,transcribed from the #ahag ,hay and ,turner edition by ,david ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org ,picture3 ,public domain book cover ,,hay ,,and ,,turner',s ,,genuine ,,edition1 ,entered at ,stationers' ,hall4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,infamous ,,life ,,of ,,john ,,church1 ,,the ,st4 ,george's ,fields ,preacher1 ,,from ,,his ,,infancy ,,up ,,to ,,his ,,trial ,,and ,,conviction1 ,,with ,,his ,,confession1 ,sent in a ,letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,l--1 two days after his ,attack on ,adam ,foreman1 at ,vauxhall1 with ,clerical ,remarks by the same ,gentleman2 to which is added1 his ,love ,epistles to ,e99999999 ,b999999994 99 99 99 99 99 ,together with various other ,letters1 particularly one to ,cook1 of ,vere- ,street ,notoriety4 99 99 99 99 99 ,london3 ,,printed ,,and ,,published ,,by ,,hay ,,and ,,turner1 #aa1 ,,newcastle ,,street ,,strand2 ,,and ,,may ,,be ,,had ,,of ,,all ,,booksellers ,,in ,,town ,,and ,,country4 #ahag4 ,,price ,,four ,,pence4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,john ,,church1 c4 c4 ,,it has been justly remarked1 by a celebrated writer1 that 8a sudden rise from a low station1 as it sometimes shews to advantage the virtuous and amiable qualities1 which could not exert themselves before1 so it more frequently calls forth and exposes to view those spots of the soul which lay lurking in secret1 cramped by penury1 and veiled with dissimulation40 ,,john ,,church1 the subject of the following pages1 was found1 when an infant1 on the steps1 or near the porch of a church 7some say that of ,st4 ,andrew1 in ,holborn27 and the overseers of the parish not being able to discover who were his parents1 or by whom he was thus abandoned1 had him sent to the ,foundling ,hospital1 where he received that name1 which bears the nearest analogy to the place where he was found4 ,here he remained until he was nine years old1 when a complaint to the ,governors having been made against him by the nurses1 that he was addicted to improper and disgusting practices1 it was thought prudent to apprentice him out at that early age1 to obviate the possibility of the contagion spreading amongst the rest of the boys who partook of the bounties of that charity4 ,from his evident illiteracy1 and from the badness of his writing1 it is certain that he must have quitted the ,hospital at an earlier age than usual1 because1 in general1 none leave it who are not good scholars4 ,he was accordingly placed out as an apprentice to a ,gilder1 in ,blackfriars ,road4 ,before the expiration of his indenture1 he married and quitted the service of his master4 ,shortly afterwards1 he worked for a composition ornament maker1 in ,tottenham ,court ,road4 ,this immaculate ,minister of the ,gospel here commenced his religious career1 and1 under the assumed garb of sanctity1 took upon him the office of a teacher to the ,sunday ,school1 at that time established at ,tottenham ,court ,chapel4 ,thinking that preaching was a better trade than that which he was employed in1 this precious teacher1 together with two other young men1 hired a garret in the neighbourhood of ,soho1 where they used to learn the method of addressing themselves to a congregation4 ,an old chair was the substitute for a pulpit4 ,he now began 7to use his own expression7 8to gammon the old women40--,good fortune happened at length to procure him the notice of ,old ,mother ,barr1 of ,orange-street1 who1 being interested in his behalf1 allowed him the use of a room of hers1 in which he treated her and a few other choice labourers in the field of piety with his rapturous discourses44 ,from this he used to hold forth more publicly4 ,his virtues and acquirements now recommended him to one ,garrett1 of notorious memory1 who obtained him a living at ,banbury4 ,it was at this place that he became obnoxious4 ,having made several violent attempts upon some young men while at that place1 he was driven out from thence1 by the trustees of the chapel in which he preached1 and ordered never to show his face there again4 ,he hastily decamped1 leaving behind him his wife and children2 and the police officers having been sent in pursuit1 their searches proved fruitless1 and it was a long time before he was heard of4 ,he once more retired into the country1 but was called from his solitude1 to use his influence in town1 by a man of his own disgraceful kind1 named ,kitty ,cambric1 and well know at the ,swan1 in ,vere ,street4 ,it is proper to observe here that some of these wretches assume the names of women1 and that they are absolutely married together1 as will be shown presently1 from ,church's having been the parson who performed the blasphemous mock ceremony of joining them in the ties of 8,holy ,matrimony40 ,he now settled himself at ,chapel ,court1 in the ,borough1 when his old friend ,garrett1 publicly charged him with a wicked and diabolical offence1 as the law says1 8not to be named amongst ,christians10 and he was obliged to run away from this accusation4 ,by some fortuitous event he at length got possession of the ,obelisk ,chapel1 where he began to deliver his doctrines to those who were foolish and ignorant enough to attend to his fulsome and incoherent exclamations4 ,several young men1 whose names are known to the writer1 who were accustomed to hear him1 were obliged to leave him in consequence of his having used them in a manner too indecent to be mentioned or hinted at4 ,e4 ,b4 a respectable tradesman1 residing in the ,borough of ,southwark1 has informed the writer of the present article1 that this parson1 or rather this monster1 when be was about to preach1 would frequently say--8,well1 ,i am going to tip 'em a gammoning story2 my old women would believe the moon to be made of green cheese if ,i was to tell them so2 and ,i must tell them something40 ,the writer has also been informed1 from credible authority1 that ,church was a constant attendant in ,vere-street1 and that the gang of miscreants who met at the public-house there1 some of whom stood in the pillory about seven or eight years ago1 had nominated him to be their ,chaplain1 and that he officiated in that capacity4 ,by virtue of his functions in this situation1 he was often employed in joining these monsters in the 8indissoluble tie of matrimony6660 ,they were absolutely wedded together4 ,one evening1 when ,church visited this infamous place of resort1 one of the gang observed1 8,here's ,parson ,church4 ,aye1 ,parson1 how d'ye do8 ,have you come to see our ,chapel80--,church replied1 8,yes1 and to preach too40 ,in addition to the above account is the following1 communicated by the before-mentioned ,e4 ,b4 who happened1 unfortunately1 to be an attendant at ,church's meeting house1 when the latter took notice of and formed an acquaintance with him1 commencing as usual with pious exhortations1 and then followed up by distrusting freedoms4 ,mr4 ,b4 however1 struck with horror at such conduct1 abandoned the place1 when he received two letters from ,church1 of which the following are copies3-- ,,dear ,,ned--,may the best of blessings be yours in life and in death1 while the sweet sensations of real genuine disinterested friendship rules every power of your mind body and soul4 ,i can only say ,i wish you was as much captivated with sincere friendship as ,i am but we all know our own feelings best--,friendship those best of names1 affection those sweetest power like some powerful charm that overcomes the mind--,i could write much on this subject but ,i dare not trust you with what ,i could say much as ,i esteem you--,you would consider it as unmanly and quite effeminate1 and having already proved what human nature is ,i must conceal even those emotions of love which ,i feel4 ,i wish ,i had the honor of being loved by you as much and in as great a degree as ,i do you4 ,sometimes the painful thought of a separation overpowers me1 many are now trying at it but last night ,i told the persons that called on me that let them insinuate what they would ,i would never sacrifice my dear ,ned to the shrine of any other friend upon earth--and that them who did not like him1 should have none of my company at all4 ,i find dear ,ned many are using all their power to part us but ,i hope it will prove in vain on your side the effect that all this has upon me is to make me love you ten times more than ever1 ,i wish opposition may have the same effect upon you in this particular but ,i fear not4 however ,i am confident if you love me now or at any other time my heart will ever be set upon you nor can ,i ever forget you till death4 ,your leaving of me will break my heart1 bring down my poor mind with sorrow to the grave and wring from my eyes the briny tears1 while my busy meddling memory will call to remembrance the few pleasant hours we spent together4 ,i picture to my imagination the affecting scene the painful thought1 ,i must close the affecting subject 'tis more than my feelings are able to bear--,my heart is full1 my mind is sunk1 ,i shall be better when ,i have vented out my grief4 ,stand fast my dearest ,ned to me ,i shall to you whether you do to me or no1 and may we be pardoned1 justified1 and brought more to the knowledge of ,christ4 ,o help me to sing-- ,when thou my righteous ,judge shall come ,to fetch thy ransom'd people home1 ,may ,i among them stand1 ,let such a worthless worm as ,i1 ,that sometimes am afraid to die1 ,be found at thy right hand4 ,i love to meet amongst them now1 ,before thy gracious feet to bow1 ,tho' vilest of them all2 ,but can ,i bear the piercing thought1 ,what if my name should be left out1 ,when thou for them should call4 ,learn these two verses by heart and then ,i will write two more1 as they are expressions of mind fears sensations and desires--,i must close1 ,i long to see your dear face again1 ,i long for ,sunday morning till then ,god bless you4 #c;d ,march1 #ahji4 ,i remain unalterably thy dear thy loving friend1 ,j4 ,,church4 ,the following1 without a date1 was written by ,church to ,mr4 ,b4 who received it on or about the #aeth day of ,march1 #ahji3-- ,,dear ,,sir--,is this thy kindness to thy once professed much loved friend1 surely ,i never1 never did deserve such cruel treatment at your hands2 why not speak to me last night in ,james-street when you heard me call1 ,stop6 stop6 ,ned6 do1 pray do3 but cruel1 cruel ,ned1 deaf to all intreaties--,o why was ,i permitted to pass the door of ,mr4 ,gibbons when you and ,west were coming out4 ,why was ,i permitted to tramp up and down the ,new ,cut after you2 ,i wanted to speak one bitter heart breaking painful distressing word1 farewell3 ,i only wanted to pour my sorrows into your bosom1 to shake hands with you once more1 but ,i was denied this indulgence4 ,i never1 never thought you would deceive me--,o what an unhappy man am ,i2 the thing that ,i most feared is come upon me1 no excuse can justify such apparent duplicity2 ,o my distress is great indeed4 ,o my ,god6 what shall ,i do8 ,o ,christ6 ,o ,god6 support me in this trying hour1 what a night am ,i passing through2 ,i cannot sleep1 its near three o'clock2 alas6 sleep is departed1 how great my grief1 how bitter my sorrows1 the loss of my character is nothing to the loss of one dearer to me than any thing else4 ,o let me give vent to tears2 but ,i am too1 too much distressed to cry2 ,o that ,i could4 ,i feel this like a dagger2 never1 never can ,i forgive the unhappy instrument of my distress in ,charlotte-street4 ,why did my dear friend ,edward deceive me8 ,o how my mind was eased on ,wednesday night2 alas1 how distressed on ,thursday4 ,i have lost my only bosom friend1 nearest dearest friend1 bosom from bosom torn1 how horrid4 ,ah1 dear ,suffolk-court1 never surely can ,i see you again4 ,how the ,philistines will triumph2 there1 so would we have it3 how ,ebeir1 ,calvin1 ,thompson1 ,edwards1 ,bridgman1 all will rejoice1 and ,i have lost my friend1 my all in this world1 except the other part of myself1 my wife1 and poor babes2 never did ,i expect this from my dear ,e-- ,b--4 ,o for a clam mind1 that ,i might sleep till day light2 but no1 this ,i fear will be denied me4 ,how can ,i bear the piercing thought1 parted2 a dreadful word1 worst of sensations1 the only indulgence1 the only confident1 the only faithful1 the only kind and indulgent sympathising friend1 to lose you4 ,o