not in vain. Many were inclined | Draycup's removal. The church

had again recourse to supplies; and after a short time, engaged, for a year, Mr. James Howorth, a young man, recently called to the ministry, by the church at Bacup. He was a very promising young man, and though he could not be said to be popular, yet his piety, his evangelical sentiments, and his simple but clear mode of communicating them, rendered his labours very acceptable to the church and congregation. The period of his services however was short; for it pleased God to remove him by death, before the expiration of the year, which he had engaged to spend with them. He died, as he had lived, full of

to hear, and some heard to profit.
In this way they proceeded, till
the month of April, 1775, when
encouraged by the ministers who
supplied them, and the neigh-
bouring churches, they procured
a spot of ground, and began the
erection of a place of worship,
14 yards by 12 outside. The
whole expense exceeded £400, a
sum far beyond their ability to
furnish, but a great part of which,
however, through the exertions of
the ministers who visited and
laboured amongst them, and
the kindness of neighbouring
churches, they were soon enabled
to raise. After being supplied by
several young men, then under
the care of Mr. since Dr. Faw-faith and hope."

cett, who was then removed to From the above-mentioned ma-
Hebden Bridge, and who edu-nuscript, it appears, "that Mr. Lit.
cated a few young men for the
ministry, the few people were
soon formed into a church, and
invited Mr. Abraham Greenwood,
now of Killinghone, in Lincoln-
shire, but then a student under
Dr. Fawcett, statedly to labour
among them. Mr. Greenwood
was with them for some years;
but his labours being attended
with little success, and a disaffec-
tion beginning to prevail betwixt
him and some of the people, he
left them, in the year 1781. He
was succeeded by Mr. John Dray-
cup, a peaceable, worthy man;
but his ministry meeting with lit-
tle success, he left them, after
having laboured amongst them for
four years. During his continu-
ance, seven of the most valuable
members of the church, who
lived in Saddleworth, a district to
the southward of Rochdale, were
dismissed to the newly formed
church at Ogden. The loss of
these members, at this juncture,
was severely felt by the church,
and materially contributed to Mr.

tlewood had been added to the
church at Rochdale, about two
years before the death of Mr.
Howorth. He was in Mr. Smith's
employ, and was, as we learn
from other sources of information,
one of the principal supports of
the feeble interest, being nearly
the only person in the town who
could entertain the supplies. At
the request of the brethren, he
made some private attempts to
preach to them; and after a few
more trials, he was called by the
church to the work of the minis-
try. About this time, a small
Baptist church was formed, and
a place of worship erected at
Preston. Here Mr. Littlewood,
at the request of Mr. Peter Anstic,
who then resided in the vicinity
of that town, made his first at-
tempt in public. He received a
call from the church, but did not
see his way clear to accept it.-
He had then a strong inclination
to engage with a church just
formed and assembling in a place
called the Cold-house, in Shude

From the very low condition in which Mr. Littlewood found the church when he became its pastor, it may be easily seen that he could not have any rational prospect of a provision for his family, which was then fast increasing, without having recourse to some other means of support. He accordingly opened a school upon a reputable and extensive scale, which proved highly respectable and happily successful. From its commencement to the

hill, Manchester. With this few. During the first twenty church he entered into an en- years of Mr. Littlewood's ministry, gagement, which, however, a con- the additions were only forty-two. currence of circumstances ren- God, however, gave his servant dered him unable to fulfil. After faith and patience, so that he the death of Mr. Howorth, the persevered in his labours till he church at Rochdale, now reduced saw brighter days; for, from the to a very discouraging state, con- month of December, 1805, till sisting of 25 or 26 poor people, the close of the account, seventy and which, with the congregation had been added; so that after in its public assemblies, seldom many deaths, and several disamounted to 40, turned their at- missions and exclusions, the tention to Mr. Littlewood. With church at that period consisted out consulting him, they appoint- of 100 members." Here the nared a meeting for prayer, and in-rative, of which we have given vited Messrs. Hirst, Fawcett, the substance, closes. Crabtree, and Hindle, (then at Halifax,) to meet with them. At this meeting, by the advice of these ministers, it was unanimously agreed, to give Mr. Littlewood a call to the pastoral office. The recommendation of these worthy ministers gave it weight, and it was accepted, in opposition to many considerations that operated very powerfully against its acceptance. In the spring of 1786, under the pressure of various fears, as he expresses it, he was ordained to the pastoral office.-time of his death, his pupils have In this office he continued till his death, a period of nearly 32 years. "After his settlement, the prospect began gradually to brighten. The congregation increased, and a few were added to the church. The remainder of the debt on the place was defrayed; and, by the year 1798, the congregation had so far increased as to render the erec-gages so much time, and exhausts tion of galleries necessary: this was accordingly done, and the expense of which, exceeding £300, was raised by the church and congregation themselves, with the aid of some of the inhabitants of the town, who now become more favourable to them. The increase in the congregation now became visible, though the additions to the church were comparatively

amounted to nearly 2000. We own we feel it matter of regret that the pastors of our churches should be necessitated to engage in secular employ, or even in schools; which latter employment, though in some respects more congenial with the minis terial office than any other, en

so large a portion of spirit and vigour, as to render it no inconsiderable drawback to a minister's efforts in his proper character. And this becomes an increasing cause of regret where the minister's station is in a large and increasing town, and a populous country, where the range for ministerial labour is extensive, and the prospect of success pro

its members, which he at times did, he patiently endured it, and was as unremitting as ever in his endeavours for the promotion of the best interests of the church in general, as well as of those individuals themselves.

