TO CORRESPONDENTS. A highly valued Correspondent inquires, whether it is not advisable that "a season should be set apart for prayer in all our churches, to supplicate from the God of Heaven his direction and blessing on the Society and its labourers-that we might indeed see that the set time to favour Zion is come." The suggestion fully accords with our feelings; but is there not reason to fear that, in some places at least, the stated Missionary prayer meetings, on the first Monday evening in the month, are not so well attended as they ought to be? On this topic we could say much, but for the present we forbear. The Editor fully expected to receive, before now, a more explicit acknowledgment of the valuable presents sent out for the Female Schools last year by the Mary Anne, Capt. Boucant. In the mean while, he has much pleasure in extracting, for the information and encouragement of his Female Friends, the following paragraph from a letter addressed to himself, by Mr. W. H. Pearce, dated 18th Feb. last: "The presents for the Female Schools bave all arrived in excellent order. They are highly creditable to the taste and generosity of our Female Friends, and have already produced Rs. 1200 (1201.), after three days sale. On this subject I shall get my dear wife to write you officially, to express our gratitude. Many thanks are due to Mrs. Carey for the zeal she has excited, and the really judicious assortment of articles she has by this means secured." A parcel of Magazines has been received from Mr. Richardson, John-street, Blackfriars ; and also a Box of Fancy Articles from Mrs. Aveline, Barnstaple, intended for the Female School in Jamaica. It is desirable that whenever packages are forwarded from the country to the Mission House, advice should be sent by post, specifying by what conveyance they are sent. The following omissions have been discovered in the Cash Appendix to the Report just published: Those Friends who have received money on account of Mr. Leslie's 1 1 0 0 5 0 Vision of Hea ven," are requested to forward it at their earliest convenience, as it is desirable to close the account of that publication. Littlewood & Co., Printers, Old Bailey, BAPTIST MAGAZINE. NOVEMBER, 1828. A MEMOIR OF The Rev. LawreNCE | tidings of salvation to others. His consequences of sin were very deep, so that, for some months, he THIS truly venerable servant of was greatly distressed, and on the Jesus Christ, was the youngest son very borders of despair, till at length of Mr. Henry Butterworth, of he was suddenly relieved by a beGoodshaw Chapel, in the forest lieving view of the glory of Christ, of Rossendale, Lancashire, where and the efficacy of his atonement. he was born on the 6th of Decem- His darkness was at once turned into ber 1740, O. S. His parents were light and his sorrow into joy. But pious, and members of the Baptist this season of refreshing from the Church at Cloughfold, while under presence of the Lord was but of the pastoral care of the. Rev. Ri- short continuance; a cloud overchard Ashworth, a zealous preacher shadowed all his bright and cheerof the gospel, and a happy instru- ing prospects, and for the long ment of turning many to righteous- period of six or seven years, he ness. His father was for many was the subject of very painful years a deacon of that church and doubts, and very distressing aplived to a good old age. He had prehensions. During this time of the unusual happiness of having darkness, however, he did not enno less than five sons in the minis-tirely abandon hope, or neglect the try, four of whom filled, for a long private and public duties of reliperiod, honourable and useful sta-gion: though "he walked in darktions in the church of Christ, viz. ness and had no light," yet, in a John at Coventry, James at Broms- measure, he still "trusted in the grove, Henry at Bridgnorth, and Lord." The protracted struggle Lawrence at Evesham. The last between faith and unbelief, hope of these, the subject of this me- and despair, terminated happily : moir, was trained up from infancy the day of life and joy broke upon to walk in the paths of morality him, and he was enabled fully to and religion, and gave early proofs repose his confidence in the proof the good effect of parental and mise and faithfulness of Him who ministerial instruction. Interest-" turneth the shadow of death into ing letters written by him in his morning." After this, his mind youth have been preserved, from was seldom agitated with doubt as which it appears, that his mind at to his state. The grounds of his the age of thirteen was impressed confidence were the immutable with the importance of Divine perfections of God, the infinite things in one of them he gives fulness of Christ, and the rich proan account of his conversion to mises of the Gospel. He soon God at about the age of fifteen, became devotedly attached to the and even then he entertained a doctrines of divine grace