44 MEMORIAL SKETCH, 



beginning to be powerfully felt in this country. The 

 translation of Strauss's " Life of Jesus " had just appeared ; 

 and the writings of Theodore Parker were exciting a 

 vigorous interest, partly friendly, partly hostile, among 

 English as among American Unitarians. Dr. Carpenter 

 had not then entered on the psychological studies which 

 were afterwards to modify his view of the conditions of 

 belief under which the miraculous narratives grew up ; nor 

 had he investigated the composition of the Gospels. " To 

 " me," said he, " the evidence for the Christian miracles, taken 

 "as a whole, is quite as much as is requisite to obtain my 

 " intellectual assent." But that assent was practically ten- 

 dered upon other grounds than historical testimony. It 

 was on the character and teachings of Jesus that he really 

 took his stand. " For myself, I should say with Locke, 

 " ' The doctrine proves the miracles, rather than the miracles 

 " ' the doctrine.' " With some of the most respected members 

 of the Unitarian Association, therefore, he felt himself in 

 imperfect sympathy ; and partly from this cause, and 

 partly from the continued pressure of his lecture engage- 

 ments, and subsequently, owing to his official connection 

 with the University of London, he took no active share in 

 it for many years. But in worship he found the satisfac- 

 tion of his religious needs. His removal to Regent's Park 

 Terrace enabled him to join the congregation at Rosslyn 

 Hill, Hampstead, with whose pastor, Dr. Sadler, he formed 

 at once a warm and intimate friendship. The musical por- 

 tion of the service appeared to him, however, cold and bare, 

 with its antiquated accompaniment of fiddles. With cha- 

 racteristic energy he propounded a plan for the purchase 

 of an organ and the formation of a choir. In this little 

 sanctuary, enlarged and enlarged again as the congregation 

 increased, was he to be found at the organ, Sunday by 

 Sunday, for the next seventeen years \ and when this duty 



