by the congregation, and highly efteemed throughout all the town and neighbourhood. His labours were extenfively bleft in the awakening of finners: it is even fuppofed, that in the few years he preached at Reading, he had not much less than two or three hundred feals to his miniftry. But fo myfterious are the ways of God, and fo unfathomable his defigns, that, in the prime of life, and in the midst of usefulness, he was fuddenly removed to glory. For just as he was fetting out for London, on a vifit to his friend, the prefent Earl of Dartmouth, he was requefted to pray with a fick perfon, from whom he caught a contagious fever of which he died, within a few days after his arrival in town, at the house of the late Mr. Wilberforce.

This circumftance foon tranfpired, and deeply affected his congregation. Mr. Hallward had been recently appointed curate, and was much esteemed; but no hopes were entertained of procuring the living for him, or any other clergyman of evangelical fentiments. For a while, the flock was to be scattered abroad; but God had a merciful defign of railing up for them a faithful fhepherd of no less eminence, who fhould feed them with knowledge and understanding.

St. Giles's is one of the beft crown livings at the Chancellor's difpofal; and, confequently, applications for it were likely to be numerous. But Lord Bathurft, who was then paffing through Reading, in his journey to or from Bath, unfolicited, felt an inclination to confer it on Mr. Cadogan: and, being informed that his grand-father was then at Caversham, he refolved to go himfelf, and make the offer in perfon. Finding the door open, he walked directly into the kitchen, and defired to fpeak with Lord Cadogan. The fervants, feeing him plainly dreffed, had no fufpicion of his quality, and, not daring to introduce a ftranger, replied, his Lordship was not at home. He asked for fome paper, and, as no one offered to fhew him into a room, he wrote a note, at the kitchen dreffer, to the following purport. "The Lord Chancellor prefents compliments to Lord Cadogan, and, understanding he has a grandfon in the "church, begs his condefcending acceptance of the vicar"age of St. Giles's, which he has just heard is become va"cant." As foon as he was gone out, they perceived their mistake, and with trembling hafte took the note to their mafter, who went immediately after the Chancellor, to apologize for the ignorance of his fervants, and to thank him for his intended favour, which he confeffed would be

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defirable

defirable on account of its contiguity to the family feat ; but lamented that his grandfon was not yet ordained, nor of fufficient age to hold church preferment. This difficulty being obviated by the polite offer of the Chancellor to preferve the living for him, till he was capable of holding it, it was thankfully accepted.

The people heard of the appointment with grief; but there was no remedy. Their only hope was, that the new vicar, being a young gentleman of noble family, he would feel no difpofition to do the duties himfelf; and that Mr. Hallward might be continued in the curacy. With this view, a petition was drawn up by the moft ferious inhabitants of the place, and, being figned by a great number of the parishioners, was prefented to him in the year 1775, when he first came to the living. But, at that time, he was fo inimical to the faith he afterwards preached, and the people who profeffed it, that he threw the petition into the fire, and declared he would not comply with it, had it been figned by every individual in the parish; and that Mr. Hallward fhould never preach in his pulpit again, upon any confideration.

Had he been indifferent to all religion he might have been lefs violent. But he was a Pharifee. His zeal was great, but it was not according to knowledge. He thought he did God fervice by manifefting difpleature at thofe who fought falvation by faith in Chrift, and not by the works of

the law.

The old congregation foon difperfed among the various meetings. The Baptift minifter, being by far the most lively preacher, attracted the greatest number, who, defiring full communion, where they profited moft, fucceffively joined his church, till it became, in point of numbers, one of the largest focieties in the kingdom, of the Baptift denomination.

Some, not fatisfied with the doctrine preached at the church, nor the form and difcipline of the meetings, applied to the Countefs of Huntingdon, and, having taken a place, which would contain two or three hundred people, opened it as a chapel.

Others, unwilling to leave the church altogether, and thinking they perceived in his conduct and preaching, marks of fincerity, attempted to fet him right. Instead of convincing him of his errors, their frequent letters only made his fpirit more acrimonious.

Good Mrs. Talbot, however, incurred his deepest re

fentment.

fentment. She confidered it her duty not to remove from the fpot, where her hufband's labours had been fo fignally bleffed, but to comfort and strengthen the numerous young converts, who daily flocked to her for inftruction. Like a true mother in Ifracl, her house was opened for religious exercises; Mr. Romaine, Mr. Newton, and other minifters, who vifited her, expounded to the people; and prayer was continually offered up, under her roof, for the converfion of Mr. Cadogan.

Highly offended at fuch conduct, he vehemently remonftrated. Various letters paffed. To all his bitter reproaches, the returned anfwers fo full of meeknels and wildom, that, at length, he fell at the feet of accumulate ed kindness, humbled and fubdued; and, to the lait moment of his life confeffed, to the praife and glory of God, that Mrs. Talbot's letters and example, were the principal means of leading him to the faving knowledge of Chrift. *

But light and power are diftin&t things. So difficult was it for an afpiring man, whofe father was mafter of the Mint,, in high favour at court, and connected with the leading men in power, to renounce all hopes of preferment, and take up his crofs and follow the Lord Jefus Chrift, that he was not able to come out boldly and preach the Gospel for more than two years after he knew it. This is the more remarkable, becaufe, while he retained his pharifaic notions, his courage was undaunted; and he actually endured perfe cution for the methods he took to inforce the obfervance of moral duties.

