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ANNUAL REGISTER,, I8O4. 



of his ministry, he always avoided 

 in his discourses those points of doc- 

 trine that were more peculiarly in 

 clispute between the Calvinists and 

 other parties. He frequently re- 

 peat'd and enforced a niaxim^ well 

 worthy the adoption of the most en- 

 lightened and eminent divines: that 

 the love of God and of our neigh- 

 hour is the ultimate end of all reli- 

 gions, which hav'ng attained, their 

 possessors had arrived at their ob- 

 ject ; and that it is against the spi- 

 rit of Christianity tq suppose, that 

 among all parties, be they what 

 they may, there are not many Mho 

 liave indisputably obtained this dis- 

 tir.guishing characteristic. Few a- 

 mong nis party were considered to 

 be so edifying in their discourses as 

 he was, and this specimen has a 

 strong tendency to accredit the opi- 

 nion : but sentiments of such libe- 

 rality and moderation must have 

 been suspected of trenching a little 

 on the soundness of his Calvinism. 

 Another principle of his evinced 

 that his judgment was equal to his 

 candour. He always declared it to 

 be the duty of a religious society, to 

 support their minister decently; and 

 for this reason he took from his con- 

 gregation the stipulated salary, 

 though he never converted a single 

 farthing of it to his own use, but 

 distributed the whole among the 

 poor members of the church, and 

 even added very considerably to this 

 largess from his own personal pro- 

 perty. Hevi'ry wisely alleged, that 

 though a lucrative business would 

 have allowed him to otiiciate gratui- 

 tously, his successor might be diffe- 

 rently circumstanced; and the peo- 

 ple, relieved from a burden for a 

 time, would look with an evil eye 

 on an instructor, who had it not in 

 his power to exhibit similar disin- 



terestedness. So judicious a mix- 

 ture of prudence and generosity 

 might furnish a lesson to certain un- 

 discriminating enthusiasts, who brand 

 with jtho opprobrious name of hire 

 those fair emoluments, from which 

 rcspcftable abilities, however or 

 wherever employed, are entitled to 

 derive ease and competence. From 

 these authentic notices it will suffici- 

 ently appear, that those who have 

 termed him sarcastically, or, by 

 way of ridicule, a mcthodist preach- 

 er, have egrcgiously misrepresented 

 him. He never officiated at any 

 of the methodist meetings. He fre- 

 quently preached at the dissenting 

 meeting-house of the rev. Lewis 

 Rees, father of Dr. Abraham Rees, 

 the editor of the new Encyclopedia. 

 This meeting-house was situated 

 near JMorriston, the building of 

 vhich he superintended. Many of 

 iiis discourses were taken doMn in 

 short-hand by William Jones, clerk 

 to Mr. Padlcy, of Swansea. They 

 were always delivered in Welsh. It 

 may well be supposed that he de- 

 tested an intolerant or persecuting 

 spirit, and always reprobated the 

 rancour of too many dissenters to- 

 wards the established church. He 

 was Avoll respedted by tiie most in- 

 telligent and liberal of all sefts and 

 parties, and died, very much la- 

 mented by all who knew him, in 

 the seventieth year of his age, in 

 the year 1789, and in his native 

 parish of Eglwysilan, where he 

 lies buried in the churchyard. He 

 had six children : four sons, and 

 two daughters. Thomas, David, and 

 Edward, were brought up to their 

 father's trade; William was shot at 

 Gibraltar in the American war. 



His son David is likewise very 

 skilful in bridge-building, the prin- 

 ciples of which he learnt by work- 

 ing 



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