THE subject of this memoir was born 2d August, 1715, O. S., at Oundle, Northamptonshire. He was the son of the Rev. Joseph King, for many years the highly respected pastor of the Independent Church at that place. His mother, Mrs. Hannah King, was a lady distinguished for her piety and intelligence, who devoutly desired to have a son, that she might devote him to the service of the sanctuary. Her fond wish being granted, she, like Hannah of old, called his name Samuel; as a constant memorial of her prayers and her purpose. She fondly hoped to see her son trained by paternal instruction for the christian ministry, when, by a mysterious providence, she was bereft of her beloved partner by a sudden stroke, in the midst of his usefulness, and in the vigour of life, being but forty years of age. Mrs. King, thus left a widow, when her boy was not four years old, with a family dependent upon her slender means for support, endured many trials, such as the needy widow only knows, yet, amidst them all, she cherished her fond impression concerning him. She therefore, from his earliest infancy, endeavoured to impress his mind with the important truths of the Gospel; nor did she labour in vain, for the Lord blessed her endeavours, and heard and answered her prayers, in the conversion of her son, N. S. No. 23.

*This gentleman resigned the pastoral office in the church, and his Principalship in Mount Sorrel School, to take the pastoral care of the Independent Church at Kettering, Northamptonshire.

†The Rev. Abel Ragg was fellow-pupil with the venerable Dr. Doddridge, at the academy at Kibworth, Leicestershire, under the tuition of the Rev. John Jennings. Mr.Ragg was born at Welford, Northamp tonshire, in the year 1695, and at an early age became impressed with the truths of the Gospel, which he heard from the venerable and Rev. John Norris, then pastor of the church at Welford. He was admitted a member of that society in 1714, and in 1718 he entered the academy, previous to which he had received private instructions from his pastor, who, as appears from an entry made in the church-book at Welford, gave preparatory instructions to a few young men of piety, several of whom were admitted members, and entered in the church-book by Mr. Norris as his pupils. During the time Mr. Ragg was at Kibworth, he formed a very intimate friendship with Mr. Doddridge and Mr. Some, son of Mr. Some of Harborough. Mr. Ragg left the academy in 1723, and went to assist Mr. Watson of Mount Sorrel, both, says Dr. Doddridge, in the Life, by Orton, page 40, the edition of school and the pulpit. (See Doddridge's 1766.) Mr. Ragg being of a weak constitution, in 1726 he left Mount Sorrel

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under the tuition of Dr. Abraham Taylor, at Deptford, a gentleman distinguished for mathematical and classical learning, and Theological Tutor to the students who were patronised by the King's Head Society. Mr. King entered under this gentleman's care in 1735, but at the expense of Mrs. Cooke, where he made considerable proficiency in literature.

entered this school in 1726, when about eleven years of age. During his continuance at this place, his early impressions were greatly deepened by his mother's epistolary admonitions, combined with those of his valuable tutor's. His diligent progress in classical learning gave great satisfaction to his friends. He left Mount Sorrel in 1732, to reside at Long Thorpe, with an uncle, Mr. Choat, an extensive farmer, and steward to Sir Francis St. John, who lived there. Sir Francis married a sister of Mrs. Elizabeth Cooke, of Stoke Newington, a lady whose memory is justly esteemed by Dissenters for her piety and liberality. Lady St. John and Mrs. Cooke were nearly related to Mr. King's family, which their superior station did not cause them to forget, when the widow and her orphan children needed assistance. While Mr. King was with his uncle, he improved the leisure which agriculture affords, by a diligent attention to mental and devout exercises. Thus occupied, he fully determined to enter into the christian ministry; which purpose, after due deliberation, he disclosed to his mother, who lost no time in communicating the joyful intelligence to her friend and patroness, Mrs. Cooke. That lady, with her characteristic promptitude and liberality, immediately engaged to support him, while prosecuting his studies at the academy. He was therefore placed

and came to Welford, with consumptive symptoms, which, after ten months of languishing, terminated in death, on the 20th of April, 1727, aged thirty-two years. It was an extraordinary coincidence that his young friend Mr. Some died in the same month; which circumstance made a very deep impression on Mr. Doddridge's mind, who has given an affecting account of the last illness of his two friends, (vide Orton's Life of Doddridge, pp. 38-46, the edition of 1766,) which deserves the perusal of every young man, especially of young ministers. There

- a Latin inscription on Mr. Ragg's graveone, by his friend Doddridge.

