"Edward, the Josiah of England, succeeded his father. He was only nine years old when he began to reign, and, by the will of his father, was placed under the care of sixteen counsellors, who were to govern the kingdom until the completion of his eighteenth year. Of these counsellors, Cranmer was, blessed be God, chief in influence." "A corrupted church is like a field overrun with tares, and thorns, and ivy, interweaving with rank luxuriance, and mocking the hopes of the husbandman. The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, easily choke the word, and render it unfruitful." In speaking of the influence of peculiar sorrows on the bosoms of fellow sufferers he says,-"Times of trial create a kindly feeling among all who are surrounded by the same cloud of affliction, and tie, in the knot of concord, hearts, that by nature seem to be separated. They annihilate the distinctions of clime, and colour, and kindred, and throw into one temple of union, the learned and the ignorant, the rich and the poor, the high and the low-all the discordant opposites of which society is capable, melting away jars at the altar of devotion; consuming differences in the censer of love. "Hence we see the reformers of the island and the continent, of Germany, Geneva, and Britain, forming one counsel of advice, and bringing their wedded energies to bear on the improvement and prosperity of the Church of England :-Cranmer, and Calvin, and Luther, approaching nearer in their views of many principles, than some of their followers have been willing to acknowledge." After describing the scenes of persecution, he endea vours to apply the subject to practical purposes." We would fain pause amid this recital, and contemplate for a moment the desperately wicked character of the human heart; how entirely resigned to selfishness, and how utterly 212 MEMOIR OF REV. BENJAMIN ALLEN. dead to all that is holy, except so far as influenced by the Spirit of God. We have adverted to this repeatedly before, but it is useful to revolve the reflection again and again, as it may fasten upon our souls a deep sense of the importance of our securing the baptism of the Holy Ghost."-" We should inquire-were not these Papists from the same stock with us? inheritors of the same nature? united to the same fallen Adam? Have we not in ourselves the seeds of every evil passion? and though our constitutions are cast in somewhat different moulds, and our sympathies are diverse in degree, would not these seeds, if unchecked, spring up to the perpetration of every variety of sin? Surely then, it becomes us, while we are weeping for others, to weep also for ourselves. Surely it becomes us, while we are wondering at the depravity of human nature, to call to mind the fact, that we are partakers of the same human nature; and to ask our consciences the question, each and every one of us-Have I been born again? Am I a new creature? Have old things passed away, and all things become new in me? If this question cannot be answered in the affirmative, we are not fit for the kingdom of Heaven; so says He who has the key of that kingdom-the Lord Jesus Christ." Respecting a second edition of this work, my brother writes to me "June 5th, 1821. appears to be wanted, Collections for the first "A second edition of my book but I must proceed with caution. are slow, and have not yet covered the expense, though nearly all the copies are distributed. However, prospectuses for another edition are circulating, in places where none of the first have gone, and by them, in some measure, shall I be governed. Should it enable me to pay what I owe, I should be thankful. "Affectionately your's, B. ALLEN." CHAPTER XIV. PREACHING TOUR TO CONVENTION-FILIAL AFFECTION CALL TO ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA—HIS REMOVAL-MOTIVES-HIS STANDING., THOUGH my brother's efforts of body and mind were truly excessive, yet his health was delicate; in fact, this effort was one prominent means of bringing his system more and more under the influence of disease. It was seldom I knew of his indispositions at the time, or their extent. It appeared that he studiously kept these things from me. He no doubt was seriously affected, when, on his recovery, he gives me the following hint- "July 18th, 1820. “Dear Thomas :-I am not very well, but getting better." The work was still prospering within the range of his labours. In his parochial report to the Convention of 1820, he states "Parish of St. Andrew's. There has been an increase of communicants. Sixty of those formerly registered in this Parish, have been formed into a church in Maryland. The present number of communicants are one hundred and fifty-baptisms seventy-five-marriages nine-burials nine. The Church in Shepherdstown has been increased in capacity. Contribution to Episcopal fund, fifty dollars." His ministrations in Sharpsburg, Maryland, resulted in the regular organization of a Church, as appears from the above report, in connexion with the report of that Church to the Maryland Convention. On the journal, we meet with the following notice. "St. Paul's Church, Sharpsburg; Benjamin Allen, of Virginia, Rector, from 7th of February, to the 28th of May. Communicants sixty--baptisms fourteen-marriage one-funerals two."-A new stone building was also erected in that place. Sharpsburg and its vicinity was not the extent of his efforts in Maryland. We also find him attending, as a clergyman, the execution of a criminal in Hagerstown, as appears from the following "MARTINSBURG, March 2d, 1820." "Brother Allen:-1 heard of your being at Hagerstown, and was much gratified to learn, that, through the grace and strength of our Master, you were enabled to address the throng with so much effect. If men will not yield, when pointed to so affecting an example of folly and madness— if, when they already see, as it were, the soul on its passage from time to eternity, they will not lay down the weapons of their rebellion against God, and acknowledge Christ as their Saviour, King, O what will affect them? I have no doubt thousands, notwithstanding all that was said and done, left that tremendous scene more hardened in vice than ever. This, I believe, to be the necessary consequence of capital executions. By exhibitions like these, our sensibilities become blunted, and our horror of crime diminished, by being made familiar with death, in its most terrible appearances. And besides all this, capital punishments are diametrically opposed to the Spirit of the Gospel. May we not hope, my brother, that the time is not far distant, when, in a milder system, not only will punishment be more commensurated to crime, but the spirit of that religion that holy, blessed, and glorious religion which we teach, will be more felt, and respected, and acknowledged? But I am writing an essay." "Your brother and friend, "ENOCH M. LOWE.” To a young man, a cousin of ours, who was looking for ward to the ministry of the Gospel, my brother proffered his assistance, as appears by the acknowledgments of Also my brother wrote to C. A. is pious, and thinks that cousin, January 6th, 1821. me, January 8th.-" Cousin D. of studying Divinity!-I wrote to him; you had better write. I have made D. an offer of aid through the distribution of my work." Again, February 13th, he observes-"I have resolved to give Cousin D., who is just going to study Divinity without funds, fifty copies. May the Lord bless us all, as we severally need.". His second daughter was born February 12th, 1821. At the particular request of a tried friend, she was named Mary Ann Christian Abigal. Respecting her, he observes February 13th. "May he who feeds the sparrow supply all her needs. Above all, may he sanctify her as His own daughter, and make her a temple of his Holy Spirit. "I should be glad to have you baptize the child, if you could be here in appropriate time; she must go to Church." In 1821, the Convention of the Church was held in Norfolk. My brother, and some of his brethren, in their way to this place, passed over much missionary ground, preaching the Gospel in various places. In his letters to his wife, he has left us quite a journal of his journey. His first letter is dated "FREDERICKSBURG, Saturday morning, "My Dear Harriot:-We arrived safe here yesterday afternoon, after a pleasant journey. The evening we left you we got to Mr. Meade's in pretty good season, though we were wet a little by the rain. The next day we travelled on to Fauquier Court-House, and preached there two days. Our old friend Captain E, formerly of Martinsburg, |