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    tefand firmness of principle . He was the consistent advocate of civil and religions liberty , and a zealous reformer of abuses in every department whether in public or in private life . Even his enemies ( if he had any ) must confess , that he was a man of the most undeviating honesty

    arrd ~ integrityr ^~ tf—he-ever-gave ^ "of fence , it was because he was an uncompromisiug lover of truth , and scorned to flatter any man , however exalted his station or rank in society . He steadily pursued the path of Christian duty , and thus obtained that respect from his friends and fellow-townsmen , which consistency

    "~ enjuygd ~~ a [ lnlost an uninferruptetl state of good health till within the last three years of his life . He was aware of his approaching end , long before the solemn hour arrived . He could look forward to it , however , with calmness and with cheerful hope ; and at length , under the benign and cheering influence of

    Unitarian views of Christian truth , he quietly sunk to rest . His end was , indeed , such as that of which the poet speaks' That calm decay of nature , when the mind Retains its strength , and in the languid eye Religion ' hol y hopes kindle a joy That makes old age look lovely . '

    To him his friends may well look back arid say , ' Mark frh e perfect man , and behold the upright , for the end of that man is peace / . Who has not watched the bright sun of a summer evening , calmly sinking beneath the western horizon , while the golden sky added a lustre to the

    scene , which is beheld not amid the blaze of noon ? And who , when the sun was no longer visible , has not stood and gazed upon the bright clouds still gilded by his departing beams , and . watched the deepening shades till night came on ? Thus , then , sunk to rest this pious man With the calmness of a summer

    evening his unruffled mind gazed upon approaching dissolution , while the steady beams of Christian hope still ^ brightened -the shade around / until he peacefully sunk to rest without a struggle . And still will his

    parting rays shed a lustre upon the hopes and invigorate the faith of those who now lament his loss ; and still in their hearts will his memory live , untjl they also shall be overshadowed by the clouds of that night

    of character ever deserves and demands . His conversational powers , aided by much reading and a remarkably retentive memory , were a source of great gratification to many among the young as well as those more advanced in years , who now sincerely lament his loss .

    For nearly half a century ^ Mr . Gray Was a much respected member of the Unitarian congregation in this town , and most firmly maintained those religious views by which they are distinguished from professing Christians of other denominations ;

    and this too under circumstances much more difficult and painful than are generally known to Unitarians of the present day ; for in his case it was attended with reproach , persecution , and worldly losses . Kever did lie tamelyTyield to the

    temptations of worldly interest , and thus sacrifice religious principle on the shrine of Mammon . No ! against him might Persecution aim her darts —Bigotry might pass him with the sneer of contempt—Enthusiasm pity his errors ,- and Fanaticism doom him

    to everlasting woe ; but he still pursued the path to which his honest convictions directed him , unmoved by reproach or persecution—unseduced by the temptations of the world . Considering that religion was a matter between God and his own conscience , he disregarded

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    alike the confident assertions and bold anathemas of others ; Such a character deserves the respect and esteem of every consistent Christian , and from Unitarians he demands more—he claims their gratitude . Thus did this good man pursue his steady and consistent course . He

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    ., / TOITiA-BiAN CHRONICLE . 31

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 1, 1833, page 31, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2605/page/31/