Hyde, by whom he was introduced to King Charles. At this interview his Majesty assured Dr. Owen of his favour and respect, and expressed his feeling of the wrong that had been done to the Dissenters; as a testimony of which, he gave him a thousand guineas to distribute amongst those who had suffered the most. This circumstance is very creditable to the memory of that good-natured though profligate Prince; and proves that the harsh measures towards Dissenters, adopted in his reign, did not emanate from himself. Dr. Owen died in 1683, aged 67. His works are very voluminous, and many of them highly prized.

The next preacher in this congregation is supposed to have been the Rev. STEPHEN CHARNOCK. He was one of the Chaplains of Henry Cromwell, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Being endowed with great prudence and sagacity, he was employed in many public affairs of great importance. He had great talents as a public speaker, and his ministry was attended by persons of the very first distinction in Dublin. He was a Fellow of the College, and a lecturer at St. Werburgh's. Having remained in Dublin about eight years, he removed to England in the year 1661, and became pastor to a Dissenting congregation in London, where he died in the year 1680, aged 52. His works were published after his death, in two folio volumes.

Rev. EDWARD VEAL, M.A.-He was ordained to the congregation at Dunboyne, near Dublin, by a Presbytery at Winwick, in Lancashire, in 1657, being at that time a Fellow of Trinity College; and afterwards officiated in Wood-street, along with Stephen Charnock. Some time after the Act of Uniformity was passed, he returned to England, being appointed domestic chaplain to Sir William Waller in Middlesex. From this he went to superintend a Dissenting Academy at Stepney, and became pastor to a Presbyterian congregation in London, where he died in the year 1708, aged 76.

Rev. SAMUEL MARSDEN.-He was one of the ejected ministers in England, having been dispossessed of the living of Great Neeston in Cheshire. His father and three of his brothers were Presbyterian ministers; the youngest of whom was Josiah Marsden, Fellow of Dublin College. Some communion plate, the gift of this family, still remains as a memorial of them in Strandstreet congregation.

Rev. DANIEL WILLIAMS, D.D.-A clergyman of deserved celebrity; born at Wrexham 1643. He made such progress in

• There is a tradition that John Livingston, the great apostle of Presby terianism in Ulster, officiated amongst this people in Dublin for some time, about this period. I cannot find any very satisfactory grounds for this tradition,

theological learning, that he was admitted a preacher in the 20th year of his age. Having been invited to Ireland to be Chaplain to the Earl of Meath, he was for some time pastor to the Presbyterian congregation in Drogheda. In the year 1667 he received an unanimous call to be pastor to the congregation of Wood-street, which he accepted. He filled this station in Dublin for 20 years, with unusual acceptance and success. His vehement attachment to true Protestant principles exposed him to great danger, in the arbitrary reign of James II. It was his avowed opinion that the severity exercised towards Presbyterians was not so much on account of their religious dissent, as because they presented the firmest bulwark against despotic power. He left Ireland in 1687, and settled in London, where he was of much service in effecting the Revolution in 1688. His great knowledge of Irish affairs rendered him very useful to King William, by whom he was highly esteemed, and often consulted. He was the intimate friend of the venerable Richard Baxter, whom he succeeded in the lectureship at Pinners' Hall. After the death of Queen Anne, Dr. Williams was appointed by the Dissenters in London to present their common Address to King George the First, Sept. 14, 1714. He died Jan. 26, 1716. His theological works have been collected and published in five vols. octavo. He was possessed of a considerable estate, the greater part of which he bequeathed to pious and charitable purposes. He founded and endowed the Dissenters' Library in Red-Cross-street, London. He instituted exhibitions, or burses, for students in Glasgow College. He left considerable sums to the poor of Wood-street Congregation, and the French refugees. He bequeathed the interest of a thousand pounds for ever, to promote the preaching of Christianity in the Irish language; the appropriation of which sum he directed to be at the nomination of four persons of the Congregations of Wood-street and New-row. During his ministry in Wood-street he had several colleagues and occasional assistants.

