ALDERMANBURY POSTERN.-Independent. version and salvation; and then adds, "blessed be God, I hope I have also a great love to the saints, to all the followers of the Lamb, the excellent in whom is all my delight." In this work of grace, and happy turn upon his temper toward the saints, and for the salvation of souls, the best foundation was laid for a faithful discharge of the ministry he received of the Lord Jesus: and his good natural parts, with considerable attainments in human literature, and spiritual gifts, together with these, were a rich furniture for his ministerial province, and made him a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. He was willing to spend and be spent in the service of Christ and of souls, and doubtless, will have many to be his joy, and crown of rejoicing in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming.* 66 The death of this pious and excellent man was happy; answerable to his holy, honourable and useful life. Though by the nature of the illness that carried him off, God in his awful sovereignty weakened his capacities of giving such noble dying testimonies to the honour of his name, as otherwise might have been hoped for; yet by what I have observed, (says Dr. Guyse,) and have heard from others, he was not a stranger to divine supports and consolations then ; and the grace of God so far shone through all the enfeebling influence of distemper, that he behaved with exemplary composure and solemnity of spirit, with great humbleness of mind, and with a calm resignation to the will of God. He was not insensible of the hand of God upon him, nor of his own weakness, and want of help from above; and while he found himself incapable of his Master's work, his heart continued in it, and cheerfully waited to see what the Lord would do with him."+ Mr. Asty finished his course on the 20th of January, 1729-30, aged 57 years. Dr. Guyse • Funeral Sermon, p. 27-30. + Ilid. p. 33. ALDERMANBURY POSTERN.-Independent preached, and afterwards printed, a discourse upon his death, from John xi. 25, 26. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall ye live; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die. Believest thou this. We have met with but one sermon of Mr. Asty's in print it was occasioned by the death of Mrs. Elizabeth. Fleetwood; and preached at Stoke-Newington, June 23, 1728, from Job ix. 12. He also drew up an account of the life of his favourite writer, Dr. John Owen, which was prefixed to the folio volume of the Doctor's Sermons and Tracts, published in 1721. Mr. Asty was buried in Bunhill-Fields, where his memory is perpetuated by the following inscription upon his tomb stone: Here lies the body Of the late Rev. JOHN ASTY, With a clear judgment, With fervent zeal for Gospel truth and holiness, With love to his brethren, And a becoming tenderness towards such of them as differed from him. In which he was made a blessing to many, He slept in Jesus, January the 20th, 1729-30, Etat. 57. The Righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. PETER GOODWIN.-Concerning this gentleman, who was a minister of great respectability in his day, we have never met with any account in print. The information that we have to communicate respecting him, therefore, is ex ALDERMANBURY POSTERN.-Independent. tremely circumscribed, and consists merely of a few facts and dates. Mr. Goodwin was very probably allied to the family of the Goodwins, seated in Norfolk, and which produced two Divines of extraordinary talents and celebrity during the reign of Charles the First, and the Commonwealth. Mr. Goodwin was himself most probably a Norfolk man, and born about the year 1684. It does not appear where he received his education, but very likely in London, under Dr. Chauncey, and afterwards in one of the Dutch universities. We have no account where he spent the earlier part of his ministry; but he was settled some years with the Independent congregation at Yarmouth, from whence he removed to London, in 1730, to succeed Mr. Asty, at Rope-makers'-alley. Soon after his removal to London, he was engaged with some other ministers in carrying on a course of lectures at Lime-street, in defence of some important doctrines of the gospel. The subject handled by Mr. Goodwin was the doctrine of Original Sin, which he stated and defended in two sermons; the first on Rom. v. 19. the second on Psal. li. 5. They are printed in the first volume of the Lime-street collection. Mr. Goodwin's popular talents procured him to be chosen, in 1732, one of the Merchants' lecturers upon a Tuesday morning, at Pinners'-Hall, in the room of Mr. Hurrion. After this, he was called frequently to engage in public services among the Dissenters. These he conducted with ability; and upon some of these occasions was prevailed upon to appear in print. Mr. Goodwin continued to labour at Rope-makers'-alley, for about fifteen years, when he was removed to his reward, in the 64th year of his age, November 27, 1747. We believe there is no funeral sermon for him in print; but an elegiac tribute to his memory was published by Dr. Gibbons. Mr. Goodwin was a minister of considerable abilities, and greatly respected in his day. Early devoted to the sacred employment, he gave premonitions of future ex ALDERMANBURY POSTERN.