THE CHILD LOVE, AND GENIUS.
IT chanced in lonely vale afar,

By woods, and purple evening shaded,
While o'er it hung the Idalian star,

That Love, with tiny pomp, paraded.

"And mine the scene, and mine the hour!”.
He said, and flung his bow beside him ;
But as it fell it crushed the flower,-

His own dear flower when joys betide him!
Then sorrowing wept the wayward child,
His pride was gone, his star declining!
When Genius o'er him cheering smiled,

And lent his lyre,—with amaranth twining.
"He touched, and triumphed at the tones;
(Though but to soothe had Genius meant it ;)
And soon its mightier power he owns,

And oh! the heightening grace he lent it!
Wondrous the charm! its plaintive sound
Through all the heart's recesses roving;
While beamed its strings in light around,
And loveliest visions o'er it moving,
The boy with rapture viewed the lyre,
As on its chords his touch reposes;
Yet, childish still, with fond desire,
Would change its amaranth for roses.
Then Genius loud exclaimed-" Forbear!
Nor from my lyre its own wreaths sever!→

But, wiselier, twine thy flowrets there,

To bloom with mine, and bloom for ever!" pp. 37-39. The volume is not entirely free from a species of affectation which may be styled the pedantry of taste: and it displays, perhaps, more reading than thought. The Cottage Girl, p. 17, might have been omitted with advantage. The following poem, too, is liable to objection on the score of being either a very improbable or a very ill-told story. We must confess, that we do not quite understand, whether our Author designed to represent the child as an interesting infant suicide, or to convey the idea, that he mistook the unconscious wave for emerald groves' and a heaven of beauty, and fell by the sea shore, a victim to' the calenture!

Art. XV. The History and Antiquities of Dissenting Churches and Meeting Houses in London, Westminster, and Southwark, including the Lives of their Ministers with an Appendix on the Origin, Progress, and present State of Christianity in Britain. By Walter Wilson, of the Inner Temple. 4 Vols. 8vo. with 26 Portraits. Price 31, 10s.

THE history of Establishments is so connected with the State, and so many literary persons are maintained by them, that there is no fear of their wanting able historians, whose interest in the cause is indeed sufficient to excite their utmost energies. It is not so, however, with the sects which dissent from Establishments. Obscure and unendowed, dissenting ministers are generally too deeply occupied in pastoral duties, to undertake works of this nature. Their churches have no emoluments to draw among them men of aspiring talents; or, when they volunteer their services, to reward them. The Dissenters are, therefore, deeply indebted to such public spirited lay-men as Mr. Wilson, who devote years of study, and a considerable risk of property to their service; for in the present age, so indifferent are Dissenters for the most part about their own history, that such a work could not be published without very considerable risk.

When Mr. W. proposes to exhibit the History of Dissenting Churches, the Non-conformist reader will easily understand, that he does not mean their Places of Worship, formerly called Meeting-houses, but now generally dignified with the name of Chapels, though of these he has given many interesting accounts. He employs the word church in the sense explained in the nineteenth Article of the establishment, as a congregation of faithful men; and it is a curious fact, that this use of the word, the only one recognised by Authority, should be almost peculiar to Dissenters.

In the introductory chapter, the Author gives the history of the first Non-conformist churches established in this kingdom; at the head of which, he places a congregation formed in London soon after the accession of Queen Mary.

This church consisted of about 200 Members. Their meetings were held alternately at Blackfryars, in Thames Street, and in ships upon the River. Sometimes they assembled in the villages about London, and especially at Islington, that they might more easily elude the Bishops' officers and spies.' p. 4.

This fugitive congregation was successively under the care of Dr. Scamber, Mr. Fowler, Mr. Rough, Mr. Bernher, and Dr. Bentham. Mr. Cuthbert Simpson was a deacon of the same church, and contemporary with Mr. Rough. This deacon exhibited an extraordinary degree of patience and fortitude, Bonner himself being witness, and was honoured with the crown of martyrdom in Smithfield.