Rev. GILBERT RULE, M.D.-This eminent Minister fled to Dublin as a place of refuge during the persecutions in Scotland, and officiated with his friend Dr. Williams in Wood street. He had been sub-principal of King's College, Aberdeen; afterwards Pastor of Alnwick, in Northumberland. He remained about five years in Dublin. At the Revolution he was invited to be one of the Ministers in Edinburgh, and became Principal of the University in that city. Being appointed one of the Commissioners from Scotland to King William, his Majesty took particular notice of him, and treated him with marked respect. He was a powerful defender of Nonconformity, and supporter of Presbyterianism. His writings on these topics are highly esteemed for their erudition, ability and temper.

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Rev. TIMOTHY HALIDAY.-He was educated at the Academy of the Rev. Edward Veal at Stepney; was assistant for some years to Dr. Williams, and died at an early age, in the year 1683.

Rev. JOSEPH BOYSE.-He was born at Leeds, 1660. He was the son of Matthew Boyse, an eminent Puritan, who had lived many years at Boston in New England. He was educated for the ministry at the Academy of Mr. Veal at Stepney; admitted a preacher at an early age; and became domestic chaplain in the family of the Countess of Donegall, a lady of great piety, and a zealous Dissenter. He was afterwards Minister for some time to an English Church in Amsterdam. On the death of his friend and fellow-student Mr. Haliday, he became colleague to Dr. Williams, A.D. 1683, and continued Minister of Woodstreet Congregation for the long period of 45 years.

Mr. Boyse was one of the most strenuous Dissenters and able divines of his day. His controversy "on the proper office of a Christian Bishop," excited universal attention. His arguments on this subject being unanswerable, the influence of the Episcopal Bench was employed to obtain a vote of the Irish Parliament to have his book publicly burned; but this only increased the respect paid him by all denominations, for his piety, learning, and independent mind. In the latter part of his life, he took a very active share in the discussions which agitated the Presbyterians in Ulster. His Sermon on Christian Charity, preached at a meeting of the Northern Synod in Londonderry, 1722, at the commencement of those discussions, does him great honour. His theological works, collected and published in London in two vols. folio, contain a great variety of useful and important matter. He died Nov. 22, 1728, in the 68th year of his age.

Rev. THOMAS EMLYN.-This worthy clergyman, not more remarkable for his sufferings than his merits, was born at Stamford in Lincolnshire, in 1663. In his youth he possessed great advantages in the friendly attentions of Dr. Cumberland, the Rector of the parish, afterwards the famous Bishop of Peterborough. He was educated at a Dissenters' Academy in Northamptonshire; was a student of Emanuel College, Cambridge; and began to preach in public in his 20th year. He succeeded

Mr. Boyse left two children; a daughter, married to Mr. Waddington, from whom are descended several respectable families-Smith, Thwaites, Orr, Boursiquot, Glenny;-and a son, the highly-gifted Samuel Boyse, equally distinguished for talents and misfortunes; whose genius has been praised by Pope, Johnson, and Fielding; whose writings justify their praise; and whose unhappy life affords an awful moral lesson, and a striking example of talent perverted and abused.

Mr. Boyse as Chaplain in the family of the Countess of Donegall. Sir W. Franklyn, the husband of this lady, being possessed of the presentation to a valuable living in England, offered it to Mr. Emlyn, who declined it because he could not conscientiously conforin to the Established Church. In a visit with the Countess's family to Belfast, Mr. Emlyn preached every Sunday evening in the Castle-hall, and was attended by the Episcopalian Minister of the parish, Claude Gilbert, with whom he lived in great intimacy. The Bishop of the diocese having bestowed upon him a free license to preach, he often officiated in giving the sermon in the parish church in Belfast. In the year

