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    the delicate investigation which his congregation instituted into his character and conduct . It is a perfect pattern of such proceedings ; and may be recommended to dissenting societies of all denominations for their guidance , when they are in similarly pleasing circumstances of deep painfulness . It should be as welcome to them as a precedent would have been to the House of Lords in the trial of Queen Caroline . The author has handled

    this grave subject somewhat lightly . Dissenting ministers , and men too as pure in life as they were eminent in talent , have been worried to death for defalcations of not much deeper dye than those which he describes . But in future let it be done secundum art em . Here is the model : 4 Not long after the subsidence of the discord above named , and when I was congratulating myself that now all things were proceeding smoothly ,

    I was assailed by the means of anonymous letters , an instrument of annoyance to which dissenting ministers are particularly subject ; and perhaps also other persons may be so too , only we are always apt to magnify what concerns ourselves . It is only necessary here to premise , that I had now been married seven years , and that my family consisted

    of three children ; the eldest a girl about six years of age ; the second a boy about four , and the youngest not more than twelve months . My wife also was living , and a very excellent wife she was , and I may add , is still . I shall give these anonymous letters at full length , not altering the spelling , nor correcting the language ; for there is a raciness and pungency in the original style which correction would only destroy . The first concerns the management of my family .

    * " Reverend Sir : —It is with the most sincerest pane that I now take up my penn at this Time to address you on a matter of in fin it morn unt . I know sir that your a man of grate learnin and much skollarship , and therfor p ' raps my feeble penn ought not , to presuem to approche you without the utmost reference . You may believe me when I tell you that there is no man whos preachin givs me more instruction nor yours , nevertheless , most reverend sir , I must tak the libberty to

    say with all due difference to your supener jugement to say , I say , that your children is not mannaged with all that proprietey which ought to be the undoudted distinction of evvery minister who profasses to teach his people in the way of truth , has revelled in the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ , who gave himself for our sins . Miss Angelina

    was farst aslepe last Sunday afternoon almost all sermon time , and snored so as to be heeredall over the meetin , and Master Tommy plays at marvels in the streets , if so be then a » how you values the immortle soles of your children why dont you bring them up in the nurtur and ammunition of the Lord . So no more at present from your loving frend who shall be" 4 fc A ; inonimus . '*

    Scarcely had I recovered from the shock which the above letter gave me , when another was put in my hand coming from nobody knows where , and bringing against me another heavy charge . It was as follows : — * ' Reverend Sir : —I have set under your ministry some yeres listening with greate delite to the tidings of the everlasting gosple , but am sorrey to say that of late I have not profitted at * I yoused to do . I have ben a little afrade that the fault might be in myself , but on the closest

    Untitled Article

    The Autobiography of a Dissenting Minister . 873

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1834, page 873, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2640/page/55/