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uess of heart . In the former period of his life , -he was many years honourably engaged in active pursuits as a merchant and banker ; but , on the decline of trade and manufactures in the west of England , he withdrew from the arduous and anxious concerns , the painful fluctuations , and contingencies of commercial life , and took up his abode entirely at his neighbouring residence in the country ;
where , iti the bosom of an amiable and excellent family , he enjoyed that comfort and tranquillity which were congenial with the habits of his well-regulated mind ; and where he passed his time in literary retirement , in the cultivation and pursuit of intellectual knowledge , in the virtuous discipline of the heart , and in the discreet and judicious exercise of an unostentatious benevolence . His native
composure and serenity of temper were prominent and distinguishing features of his character . The influence of these qualities seldom , it might almost be said never , forsook him ; while to these he added a high sense of honour , and of moral and religious principle . He was , on some occasions , placed in circumstances which called forth all the energies of his mind . Few men , perhaps , enjoyed more happiness in the conjugal and parental relations of domestic life than fell to his
lot ; yet , from this very cause , probably , his severest trials arose . His highlyrespected and excellent wife , after a long-protracted state of delicate health , was removed to a better world , many years before him ; and at different periods he subsequently experienced the loss of
two very amiable daughters . These heavy trials of domestic feeling he sustained with patient equanimity and exemplary submission . He felt them as a man , and bore them as a Christian . Indeed , he had long known the full force of Christian principles , and steered his course under the direction of this best
and s « re 6 t guide in the voyage of human life . At a period long prior to the painful privations which have been alluded to , he had sought a retreat from the occupations of business in objects which promised the most tranquil , useful , and rational resource . He was fortunate in
having acquired the habit of reading , and in books he found the important infor - mation and genuine recreation he wished to obtain . His attention was particularly directed to the study of the Scriptures ; and in the result of his inquiries into the evidences of revelation and the doctrines of Christianity , he felt the force of the objections that have been fre-
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quently urged against some of the leading theological opinions which have long prevailed in the Christian world ; and after much thought and reflection , he finally resolved to withdraw from the communion of the national church in which he had been educated , and connected himself with the Unitarian
congregation in his neighbourhood , of which the late Rev . John Jervis was minister , at whose chapel , in the vicinity of Lynipston , Mr . Baring and his family became constant and regular attendants . It is due to Mrs . Baring to state that , in this measure , and in the views of her excellent husband on this important subject , she also fully coucurred .
This participation in the offices of public worship and social religion , accompanied by the continued friendly intercourse of personal kindness , proved a source of gratification and encouragement to Mr . Jervis in the exercise of his
pastoral duties . Nor was the influence of so respectable an example in promoting a regard to social order , moral discipline , and religious observances , lost upon others , more particularly on that class of persons whose humble lot is cast in the lowly vale of poverty and
obscurity . The friendship of Mr . Baring was steady , uniform , and consistent , and manifested by uuequivocal proofs of cordial esteem and unreserved confidence . And it is but justice to add , that these testimonies of regard were most highly appreciated by Mr . Jervis , who was fully sensible of their value , while they made
an impressiou on his mind that uo time could obliterate or impair ; and it may be truly said that they greatly contributed to augment his comfort , and to soothe and alleviate the depression and discouragements of frequent indisposition . Nor did the reciprocal interchange of generous and friendly communication cease till the hand of death dissolved ail
earthly ties—and the social intercourses of the world were extinguished or buried in the grave . Mr . Jervis was a man of strong intellectual powers , a sound judgment , and a well-informed and cultivated mind ; of inflexible integrity and firmness of principle ; of considerable literary and
scientific attainments ; and an ardent friend to civil and religious liberty . But he was particularly distinguished by the diffidence and genuine simplicity of his manners , his true candour and moderation of spirit . The following extracts from two letters of Mr . Baring to the present writer , ou occasion of Mr , Jervis's 111—
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28 $ Obituary . —Charles Baring , Esq
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1829, page 288, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2571/page/64/
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