94 JOSEPH PRIESTLEY. [LECT. 



V. 



JOSEPH PRIESTLEY. 



IF the man to perpetuate whose memory we have this 

 day raised a statue had been asked on what part of 

 his busy life's work he set the highest value, he would 

 undoubtedly have pointed to his voluminous contri- 

 butions to theology. In season and out of season, he 

 was the steadfast champion of that hypothesis respect- 

 ing the Divine nature which is termed Unitarianism 

 by its friends and Socinianism by its foes. Regard- 

 less of odds, he was ready to do battle with all comers 

 in that cause ; and if no adversaries entered the lists, 

 he would sally forth to seek them. 



To this, his highest ideal of duty, Joseph Priestley 

 sacrificed the vulgar prizes of life, which, assuredly, 

 were within easy reach of a man of his singular 

 energy and varied abilities. For this object, he put 

 aside, as of secondary importance, those scientific in- 

 vestigations which he loved so well, and in which he 

 showed himself so competent to enlarge the boundaries 

 of natural knowledge and to win fame. In this cause, 

 he not only cheerfully suffered obloquy from the 

 bigoted and the unthinking, and came within sight of 

 martyrdom ; but bore with that which is much harder 



