lately under the pastoral care of Dr. Annesley, were anxious to have him as their pastor, but he immediately gave them a denial. He also received invitations to labour at Halifax and Manchester, both which he refused. In his review of this year he says: "March 15th, 1697, my baptismal day, I resolved to spend the forenoon in secret in my chamber with God, &c. After dinner I returned to my study, and made some reflections on what had past the former year. Much delightful experience I have had of communion with God in my chamber, and many remarkable providences about myself and small family, at home and abroad. God hath given me abundant supplies in worldly concerns this year, though many have been brought to poverty by decay of trade, scarcity of money, and bankruptcies; yet I have rather laid up than run into debt: blessed be God. I have had more invitations to considerable places this year than before. At Halifax, where the people have built a large meeting place, and fixed on Mr. Priestley to supply every other sabbath, Mr. Priestley and some others spoke to me, wishing me to supply the vacant sabbath. I preached the first sermon in it, Nov. 11th, but dared not promise to go constantly, however I told them I would help occasionally, which I have done, and got supplies for Northowram. Oct. 14th, two men came from Manchester to persuade me to accept an invitation to the place where Mr. Newcome had preached. I put them off at that time, but they wrote to me repeatedly: at last I told them I was resolved to stay where I was."

"Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my father's

but he was so convinced of his duty to act as a Nonconformist minister, that he resisted all the temptations offered him. He laboured much and successfully in the Lord's vineyard for fiftyyears, and died in the 77th year of his age, Dec. 31, 1696.

five

house that thou hast brought me hitherto? I have continued sixty-seven years in the world, and forty-six in this neighbourhood, preaching publicly and privately. My old hearers are more unwilling to part with me than ever. Some of them are sensible the salary is but small, that I maintain considerable hospitality, and that several are now gone from us to Halifax. Some of my friends enlarged their contributions without my asking, for I never stood upon terms with them; I told them, whether they gave me any thing or nothing I was resolved to stay with them, and would draw my last breath amongst them, for the following reasons: 1. This was the first and only place I have been settled in. 2. Many of my people have adhered to me in difficult times and in my imprisonment. 3. God hath given me many seals, as children born to him in this place, whom I dare not leave. 4. I cannot but foresee the sad consequences of my leaving them, for none would serve them at the rate I have done. 5 God hath given me a house of my own, and I have been at charges to build a chapel, and let the people have the use of it gratis. 6. I have something of my own yearly coming in for necessary supplies, and I desire not riches since my family is small, and my sons are educated. 7. I have many christian friends in the country whom I visit, and to whom I preach, who are kind to me, and I have some indigent places for which I procure supplies; I think if my own people would let me go others would not. And, alas, how long have I to live? What a bad example it would be to others, and what reproach would it raise against us, that we are covetous and would move for more income, and I cannot expect that either Manchester or London would be heaven? I might meet with troubles there and then call in question my call to remove.

Besides, it is ill transplanting a tree that thrives well in the soil, as my father Angier wrote to me about my going to Preston. He also quoted, 'When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, nothing.' I cannot say, I have wanted conveniences; nay, God hath abundantly blessed me in this place, and I have seen the sad effects of persons removing to greater places. I am sure my gifts are more adapted to a poor village than to a great town or city; I have a numerous assembly constantly, and a society to which I administer all ordinances, as many as I am able to overlook; and I think my genius and constitution are more adapted to a country than a city life."

"The Eternal Jehovah, one God in three persons, whom I have chosen as my chief good, and have many times in the uprightness of my heart given myself unto, hath this year loaded me with mercies, as many as I am able to bear. God hath given me temporals. 1. A pious, prudent, careful, good-natured wife, who is exceedingly tender of me, almost to excess, with whom I have lived very peaceably almost thirty years. 2. God hath given us our health in a great measure, though we have both been under the sentence of death for a short season. We are free from any lingering distempers by which many are sorely afflicted. 3. God hath kept death out of our family thirty-six years. My dear wife, Elizabeth, died at her reverend father Angier's, 1661, and since that time, we have had a continuance of the same number, with the addition of my present wife. 4. I have two sons who are a very great comfort to me, and who have expressed their care of me beyond comparison, both when absent and present, when sick and well: and as my wife is as affectionate towards them as any mother can be, so

are they as kind and dutiful to her as if she were their own mother. 5. God hath added to our family two very lovely branches, my son John's wife, a very amiable, and I hope, pious person, whose marriage with him was very disinterested, as she knew not whether he would have any thing or nothing, though she had above £400. to her portion. However, I have since given him half of my land in Little Lever; she was married to him regarding him as a pious minister, and they live very comfortably together. And God hath added one more, by giving them the fruit of marriage, a very lovely son, a Timothy, a return of prayer dedicated to God in baptism, called after Mr. Timothy Jollie, whom my daughter-in-law owns as her spiritual father, and he is my son in the faith as Timothy of old was of Paul's. This young Timothy, my grandson, is above a year old, comes on apace,* and I hope will bear God's name in the world as well as mine in aftertimes. 6. We have a faithful, laborious, conscientious, and quiet servant, Susannah Tillotson,† whom we have had in the family nearly sixteen years; who kept house for us carefully that year when I was in York Castle, indeed she is, as a servant, a non-such, with whom we have scarcely ever had an angry word; however, she never answers again, she is very prudent, and, I hope, fears God. 7. The habitation in which I live is my own, purchased twenty-five years since, in which I have lived comfortably, where I commenced housekeeping when first married, above forty years

Timothy Heywood, son of Mr. John Heywood, of Pontefract, died Sept. 24th, 1717; he had been married on the 18th of the same month."-Northowram Register, continued by Mr. Thomas Dickenson.

+ "Susannah Tillotson died May 21st, 1712. Had been a servant to Mr. and Mrs. Heywood about twenty-six years. Aged about seventy three."-Northowram Register, &c.

ago, in which my three sons were born, and from which my own mother ascended to heaven, the only house I would choose in all the country, a good house with little land, that I might not be cumbered with worldly business. 8. God gave me money to build a meetingplace very near my house, which is a great convenience for me in my old age, and contains some hundreds of people every Lord's day. 9. God hath cast my lot among peaceable, affectionate neighbours, in a village of about fourteen. families, so that no difference hath fallen out among us, and they all generally come to my chapel, and are glad apparently of my company. 10. God hath blessed me with a competent estate, and though I have visibly a smaller income than many, yet I do experience a secret blessing in what I enjoy, so that besides my family expenses and acts of charity, I do every year lay up something. 11. I have had great safety at home, as freedom from robbers and unreasonable men, and among all my journeys and falls, I have never broken a bone nor put one out of joint. 12. I have had daily accommodations, food, raiment, refreshing sleep, a fire to sit by, a good chamber to study in, books to read, my memory, imagination, and the use of all my limbs. What shall I say more? Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. One thing more, as an outward mercy, which occasioned this meditation, is. the good esteem I have among ministers and Christians, which is no contemptible mercy. Demetrius had a good report of all men, and of the truth itself. God hath honoured me with this, which hath been variously demonstrated, particularly in the kind invitations I have had from abroad, and the respect I have