He continued at Deptford till March 1740, when the embarrassed circumstances of that learned and able minister compelled the Society to remove the Institution to Stepney, where it was placed under the presidency of the Rev. J. Hubbard. Here Mr. King finished the last year and a half of his studies, and also attended a course of philosophical lectures by the very learned Mr. John Eames, in Moorfields. Residing near the metropolis his religious advantages were also considerable. He attended the ministry of the Rev. Thomas Bradbury, at New Court, with whose church he united soon after he came to Deptford, to which Mrs. Cooke, his friend and patroness, also belonged, and where she constantly attended. At her house at Stoke Newington, he spent most of his Sabbath days; and this privilege he enjoyed through more than one of his vacations.

While at Deptford, a party of the students went one evening to bathe, when Mr. (afterwards Doctor) Thomas Gibbons going beyond his depth, was in danger of drowning. No one prewho at the moment was standing sent could swim, except Mr. King, at the water side, at a short distance. On hearing the cries of the other students, he hurried to the spot, and plunged into the water, and caught Mr. Gibbons by his hair, when in the act of sinking, and thus rescued him from a watery grave, as animation was suspended, which was with consi

the death of Mr. Shuttlewood, the church and congregation were like sheep having no shepherd; and during the time they were destitute of a pastor, many of them went as far as Bedworth, in Warwickshire, upwards of 20 miles from Welford, to hear the celebrated Mr. Julius Saunders, who had been educated at the academy at Sulby, under Mr. Shuttlewood. Mr. Saunders was a descendant of Lawrence Saunders, the martyr, who was burnt at Coventry Park. Such was the love of these devoted servants of Christ for the gospel, that in the dark mornings of the winter season, they travelled by the light of a lantern as far as Lutterworth, where they left it till their return in the evening, when it was again kindled to conduct them home. Others attended at Kettering, and at Harborough, till the year 1698, when the Rev. John Norris came to Welford; he was educated at Sherif hales, in Shropshire; his ministry being much approved, a new meetinghouse was built for him, capable of seating 500 people, which was opened in the year 1700; and the same year Mr. Norris formed the pious persons there into a church; the first time the ordinance was adfrom what quarter the wind blew; meeting Mr. Tomalin, one of his hearers, who lived at a lonely house near him, he asked his friend in what point the wind was, which being told, Mr. Shuttlewood replied, then this will be a glorious day for old England, and returned to his house with much joy to inform his friends, which remark was fully justified by the arrival of king William at Torbay, with 14,000 men, on that very day, by which event the Revolution was happily accomplished. Mr. Shuttlewood's prediction proves that the leading dissenters were fully in the confidence of those who effected that most blessed change.

* Dr. Joshua Toulmin, of Taunton, in his memoir of the Rev. John Ward, of Taunton, speaking of Mr. Julius Saunders, (under whom Mr. Ward received a part of his education,) says, he was a gentleman of great piety, but was of the sternest cast, as he was a rigid Independent, and a high Calvinist.

ministered, 26 members participated, but the church in a few months increased to 60 members. Mr. Norris was very popular as a preacher, and much. beloved as a Christian minister, especially by his brethren in the ministry. He was pastor of this church 38 years, and died very suddenly Feb. 8, 1738, in the 63d year of his age. His funeral sermon was preached by Dr. Doddridge, which the Doctor published, and is preserved in the edition of his entire works.

