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Soon aftet lettving college , at Mkfeumme * , ! $ ! $ » he totem a principal pan fn tfe * tuonagMiem of the school wi * k * hife i ^ er tett conducted - upward of fwfcfctjr ytw *; W 4 for the beneficial arraogeMSelrts he introdu < S « d and the fidelity with \ vt * ieh he devoted a large portion of bis time t * tfte improvement 0 f those committed
to his care , tie deserves more than cowmo& praise , because his love of krtow * - ledge excited in him a desire to be wholly engaged ki very different pursuits Ilife sacrifice of inclination to duty he made with so much readiness as to prove that to Mm duty was a law , and with so much eheetfcilBeSs as t © shew that he knew how to extract pleasure from it .
For a considerable period hfe attention had bees fixed on the Christian ministry as the profession In which he might be most happily and usefully employed , and hi the autumn of 1820 he finally determined to devote himself to it . This
dete * nmia ? t * on was the result of much serious reflection , and formed in the sincere hope that- it would be conducive to his own mental , moral and religious improvemreHt , aad to the improvement , in -some humble measure , of others . And hd mind could be better constituted and m >
character belter formed for this important office . Having made his election , he immediately applied himself with an extraordinary ardour to those studies which he deemed necessary ter enable him to discharge the duties of the Christian minister with honour and usefulness . Not
having it in his power to pursue that systematic study of theology aud of biblical criticism , under the direction of able and enlightened tutors , which he earnestly wished , he , foreied a plan of s&udy far himself , to which he adhered wkh great steadiness * for which lie husbanded every
hour , and from whi § h even the pleasures of social iut ^ rcoursercould » eido » reduce hk o * ^ Often when friends who $ e society he highly valued were under the sttme roof vvith him , he confined h * ms $ ll to his closet * UttWUling to lose apy of those . p « Scmwia momejats which couW iuH be mcdHcd , and of which , wkb < U 1 hi * eflfcruu , he
feUr that he . could obibaja but too , few . l"he time spent ia these punwia wslh hh > aeamm of en ^ uxent : iq oihc ? iT en ^^ ementa he attended , because hid dttty jbuqjiired it ; to these , because they afibrded him . the highest g * atinc » tio » ml t H e oaimneiice 4 Ubi « t « di ^» wit ^ an ^ tt ^ Btiv ' ^ an 4 thorough egtmntn&tion of < J ^^ e fl DionGnetratiott o ^ the Beiagj w * & Aiii ^ fccs : of God ; aiid o / tte i > feaiiaL
Mf t ^ ^ m author ou < Nadur ** andb lUbvwte 4 Iwigiofii , ttjgetlwjr vtafh stfretal oilier wow « which treat of the easg *
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ence and perfectiow of the Deity , in Uie mOSv ' Bin ™ " « ISQ . yyii ^ fufifwy ' | i * m § ijy ^ r . ' In these investi ^ tions h ^ was e ^ touMjg mlttmi 1 % k »'' jfr Ukim & +. ** . vfoWiti *' mHHiMVif ^ Trtm ^ tViA * WUUIQ IH 7 vvuiu % * Vf * *^ P * O ^ Vflwlimv fVa ^ TTC .
and from whom he was proud to ^ cktttow ledge that he received no tmfmpmtant aid m the solution of his diflBctrlties ami the confirmation of many of te own opinioos .
He next applied himself with the same dtfig ^ nce t& the studjr of the Evfdenccs of the Christian Religioti ; The hfstOrkal evidence afid the philoso ^ wcat argtrment founded upon it made a deep , iflfrpression on his mind , and produced a Arm and unwavering conviction , that the writers
of the gospel history must have been the men they purport to have been ; must hav 4 seen and heard the things which they declare they saw and heard , and must have done and suffered what they are reported to have done and suffered : consequently , that their story must be true , anif therefore , that thef divinity of the Christian
religion is established . He couM never sufficiently admire the clear ant £ masterly statement of this argument in Mr . Belsham ' s Summary of the Evidences of Christianity , a work wl * icn the inqohing and upright Deist is bound to study , and with which the Christian parent ougjht to rerider the mindf of hte child FamfRar .
* Fhe next subjects which ecg ^ ged his attentwft were the BooKs of ^ tie New Testament . He entered mto a carefid examination of their genuineness and authenticity , and in this investigation read with extreme pleasure the writings of Herbert Marsh . In like manner he had
begun to examine the epistles , the obscurities of which he was anxious to explain to the sati&actifon of bra own mind : and by the aid of Locke and Taylor , whom he diligenrty sfndmtl , he frad already in part succeeded : anc £ ^ probably ,, as much for hi * &v * n improvement as with a view to
aSord improvement to ot&erd 9 Jib had condensed and arranged ? the cessit of bi * kivest % ation ia as diacour « tt ort this subj * e «* whjch : he neve ^ deH ^ eiw ^ Already he had made himwiS > \ wtyl ^ acqaainted wkh the wmfcingsi < rf Dtv Co ^ an ^ wlriehi be grcSat ^ y Admired * / . •¦; .: _> \ > . ^ <\ , ;
Jrfas first eserwon wUs dcliffered at Worship Street s Eteei 17 v 18 ^ > ^> n Jebe Pof ^ ^ b d )/ Me Soid ^ v ^ alBid tfee tjaiasfactaoa whieh One '^ gmi-dtfs th « ti aflidi a ^ hseqned occasionftnayteli ^ fceslwnwtwifroin die fatt , diartt jwdi ^ Q th * fyewJ ^ which o * mpriaed the ^ pleuo ^^ hwi mi « fet 3 ei ^ toj boiiijav &e uepeatetteiofl | eiat 4 s * at nxosc * t > i
the p *\ nn& IXt ^ ni ^? ptes&f « W tu tte ^ i li » t ]^ ii «^ asdN (^^ aad « p" thBt ^ mrti $ tnk& 1 mmt ^^ timefe ^ Cln Wiitawdw * ^
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* S 6 WitHurtf .-r-BHev . Coiet Evun * .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 2, 1822, page 56, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2508/page/56/
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