1808.] Account of the Establishment of Presbyterians at Hinckley. 21 
of Hinckley, on the Sunday in the after- 
noon ; and was well pleased with the op- 
portunity of exercising his ministry. He 
had many hearers, to whom he constantly 
preached. He settled a serious congre- 
gation of christians, among whom he be- 
stowed his labours without any acknow- 
ledgment from them, except a few in- 
considerable presents, and continued to 
preside over them till he was removed by 
death, February 2, 1690, in the sixty- 
third year of his age. He was buried in 
the church at Barwell, and his funeral 
sermon was preached by the Rev. Tho- 
mas Paget, rector of that parish, who 
gave a very excellent character of him ; 
mentioning amongst other things, “ his 
obliging temper and centlemanly beha- 
viour ; his aveat friendliness, and-useful- 
ness in reconciling differences, to the 
saving great expences in law; his exem- 
plariness i in relative duties, and particu- 
Jarly in the management of his family, 
which was attended with a remarkable 
blessing from Heaven; his great modera- 
tion and charity, which recommended 
him to the gentlemen in the neighbour- 
hood, who treated him with great respect; 
signify ying withal, that he was such a reli- 
gious, conscientious, useful person, that 
not only his numerous family, but the 
public also, had a great loss by his de- 
cease.” Many woulered at his noncon- 
formity, considering his increasing fami- 
ly; but ‘that was not the least temptation 
to him, to act contrary to the dictates of 
his own conscience, though he had good 
preferment in the church offered him. 
He trusted Providence; and God remark- 
ably blessed and prospered him. Ten 
of his thirteen children lived to be men 
and women, whom he educated in a man- 
ner consistent with his character, and 
comfortably provided for their subsistance 
in the world. 
Mr. Watts, was the first regular pres- 
byterian minister at Hinckley. His suc- 
cessor was Mr. John Sowthall, who died 
December the 9th, 1705, aged thirty- 
eight years, and was buried on the 12th 
of December, in the south-aile of Hinck- 
fey church; and his wife Mrs, Anne 
Sowthall, departed this life February 4th, 
1709, aged forty. 
The next in ‘succession was Mr. Wil- 
liam Bilby in 1706, who continued with 
them till January, 1722; and as this was 
before the building of the present meet- 
ing-house, their assembly was at that time 
held ina part of the minister’s dwelling- 
house. 
The next in order was the Rev. Jolin 
from John’ V. 35. 
Jennings, M.A. who was a gentleman of 
great learning, piety, aud usefulness, He 
first succeeded his father in the care of 
his dissenting congregation at Kibworth, 
where he also opened an academy for 
training up young men to the ministry 5 
a work for which he was exceedingly 
well qualified. In March, 1722; Mr, 
Jennings left Kibworth, ae removed to 
Hinckley, where he continued to preside 
over his academy, and was pastor of the 
congregation till his death; for, taking an 
occasional journey to London, in Jane, 
1723, he caught the small-pox, and died 
on his return to Tlinckley, July 8th, 1723. 
The presbyterian or old mee ting-house, 
which is a large aiid good building, was 
built in 1722, under the auspices of Mr, 
Jennings, and, which is different from 
what is observable in ocher erections of 
the same kind, there are, as it were, be- 
hind the pulpit, and to the right ard left 
of it, two small galleries, or rather boxes, 
not Githies those of a playhouse, which 
were purposely designed for his pupils, 
who subscribed five pounds fifteen shil- 
lings and sixpence towards the building. 
In 1723, Mr. Jennings published Two 
Discourses: the first, Of Preaching Christ ; 
the second, Of particular and experi- 
mental preaching; with a preface by 
the Rev. Mr. Isaac Watts. ‘These Dis- 
courses are said to have been so highly 
thought of at the time as to have been 
recommended by two bishops at their 
visitations of their clergy, and translated 
also into the German language by the or- 
der of the divinity professor at Halle, in 
Saxony; as weil as to be printed a second 
time in 1786. Mr. Jennings publish- 
ed also, A Genealogical Table ct the 
Kings ot England, for the space of nine 
hundred years. His funeral sermon 
was preached by Mr. Norris, of Welford, 
“Fle was a burning 
and a shining light: and ye were willing 
for a season to rejoice in his light ;” words, 
which were thought to have a striking 
propriety in them when applied both to 
him and his people. Among Mr, Jen- 
nings’s pupils were several young men, 
who afterwards distinguished themselves 
for their learning and usefulness; who 
did honour to their tutor, and.were an 
ornament to the dissenting ministry. 
—Dr. Philip Doddridge was one of 
them, who succeeded Mr. Jennings in the 
direction of the academy, and aiways 
spoke of his tutor with the bighest respect 
and veneration. The first sermon Mr. 
Doddridge ever preached, was at Hinck- 
ley on the 22d of July, 1722. Mr. 
Jennings 
