THE Evangelical Magazine, FOR NOVEMBER, 1797. BIOGRAPHY. MEMOIRS OF THE LATE MR. JOSEPH MOUNCHER, OF SOUTHAMPTON, MR WRITTEN BY THE REV. MR. KINGSBURY. R. Mouncher's family originally came from France; and probably were refugees during the fierce perfecution which raged against the proteftants in that country, after the revocation of the edict of Nantes. He was born at Portsmouth in the year 1744. It may be truly faid, that he feared the Lord from his youth, and that he feared the Lord greatly. Religion was the object of his principal concern, and was confpicuous in the general tenour of his difcourfe and conduct. I have known him intimately for thirty years, and am enabled to fpeak with a degree of confidence of him. I do not recollect ever to have heard him mention any particular time, when the fpirit of God began to work upon his heart. It was, however, in early life; the manner was gradual; and the means and inftruments of the change were not diftinctly perceptible to himself. Though he was brought up in a decent way, there is no reafon to conclude that any fpecial inftructions received from his parents were bleffed to his converfion; because, during his younger years, they were not themselves acquainted with the gospel of the grace of God; but, on the other hand, God honoured the fon, in making him their fpiritual father. They were born again when they were old, and they both died in faith. At an early age Mr. Jofeph Mouncher was admitted a member of the church of Proteftant Diffenters, at Gofport, * I, Kings, xviii. 12. + Ver. 3. VOL. V. 3 P then then under the pastoral care of that most amiable and excellent man, the Reverend Thomas Williams. He was a clofely attentive hearer of the Word. This is evident from fome private writings, found fince his death, which contain Reflections on the fermons he heard, and testify the pains he took to apply them with felf-examination and prayer. He ufed the fame method refpecting the books of divinity he read, which were thofe of the beft authors of the laft century. From these he employed his leifure hours in making extracts of striking paffages, and in bringing them home to his own heart. By thefe means he laid a foundation for that judicious, confiftent knowledge of divine truths, by which he has fince inftructed and established others. By the fame means he laid up a useful store of excellent fentiments, and pithy, expreffive phrafes; and (under divine teaching) obtained fuch a deep and growing acquaintance with himself, as to keep him little and low in his own eyes, and to render Jefus, in all his offices, more and more precious to his foul. It may be truly faid of him, that he was zealous for the Houfe of his God. There was a time when this eminently appeared, by his fparing no pains, nor expence, to preferve the interefts of Gofpel truth, which he apprehended to be in danger of being loft in a particular place; and through his whole life he was a promoter of the caufe of Chrift. He was a proper perfon to fill fome of the moft honourable offices in the fanctuary; yet condefcended, when there was a call, to ferve in the meaneft. He would not only spread the table, provide the utenfils and the clements, lead the finging, wait on, converfe and pray with, the poor disciples with pleasure; but he would watch and keep peace at the door, and would trim the lights; accounting it, as he often faid, a greater honour to be a door keeper in the Houfe of his God, than to dwell in the palaces of wickednefs, and to enjoy the pleasures of fin. After the decease of his mother, he and his aged father came to refide at Southampton, and he entered into part nerfhip in a capital business. Some years afterwards, in confequence of his marriage with Mifs Taylor, he became refident partner in the bank of P But it was not in the bustle of commercial life that his character difplayed itfelf to the greateft advantage. Though diligent, exact, confcientious in all he undertook, yet loved moft to walk in the calm, fequeftered vale of life. When the week of bufinefs was come to a clofe, he rejoiced at the profpect of the the day he loved above all others. He "fmiled when a fabbath appeared;" not from a difpofition to lounge it away in indolence, but from a delight in its privileges and enjoyments. His friends compared him, on the Lord's day, to a bird fet at liberty from its cage: he then fhook himself from the duft, and rejoiced that he might stretch his wings, give his foul full fcope, and fly away in meditation and prayer, and mount with his notes of praife towards heaven. He was early, conftant, and diligent in attending public worship. He was ferious, devotional, and regular in praying with his family, and bleffing his houfehold. In October, 1789, his beloved partner, the defire of his eyes, was taken away by death, at the age of 24, about 15 months after their marriage.