1691, having been repeatedly and urgently invited, he became the colleague of Mr. Boyse in Wood-street, where he lived for ten years in great happiness and comfort. In consequence of some private discussions with some members of his church on the doctrine of the Trinity, he published, in 1692, his celebrated work, "An Humble Enquiry into the Scripture Account of Jesus Christ;" which, not being consistent with the orthodox creeds, exposed him to severe persecution, in those days of bigotry and intolerance. By a most iniquitous sentence he was fined in a thousand pounds, and imprisoned for twelve months. He remained a year longer in confinement, being unable to pay so large a sum. At length the fine was greatly reduced, and be was released by the influence of the Duke of Ormond. During his confinement he preached every Lord's day to the debtors in the prison and many members of his own congregation, who assembled there to hear him. After his liberation he removed to London, where he became the intimate friend and associate of Foster, Clarke, and Whiston, three of the most eminent divines of that period. He carried on the Unitarian controversy with great spirit, effect, and good temper, for many years. He died in the year 1743, in the 79th year of his age. His son Sollom Emlyn who died in the year 1756, and his grandson Thomas Emlyn who died in the year 1797, were lawyers of eminence and considerable practice at the English bar. Mr. Emlyn is described as one of the brightest examples of substantial unaffected piety, of serious rational devotion, of a steady unshaken integrity, and an undaunted Christian courage." His valuable works have been collected by his son, and published in three vols. octavo.

Rev. RICHARD CHOPPIN.-Of this Minister I can find but few memorials. He was born in Dublin, of an opulent Presbyterian family, and educated in this city. He was licensed by the Presbytery in 1702. Soon after, he received an unanimous call from the Congregation in Cork, to be Assistant to their Pastor the Rev. S. Lowthion. This invitation he declined, being invited to succeed Mr. Emlyn. He was ordained colleague to Mr.

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Boyse in the year 1704, and was Minister of Wood-street 37 years, till his death, which took place in 1741. Mr. Choppin was a principal promoter of the General Fund, in conjunction with the leading members of the Congregation, Sir Arthur Langford, and Dr. Duncan Cumyng. The capital of this fund was £7670, of which the members of Wood-street Congregation contributed £6750. The Trustees purchased from Mr. Choppin the estate at Rathfarnham, which now constitutes so large a portion of the property of the Fund.

Rev. JOHN ABERNETHY, M.A.-Born Oct. 1680. He was the son of the Rev. John Abernethy, Minister of Colerain, (who was a man of great reputation amongst his brethren, and employed by them in offices of the greatest trust.) He studied at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and was licensed by the Presbytery of Route at a very early age. He was or-` dained Minister of Antrim Aug. 8, 1703, in which situation he continued 27 years. During his residence there he received unanimous and pressing calls from the Congregations of Colerain, Londonderry, Belfast, and Usher's Quay in Dublin, which prove the high estimation in which he was held. In the discussions in the Synod of Ulster, relative to subscription, he bore a very conspicuous part on the side of religious liberty, and was one of the ejected ministers in 1726. In the year 1730 he was invited by the Congregation of Wood-street to succeed Mr. Boyse. With this invitation he complied, and continued there as colleague to Mr. Choppin, till his death, Dec. 1740, in the 60th year of his age. Mr. Abernethy has been justly considered one of the brightest ornaments of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. His discourses on the Divine Attributes have been universally admired. Several volumes of his miscellaneous sermons, and one of controversial tracts, were published after his death.

Rev. JAMES DUCHAL, D.D.-Born at Antrim, 1697. His early education was directed by Mr. Abernethy. The pupil

• Dr. Curnyng was an eminent physician in Dublin, and highly respected by the Presbyterian Body in Ireland. As a proof of this, he was selected, in 1688, to convey their earliest assurances of attachment to the Prince of Orange, at the commencement of the Revolution. This trust he faithfully discharged, and was honoured with the personal friendship of King William and Queen Mary.

+ The respectable families of Maclaine and Bryson in Antrim are descendants of this excellent man. The celebrated Surgeon Abernethy of London is his grandson, and inherits his talents and independent mind.

It is recorded of Dr. Samuel Johnson, that, on reading these discourses, he expressed the warmest admiration of them; but on being informed that they were the work of a Presbyterian Minister, he closed the book, and never opened it again! Such is the contracted spirit of bigotry!