portionally great. In Mr. Littlewood, however, it was a measure absolutely necessary, and productive of very happy effects; for it not only enabled him to provide for a very numerous family, and to do much general good, but put it in his power to raise the church from the lowest state of poverty to such a degree of prosperity, as to be able to make a comfortable provision for his successor. His school was also an eminent blessing to the town and neighbourhood. Many of the children of the most respectable families were educated at it; not a few of whom rank high in trading and commercial life, and retain a very great affection and respect for their pious and assiduous tutor. As a proof of this they have, since his lamented death, without the knowledge of his family, entered into a resolution to erect a hand-treated with indifference by him. some monument to his memory, and have opened a subscription among themselves for that purpose.

Mr. Littlewood was the firm friend of religion and religious people. He was a Baptist from conviction, and acted up to his conviction with an undeviating consistency. But he loved all who loved our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, though they did not in all respects follow with him. His heart and his house were open to Christians of every denomination. He always availed himself of the ministerial labours of his brethren of other names, and was in his turn very highly esteemed by them: nothing that concerned the interests of Christ and of the souls of men was

He took a lively interest in the concerns of the denomination to which he belonged, and did much to serve it, both by his labours and his property.

He cultivated learning himself, and was a friend to the cultivation of it in others. He felt and lamented that so small a portion of it had fallen to the lot of the ministers of the denomination to

As a preacher, Mr. Littlewood was respectable and useful: his sermons were pious, serious, and evangelical; greatly remote from dry speculation, and merely moral harangue; from pomp of language, and vulgar neglect; from legality, or Antinomian licentious-which he belonged, especially in ness; and his success was very considerable. As a pastor, he was faithful, affectionate, and meek. Though the church was greatly indebted to him for a series of the most disinterested labours, he never carried himself with a haughtiness towards the meanest individual in it, nor gave any of them to understand that he thought them under any obligations to him; and even when he met with unkind and disre. spectful treatment from some of

the northern part of the kingdom, and wished to see a remedy applied to that evil. Hence, when a design of an academy was first projected and attempted to be realized, chiefly by the munifi cence of the late Mr. Bury, of Sabden, between whom and him, self there had subsisted almost from their youth an intimate friendship, he was one of the first and most zealous of its friends. He was a liberal donor at its first establishment, and afterwards

constant subscriber. He gave his labours, as Secretary, and watched over its interests with a parental solicitude.

Few things afforded him more pleasure than the prosperity of that institution. The President of it takes this opportunity of expressing his gratitude to the Great Giver of all good for that large share he has possessed of the unshaken friendship of this excellent man, and for the great benefits he has derived from that friendship, both in the concerns of the academy and of the denomination at large, while he sincerely and deeply laments his death as one of the severest losses himself and the institution could sustain. His only consolation under it is, that Christ ever lives.

friends. Nothing was wanting to make their residence most agreeable; and in their society he took peculiar delight. His heart glowed and his eyes sparkled with pleasure, while he entertained them and enjoyed their conversation. If any minister of the gospel, of whatever denomi nation, passed through the town, it was to him a high gratification to catch a sermon from him in his large and commodious school room, and afterwards to afford him every accommodation, and to enjoy his conversation for the evening. In such instances, which did not seldom happen, we never failed to see the cheerful, the hospitable, the friendly, the ge nerous, the pious Mr. Littlewood.

The impressions of these excellencies, and the recollections of these interviews, are deeply engraven on the minds of consider

other Christian friends, in the neighbourhood and in distant parts of the kingdom, and will long remain as the signatures of his worth, and the loss they have sustained by his death.

Of his conduct in his domestic relations, of husband and of father, we need say little.-The tears and painful feelings occasioned by his sudden death, in a widow and twelve children, speak its excellence more loudly and forcibly than any language of ours is capable of.

Mr. Littlewood was a man of great generosity and hospitality; with pleasure he laboured for the good of the people of his imme-able numbers of ministers and of diate charge, though the compensation he at any time received from them was very inconsiderable, and often less than he one way or other expended on their behalf. In assisting the various pious and charitable institutions which have of late years been established, particularly the Bible Society; in contributing to the various cases for the assistance of poor congregations; in rebuilding or enlarging their places of worship, as well as in numerous instances in the relief of private distress, he was one of Till within the last three years, the first, the most cheerful, and, Mr. Littlewood, though corpuaccording to his ability, the most lent and accustomed to much generous of givers. His ear was close and sedentary application, never deaf, nor was his heart and then in the 60th year of his ever insensible to the cries of the age, enjoyed uninterrupted health poor, nor was his hand back-and vigour. But in the autumn of ward to the administering the 1814, feeling some unfavourable needed relief. His house was symptoms, which, in the opinion of ever open to the reception and the faculty, indicated the approach accommodation of his Christian of an apoplexy, he adopted, by