it became the immediate intereft of the bookfellers to promote its fale. From the fcarcity of the feparate volumes, and the immenfe price to which complete fets of the Credibility have fince arifen, it is to be prefumed that thefe gentlemen have had no reason to repent their bargain. As to Dr. Lardner, his work is with the Lord, and his reward with his God."

"The last work of our author, that was published during his lifetime, was the fourth volume of his Teftimonies. As, however, fome pofthumous pieces of his have fince made their appearance, I fhall mention them in this place. There came out in 1769, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Dr. Lardner; to which were annexed, eight fermons upon various fubjects. The four firft of them had by himself been tranfcribed for the prefs. On the fifth and fixth, though not fairly tranfcribed, he had written as follows: "Perufed, and, fo far as I "am able to perceive, all is right; "and I humbly conceive, ought to "be published." Thefe two dif courfes are on the internal marks of Credibility in the New Teftament, and are admirably worthy of perufal. They are the fermons which he had preached in 1723 and 1724, at the Tuesday evening lecture, and contain, in fome degree, the outlines of his great work, and efpecially of that part of it which relates to the facts occafionally mentioned in the Evangelical and Apoftolical writings.

"In 1776 was published, but in what book, or in what form, I know not, a fhort Letter, which our author had fent, in 1762, to Mr. Caleb Fleming, upon the Perfonality of the Spirit.

"It was a part of Dr. Lardner's iginal defign, with regard to the

Credibility of the Gofpel Hiftory, to give an account of the heretics of the two firft centuries. To the arrangement, therefore, of his collections upon this fubject, he applied himself, after he had finished his Jewish and Heathen Teftimonies; but he did not live to complete his intentions. Some parts, indeed, of the work were fitted for the prefs, having received his laft corrections; whilft in other parts only a few hints were written. It was doubted, for a time, whether the progrefs he had made in his undertaking was fufficient for it to be laid before the public. However, upon mature deliberation, his papers were put into the hands of the Rev. Mr. Hogg, a worthy, learned, and judicious diffenting minifter at Exeter, who, in the additions which he made to Dr. Lardner's materials, did not introduce a relation of any perfon, excepting where the doctor himself had drawn up a part of it, or had left fome hints or references. In confequence of Mr. Hogg's revifal and affiftance, there appeared, in 1780, in one volume, quarto, "The

66

Hiftory of the Heretics of the two "first centuries after Chrift: con"taining an account of their time, "opinions, and teftimonies to the "books of the New Teftament. "To which are prefixed, General "Obfervations concerning Here"tics." Though this volume is not, upon the whole, fo valuable and important as fome of the former ones, it is poffeffed, nevertheless, of very confiderable merit. It recites the teftimonies of heretics, rectifies a variety of mistakes concerning them, and refutes many groundlefs charges to which they were expofed, from the ignorance, falfe zeal, and bigotry

of their adverfaries.

"The laft pofthumous publication written by Dr. Lardner, ap

peared

peared in 1784. It is intitled, "Two «Schemes of a Trinity confidered, "and the Divine Unity afferted." This work confifts of four difcourfes upon Philipp. ii. 5-11. The first reprefents the commonly received opinion of the Trinity; the fecond defcribes the Arian fcheme; the third treats on the Nazarean doctrine; and the fourth explains the text according to that doctrine. Our author had himself transcribed thefe fermons for the prefs, with particular directions defigned for the printer. The manufcript having come into the poffeffion of Mr. Wiche, a very refpectable diffenting minifter, of the Baptift perfuafion, at Maidstone, in Kent, he gave it to the public. Even those who are far from agreeing in fentiment with Dr. Lardner, have applauded the candour, the fimplicity, and the love of truth, which these difcourfes evidently discover. Indeed, they are chiefly eftimable for the temper and fpirit with which they are compofed. It was not to be expected, that they could contain much new matter, on points which, of late years, have been fo frequently and copioufly

difcuffed.

"Providence fpared the life of Dr. Lardner to a long term; and, his hearing excepted, he retained to the laft, the ufe of his faculties, in a remarkably perfect degree. At length, in the fummer of 1768, he was feized with a decline, which carried him off in a few weeks, at Hawkherft, the place of his nativity, and where he had a small parental eftate. He had been removed thither in the hope that he might recruit his ftrength, by a change of air and relaxation from ftudy. The day of his deceafe was the twentyfourth of July, in the eighty-fifth year of his age. His remains were conveyed to town, and depofited in

Tindal's burying-ground, commonly called Bunhill Fields. At his particular requeft, no fermon was preached on occafion of his death. Thus did his modefty and humility accompany him to the last moment of his earthly existence. Some time after his decease, a ftone was erected to his memory, with an English infcription.

"In looking back upon the life and character of Dr. Lardner, and comparing them with those of other men, we shall find few names that are more truly entitled to be remembered with veneration and applaufe. The fincerity of his piety, has been feen in a variety of circumftances which I have had occafion to mention. Indeed, a regard to God appears to have been ever the governing principle of his actions. His piety, too, was of the most rational kind, being founded on juft and enlarged views concerning the nature of religion."

"Correfpondent to our author's piety was his love of truth, as is manifeft from the whole of his works, no one seems ever to have preferved a greater impartiality in his enquiries, or to have been more free from any undue bias. He followed truth wherever it led him; and for the attainment of truth he was admirably qualified, both by the turn of his difpofition and his underftanding. With a mind fo calm and unprejudiced, with a judgment fo clear and diftinct, he could fcarcely fail of forming right apprehenfions concerning moft of the fubjects which the courfe of his ftudies enabled him to investigate.

