| 1808.] Memoirs of the late Rev. 
41782, he avows that he had seen no rea- 
son for altering his opinions, respecting 
the chief object of the work, and cause 
of relinquishing his benefice and with- 
drawing himself eutirely from the esta- 
blished worship of the church of England. 
For in reading the sacred writings, fresh 
conviction continually poured in upon 
him, and still more confirmed him in his 
_ persuasion, that divine worship is to be 
aid, and prayer offered to the one, 
cit and true God, the father only, and 
notto Jesus Christ or any other person. 
The Apology was followed by a sull 
larger volume, entitled, ‘‘ A Sequel to 
the Apology,” which was intended as 
well to reply to his various opponents, 
as to establish and vindicate the leading 
doctrines which he professed, and on 
account of which ne had given up his 
preferment. This was published in 1776, 
In the year 1778, he was enabled by the 
assistance of friends, to build the chapel 
in Essex-street, and to purchase the 
ground on which it stands: here the wor- 
ship of the oue living God, in opposition 
toall other worship, has been successfully 
conducted for thirty years and upwards. 
Till the summer of 1793, Mr. Lindsey 
himself, with the aid of his friend Dr. 
Disney, conducted the services of the 
place. He then resigned the whole into 
the hands of his able coadjutor, notwith- 
standing the earnest wishes of his hearers 
that he should continue a part of the 
services: to his friends he acknowledged 
a sense of their kindness. and also to 
Dr. Disney, who had readily and hand- 
somely offered to perform all’ the duty 
that he was unable to discharge himself, 
‘but he chose rather to make his retreat 
while he was in the full possession of 
his faculties, to meet, as he expresses 
‘it, “the unavoidable infirmities of nature, 
‘in a private station. And if I may not 
be wholly useless therein, it will com- 
pleat the innumerable blessings with which 
-my life has been crowned, of which the 
eatest of all, is a capacity and oppor- 
tunity of being serviceable to others, in 
promoting the cause of truth and virtue.” 
The life of this excellent man could 
not be useless; till be had attained his 
eightieth year, he did not cease to in- 
struct by his pen, though he had chosen 
to retire from the pulpit. In the year 
1802 he published his last work, entitled, 
“ Conversations ow the Divine Govern- 
ment, shewing that every thing 1s from 
God, and for good to all.” The object 
-of this work was, as its title imports, to 
vindicate his maker from those gloomy 
Hotions which are too often attached to 
_ Moxzurx Mac., No, 178. 
Theophilus Lindsey, M. A. 451 
his providence, and to shew that the go 
vernment of this world is the wisest that 
could have been adopted, and that the 
evils and distresses of life are not _permit= 
ted, but for the good of all, Lt must be 
acknowledged that a work of a better 
tendency could not have been left as the 
last legacy of a christian minister; on that 
account it has been reprinted by “ the 
Unitarian Society, for promoting chris- 
tian knowledge by the distribution of 
books.” Of this society, which. was in- 
stituted in 1791, Mr. Lindsey was, we 
believe, the principal founder, and; in it 
he took a most active part till within a 
very few years of his death. His sub- 
scriptions to its support have been not 
merely liberal, but munificent. Where. 
ever, indeed, there was ay apparent op- 
portunity of promoting rational christi- 
anity, he was ever active, ever bountiful ; 
many places of worship have been greatly 
indebted to his beneficence for their eon- 
tinued existence ; and many young men, 
training for the ministry, he has as- 
sisted withsalutary support. Tothe ‘ Unie 
tarian Fund,” a society formed especi- 
ally with a view of propagating upitarian 
principles among the general classes of 
society, be was a zealous friend, and de- 
rived much satisfaction from hearing of 
its success which the periodical reports 
of the committee anneunced. 
We shall at the close of this article give 
alist of all that Mr. Lindsey has pub- 
lished, but we must not in this place 
omit his ‘ Historical View of the State 
of Unitarian Doctrine and Worship, from 
the Reformation to our own Times.” 
This work contains much interesting 
matter; of the opinions, the exertions, 
and .the sufferings (where persecution 
was the result of enquiry and action) of 
Socinus, of Biddle, of Firmin, of Emlyn, 
of Clarke, of Hoadly, and of Sir Isaac 
Newton, we have' ample, and very in- 
structive accounts ; and towards the close 
of the volume, the cases.of modern Uni- 
tarians, clergymen who sacrificed on the 
altar of conscience, their preferments, 
their comfort, and, in many cases, their 
best friends, are briefly detailed, and 
‘which are entitled to the consideration 
of every lover of truth and rational re- 
ligion. The names here particelarly 
rought forward are those of Dr. Robert- 
son, Dr.John Jebb, Dr. Chambers, Mr. 
Tyrrwhit, Mr. Evanson,* Mr. Maty, Mr. 
Harhies, and Dr. Disney. 
* Fora particular account of the life and 
writings of this gentleman, see Monthly Ma- 
gazine, vol. xx. p. 477. 
3M 
Amoug 
