Memoirs of Dr Joseph Priestley, Written by Himself, to the Year 1795 ...

MEMOIRS OF PREESTLEY.doubt, too full of terror, what remained of them was a deepreverence for divine things, and in time a pleasing satisfactionwhich can never be effaced, and, I hope, was strengthened asI have advanced in life, and acquired more rational notions ofreligion. The remembrance, however, of what I sometimesfelt in that state of ignorance and'darkness gives me a pecixliarsense of the value of rational principles of religion, and ofwhich I can give but an imperfect description to others.(15.) As trzctli, we cannot doubt, must have an advantageover error, we may conclude that the want of these peculiarfeelings is compensated by something of greater value,which arises to others from always having seen things in ajust and pleasing light; from having always considered theSupreme Being as a kind parent of all his offspring. This,however, not having been my case, I cannot be so good ajudge of the effects of it. At all events, we ought always toinculcate just views of things, assuring ourselves that properfeelings and sight conduct will be the consequence of them.(16.) In the latter part of the interval between my leavingthe grammar-school and going to the academy, which wassomething more than two years, I attended two days in theweek upon Mr. Haggerstone, a Dissenting minister in theneighbourhood, who had been educated under Mr. Naclaurin.Of him 1 learned geometry, algebra, and various branches of'mathematips, theoretical and practical. And at the sametime I read, but with little assistance from him, '' Gravesend'sElements of Natural Philosophy," Watts's Logic," 'c Locke'sEssay on the Human Understanding," &C., and made such aproficiency in other classes of learning that when I wasadmitted at the academy" (which was on Coward's founda-* The academy at baventry, removed thither from Northampton onthe death of Dr. Doddridge in 1761. b. *& M, -,HERETICAL NOTIONS.tion) I was excused all the studies of the first year, and agreat part of those of the second.(17.) In the same interval I spent the latter part of everyweek with Mr. Thomas, a Baptist minister, now of Bristol,but then of Gildersome, a village about four miles fromLeeds, who had had no learned education. Him I instructedin Hebrew, and by that means made myself a considerableproficient in that language. At the same time I learnedChaldee and Syriac, and just began to read Arabic. Uponthe whole, going to the academy later than is usual, andbeing thereby better furnished, I was qualified to appearre with greater advantage.18.) Before I went from home I was very desirous ofng admitted a communicant in the congregation which Ialways attended, and the old minister, as well as myaunt, were as desirous of it as myself, but the elders of thechurch, who had the government of it, refused me, because,when they interrogated me on the subject of the sin of Adam,I appeared not to be quite orthodox, not thinking that allthe human race (supposing them not to have any sin of theirown) were liable to the wrath of God and the pains of hallfor ever, on account of that sin only ; for such was thequestion that was put to me. Some time before, having thenoubt of the truth of the doctrine, I well remember being$much distressed that I could not feel a proper repentance ford the sin of Adam ; taking it for granted that, without this, itcould not be forgiven me. Mr. Haggerstone, above-mentioned,was a little more liberal than the members of the congregationin which I was brought up, being what is called a Baxterian* ;* Richard Baxter, the Ejected minister, attempted a coalition betweendoctrines of Calvin and Arminius.-T. C.