Mr. Saunders's grandfather was Julius Saunders, who, at an early period of life, was entered at Oxford, with a view of taking orders in the establishment. He was induced, however, after close and serious examination, to take his lot among the dissenters. This excellent man suffered three years imprisonment in Warwickgaol, during the reign of Charles the Second, for his nonconformity. He was the honoured instrument, in the hand of God, of gathering a very considerable congregation in Bedworth, a populous village, five miles from Coventry, where an Inde pendent Church was formed; which has been favoured with a succession of evangelical pastors to the present day. He was also the means, as we have been informed, of supporting, if not of founding, an Independent Church in the city of Coventry*. Indeed, "he was a burning and a shining the common jail among the other prisoners, and slept but little, but employed the night in prayer, and instructing others. The next day (Feb. 8) he was led to the place of execution, in the park, near the city; going in an old gown and a shirt, barefooted; and oftentimes fell flat on the ground, and prayed. When he approached the place, an officer told him that he was one of those who had corrupted the Queen's realm with false doctrine and heresy; for which,' said he, thou hast deserved death; and yet, if thou wilt revoke thine heresies, the Queen hath pardoned thee; if not, yonder fire is prepared for thee.' Mr. Saunders replied, "It is not I, nor my fellow-preachers of God's truth, that have hurt the Queen's realm. I hold no heresies, but the doctrine of God, the blessed gospel of Christ: that hold I,- that believe I, that have I taught, and that will I never revoke!" Upon this, the officer cried, Away with him!' and away from him Mr. Saunders went, with a cheerful courage, to the fire. He then fell to the ground, and prayed; after which, he rose, and, taking the stake to which he should be chained in his arms, he kissed it, saying, "Welcome the cross of Christ! Welcome eternal life!" being then fastened to the stake, and the fire kindled, he sweetly slept in the Lord. * When the cruel Act of Uniformity took place, in the year 1662, Coventry enjoyed the labours of some eminent men, who were thereby cast out of the church. Dr. John Bryan, Vicar of Trinity Church, was a learned and active minister, and an eminent tutor of young men for the ministry. He was so great a textuary as to be able to discourse, extemPore, on most places of Scripture. He was a man of eminent godliness; and gave a tenth part of his annual income to the poor. He had three sons ejected ministers. When Dr. Obadiah Grew was Vicar of St. Michael's, in the same city, less active than Dr. Bryan, but godly, able, and faithful in his ministry. After his ejectment, when the plague alarmed this city, he began to keep open meetings in it; but was obliged, by the Oxford act, to remove. liberty was allowed, in 1672, he returned, and preached openly. some years, when this liberty was recalled, he was imprisoned six months in a filthy chamber iu the jail; to which, however, he was better reconciled, by knowing that Mr.Glover, Mr. Saunders, and others, had lain in it before. After After his release, he was forced, a third time, to leave the city; but his heart remained with his beloved people, for whose edification he adopted the following singular method:- His eye-sight being gone, he kept an Amanuensis, and dictated to him a sermon every week. He then sent it to be read to four or more writers in short hand; and every one of these read it to four others, who transcribed it also. Thus it was MEMOIR OF THE LATE REV. T. SAUNDERS. 579 light" in that neighbourhood for many years. He lies buried under the table-pew of the Meeting-house in Bedworth; but no monumental stone, as yet, marks the place which contains his precious dust. His son Samuel, who was not a minister, resided at Belworth. From him immediately sprang the subject of this memoir, who often spoke with no small degree of pleasure and satisfaction of so worthy, and, in some instances, so illustrious an ancestry Mr. Saunders was born about the year 1738. At the early age of ten or cleven years of age, he had many deep impressions made upon his mind, of a religious kind, which, through the divine blessing, proved permanent. At the age of fourteen, he was placed under his uncle, the Rev. John Saunders, of Hertford, for grammar learning, previous to his entering upon a regular course of studies, with a view to the Christian ministry. He was a grave and venerable man, the successor of Dr. Guyse, as pastor of the congregational church in that town. He was much and deservedly respected, as a zealous defender of the peculiar doctrines of the gospel, and distinguished by a life of exemplary piety. He died in the year 1768. Upon quitting his uncle, Mr. Saunders entered the Academy at Mile End, then under the direction of the Rev. Drs. Conder, Walker, and Gibbons. He passed through his studies with much reputation, and, upon the close of them, proved a truly evangelical and acceptable preacher. He consequently received pressing invitations from several respectable congregations to settle amongst them. He gave the preference, however, to the importunate and unanimous one which came from the Church of Christ at Bedworth, his native place, and which was founded by his grandfather Julius, mentioned before. Here he was venerated and beloved, and rend red long and eminently useful. His church and congregation were large and flourishing; and, by his brethren in the neighbourhood, he was held in much esteem. Soon after his settlement at Bedworth, he married a Miss Free read at twenty different meetings, because many could not safely meet at once. This practice he continued till the Revolution, when he returned to the town, and preached till month before his death, which was on Oct. 22, 1689. He wrote "A Sinner's Justification by Christ; or the Lord our Righteousness;" a judicious abstract of which has been lately reprinted. Mr. Samuel Basset, of both Universities, was, at the same time, a minister of the gospel in Coventry: he preached once on the Lord's Day at St. Michael's, and, on a week day, at Trinity Church, and administered