what a stroke2 ,o what a cut1 what shall ,i do for matter on ,sunday2 ,o that ,i could get some one to preach for me1 how can ,i lift up my head4 ,o ,sir1 if you have a grain of affection left for me1 do intreat of ,god to support me2 this is a worse affliction than the loss of my character nine months ago4 ,a man cannot lose his character twice4 ,o ,i did think you knew better3 ,i did think ,i had found one in you that ,i could not find elsewhere2 but no1 the first object presented to you1 seen suddenly1 gained your mind1 gained your affections2 and ,i1 poor unhappy distressed ,i1 am left to deplore your loss4 ,o for submission1 but ,i am distressed2 woe is me4 ,o that ,i had never1 never known you1 then ,i should never feel what ,i do2 but ,i thank you for your company hitherto1 ,i have enjoyed it four moths exactly1 but this is over for ever2 miserable as ,i am1 ,i wish you well for ever1 for ever4 ,i write in the bitterness of my soul which ,i feel4 ,may you never be cursed with the feelings ,i possess as long as you live4 ,what a day ,i have before me2 ,i cannot go out of my house till ,sunday morning4 ,how can ,i conceal my grief from my dear wife8 how shall ,i hide it8 what shall ,i say8 ,i am miserable1 nor can ,i surmount the shock at all4 ,i have no friend to pour out my sorrows to now1 ,i wish ,i had2 ,i am sorry you are so easily duped by any to answer their purposes2 my paper is full1 my paper is full1 my heart is worse2 ,god help me2 ,lord ,god support me6 what shall ,i do1 dear ,god6 ,o ,lord6 have mercy on me1 ,i must close2 this comes from your ever loving but distressed ,j4 ,,church4 ,for some years past1 the person just named has been getting a living by preaching as a ,minister of the ,gospel in an obscure conventicle close to the ,surrey ,theatre4 ,in the mean time1 reports had gone abroad that he was addicted to certain abominable propensities2 and certain gentlemen in the neighbourhood1 not actuated by any jealousy towards a successful 8rival in the vineyard10 but dreading the disgrace and pollution which ,christianity might suffer from the immoral character of any of its teachers1 investigated these rumours2 and the facts now related came to light4 ,james ,cook1 who kept the infamous house in ,vere ,street1 was released from his two years imprisonment in ,newgate1 on the #bast of ,september #ahab4 ,in the course of a few days after1 he accidentally met ,john ,church1 and recognized him as the gay parson whom he had formerly seen at a certain house in the ,london ,road1 and at his own house in ,vere ,street4 ,a friendly correspondence then took place between these two old acquaintances4 ,about the #acth of ,october1 ,cook received a letter from him4 ,in this the ,minister of the ,gospel offers his assistance to the 8,vere ,street ,culprit10 to enable him to set up another public house1 as the reader will perceive from perusing the letter itself3-- ,dear ,sir1 ,lest ,i should not have time to call on you or converse with you at ,i shall not be alone to ,day ,i thought it ,but right to ,drop you a ,line ,i wish you all the success you can desire in getting a house fit for the ,business in the public ,line as you had a great many acquaintance1 they ought not to fail you if every one acted right according to there ability ,i am sure you would soon accomplish it4 ,as ,i am by no means ,rich1 ,but rather embarrassed ,i hope you will accept my mite towards it #al4 #as4 and you shall have another as convenient wishing you all prosperity4 ,i remain ,your's1 sincerely4 ,j4 ,,church4 for ,mr4 ,cook1 at mr4 ,halladays ,richmond ,budgs4 ,dean ,st4 ,there is another letter bearing the two-penny post nark of the #bjth of ,october4--,it is as follows3-- ,dear ,sir1 ,i received your note this morning in ,bed1 as ,i have contracted such a ,dreadful cold ,being wet on ,tuesday ,i am very much grieved i have not been able to comply with the request concerning ,mr4 ,c-- ,but ,i shall certainly keep my eye upon him and ,do him all the ,good it lays in my power where ever he is he knows my ,disposition too well to impute any remissness to my conduct ,but ,i cannot do impossibilities as ,i have ,lately had and have now ,got so many ,distressing cases in hand ,beside1 ,i will ,be sure to call on you as soon as ,i can--,but am not able to day ,i remain ,yours4 ,j ,,church4 #cb hercules ,buildings ,badly directed to ,mr4 ,oliver1 or 7,holloway7 ,no4 #f1 ,richmond's buildings1 ,dean ,street1 ,soho4 ,the next document it a letter dated ,march #g1 #ahaj1 from a person at ,banbury named ,hall1 of which the following is a copy3 ,,honoured ,,sir--,in reply to your letter concerning ,mr4 ,c4 ,i can only inform you1 there was a report against him of a very scandalous nature2 but how far his culpability extends1 it is quite out of my power to determine4 ,he was absent from hence when the rumour first spread4 ,the ,managers of our ,chapel took great pains to enquire into the origin of such reports1 and the result was1 they sent ,mr4 ,c4 positive orders1 never1 on any account1 to return to ,banbury again2 which advice he has hitherto wisely observed4 ,now1 ,sir1 after giving you the above information1 ,i beg leave to conclude the subject1 by referring you to your own comment hereon4 7,signed7 ,s4 ,,hall4 ,banbury1 ,march #g1 #ahaj4 ,then follows a letter from ,wm4 ,clarke of ,ipswich1 a young man between #ai and #bj years of age1 which contains an account of attempts too horrid to be published4 ,the written confession 7frightful indeed it is7 of this poor simple young man1 whose mind was bewildered by the canting exhortations of ,church2 and the whole of his statements corroborated by the oral testimony of ,mr4 ,wire1 who resides at ,colchester1 and knows ,clarke very well4 ,the circumstances related by ,clarke would have furnished ample grounds for a criminal prosecution had he made his complaint immediately after the assault was committed3--but suffering under the influence of ignorance and fear1 he kept it a secret too long1 and afterwards accepted of a pound note from ,church4 ,a case was laid before two eminent barristers1 to have their opinion whether such a prosecution could be carried on with