occasion to express their sense of the excellence and value of his productions. Walchius, in his Bibliotheca Theologica Selecta, calls the Credibility' insigne opus; and it is highly spoken of in the Bibliotheca Germanica, and the Bibliotheque, ancient and modern, of Le Clerc.'

Every well-disposed reader must contemplate with pleasure, on a life which was so admirably and usefully spent 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 ascending, when it is formed on right views of the Supreme Being, and on the true principles and spirit of the gospel. Nor may a character like this be reflected upon with pleasure only, but with the greatest 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 meekness, and his humility, it would be the honour and happiness of christians in general to select as the models of their temper and conduct.

Dr. Lardner may be held out, in particular, as a fine example to those of his own profession. It is not, indeed, in the power of every one to attain to the same extent of learning, or to perform the same services to christianity; but it should be the ambition of such as are engaged in the work of the ministry, to follow after him with diligence and zeal, though they may not be able to do it with equal steps. As the dissenters had the honour of producing Dr. Lardner, he will naturally be the object of emulation to the dissenting clergy. They will so far look up to him as their pattern, as to endeavour to qualify themselves for appearing, when occasions call for it, in the great departments of literature, and especially in the cause of religious truth and liberty, and in the defence and explication of the sacred writings. Some among them, at least, will, it is hoped, always be inspired with this disposition; in consequence of which they will not only gain reputation to themselves, and reflect credit on the body to which they belong; but, what is of infinitely greater importance, will unite with the wise, the learned, and the good of every denomination, and of every country, in promoting such a knowledge of religion in general, and of the christian religion in particular, as will be found eminently conducive to the truest improvement and comfort of the present life, and to the everlasting felicity of human beings.

'From the obliging information of the Rev. Dr. Gosset.

EXTRACT

FROM A

MANUSCRIPT EULOGIUM

ON

NATHANIEL LARDNER, D. D.

BY

EBENEZER RADCLIFF, ESQ.

THE christian religion being founded on facts, to establish them, and the credit of their relaters, is of the utmost consequence. Our author, therefore, thought the highest respect he could pay to it was, to bring it to the test of history; and the result of his inquiries was, that, so far from depending upon the forged miracles, pious frauds, and spurious testimonies of the ancient fathers, or the metaphysical casuistry of modern defenders, he found it to be the weaker for their alliance; and like a skilful engineer, he demolished the buttresses, which an officious or timorous zeal erected, that the gospel, having nothing to defend but its own fortress, might be the more firm and impregnable.

So delicate were his sentiments respecting religion, and so jealous was he of its honour and purity, that, so far from conniving at any flaws in its character, he could not bear it should be suspected; and, I am persuaded, he would not, even for the immortality it proposes, have consented to admit one unfair or unsound argument in its defence.

While his extensive learning qualified him to try the merits of every evidence, his unbiassed integrity, and sacred veneration for truth, enabled him to pass an impartial sentence.

As his testimony was honest, so it was disinterested. He had none of that literary pride and ambition which are a disgrace to the pursuit of truth, and lessen the credit of its champions. His profession debarred him from worldly emoluments and honours, and he aspired to no recompense, but that which flows from the nature of true religion, and the approbation of its Divine author. So that, if I were disposed to rest my faith on any human authority, it should be his.

I should regard the sanction of his decision as the next in credibility to inspiration itself, and almost entitled to implicit veneration. But this was what he never wanted; and he has so clearly and candidly represented the grounds of his own belief, that every person has an opportunity of judging for himself: and if there are any who, after such a discussion, can remain enemies or neuters, we must leave them to God and their own consciences, without entering into their hearts, or determining the motives by which they have been governed.

It must be acknowledged that revelation has met with many able and learned advocates, who have set the various evidence of it in the most striking points of view. Its internal excellence, and consistency with the divine perfections, have been clearly illustrated. The expediency of divine interposition has been fairly deduced from the errors and imperfections of philosophy. The propriety of the time of Christ's appearance has been proved from a concurrence of a multitude of circumstances; and the agreement betwixt reason and scripture has been fully ascertained: and many other arguments strongly presumptuous, though not decisive, in its favour, have furnished occasion for the display of much ingenious but unnecessary reasoning.

Let but the faithfulness of the sacred records be established, and the truth of those extraordinary facts which attested the divine mission of Christ be confirmed, and we may challenge the world to dispute the conclusions which are deducible from them.

The gospel he taught must be the oracle of truth, the rule of our faith and conduct, and the ground of our immortal hopes and expectations.

This important task was reserved for this learned author, and providence seems to have blessed him not only with talents and fidelity, but with an extent of life equal to the execution of it.

To vindicate the evangelical historians from ignorance, incapacity, and collusion; to fix the credit of the sacred records by the concurrent testimony of Jews and gentiles, scoffers,

and apostates; to trace the progress of the church through several successive ages; and to show the regular and faithful transmission of the scriptures without innovation or corruption, were the great objects of his studies for many years: and such is the perspicuity with which he describes and illustrates the transactions of Christ's ministry, that he appears more like a contemporary with the apostles than an inhabitant of later ages.

If to this we add, that cloud of witnesses which he collected from all quarters, to give their sanction to the miracles, doctrine, moral sublimity, and wonderful effects of the christian religion, it must be allowed, that he has erected a monument to his great Master and himself, which shall last as long as the world endures.

As his writings justified and explained the leading facts of the New Testament, his character was a living pattern of its rules and precepts. His heart was full of the generous warmth of its benevolent spirit; but his sentiments were cool and dispassionate, the result of calm inquiry and steady conviction.

When he thought it his duty, and for the honour of revelation, to call in question common opinions, he did it with unaffected candour and modesty, and, at the same time, with that integrity and simplicity, which, if it did not bring over his adversary, never offended him. He was respectful without ceremony, friendly without officiousness, and obliging without mean compliances. He preserved a dignity of character without reserve, and united the acuteness of the critic with the manners of a gentleman and the spirit of a christian.

The goodness of his temper excited a prejudice in favour of his principles; and as his writings were free from acrimony, his life was clear of reproach.

On the whole, when I consider his ardour for truth, yet tenderness for error, his learning mixed with so much diffidence and humility, his zeal tempered with so much prudence, and his faith accompanied with so much benevolence; when I observe the simplicity of his deportment, his uniform and unaffected piety, his attachment to his Divine master, and goodwill to mankind, I cannot help saying, "This was the disciple whom Jesus loved."