erpool, so here it is come at last.

I did not preach at Manchester, for notice had been given the Sabbath before, that there would be no preaching there the next Wednesday evening-nor have I been to

I saw no one from his house when I was at Manchester, nor have I heard any thing from him since: most likely I shall not see him at all. In fact I have quite visiting enough among the people of the congregation.

** ***

"Here are some excellent people, very pious, and zealous for the honour of God, and the good of immortal souls, in this town. With some of them I shall be almost sorry to part.

"Last Sunday evening I preached the sermon for Hoxton; we collected about 40l. The place I preach in is called Newington Chapel. I forget the name of the street it stands in. There are many more dissenting places of worship here than you seem aware of. I am not yet certain whether I stay six Sabbaths.

"Mr. has written me a long and pressing letter for me to go to Plymouth Dock, which he says is just the thing for me-he wishes me to settle there -gives an exceedingly high character of the place. According to his request I must write to him soon, but I scarce know in what manner. It is a large congregation, and he says, that there is there a huge army of the soldiers of the cross.'

“I will take care to get you a plan of the town. I hear that a fire has consumed Huntingdon's chapel in Tichfield-street-is it true? Dr. W. has written to me, requesting me to supply New Court the first Sabbath in August,

"The Wednesday after I wrote to you, I preached on Psalm lxi, 2. Following Sabbath-morning, Colos. iii. 3: afternoon, John x. 9: evening, Job xxxvi. 18.

The next Wednesday evening, Gal. iv. 7. Last Sabbath morning, Zech. vi. 13: afternoon, the same concluded: evening, Zech, iii. 7. Monday evening, at the prayer meetings, I either go over the outline of one of the sermons preached the day before, or else give a short exhortation, as at Hoxton.

"I suppose you know that I have written to D. C but not to Mr. B. For the fact is, I had rather not. I do not know how, and I do not see that it would do any good, so must decline it. I am out almost every day. Oh why should people be afraid to let me be alone; why will they not let me enjoy my much-loved solitude! On several accounts I feel anxious to get home; and can now indeed say, 'Hoxton, with all thy faults, I love thee still.'

"Present my respects to all our friends in town. Give me as much intelligence as you can in your next, and believe me still

"Your sincere friend,

"THOMAS SPENCER."

Very soon after his return to Hoxton, Mr. Spencer received from the church and congregation at Newington chapel, an unanimous and pressing invitation to accept the pastoral office over them. The call was dated on the 8th of August, 1810. After near seven weeks deliberation, Mr. Spencer returned an answer in the affirmative. In what exercises of mind these seven weeks were spent, those who knew the peculiar circumstances of his situation can well

conceive. On the one hand, the unanimous request of a people to whom God had directed him contrary to his wish, and to whom he had become singularly endeared--the imperious call of duty to a sphere of action for which his talents seemed every way adapted, in which his labours had been already remarkably successful, and which promised most extensive usefulness. These were circumstances of no common magnitude. But on the other hand, there were many powerful ties to bind him to the neighbourhood of the metropolis. His family-his best friendships—his most endeared connexions-the scenes of his early and honourable labours-all conspired in the prospect of his removal to so great a distance, to awaken the most painful and distressing feelings in his mind. And resolutely to resist the importunities of friends, the value of whose society we fully know-to rise superior to those local attachments which long and happy intercourse cannot fail to form-and to leave the circle to which time and frequent interchange of sentiment have rendered us familiar and endeared, for a land of strangers-involve a sacrifice which only the voice of duty can demand, or the hope of usefulness repay. Yet such are the sacrifices which the Christian minister must frequently be called to make; and whilst on his part they are with cheerfulness surrendered to the call of duty, and the cause of Christ, let those in whose particular behalf they are claimed, seek by every affectionate office of friendship, to blunt the edge of separation, and relieve as much as may be by kindness, the memory of distant friendships and endeared connexions.

I insert a copy of Mr. Spencer's answer to the call which he received from the church and congregation at Newington; as it will afford to the reader an additional opportunity of obtaining an acquaintance with its amiable author.

No. 29.

To the Independent Church of Christ, assembling in Newington Chapel, Liverpool.

"Being unwilling to keep you any longer in suspense than is absolutely necessary, upon the important subject of my settlement with a church and congregation, I feel it my duty to reply to your obliging and respectful invitation. You are well aware, that I came amongst you influenced by the strongest prejudices against the place, and resolutely determined never to think of it as a sphere calculated for me. Whilst I was amongst you, however, several circumstances united to remove the strength of my prejudices, and I trust to make me determined by every appointed and lawful means to ascertain the will of God, and when ascertained, cheerfully to fulfil it, however opposed it might be to my private wishes and inclinations. A review of the partial degree of success with which my labours in Liverpool were honoured, does afford me eonsiderable pleasure, and I must say, that I speak the real sentiments of my heart when I confess, that the manner in which you, my respected friends and brethren in the gospel, have conducted this important

affair, has raised you exceedingly in my esteem, and given me to believe, that a preacher would find among you as a people, those motives to diligence and those sources of real happiness in the prosecution of his work, which, alas! are denied to many a faithful minister of the New Testa

ment.

;

"When I regard you as a church and congregation, I feel anxiously concerned for your spiritual and eternal welfare, and indeed earnestly desire, if consistent with the good pleasure of His will, the great Head of the Church would make use of me to build you up in faith and holiness but my motives for thinking favourably of your invitation arise also from other sources. I look at the state of thousands of inhabitants in that vast town, to many of whom I hope to be the instrument of conveying the joyful sound;' my soul longs that they may receive the salvation which is in Jesus Christ, with eternal glory, and influenced I have reason to believe by the direction of my God, I resolve to preach among them the unsearchable riches of Christ.

"I assure you, my fellow travellers to Zion, I can observe, with admiration, peculiarities in this dispensation which never before struck me in reference to any other situation. Oh may it appear,

that this work and this counsel is of God!

"Some difficulties must be met, and some sacrifices must be made, by me, when I leave the scenes of my former exertions in the cause of Christ, for the sake of the people at Newington. But these are things which I must ever expect; these are