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ANECDOTES OF THE LATE REVEREND 

 ROWLAND HILL. 



THE Christian World has just lost a most staunch 

 and uncompromising supporter of its interests, by the 

 decease of the above exemplary character. It is well 

 known there was a considerable degree of eccentricity 

 in almost every thing he said and did ; but then this 

 constitutional peculiarity was accompanied by such an 

 enlarged benevolence, and such truly Christian charity, 

 that all his actions and words invariably tended to some 

 good and useful purpose. If during his life time, thou- 

 sands of strange stories were related of him, of which, 

 most likely not above one in a hundred was true, it is 

 to be expected that now he is gone, the various hoards 

 will again be brought to light, to amuse and edify the 

 too credulous public. The two following Anecdotes, 

 are facts which may be depended on. The first can be 

 verified by many living witnesses ; the latter was re- 

 lated to the writer of this by the person to whom the 

 observation was addressed. 



Several years ago, at a public meeting of the British 

 and Foreign Bible Society, and which was then in its 

 infancy, a reverend divine of the establishment who was 

 very much averse to the education of the lower classes, 

 and the circulation of the Scriptures among them ; took 

 occasion, in the course of his speech from the platform, 

 to characterize them as " Rag, Tag and Bobtail. " 

 When he had ended his speech, Rowland Hill stood up, 

 placed his hands together in an attitude of prayer, and 

 in an impressive manner which completely electrified 

 his whole audience, pronounced the following benison ; 

 " God bless Rag, God bless Tag, God bless Bob- 

 tail ;" he then sat down, and other speakers stood for- 

 ward to advocate the cause of the Society ; but altho' 

 many eloquent appeals were made by some of the 

 ablest divines congregated for the occasion, the impres- 

 sion was trifling, compared with the powerful effect 

 produced by the short pithy prayer of the Reverend 



