and feel ourselves painfully disappointed when we find that nothing more than a sketch is supplied.

The fact is, Gadsby was modest and humble; he despised parade and show he was satisfied with the record of his worth which he knew he had on high; and he made up his mind to pass away to his reward without leaving his family or his friends the means of rearing a monument of words to his memory or to his praise. So sensitive was he regarding posthumous praise, that when he met his church and Sabbath-school in a social party on the completion of the fortieth year of his pastorate, he looked over the large room in which they were assembled, and all through the audience convened on the occasion, to see whether a reporter was present; for he had arranged to give his church a bird's-eye view of his career amongst them, charging his sons, however, not to take notes of his address, but to let it fall into oblivion. Greatly annoyed was he when afterwards he found out that a first-class reporter had been hid behind a screen, and that he had transferred to paper the remarkable speech he had delivered. This report constitutes the daintiest morsel of the very racy biographical sketch with which the works before us begin, and from it we conclude that had the speaker kept a record of his daily life, few journals would have been equal to it in interest and utility. But it is questionable whether, had he kept a journal, it would have been available for the purpose of publication. For the biographer informs us that the last twenty years of Mr. Gadsby's life were rendered unhappy by the caprices of an insane wife, whose greatest pleasure seemed to consist in teazing or burning every scrap of writing which came from ber husband's pen upon which she could lay her hands; and that it was only by the exercise of the utmost vigilance and caution any portion of his writings was preserved from destruction.

Notwithstanding the drawbacks we have named, the volumes before us are singularly interesting, and, we may add, useful. The "Life," though brief, is charming. It is made up of struggles, battles, victories, and anecdotes. The struggles are those of an earnest mind to overcome antagonistic circumstances; the battles are mainly with sins, fears, errors, and polemic opponents; the victories are the conquests which invariably follow patient perseverance in well-doing; and the anecdotes are racy sayings and doings, developing a kind heart, a pungent wit, a ready tongue; and are amongst the few of the kind of things worth preserving and retailing.

Before we notice the writings of this remarkable man a sketch of his career may be acceptable. The village of Attleborough, in Warwickshire, claims the honour of being his birth-place. His parents were so poor as to be unable to give him more than the scantiest education. In the preface to one of his earliest works he says, "It was not in my parents' power to put me to school to learn

to write, much less to learn grammar; and though I was taught a little to read, yet in the days of my youth and folly I, in a great measure, forgot it; so that when I was called by divine grace I was not able to read tolerably one chapter in the Bible." From infancy he was notorious for his love of fun and mischief, and as he grew up he became the very life of his companions. He gave himself up to the practice of profane swearing, and so wicked did he become that when conscience proclaimed its right he was filled with fear, and expected that hell would open her mouth and swallow him

up.

At the age of thirteen years he was apprenticed for a short time to a ribbon-weaver. During his service of this master he would often get on a tub and harrangue his fellow-workmen for an hour at once, keeping them in roars of laughter the whole time. He was, nevertheless, at this time the subject of deep and serious thoughts about religion, and had such an impression that he should be a preacher of the gospel that he would at times fall upon his knees and say, “O Lord, if I am to be a parson, make me a good one, or none at all." By-and-by he was brought to surrender himself to the Lord, who soon was pleased to reveal himself unto him as a sin-pardoning God. "O what sweetness, and solemnity, and blessedness there was in my poor heart," says Gadsby in one of his sermons; "I sang day and night the wonders of his love, and I never dreamed but I should go singing all the way to heaven. I never expected to hang my harp upon the willows, nor even to find it out of tune."

Soon after this he happened to converse with a friend on the doctrine of imputed righteousness. Going home he looked into a dictionary to find out the meaning of the word "imputed." He got to know it; then he went on with his investigations of the "five points of the Calvinian faith" until, becoming their master, he adopted them as his creed, and lived and died in their belief and advocacy.

At the age of twenty-one he became a member of the Baptist church in Coventry. At this time, though illiterate and uncouth, he was often drawn, much against his mind, to expound the scriptures in prayer meetings; but with such an antipathy to the regular work of the ministry, to which it would seem he had his mind directed, that he one night arose from his bed, almost distracted, and sat in his night-shirt on the cellar steps in the hope that he would take cold and die! Notwithstanding this, the ministry soon became his sphere. First of all, he ministere. in a barn at Hinckley. So great was his success there, that, in 1302, his friends began to build a chapel, which cost about £800. Begging for this chapel caused him to visit Manchester. This led to a temporary connection with the people belonging to the chapel

of which he became the regular minister in 1805. referred to above, he says:

In the address "I recollect my visit to Manchester very well. I came on a begging mission. Not a creature who made a profession of religion, and only one who did not, did I know. But I heard of a person in Manchester who was pretty liberal, and liberality was what I wanted. And I had heard that the Baptist church in Manchester was destitute of a minister. Well, I wrote a letter to Manchester, saying, that I understood the Baptists were without a minister, and as I had some business to do there, if they had no objection, I would supply for them a week or two. The answer I got was a very cool request that I would supply for a month. Well, I contrived not to get into the town till about eleven o'clock on Saturday night, for knowing something of the divisions that then existed, it was one of my plans to put off my arrival as late as I could. Well, I preached next morning. When I got into the pulpit, one of the deacon's wives lifted up her head to her husband, and said to him, 'He's a crazy man that!' but I went on with my sermon, and her husband turned to her and said, 'Does he talk like a crazy man?' I had then no thought of coming to Manchester to settle. There was about as much prospect, I thought, of the mountain of Gibralter coming to Manchester as I. When I had left, another preacher came to supply the place, but he plagued and wearied the people, and they were glad to get rid of him. The result of this was, they asked me to come among them."

