univerfity, with the immediate defign of giving feasonable advice to young ftudents, and enter into fuch particulars as could only have been suggested by actual observation and experience.

As Dr. Leechman's manner of writing is already well known, we need make no extracts from thefe discourses: but we fhall conclude this article with a few interefting particulars, from the account of his life prefixed to these volumes.

Dr. Leechman was born in the year 1706. He was the fan of William Leechman, a farmer, who lived in the parish of Dolphinzon, in the fhire of Lanark, and always maintained a character refpectable for piety and integrity. His fon learned the rudiments of the languages at the parifh fchool of Dolphinton, under the care of Mr. Henderfon, who was afterwards a clergyman. He completed his education at the University of Edinburgh, not with. out fome affistance from the family of Baillie of Jervifwood, a gentleman of note in that country.'

After being private tutor to two young gentlemen fucceffively, Mr. L. in the year 1736, was ordained minifter of Beith, where he continued till 1744; when, after confiderable oppofition, he was appointed to the divinity-chair in the Univerfity of Glasgow. His opponents, in hopes of fetting afide the election, brought a charge of herefy against him before the Prefbytery, founded on fundry omiffions in his fermon on Prayer, published in 1743. To the feveral parts of the charge, the profeffor gave written anfwers, vindicating himself, and pointing out the mistakes of his accufers, in a modeft, yet fufficiently fpirited manner.

But these answers, as might be expected, were neither fatiffactory to the committee, nor to the Prefbytery, under whose authority they acted.

The fermon itfelf, which bore on the face of it strong marks of a devout heart, as well as of a highly cultivated understanding, had been much read and admired. In the space of a few months it had undergone a fecond edition. And this unexpected attack on the author, visibly calculated to raise a spirit of bigotry in the com. mon people against him, foon roufed the attention and indignation of many of the confcientious friends of religion and learning in that quarter, to whom Mr. Leechman was not perfonally known. It drew together a great number of the clergy from the moft diftant corners of that large Synod, together with feveral gentlemen of rank, who took their feats with them as elders, which they had not done for many years before. The Court affembled at Glasgow in the beginning of April, and, in confequence of Mr. Leechman's complaint, thought proper to call for the papers, and to take the businefs entirely out of the hands of the inferior court, who fhewed great reluctance to part with it; having refolved to continue their fittings, and to hang up the caufe for fome time to the public view.

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The Synod appointed a particular diet to judge and decide it: in which the remarks, anfwers, and every thing referred to in both, were read, and read a fecond time article by article. Every member was allowed to propose what further objections occurred to him, and the Profeffor allowed to anfwer him, if he could, viva voce ; which was done in feveral inftances. On the whole, the Synod almoft unanimously found "Profeffor Leechman's anfwers to the remarks or objections made by the committee of the Presbytery of Glasgow, to be fully fatisfying, and fufficient to remove any offence conceived; and found no reason to charge the faid Profeffor with any unfoundness in the faith, expreffed in the paffages of the fermon complained of." The Profeffor thanked the reverend and honourable Members of the Court for the time and pains they bad bestowed in doing justice to his character; hoping that, through the help of God, he fhould, in the future exercife of his office, juftify the favourable opinion they feemed to have formed of him."

The Prefbytery had at the beginning made an appeal to the General Affembly. That Court, when the caufe came before them, wifely referred it to a felect committee, and adopted their judgment without a vote. They found, "That the Synod of Glafgow and Air had fufficient reafon to take into their own hands the cognizance of the enquiry touching the fermon." They confirmed the judgment paffed by that Synod, and "prohibited the Prefbytery of Glasgow to commence, or carry on any further or other proceedings against the Profeffor, on account of that fer

mon."

Of Dr. Leechman's manner of lecturing, his Biographer gives the following account :

The Profeffor gave a lecture of a full hour's length regularly four days every week, during a fixth months feflion; and befides this, fpent an hour on Friday, and fometimes another on Saturday, in hearing the difcourfes compofed by the ftudents on particular texts or portions of Scripture prefcribed to them. After these were delivered, he made his obfervations on each of them in a manner that showed the moft accurate attention; commending with judgment, or cenfuring with delicacy. When a stronger cenfure was requifite, it was referved to a private conference with the ftudent.