* This was a trying affliction indeed but the grace of God, which was with him, fill fupported him. His letters and his converfation, under that heavy ftroke, evinced that his well grounded hope of eternal happinefs; his comfortable evidence of an intereft in Chrift; and the delightful profpect of foon joining the fpirits of the Juft made perfect, beyond the reach of pain, fin, and death, calmed his heart into acquiefcence with the divine will, and at times filled him with longing defires to be with Jefus. After the removal of Mrs. M. he retired from bufinefs, and returned to Southampton, and its vicinity, refiding for the most part with his father-in-law, at Portfwood Green. It was obferved by those who were moft intimate with him, that, after the mournful event juft related, his mind was more fpiritual than ever; and that his converfation and letters were much occupied on fubjects that relate to eternal glory.. Mr. Mouncher was a tried and fincere friend: a proof of which affertion will now appear. In the latter end of the year 1790, Mr. Walter Taylor, Jun. the elder brother of his late wife, was recommended by his physicians to go to Montpellier for the benefit of his health, which was then declining. Mr. M. kindly undertook to be the companion of his afflicted brother and friend in that long, and, at that time, hazardoust journey through a foreign land. He attended him from the north to the fouth of France; all along animated with the cheering hope of feeing his brother-in-law reftored to health, as he appeared to grow bet * A Funeral Sermon for this young Lady, giving fome account of her piety and death, was preached and printed by Mr. Kingsbury. It was loon after the Revolution in France. ter ter on his journey. But let the reader imagine the disappointment and diftrefs Mr. M. was plunged into, when, two hours after his arrival, his friend was fuddenly taken worfe, and died;—in a foreign, country, whofe language he did not understand; far from every relative to confult with and confole him; with only a few acquaintance in another houfe; obliged, owing to the cuftoms of the country, haftily to "steal a grave" for the breathlefs body within a few hours after death; to have it interred deep in a garden without any memorial to mark the fpot; nay, to have every veftige of an interment removed, for fear of trouble from fuperftitious religionists.** But his mind was strengthened to bear this weight of forrow and diftrefs.-The writer I take the liberty of inferting here a paffage from a letter written by Mr. W. Taylor, from Montpellier, to his fifter, Mrs. Mouncher, in the preceding year, 1789, which may be considered curious, and will be interefting and affecting to the admirers of Dr. Young and his Narciffa :-- "I know you, as well as myself, are not a little partial to Dr. Young, "Had you been with me in a folitary walk the other day, you would have shed a tear over the remains of his dear Narciffa. I was walking in a place called the King's Garden; and there I faw the fpot where the was interred. Mr. J.---, Mrs. H-.--, and myself, had some converfation "with the gardener refpecting it; who told us, that about 45 years ago, "Dr. Young was here with his daughter for her health; and that he used conftantly to be walking backward and forward in this garden (no doubt, as he faw her gradually declining, to find the most folitary fpot "where he might fhew his laft token of affection, by leaving her remains "as fecure as poffible from thofe favages, who would have denied her a christian burial: for, at that time, an Englishman in this country was "looked upon as an heretic, infidel, and devil. They begin now to verge from their bigotry, and allow them at leaft to be men, though not chrif "tians, I believe); and that he bribed the under gardener, belonging to "his father, to let him bury his daughter, which he did; pointed out the "moft folitary place, and dug the grave. The man, through a private "door, admitted the Doctor at midnight, bringing his beloved daughter, "wrapped up in a fheet, upon his fhoulder: he laid her in the hole, fat "down, and (as the man expreffed it) rained tears! • With pious "facrilege a grave I ftole. The man who was thus bribed is dead, but the mafter is ftill living. Before the man died, they were one day go"ing to dig, and fet fome flowers, &c. in this fpot where the was buried. "The man faid to his mafter, Don't dig there; for, fo many years ago, "I buried an English lady there.' The mafter was much furprifed; and "as Doctor Young's book had made much noise in France, it led him to "enquire into the matter; and only two years ago it was known for a certainty that that was the place, and in this way: There was an Englifh nobleman here, who was acquainted with the governor of this "place; and withing to afcertain the fact, he obtained permiffion to dig up the ground, where he found fome bones, which were examined by a furgeon, and pronounced to be the remains of a human body: this, therefore, puts the authenticity of it beyond a doubt.” of |