any prospect of conviction4 ,their opinion1 in writing1 is1 that after the long concealment of a ,charge1 a ,jury would pay no attention to his evidence1 unless he was confirmed in his story by other evidence4 ,extract from the ,confession of ,wm4 ,clark1 of ,ipswich4 ,having been called by ,providence to ,colchester1 ,i went to hear ,john ,church preach in a barn1 was invited to ,mr4 ,abbott's2 was prevailed upon to sleep with ,john ,church2 ,i did sleep with him three nights2 after being enticed to many imprudencies1 ,i was under the necessity to resist certain attempts1 which1 if ,i had complied with1 ,i am fearful must have ruined both soul and body2 the crime is too horrid to relate4 ,,william ,,clark4 ,,richard ,,patmore ,j4 ,,ellison ,c4 ,,wire ,h4 ,t4 ,,wire ,witnesses4 ,p4,s4--,this took place in ,march last1 #ahab4 ,the peace of this poor lad's mind however is completely destroyed1 so fatally has the event preyed upon him2--so far so as to fill the bosom of his aged father with such a spirit of indignation and revenge1 that he actually came up to ,london with a full determination to be the death of him who had thus ruined the peace of his beloved son1 while the mother's mind was not less distracted than that of the father4 ,in consequence of this1 the father entered ,j4 ,church's meeting house1 with two loaded pistols1 one in each pocket2 but under the excess of agitation1 he fainted away1 and was carried out of the place4 ,the following will cast some light on the preceding3 ,colchester1 ,september #af1 #ahab4 ,,sir--,last evening ,i had an interview with ,clark's father1 who wishes him to comply with your wishes4 ,i mentioned to him respecting ,church's conduct1 and ,i find the last night to be the worst4 ,likewise that he would have committed the act had not ,clark prevented him4 ,the particulars ,i told you when in ,london1 but find them worse than what ,i described to you4 ,they are not able to be at any expence2 but if the ,gentlemen wish to prosecute1 and to pay ,clark's expences up to ,london1 c4 he will have no objection to come when you please to send4 ,i need only say1 ,i wish you to inform the ,gentlemen1 and give me a line4 ,i am1 dear1 ,sir1 yours1 c4 ,c4 ,,wire4 ,the following is a narrative which ,cook has given of his acquaintance with ,parson ,church2 and which was taken down from his own dictation by ,mr4 ,e-- ,b--3 ,in ,may1 #ahaj1 ,i was in company with ,mr4 ,yardley and another young man by the name of ,ponder4 ,i found after that the said ,ponder was a drummer in the ,guards2 ,i called at a house in the ,london ,road1 where ,i saw ,mr4 ,church the first time in my life3 there was at this house about twelve or fourteen altogether1 drinking gin1 and ,mr4 ,church handed me a glass of the same1 which ,i took2 ,church behaved very polite to me1 and said what a fine fellow ,i was2 he pressed me very much to stop and get tea with them1 for he said he would call and see me when ,i was settled in the house in ,vere-street4 ,i stopped a little while1 and was about to leave them1 when ,church said ,i should not go before ,i had tea1 and flung down a dollar2 and a man1 by the name of ,gaiscoin1 took the money and went for the tea and other things1 but ,i would not stay3 ,church came out of the room with me1 and walked with me as far as the turnpike2 there he met another gentleman1 which ,i never saw before1 and ,i went on and left him for that time2 ,i think it was six or eight days4 ,i went to live at the ,swan1 and saw ,church again2 he came about three o'clock in the afternoon1 and ,mr4 ,yardley accosted him1 8,parson1 what6 are you come to see the chapel80 ,he said 8,yes1 and to preach too40 ,church asked me how ,i was2 ,i said ,i was not very well3 he asked me why ,i went away in that shy manner2 ,i told him he was a stranger to me1 and ,i did not like to be intruding on strange people3 he said ,i was shy--he did not know what to make of me2 he also pressed me very much to take a walk with him1 but ,i declined it3 he said ,i must go1 but ,i still declined1 and did not go with him3 he staid some time1 and joined the company in the back parlour--persons by the name of ,miss ,fox and ,miss ,kitty ,cambrick was among them1 and the ,queen of ,bohemia4 ,as ,mr4 ,c4 was going away1 he came to the bar and spoke to me1 and said ,i must take something to drink1 which ,i did1 and he paid for it1 and left the house for that time1 in a few days he called again1 in the afternoon1 and there was not many people there2 he asked if ,yardley was at home2 ,i said he was not3 he said he was very sorry for it3 ,i asked him what he wanted2 he said he came on purpose for me to take a walk with him1 but ,i did not go3 he said he would wait until ,yardley came in4 ,church said ,i should do him a great favour if ,i would take a walk with him2 ,i would not go--he still pressed me very much to go3 ,i said ,i would if he would wait till ,i had cleaned myself3 he waited more than two hours for me2 ,i went to sleep because ,i would not go with him2 and in the mean time he waited so long that he was tired2 he sent the waiter to call me1 which he did1 and said the ,parson wanted me1 and had been waiting two hours for me2 ,i said1 let him wait1 for ,i should not come2 he returned1 and said if ,i would but speak to him1 he should go away happy3 ,i found ,i could not get rid of him--,i went down stairs2 he said1 well1 sir1 ,i hope your nap has done you good2 ,i said1 ,i don't know1 don't bother me4 ,he said ,i was very cross to him2 ,i told him there was other men without me2 if he wanted to preach1 not to preach to me about crossness4 ,he said1 well1 if that was the case1 he was very sorry he had offended me2 ,i told him he had not offended me nor pleased me2 but as ,i was not well1 the less any one talked to me the better ,i liked it2 he said1 if ,i was but friends with him1 and shake hands with him1 he should go away happy4 ,mr4 ,yardley said he never see such a fellow as ,i was1 for ,i had affronted every body that came to the house4 ,i then shook hands with the ,parson1 for at that time ,i did not know his name4 ,he shook hands with me1 and we had something to drink1 and ,mr4 ,church paid for