MR. JOHN AUDLEY was born at St. Ives, in Huntingdonshire, on the 27th of July, 1750. His father was at that time a woolstapler in that town, from whence, in the following year, he removed to Cambridge. His mother was the daughter of a Mr. William Lee, whose father (a Clergyman belonging to St. John's College, Cambridge) being highly indignant at his conduct in becoming a Dissenter, had deprived him, by will, of the property to which he was justly entitled.

After having been early sent to a day-school, where he made considerable proficiency, the subject of our narrative was, at the age of nine, removed to a boarding-school at Ware. Here he was allowed to remain only three years; and was then, without enjoying any farther means of instruction, employed in his father's business. This circumstance he himself afterwards deeply regretted, although he had, by diligent and continued application, attained an extent of information, both on theological and general subjects, surpassed, it may safely be said, by very few whose advantages were equally limited.

Through the influence of education, he appears always to have had an abhorrence of swearing, lying, and the more gross sins to which youth are frequently liable; and to have been, on the contrary,

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generally distinguished for the correctness and regularity of his deportment. "To this," (he remarks, in a M.S. which has been found among his papers,) "I added, through the instructions of my mother, morning and evening prayers for the Sabbath-day; though, alas! all this time I was thoughtless about God, my soul, or eternity." In this state he appears, from his own account, to have remained till the latter end of the year 1766, when his mind became the subject of serious impressions. One Sabbath evening in November of that year, having been sent out on an errand by his father, he strayed into St. Andrew's church, (Cambridge,) at a time when the burial service was being read. It does not seem that any expression in particular struck his mind; but, on retiring from the church, he became deeply impressed with a sense of his awful condition as a sinner before God. This affected him greatly as he went home; where the evi dent distress of his mind was soon apparent to his valued mother, who seems to have been a most amiable and truly pious woman, and to whom the discovery appears to have afforded great plea sure. She cheered him by the assurance, that God would not despise "the day of small things;" and with the hope of affording comfort and encouragement to his 3 F

mind, she put into his hand, Clarke's admirable work on Scripture Promises.

"I have not," he observes, under date

of July, 1785, "at this distance of time, the recollection of what gave me comfort, but am inclined to think I soon found it. The new views I now had of God and Christ, sin and self, heaven and hell, the worth of the soul, &c. led me to converse

in a different manuer from what I had before done. And though my ignorance of the nature of religion exposed me to

many doubts and fears, yet I experienced pleasure to which I was before a stranger, and thought, at times, I could say, My

beloved is mine, and I am his.'

Feeling, as the natural consequence of a personal experience of divine grace, a desire to be instrumental in awakening others to a sense of the value of that Saviour he had himself found so precious, Mr. Audley's thoughts became, about this time, frequently and powerfully directed to the ministry of the Gospel. His own words will, perhaps, best convey his views and feelings on this subject.

"Often," he says, "did I spread the case before the Lord, begging he would open the way for its accomplishment; though I saw hardly a probability of this being done. My father in general laughed at this order of men; and as I was his eldest son, and had been taken from school early, on purpose to help him in the business, I thought his aversion was uncon

querable. But how wonderful are the dispensations of providence! One evening, (Nov. 1767,) after hearing a sermon on Isaiah xlii. 7. I came home, and at supper, speaking of the minister, &c. my

father took up the subject, and said, that as my mind seemed wholly taken up with religion, he imagined I should like to be a minister; and that if I did, he would not be my hindrance, but would send me immediately to Dr. Conder's Academy. This I thought so remarkable an answer to prayer, that it much affected me; and as the chief obstacle was removed, I had but little doubt of having an opportunity to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Other objections, however, were soon raised in my own mind, as the great importance of the work, my unfitness for it, the difficulties to which it would expose me, &c. Indeed, I fear this last was the chief objection. But though I waived the affair for that time, I did not give it up, but

had a secret thought, for many years, that one day or other I should be a preacher."

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Having thus relinquished, for the present, the idea of ministerial engagements, Mr. Audley appears to have been chiefly occupied in conducting his business as woolstapler, in which he had succeeded his father at Cambridge. But owing to his having survived most of his early friends, and to the very imperfect state in which many of his own papers have been left, very few particulars can now be recovered of this period of his life.

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In the summer of 1785, his mind was for a few weeks considerably impressed by a dream, which evidently arose the following circumstance. While spending a short time with a friend in Essex, the gentleman at whose house he was staying, mentioned the singular case of a Clergyman who had dreamed, a year before, that he should die on a particular day. This made him, for a time, very pensive; but, at length, he completely revived, apprehending he had lived beyond the time specified. He e was, however, taken suddenly ill, and died; and after his death, a memorandum was found in his own hand writing, from which it appeared, that his death did actually take place on the very day he had dreamed it would. On the day after hearing this anecdote, Mr. Audley returned home; and on the night of his arrival, imagined, during his sleep, that a female figure appeared to him, and informed him, that his own death was to take place in six weeks from that time, at two o'clock in the morning. While the having so recently heard the circumstance mentioned above easily accounted for such a dream, the manner in which that terminated, served the more deeply to impress it upon his own mind. As the time was nearly expiring he enjoyed his usual

