Josiah Allport

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Josiah Allport thanks Philander Chase for sending him a copy of the Reminiscences and tells him about his past and present involvement in the Church of England.

Date

11-12-1845

Keywords

Josiah Allport, Philander Chase, Kenyon College, Expositio ad Colossenses, Reminiscences, England, finances, money, Lady Rosse, Mr Horne

Transcript

Birmingham

Nov’r 12 1845

Right Rev’d 7 dear Sir,

About ten days ago I received your letter of the 13 of Sept’r last with the Parcel containing a copy of your Reminiscences. I cannot say how much I feel gratified & honoured by your kindness. I wish you had done me one mark of favour that of inserting your Name in the book. I must find some memento off the gratifying favour you have done me to ensure if possible its continuance in my family. You have been long known to me in party for your zealous & selfdenying labours in the cause of our great Master, through the various channels in which they have been noticed, & on your last visit to this country, which I first heard of at good Lady Rosses’s[sic] whom I was in the bait of visiting for the last [?] years of her life on her removing near this place, I wrote to Mr Hartwell Horne not knowing the ecclesiastical regulations respecting you to beg him if he saw or communicated with you, to say that [any] [pulpit] was at your service should you visit Birmingham in which to plead your own cause, when he informed me there were government restrictions against it. I believe they are now done away-- if not they ought to be as regards American Episcopalians.

Since I received your Reminiscences, I have stolen a couple of hours each Even’g from my bed after all has been quiet & the private duties done to peruse them. I have not got far yet into Vol II-- but I have read enough to inspire my heart with the warmest affection towards you & with earnest desires to do something to serve you in your present laudable exertions. I ama poor man myself-- very poor-- not having an income in a most extensive laborious sphere here to maintain myself & family-- mine being an unendowed Chapel-- having to support all its own necessary expenses & with no house attached it it. But the Lord has hitherto provided for me & mine & does provide. Such has been his distinguished goodness towards me, under the charge of 12 Children (7 daughters now living, the rest in heaven I trust & believe) that I have inserted on my seal F.P. (Felius Providentiae) & for 12 or 15 years I have tried to live by faith. I ought to do so. But tho’ poor in this world’s good & no honours to commend me to the Patronage of the great [far] [preferment] God has given me [surprising] influence among good men, throughout His whole kingdom. I have written to Mr Horne & Mr Stowell about you to see what can be done, as we must try-- I must at al events. I do not find Mr Ramsey’s name, whom you mention in our Clergy list or I would have written to him but I shall enquire after him & do so if I can find him out. Your experience & [facts] & principles so accord with my own in any measure that I cannot but sympathise with you from the bottom of my heart. Good Bishop [Ryder] appointed me to this Post about 15 years ago from one which was uncongenial to my health & that of my family as was evident by my losing 4 children in it my two eldest sons, & daughters between 10 & 14 years & a younger son. On coming here a controversy was soon after raised with the Romanists, tho’ not my me, but I could not but take any part in it & on their setting up a diocese-- as I was unable to prevail on any of my Brethren to meet it by another I resolved that they should not brave things their own way & brought out the Protestant Journals the next month after [their] appea[r]. This I conducted for 4 years on [my] [own] responsibility beat them out of the field by the good help of God & the act of a few such men as Mr Horne & then transferred the Mag. to the Reformation Society being just knocked up in mind body & estate. I was [again] [?] [Porter] & fac. [Cotton] but sparing no cost nor pains with that & the publication of the translation or Bp Davenant’s work on the Coloss’s I go about 700￡ in debt which good Lady Rosse & a few other kind & feeling friends cleared off for me. It was at Lady Rosse’s instigation I sent you a copy of [Bp] Davenant on the Coloss’s for Kenyon College. You are aware I suppose she has been dead thus 5 or 6 years, but prior to that lamented event she made me a present of 1,200￡ & would have given me a sufficient sum to build [even] a Parsonage house could I have got the Chapelry made a distinct thing or separate Rectory[.] I have in [Educats] my Daughter’s [&] to maintain standing in this sphere spent every shilling this [York] year’s[sic] ago-- [i]f that [hand]some donation[.] Last summer the Duke of Manchester (Lady O Sparrow’s son in law) presented me with a Vicarage near their Residence, but finding some of the great ones objected to me because I had no degree & the bulk of the people were anxious to retain among them a Curate of 6 mo’s standing. I fear manly because his wife inherited 4 thousand a yearn thinking too that he was better able to rebuild the Parsonage & put other things in order & as he expressed a wish to continue, tho’ he had refused to place before it was offered me I resigned it; there I am still having virtually the care of 12 thousand souls mostly poor, with nothing but the few rents of about one half of [my] Chapel. I mention these things to prove to you that I mist possess a congenial spirit, & that you may not expect any thing from myself. But with God’s help I will try how I can influence others. With this view I must get your Letters lithographed to circulate among friends, for I have not time to transcribe it. 2 of my daughters are out as Governesses-- one is my organist & has other occupations, the next superintends my Schools & her younger sister, so that they have enough to do. So soon as I can see any prospect or hope of success you shall hear from me; but things are not as they were ten or 15 years ago with us. Prior to that time I had in a 20 years ministry raised above 20 thousand ￡ for our different charitable & Relig’s institutions & other benevolent objects--for the last 4 years I have been trying to raise a sum suffic’t [either] to pay my rent [ann’y] or build a parsonage if an eligible site could be got, but I have not realized 560￡ In [say] quarter by the multiplication of schools & the call for new Churches & the increase & expansion of Miss’y calls the wealthy & benevolent are so [tried], that they are compelled to confine or distribute in their own locations what they used to be glad to have a distant call to do.

I write off at once now my mind being made up to give you some hope that you are not yet hopeless here-- & so soon as I can see fit I will write to you again. When Vol II is out of Davenant on [?] a copy shall be forwarded with others, & if I can pitch up by any means a copy of the work on the Coloss’s I will & send it also-- but it has been long out of print. And now I can only say & do fervently the Lord bless you as he has done-- the Lord be your guide, your succour & your stay O let all goodness abound towards you still more & more. I am tho’ unworthily you in our common & gracious Lord faithfully & affectionately

Yours

Josiah Allport

There was now plan of your buildings either in the letter or book

Letter to Philander Chase

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