it and went away4 ,i never saw him until ,i came out of ,newgate2 ,i was talking to ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,holloway1 and telling them there was a ,parson somewhere about ,st4 ,george's ,fields1 but his name ,i did not know4 ,he asked me if ,i should know him if ,i saw him1 ,i said ,i should2 by that ,i went to the ,chapel and saw ,mr4 ,church1 and then ,i asked the people what was the ,parson's name2 they told me his name was ,church4 ,i said he ought to be ashamed of himself to preach there1 a 999999 and rascal1 and left the place1 and went home in the greatest pains ,i ever felt in my life1 and was resolved to see him1 which ,i did the next day1 and give him one of the hand-bills2 and the manner he received me1 was like a young man would his sweetheart2--,i begun my conversation3 ,well1 ,sir1 ,i suppose you do not know me8 ,he said he did not4 ,i said my name was ,cook1 that kept the ,swan1 in ,vere-street4 ,he said he thought so1 but was not sure3 he said1 why did ,i not call before and shake hands with a-body4 ,i told him ,i did not know where he lived1 nor ,i did not know his name until ,i went to the chapel and found him out4 ,he told me not to make it known that he ever came to my house1 for he and ,rowland ,hill had daggers drawn1 and that he should be obliged to indite ,hill to clear up his character1 and for ,god's sake do not expose me4--7,here the narrative breaks off47 ,there are various other documents which are too voluminous to notice at present4 ,the point to direct the attention of the public is1 the extraordinary circumstance of a man continuing to exercise the functions of a christian pastor up to the present time1 with such heavy imputations as these hanging over his head4 ,he knew that the whole neighbourhood rung with accusations2 he knew that some hundreds of publications containing charges so severe1 that any statements compared to them1 8were lenity and compassion10 have been sold in ,st4 ,george's-fields4 ,the reader may probably have some curiosity to know what sort of a preacher this person is4 ,i have gone to hear him2 and ,i pity his poor deluded followers4 ,he does indeed deliver himself in a full1 clear1 articulate tone of voice2 but to criticise his style1 or analyse the substance of his discourse1 would be a fruitless labour3 it would be like dissecting a cobweb4 ,unmeaning rhapsodies1 and unconnected sentences1 through which the faintest gleam of morality is not to be traced1 must1 from their evanescent nature1 set the powers of recollection at defiance2 they even escape from the lash of one's contempt4 ,in his countenance there is none of that dignified mildness1 none of that subdued expression of piety which one often observes in ,christian preachers whose habits of life are conformable to their precepts4 ,his manner is forward and imposing2 and his eyes are continually employed in staring at some person among his auditors4 #aa ,the following ,character is given of ,church by ,mr4 ,george ,gee and his wife1 who live in the ,new ,cut1 ,lambeth ,marsh4 8,mr4 ,church the ,minister lodged at our house a year and a half1 and left last year at ,lady-day4 8,we were in hopes that we were about to have a godly praying minister in our house1 and to be sure1 the first night he had somewhat like prayer1 and that and once afterwards1 were the only times he ever went to family prayer in our house4 ,nor could they have any prayer1 as he would be frequently out almost all hours of the night1 and would lie in bed till ten o'clock in the morning4 ,several times he and his wife would have skirmishings and fightings between themselves1 while their children would be left to run about the streets out of school hours1 and allowed to keep company with children that would swear in our hearing most shockingly4 ,his children were always left to be very dirty1 and would be sent sometimes three or four times in the morning for spirituous liquors of all sorts2 as for reading good books or even the ,bible1 he scarce ever thought of it1 but would spend a deal of his time in loose and vain talk1 in walking about1 and in fawning on young men1 that was his chief delight4 8,sundays and working days were all alike to them1 for they would send out to buy liquors and whatever else they wanted1 on ,sundays as well as other days4 8,the house would be frequently more like a play-house 7,i might say a bawdy house7 than a minister's house1 where a set of young people would come1 and behave more indecently than ought to be mentioned4 ,even one ,sunday morning they made such an uproar1 as that they broke one of the windows1 and after that1 they would go with him to his ,chapel1 and after that he would give the sacrament to such disorderly people1 let their characters be ever so loose40 8,he was always ready to go fast enough out to dinner or supper1 where he could get good eating and drinking2 but poor people might send to him from their sick bed1 times and times before he would come to them4 ,seeing so much of his inconsistencies and shocking filthiness in their rooms1 7though they always paid the rent17 we were determined to give them warning to quit our house1 and we do think that a worse man or woman never came into any man's house before1 especially as ,mr4 ,church pretended to preach the gospel2 such hypocrites are much worse than others1 and besides this1 we never heard any man tell lies so fast in all our lives4 ,it is a great grief to us that ever we went to hear him preach1 or suffered him to stop so long in our house40 8,,george ,,and ,,frances ,,gee40 ,in addition to the above testimonies1 the writer has received a very long narrative of atrocities committed by ,,john ,,church while he resided at ,banbury1 written by a ,minister at that place2 but the facts are too disgusting and shocking to be published4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on the #fth of ,june #ahac1 the ,grand ,jury for the ,county of ,middlesex found a ,bill of ,indictment against ,,john ,,church for his attempt some years ago on a lad named ,webster4 ,incredible as it may appear1 this very man1 on the very evening of the day he was held to bail for trial on the