agreeably to the custom of the denomination to which he belonged. Not many months afterwards, a vacancy occurred in the office of classical tutor in the Broadmead Academy; and, young as he was, Mr. Hughes was invited to fill that responsible station. He accepted it, but apparently as only a temporary arrangement. In a letter written soon after his arrival at Bristol, he says:

"The unsettled state of affairs at Bristol called me away sooner than I either wished or expected. Scarcely had I seen my friends, when I was snatched from their society. . . I am quite ignorant as to the time I may stay here. One thing I can say, that I never sought the situation for myself, nor commissioned or encouraged friends to do so for me. God has led me hither by his providence; here would I remain while he sees fit; hence would I cheerfully remove at his command. pp. 108, 9.

Dr. Evans died in the following August; and Mr. Hughes, besides discharging his office as tutor, continued to occupy the pulpit at Broadmead during the remainder of that year and nearly the whole of the next. In Dec. 1792, he received and accepted an invitation to become assistant minister to the Rev. J. Ryland, who had just been chosen to take the pastoral charge of the Broadmead church. Shortly afterwards, he married the lady to whom he had been long attached, and who survives as his widow. His residence at Bristol was not destined, however, to be permanent. In 1794, in consequence of a difference which appears to have arisen between Mr. Ryland and himself, the effect of jealousies for which their relative position and want of congeniality of taste may easily account, Mr. Hughes found himself unjustly and treacherously displaced from both the offices he held. A petty misunderstanding,' he says to a correspondent, such as a 'five minutes' interview between Mr. Ryland and myself might ❝ have cleared up, has occasioned my removal. The pen of his friend and one of his first pupils, the Rev. John Foster, author of the "Essays," has supplied the following recollections of his preaching and mental characteristics at this period of his life.

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"He had great mental activity, quickness of apprehension, and discriminate perception. He had considerable ambition of intellectual superiority, but less, I think, for any purpose of ostentation than for the pleasure of mental liberty and power. He was apt, like other young men, to be somewhat dazzled by the magniloquent style in writing, but at the same time always justly appreciated plain good sense, whether in books, sermons, or conversation. A defect of simplicity and obvious directness in his own writing and preaching, was, I think, not a little owing to his admiration at the time in question (and I suppose an earlier one) of certain writers of the eloquent class whose style was somewhat stilted-too artificial and rhetorical. His preaching, as a young man, was often very animated, rather unmethodical and diffuse, and extremely rapid; in this last respect in perfect con

trast to his pulpit exercises towards the close of life. His temperament was what is called mercurial;-lively, hasty, earnest, versatile, and variable. He was kind and candid, yielding the sympathies of friendship, warm in its feelings, and prompt in its appropriate offices; free from acrimonious and resentful feelings, and from those minor perversities of temper or whim, which, without being regarded as great faults, are very annoying in social life. There is nothing I retain a stronger impression of, than the proofs he habitually manifested of a sincere and firmly established piety, which so attempered his youthful vivacity, as to restrain it in its gayest indulgencies and sallies from degenerating into an irreligious, or in any other way offensive levity. I can remember, that in hours when we gave the greatest social indulgence to our youthful spirits, he would fall on serious observations and reflections, in the unforced and easy manner which indicated the prevalence of serious interest in his mind. The hold which the great and vital principles of religion had upon him, was not slackened by his indecision, his incompleteness of theological system respecting secondary points of doctrine. His public discourses were too little in obvious and studied conformity to any established model, to be acceptable to a considerable portion of his hearers. In addition, his voice would sometimes, independently of his will, and almost of his consciousness, take and retain through the whole service a pitch above its natural tone. But I think that he was oftener in possession of his natural voice." pp. 145-147.