On Monday the Profeffor gave a Critical Lecture on the New Teftament, reading the paffage in the original language, adverting, when it was necefiary, to the different fenfes put upon the Greek words by the commentators, without naming them; -to the connexion; to the particular probable views of the writer or speaker, and the fituation of the minds of the hearers ;-to any ancient customs or historical facts neceffary to illuftrate the paffage. Thus he exhibited the precife fenfe of it, answered at the fame time the principal objections, and intermixed occafionally fhort pertinent obfervations. As this lecture was of the first importance to the students, fo to the Profeffor it seemed to be the eafieft part of his work; for he had been accustomed to fomething like it while he was a minifter.

The

The forenoon's exercise in all the pulpits of Scotland is of a fimilar kind, though managed there in a more eafy and popular way.

The diets on Tuefday, Thurfday, and fometimes Friday, were fpent, on what is called Polemical Divinity. Confidering how little this teacher had of the spirit of a polemic, his accurate knowledge of all the principal controverfies which have agitated the Christian world was furprifing: and the judgment and candour with which he conducted this delicate and dangerous part of his bufinefs was pleafing, at leaft to every liberal mind. The Writer of this Life was then too young to be a proper judge of these things; but fince that time he has often reflected upon it with wonder and pleafure. The text-book the Profeffor ufed was Pictet's Shorter Syftem, afterward changed for Oftervald. These authors were chiefly useful to him in their arrangement of the fubject. Their track the Profeffor followed through the barren heaths, as well as the more pleafant and fruitful parts of this wide field. Over the former he flew quick, fcarcely touching the ground; over the latter he walked flow, pointing out to his young friends almost every thing agreeable and ufeful obferved by former travellers, and frequently himfelf ftrewing flowers and fruits on the road. In plain words, he touched flightly the fcholaftic ufelefs queftions, marking them as hiftorical facts, with the circumftances or events that gave rife to them; and dwelt with fatisfaction on fuch points, as the perfections, the providence and moral government of God, the authenticity and divine authority of the Scriptures, &c. &c. &c. confirming and improving the fentiments of his authors by his own ftriking obfervations. In the courfe of two feflions he went over the whole fyftem.

The principal thing aimed at, however, in these lectures, was to give his theological ftudents a view of the great controversies which have divided Christians. To each of thefe he introduced himfelf from fomething he found in his text: and laying afide his book, he treated the fabject in the following manner, in two or more lectures, according to the importance or celebrity of the question. He began with a history of the controversy, and of the chief men who figured in it. He stated the point in difpute with fufficient precifion; not only the oppofite opinions of the two parties, but the difference of opinion in the men of the fame party. Then, which was the main thing, he gave a candid view of the arguments on both fides, from reafon, and especially from Scripture. Here his found judgment led him to put afide every thing trivial, and to bring forth the very ftrength of the arguments, as well as of the difficulties, on each fide; particularly, the most plausible paffages of Scripture urged in proof of the oppofite opinions, the criticisms by which the force of these texts was fupported or evaded, -with the answers, replies, and duplies made by the parties in the courfe of the debate. In fine, juftice was done to both parties, not only in this reprefentation of their opinions, with the grounds of them, but alfo by admitting their disavowal of the abfurd and dangerous confequences charged on each by their an tagonists, and exhibiting the important points of christianity mutually acknowledged by both.

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After all, the question remained undecided: that is, the hearers were left intirely to the exercise of their own judgment, and directed to the means of further inquiry. No dictatorial opinion, no infallible or decifive judgment on any great controverted point, was ever delivered from that theological chair. After the point had undergone a full difcuffion, none of the students yet knew the particular opinion of this venerable Profeffor, in any other way than by the fuperior weight of the arguments which he had brought under their view: fo delicately fcrupulous was he to throw any bias at all upon ingenuous minds, in their enquiry after Sacred Truth. In this he certainly acted right; for fuch was the reverence which the great body of his fcholars felt for bis fuperior judgment, that, had they known it in particular points, it would have had too much weight in determining theirs.

