TAYLOR. 



religion. This work, conliderinjr the time in which it was 

 written, and the connexions of the author, indicates a very 

 enhghtened mind with regard to the fubjefls of difcuffion ; 

 and it is perufed with no fmall degree of intereft in the pre- 

 fent period of greater knowledge and liberality. With 

 refpedl to toleration, however, we obferve, that he limits it to 

 fuch doflrines as are not inconfiftent with focicty or the public 

 good; — a limitation which is capable of being much mif- 

 conftrued and mifapplied. Having alTerted, as a firfl. prin- 

 ciple, tliat " the duty of faith is completed in believing the 

 articles of the Apoftlcs' creed," he could not confiflently 

 approve the impofition of drifter creeds. Of the 

 Athanafian creed he thus fpeaks : " If I fliould be quef- 

 tioned concerning the fymbol of Athanaiius, I confeiTe I 

 cannot [fee that moderate fenlence and gentleneffe of 

 charity in his preface and conclufion, as there was in the 

 Nicene creed. Nothing there but damnation and perifhing 

 everlaftingly, unlefle the article of the Trinity be believed, as 

 it is there with curiofity and minute particularities ex- 

 plained. Beiides, if it were conlidered concerning Athana- 

 fius's creed, how many people underftand it not, how con- 

 trary to natural reafon it feems, how little the fcripture fayes 

 of thofe curiofities of explication, and how tradition was not 

 clear on his fide for the article itfelfe, much lelTe for thofe 

 forms and minutes, — and after all this, that the Nicene creed 

 itfelfe went not fo farre, neither in article, nor aiiathema, nor 

 explication, it had not been amilTe if the final judgment had 

 been left to Jefus Chrift." 



This celebrated work did not efcape invidious criticifm 

 and fevere animadverfion. Among others we may mention 

 Anthony Wood, who, with cenfurable illiberality, fuggefted, 

 that Taylor in this book, and Hales in his trait on Schifm, 

 employed their arguments as a ftratagem by way of raifing 

 faftions among the Prefbyterians, and dilTolving their union. 

 The mod popular of Taylor's other writings, have been his 

 " Golden Grove, or Manual of daily Prayers;" his treatife 

 an " Holy Living and Dying ;" and his " Duftor Dubi- 

 tantium, or Rule of Confcience." Dr. Dodwell long fince 

 obferved, and not unjuftly, that " Dr. Taylor, in his volu- 

 minous writings, faid many lively things, which will not 

 bear a ftridl examination." Biog. Brit. Gen. Biog. 



Taylor, John, D.D. a learned and highly refpeftable 

 divine among Proteftant Diifenters, was born in the year 

 1694, at or near Lancafter. After having received his edu- 

 cation at Whitehaven under Dr. Dixon and others, he was 

 nominated by one of the Difney family to the chapel of 

 Kirkftead, in Lincolnfhire, exempt from ecclefiaftical jurif- 

 diftion, and which had been occupied from the latter end of 

 the preceding century by diflenting minifters. Here he 

 lived, on a fmall falary aided by a fchool, for 18 years ; and 

 laid a foundation for the theological celebrity, which he 

 afterwards acquired by a diligent iludy of tlie fcriptures in 

 their original languages. In this obfcure and retired fituation 

 he did not efcape notice; and in the year 1733, he complied 

 with an invitation from the Prelhyterian congregation at Nor- 

 wich. To his congregation, which had been before his fettle- 

 ment ferved by Calviniftic minifters, he recommended the 

 perufal of Dr. Clarke's Scripture-Dodlrine of the Trinity. 

