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ticaL ^ eriioti r ^ supposedleader of tkeoadrvjoia ^^ Sfof $ * W * 8 * h fte £ dorri v iv& s tkitfrin ^ ih , effigy bf the- moi > of ih ^ t town 13 i and > Mr . W-idfer ' esca ^ yfcd itisult anti © litifage ^ on ly by bis forirtmle and good dbunttour . * f" .- : ;> TiiixpHghcsttt the whole of his life , Mir ; ,, - ¥ idler ' was 1 decided friend of
liberty , > civi ) and religious , but he w ^ 8 o . nat an habitual , indiscriminate opponent of the measures of government , l ^ atter ^ he displayed a great leaning : to the political sentimen is of the ? majority of his countrymen . No man regarded the late extraordinary I&uler af France with a stronger or
moire ^ honest detestation . His hopes vfem particularly high with regard to the * Spanish nation , and he confidentl y foretold froin the beginning of the unprovoked contest which " Napoleon- carried on with that people , that the invader would be repelled and overthrown . He even vindicated
Or eat Britain in the recent quarrel with the United States of America , and ,, anticipated a result very different from-that which hisiory will describe . In all these opinions he was moved
by the purest feelings ; and they are recorded , not because they agree entirely with the sentiments of the writer . of this - memoir , bat because they shew that Mr . Vidler ' s habits of thinking were not formed by
-f Tkojiuts Paine , the author of " The Rights of . Man , " was burnt in effigy at Bftttie , ' as well us most other large towns . The loval procession which gurruunded the man of straw in its progress through
the town Stopped at the doors of the principal DissWriWrs and others suspected of hdhYittg free political principles , and demanded that they should cry J \~ o Paine . A hUlt was made before Mr . Vidler ' s
house , and the vociferations of the populace , isefcmed to threaten mischief . He steplped forward , and with the greatest sel £ ipp ^ sjC » 9 ion , cong ra tulated them on thc ^ c gq < ni spirits and *> n the iii ^ eniiity whii ^ itlM / y ba 4 shewn io u ^ aU ' uj ^ th eir effigy .
They demanded to know whether he was for Paine ? He promptly replied , iC No , iwy iudB' ? be ifcbstired I hart ^ 'nt > liking for pabi r I mri'far « rti ^/* This well-tihied pun mi t tb « mob into good'h'hrti < iiir ; mid
tUey prohoUu (^ d lihu ^ h ^ ai ^ y feflow , gai'e him ^ thopdo ^ o&ters % ^ and ' proceeded * with thfcii ^ Ki ^ TiitV'tfr'kh ^ jdiltf , < prepaf feit ror'the Ut ^ tx ^ tioili / of-tlMS ^ epl-es-elHative of 'the ^\ icked repubik * ati- - > s : ^ , •]! ' ¦ ' . , .
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a contradictious anct chsputatioqa < tisposttit ) n , [ arid \ tfia £ an ^ qua ! ZQ ^ I or 4 behalf of tjnitarianisi 4 may sudj ststwith all the" varieties of political feefirigi Mr . Vidler ' s embracing thp X ^ niversal doctrine led him into acqivaijUr aiice With Mr . Winchester , th ©
a ]> ostle of that '; faith , who hadcong ^ over to England from Aqierica , hi ^ native land , to make it knowqV By his po ]> ular elonuence , Mr . Winchester had already made many converts and established a consicferabte congregation at , Parliament . Court * Attillery I ^ ane , L » onclon . He did not confine himself to London , hut tni-.
yelled into various parts of the country , as openings , for the Universal doctrine presented themselves . Amongst other places he now visited Battle , arid from * this time a warm intimacy subsisted between htm and Mr . Midler . The churches also , at' Battle
and Parliament Court , were brought into correspondence by means of their pastors . At the joint request of . Mr . Winchester and his people , Mr .. Vldler was invited on account of Mr . Winchester ' s infirm health to administer tlie ordinance of baptism , by immersion , to some candidates in " the
congregation at Parliament Court : lie accepted the invitation and accordingly came , up to London and ofuciatea iu this service on the 9 th of February , 1794- > which was the first time of hi ^ appearing in the metropolis under
his heretical character . Mis preaching was highly acceptable to his new friends , and on Mr . \ Vinchester ' & sudden departure for America , 111 the same year , he was unanimously chosen to succeed him .
It may be supposed that Mr . Vidler could not be easily induced to desert his , interesting charge at 3 aute . The congregation was wholly of his own n . iising , " ahd he was with them as a father ainpnirst children ; they had
gone on together in the road of reiigrous inquiry and bad jointl y b-orne reproach and * persecution - thougli much shaken by ihe'l * te disputcs jt }' ^ cliureh was in a j > ronusin 2 " ^ if not . d flourishing condition j aivd in . add . ilioii to all this , a considerable dpbt yet ,
remained on . the new placg of w orship , ' whic"h ii (> tliirig LiU tl ^ e ^ uipn /> i * the pastor und the people _ and l ' n ^ prosperi lv of the whole -ocicly afforded
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M * Mfr ojtth&fele Rev . W . Pldfetl 133
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1817, page 133, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2462/page/5/
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