which fill above thirty pages in large quarto, very clofely written; from the whole tenor of which, it is pleasant to fee, how entire a friendship and confidence there was between a grave and learned father, and a fon, not yet twenty years of age!"

"From the general account he gives of his ftudies, he appears, in confequence of his intercourfe with Mr. Watfon, to have been perfuaded, that the fyftem of divinity in the Holy Scripture is explained and attefted by the fcriptural account of created nature; and that this account, including the Mofaic Cofmogony, is true fo far as it goes. and that the Bible, in virtue of its originality, is fitter to explain all the books in the world than they are to explain it. That much of the learning of the age was either unprofitable in itfelf, or dangerous in its effect; and that literature, fo far as it was a fashion, was in geveral unfavourable to Christianity, and to a right understanding of the Scripture. That the Jews had done much hurt in the Hebrew; not to the text by corrupting it, but by leading us into their falfe way of interpreting and understanding it; and that their Rabbinical writers were therefore not to be taken as teachers by Chriftian scholars. That a notion lately conceived of the Mofaic law, as a mere civil or fecular inftitution, without the doctrine of life and immortality in it, was of pernicious tendency; contrary to the fenfe of all the primitive writers, and the avowed doctrine of the church of England. That the fciences of metaphyfics and ethics had a near alliance to Deism; and that in confequence of the authority they had obtained, the doctrine of our pulpits was in general fallen below the Chriftian

ftandard; and that the Saviour and the Redemption, without which our religion is nothing, were in a manner forgotten; which had given too much occafion to the irregular teaching of the tabernacle. That the fin of modern Deifm is the fame in kind with the fin of Paradife, which brought death into the world, because it afpires to divine wifdom, that is, to the knowledge. of divine things, and the diftinction between good and evil, independent of God.

"He had learned farther, that the Hebrew language, and the Hebrew antiquities lead to a fuperior way of understanding the mythology and writings of the Heathen claffical authors: and that the Hebrew is a language of ideas; whofe terms for invisible and fpiritual things are taken with great advantage from the objects of nature; and that there can be no other way of conceiving fuch things, becaufe all our ideas enter by the fenfes: whereas in all other languages, there are arbitrary founds without ideas.

"It appeared to him farther, that unbelief and blafphemy were gaining ground upon us, in virtue of fome popular miftakes in natural philofophy, and threatened to banifh all religion out of the world. Voltaire began very early to make his ufe of philofophy, and corrupt the world with it. He never was fit to mount it; but he walked by the fide of it, and ufed it as a stalking-horfe. It is therefore of great confequence to fcholars to know, that as the heavens and the elements of the world had been set up by the Heathens, as having power in themfelves; and that as the Heathens, building on this falfe foundation, had loft the knowledge of God; the modern doctrine, which gives innate powers to mat

ter,

ter, as the followers of Democritus and Epicurus did, would probably, end in Atheism. That the forces, which the modern philofophy ufes, are not the forces of nature; but that the world is carried on by the action of the elements on one another, and all under God. That it is no better than raving, to give active powers to matter, fuppofing it capable of acting where it is not, and to affirm, at the fame time, that all matter is inert, that is inactive, and that even the Deity cannot act but where he is prefent, because his power cannot be but where his fubftance is.

"He was alfo convinced, that infinite mischief had been done, not only by the tribe of Deifts and philofophers, but by fome of our moft celebrated divines, in extolling the dignity of human nature and the wildom of human reafon; both of which the fcripture delivers to us under a very different character; which the experience of the world is daily confirming. That infidels and profligates fhould wish to establish their own opinions upon the ruins of revelation, was not to be wondered at; but that they, whofe office it was to drefs and defend the facred vineyard, fhould fall in with them, and join with the wild boar out of the wood to root it up, was a matter of grief and furprife. A diftemper muft indeed be epidemical, when the phyficians themfelves are feized with it. This malady, when traced to its fountain head, appears to have arifen from a general neglect in schools and feminaries of the ftudy of the Scriptures in their original languages; where they attend fo much to the works of Heathens, and fo little to the book of light, life and immortality. While the heads of boys are filled with tales

of Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Bacchus, and Venus, the Bible is little heard of; and fo the Heathen creed becomes not only the first, but the whole ftudy. Jews, mistaken as they are, are still diligent in teaching the Scripture to their children in their own way; while we are teaching what even Jews are wife enough to abominate. Poffeffed by this opinion, that all polite knowledge is in Heathen authors, and the Bible but a dull heavy book, which inftead of promoting rather ftands in the way of improvement, a lad is fent from school to the university. Here is a very alarming crifis. If he happen to be of a fprightly wit, he falls into loofe company, and, for want of religious principles, is led into all manner of wickednefs. Should he study, he obtains logic under the form of a fcholaftic jargon, which in its fimplicity is of excellent ufe. Then he learns a fyftem of ethics, which teaches morals without religious data, as the Heathens did. After which, he probably goes on to Wollafton, Shaftsbury, and others; and is at length fixed in the opinion, that reafon is fufficient for man without revelation. Our young philofopher, having proceeded thus far, wants nothing but metaphyfics to complete him; by fetting him to reafon without principles, to judge without evidence, and to comprehend without ideas. He learns to deduce the being and at-tributes of God a priori; in confequence of which he discovers, that God is not a trinity, but a fingle perfon. When a gentleman thus equipped takes the Bible into his hand and commences divine, what must become of it, and of him? Thus it appears, that, as things go now, a man may be a mafter of what is called human

learning,

learning, and yet ignorant to the laft degree of what only is worth knowing.

"The foregoing abftract, which I have taken as faithfully as I could, is fufficient to thew what great and important fubjects his mind was employed upon at this early period of his life."

"When a ftudent hath once perfuaded himself that he fees truth in the principles of Mr. Hutchinfon, a great revolution fucceeds in his ideas of the natural world and its œconomy. Qualities in matter, with a vacuum for them to act in, are no longer venerable; and the authority of Newton's name, which goes with them, lofes fome of its influence. Nor is this in the prefent cafe fo much to be wondered at: for Mr. Hutchinfon had conceived an opinion, which poffeffed his mind very ftrongly, that fir I. Newton and Dr. Clarke had formed a defign, by introducing certain fpeculations founded on their new mode of philofophizing, to undermine and overthrow the theology of the Scripture, and to bring in the Heathen Jupiter or ftoical anima mundi into the place of the true God, whom we Chriftians believe and worship. This will feem lefs extravagant, when it is confidered Mr. Boyle had alfo expreffed his fufpicions, many years before, that Heathenifm was about to rife again out of fome new fpeculations, and reputedly grand difcoveries, in natural philofophy. Yet I am not willing to believe, that the eminent perfons above mentioned had actually formed any fuch defign. What advantage unbelievers have, fince their time, taken of their fpeculations in divinity and philofophy, and of the high repute which has attended them, and of the exclufive honours given to mathe

matical learning and mathematical reafoning, is another question; and it calls for a ferious examination at this time, when the moral world is in great disorder, from causes not well understood.

"However these things may be, the prejudice fo ftrongly infufed by Mr. Hutchinfon against an evil defign in Clarke and Newton, took poffeffion of Mr. Horne's mind at the age of nineteen; and was farther confirmed by reports which he had heard of a private good underftanding betwixt them and the feeptics of the day, fuch as Collins, Toland, Tindal, &c. more than the world generally knew of."

"Our young fcholar, viewing the whole matter at firft on the ridiculous fide, and confidering it not only as a dangerous attempt upon religion, but a palpable offence against truth and reafon; drew a parallel between the Heathen doctrines in the Somnium Scipionis of Cicero, and the Newtonian plan of the Cofmotheoreal fyftem: of which parallel I fhall not undertake to juftify the particulars. I fee its faulty flights and wanderings, from a want of more mature judgment and ex. perience. It provoked feveral remarks, fome in print, and fomé in manufcript, of which remarks the judgment was not greater, and the levity not lefs. The question was in reality too deep for those who attempted to fathom it at that time. Mr. Horne foon faw the impropriety of the ftyle and manner, which as a young man he had affumed for merriment in that little piece: thefe were by no means agreeable to the conftitution of his mind and temper. He therefore obferved a very different manner, afterwards; and, as foort as he had taken time to bethink himself, he refumed and reconfidered the fub

ject;

ject; publishing his fentiments in a mild and ferious pamphlet, which he called A fair, candid, and im partial State of the Cafe between Sir I. Newton and Mr. Hutchinfon: allowing to fir Ifaac the great nerit of having fettled laws and rules in natural philofophy; but at the fame time claiming for Mr. Hutchinfon the difcovery of the true phyfiological cafes, by which, under the power of the Creator, the natural world is moved and directed."

