"In labours more abundant- -in journeyings often- -in weariness and painfulness- -besides that which cometh upon me daily, the PAUL. LONDON: PRINTED FOR AND SOLD BY THE AUTHOR; SOLD ALSO BY BAYNES AND SON, AND WHITTEMORE, PATERNOSTER ROW; AND PREFACE. WHEN it pleased the great Disposer of all events to call to himself the venerable Minister who is the subject of the following pages, it appeared to be the general feeling of his friends, that it would be ungrateful to permit a person who had been the honoured instrument in forming the New Connection, and had laboured, for nearly half a century, with such diligence, disinterestedness and success, in promoting its prosperity, to sink unnoticed into the grave. It was also hoped, that a faithful detail of his exertions for the glory of his God and the good of his fellow creatures might be useful in assisting and encouraging surviving christians, and especially young ministers, in the prosecution of the same great objects. At the ensuing Association, at Castle Donington, in 1817, it was therefore unanimously resolved, "That a Life of our late venerable Brother, Dan Taylor, is very desirable:" and the Author was requested to undertake the compilation of it. It certainly would have afforded him pleasure, if a person of more leisure and less closely connected with the deceased had been selected for the work; but when it was urged that he had enjoyed a considerable intimacy with Mr. T. for the last twenty years—that he had access to all his papers as executor-and that the collections which he had made in composing a former work had already furnished him with much interesting information, he felt it his duty to comply. Whether he has been able to avail himself successfully of these advantages, in the execution of the task assigned him, must be left to the judgment of the intelligent reader. In writing this Memoir, the Author has studiously avoided all affectation or display, either as to matter or manner. To have given an account of Dan Taylor in a pompous, embellished style, had the writer been ever so capable of it, would have been ridiculously inconsistent. All that is aimed at, is a plain and simple narration of facts, disposed in their natural order, and adapted to give the reader a just idea of the character, and an accurate conception of the labours of that worthy man. To attain this, all the documents that could be procured have been carefully examined, the surviving friends and connections of the deceased have been consulted, and an attempt has been made to follow him, from year to year, through the whole course of his active life. This method, it is true, has its inconveniences; but after mature deliberation it was thought the most eligible. It brings the subject indeed before the reader frequently in similar scenes, and thus has an appearance of repetition which some may deem tedious. This however is not wholly the fault of the writer. It is because his hero so often took journeys, attended Associations, assisted at Ordinations, engaged in Disputes, &c. that he is obliged so often to narrate them. And it was thought impossible to convey any adequate view of his industry, zeal and labours, by a more general description, without a chronological enumeration of particulars. But efforts have been made to render these parts as concise as a due regard to the object of the work would permit. The author is persuaded, that no apology is necessary for introducing the Extracts from the Diary and Correspondence of the deceased. It ought however to be observed, that the Diary was written in the beginning of his religious profession; and that he evidently could not expect that it would ever be seen by`any of his fellow creatures. He therefore notes the feelings of his mind in the most artless and unstudied language. These entries are the unvarnished and unreviewed effusions of a young christian, who was earnestly endeavouring so to run that he might |