From Bristol, Mr. Hughes removed, in July 1796, to the village of Battersea, near London, having accepted an invitation to become the minister of the chapel there, with a salary, contributed chiefly by the liberality of the proprietors of the edifice, which exceeded what he had derived from both his offices at Bristol. Here he continued till death. The situation was in many respects happily adapted to him. It brought him into contact and familiar intercourse with many valued and eminent friends, capable of appreciating his excellence; and it favoured his gradual advance into those more public stations in which his zeal and his talents found the widest scope for usefulness. Among other advantages, it led to a renewal of his acquaintance with Mr. Wilberforce, who then resided at Clapham, and whose warm friendship he continued to enjoy unabated to the end of their lives. A few weeks only separated them in their ascent to 'brighter scenes; Mr. Hughes being confined by his last illness " at the time of Mr. Wilberforce's decease.'

'It soon became necessary,' continues his Biographer, 'to enlarge the place of worship, for the accommodation of more attendants. These were principally of a highly respectable class; persons capable of appreciating the learning, taste, and elegance of the preacher and the pastor. His preparation at this time for the pulpit was most assiduous. He wrote, to the extent of about eight or ten pages, most of his sermons, and, in rather a careful manner, deposited what he had

written in his memory. Not, however, without leaving himself at liberty to make alterations of expression, or to pursue any excursion of thought which presented itself at the time of delivery. In composition, he was most fastidious, and has been known to occupy a whole forenoon in modelling and remodelling the first sentence. One who was then a resident under his roof declares, that the changes his composition underwent were sometimes so slight as to be scarcely perceptible, when repeated in its amended form. Still he persevered till he had pleased his own mind; and when this was once done at the commencement, he would proceed, with a rapidity which strikingly contrasted with his former hesitancy, to the close. But though the result was such as to attract select audiences, and obtain for him some reputation as a preacher among the more elevated circles, there was still that want of point, directness, and force, in his public ministrations, that kept him from exerting any influence on the mass, and prevented him from ever becoming a favourite with the middle and lower orders.

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“The cause of religion at Battersea," says a correspondent, greatly flourished. His ministry was much blessed at this time and for several years afterwards. He was by far the most popular minister in the vicinity: many from considerable distances attended, and it was thought quite a treat by members and hearers of other congregations, to go occasionally to Battersea to hear Mr. Hughes." The place was then in its palmy state;-alas! how altered since! Out of the pulpit, he was most assiduously attentive to his auditors; and though he would not, from the general benevolence and amenity of his nature, be guilty of neglecting the poor, yet all his feelings and associations led him greatly to prefer the society and converse of the more refined and educated." pp. 166–168.

His active zeal was not, however, to be circumscribed within the narrow circle of his pastoral labours. In 1799, in conjunction with the venerable Mr. Bowden of Tooting, he formed the Surrey Mission Society, the object of which is to supply the neglected villages of the county with Christian instruction, by the instrumentality of itinerant missionaries. In the following year, he assisted in the formation of the Religious Tract Society, of which he was chosen the secretary; an office which he continued to hold till his death, during a period of thirty-four years. The first account of the plan of this admirable society was drawn up by

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* He would seem to have deviated, in this respect, from the plan which he commenced his public ministry. In a letter written soon after his settling at Bristol, he says: I must just inform you that I make very little use of notes, and find hitherto great freedom in preaching; yet I assure you I am as far from committing sermons to memory as from reading them. This is a slavish practice-I cannot endure it. Yet I study my subjects as much as if I wrote them, at least some times.' (p. 107.) It does not appear that his preaching increased in attraction as it became more elaborate.