"When a young man of a vigorous mind determines, in these latter days of the church, to make himfe.f a fcholar; he is in great danger, from the books he may read, and the company he may fall into; notwithstanding the integrity of his mind, and the purity of his intentions. If he joins himself to a party, he will be under the influence of an affection, which is very properly called partiality; and which inclines him to favour the meafures of his party indifcriminately; and therefore does great hurt to the judgment. He is apt to praise and cenfure, to love and hate, not with his own fpirit, but with the spirit of his party. With their fingularities, whatever they may be, he will find little fault; and if they have errors, they are fuch as he will not foon difcover. To this danger Mr. Horne was expofed, as a reader of Hutchinson; I fhall therefore defcribe it more particularly, and fhew how and by what means he escaped it in all its parts, and preferved the independency of his understanding; in doing which, if I can do it faithfully, I fhall certainly make myfelf of fome ufe to the public.

"Mr. Hutchinfon fell into a new and uncommon train of think Ing in philofophy, theology, and

heathen antiquity; and appears to have learned much of it from the Hebrew, which he studied in a way of his own: but as he laid too great a ftrefs in many inftances on the evidence of Hebrew etymology, his admirers would naturally do the fame; and fome of them carried the matter fo far, that nothing elfe would go down with them; till by degrees they adopted a mode of fpeaking, which had a nearer refemblance to cant and jargon, than to found and sober learning. To this weaknefs, thofe perfons were moft liable, who had received the feweft advantages from a learned education. This was the cafe with fome fenfible tradefmen and mechanics, who by studying Hebrew, with the affiftance of English only, grew conceited of their learning, and carried too much fail with too little ballaft. Of this Mr. Horne was very foon aware; and he was in fo little danger of following the example, that I used to hear him difplay the foibles of fuch perfons with that mirth and good humour which he had ready at hand upon all occafions. With the like difcretion and candour, he allowed to the reverend Dr. Sharp of Durham all that could reafonably be allowed, when he attacked the followers of Hutchinfon upon the etymological quarter, where they feened moft vulnerable, or, where they might at least be annoyed with moft appearance of advantage: and he never, through the whole course of his life, was a friend to the etymological part of the controverfy; as it appears from his writings; in which Hebrew etymology, however he might apply to it for himfelf, is rarely if ever infifted upon.”

"A farther danger arofe from that cuftom, in which fome of the followers of Hutchinfon had too

freely

freely indulged themselves, of treating their opponents with too great afperity and contempt. Hutchinfon himself was very reprehenfible in this refpect, as well in his converfation as in his writings, and thereby loft much of that influence with men of learning, which he might have preserved, had he confidered it as a duty to be more temperate and flexible in his manner of addreffing the public. But he was a man of a warm and hafty fpirit, like Martin Luther; who, to certain modern fpeculations in philofophy and theology, could preferve no more refpect than Luther did to the errors of popery. How far the circumftances they both were under, the zeal by which they were actuated, and the provocations they met with from the world, will juftify them in the ufe of intemperate language, can be known only to God to whom they muft give an account. But whatever excufes may be made for the principals, we do not fee how they can be extended to those who fucceeded. Some of these however did claim for themselves the like privilege, and gave great offence to perfons of cooler judgment. The world will not fuffer things to be forced upon them. When men are angry, it is always fuppofed they have but little to fay, and are provoked by a fenfe of the infuficiency of themselves and their caufe."

"There was yet another danger to be apprehended, and that of no fmall concern to a member of the church of England. It happened, that among the admirers of Mr. Hutchinfon, there were many diffenters, who, with all the information they had acquired, did not appear (as might reasonably have been expected) to be much foftened in 1795.

their prejudices against the conftitution of this church.-With fome of thefe, Mr. Horne frequently fell into company; of which it was not an improbable confequence (and he afterwards was aware of it) that he might come by degrees to be lefs affected than he ought to be, to the church of which he was a member: especially as there was fome jealoufy already in the minds of Mr. Hutchinfon's readers against their fuperiors both in church and ftate, on account of the unfair and angry treatment (I may fay, perfecution) fome of them had fuffered, and the diflike and averfion which their principles had met with from perfons of established reputation. The modeft and civil letter to a bishop, from the lord prefident of the court of feflion in Scotland, the hon. Duncan Forbes, had met with little or no attention, which, with many other flights and provocations, contributed to keep them in no very good humour; fo that it was to be feared they would be too ready to hear what others might be too ready to fuggeft. With fome of our diffenters, it is too much the cuftom to turn the clergy of the church and their profeilion into ridicule; a fort of behaviour which fhould always be avoided by religious men, when religion is the fubject. A piece was handed about which calls itfelf a Dialogue upon Bifhops; a fly and malignant invec-. tive, in a strain of irony, and by no means deftitute of wit, against the prelates of this church. The thing is written in the fame spirit with the Martin Mar-Prelate of the old Puritans, though in a fuperior ftrain of irony, and had for its author a man whofe name was Baron, a diffenting teacher of eminence, whofe works are collected together, and publifhed under the terrific C

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