"The candour and moderation with which Dr. Lardner maintained his own fentiments, conftituted a prominent feature in his character. Those he differed from in opinion, he always treated with gentlenefs and re

spect;

fpect; and in the controverfies he carries on with them, there is no feverity of cenfure, no harshness of language."

"Benevolence, as well as piety, entered deeply into Dr. Lardner's character. Though his retired life prevented him from taking a very active part in public defigns, he was ready to promote every good work. To perfons in diftrefs he was ever willing to contribute, to the highest degree which his fortune would admit. On fome occafions, he exerted himself with great vigour and fuccefs. When a gentleman came to London in 1756, to folicit contributions towards building a church, for the Proteftants of Thorn, in Poland, our author was particularly ferviceable to him, both by his advice and recommendation. He, in a great meafure, took upon himself the management of the affair; on which account he afterwards received the thanks of the prefident and fellows of the college of Thorn, in an elegant Latin letter. Near the time of his deceafe, he was engaged in affifting and recommending the Rev. Mr. Finman, minifter of the reformed congregation at Rutzow, in the duchy of Mecklenburgh Schewrin, who had come over to England, for a like purpose. Upon this occafion, a letter was written to Dr. Lardner, by Dr. Secker, archbishop of Canterbury, which was the conclufion of a very long correfpondence between two eminent perfons, who were now each of them on the verge of diffolution."

"In his private deportment, Dr. Lardner was very amiable. His manners were polite, gentle, and obliging; and he was attentive, in every refpect, to the laws of decorum. It has been justly observed, that he "feemed carefully to ob"ferve the rules laid down in his 1788.

"Counfels of Prudence." Perhaps it may not be difagreeable to my readers, to be informed of the mode in which he carried on conversation. Paper, pens, and ink, being immediately brought in when vifitors came to his houfe, they wrote down fuch intelligence as they had to communicate, or the obfervations and queftions which they wished to propose. To thefe, as they were feverally written, he replied with great freedom and chearfulness, and in a way that was both inftructive and entertaining. As the paper contained the unconnected anfwers and remarks of the different guests, upon different fubjects, it formed what would have appeared to a stranger to be a very heterogeneous mixture. It was, however, carefully preferved by the doctor, to be perused by him when his vifitors were gone; and the perufal of it often led him to objects of farther confideration and enquiry.

"Our author was not one of those scholars who are unacquainted with mankind. He had feen much of life during his refidence with lady Treby; he was continually vifited by perfons of various profeffions and countries; and he poffeffed that fagacity of obfervation, which is the principal requifite towards obtaining a knowledge of the world."

"On the learning of Dr. Lardner, it is not neceffary to enlarge, fince his character in this refpect is known to all the world. With re-` gard to that fpecies of literature which was cultivated by him, he was accurate and profound in the greatest degree. Some branches of knowledge there were to which he did not apply his attention; for who is adequate to every object? But as a divine, and especially with relation to his acquaintance with the New Teftament, and with ChristiD

an

an Antiquity, perhaps, he never had his equal. The works of our author being thus valuable, and relating to objects of the highest importance, it is not furprifing that they fhould be held in great efteem, not only at home, but abroad. I have already I mentioned, that the first part of the Credibility was tranflated into Low Dutch, by the Rev. Mr. Cornelius Wefterbaen, of Utrecht, and into Latin by the Rev. Mr. John Chriftopher Wolff, of Hamburgh. A German tranflation of it appeared at Berlin and at Leipfic, in 1750, by the Rev. Mr. David Bruhn, of Memel, in Pruffia, and Mr. John David Heilman; and it was accompanied with a large Preface, by the Rev. Profeffor Seigmund Jacob Baumgarten. The fecond part of the Credibility was likewife tranflated both in Holland and in Germany. In 1751, the German tranflation of the fourth volume was printed, and the whole defign may probably have fince been completed. The vindication of the three miracles was alfo translated into German, by the Rev. Mr. Meyenberg, and published at Zell, in 175, together with a Preface, written by the Rev. Dr. Plesken. A tranflation of the Difcourfes on the Circumftances of the Jewish People, appeared at Halle, in 1754; and of the Treatife of the Demoniacs, at Bremen, in 1760."

"Dr. Lardner's connections and friendships were not confined to perfons of his own religious commu'nion. He was converfant with feveral refpectable clergymen of the church of England, and received from them teftimonies of their efteem for his character, and approbation of his works. The letters which paffed between him and bifhop Waddington, and his long and uninterrupted acquaintance with

3

archbishop Secker, have already been mentioned. He maintained a large correfpondence both at home and abroad; and particularly in America and Germany. In confequence of the reputation he had acquired by his publications, he was vifited by most of the learned foreigners who came over to England; and, after their return to their own countries, many grateful acknowledgements were tranfmitted to him of the friendly reception he had given them, and the affiftance they had derived from him in their literary defigns and purfuits."

"Every well-difpofed reader muft contemplate with pleasure, on a life which was so admirably and ufefully fpent as was that of Dr. Lardner. Such a life presents us with a beautiful proof of the dignity to which the human mind is capable of afcending, when it is formed on right views of the Supreme Being, and on the true principles and fpirit of the Gospel. Nor may a character like this be reflected upon with pleafure only, but with the greateft advantage. The private virtues of Dr. Lardner may justly be recommended to universal imitation. His love to God and benevolence to man, his regard to truth, his integrity, his purity, his moderation, his candour, his meeknefs, and his humility, it would be the honour and happiness of Chriftians in general to felect as the models of their temper and conduct.

"Dr. Lardner may be held out, in particular, as a fine example to thofe of his own profeffion. It is not, indeed, in the power of every one to attain to the fame extent of learning, or to perform the fame fervices to Chriftianity; but it fhould be the ambition of fuch as are engaged in the work of the mi

nistry,