from perhope that he should, at some fu- sonal experience of their power, ture period, communicate the glad and they were his boast through VOL. III. 3d Series. : K K the whole of life, as they were at esting and important doctrines of last his support in the hour of Christianity for the press, which, death. All his early correspond-owing to some local circumstances, ence proves, what the maturer was not printed. His health, subyears of his protracted life and sequent to this period, improved, ministry confirmed and illustrated, and became fully re-established, that he had a heart to sympathize and with comparatively slight ocwith his friends in all their trou-casional interruptions, was remarkbles, and that he felt deeply in-ably continued during the reterested in their temporal and spi-mainder of his long life. He had ritual welfare. however other trials, and these at He was placed for a while under some periods "great and sore," the care of the late Rev. John from a variety of adverse proviRyland of Warwick, (father of the dences, and from serious losses late Dr. Ryland,) till Mr. R. re-sustained by him when surrounded moved to Northampton. About by a large family. He had great the age of twenty-two he became difficulties to contend with, and a member of the church at Good-privations to endure, but he unishaw Chapel, then under the pas- formly discovered much fortitude, toral care of the Rev. John Nuttal, patience, resignation, and even who, thinking that the Lord had cheerfulness, in the midst of all designed him for the work of the his trials, and they operated as an ministry, urged him to exercise his additional stimulus to exertions, talents with that view. The church which God was pleased to bless being pleased with those exercises, to the restoration of his temporal ordained him as a teaching elder. circumstances, and the removal of His brother James, of Bromsgrove, his consequent anxieties. In the invited him to fill his pulpit for a time of his greatest distress, such season, in 1764, at which time was the general estimation in which the Baptist Church at Bengworth he was held by the inhabitants of lost their pastor, the Rev. Jacob Evesham, and such their convicMower, and therefore gave him an tion of the integrity and excellence invitation, which he accepted, and of his character, that they entered went thither September 29th of into a voluntary and liberal subthat year. He continued with them scription for his relief, to which four years: his labours being ap- both rich and poor promptly contriproved he was ordained their pas-buted according to their respective tor the 30th March 1768. The ability. Rev. Philip Jones of Upton, the It will be proper here to introduce an extract of a letter to the writer of this memoir, from his only surviving son, Mr. John Butterworth of Long Lane, Southwark :- "In re-perusing many of my deceased parent's letters to myself, (for we kept up a regular and uninterrupted correspondence for nearly forty years past,) I perceive an uniform and unshaken confidence in the Divine Being, as the God of nature, providence and grace, and a steady reliance upon the merits, and finished work of that he felt it much more than the loss of all his other eight children. the adorable Redeemer. The word of God seemed not only familiar to him, but his peculiar delight, and He was throughout life a man of he studiously endeavoured to be great industry and determined perconformed to its precepts, and to severance. For several years he copy after the examples. therein preached three or four times in exhibited. Its promises were to the week, attended the interests of him a source of divine comfort, a large boarding school, and yet and supported his hope when all composed, at the same time, two earthly comfort seemed to forsake or three treatises on abstruse subhim, and it may be truly said of jects, which must have cost him him, that the consolations of God much time, and great labour, but were neither few nor small in his which he deemed important to the experience. Though I was young interests of truth. One of these at the time he was called to suffer treatises was, "On Natural and the loss of his earthly substance, Revealed Religion," and published yet I well remember the patience in 1781, but has long been out of and tranquillity he manifested on print. Another was, "Thoughts that occasion; it made a very deep on Moral Government and Agency, impression on my mind, and con- &c." published some time after the vinced me of the truth of Scripture, former.