VOL. V. N.S.

Ii

The first Presbyterian church in England, was formed at Wandsworth in 1572. The members were closely watched by the Bishops, and the High Commission; but by secrecy and caution, they eluded their search.

About this time arose the Brownists; but their founder, Robert Brown, proving to be a man of unworthy character, his followers afterwards deserted him, and renounced the name. A congregation on this plan was, however, formed in London in 1592, Mr. F. Johnson, Pastor, and Mr. Greenwood, Teacher. After concealing themselves for some time, during which they met in small parties only, thirty-six of them were at length apprehended at Islington, in the same house in which the Protestant congregation before mentioned had been detected in Queen Mary's days, and many of them died in prison.

But the first Independent church, properly so called, in England, was formed at London by Mr. Henry Jacob in 1716. He had been minister of such a congregation in Holland, and upon returning to this country was joined by many of the Puritans. A few years after this, however, he went to America, and was succeeded by Mr. Latrop, who, together with his congregation, fell under the persecuting power of the bishops. He suffered two years imprisonment, and was then permitted, with several of the members of his church, to emigrate to North America. After this, the remaining part of the congregation divided, and part of them formed the first Baptist church in this country.

Of these early Non-conformists, Mr. W. gives an interesting description, with an accurate delineation of their principles, and a succinct account of their respective pastors. The work then assumes a topographical form, and the first volume contains an account of Dissenting Congregations and Meetinghouses in the eastern and southern divisions of the Metro polis, and of their respective ministers and denominations, interspersed with a great variety of anecdotes, and many curious and judicious observations. The second volume completes the southern, division, and contains part of the northern. The third comprises the remaining churches of the northern and part of the western division, reckoning from the centre of the city: it then proceeds to Westminster, commencing at Temple Bar, of which district only four places are comprehended in this volume. The remainder, with an Appendix of considerable extent and importance, forms the contents of the last volume.

Under this arrangement, the work will particularly interest Dissenters of the Metropolis, of which, we have the history of nearly 180 distinct congregations; with anecdotes of several hundreds of their ministers, of all existing, and of some extinct denominations. Among these, are recorded the chief worthies of Non-conformity, and some (for all denominations furnish such) who were by no means ornaments to their profession;

but whose memoirs derive considerable interest from their sufferings, their writings, or their eccentricities. Among the articles that are the most original, curious, and entertaining, are the lives of Wm. Kiffin, John Barker, Simon Browne, John Goodwin, Thomas Venner, Robert Fleming, Edmund Calamy, John Caune, Joseph Hussey, Samuel Stockwell, Stephen Lobb, and Thomas Bradbury, most of which are extended to a considerable length. We shall give an example of Mr. W.'s Biographies, in some extracts from the first of the above, derived in great part from an original M.S. with which the Author has been favoured by one of Mr. K.'s descendants.

Mr.. W. Kiffin was born about the year 1616, and lost his parents in the great plague of 1625, from which himself very unexpectedly recovered. He was apprenticed to the famous John Lilburn of turbulent memory; and was afterwards engaged in mercantile speculations, whereby, notwithstanding many losses, he realized considerable property.

It was during his apprenticeship, that he received his first religious impressions, by means of an occasional sermon at St. Antholin's. After this, be attended the preaching of the Puritans, and was led to study the question of conformity: his consequent scruples subjected him to much obloquy, and his enemies having raised against him the charge of treasonable words, he was imprisoned till judge Mallet, who had refused him bail, was himself impeached and committed to the Tower.

Mr. Kiffin had been raised by his commercial successes to the possession of considerable influence, both with the Parliament and in his religious connexions among the dissenters, to whom he preached gratuitously, and with much acceptance.