-Independent. 1 cellence even when a youth, which at a more advanced period did not disappoint the expectations of his friends. As a preacher he acquired considerable applause; and he possessed qualifications for the ministry inferior to few of his brethren. Nor were his labours without much success; for his congregation flourished in his time more than under any of his predecessors.* Besides the two discourses in the Lime-street collection, there are at least three other sermons of Mr. Goodwin's in print. One occasioned by the death of the Rev. Samuel Bruce; preached at Hare-court, Dec. 11, 1737, on Heb. xiii. 7.-another at the ordination of the Rev. Roger Pickering, in Jewin-street, 1743;-and a third at the ordination of the Rev. Benjamin Vowell, at Colchester, in Essex, 1748. Mr. Goodwin was succeeded in the pastoral office by the late Rev. Thomas Towle. THOMAS TOWLE, B. D.-This venerable Divine was born February the 15th, 1724, in the city of London. His parents were persons of considerable respectability and property, and having determined to devote him to the service of the sanctuary, placed him under the care of Dr. Abraham Taylor, a gentleman of remarkable attainments in mathematical and classical knowledge, and who taught theololical learning at Deptford, to such students as were patronized by the King's-Head Society. Under this gentleman Mr. Towle made considerable proficiency in literature. He also studied sometime under Mr. John Hubbard, at Stepney, and attended a philosophical course under the learned Mr. John Eames, in Moorfields. He completed his studies in the Independent academy at Plasterers'-Hall, under Dr. Zephaniah Marryat, at that time the best Greek scholar among the Dissenters. For this gentleman Mr. Towle entertained the utmost veneration, never mentioning his name. but in terms of the highest respect. It was, therefore, with a mixture of satisfaction and regret, that he undertook the ⚫ MS. penes me. ALDERMANBURY POSTERN.- -Independent. last office of friendship, by pronouncing the funeral oration over the Doctor's grave. Mr. Towle settled in early life with the Independent congregation in Rope-makers'-alley, where he succeeded Mr. Peter Goodwin. He was ordained to the pastoral office, March 24, 1747-8. Mr. Hall delivered the introductory discourse; Dr. Guyse gave the charge; and Dr. Marryat preached to the people. After some years, his meetinghouse falling to decay, he exerted himself to procure a new one, which was erected in Aldermanbury Postern, in the year 1765. Before his removal to this place he enjoyed, for some years, the assistance of the learned Mr. Baxter Cole; but afterwards he performed the whole duty himself. It will be thought a remarkable circumstance by some persons, that Mr. Towle should have an assistant when a young man, and do without one as he advanced in years, and seemed less capable of constant exertion. At Aldermanbury Postern he preached regularly twice a day, till the year 1797, when Mr. Barber's congregation, from Founders'Hall, uniting with Mr. Towle's church, the two pastors divided the service between them. Mr. Towle continued afterwards to preach regularly in the morning, till within the two last years of his life, during which he was unable to officiate, and was, for most part of the time confined to his bed; languishing by a complication of disorders, the chief of which was the stone in the bladder, and which terminated in his death. With this cruel disorder he had been afflicted for a series of twenty years; and during the last one-and-twenty months his anguish was without intermission day and night. He preferred a recumbent posture, because he suffered a less degree of pain than in any other position. During his tedious confinement in a solitary chamber, debarred from his study and his books, disabled for preaching, or for attending upon public worship, incapable either of business, or of salutary exercise, or of enjoying the conversation of friends, |