1S05.] Account of the late Edward Evanfon, A. M. 



48 i 



Evanfon in the fame year, \T)i.i publifhed 

 a fmali oftavo volume, entitled " The Dif- 

 fonance of the four generally reCEivec! Evan- 

 gelifts, and the Evidence of their Authenti- 

 city examined." In this v.'ork the author 

 undertakes to ihew that a confiderable part of 

 the New Tcftament is a forgery, and has no 

 claims whatever to the titlo of infpired writ- 

 ing. Of this kind he maintains are the Gof- 

 pcls of Matthew, Mark, and John ; the 

 Epiftk'S to the Romans, Ephefians, CololTians, 

 and t!ie Hebrews ; the Ejii-'lcs of James, 

 Peter, John, and Jude ; and in tire Book of 

 Revelation, the Epiftles to the Seven Chuiches 

 ot Afia. Mr Evanfon is fatisfied witli one 

 Gofpel, and part of the Epiftles, and he 

 maintains that St. Luke's hiftory implies 

 that neither Matthew nor any other apof- 

 ftle could have yubliihed any hiftory pre- 

 vioufly to his own. In this Gofpel, how- 

 ever, as well as in the A£ts, our author is 

 perfuaded that there are m.inifeft interpola- 

 tions.* Superficial readers, on the appear- 

 ance of this publication, concluded that the 

 author was himfelt an unbeliever, and that 

 he was taking this mctliod to undermine the 

 principles of Chriftianity. Hence he met 

 with a confiderable ihare of obloquy and pcr- 

 fecution from perfons of all (larties. From a 

 bnok-fociety to which he belonged, in Suffolk, 

 he was expelled, or forced to withdraw his 

 name, and his own work deemed fit only for 

 the flimes. Scurrilous and abufive anony- 

 mous letters were perpetually fent to hurra fs 

 his mind, and to put him to the expence of 

 P'jftage. But the principles of furcitudc and 

 integrity which enabled him to withstand a 

 legal procefs carried on againft him by the 

 Town-Clerk and fome other rancorous bigots 

 at Tewkeibjry, did not appear to forfike 

 him at any period of his life. \i any of thofe 

 dcfpicablechiraders who attacked i\1r. Evan- 

 fon with the ktttrs referred to, fhould call 

 their eyes over this memoir, let them be 

 told that he paid no attention whatever to 

 them ; it was only tor him to break tlie feal, 

 to fee the writer's drifr, ana inftanlly to re- 

 turn the letter to the Polt-Olficc, the luperin- 

 tendant of v.-hich never failed to return the 

 rr.oneywbicli had been exacted for the carriage. 

 Notwithftanding tlie appaieiit liberties wliich 

 this gentleman took with the Scriptures, no 

 aian living was a firmer bei ever in the Ji-- 

 \inc rr.iiiiunof Chrift. Every ftep in liib rt- 



mercly to hear the authentic Scriptures read, 

 and rationally explainea J and to comn.emu- 

 rate the dculii of our Lord and Mairor, ac- 

 cording to the mode ordained by hiiPiclf," 



• To the arguments contained in tlie 

 " Diflunancc," Dr. Pricltley replied, in a 

 work intitlej, " Letters lo a Young Man," 

 iic. whicii called forth an able anlwtr fr^m 

 Mr. Evanfon, entit'.ed, " A Letter to Dr. 

 Ffieftlcy's Young Man," &c. &c. 

 MvxiTHL Y MAg. N«, 136. 



fearches feems to have added (lability to hia 

 former conviftions of the truth and high im- 

 portance of the Chriftian religion. Within a 

 very few years after the publication of the 

 " Diflonance," a pamphlet was put into his 

 hand, written by a diOenting minifter, who 

 endeavoured to prove that a perfon dilbeliev- 

 ing the Chriftian miracles miglit, neverthe- 

 leis, coiififtently be, and continue a teacher 

 of Chriftianity. To this Mr. Evanfon re- 

 plied : " As Mr. profeffes his diihe- 



lief of the liiiraclcs of Chriftianity, ti«; great- 

 elt and moft important of which is the refur- 

 rcftion of Clirift, a \ .y full though coneife 

 aniwer to his letter might be given by tlie So- 

 ciety of profelfed Chriftians at , in the 



words of a public inftruftor of Chriftian fo- 

 cieties of oid times, wlio profelfed himfelf to 

 fpeak only « the words of truth and fober- 

 nef-s,' and who recommended the free ufe ol' 

 rcafon, and the underftanding as ftrongly as 



Mr. M . Anfwer. ' If Chrift is not 



rifen, then is your preaching vain, and our 

 faith is vain.' I. Cor. xv. 14. ' We as Chrif- 

 tians, muft not be unequally yoked together 

 with unbelievers ; for wliat communion hath 

 light witli d.irknefi? and what part hath he 

 that believeth with an infidel?' II. Cor. vt. 

 14. &c," A few nio.lths only before Mr. 

 Evjnfon's death he wrote a long letter to a 

 gentlenjan of very fuperior talents and ac- 

 quirements, calling his attention to the fub- 

 jeft m; t r of the " Diflonance;" and upon 

 fi.* ing tnat gentleman dilVatisficd vvi;h his ar- 

 guments, and who in a letter to a common 

 friend faid, perhaps, in a playful mode, " He 

 (Mr. Evanfon) will not v.'onder at the difficulty 

 of my converfion, when he recollefts that I am 

 fomcwhat more than forty, the age aihgned 

 by Dr I'rieftley for recovtu'y from error. I 

 did but juft fave my diftanie in becoming an 

 Unitarian," In reply, Mr. Evanfon writes 

 to this common friend, " How a man of Mr. 



'o candid mind, and abilities for the 



invcftigation of truth, canfcreen himfelf un- 

 der an illiberal maxim of Dr. Prieftley's, I 

 cannot imagine, to urge as an apology for per- 

 feverance hi error, whilll any important 

 truths are yet to be learned from their tiue 

 fource— the tcftimony of the word of God. 

 For as to the tellimony of all nominil Chrlf- 

 tians after the commencement of the feconi 

 century, of whatever ufe they may be to- 

 wards fupporting that Anti-Chrirtian apofta- 

 cy, which has been fo long <'rroneoully called 

 Chrii'.ianity, nothing can be more , different 

 from tlie religion of JefusCluift; for my 

 part, in a cafe of fo mucli importance to man- 

 kind, 1 could never acquit mylelf of the cri- 

 minality of Icavingoric lilfehood undetected, or 

 one truth undifcuvered at any age." Thus it 

 is eviJcni, that however widely Mr. Evaa- 

 fon might differ troin other Chriftians ia 

 points of fpeculition, he was himfelf a de- 

 cided btliivcr in divine revel ition, and was' 

 Bioft anxious 10 promote what he considered 

 3 P ijnj'ort iiit 



