Previous to the introduction of moral evil, man was not only a holy and happy being, but he was exempt from disease and imperfections. The introduction of sin has not only poisoned or dried up all the springs of mental delight, but it has entailed on the inhabitants of this lower world an innumerable multitude of bodily diseases, which carry tressing debility, and hideous deforin their train excruciating pain, dismities,--diseases, many of which exclude the subjects of them from that sweet and social intercourse which is the balm of human life.' He then argued the necessity of such institutions as the Deaf and Dumb Asylum; and concluded with an urgent appeal on its behalf."--pp. 42

--44.

"July 11, 1807, the first stone of the new Asylum was laid by his Royal High

ness the Duke of Gloucester. The ceremony was attended by some of the nobility, and of people.

a numerous concourse

"A Society

To provide Education for the Deaf and Dumb

portant services in the formation and carrying on of the Congregational School, an object to

which he devoted much of his attention, which is of high importance in itself, but which has never been supported in proportion to the extent of its claims. His biographer states his principles and objects in this undertaking very correctly.

"A Dissenter upon principle-a Dissenting minister enjoying competency, influence, and respect, he thought long and deeply on the necessities of men, who, like himself, had their commission from heaven-men, who, by faithful preaching and holy conduct, were making many rich towards God.

"Mr. Townsend contemplated with pain many churches which, like the rich Corinthians, allowed their ministers to labour, with little consideration either of their temporal necessities or spiritual anxieties; remaining cold to, or careless of, their sufferings and wants, and, in the fulness of their own sufficiency, forgetting that a devoted Christian Minister takes for his motto, Not yours but you. Whilst Mr. Townsend saw rising around him institutions to meet every species of suffer ing to which our common nature is liable, he knew one class of men who, serving a spiritual Master, wished only to have temporal wants supplied, that their whole time and intellect might be devoted to His service, and that, disentangled from the low affairs of this life, their thoughts and affections might lead them to the high contemplations of another. relieve the cares that oppressed such men-to provide for, and educate their children, and to secure an Asylum for their advanced age, he proposed to himself hopes which were never realized, and formed plans too mighty for his feeble resources to execute. That God who had given him the benevolent spirit of a Sutton, had denied him the affluence. The Charter House was the model he had in view, but the dissenting world were not inclined to follow so munificent a plan. It is, indeed, singular, that Christians living under the mild precepts of the New Testament, should forget the merciful provisions in the Old,

To

for the Levite who ministered before the Lord in holy things. If the glory and beauty which attended the sons of Aaron are not to be the destiny of our more spiritual priesthood, surely we are not to inflict on them that moral martyrdom, which depressed circumstances must ever bring to the upright and honourable mind. Dissenting ministers willingly take the humble station of servants to the church of Christ-they wish for neither

the certainty nor the perpetuity that marks the Established Church; but their devotedness and their zeal deserve a higher reward from their people, than a pittance grudgingly given or withdrawn, when the whitened locks of age mark the decay

of the outward man, and of that intellect whose fire and energies were employed, with unwearied ardour and unabating zeal, for a period of thirty---nay, perchance, forty years. Was it not to prevent such evils, that the Apostle commanded that those who minister in spiritual things should receive of temporal? Unless he had believed that, in after ages of the Christian Church, this precept would be acted on, would he have given the useless advice to youthful pastors, To be lovers of hospitality, Tit. i. 8. To be given to hospitality, 1 Tim. iii. 2."--pp. 78--80.

He wrote addresses and letters, made speeches, collected money, and in every way laboured to accomplish this grand design. One paragraph we must give as illustrative both of his feelings and of the progress of the undertaking.

66

to

"In 1815, the number of children under private tuition amounting twenty, the Committee thought it advisable to procure a house, and provide a master, who would be under their own immediate superintendence and control. A house was therefore purchased at Lewisham, capable of containing fifty or sixty boys, and many exertions were made by the committee to meet the increased expenditure. To aid the funds, Mr. Townsend took a journey into Yorkshire, and appears to have been tolerably successful; but several remarks in his diary prove that the slow progress of this Institution, and the trifling support it received, much grieved and distressed him. In January, 1818, he thus writes-'To day walked from Tottenham Court to the Poultry, to meet the Committee of the Congregational School. How discouraging is the state of things in this Institution; there is not money enough to pay the quarter's bills, and there are no collections or douations in prospect. This second child of mine will never reach the healthy state of the first; yet, that was nursed by the world, this by the Church.'"--p. 86.

Our venerable friend continued unwearied in his works of faith and labours of love to the very end of his life; and died in a