Unitarian , but His Was the Office Effects Attending Reli Gious Instruction
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¦ ¦ - • :• ¦ - . - -. THE , . .. .. .:. ~^— — - ¦ - . _ . ~ ~ ~ - , j ! —[ L | _ 1 ¦ ii ¦ iii ¦ aim ¦¦ ' r t n ¦ j - . ¦ 1 .. ^ ^ ^_ No. CLV.] NOVEMBE R, 1818. [Vol. XIIU HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. History of/Dissenting Meeting-House, Bowl-AlleyL ane , Hull. Sir , Hull + Oct. 15, 1818. buildings shall conti nue to stan d or compliance with the suggestion IN our societies to e*ist,) a highly inte- of ray respecte d friend Mr. Turner , restin g account is preserv ed in th e of Newcastle , in one of your former first volume of Palmer 's Nonconfor- Volumes, [VI. 166;] I send you a mists' Memorial , and is prese nted to sketch of the Histor y of the Dissenters ' the readers of the Repositor y in & Chape l, in Bowl-Alley Laue,| H ull. somewhat abrid ged form , accompa - Such narratives , accomp anied with nied with a few observations. statements of the number of regular Samuel Charles , M. A. of Cor pas worshi pers, and other par ticulars re- Christi CoL Cambrid ge, was bor n at specting the present state of our socie- Chesterfield , Septem ber 6, 1633, and ties, can n ot fail to inter est some of ordained in 1 655. After residing a your readers , and may fu rnish all with few years in Sir Joh n Gell's family at mat ter for profitable refl ection on the Hopton , he was present ed by Sir J ohn- comparative merits of the different Curzon to the parish of Miek leoveiv mocjes of conducting religious worshi p in Derb yshire. €i His earl y ministra - and instruction , which have at dif- tions were affectionat e, judicious and ferent periods been adop ted amongst successful. He exercised a par tic ular us. With warmes t wishes for your and const an t watch over his own sou],, success in advancing the cause of the especial ly in solemn duties, public or pure gospel of Chris t, I am yours, private/ 1 The period of his confor - respectfully, mity to the Church must have been GEORGE KENRICK. very short indeed , since he was chosen The Chapel in Bowl Alley, belong- pastor at Hull seven years after bis ing to the Presb yteri an Dissenters , taking orde rs , and he had spent some is considerablof y *' the oldest in the part of the interval as a Dissentin g town but what date does not ap- teacher at Belper , in Derbyshire. pear b^ y any authentic record hithert o ** His principal settlements ," says the met with. Mr. Samue l Charles was Nonconformists ' Memorial , " were at chosen pastor of this cong re gation in Belper and Hull/ * It appears not im- l66£.' r See the History of Kingsto n - pr obable , thoug h not specified either upon-Huil , by the Rev. John Tickel J , by Cal amy or his Edit or, that Mr. 1796. The earliest formed Dissenting Charles was one of those " many Society in H ull, of the origin of which hundred ministers '" who were ejected any account is pre served, is the Bap- from their livings in 1660, im mad ir- tists * Ch urch in Dagger Lane , founded ately after the restor ation of Chafc tes in 164S. As that which is the subject II. , " because they were in seques- of this sketch is acknowled ged to be trations where othe rs had been cast of older date tha n this, and no account out by the parliament/ 9 Introd uction, cati be obt ained of its ori gin, it seems p. 21. probabl e tha t it is otie of the earliest He observed the day of his ejection esta blishm ents of the class of Dis-* from his li ving as a fast all his life senters to which it belongs. after. He viewed conformity in such Of Mr. Charles , who was one of a light , as to express his persuasi on, the ever-to-be honoured 9000 minis- that such violence would it have done ters who sacrificed every prospect 6f to his conscience , th at if he had con- earth ly honour, wealth and aggran - formed , ha could not have been saved* dizement, for the sake of a good cow- When he left his parsonage -house, he science, (whose praises will continue wro te th us in his diar y : ** For ttiy to resound in our churches , while our salrty O Lor d, I have left my hou se. VQJ U XIH , 4 ii N 666 History of Dissenting Meetiny-House, Bowl-Alley Lane , Hull. So far as I can look into mine