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intended for publication: a very incorrect copy by some means was circulated; the preacher was therefore compelled to publish in his own defence. The discourse, ingenious and excellent, was occasioned by the interruptions given to public worship, owing to the rude behaviour of some of the undergraduates of the university. Mr. Robinson found himself at length compelled, not only to preach against, but to seek legal redress for such outrages on the religious, rights of Protestant Dissenters. Complaints were made to the proper persons after some delay, it was agreed, that two young men who had been notoriously guilty should pay a fine of fifty pounds as settled by law, or ask pardon in the public. prints: the latter course was preferred; but, one of the young men on account of his general character was excused. The trustees of the meeting sent a letter of thanks to Dr. Farmer, tutor of Emanuel college for his conduct in the business; in which they at the same time justified themselves for the steps they had ta ken the following is an extract,

"In a profligate seaport-town our dissenting "brethren meet without interruption; and gen"tlemen of both army and navy, occasionally at "our Cambridge meeting, have blushed at the "difference. In the most dissolute parts of Lon

don, disturbances are unknown in meeting"houses: how mortifying the reflection! that civility, the offspring of good sense, is met with

66

"in sinks of ignorance, which is not to be ob"tained at a seat of literature !

"A gentleman of your delicacy and piety will "find it difficult to believe half what we could tell

you on this head. Would you imagine, Sir, that 66 we scarcely ever meet without interruptions from "the under-graduates; that every agreeable fe"male in the society is exposed to the same in"sults as in a bawdy-house; no pew privileged "from a bold intrusion; no family, however con"siderable in fortune or credit, from insolent af"fronts? Is it credible, that prostitutes should

parade our ailes in academic habits? An unfore"seen accident discovered the sex of snch a one "but a fortnight ago. Is it sufferable, that on re"proving these disorders our lives should be "threatened? Let a veil for ever cover these "enormities. Nothing induces us to mention them now but the desire of convincing you, Sir, that

it

our lenity has been infamously abused, and, consequently, that it is a duty we owe to the so"ciety under our management, vigorously to support prosecution.

"To say nothing of our own minister, (a grow"ing love to him, perhaps, makes us partial in "his favour); how can we hear to see graduates "of our own universities, when they occasion*ally preach to us, men of learning and piety, put to the blush, not more confounded at the iniquity, than surprised at the novelty of such "behaviour? Our American brethren were not

"at all conciliated to English episcopacy, but

on the contrary highly disgusted with it, by the "behaviour of the gown at our meeting: one of "them protesting,-I have preached in England, "Scotland, Ireland, in various parts of America, "to congregations of all denominations, to polite <l citizens, and to naked Indians; but never did I see such heathenish impiety during divine ser"vice as in the Cambridge under-graduates. In "vain we tell them of the learning of some of the "members of this university: in vain we proclaim "the piety of others in vain we assure them of "the candour of all the graduates: disturbances "in devotion strike serious minds too deeply to "be easily forgotten.

"After all-Who does all this? A set of lads just come from school, who by the vigilance of "the masters might be kept if not obedient to "them, at least at a distance from us. To the "honour of the university be it spoken, we never "received an insult from a graduate. We are too "well acquainted, sir, with your deserved cha

racter, to imagine any apology needful for this "information. Receive it, sir, as an apology for "our exposing one of your pupils. We are sorry it happened so, but the present circumstances "require it.

"Allow us, good sir, to assure you, that we "shall ever retain the liveliest gratitude for your extreme civility, and with profound respect are "Your obliged Servants."

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the

The methods pursued, together with Mr. Rōbinson's sermon, appear to have produced desired effect. Although the attendance of the members of the university, at the baptist meetinghouse, has been frequent, no similar complaints have been made from that period to the present. About this time (1776) the controversy respecting the Divinity of Christ which had been carried on principally by members of the church of England, some of whom had from the most conscientious motives resigned their preferments, much engaged the public attention. Mr. Robinson appeared on the popular side of the question, and published A Plea for the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in a pastoral letter, addressed to a congregation of protestant dissenters at Cambridge. This piece, is written in a style of ease and elegance, and is distinguished by a novelty of manner, in which criticism is blended with entertainment, and for that truly candid and christian spirit, which alas! so seldom characterises religious controversy: it was highly panegyrised by several dignitaries, and other learned members of the church of England, as well as by the most eminent divines amongst the dissenters; a fourth edition was published in 1780. A reply was written, but not till five years afterwards, by a man

ose friendship I deem a distinguished honour of my life, the truly venerable and excellent Theophilus Lindsey, who had given the best proof of the sincerity of his professions, by the sacrifices he had

made, forsaking all present preferment, and supe-crior preferment in prospect, for what he deemed the cause of truth, disdaining those pitiful falsehoods, equivocations and subterfuges which, in the affair ir of subscription, disgrace the body of the clergy. Mr. Lindsey's tract was first printed anonymously, but in 1789, a second edition was presented to the public with the author's name. The letters which passed between Mr. Robinson, Mr. Lindsey, and i Dr Jebb, on the former presenting his f Plea" to the two latter, are, for the christian liberality which e characterizes them, an honour to the different parties:*

An additional testimony to the merit of this work has recently appeared in the memoirs of a great man, the late Archdeacon Blackburne, and which it would be injustice not to present to the reader. "About five years ago I know not what chance "threw in my way a pamphlet entitled A Plea "for the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. "I perused this pamphlet with care and atten"tion, and was both surprised and concerned to "find so many of my friend Lindsey's arguments "and positions [in his APOLOGY] so totally sub"verted a fundamentis, provided the pleader's

reasonings and authorities were well grounded. "To prove this to myself I consulted a number "of the texts he had cited, and found his superstructure bottomed upon a rock. Indeed so

#Vol. IV. p. 219-222.

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