the Lord's Supper statedly to those Christians who were of the congregational denomination. He was chaced from Coventry by the Corporation Act, and died at Atherstone. See further particulars of these eminent men in Palmer's Nonconformist's Memorial. Mr. Joseph Saunders, a brother of Mr. Thomas Saunders, was, for many years, a worthy minister of the gospel at Cambridge. man, of Leicestershire, by whom he had a numerous offspring, seven of whom are living, namely, four sons and three daughters. Here he remained for about 23 years, when, with a view to more extensive usefulness, he removed to Coventry, and took the charge of a congregation, then in a reduced state, which meets in Vicar Lane in that city. In this situation, he discharged the duties of his office with great seriousness and affection. His "labours were not in vain in the Lord;" but his success does not appear to have equalled that with which he was favoured at Bedworth. In this city he dispensed the word of life for upwards of fifteen years, when the all-wise Disposer of every event, was pleased to lay him aside from all further ministerial services, by an attack of the palsy. So much was his heart engaged in his work, that it was with extreme reluctance, and with great agitation of mind, that he was at length constrained to resign the pastoral office, still cherishing the fond, but delusive hope, that he should be restored to a capacity for public service. In the spring of 1801, he recovered a partial use of his limbs, and was induced to remove to London, that he might spend the remainder of his days with those of his children, who were settled there. For this purpose, he took a house at Islington, where they resided together. Though laid aside from public service as a minister, he constantly attended upon the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Jennings in that village, and regularly communicated with the church under his care, in the ordinance of the Lord's supper. Indeed, such was his affection to the house of his God, that, when it was with extreme difficulty, and by many painful exertions, that he could reach his pew, he still continued to visit the sanctuary. But, at length, through repeated strokes, his body and mind were so much enfeebled, as to render him a truly pitiable object. So long as the powers of recollection and speech continued, his temper was devout, and his language acquiescing, although earnestly desirous, if it pleased God, to be restored to a capacity of resuming his beloved work; and, when his faculties were gone, the kindest wish of his friends for him was, that he might obtain an easy release; which was mercifully granted him on the 29th of April 1806. He was interred in Bunhill Fields, May 6th; and the providence was improved in a discourse by Mr. Jennings, the Sabbath following, at Islington Meeting, from 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8, "I have fought a good fight," &c. This good man was in sentiment a strict Calvinist; as a preacher, able, zealous, and affectionate. It was his constant practice, while in health, to preach thrice every Lord's Day, and an evening lecture in the course of the week. He possessed a graceful and comely person, and his public performances com manded attention, and were generally approved. He was blessed with great mildness of natural temper, accompanied with an UNION AMONG CHRISTIANS. 581 amiable sensibility, which was particularly visible in the paren UNION AMONG CHRISTIANS. [From the late Bishop Blackall's Sermon on Matthew v. 9.] "WHATEVER little differences there are between us in opinion, or upon the account of some little offences given or taken on either side, yet if we did but constantly meet together at the Lord's table, and duly consider the nature of that solemu action, that we there all profess ourselves disciples of the same Master, and members of the same body, of which Christ is the head, the serious consideration of that near relation which we have to each other, and of that love which, upon the account of this near relation, we ought to bear to each other, would quickly either compose all our differences, or else make us, notwithstanding them, be as closely united in affection towards each other, as if we were exactly of the same mind and judgment in every thing. "Thus it was in the primitive times, in the first and purest ages of Christianity, when the holy communion was a constant part of their public worship, and they never met together to put up prayers to God and hear his word, but, before they parted, they partook also of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper: then, I say, the love of Christians to each other was singular and remarkable, somuch that it became as a proverb among the Heathens, "See how the Christians love one another!" And, I doubt not, but that the want of love and charity, which is now too visible among Christians, is, in a great measure, owing to our seldom com nunions, and to our scandalous neglect of this most holy and divine institution." J. S. B. "A thankful heart to God for his blessings, is the greatest blessing of all." Dr. SIBBS. "When we have received one blessing, we must receive another, that we may be enabled to use the first for good. If we pray and receive, we want grace to praise for the receiving." Hore Solitaria. "Our whole life should speak nothing but thankfulness; every condition and place we are in should be a witness of our thankfulness. When we ourselves are monuments of God's mercy, it is fit we should be patterns of his praises, and leave monuments to others." Dr. Sibbs. "True praise requires our whole man; the judgment to esteem, the memory to treasure up, the will to resolve, the affections to delight, the tongue to speak of, and the life to express the rich favours of God." Ibid. "We ought not only to give thanks, but to be thankful; to meditate and study the praises of God. By this means, we are sure never to be miserable. How can he be dejected that, by a sweet communion with God, sets himself in Heaven, nay, maketh his heart a kind of Heaven, a temple, an holy of holies, wherein incense is offered unto God! It is the sweetest branch of our pricstly office to offer up these daily sacrifices." Ibid |