The Rev. Job Orton, who preached his first sermon at Welford, was invited to succeed Mr. Norris, which he declined, in consequence of his appointment to assist Dr. Doddridge in the Academy at Northampton.t The third pastor, and Mr. King's immediate predecessor, was Mr. Charles Bulkley, who was one of Dr. Doddridge's students. He came to Welford in 1740, and was settled over the church in the same year, but early in 1741, he changed his sentiments, both on the doctrines of the gospel and the ordinance of baptism, consequently he was requested by the church to resign the pastoral office over them, which he did the same year, and retired to London where he joined the general Baptists. this juncture Mr. Bottrill, a gen

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The Payne family, who gave the ground on which the meeting-house was built, were very warm friends to the gospel, and five of the members of this family united with the 26 who first formed themselves into a church under Mr. Norris. They were the ancestors of the present family of Paynes, of Sulby Hall.

+ Mr. Orton's answer to the invitation of the church at Welford has appeared in the Congregational Mag. Vol. 4, p. 342.

For a more extended account of Mr. Bulkley, see his funeral sermon preached at his death, April 30, 1797, by the Rev. John Evans, LL. D. of Islington, from which it appears that Mr. B. was a man of very superior learning, and the author of 19 different publications, some of a very useful tendency. There is a memoir of him in the Protestant Dissenters' Magazine, Vol. 4, p. 281.

tleman of considerable property, connected with the church at Welford, was at Weldon, near Oundle, and there heard Mr. King preach, who was at that time on a visit to his mother, not having yet completed his studies at Mr. Hubbart's Academy. On Mr. Bottrill's return home to Welford, he induced the church to invite Mr. King to preach there, which he did for two Sabbaths, much to their satisfaction; the vacation having expired he was compelled to return to the Academy, but he agreed to spend the Christmas holidays with them, which he fulfilled; and after his return to the Academy, the church gave him a unanimous invitation, which he accepted, and came amongst them in July, 1742, having previously gone through his trials for the ministry before the Rev. Dr. Watts, the Rev. Mr. Bradbury, the Rev. Dr. Guyse, the Rev. Mr. Hubbard, the Rev. Mr. Jennings, and the Rev. Mr. Price, who were his examiners on that occasion, and who testified their approbation of his ministerial gifts and competent learning. In the spring of the year 1743, Mr. King was ordained to the pastoral office; the Rev. Mr. Hill, of London, and the Rev. Dr. Doddridge, of Northampton, preached on the occasion.

Mr. King being now settled over a large and respectable so ciety, which congregated from 14 different villages around, his pastoral visits, and the preaching of lectures almost every evening in the week, made it a very laborious situation; but Mr. King was blest with a robust constitution,

The increase of Dissenters in these parts since that period, may be proved from the fact that these villages are now blessed with the stated ministration of the gospel; most of them have a place of worship, and a pastor of their own, either of the Independent or Baptist denominations; at the same time the congregation at Welford is as large as it ever was, although it is now almost exclusively composed of the inhabitants of that place.

and considerable energy of mind, so that he fulfilled the office with pleasure and delight, and a divine blessing attended his labours, by a considerable increase both in the church and congregation; in the early part of his ministry the communicants were more than doubled. Soon after Mr. King was ordained, he married Miss Elizabeth Norris, the only child of his predecessor, by whom he had a large family of ten children, only four of whom now survive. The late Mr. Joseph King, of Liverpool, a gentleman justly esteemed for his talents and piety, and who was for many years one of the esteemed deacons of the Independent Church, meeting at Newington Chapel, late under the pastoral care of the Rev. Robert Philip, was one of his sons. In the funeral sermon which Mr. P. published, he speaks of him in high and just terms. He was the author of one or two valuable publications addressed to merchants, and contributed to several monthly publications. Mr. John King, a deacon of the church at Welford, venerable for his years, and much beloved by his pastor and brethren, yet lives to revive the memory of his father's virtues and usefulness. Mr. King having a large family and a very generous disposition, had to struggle with many pressing difficulties, which arose principally from an inadequate salary, which did not exceed £45. per annum, which was most discreditable to the people, as there were several wealthy members of the congregation, who could, without the subscriptions of others, have respectably supported their pastor.

In the year 1756, Mr. King received a very pressing invitation from the church and congregation assembling at Castlegate Meetinghouse, Nottingham, now under the pastoral care of the Rev. Richard Alliott, to be co-pastor with the venerable Rev. James Sloss, M.A.