ascertained: nor is it distinctly known, whether he ever proposed settling, as the stated pastor of any society; though the probability seems, that he only contemplated occasionally officiating, as opportunities might arise. No private memorandum of the times and places at which he preached has been found among his papers, bearing an earlier date than 1808. It is well known, however, that for several previous years he had often assisted in the villages round Cambridge, and supplied for the Ministers of that town and neighbourhood. From this time till 1820, (when the account breaks off,) his engagements were numerous, and the Sabbaths comparatively few, in which he was not officiating for some congregation. His exertions in the villages were, in some instances, particularly successful. This was especially the case at Sawston, a village about seven miles from Cambridge, where he was in a great degree instrumental in founding the congregation at present existing. He first preached the lecture there in October 1807; and after frequently assisting in carrying it on, he had the pleasure, on Lord's-day, September 30, 1810, of preaching two sermons at the opening of a barn in the village, for constant public worship. In the summer of 1811, the erection of a neat chapel was commenced, which was opened in March 1812; and on the 15th of December in that year, he had the gratification of being present at the ordination of the Rev. H. Tyler, (now of Sawbridgeworth,) over the newly formed church. "So far," he observes, referring to this occasion, "I have the satisfaction of seeing that my labours have not been in vain." He also heard of some pleasing instances of usefulness which had attended his labours there. It should be added, that he also exerted himself, to some extent, in obtaining

assistance in liquidating the debt incurred by the erection of the meeting-house.

At the close of 1809, and the commencement of the following year, Mr. Audley was engaged in preaching principally at Cambridge. The Rev. William, (now Dr.) Harris, at that time the beloved pastor of the church in Downing Street, having been laid aside, for a time, by the rupture of a blood-vessel, availed himself of his assistance. He preached, with the exception of a few services, from Nov. 26, 1809, till the 25th of February following; and to a considerable extent, attended to other pastoral duties.

In 1813, an event occurred, which led to his regularly officiating, during a considerable time, for the congregation worshipping in Green Street Meeting-house, in the same town. Mr. Stittle, a singular but excellent old man, who had originally been sent out as a preacher by the celebrated John Berridge, after having laboured in that place for many years, expired in the month of July. He had, during his last years, resided in a cottage belonging to Mr. Audley, which being very near his own residence, he had enjoyed frequent intercourse with him, and received many instances of kindness from him. Entertaining some fears as to his congregation after his death, he had requested Mr. Audley, if possible, to supply them for a time himself. On the afternoon of July 25th, he accordingly preached Mr. Stittle's funeral sermon; and from that time continued to occupy the pulpit, with very few Sabbaths excepted, till August in the following year; and there is reason to believe his services were both acceptable and useful.

In the beginning of 1820, he was entirely laid aside by a violent attack of inflammation on the lungs. He felt himself so greatly

reduced by this illness, that even after the disease had been subdued, he had but little expectation of ultimate recovery. After being confined to the house about ten weeks, he was able to be taken in a sedan to public worship: and feeling his strength gradually re turning as the spring advanced, he in the summer visited his friends in Essex, and spent some time at Hastings, in each of which excursions he occasionally preached.

Early in the summer of 1821, Mr. Audley, somewhat to the astonishment of his friends, vacated the residence he had for several years occupied at Cambridge, which, from its retired situation on an eminence, at a remote part of the town, had received the truly appropriate designation of "Mount Pleasant." His furniture, with a valuable and extensive library, which he had been for several years collecting, were sold, with very few reservations; and the house let, two rooms only being retained for his own occasional use. These, however, he occupied but very little; for till about two or three years after, at which time he sold the whole of the premises, he was, for the most part, either lodging in London, or visiting different parts of the country. That after having for so many years enjoyed the comforts of a private and respectable establishment, and being surrounded by an extensive circle of attached friends, he should, at the advanced age of seventy, forego such advantages, and subject himself to the necessary inconveniences of a changing and uncertain dwelling, certainly appeared, at first, somewhat surprising. It was with this feeling, that his intimate friends regarded the event of his leaving Cambridge; until it some time after became painfully apparent, that a material change in his pecuniary

affairs had doubtless operated in his own mind, as the motive of his conduct. That his resources were, at one time, not only respectable but abundant, there is every reason to believe; but by what unfortunate circumstances they afterwards became so contracted as they ultimately were, has not, it is believed, been disclosed to any of his friends. The fact, however, becoming evident, his well known character became a more than sufficient pledge to his friends, that they were such as to commend him to their affectionate sympathy. By their kind and prompt liberality, an annuity was secured to him, which, though it of course left him without the abundance of former days, was amply sufficient to raise him above pressing necessity. It should also be added, that the manner in which this was done, while it showed their regard for his feelings, reflected additional lustre on their own.

In 1822, he spent some time at Swansea, in South Wales, from whence, though then seventy-two, he crossed the Bristol Channel to visit some friends in Devonshire; in which excursion he frequently preached with much acceptance. Some time after this he was statedly ministering at Huntingdon, during several months. He appears to have felt a lively interest in an attempt which had for a considerable time been making, to raise an Independent interest in that town; and had often contributed to assist the object, by occasionally preaching there. On one of his visits he received an application to preach to the people for three months, with which he complied, and it is believed, continued some time longer after these were expired. The interest was certainly much indebted to his seasonable and judicious assistance at that time. His services proved so acceptable, that the con