478 Account of the late Edward Evanfon, A.M. [Dec. 7, 



lent profecutlon was inftituted againft him. 

 The C!rciim(lances relating to tliis affair, it 

 may be proper briefly to notice. Mr. Evan- 

 fon having accidentally chofes the dodlrine of 

 the refurreftion, as taught in the firft Epillle 

 to the Covinthians, for the fubjeft of his 

 Eaftcr fermon, in the year 177 1> he accord- 

 ing to his ul'u?.l culiom, paid a |>articuhir at- 

 tention to the chapter from which his text 

 was to be feledteJ, and was very much ailo- 

 niihed with obferving, that inftead of teach- 

 ing that mankind are to rife to a future life 

 with the fame bodies in which they die, the 

 fole and obvious fcope of St. PatiTs argument 

 is to prove, that wc (h:'ll rife with very dif- 

 ferent bodies, and to convince us of the ne- 

 cefliity of that difl'crenee. From that time he 

 exchanged the word " body" for •' dead" in 

 the Apoftle's Creed, The fermon which he 

 preached on this occafion gave confiderable 

 offence to a part of the congregation, who had 

 not been accuftomed to hear, that their 

 " Lord and Mafter Jefus Chrift was truly and 

 literally a man, of the fame nature, and Jiav- 

 ing the fame kind of frul and body, with 

 which the firit Adam was created."* More 

 than two years after tiic fermon ha4,been de- 

 livered from the pulpit, a profecution was 

 commenced againtl the autiior, which was 

 carried on for a long time, at a confiderable 

 expence to the profecutors, as well as Mr. 

 Evanfon. For the latter, however, a fub- 

 foription was inftantly fet on foot by fome of 

 the principal inhabitants of the town, who 

 affembled a numerous meetingt on the occa- 

 fion, and palTed refolutions declaratory of 

 their unanimous abhorrence of the profecu- 

 tion, and determination of fupporting Mr. 



* See page l of a Sermon really preached 

 in the Parifn Church of Tewkefnury, on 

 Eailer-day, 177 1, for which a Profecution 

 was commeKCcj againft the Preacher, No- 

 vember 4, 1773. By Edward Evanfon, 

 A.M. 



•f The following is a copy of the advcr- 

 tifement for calling together this meeting: 

 '■^ Hetuk.jhui^, Ncmcmbir i^, I'/j- 



*' Whereas a malicious profecution is com- 

 menced againft our learned minifter by fome 

 perfons of tiiis paridi, part of the charge, on 

 which the profecution is grounded, is upon 

 words dropped in private convcrfation ; by 

 which proceeding that mutual confidence be- 

 tween man and man (without wh"ch fociety 

 cannot fubfift) mult be totally deftroycd in 

 tliis parilh : all perfons, therefore, who have 

 any regard for their own charafters, and are 

 enemies to oppreffion, are defiied to meet at 

 the Swan, in Tewkclbury, at fix o'clock in 

 the evening, on Wediiefday ncxj the 10th 

 ir.ft. to rake proper methods for removing fo 

 infamous a ftigma, by publifting to the world 

 their utter deteftation of fuch proceedings, 

 and to conCder of a proper plan fpr the fup- 

 port of their worthy pallor under this unme. 

 rited profecution." 



Evanfon under it. To this Mr. Evanfon re- 

 ferred in a letter to the Bifliop of Worcefter, 

 publiftied in the year 1777. " In proof," 

 fays he, " of the real decay of the illiberal 

 fpirit of Anti-chriflianifm among us, as well as 

 injuflice (and, on my part, gratitude) to the 

 parilhioners of Tewkclbury, it ought to be 

 obferved, that the profecution here mention- 

 ed was approved and encouraged only by a 

 fmall party, whilft the majority, upon the 

 firft notice oi it, to their la.fting honour, for- 

 mally declared their deteftation of it in the 

 public prints ; and with a moft difinterefted 

 gcnerofity and truly Chriftian benevolence, 

 voluntarily railed among themfelves 3 very 

 large fum, to defray the charges attending my 

 defence." And he adds, " The profecution, 

 aftem vaftprofufion of expence, was quafhed 

 01: account of fome very irregular proceedings 

 on the pars of the profecutors, and fo ended in 

 what, at common law, is called a nonfuit."* 



In 



* Aboat the latter end of the year 1773> 

 Mr. (now Dr.) Difncy, publifhed a traft, en- 

 titled, " Loafe Hints on Non-conformity," 

 a copy of which he fent to Mr. Evanfon, 

 who, in a letter to the author, exprefl'ed him^ 

 felf undnr fingular obligations for the advice 

 which it contained ; this was the beginning 

 of an '*interefting corrcfpondence, a few ex- 

 trafts from which will throw light upon the 

 profecution carried on againft Mr. Evanfun. 

 In a letter dared Tewkeft)ury, December 

 29, I773> Mr. Evanfon writes, " My pro- 

 fecutors have been encouraged and direfted in 

 their proceedings againft m.e by Dr. Harris, of 

 the Commons, who is commiflary to the Bi- 

 Ihop of Winchefter, and therefore was, with- 

 out doubt, confuUed in Mr. Norman's affair, 

 to which I was a ftranger till I read your 

 pamphlet. And I prefume it is upon their 

 fuccefs in the deprivation of that gentleman, 

 that lie has infpired my adverfaries with con- 

 fidence of obtaining the fam.e fentence againft 

 me. However, 1 ihall not fubmit to ecclefi- 

 aftical tyr.ints fo eafily as Mr. Norman did. 

 The criminal fafts with which I am 

 cliarged in the Confiftory Court of this dio- 

 cefe are, that in two private converfations, 

 ;n a fermon preached upon Eafter-day, and 

 in a p.»mphlet entitled « The Dodlrines of 

 the Trinity,' &c. and alfo in an anfwer to a 

 menacing letter fent me by my profecu'ors, I 

 offended againft the 4th, 5th, and 6th ca- 

 nons ; and in the fermon and pamphlet againft 

 the I 3th Elii. cap. iz, (tz. 2 ; and that in 

 two verbal alterat ons, and two verbal omif- 

 fions in my performance of the public fer- 

 vice laft year, I feveral times tranfgreffed 

 the 14th and 38th canons." — In another 

 letter, dated April 27, 1774, Mr. Evanfon 

 proceeds: "Upon the 27th of January, 

 the only ftep taken by my profecutors was, 

 to obtain from the court a term of three 

 ccurt-days for the exhibiting their proofs. 

 On the firft of ihofe days, March loth, 



they 



