DOCKHEAD. - Independent.

DOCKHEAD.

INDEPENDENT.

THIS

HIS was originally a chapel of ease of the Church of England, belonging to Bermondsey parish, and was fitted up with the ten commandments over the communion-table, in the manner usual in places of that description. In that state it passed into the hands of a society of Independents, who formed themselves into church-order about 1711, and invited Mr. Sladen to become their pastor. In 1729, they removed into a new meeting-house in Back-street, Horsleydown, as related under that article.

CHERRY-GARDEN-STREET.

PARTICULAR BAPTIST.

CHERRY-GARDEN-STREET is situated near Rotherhithe

Wall. In the former part of the last century, there was a meeting-house there occupied by a society of Particular Baptists; but we know very little respecting the place. In 1791, a Mr. JOSEPH MATTHEWS was the pastor. His name occurs in the list of licensed preachers amongst the subscribing ministers at the Salters'-hall synod, in 1719. Maitland mentions this place in 1738.

KING JOHN'S COURT.— -Presbyterian, Extinct.

proportion as the old Protestant doctrines were departed from, and another gospel introduced, different from that which their earlier ministers gloried in, the congregation declined. The five first ministers were decided Calvinists; those that succeeded were far gone in Arianism. The fol lowing is a list of their names, with the time of their settlement and continuance here.

WILLIAM WHITAKER was a native of Oakham in Rutlandshire, and born, most probably about the year 1628 or 1629. His father, the Rev. Jeremiah Whitaker, was then minister of that town, but afterwards called to London, where he was chosen one of the Westminster Assembly, and presented to the living of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, in which he continued till his death. This eminent Divine was careful to train up his son in the paths of virtue and knowledge; and he became early distinguished by his pious disposition. Dr. Annesley says, "there is none can name the time of his unregeneracy." In the fifteenth year of his age, he was admitted of Emanuel College, Cambridge, where his first tutor gave him this direction, which he constantly observed; "To note every day what, and how much he studied, that in after times reflecting on his life past, he might repent of the time he had lost." Dr. Holdsworth, who was

KING JOHN'S-COURT.- -Presbyterian, Extinct.

then master of the college, took such notice of him while a freshman, that he gave him the keys of the college-library, and appointed him a task in translating Eustatius upon Homer, which he performed much to his tutor's satisfaction. Here he became particularly noted for his great skill in the Hebrew, Greek, and oriental languages; which occasioned his being appointed to direct the studies of the junior fellows of his college. So eminent also was he for piety, learning, and ingenuity, as well as for candour and sweetness of disposition, that he was beloved and honored of all who knew him; and was reckoned one of the greatest ornaments of the university.

He entered upon the ministry in the twenty-fourth year of his age, and from what has been already said, it will be presumed he was well qualified for his work. He not only preached peace, but was a peace-maker wherever he came. At Horn-church, where he was some time minister, he terminated a controversy of many years standing, which had cost the parties above a thousand pounds. In 1654, he was called to the metropolis to succeed his father in the living of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, where his labours proved very acceptable. And there he continued till the Act of Uniformity ejected him in 1662. When he preached his farewell şermon, there was not only a flood of tears, but the lamentations of many were so loud, that his own voice could scarcely be heard. After his public ministry was at an end, he ga thered a private congregation, which was composed of some of his former hearers, and assembled in a small meeting-house in Long Walk, Bermondsey, where he preached to them as the times would allow till his death.*

Besides the duties incumbent on the ministerial office, Mr. Whitaker was engaged in the laborious work of private tuition. His house was for many years full of candidates in divinity, and he had many foreign Divines under his care, who

* Dr. Annesley's Sermon on the death of Mr. Whitaker. Calamy's Acc. p. 28.

JAMAICA-ROW, ROTHERHITHE.—Presbyterian, Extinct.

JAMAICA-ROW, ROTHERHITHE.

PRESBYTERIAN.-EXTINCT.

THIS church was collected in the reign of Charles II. by Mr. James Janeway, a nonconformist minister of eminence. When the severity of the times abated, a meeting-house was built for him, but it was soon pulled down by the soldiers, which obliged his people to build another. This they did upon a larger scale. The present place was built about seventy or eighty years ago for Mr. Mole, and stands upon the same spot as the former meeting-house. It is a good substantial brick-building, with three galleries; and stands in Bermondsey parish. The congregation was for many years large and respectable, but for the last forty years of its existence gradually declined, till there were scarcely any hearers left. This induced the last pastor, Dr. Flexman, to resign, which he did in 1783, and the congregation dissolved. There was a considerable variation in religious sentiment between the former and latter ministers. Mr. Ratcliffe was supposed to be in the middle way, that is a Baxterian. Those that preceded him were Calvinists, and his successors Arians. The congregation of Independents that now occupies the place, was raised after the dissolution of Dr. Flexman's church, and invited Mr. JOHN TOWNSEND to the pastoral office. He is the present minister, and has a flourishing congregation. The pastors of the old church were the following:

JAMAICA-ROW, ROTHERHITHE.-Presbyterian, Extinct.

JAMES JANEWAY, son to Mr. William Janeway, minister of Kershall in Hertfordshire, was born at Lilly, or Lulley, in that county. He became a student of Christ Church in 1655, and took his degree in Arts. Upon leaving the university, he exercised the office of a tutor privately, in his mother's house, at Windsor. It does not appear that he ever had any benefice, but he was silenced by the Act of Uniformity with the other nonconformist ministers. He was very industrious in preaching during the plague, and when the times allowed, set up a meeting at Rotherhithe, where he had a numerous auditory, and wrought a great reformation. But this so enraged the high party, that they made several attempts to shoot him. Upon one occasion, as he was walking along Rotherhithe Wall, a fellow shot at him, and the bullet went through his hat, but did him no further damage. At another time, the soldiers broke into his meeting-house, and would have pulled him down from the pulpit, but the bench on which they stood gave way, and in the confusion he escaped. The troopers made another attempt to seize him when he was preaching at a gardener's house; but he threw himself on the ground, and his friends covered him with cabbage leaves, by which means he escaped. Mr. Janeway died in the prime of life, March 16,