53 



his own department, that I would beg you to 

 suspend your opinions concerning his senti- 

 ments. You need not be informed that the 

 greatest learning and ability in one department 

 of human knowledge, by no means implies either 

 superior judgment or information when extend- 

 ed to others, with which it has little or no con- 

 nexion. 



; It is no reflection on the character of Mr. 

 Lawrence, as an accomplished surgeon, that he 

 is not deeply read in theology, nor very con- 

 versant with many of those subjects on which he 

 has incidentally given his opinion. But it is of 

 great importance that you should not transfer 

 that deference and respect, which he may justly 

 challenge as Professor of Anatomy, to his unau- 

 thoritative decisions on the laws and religion of 

 his country. In this respect, Gentlemen, I 

 trust that you will feel yourselves at liberty to 

 form a candid and unbiassed decision of your 

 own, uninfluenced by sneers or sarcasms, and 

 unaffected by objections which have been again 

 and again refuted. It is related of Newton, 

 that he replied to Halley, who was urging some 

 infidel arguments, " Mr. Halley, I am always 

 " glad to hear you discoursing on mathematical 

 <( subjects ; these y6u understand : but you are 

 " quite ignorant of theological matters." 



In these Lectures, Mr. Lawrence has shewn 

 a very inquisitive and excursive turn of mind, 

 but the topics on which he treats are too mul- 

 tifarious to have allowed him to enter very 



