under the divine blessing, by his assiduous care, he raised it, reared it, bestowed years of cultivation on it, and had the pleasure of beholding its branches extend, laden with rich clusters, and promising increasing abundance. So that whatever may be the success of future ministers, it may be said; he has laboured and others have entered into his labours.

I shall conclude this sketch by an extract from a letter of the excellent and worthy minister who preached his funeral sermon, and who, during an intimacy of so many years, had a fair opportunity of knowing him.

"From the commencement of my acquaintance with him, to his death, he evidently appeared to possess the great essentials, principles, and properties of a truly good man-a real believer in Christ; and in some of them he considerably excelled. True, genuine humility, meekness, and gentleness, uniformly dwelt in his enlarged mind, and shone in all the parts of his conduct. Patience and submission under the heaviest trials, shewed themselves in a most exemplary manner to all around him. It may be justly said too, he was a man of peace: he knew its importance, he loved it, he promoted it, he followed it in the way of righteousness with all men; and he was much favoured with it, in his own soul, in the church of God, and among his neighbours and acquaintance in general. He was a wise friend to consult, and faithful to keep the things committed to him in confidence. Defamation, backbiting, &c. he discountenanced, by a reproving, silence or a faithful word.

In the circle of friends, he could cause, and partake of innocent cheerfulness; but had the happy art of joining solid edification with it. He formed his judgment religious truth as evidence appeared to him, and spoke and professed it without regard to the many or the few, but in goodwill to all. He knew that another had the same right to think and judge for himself as he had; he was therefore the affectionate brother, though he might differ in opinion. In his preaching he spoke without the fear of man, with affection, earnestness, and plainness, and was rendered a very useful minister to many souls. While I grieve at the loss of my honoured friend, I often think with a grateful pleasure, on the many profitable conversations we had together, and on the many years of peaceful acquaintance we enjoyed. I remember to have been much impressed the first time I saw him, not only by the fine figure of the man, the noble appearance he made in his regimentals, but by the seriousness which appeared in him, which was then so unusual in a soldier. But how much more striking is the appearance of that servant of God now, in the heavenly world," clothed in white robes," and having a palm of victory in his hands. May you, my dear Sir, and may I, be made meet to follow him to the realms of glory."

To this closing wish of a pious heart, I cordially add, including the friend to whom I write, and "all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, Amen and Amen."

I am, &c.

APPENDIX

No. 1.

IT is highly probable that, as Mr. Morris read much, and thought closely, he had sometimes committed his thoughts to writing: if, however, he had any papers of this kind by him, they were most likely burned, with others committed to the flames, when he was setting his house in order for death, except one which was the mere beginning of a plan he had in view, to trace the history of religion in Amersham, principally among the Dissenters, from the time of Wickliffe to his own days. It is to be regretted that this was begun so late in life. He might have possessed materials for this, and had sourses of information, of which his friends know nothing.

The Borough of Amersham was formerly noted for the general reception of the Doctrines of Wickliffe; but I have not been able to meet with any fact, by which I could trace the history of the Lollards at this place, before the year 1495, or that throws any light on the precise time of their first appearance here, only that Lutterworth, of which place Wickliffe was Rector, and Amersham were in the same Diocese. It appears that the adherents to these opinions in Amersham, were numerous, and organized into a Church as far back as the year 1495, and were distinguished by the

name of known-men, or just-fust men, on account of the securities which they mutually gave, and the confidence which they reposed in each other. They enjoyed the labours of four teachers, who all of them obtained the crown of martyrdom. William Tilsworth, Thomas Chase, Thomas Mann, and Robert Cosin suffered at this place. Tilsworth in a close called Stanley, his own daughter being barbarously compelled to kindle the fire that consumed him. Others were treated with great severity about this time, by Smith, Bishop of Lincoln, and Langham, the successor of Smith, who was a still more rigorous inquisitor; so that from 1518 to 1521, multitudes were exposed to suffering. Fox records some pleasing and curious particulars respecting the means by which the knowledge of the truth was at that time diffused, and especially respecting the circulation of portions of sacred Scripture in Wickliff's translation.

Thus we see that the doctrines of the reformation had taken root before the time of Luther, by the preaching and writing of Wickliffe, the precursor of the reformation in England. Indeed, a just estimate hath not yet been formed of the vast benefit which accrued to the world from the exertions of this astonishing man, whose appearance at that period, and in all its circumstances was a prodigy. It was by his writings that the mind of John Huss was enlightened, whose sentiments were retained among the Bohemian Taborights and Calxtines, until the rise of Luther. Strype re: cords the mutual attachment between John Knox and the

people of Amersham in these, words. In the year 1553, Knox having gone to some parts of Buckinghamshire in his itinerant course of preaching, took a particular liking to the people of this place, partly from the crowds that flocked to hear him, and partly from their civilities towards him, which shewed that the seed sown by the followers of Wickliffe had never been altogether eradicated. Two years after this Knox was accused of high treason at Frankfort in Germany, whither he had fled from persecution, for words originally spoken to the inhabitants of Amersham, respecting the rumoured marriage of Queen Mary with Philip the son and heir of Charles the Fifth, a match that was generally dreaded by thinking men. The passage on which they rested their

accusation was as follows: "O England, England, if thou wilt obstinately contract marriage confederacy, or league, with such princes as do maintain and advance idolatry, such as the Emperor who is no less enemy to Christ than ever was Nero. If for the pleasure of such Princes thou return to thy old abominations before used under the papistry, then assuredly, O England, thou shalt be plagued, and brought to desolation, by the means of those whose favour thou seekest." The other passages relate to the cruelty of the English Queen. The magistrates of Frankfort were perplexed in consequence of this accusation, lest it should come to the ears of the Emperor, and they should be obliged to deliver him up; so that his friends advised him to retire of his own accord from Frankfort, with which he complied; and again visited his friends at Geneva; agreeably to the advice of his Lord; "If they persecute thee in one city flee unto another."

The compiler of these memoirs is not aware of any document which can afford any further information till 1675, when the church-book of the General Baptists records the formation of a church of seventeen members. But this was only a separation, in all probability, from a much larger body. The cause of separation was, that this minority considered the laying on of hands after baptism enjoined by the New Testament. It seems also that these people could not submit to the marriage ceremony of the Church of England, and therefore performed it publicly in their own congregation. They also protested against oaths as sinful, and in some other points resembled the Society of Friends. How long that church from which they separated had existed cannot now be ascertained. It must have been some years, as they were then a regularly organized body, and from the little attention paid to the seceders, it