him, together with an address, in which, Mr. Leifchild remarks, there occurs the very principle on which another and still more 'magnificent institution was subsequently to be built; a principle of conciliation, by way of securing the co-operation of Christians of all denominations in the circulation of pure truth.' Several of the early tracts were also contributed by his pen. At a meeting of a Committee of this Society, on the 7th of December, 1802, the conversation took place which originated the subsequent movements in forming the British and Foreign Bible Society. The Rev. Mr. Charles, of Bala, had been expatiating on the dearth of Bibles in the language of the Principality, and urging upon the attention of the meeting the desirableness of providing a more adequate supply. The thought was suggested- Surely a society might be formed for the purpose; '-and if for Wales, why not also for the empire-for the world?' That this thought, expressed nearly in these terms, was first uttered by the lips of Mr. Hughes, is not only in accordance with the general recollection, sanctioned by his own admission; but the minutes of the meeting, revised by himself, record that, at the suggestion of the Secretary, the subject was deemed deserving of attention, and was to be taken into consideration at the next meeting. He was accordingly requested by the Chairman to imbody his sentiments in a written address, to be read to them at a future meeting specially convened. This address, after receiving some few emendations, was ordered to be printed. It was entitled, "The Excellence of the Holy Scriptures an argument for their more general dispersion at home and abroad;" and was sent forth early in 1803, without a name, and without preface. As containing the seminal principle of the Institution, it might of itself sufficiently establish the claim of the writer to be regarded as the primary instrument of originating it. His Essay,' remarks one of the few surviving members of that memorable committee*, which he matured with his best powers, became the 'Appeal, on behalf of the Scriptures, to all who professed to receive 'them as a Divine Revelation, which at length roused them to a sense of their duty, and brought together agents in fulfilling it which no cause had before been able to combine. The principle indeed had been acknowledged, and to a small extent already acted upon; but, till the Bible Society arose, it was unknown in the world how far it is possible for Christians conscientiously to retain their distinctive tenets and titles, while they unite their ⚫ efforts in discharging a common obligation paramount to them 'all. No appeal to the Churches," since the days of Inspiration, has, probably, produced co-extensive good. His endurance

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* W. Alers Hankey, Esq., in a letter given in the Appendix.

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' of labour equalled his zeal, and bore him up till the cause triumphed. My judgement bids me declare that Joseph Hughes was the man whom the Head of the Christian Church raised up instrumentally to confer upon it and the world the greatest 'blessing that these last days have received.'

The first public meeting for the purpose of forming the Society, took place on March 7, 1804, the venerable Granville Sharp in the Chair. The letter from which we take the above extract, contains a highly interesting account of this important meeting, which opened under very discouraging appearances. The business had commenced when the Rev. John Owen entered the room; whether to support or to oppose the undertaking, was not known. He had attended at the persuasion of (we believe) his friend the Rev. Josiah Pratt, and came, as he used pleasantly to say, to see what you Dissenters were about.' 'It was not till 'Steinkopff told us, in his affecting manner and broken English, of the distresses of Germany,' he said, that my heart was 'moved.' Then he arose, and, by his natural and powerful eloquence, gave an impulse to the meeting which materially contributed to its successful result. He consented to be associated as joint secretary to the new Institution, with the Baptist minister and the amiable Lutheran clergyman; and never were three colleagues more happily adapted, by their oneness of heart and diversity of gift and temperament, to concur in harmoniously carrying forward the cause to which they so disinterestedly devoted themselves. For nearly twenty years, the three-fold cord remained unbroken.

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As we are not tracing the history of that Institution with which Mr. Hughes's life became henceforth identified, we must very briefly advert to the prominent circumstances of his subsequent career. Early in 1812, the diploma of Doctor of Divinity was transmitted to him from the University of Providence, Rhode Island; and in 1821, the same honour was conferred upon him by Yale College, Connecticut. In both instances, he respectfully but firmly declined the honour, and carefully concealed the fact. In 1822, he was bereaved of his friend and colleague, Mr. Owen, who had, as well as himself, gratuitously laboured in the service of the Society to which they had consecrated their best energies, and which, by its gradually increasing importance and extent, came at length to absorb almost the whole of their time. difficulty of finding a clergyman, as successor to Mr. Owen, who could make a similar sacrifice, and the injustice of requiring it, led the committee to decide upon annexing a salary to the vacant office; and of course, the three secretaries could but be placed on the same footing. Of Mr. Hughes's reluctance to accept of any salary, the following private memorandum will furnish the most honourable and satisfactory evidence. It is dated August, 1823.

The