As if this had not been enough, when he gave the ftudents his parting advices at the end of the feffion, he warmly recommended candour and continued diligence in the search after truth; modesty and caution in forming their last judgments on points about which wife and good men had thought differently; advised them long to retain the character of enquirers, and to keep their minds open to new light and evidence from every quarter. He fhewed how wife and how lovely this was in all, efpecially in young minds; and painted on the other hand, in ftrong colours, the indecency of rafh prefumptuous judgments, and the fatal effects of bigotry.'

Dr. Wodrow proceeds to give a sketch of Dr. L.'s lectures on the Internal Evidences of Chriftianity, and of thofe on the Compofition of a Sermon. He then relates the progrefs of his labours and fervices in the University; and concludes with a moft interefting and inftructive account of the manner in which this good man left the world,

There are many things in this narrative which may be perufed with great advantage by young divines, to whofe attention we particularly recommend this publication.

ART. X.

No. 49:

4to.

Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica. pp. 76. 35. fewed.-No. 50. 4to. pp. 300. 155. fewed. Ni

chols.

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"HE forty-ninth number of this work, (which is now drawing toward its conclufion,) contains, The history and antiquities of Canonbury-house, at Iflington, in the county of Middlefex,' by John Nichols, F.S. A. Edinburgh and Perth, This houfe and manor have been generally confidered as part of the poffeffions belonging to St. Paul's cathedral: but it rather appears to have been included in a grant of lands and rents, in Iledone, made by Ralph de Berners, in the year 1253, to the priory of St. Bartholomew in Eaft Smithfield: it was probably felected as a manfion for the prior and his canons, and there

fore

fore affumed the name of Canonbury. This place had many owners after the diffolution of monafteries; among others, it became the property of Sir John Spencer, Knight, ufually called, from his great wealth, rich Spencer, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1594. He appears to have been a man of integrity and public fpirit. His town refidence was Crosbyplace, a large and sumptuous house, on the fite of which Crosbyfquare was afterward built: here, he is faid, in 1603, to have lodged and fplendidly entertained the French Ambaffador, Monfieur de Rofney, Great Treasurer of France, and all his retinue. He was ancestor of the prefent Earl of Northampton, ás his only daughter married the fecond Lord Compton, by whofe contrivance, tradition fays, fhe was carried off from Canonbury-houfe in a baker's bafket. What relation this refpectable gentleman was to another Sir John Spencer, of Althorp, Northamptonshire, ancestor of the prefent Duke of Marlborough and of Earl Spencer, does not fufficiently appear

The old houfe of Canon-bury, of which fome remnants are yet ftanding, was probably built by William Bolton, prior of St. Bartholomew, who died in 1532. This fuppofition feems plaufible, from the quaint device, a bolt and a tun, cut in freeftone, ftill remaining in feveral parts of the garden wall. Its first poffeffor, after its furrender to Henry VIII. was Thomas Lord Cromwell, the chief inftrument (adds the writer) in diffolving the monafteries, and depreffing the clergy.' His words feem to imply fome regret at the fuppreffion of the religious houfes; in fupport of which act, men of fenfe and benevolence, of virtue and piety, have advanced unanswerable arguments. The nobility and gentry of that day, like those of other times, were eager to obtain a fhare in the spoils; and, for this purpose, might poffibly be guilty of unwarrantable deeds, as no doubt they were: Lord Cromwell, among the reft, might wish to gratify fome private views; at the fame time that the public fervice was promoted by the deftruction of those places which were known to be nurseries of idleness, fuperfti tion, and debauchery: but that depreffing the clergy was his aim, any farther than every reafonable man muft with to fubdue their arrogance, and impofitions, does by no means appear. The unjust, and the arbitrary, are indeed too often found, at all times, and under all profeffions; yet very certain it is, that our nation, together with others, has experienced the benefit of depriving churchmen, in a great measure at least, of the power that they had obtained, to which they certainly had no right, and which, indeed, Chriftian minifters, who understand the nature of their office, would neither affume nor defire.

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