most horrid charges1 given on oath1 had the impudence to go into his chapel and preach to a crowded audience4 ,at the ,middlesex ,sessions on ,monday the #abth of ,july #ahac1 he was tried and acquitted4 ,indeed1 it was never imagined that any other verdict than one of acquittal would have been given4 ,if the reader looks back to the proceedings at ,union ,hall1 he will find that this prosecution was ,,ordered by the ,magistrates of that ,office1 and did not originate with the prosecutor1 ,william ,webster1 on whom the abominable attempt was alleged to have been made 7now fourteen years ago74 ,the very mention of the attempt was a mere incidental circumstance arising out of another proceeding then before the ,magistrates4 ,let the ,reader also take notice of the following sentence3--8,the ,magistrate observed1 that from the length of time which had elapsed since the offence had been committed1 he thought a ,jury would not feel justified in finding him guilty40 ,this ,william ,webster1 therefore1 must be considered1 in all respects1 as an unwilling prosecutor4 ,he was supported only by one counsel1 then of young standing 7,mr4 ,adolphus71 who had to struggle against two of the most able advocates 7,messrs4 ,gurney and ,alley7 in the criminal courts4 ,it appears also that ,webster gave his evidence with embarrassment and trepidation1 and that he suffered himself to fall into some inconsistencies4 ,with this solitary and confused evidence1 and after a lapse--after a silence of ,,eleven ,,years1 was it possible to suppose that a ,jury would have found any man guilty8 ,it must here be observed1 that the decision on this solitary complaint of eleven years standing1 does not in the slightest degree affect any of the numerous accusations of a more recent date which have been made against ,john ,church4 99 99 99 99 99 ,several persons have been at a loss to know by what authority this man presumed to take upon himself the functions of a ,minister of the ,gospel4 ,they have asked how could a man so profligate--so notoriously criminal1 come forth to instruct others in religion4 ,the question is natural1 and demands an answer4 ,the practice among ,dissenters is1 that when any man feels a strong desire to become a preacher1 he communicates the same to several ,ministers1 who make strict enquiry into his qualifications as to piety1 learning1 morals1 c4 and if they find these established on satisfactory evidence1 they then confer on the candidate a sort of ordination1 without which he can have no authority to officiate as a minister of the ,gospel4 ,it seems1 that ,church did receive some ordination of this kind at the town of ,banbury1 in ,oxfordshire1 from which place he was driven away for his mal-practices4 ,since then he has not been1 under the controul1 and has acted in defiance of all the ordinances of the ,dissenting ,church4 ,he has in fact gone about as a mere isolated adventurer2 and no minister would preach in a pulpit belonging to him4 ,yet he continued to preach1 in defiance of ,christian as well as moral ordinances1 because he could not be silenced by any legal authority1 and because he rejected all ecclesiastical government4 ,one character peculiar to the person we are speaking of is1 that wherever he has been admitted as a preacher1 he has disturbed the religious system1 and upset the order of the place4 ,in ,colchester he turned the whole congregation against their minister1 by preaching doctrines tending to encourage licentiousness and to foster the worst passions4 ,all persons acquainted with history will recollect1 that this mode of healing the consciences of profligate men was practised by the ,romish ,church before the ,reformation1 and when it flourished in its rankest state of corruption--when indulgences for sins to be committed1 and pardon for sins past1 were openly sold for money4 ,the manner in which the ,obelisk ,preacher has conducted the affairs of his chapel bears some resemblance to this practice2 and for the purpose of increasing his revenue1 he has even administered the sacrament to persons when intoxicated66 ,however great may be the mass of folly1 ignorance1 and fanaticism1 which prevail throughout most of the low conventicles of this metropolis1 and however injuriously they may operate on the human mind1 their effects are innocence and virtue1 compared to the influence of that guilt which has so recently been exposed2 and it is not too much to observe that the poor silly visionaries who deal in pictures1 in miracles1 and monstrous conceits1 are not wilfully or practically vicious1 and that they have lashed themselves into a belief of what they preach2 therefore they cannot drag forward so close upon the heels of ,mr4 ,john ,church as to hold out an appearance of their belonging to the same society4 ,after ,church having been held to bail for the purpose of being tried on charges not to be named among ,christians1 he ought to have abstained from entering his pulpit1 and shunned the very light1 until his character was cleared up to the satisfaction of his congregation1 who ought to have deemed it a sacrilege to be present while he attempted to promulgate the doctrines of ,christ in a place of divine worship4 ,but one would think there was a congeniality of sentiment and of sympathy between the pastor and the flock6 ,indeed this latter remark is founded upon something more than conjecture2 for a great number of persons who are in the habit of frequenting his chapel1 have taken up the cause of their preacher with a zeal that cannot easily be accounted for in any way but one4 ,they will investigate no charge2 they reject all evidence4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the following ,confessional ,letter1 from ,church1 was sent to the great surprise of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,l--1 two days after the offence had been committed4 ,it appears that ,church was but very slightly known to the above gentleman1 in consequence of some money transactions having passed between them3-- ,,dear ,,sir--,surely upon the reception of this short note you will say1 ah4 ,church is like all the rest of the parsons1 promise much and do little1 yea