The ,Story of Hare Court. By John B. Marsh. (Strahan.)—"
The story of Hare Court," writes Mr. Marsh, in his profane, 'is the history of an Independent Church, formed in 164$, by the Rev. George Cokayn, BA. The description is scarcely correct. Cokayn was, from 1618 to 1600, when he seems to have been op:kited, or to have resigned, the rector of St. Pancras, Soper Lane, and for this period certainly neither the minister nor congregation can be called "Independent," at least in the meaning which that word now conveys. Cokayn's congregation, which seems to have included a number of distinguished persons, followed him. He continued to minister to them in such fashion as the times allowed for the few remaining years of his life. From 1672 to 1857 the congregation worshipped in Hare Court, In 1857 it was removed, being then much reduced in numbere, to Canonbury, whore it has continued to prosper under the charge of Dr, Raleigh. Wo cannot compliment Dr. Raleigh on the lucidity of the narrative in the introduction which he has furnished for the volume. What are we to make of these two statoments,—"An Independent Chapel was erected in. Harecourt in 1692, the Rev. John Nesbitt," and "they [the congregation] removed to a building in Hare Court, [is it "Hare Court," or " Harecourt "?] which was succeeded by a more commodious building in 1672. In this subse- quent congregations worahipped until 1857 "? Did "subsequent congre- gations," if we are to call them so, worship "in the Independent Chapel," or in "time more commodious building"? Mr. Marsh's narrative is per- fectly readable, with some interesting personal aketehes, among which that of Sir Bulatrode Whitelock and Lis family is especially to be noticed. We should be glad to see more books written on the same prineiples. Those byoways of Church history are often full of interest and instruction, Of course, the author looks at his subject from a some- what different point from ours, though, indeed, a Churchman has little to say when the doings of the dominant powers after the Restoration are discussed. We shall except to one statement only, "the persecu- tions which succeeded only served to widen the breach between her and the working-people of England." For the persecutions we have not a word of apology; but that they alienated the "working-people" of Eng- land, if by that term is meant the lower class, we do not believe. Among the labourers and artizans of England the Church was popular, and though she may have let them slip, she has never alienated them. The atreugtli of the Nonconformists lay in another class, as indeed it lies now. For a hundred years after the Restoration it seldom would have been difficult to collect a mob to sack a meeting-house, no compli- ment to the Church, but still proving that she had not " alienated the working-olass."
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