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to obtain for the congregation that complete accommodation, for which St. John's has been remarkable.

When Mr. Cecil entered on St. John's, the usual custom prevailed of playing a Voluntary after the reading of the Psalms. As he considered this no part of the worship, but rather an intrusion into it, he appointed that an appropriate Voluntary should precede the service to allow for which, the bell was ordered to cease five minutes before the hour for Divine Worship; and, instead of the usual Voluntary after the Psalms, he directed that a Psalm should be sung after the Second Lesson.

Any inattention to the established economy of the Chapel was grievous to him; and he strictly watched over all abuses, particularly that so frequently observed in various Churches in London -imposition or misbehaviour on the part of the pew-openers. He set his face determinedly against this; and enjoined on them, as the condition of their holding their situations, that they should, without previously receiving a bribe, accommodate with a seat, when practicable, every respectable stranger: but, finding, that, through the frailty of human nature, his injunctions were in one form or another violated, and being fully determined on carrying his point, he engaged a person, both to superintend the conduct of the pew-openers, and to keep a watchful eye over every part of the Chapel during the time of Divine Service. This he did with a view to prevent inattention to such persons as occasionally dropped in, and who therefore had no regular seat. His very soul abhorred the thought, that any one should be discouraged or prevented from hearing the free offer of salvation, who did not pay his way into a seat; and, though he was aware that his liberality might be

abused, yet his grand object was obtained-that dying creatures should be encouraged to hear the message of the Living God.

He was a great admirer of order, and particularly so in the Church. There was, in consequence, much more attention paid at St. John's, than in most other places, that all the parts of the service should proceed in a regular succession, without any intermission, from the time when it commenced till it ended. The Clerk constantly called on a Sunday morning and took the time from a regulator in Mr. Cecil's study. He appointed that the bell should begin precisely at half-past ten o'clock-that the Organist should begin instantly on the stopping of the bell-that the Reader should be in the desk ready to begin the prayers on the organ ceasing and that, throughout the whole service, the same uniform punctuality should be preserved.

At St. John's, Mr. C. performed all the duty for three years, without receiving any emolument, as the hearers were few, the expenses and interest of the money laid out upon it great, and the pews much underlet: Mr. C. objected to having them raised, lest it should disturb the mind of the old hearers, and discourage others from attending: an annual sum of 251. was, moreover, paid to the Rector of St. Andrew's, for the privilege of the pulpit in the afternoon. These, together with the continual and heavy expenses, arising from his zeal to render the Chapel commodious to his congregation, occasioned his income from it to be much more confined, for many years, than was generally conceived. He sought not THEIRS, but THEM: during, therefore, his first years as the Minister of St. John's, his income but very gradually increased, which will account for his being so involved in his circumstances, the greater part 3*

VOL. I.

of his life. During the first eighteen years, that is from 1780 to 1798, he made a point of paying the interest of the money lent for the repair of the Chapel. A legacy of 100l. left me by a relation, and another 1007. given by a friend,* and every smaller legacy or sum given, and all that could possibly be spared from domestic demands, were immediately devoted to paying off the principal, which was at length thus reduced to five hundred pounds, as appeared by his accounts, examined by his friends during his confinement in December, 1798.

In gratitude to Mr. Cecil's friends, I ought to mention, that, in the afflictive state of his health just referred to, they were anxious to know his circumstances; and finding, on investigation, that part of the debt for the first repair of the Chapel (about 5001.) was not paid off, they generously made à subscription to defray it. An overplus of about 2007. remaining, they put this into the funds for his use; but an affecting circumstance in his family obliged him to sell it out some time after.

St. John's Chapel was part of the estate of the Rugby Charity; the management of it was principally left to Sir Eardly Wilmot, one of the Rugby Trust, who was resident in the neighbourhood. It having been some time advertised, Sir Eardly determined, that if he could not get a Minister recommended to it by the Archbishop of Canterbury, he would procure an act to be passed to make it a Parish Church. The Archbishop [Cornwallis] had given Mr. C. one of his Livings at Lewes; and had advised him, on account of his health, to leave a Curate at Lewes and procure some duty in town. He had before recommended him to Dr. Ducarel, for the Surrogacy annexed to his Living: this Dr. D. gave to Mr. Cecil, on his promise of taking a Master's degree; which promise

*John Thornton, Esq.

he performed. The Archbishop, on being requested to recommend Mr. C. to Sir Eardly Wilmot, readily complied.

When he entered on his ministry at St. John's, he had difficult and arduous path to tread. He had to preach to a people inimical to the spirit of the Gospel on the one hand; and to make his way through the prejudices of the religious part of his auditory, on the other-who, not comprehending his aim, were ready to pronounce on his plan, as shunning to declare the whole counsel of God. Yet he was wisely following the example of his Master, in delivering the truth, as they who heard were able to bear it; and thus forming a lodgment in their minds, and preparing them for the full display of all the doctrines of the Gospel.

Mr. C. possessed, naturally, a comprehensive mind, and strong judgment. When it pleased God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, to shine into his heart, all his natural powers received a new direction, and under divine influence became subservient to the glorious objects which he had discovered and laboured to make known to others. Persons are often led to approve or disapprove from RESULTS, either as they are successful, or unsuccessful, rather than from abstract views : the RESULT, in the instance of St. John's Chapel, clearly proves the wisdom of the course which Mr. C. pursued.

About the year 1800, Mr. C. established an Annual Sermon at St. John's, to be preached on the morning of May Day, to young persons. He wished his Chapel to render assistance to charitable and pious Institutions, by occasional Sermons, distinct from those of the Parish School and the Welsh Charity, which last always attended the Chapel; but in his early attempt at this, he met with serious remonstrances from some of the con

gregation; ardent, therefore, on his GREAT POINT, of promoting the Gospel, and avoiding offence not absolutely necessary, no others were introduced for some years. He never, however, relinquished his original intention of rendering this benefit to cases which he deemed proper. Besides, therefore, the Sermons which were preached-the first two, namely, morning and afternoon, about January, for the Parish School-and the next two, about April, for the Welsh Charity-he introduced two in Dec. 1798, for a Sunday School for Religious Instruction, which had been established at St. John's; and he occasionally added another for the benefit of some charitable Institution, and had it in contemplation to preach one annually in favour of the Society for Missions to Africa and the East. In 1807, he preached for the NEW RUPTURE SOCIETY, of which His Royal Highness the Duke of York is the Patron. Mr. C. had first suggested the plan of this society to Mr. Blair, the Surgeon, in 1804, by whose active and benevolent exertions the Society was formed, which has, since its establishment in 1805, to the present year, 1816, relieved upwards of 7000 patients.

The Sacramental Money, collected at St. John's Chapel, Mr. C. appointed to be kept in the hands of a treasurer, and was distributed by him, and three other gentlemen of the congregation, who were requested to assist in the distribution, to poor persons recommended by seat-holders, on St. Thomas' day-except small sums which were sent by the Clerk and Collector, to cases of need discovered in the course of the year, which were brought to account in the annual settlement.

Mr. C. had for many years suffered greatly from a complaint, supposed to be a sciatica. On being seized by a more violent and accute attack, a consultation of the Faculty was held on his disorder

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