nothing3 to your note ,i can only with a pained heart reply1 ,i cannot indeed--,i can scarcely write this note1 my soul is too deeply pierced4 ,about eight or nine years ago ,dr4 ,draper left the church in the ,boro'1 and ,god opened ,chaple court for me1 many attended and have been blest1 now a singular providence but a most distressing one has occurred to take me shortly from my dear1 dear family and beloved congregation4 ,but ,god has sent ,mr4 ,l-- to preach all the truth to my poor dispersed flock1 at least so it appears to me1 and ,i would do all the good to promote the success of ,mr4 ,l-- that my poor people might not be starv'd till ,i return to them in peace1 which may be many months4 ,my heart is broken1 my enemies have ruined me at last1 and ,i shall never1 never surmount it1 an unpleasant affair happening at ,vauxhall1 is added too1 and ,i must take the consequences3 no arm can help1 relieve1 or deliver but the ,lord's1 and ,i feel persuaded the ,lord will not3 judge my feelings if you can4 ,i shall secretly come and hear you1 to get all the good ,i can to an heart deprest1 disconsolate1 and full of woe4 ,o the joy of my enemies6 ,o the distress of my friends6 ,o my poor heart6 ,let a sigh go up to ,god for me when you can4 ,yours in the utmost distress1 ,j4 ,c4 ,the following are the remarks of the ,gentleman to whom the above ,letter was addressed3-- ,a self-sent divine and a beloved brother of the ,reverend ,j4 ,church1 whose name is ,t4 ,a--1 positively declared--7but a few weeks ago7 that the very affectionate ,vere-street 8,mr4 ,church kindly put his arms round my neck and kissed me twice1 and asked me politely to sleep with him40 ,lord1 what has sin done6 ,however the ,reverend brother ,t4 ,a4 further adds1 8,i declined the latter offer1 of course10 c4 but how far this statement may be true respecting his declining the latter offer1 after his allowing that pious brute to kiss him twice1 must be left with the reader to judge for himself1 as ,i am confident that none but those unclean birds1 of the same nest1 would in any measure wish even the slightest credit to be given to such a filthy testimony1 by such an effeminate character as ,t4 ,a4 ,again1 this brother in iniquity1 when speaking of another brother1 in the same line of uncleanness1 whose name ,i understand is ,c--1 who is a person very remarkable for using the words1 7when speaking of his darling ,church7 8bless him10 being informed by his brother ,a4 that brother ,church was about to leave town1 in order to evade further inquiries1 the poor thing 7woman-like7 fainted and fell back against a wall2 but his brother ,a4 being near him1 kindly took him by the hand and raised his drooping head 7dear lamb71 who1 when he had a little recovered the shock1 they affectionately walked off together1 and the fainting brother took hold of his brother ,a4's hand1 78bless him107 rubbed it affectionately1 and pressed it to his bosom1 wishing to have a further intercourse with him6 ,marvellous wickedness6 may it not truly be said of such detestable monsters1 in human shape1 that ,god has given them over to vile affections and to all uncleanness1 through the lusts of their own hearts1 to dishonour their own bodies between themselves4 ,burning in their own lust one towards another1 men with men1 working that which is unseemly1 and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which is meet4 ,how truly awful and equally disgusting that such vile wretches should be permitted to stand up with a pretence to preach the ,gospel1 or that they should even profess to be believers in ,jesus1 as without all doubt the sin of which they stand justly charged1 was invented by the arch fiend of ,hell1 to prevent the appearance of the seed of the woman1 #ae who was to effectually bruize his head4 ,o6 my soul1 come not thou into their diabolical secret6 ,i would advise all the true followers of the meek and lowly ,lamb of ,god1 who may hitherto have been deceived as to the real character of ,church and his brothers who worship with him at the ,surrey ,tabernacle1 in the language of the ,angel to ,lot-- 8,haste1 escape for thy life1 tarry not in all the plain40--,see ,gen4 xix4 #ag4 ,great credit is due to ,mr4 ,patrick for the perseverance he has manifested in bringing this hypocritical wretch to justice4 ,unmindful of the threats and abuse of a party1 and not to be deterred by the heavy expences attending such a prosecution1 he has1 at length1 finally triumphed over all the arts and intrigues that had been practised against his obtaining the desirable end1 namely1 in tearing off the mask from this pretended pious preacher1 and rendering him amenable to the offended laws of his country4 ,it may not be improper to state one of the tricks made use of to throw the prosecutor off his guard4 ,a limb of the law it appears1 of the ,jewish persuasion1 gratuitously offered to conduct the prosecution for the young man2 but upon a refusal being given to him1 on account of ,mr4 ,,harmer being selected for such purpose1 it was ultimately discovered that this philanthropic ,israelite had been exerting himself towards exculpating ,church1 with all the ingenuity he was master of in his defence1 from the heinous offence alledged against him4 ,the 8law's delay0 was resorted to1 but only to put off the trial till the next assizes1 but the expences materially increased1 as a means of deterring the prosecutor from proceeding4 ,it is however lamentable to observe1 that the charges in bringing such a wretch to justice1 should amount to eighty or ninety pounds6 ,the wife of ,church1 upon being made acquainted with his diabolical propensities1 became distracted1 and was in a continual state of intoxication1 till death relieved this unfortunate woman from her troubles4 ,but it appears that since he has been charged with the above detestable offence1 in order 7we presume under the mask of hypocrisy17 to rescue in some degree his character from the public odium with which it had been marked1 induced him to marry a respectable woman1 who kept a seminary for young ladies at ,hammersmith4 ,the verdict of 8,guilty0 had been scarcely pronounced1 when the relatives of the