lost, short-lived and perishing creatures as we are! Oh, the goodness of God in Christ!" He exhorted all around him to think more of eternity, and live more for eternity. With these solemn thoughts, Mr. Bures quitted the regions of mortality, and entered the unseen world, in the 49th year of his age, early in the month of October, 1747, having been minister in Silver-street, almost five and twenty years. Dr. Langford, who had been some years his assistant, preached a discourse on his death to his bereaved congregation, Oct. 11, from 2 Cor. iv. 12. So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Mr. Bures published a discourse upon the death of his colleague, Mr. Daniel Mayo; preached at Silver-street, June 24, 1733, on Heb. xiii. 7. We have not met with any more of his publications,

WILLIAM LANGFORD, D. D.-Mr. Mayo dying in 1733, in the course of the following year, Mr. (afterwards Dr.), William Langford was chosen assistant to Mr. Bures, then sole pastor of the congregation in Silver-street. As he was engaged at this place only on one part of the Lord'sday, he was chosen in 1736, to assist Mr. Wood, at the Weigh-House; dividing his services between the two congregations, till Mr. Wood's death, in 1742, when being chosen pastor at the Weigh-House, he removed wholly to that place. Under that article the reader will find a more particular account of Dr. Langford.*

THOMAS GIBBONS, D. D.-Upon Mr. Langford's removal, Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Thomas Gibbons, was chosen to fill up his place as assistant to Mr. Bures. But he continued in this situation only a short time; for in the following year, 1743, he was chosen to succeed Mr. Wright as pastor of a congregation at Haberdashers'-Hall, where we propose to give a further account of him.

See Vol. i. p. 183.

SILVER-STREET ——1 depende», Extinct.

JOSEPH GREIG.-After the removal of Mr. Gibbons, Mr. Joseph Greig was, for a short time, assistant to Mr. Bures, at Silver-street; but upon the death of the latter, he retired from this service. Mr. Greig married a lady with considerable property, the widow of Col. Drew. After this, he retired to St. Albans, and lived upon his estate, without any ministerial charge; but he assisted his brethren occasionally, and preached most frequently for Dr. Fordyce. Mr. Greig died, we believe, at Walthamstow, on the 29th of October, 1768. He was a man of considerable talents, possessed a lively genius, and had a turn for poetry. The late Mr. Joseph Fawcett, the pulpit orator, was his nephew.*

SILVER-STREET.

INDEPENDENT.-EXTINCT.

THE Independent Society that succeeded to the Presby

terian at the meeting-house in Silver-street, was gathered during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell; Mr. Philip Nye being teacher, and Mr. John Loder, pastor. The former of these persons made a distinguished figure at this period, and was one of the Dissenting brethren in the Westminster assembly. His church appears to have taken a principal lead among those of his own denomination. In 1659, the number of members was 145, among whom were several officers of the army, and other persons of considerable distinction and figure in the world.

• Private Information.

SILVER-STREET.-Independent, Extinct.

It does not appear where this church originally assembled. After the Restoration it was tossed about for some years without any settled abode, meeting chiefly in private houses, till the Indulgence granted by King Charles the Second, in 1672. At this period Mr. Nye's church met at Cutlers'Hall, Cloak-lane. In the time of Mr. Cole, the church removed to Tallow-Chandlers'-Hall, Dowgate-hill. From thence, after some time, they proceeded to Pinners'-Hall, and at Midsunimer, 1704, passed to Loriners'-Hall. At this place the celebrated Mr. Daniel Neal was ordained to the pastoral office over this society, in 1706. After a few years, Mr. Neal removed his people to Jewin-street; where they continued to assemble till 1747, when Mr. Pickering, Mr. Neal's successor, removed with part of his people to Silver-street, and united with the remains of the Presbyterian society in that place. The remaining part of the Jewinstreet congregation went to Haberdashers'-Hall.

The united society continued together at Silver-street, under a succession of pastors, till the year 1789, when the surviving members removed to the meeting-house in Monkwell-street, where they assembled for a short time in the afternoon only, and then dissolved. The last pastor was Mr. William Smith, a minister of the church of Scotland, who sometime previous to the dissolution of this church, had erected a meeting-house, adjoining to his own dwelling, at Camberwell. For several years Mr. Smith's congregation assembled at Silver-street in the afternoon only; the meetinghouse being occupied in the morning by another congregation, which separated from Monkwell-street, and was under the pastoral care of Mr. Toller. The declining health of this gentleman obliging him to confine his services to Hoxton-square, where he preached in the afternoon, hastened the removal of Mr. Smith's congregation, who were unable alone to support the expences of the place. This church, in the early part of its history, was in a very prosperous state, and continued so for many years, under the

SILVER-STREET.Independent, Extinct.

zealous and useful ministry of a Cole, a Neal, and a Hayward. Latterly it very much declined. The pastors of this society, down to the period of its dissolution, have invariably been esteemed Calvinists; though it is probable that in the views of some of them there may have been some slight shades of difference. From the Independents the meetinghouse in Silver-street passed to the Methodists, as will be seen presently.

The ministers of the Independent church now under consideration, through its successive changes, have been as follows:

PHILIP NYE, M. A.-This eminent Divine, who distinguished himself by his zeal and activity in support of the parliament against King Charles I. and during the discussions in the assembly of Divines at Westminster, descended

SILVER-STREET.Independent, Extinct.

from a genteel family in Sussex, and was born about the year 1596. Having laid a proper foundation of grammarlearning, he was entered a commoner of Brazen-noze College, in Oxford, July 21, 1615. From thence he removed, after a short time, to Magdalen-Hall, in the same university, for the benefit of sitting under the instructions of a puritanical tutor, to whom he was greatly attached. Here he pursued his studies with great assiduity, and was admitted to the degree of B. A. in 1619, and to that of M. A. in 1622. Previous to his taking the last degree, he is said to have "entered into holy orders," and to have been appointed to the church of St. Michael, Cornhill, in the city of London; but whether as curate, or in some other capacity, seems uncertain. In this situation he continued till his noncompliance with the impositions of Archbishop Laud, rendered him obnoxious to the censures of the ecclesiastical court. To escape the persecution of that prelate, in the year 1633, he fled into Holland, and continued abroad, chiefly at Arnheim, in Guelderland, till the latter end of 1640.*

The change of affairs which had then taken place in England, where the parliament began to gain the ascendancy, encouraged him to return to his native country. About that time, by the patronage of the Earl of Manchester, he be came minister of Kimbolton, in Huntingdonshire. In the year 1643, he was appointed, together with Mr. Stephen Marshall, whose daughter he had married, to accompany the commissioners who were sent by the parliament into Scotland, for the purpose of procuring the assistance of the Scots, and forwarding the taking of the solemn league and covenant, for which he was a strenuous advocate. After his return, he sat as a member in the famous assembly of Divines at Westminster, in the selection of whom he had a considerable influence. When the resolution for taking the

• Wood's Athenæ, vol. ii. p. 502, 503.