1837-1838.] 



YORK. 



1/ 



old school ; so that a young man who hears their statements 

 may well ask himself what sort of a gospel it is of which he is 

 to be the minister, and be at some loss to discern in what some 

 of our preachers differ from German anti-supernaturalists. 

 These are things which we cannot check." 



The senior students, ' with Mr. Hincks, met to hear Dr. 

 Perry translate, from the German, Strauss's celebrated " Life of 

 Christ " ; and no doubt many felt at this period of their lives 

 a great uncertainty as to much which they had once taken for 

 granted. Mr. Wellbeloved was imbued with the opinions of 

 his learned predecessor, Rev. N. Cappe : he applied many of 

 the prophecies supposed to relate to the last judgment, etc., in 

 the New Testament, simply to the destruction of Jerusalem, 

 and laid more stress on the natural arguments for a future life 

 than the Priestley school. In his abhorrence of dogmatism, he 

 was much addicted to the words " probably w and " perhaps : " 

 he refused in any important matter to bias us by announcing 

 his own opinion; though we used to give special heed when he 

 spoke of any view as " little known and less regarded ! " There 

 was no manifestation of earnest religious life, either in the 

 college or in the congregation. The chapel in St. Saviourgate 

 was attended by many who considered that the large endow- 

 ments relieved them of its support ; whilst, except the Sunday 

 services, they did not expect much from their minister. The 

 Sunday school was in a very languid condition, and the 

 students took little interest in it. In after days, Philip deeply 

 regretted the " deadening influences " of his life at York « and 

 yet we shall see that it had its advantages, especially to one 

 who had so much of the quickening spirit. 



In his first session, Philip was hindered in his studies by 

 inflammation of the eyes, a complaint to which he was then 

 liable. He attended most of the lectures, without being able 

 to work for them. What he wrote to his sister Mary, of the 

 Evidence course, is characteristic : "lam glad to have Natural 

 Religion done with, as it is to me very unsatisfactory in many 

 things. However . . . the methodized references he gives us 

 are very useful : though I cannot read many of them now. 