children1 with the greatest promptitude possible1 took them all away from the said school4 ,notwithstanding the above confessional letter1 7see page #ad17 for the authenticity of which we can vouch1 having the original in our possession1 on the ,sunday after it was sent1 he had the audacity and wickedness to stand up in his pulpit1 and endeavour to calumniate his accusers and assert his own innocence2 but this effrontery1 it seems1 has at length left him1 since the verdict of twelve impartial men have pronounced him guilty1 that on ,sunday last 7,aug4 #ag47 he had not the temerity again to face the numerous audience that had assembled both within and without the walls of his chapel4 ,from the acknowledgment of this monster himself1 the profits of this precious recepticle produced him from #ajjjl4 to #abjjl4 annually4 99 99 99 99 99 ,printed by ,,hay and ,,turner1 #aa1 ,newcastle-street1 ,strand4 ,,of ,,whom ,,may ,,be ,,had1 ,,the ,,only ,,genuine ,,edition ,,of ,,the ,,trial ,,of ,,roger ,o',,connor1 ,,esq4 ,at ,meath ,assizes1 ,august #d and #e1 #ahag2 on a charge of ,,robbing ,,the ,,galway ,,mail1 by a ,person who had been ,thrice ,reprieved on ,offering to ,make ,disclosures4 ,taken by an ,eminent ,short ,hand ,writer4 ,with ,mr4 ,o',,connor's ,interesting and ,manly ,address to the ,people of ,ireland4 ,price #d;d4 ,the ,,speeches of ,messrs4 ,,hunt1 ,,watson1 ,,preston1 ,,thistlewood1 ,,clarke1 c4 given at a ,dinner at the ,crown and ,anchor ,tavern1 to celebrate the ,acquittal of the ,state ,prisoners4 ,price #d;d4 ,the ,,whole of the ,,trials for ,,high ,,treason at the ,court of ,king's ,bench1 ,june #i4 ,price #as4 ,the ,,political ,,character of ,t4 ,,reynolds1 ,esq4 containing an ,account of his ,transactions with the ,rebellion in ,ireland2 with ,observations on his ,testimony1 by ,p4 ,,curran1 ,esq4 ,price #f;d4 ,,footnotes4 #aa ,a ,gentleman who happened to attend two or three times at ,church's ,meeting-house1 took down the following sentences from his ,sermons4 ,they may gratify the curiosity of the reader4 8,god is frequently going forth1 and we also are often going to the window to look for him2 ,the more vile ,i am made to appear to the ,world1 the more ,god will assist me4 ,every citizen is a free-born4 ,many have wondered how ,i could go thro' so much trouble4 ,there have been a great many that have wished to see me--,i can inform them ,i had much rather they had wished to see ,christ4 ,people may be laughed at for being fools1 but you may depend upon it the more ,god will like them4 ,all that believe not will certainly be damned4 ,the duties of ,christianity are not to be preached to an ungodly world2 ,john ,church is very much spoken of1 but they had much better speak of ,jesus2 the people of the established church feel no spiritual joy4 ,spiritual discourse is enlivening to the senses1 c4 ,the bread of life is not to be given away to ,dogs4 ,i am not going to turn auctioneer1 but ,i am going to inform you that next ,lord's ,day ,i am going to publish a book proving that ,god1 the ,son1 and the ,spirit1 are all one great ,god4 ,my sermon will be good news and comfort to all poor sinners2 ,satan and all his spirits never sleeps2 the power of life and death is only in the bands of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,devils are allowed to harrass the people of ,god day and night--no wonder they perplex those they cant destroy4 ,people are mostly liable to fall in their first love into awful heresies and temptation4 ,all the ,lord's people do not see into the glory of my text--'tis like a jewel in a rock of ,adamant4 ,the worst sin was the murdering of ,god's saints4 ,when ,i sit in darkness the ,lord will be a light onto me4 ,many men laugh at the doctrine of the new birth--are there not many learned ,doctors that know nothing of it8 ,let a man come under any circumstances1 ,i will receive him--,don't laugh at the doctrine of inspiration2 be wise1 it has often been preached by our church--,i am never tired of preaching2 and ,i believe my dear brethren are never tired of hearing me4 ,if every one that is saved should be as bright as the sun1 what a place ,heaven must be1 where there will be so many millions6 ,angels beckon me away1 and ,christ bids me come4 ,the sight of ,christ1 you may depend on't1 will be worth suffering for4 ,o that ,i had the voice of an archangel1 ,i would indeed do wonders4 ,i doubt the inferiority of one angel over another in ,heaven--,christ is entirely independent of or with ,god4 ,we must have the spirit of ,god before we are his people4 ,believe in the predestination of eternal life1 but not in eternal death2 people that suffer were beforehand predestined so to do1 by ,god4 ,bad or horrid is the religion of a proud ,pharisee4 ,that religion that is preached by the people of ,god is ,god himself4 ,there can be no going forth until the spirit of ,god has entered4 ,the ,,mob is seldom stirred up but thro' ,priests2 there is now a case of the very kind4 ,when envy bursts forth thro' jealous and envious neighbouring ,priests1 and published by ,deists1 there can be nothing to fear2 and ,i verily believe1 that any thing prayed for to ,christ will certainly be granted1 as has always been the case with me4 ,let us for ever endeavour to turn every thing1 whether good or bad1 into good4 ,i do not believe that ,god begot ,jesus ,christ--they say too that ,joseph was an impostor at this very day3--every thing that is done against the church is done against ,christ2 also that which is done against ,christ is done against the ,church2 and any thing done against the people of ,god is done against ,christ4 ,it is a most blessed thing that we can throw our burthens upon ,christ2--,i do not care who hears me1 whether ,god1 or ,man1 ,friends or ,foes1 ,devils or ,angels1 or any thing else2 and let them call me an ,antinomian again if they please4 ,there must be spiritual life in the soul4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and the people of ,god are one4 ,christ has no sorrow but the people of ,god must sympathise with him2 and the people of ,god have no affliction but that ,christ sympathises with them40 #ae ,gen4 iii4 #ae4