ceive sincere conviction to be scarcely possible) to recede the greatest distance from the tolerant principles of his dissenting education, that he might remove every suspicion, as Blackburne expresses it," of hankering after his old deviations." The late Mr. Williams,' of Nottingham, a dissenting minister, and my intimate acquaintance, was told by Mr. Statham, who was likewise a dissenting minister at Nottingham, that Secker, in conversation with Mr. Robert Dawson (from whom Mr. Statham received this circumstance) and some other dissenting ministers (about the time, I presume, of Secker's preaching among the sectaries at Bolsover, in Derbyshire), had expressed himself in terms, strongly declaratory of his ambitious turn of mind. Aye," says Dawson, "nothing will Secker! but conformity." "No," do for you and one of that zealous sort who are eager to prove the sincerity of their conversion, by persecuting all who are less pliable to their politics?" Archdeacon BLACKBURNE, in his Historical View, &c. 2d edit. 1772, p. 245. Note. Formerly chaplain in a family at Fairford in Gloucestershire; and on a very friendly footing with the well-known Dr. Atwell, rector of that place, and head of a house in Oxford. W. replied Secker, like another Hazael,' with indignant earnestness; “CONFORM I NEVER CAN." 2 Kings viii. 13. This anecdote of Secker suggests one of a similar nature relating to the celebrated Chillingworth. In a highly interesting letter addressed by this extraordinary man to his friend and patron Dr. (afterwards archbishop) Sheldon, and inserted at length by Whiston in his "Memoirs of Dr. Clarke," is contained the following remarkable passage: "Good Dr. Sheldon, I do here send you news, as unto my best friend, of a great and happy victory, which at length with extream difficultie I have scarcely obtained over the only enemie that can hurt me, that is, myself. Sir, so it is, that though I am in debt to yourselfe and others of my friends above twenty pounds more than I know how to pay; though I am in want of many conveniences; though in great danger of falling into a chronicall infirmitie of my body; though in another thing, which you perhaps guesse at what it is, but I will not tell you, which would make me more joyfull of preferment than all these (if I could come honestly by it); though money comes to me from my father's purse, like blood from his veins, or from his heart; though I am very sensible that I have been too long already an unprofitable burden to my lord, and must not still continue so; though my refusing preferment may perhaps (which fear, I assure you, does much afflict me) be injurious to my friends and intimate acquaintance, and prejudicial to them in the way of theirs; though conscious of my own good intention and desire, suggests unto me many flattering hopes of great possibilitie of doing God and his Church. service, if I had that preferment which I may fairly hope for; No man who has not directed his attention to this subject, so much as I have, can be at all aware of the marvellous efficacy of preferment, and the prospect of preferment, in rectifying the intellect, and enlightening the eyes of the understanding. I know of no better Epilogue to my farce, which may well be denominated the theological Proteus, than some lines of Butler, that true child of wit and nature. though I may justly fear that by refusing those preferments which I sought for, I shall gain the reputation of weaknesse and levity, and incur their displeasure, whose good opinion of me, next to God's favour, and my own good opinion of myself, I do esteem and desire above all things: through all these and many other terribiles visu forme have represented themselves to my imagination in the most hideous manner that may be; yet I am at length firmly and unmoveably resolved, if I can have no preferment without Subscription, that I neither can, nor will have any." That Chillingworth should, in the succeeding part of his life, have been induced to abandon the noble principles maintained in this admirable letter; and that he should at length have consented to accept preferment by compliance with Subscription, must ever be a subject of deep regret, and, together with other instances of a similar kind, must have a very unhappy influence on that numerous class of mankind who are too prone to justify their own laxity of principle and conduct, by appealing to the examples of distinguished men. The abovementioned letter is dated in 1635, when Chillingworth was upwards of thirty-two years of age. "What's orthodox and true believing Hudibras, Part III. Canto I. v. 1273, &c. CHAP. IX. Removal from Stockport-Brewood School-Mr. Wakefield settles at Liverpool-Rev. Mr. Maddock-Rev. I. Milner. 1778. IN August 1778 I quitted Stockport, and passed two months with my brother at Richmond; and during the time of my continuance there, was made happy by the prospect of a very agreeable establishment in life, without the embarrassments of those ecclesiastical functions, which began now to be exceedingly irksome to my feelings. The trustees of Brewood School, in Staffordshire, advertised for a master, and referred for information of the particulars to Mr. Careless the under-master. accordingly applied to him; but was very precise in requesting him to let me know, whether my subscription to the articles were necessary as a qualification to this appointment, as I was determined in that case to make no solicitations for the post, from an extreme aversion to a public exhibition of myself, at that early age, as one who sacrificed his interests to his scruples. In proof of this I shall quote part of a I |