Soon after he was ordained, he had been inducted to the living of Chelfea; the prefentation being in the gift of the family, who, through marriage, inherited the ample estate of Sir Hans Sloane.

His time was, then, about equally divided between the two parishes: but he began to expend a large fum of money on the Parfonage at Chelfea, intending, as it was the gen teeleft place, and near town, to make it his principal refidence. Seeing the Sabbath fhamefully violated there, and finding that the perfons he wished to reclaim, would not attend his preaching, he determined to put the laws of the land in force against them. With this view, he went himfelf round the pasifh, and infifted on having the fhops fhut; charging the parish officers to aid him in fuppreffing this

See his Sermon on her Death.

B 3

fhameful

hameful practice. He found it however impoffible to accomplish his defign; nor could his rank fecure him from the abufe and fury of the mob, which his zeal had provoked; but his life was more than once endangered by the butchers, and others, whofe traffic he endeavoured to interrupt.

But what the law could not do, being weak through the flesh, the preaching of Chrift crucified eafily effected. For foon after he began explicitly and earnestly to preach the gofpel, he had the pleasure of feeing many, whom law and terrors only hardened, melted down under a sense of mercy; and fo fweetly conftrained by the love of Chrift, as to for fake every evil work, and run with alacrity and delight in the ways of God's commandments.

During the first two years of his miniftry he had been perfectly legal; for the next two years, or more, he had been held in bondage to the beggarly elements of this world; but now, being fet at liberty, he boldiy commenced his ufeful and honourable courfe, under many favourable circum, ftances of experience and knowledge. For having previously written about three hundred fermons, with the help of no other book than his Bible before him, and his concordance by his fide, he foon became a good textuary and an accurate speaker. But, from this period, he made no ufe whatever of thefe difcourfes: he deemed a written fermon, brought into the pulpit, unprofitable lumber at best, or a proof of timidity or weaknefs; if not a mean artixce to avoid the reproach of Chrift, by compliance with a fhameful innovation, introduced by certain popular minifters who preached against the government in the time of the civil wars, and tolerated by the people for political reasons; and which, though prohibited by a univerfity ftatute at the request of Charles II. gradually increased till it became a general custom.

Nor did he reafon any longer with flesh and blood upon the confequences of declaring himfelf fo openly; but, following the example of St. Paul, he went and joined himself to the people of God, and fought an intimacy with thofe minifters of the gofpel who were moft diftinguished for their fidelity. He difdained that crooked carnal policy of ftanding aloof from all ferious characters, efpecially if they are poor, as though to be claffed with the humble followers of the Lamb would be a difgrace. Nor did he dare attempt to keep back or foften the offenfive parts of the word of God, under the fpecious pretence of keeping off prejudice, by introducing light gradually among his hearers. Had he,

indeed,

indeed, acted upon this plan, fo repugnant to the practice of the Apoftles, and fo difgraceful to the minifterial character, he might have kept on good terms with fome of the wealthy and pharifaic of his flock; he might have preferved the friendship and intereft of his noble relations and connexions; he might have proceeded Prebendary and Dean; and about the time of his departure to another world, he might have been placed on the lift for a vacant fee; but then, it is probable, his preaching would never have been fo much bleffed as it was in turning many to righteousness, and in feeding, as a true fhepherd, the church of God incarnate, which he hath purchafed with his own. blood; nor would he have lived fo beloved by liftening thoufands, or died fo juftly lamented by all defcriptions of people.

The first minifter he applied to, was Mr. Hallward. With Christian humility he acknowledged the injurioufnefs of his paft conduct, preffed him to return to his former fituation, and affured him his heart, his houfe, and his pulpit were open for his reception, and fhould never again be thut againft him. Mr. Hallward, at the time, was promoted by his friend, the Rev. Mr. Gurdon, to the living of Afon, and therefore could not accept the curacy, but, diffolved in thankfulness to God for the wonderful change his grace had produced in one fo qualified, by talents and fituation, for eminent ufefulnefs, he determined to go and converfe with him, and ftrengthen his refolutions; and to rejoice with the people at the difperfion of the cloud which had fo long brooded over them, and the bright profpect now opened for their future comfort and inftruction. Welcomed in the moft expreffive and affectionate manner by Mr. Cadogan himself, and thofe of the congregation, who once deplored his lofs as the greateft calamity, he continued among them fix months; and then, being obliged to return to his own flock, he left them with feelings the very reverse of thofe he had formerly experienced.

It was about this time, alfo, his intimac commenced with Mr. Romaine, who ever after paid him an annual vifit, and encouraged him by frequent correfpondence. Their mutual affection was great; their religious fentiments were fimilar; they were both Hutchinfonians and Hebreans, and their pulpits were always acceffible to each other. Mr. Newton, Mr. Hill, and many other popular clergymen whom he had invited to his houfe, preached for him occafionally; and, indeed, he took too decided a part to be ashamed of his new connexions.

At