 His firft publication was " A Prefatory Difcourfe to 

 Mr. Jofeph Rawfon's Cafe," who, in 1736, had been ex- 

 cluded from communion with the congregational church 

 at Nottingham, for refufing his aflent to a declaration re- 

 quired of him concerning the Trinity ; in which he ably 

 defended the right of Chriftians to deduce their faith from 

 the fcriptures, without the intervention of creeds and fub^ 

 fcriptions. His firft avowed attack upon Calviniftic theo- 

 logy, was the pubLcatioti of his " Scripture-Dodlrine of 



Original Sin," which firft appeared in 1740. This excited- 

 alarm and animadverfion. ( For an account of this coutro- 

 verfy, fee the article Original SinJ Dr. Taylor's fupple- 

 ment was publilhed in 1 741. This was fuccecdcd, iii 

 1 745, by " A Paraphrafe on the Epiftle to the Romans, 

 with a Key to the Apoftolic Writings." This " Key" 

 was well received, and has been highly commended. The 

 late learned Dr. Watfon, bilhop of Llandaft", has given it a 

 place in his " Theological TraCls ;" and archdeacon Paley 

 recommends a careful perufal of the Paraphrafe on the 

 Romans to candidates for priefts' orders. The labours of 

 his fubfequent years produced feveral fmall trafts, and par- 

 ticularly his " Scripture-Doftriiie of Atonement ;" but 

 his opus majus, as we may juftiy denominate it, was his 

 " Hebrew Concordance," in foho, the firft volume of 

 which appeared in 1754, and the fecond m 1757. This 

 work, which does immortal honour to the critical (l<ill and 

 indefatigable afliduity of the author, was encouraged by a 

 great number of fubfcribers, among whom we may enumerate 

 twenty-two Englifti, and fifteen Iriih biftiops. Soon after 

 the publication of this performance, the author was pre- 

 fented by the univerfity of Glafgow with the degree of 

 D.D. In 1754 he publiftied a pamphlet, entitled " The 

 Lord's Supper explained upon Scripture Principles," and 

 in 1757 appeared a defence of infant baptifm, entitled 

 " The Covenant of Grace." Dr. Taylor was happily 

 fituated at Norwich, and received every teftimony of refpeft 

 to whieli his learning and charafter entitled him ; but a 

 fcene of more public and general ufefulncfs was opened to 

 him in the year 1757, when he was invited to fupply the 

 place of divinity-tutor at the newly-founded academy of 

 Warrington, in Lancafhire. But here his fituation was 

 rendered unpleafant to him ; and fome events occurred 

 which affefted his health and fpirits. Although he per- 

 formed his official duties for fome time amidft the difquiets 

 which he experienced, he was at length carried off, by an un- 

 perceived death, during the night of March 5, 1 761, at the 

 age of 66 years. At Warrington he publifhed two pamph- 

 lets, I'iz. " An Examination of the Scheme of Morahty ad- 

 vanced by Dr. Hutchefon, late Profeftbr of Morality in the 

 Univerfity of Glafgow," and «' A Sketch of Moral Philo- 

 fophy," for the ufe of his clafs. He alfo prepared for the 

 prcfs " The Scripture Account of Prayer, in an Addrcfs 

 to the Diifenters in Lancaftiire," in conicquence of the in- 

 troduftion of a hturgy at Liverpool, an innovation in the 

 accuftomed mode of worfliip among DilTenters which he 

 difapproved. His pofthumous work, entitled " A Scheme 

 of Scripture Divinity," was publiftied by Mr. Richard 

 Taylor of Norwich, his cldeft furviving fon ; and it was 

 held in fuch eftimation by the late bifhop of Llandafi^, as 

 to form a part of his CoUeftion of Trafts. As a preacher, 

 Dr. Taylor was plain and fimple in his language, but dig- 

 nified and impreffive ; and he excelled in a critical explana- 

 tion of difficult pafTages of fcripture. He had the merit of 

 introducing into the congregation at Norwich a fpirit of 

 liberal enquii-y, which, we are informed, ftill continues. Me- 

 moir on the Life of Dr. John Taylor of Norwich. 



Taylor, John, LL.D., the fon of a barber at Shrcwf- 

 bury, was born about the year 1703, and diftinguilhed him- 

 felf as a fcholar and critic. After a courfe of preparatory 

 education in liis native town, he was entered at St. John's 

 college in Cambridge, and became a fellow of it in the year 

 1730, in which year he publiftied two Latin academical 

 orations. In 1732 appeared propofals for an edition of 

 Lyfias. He was firft librarian and afterwards regiftrar of 

 the univerfity. His " LyCas," Gr. and Lat., with the 

 conjeftures of Markland, was publiftied from the prefs of 

 y ,'. Bowyer, 