Having brought Mr. Kiffin to that situation (says Mr. W.) in which he may be said to be at the pinnacle of worldly prosperity, we proceed to give some account of his religious connexions during this period it has been already noticed, that he was in communion with an Independent congregation, under the care of Mr. Jessey. After he had been connected a few years with that Society, he embraced the principles of the Baptists, and in 1638, was dismissed with several other members, to the Baptist congregation in Wapping, under the care of Mr. John Spilsbury. In a course of time, a controversy arose in that church, on the propriety of admitting persons to preach, who had not been baptized by immersion. This produced an amicable separation, headed by Mr. Kiffin, who seems to have been averse to the plan of mixed communion; but the two Societies kept up a friendly correspondence. To this separation, the church in Devon. shire-square, owes its origin; but, in what year it took place seems not quite certain. We have seen a memorandum which places it in 1653. Mr. Kiffin, however, must have been a pastor much earlier, as his name is united with that of Patient, in the Confession of Faith, published by the seven Baptist churches in London, in 1644.

But Mr. Kiffin did not confine his labours to a single congregation:

He travelled with his colleague, Mr. Thomas Patient, into various parts of the kingdom, to propagate and establish his mode of faith.

On the 17th of October, 1642, Mr. Kiffin, and three other Baptists, held a disputation in Southwark, with that celebrated champion, Dr. Daniel Featly. The only account we have of this dispute, is that given to the public by the Doctor, about two years afterwards, in a book entitled, The Dippers Dipt: or, the Anabaptists Duck'd and Plung'd over Head and Ears, at a Disputation in Southwark " Whatever of argument is contained in this book, the Doctor has loaded his adversaries with plenty of abuse. But in such repute was the Doctor's book held at that time, that it passed through no less than six editions in as many years.

In 1645, was published, "A Looking Glass for the Anabaptists, and the rest of the separatists: wherein they may clearly behold a brief confutation of a certain unlicensed, scandalous pamphlet, entitled, The Remonstrance of the Anabaptists, by Way of Vindication of their Separation. The Impertinences, Incongruities, Non-consequences, Falsities, and Obstinacy of William Kiffin, the Author and grand Ringleader of that seduced Sect is discovered and laid open to the View of every indifferent-eyed Reader, that will not shut his Eyes against the Truth. With certain queries, vindicated from Anabaptistical Glosses, together with others propounded for the Information and Conviction, (if possible) Reformation, of the said William Kiffin and his Proselytes. By JOSIAH RICRAFT, a Well-willer to the Truth. The curious tract to which this long title is prefixed, consists only of twenty-six pages, in the quarto form. It contains a number of queries, with Kiffin's answers, and Ricraft's replies. This "Well-willer to the Truth," was a merchant of London, a bigotted Presbyterian, and sufficiently conceited of his polemical abilities, as appears by the above piece. He also wrote " A Book of Alphabets;" and a small volume, entitled, "A Survey of England's Champions, and Truth's Faithful Patriots, &c.” 8vo. 1645, called by Mr. Wood "a canting book." It contains an account of twenty-one persons who distinguished themselves in the civil wars, with their portraits prefixed. A copy of this book is extremely valuable, and difficult to be procured.

When Mr. Kiffin was at Coventry, he held another public disputation in defence of his peculiar sentiments. The combatants were Mr. Kiffin and Mr. Knollys, on the side of the Baptists; and Dr Bryan, and Dr. Grew, for the Podo-Baptists. The debate was managed with good temper, and great moderation. Both sides, as is usual in such cases, claimed the victory; and much to their honour, they parted good friends.

Some time ater, Mr. Kiffin was prosecuted on the ordinance of parliament for punishing blasphemies and heresies. He was convened before the Lord-Mayor of London, at Guildhall, on Thursday, July 12, 55, and charged with a breach of the ordinance, by preaching, "That the baptism of infants is unlawful.' But the Lord-Mayor being then busy, the execution of the penalty required by the act, was deferred till Monday following, and it is very likely that he afterwards heard no more of the prosecution.