ity, than for the abundance of his knowledge, or the reach and resources of his mind; but it was at last the happiness of Emlyn to be in a condition to supply this deficiency, by the force of application, and the means of information to which he could resort. Theology engaged his close and constant attention; he applied himself to the study with an independent and resolute spirit, not restricted in the freedom of inquiry by the trammels of the schools, nor the dogmas and theorems of subtle divines. The religion of truth and of the heart was not in his opinion so difficult a thing, that it might not be understood. To the authority of others he paid no regard, any farther than it was borne out by the plain sense of the sacred Scriptures; and to antiquity he yielded no reverence, except as it accorded with the same standard. He determined to study, consider, and judge by the light of his own mind. With these rules to guide him, it is not strange that he should deviate from the beaten track, though it does not appear that he was aware, till sometime afterwards, to what results his love of truth and liberty would lead him.

Having gone through with the usual course of preparatory studies, he began to preach in 1682, before he was twenty years old. A few months afterwards he was recommended to the countess of Donegal, who owned large estates in the north of Ireland, but was then residing in London. Emlyn entered her family as chaplain, and went over with her to Ireland in the

same capacity, when she returned the next year. The countess was married shortly after to Sir William Franklin, and the chaplain continued to hold his station in the family, where he was treated with great respect and kindness, and received a liberal allowance. So great was Sir William's esteem for him, that he offered him a valuable settlement in England, where he held an estate; but motives of conscience obliged Emlyn to decline the proffered favour; he was opposed to the principles and system of the established church, nor could any prospects of temporal aggrandisement induce him to conform to religious observances, which his sense of divine truth and duty could not approve. He remained in this family enjoying much leisure for study, as well as the benefit of enlightened society, till the year 1688, when the political troubles in the north of Ireland became somewhat alarming, and he returned to London.

To show that his refusing to accept a place in the established church was not occasioned by any narrow prejudice, or weak scrupulosity, it may be mentioned that, during his residence in Ireland, he had usually attended the service of an episcopal clergyman, and frequently officiated for him. This circumstance caused it to be rumoured, that he was coming over to the established church, but without any foundation; for although the bishop had given him a license to preach, yet he did not subscribe the articles, nor conform to any of the usages peculiar to the estab

lishment. He obtained the license, simply because it gave him a better opportunity for usefulness in a neighbourhood, where few dissenters could be found.

During the time of his residence in the north of Ireland, he was once in Dublin, where he preached with great acceptance to a dissenting congregation, whose associate pastors were Mr Joseph Boyse and Mr Williams. Just before his departure for London he received a letter from Mr Boyse, stating that his colleague had left his charge, and inquiring whether Mr Emlyn was inclined to accept an invitation to become his successor. This inquiry our author answered in the negative, intimating that concerns of some importance demanded his presence in England. The following is an extract from his letter to Mr Boyse. "As for the rumour with you of my being addicted wholly to the church, it is so far true, that I preached once every Lord's day publicly; but you did very rightly understand me, that I had my license without ordination or subscription, for I had it without any condition, and I do not intend to take episcopal ordination, unless I could escape the subscription, or be reconciled to it, which I am not yet, nor think I shall be. But as for what concerns lay conformity with the church, I can safely dispense with it, and do not scruple to preach either in a church or meeting, both which I would make one church, notwithstanding little differences and corruptions, which I am not engaged in; and, really, however I like the meetings in them

selves, I should be loth to bring any people into sufferings by keeping them from church when necessity requires, though I know this takes no place at this time, nor will, I hope, hereafter. Though I know some would call this temporising, yet I know your charity and judgment will not admit that I mean so, but that it is what my judgment allows in point of conscience, not interest." These are truly christian sentiments, and bear equal testimony to the liberal and generous spirit, and the scriptural faith of their author. Were all christians to be like minded, and to respect as sincerely the judgment and faith of their brethren, the grounds of difference would be so much narrowed, as to be hardly worth contending for by any class, which might set itself up as a party.

In Mr Emlyn's way to London he preached at Liverpool, and several other places, sometimes in the church, and at others with the dissenters. At Liverpool several persons were desirous of settling him in a vacant church, but he declined their proposal for reasons above given. After remaining in London for a short period, he complied with the urgent request of Sir Robert Rich to officiate temporarily as minister of a dissenting congregation at Leostoff, in Suffolk, where the people solicited him to become their permanent pastor. This invitation he deemed it inexpedient to accept, because he was persuaded the place was not in all respects suited to him, and he was averse to forming any connexion of this nature, which looked

forward to the probability of a dissolution. This post he occupied about a year and a half, and, as in Ireland, so in England, he was on friendly terms with the episcopal clergy, uniting in acts of charity with those in his neighbourhood, and occasionally attending service in the church.

While at Leostoff an incident happened, to which may be traced the first spring of the future prominent events of his life. He became attached by a close and reciprocal friendship to Mr William Manning, a highly respectable dissenting minister in that vicinity. In love of knowledge, and an inquisitive, independent turn of mind, there was a strong resemblance between them, and it was their pleasure to pursue together certain subjects of inquiry, in which they both desired to be better informed. At this juncture appeared Dr Sherlock's work, entitled a Vindication of the Trinity, to which, from the celebrity of the author, and the interest then excited by the subject, their attention was earnestly drawn. Much to their surprise, however, they found the arguments of the learned author vastly less convincing than they had anticipated, and points, of which till then they had entertained no doubts, were now brought up before them clothed in mists and darkness, on perceiving with what ill success a powerful and zealous advocate had attempted to prove and defend them. In short, they were both driven to suspect the truth of the trinity, by reading Dr Sherlock's book in vindication of it.

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