own from you ; you are to preach the gos- heart , for th ee onl y hav e I left houses pel of peace,—M r. C. I am so, and and land s ! I am su re I go out like also the terror of the Lord to all Abraham , not knowing whithe r to wicked and impen itent sinners, and go." hard-hea rted hypocrites. —Aid. Yoii After labouring for twenty yea rs in are so—M r. C. But, my masters , are the ministry at the Chapel in Bow l- the re no malefacto rs in H ull, but two Alley Lane, Mr. Charl es was at length minis ters of the gospel, Mr. Ashley imprisoned , on which occasion he and myself? Are there no drunkard s, writes thus in his diary : u A pr isoner no Sabbath -breakers , no sweare rs ?— for Christ ! Good Lord , what is this ^ Aid. Mr. Charl es, have you taken the for a poor worm ! Both my degrees oaths of allegiance and supremacy ?-— at the Univers ity have not set me so Mr. C. I am re ad y to take them. —- high as when I commenced prisoner Aid. Are you in hol y orders accord - fo r Christ " His labou rs at H ull were ing to the Church of England ? Do remarkabl y successfu l ; and his up- you preac h ?—Mr. C. You can tell ri ght and honourab le conduct pro - as well as I. But , gentlem en, before cured him the respect of the ma- you pass any ugly sentence, consider gistrates of that place. But. the the dying votes of the last Westmin - Earl of Plymouth coming thither in ster Parliamen t of immortal honour : the year 1682, after having been ap- Resolved , *' That the execution of the pointed governor of the place, sent penal laws against Dissenting Protes - for the mayor and alderm en, and with tants is, at this time, grievous to the great vehemence forba de them , un der subject —a furtherance to Popery —a pain of the loss of thei r charter , any weakening of the Protestant rel igion, longer to suffer the meetings of the and dangero us to the kingdom." Dissenters. Aid. Do you call the execution of One of the aldermen (Duncalf) told the king's laws an ugly work ?—Mr. the Earl , " by many years ' observa - C« But before you execute the king's tion 1 hav e found the Dissenters pious, laws, (God bless him , and send him peaceab le men, and loyal subjects to out live me,) I pray you hea r me to their king ; and , th erefo re, being this one thing ; there have been some an oltl man and going into anot her person s in England , who have made world , I w ill have no hand in pe rse- as great a fi gu re as any in Hull , whp cuting them ." Mr. Charles and Mr. ha ve been hanged for executing the Ashley (Mr - Richard Astlei/, accor d- king 's laws. But if you will execute ing to TickelFs History , chosen pastor the law, pray do not outdo the law, of the abov e-named Baptist Churc h for it is sever e enough upon us.— in 1669), were, notwit hstan ding, sent Aid. If we do, you may look for your for unde r the influence of the Earl 's remed y—Mr. C. Remed y ! I had threats. The latter , having timely rather never be sick than be put to warning, made his escape into the look for my remed y.—Aid. We did country . Mr. Charles made his ap- not send for you to preach to us.-?- pearan ce immed iatel y, in obedience to Mr. C. I doubt you want one to tel l the summons . The followin g is the vou the truth. —-Aid, We hav e a Pro- princi pal pa rt of his own lively an d testant church and a Protestant mi- instructive narrative of this intervie w, nist ry.—Mr. C. Long , long, long may which may be seen in the Nonconfor - you so have ! Yet, 1 pray , let me mists' Memorial . acqua int you with this : the Jews Mr. Charles being called before the had a chur ch esta blished by God 's mag istra tes of H ull, February % 1682, law, and a ministry established by the following dial ogue took place:— law. Yet thei r silenci ng, imprisoning, Mr. C I am here , my masters , in and murderi ng a few poor fisherm en , obedience to your warrant . What is that were commissioned by the Re- your pleasure with me ? But I pray deemer of the world to preach the you consider before you do any thin g, everlasting gospel , cost them so dear , that imprisoning the ministe rs of the that God has not done reckoning with gospel is the devil's work , and I do them to this day, and it i» abov e 16OO not think you can do his work and years ago Aid.