ROBINSON. 



People left much to themfelves, and liable to a thoufand 

 temptations in corrupt and licentious cities and large towns. 

 It is often thebeft prefervarive of their morab, and wdl fre- 

 quently grow into rational and energetic modes of thinking 



a " d Abtu n t g t'heageof 20, Robert Robinfon had his inden- 

 tures given him up, at his own requeit, feeling a great defire 

 to Tecome a preacher. He had, previoufly to this, been in 

 he habit of P preaching for the hour together to himfelf, 

 thinking that he fhould thereby be better prepared o a 

 drefs an audience affembled to hear his difcourfes. H 

 fermon was delivered to a very fmall ^^ *££ 

 denhall, in Suffolk ; and his reception was fuch as to ultfy 

 the hope that he had taken that diredion to which Ins ta- 

 ints naturally tended. He was foon after invited to preach 

 at the Tabernacle in Norwich, and at feveral places in Nor- 

 folk and Cambridgefhire. He continued to preach among 

 the Methodilts two years, during winch period he appears 

 to have turned his attention more particularly to the contro- 

 verfy between the members of the eitabl.fhed church and 

 thediflenters, and to have determined, upon the fu left con- 

 vidion, to take his lot with the latter _ He had, however 

 accord ng to Dr. Rees, who preached his funeral fermon, a 

 temptation to conned himfelf with the former, too power- 

 ful for any but a man of Chnlt.an integrity to refift. A 

 r ch relation," fays the doctor, « who had promifed to pro- 

 Shberally for him, and who had bequeathed him a con- 

 fiderablc fum of money in his will, threatened to deprive linn 

 of every advantage which he had been encouraged to exped 

 unlefs he quitted" his connection with the dillenters But 

 the rights q of confcience, and the approbation of God, were 

 Wrior in his regard to every worldly consideration : he 

 preferved his integrity, fteadily maintained ^principles, 

 Lid perfevered in his connection with the dillenters ; but for- 

 feited the favour of his relation, and every advantage which, 

 living or dying, he had in his power to bellow. 



He now attempted to incorporate the Methodilts, among 

 .shorn he miniftered, into a regular church; but proving 

 unfuccefsful, he determined to feparate from them Having 

 done fo, he formed a fmall Independent congregation at Nor- 

 wich, and during his connedion with them, he adminiftered 

 mfan baptifm; but on leaving this congregation, he re- 

 nounced infant baptifm, and adminiftered this ordinance 

 only to adults, and by immerfion. 



In the fpring of 1759 he was invited to preach to a mall 

 c01 gr gat on ef Antepidobaptiits at Cambridge About 

 h flainetime he married Mifs Ellen Payne ; and in, 76 

 he accepted the paftoral office in this church. When Mr. 

 Robinfon firft fettled with this fociety, it co.if.f ed only o 

 H members, molt of whom were very poor, & that he 

 could look only for a falary of a few pounds at moil but it 

 •ncreafed rapidly under him, and in a few years he had the 

 Sadion of feeing a new and more commodious place of 

 fori , P ereded at the fole expei.ee of the congregation ; 

 and in .774, the number of families connected with it was 

 , efs ha , 200, many of -.hum ranked among the molt 

 ledable in the town and neighbourhood. Mr Robinfon 

 reached twice or thrice on each Sunday, and ufually once 

 on fome other day in the week, at Cambridge On fome 

 „ ,he other mornings and evenings ,n the week, excepting 

 , t 1- <^ hay and b corn.haryeft, he expounded the fcrip- 

 t.res, or delivered religion:, and moral ledum , in the v.1- 

 !; crc he lived, or in the neighbouring ydlages. To 

 y o°uVg perlons he rendered effent.al ferv.ee, by delivering 

 ffir^to them at Ins own houfe, or by private conven- 

 tion. Thefe vario mployments of his time he rendered 



confiftent with his other numerous engagements, and dole 



12 



application to ftudy, by the excellent habit which he had 

 acquired, when young, of rifing early in the morning, -viz. 

 at four or tive o'clock ; a pradice that ought to be recom- 

 mended to every ftudent. " I wife," fays the late Gilbert 

 Wakefield, fpeaking on the fame fubjed, " my advice and 

 imperfed experience of its benefits could perfuade every 

 youth to engrave it, in impreffions not to be effaced, on the 

 tablet of his heart, and exemplify it in his daily pradice." 



Ni 



Pofces ante diem librum cum lumine ; fi non 

 Intendes animum itudiis et rebus honeftis, 

 Invidia vel amore vigil torquebere." 



" Rife, light thy candle, fee thy talk begun, 

 E'er redd'ning ftreaks proclaim the diftant fun ; 

 Or lull's fierce whirlwind will thy calm moleft, 

 Or envy cloud the funfhine of thy breaft." 



Soon after the opening of the new meeting-houfe, the 

 abilities of Mr. Robinfon as a preacher began to attrad the 

 notice of the academics, many of whom, from ferious mo- 

 tives, became regular attendants; while others came to 

 meeting only to indulge their curiofity, or perhaps to ridi- 

 cule the minifter. Of the latter defcription were feveral 

 under-graduates, who frequently difturbed the devotion of 

 the congregation by an indecency of behaviour. Com- 

 plaints of their condud had been repeatedly made to the 

 magillrates of the univerfity, and the heads of the colleges, 

 but without procuring redrefs. At length the rudenefs of 

 thefe young men required meafures to be taken, which 

 fhould no longer be treated with contempt. A legal pro- 

 cefs was began, which induced two of the worfl offenders 

 to agree to aik pardon in the public papers. The perfons 

 aggrieved, however, remitted this punifhment in the cafe of 

 one of the delinquents, on account of his otherwife excellent 

 charader. The evil was, by this meafure, well nigh cured, 

 and Mr. Robinfon had little or no reafon to complain af- 

 terwards of interruption from that quarter. From this 

 period, many of the moil refpedable members of the uni- 

 verfity foliated his acquaintance, and entertained a due 

 refped for his worth, however they differed from him in 

 opinion; and through their aid and influence, he ob- 

 tained freedom and accefs to the valuable libraries at 

 Cambridge, and was permitted, in many cafes, the more 

 important privilege of having books from them at his own 



In the year 1773, Mr. Robinfon's family having become 

 fo numerous that his falary as a miniller was found in- 

 adequate to his fupport, he found it neecflary to have rc- 

 courfe to other means for making a proviiion for them. 

 He accordingly removed to Cheilerton, near Cambridge, 

 and commenced farmer, to which, 1.1 time, he added the 

 bufinefs of a dealer in corn and coals. His farming and 

 mercantile engagements, however, did not dunmilh his 

 ardour for literary purfuits, as is evident from his various 

 publications. The firlt work which contributed to mak< 

 him known as an author, was publilhed in 1774, undei tn» 

 title of " Arcana," or the Principles of the late I euuoncrs 

 to Parliament for relief in Matters of Snbfcnption, in eight 

 letters to a friend. The reception which this piece met 

 with was extrcmclv encouraging: it procured the author 

 many valuable friends among the diuentcrs 1 lis next pub- 

 lication was an " Appendix" to "The Legal Degree, of 

 M irriaffe, ftated and confidered by John Alleyne, Bamller 

 at Law," 2d edition, I 775- U con £ ftB of n dlfcuflion $ 

 the quellion, " Is it lawful and right lor a man to marry, the 

 filler of his dcecaled wile ?" in which he maintained, in ■■ 