* and that he must be under its Though he had few advantages sacred influence, though I then of a literary nature in early life, felt nothing myself of its divine yet by a proportionate intenseness power. The conduct he was en- of application his information was abled to manifest at that period extensive, and his attainments conpeculiarly developed the exercise siderable. When only nineteen of genuine Christian graces, espe-years of age, he composed a Greek cially of the strong faith he main- Grammar, and another work on tained in the word of eternal truth. Greek Etymology, both of which No son ever had a father who gave must have been the result of very better and more faithful counsel, close application to the study of than that I have had from him, that important and difficult lanboth in matters connected with the guage. Obstacles to the accompresent life, and especially in those plishment of any object which he in which our eternal interests are judged to be right never intimiinvolved. To his pious example, dated his mind, or paralysed his his fervent prayers, and frequent energies, but, on the contrary, admonitions, his children owe much; called all his powers into exercise. two only survive him out of eleven. This indeed was not obstinacy, but Eight died when very young, one manly decision of character. His daughter lived with her parents mind was so happily constituted thirty-two years, when it pleased by nature, his piety so influential the Lord to take her to himself. and salutary by grace, his bodily Her father baptized her, on a con- frame so exempted from nervous fession of her faith, at the early affection, that he scarcely ever age of thirteen, and she lived nine-knew those distressing fears, of teen years afterwards, to exem- which so many of the sincere serplify the power of divine grace to a very great degree. The loss of *Some copies of this are left, and may such a daughter deeply affected be had of Wightman and Cramp, Paternoshim, and I have heard him remark,ter Row. vants of God, through native timi- | modes of expression extremely indity and nervous irritation, are the appropriate to the state of my mind frequent subjects. His body and on the subject. If I was hurt at mind seem to have had a powerful all, it was at the austere and disaction and re-action on each other; couraging tone adopted in it, towhile his general health prevented wards some who appeared to be depression of spirits, the buoyancy just commencing their labours in of which had a favourable influ- their Master's vineyard, and who, ence on his health. He was the as I thought, and still think, ought chief instrument of raising the sub-rather to be encouraged than browstantial and commodious place of beaten, by their senior brethren. worship in Evesham, which he And if "A publicly recognized continued to occupy till his death. Pastor" will forgive me for chargIt was erected in 1788, amidst ing on him the unskilfulness of many and peculiar difficulties and which he has convicted me, I must dissensions, and much opposition, declare that, notwithstanding his which subjected both his health" protestation," his language with and spirits to a severe test: but regard to them still presents to my the Lord sustained him, and crown-mind the same unkind appearance. ed his efforts with success. And I thank your Correspondent for there is a record in the church his compliment on my "sagacity.” book of the following year, that I am sorry I so little deserve it. the church enjoyed more peace, The inference which drew from him unity, love and spiritual prosperity, that piece of politeness, was sugthan it had realized in any former gested by the singularity of his period. signature, which, I therefore supposed, bore some immediate relation to the principal topic of his observations: that, however, but of little importance; and therefore I will only further refer to his arguments in support of the opinion stated in his fourth paragraph, and especially to the questions he has done me the honour to propose to (To be continued.) ON ORDINATION. To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. SIR, me. is IT becomes me to beg pardon of "A publicly recognized Pastor," for the apparent incivility of so long a delay in answering his last In order to this, Sir, it will be letter. I beg to assure him that necessary to pay attention to the the cause of it was no disposition precise terms employed by the saon my part to treat him uncourte-cred writers, in the passages your ously, but a necessary absence of Correspondent refers to, and in some length from home, and a others of similar import. In givsuccession of such engagements ing to this subject the investigation abroad, as left me no time for other to which his questions have invited occupations. me, two passages of Scripture seem to me especially to deserve examination. One of these, namely, Titus i. 5. he mentions; the other is Acts, xiv. 23: "And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting," &c. The original word translated ordained in this last I am sorry, too, if there was any thing in my manner of replying to his first letter, to countenance the idea that my "mind was hurt," or that I had taken "offence," at his expressing his belief in the scriptural authority of ordination; if there was, I must have adopted |