At this time the writings of Andrew Fuller were making no little stir amongst the Calvinists: a division in that body was the result. The views of Fuller were opposed by Gadsby; hence, all who differed from the former rallied around the latter, and in course of time a large and influential church, holding the most thorough and rigid views of "electing love," as they are fond of designating hyper-Calvinism, gathered around the Warwickshire ribbon-weaver. At that time he was tall and thin, wore coloured clothes and a coloured neck-tie; and, from the peculiarities of his manner in the pulpit, was mistaken, at first sight, for a crazy man. John Warburton, a preacher of the same school and one of his early admirers, thus describes his first hearing of him,

"I think I shall never forget the first time I heard him. When I got into the chapel I thought to myself what a poor, gloomy, miserable place this is. And as the people came in I felt such a hatred to rise up in my heart against them as I never felt against any people before; so much so that I was just ready to take up my hat and walk out when Mr. Gadsby got into the pulpit. I was struck with surprise to see so poor and mean-looking a fellow (as I thought him) attempt to preach. I despised him in my very soul, and thought he looked like an ignorant fool that had not common

sense.

He rose and gave out a hymn, but it was in so drawling a way that I verily believed he could not read. My prejudice was so strong that when he went to prayer I do believe that I actually hated the sound of his voice. He appeared to me to stammer and stutter as though he could hardly get a word out of his mouth. When he had finished his prayer, which was very short, I thought to myself, poor creature, thou canst never preach, I'm sure. The words of his text were, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things;" and he was so long in reading them that I dropped my head down and thought I would try to go to sleep. He then made a little pause, and I looked up to see what he was about, and he was looking all round the chapel, and rolling his eyes in such a way that I really thought him crazy. The first words he spoke were, "Perhaps you will be ready to say that, according to our sentiments, we cannot find a good man upon earth. But by the help of God we will, or we will ransack the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.' O how my prejudice was knocked down at a blow. My soul melted like wax before the sun, and I exclaimed, God bless thee; the Lord help thee to find the good man.' When he came to describe the good man as he stood in Christ, and the good things which were then brought out of his heart, my soul was so overcome that I cried out in my very feelings, 'Whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.' From that day I attended the Baptist chapel."

6

Many were the eccentric sayings and doings which were fathered upon Mr. Gadsby. Really given to the utterance of witticisms, droll sayings, and the like, "there was scarcely a frothy tale that had been heard of for the last century but what was attributed to him, and that without the least foundation." We have heard many ridiculous things ascribed to him, such as, when his wife entered the chapel one Sunday morning with a new dress on, which he thought had cost too much money, he is said to have exclaimed"There goes Mrs. Gadsby with a chest of drawers upon her back!" But while this tale, and scores like it, are sheer inventions, his biographer treats us with a few which are authentic. One or two.

will serve as specimens:-A countryman once asked him, not knowing who he was, what he thought of Gadsby, observing, "He's a great plague and pest go where he will!" "Aye," replied he, "he has plagued me a thousand times more than all my other enemies put together." On one occasion-we think it would be one of many-some of the singers in the chapel were very tiresome, looking over their music while he was preaching. At length Mr. G. said "Never mind your notes, attend to mine." Preaching once in a chapel the doors of which made a noise every time they were opened, and observing that persons turned to see who came

in, he at length said, "There might be a wire fastened to the door at one end, and to some of your heads at the other, for as sure as the door opens, so sure do your heads turn round." He was always annoyed when any of his hearers went to sleep while he was preaching. One Sunday afternoon his hearers were more drowsy than common, observing which he suddenly sat down in silence. By-and-by he rose again, and said, "As you appear to be awake now, I'll start again.'

But the class of anecdote in these volumes which delights us the most, is that which displays the never-failing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God towards his people. Of providential interpositions Gadsby seems to have had a large share. To us, their recital is peculiarly edifying, for they show that the Divine One is as truly in the midst of us now as when he led the ancient church by the pillars of fire and cloud. We cannot refrain from copying the following:-" When my children were young, and my income not quite so good as it is now, we were likely to have to pay £20 for one of the boy's schooling, and my wife said to me, What are we to do for the money? where is it to come from?' I said the Lord would appear, no doubt. Thus it is,' she said, you have all the faith, while I have all the work.' The next Tuesday night I preached from these words-Lead us not into temptation.' I was led to make the following remarks, Perhaps there may be some of you who have been tempted to do things for your own private emolument, or that which appears to be connected with it, thinking that by such things you would save so much money, and nobody would know. But,' said I, the Lord knows, and he can bring the rod upon you.' Part of my congregation fell under it, and confessed their sins before God, and brought forth a practical doing of the will of God. One of them came to me next morning and said, "Sir, when my wife's father was dying he wished my wife's mother to give £5 to the poor; and that is not all, he also desired her to give you £20.' I felt surprised, the man continued, Sir, do you remember preaching last night from these words, Lead us not into temptation?" My mother heard the sermon, and that has brought the £20.'"

6

On another Sunday in 1822, Mr. G. was harassed in a similar manner, though for a smaller sum. In the course of his sermon he remarked that the Lord was never at a loss for means with which to supply his children, nor for instruments either. If an Elijah was driven into the desert he could send a raven to feed him, and feed him with the very food that the ravens themselves are so fond of, namely, flesh. After the sermon a gentleman sent into the vestry and said Mr. Gadsby, are you in want of a little money?' 'Why do you ask?' enquired Mr. G. replied, the Lord has sent a raven to feed you.'

'Because,' he Indeed,' said