THE PORT FOLIO.

FOURTH SERIES.

CONDUCTED BY OLIVER OLDSCHOOL, ESQ.

Various; that the mind

Of desultory man, studious of change

And pleased with novelty, may be indulged.-CowPER.

SEPTEMBER, 1818.

VOL. VI.

No. III.

FOR THE PORT FOLIO.

THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF THE REV. WILLIAM JONES, extracted from a letter directed to THE EDITOR OF THE ANTI-JACOBIN REVIEW, FOR DECEMBER, 1808.

THE REV. WILLIAM JONES, was born at Lowick in Northamptonshire, on the 30th of July, in the year 1726. His father was Morgan Jones, a Welsh gentleman, a descendant of colonel Jones (but of very different principles), who married a sister of the usur, per, and is mentioned in Noble's History of the House of Cromwell. Morgan Jones married Sarah, the daughter of the Rev. Mr. Lettin of Lowick, by whom he had this son.

He was remarkable, from his childhood, for unwearied industry, and ingenium versatile. Like the judicious Hooker, when a school-boy, he was an early questionist, why this was and that was not to be remembered; why this was granted and that was denied? As soon as he was of the proper age, he was admitted, on the nomination of the duke of Dorset, a scholar at the Charter-house, where he made a rapid progress in Greek and Latin, and laid the foundation of that knowledge, which has since been such a blessing to the christian world.

His turn for philosophical studies soon began to show itself; for meeting, when at the Charter-house, with Zachary Williams, (the father of Dr. Johnson's Mrs. Williams) author of a Magnetical Theory, which is now lost, he copied some of his tables and cal

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culations, was shown the internal construction of his instrument for finding the variation of the compass in all parts of the world; and saw all the diagrams whereby his whole theory was demonstrated and explained. Here he commenced acquaintance with Mr. Jenkinson, now earl of Liverpool, who was his chum, which was farther cultivated at the university, where they were of the same college, and continued to the last. Their different pursuits leading them different ways in the journey through life, they did not often meet, but they ever retained a great regard for each other.

At about eighteen years of age, he left the school and went to University College, Oxford, on a Charter-house exhibition. There he pursued the usual course of study with unremitted diligence, till falling in with some gentlemen, who, having read Mr. Hutchinson's writings, were inclined to favour his opinions in theology and philosophy, he was induced to examine them himself, and found no reason to repent his labour.

Having taken the degree of bachelor of arts, in 1749 he was ordained a deacon by the bishop of Peterborough, and in 1751 he was ordained a priest, by the bishop of Lincoln, at Bugden. On leaving the university, his first situation was that of curate at Finedon in Northamptonshire. There he wrote A full Answer to Bishop Clayton's Essay on Spirit, which was published in 1753, and dedicated to the Rev. Sir John Dolben, to whom, as his rector, he considers himself, he says, in some measure accountable for the use he makes of his leisure hours: and a full answer it is to all the objections urged by his lordship, who, eating the bread of the church, did lift up his heel against her. Besides a complete confutation of the writer of the essay, in this tract, many curious and interesting questions are discussed, and several articles in the religion and learning of heathen antiquity explained; particularly the Hermetic, Pythagorean, and Platonic Trinities.

In 1754, he married Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. Brook Bridges, and went to reside at Wadenhoe in Northamptonshire, as curate to his brother-in-law, the Rev. Brook Bridges, a gentleman of sound learning, singular piety, and amiable manners.

Here he drew up the Catholic Doctrine of the Trinity, which he had kept in his thoughts for some years, and to which he had a particular attention as often as the Scriptures, either of the Old or

New Testament, were before him. It is an invaluable work, and admirably calculated to stop the mouths of gainsayers, "comparing spiritual things with spiritual," and making the Scripture its own interpreter. To the third edition, in 1767, was added A Letter to the Common People in Answer to some Popular Arguments against the Trinity. The society for promoting christian knowledge have since laudably admitted it into their list of books, and from the general distribution of it, there can be no doubt of its producing great and good effects.

And here it was he engaged in a work he had much at heart, for which he was eminently qualified, as the event proved, and which some of his friends had at heart likewise, who subscribed among them 3007. per ann. for three years (in which number was the present worthy dean of Hereford, now master, but then only fellow, of University College, who most generously put his name down for 501. per ann.) to enable him to supply himself with an apparatus sufficient for the purpose of making the experiments necessary to his composing a Treatise on Philosophy. In 1762, he published .1n Essay on the First Principles of Natural Philosophy, in quarto, the design of which was to demonstrate the use of natural means, or second causes, in the economy of the material world from reason, experiments, and the testimony of antiquity; and, in 1781, he published a larger work in quarto, under the title of Physiological Disquisitions, or Discourses on the Natural Philosophy of the Elements. As it was ever his study to make philosophy the handmaid of religion, he has in this work embraced every opportunity of turning natural knowledge to the illustration of divine truth, and the advancement of virtue. When the first volume was published, the late earl of Bute, whom one may now without offence, it is presumed, stile the patron of learning and learned men, was so satisfied with it, that he desired the author not to be intimidated through fear of expense from pursuing his philosophical studies, but directed Mr. Adams, the mathematical instrument-maker, to supply him with such instruments as he might want for making experiments, and put them to his account; and he also handsomely offered him the use of any books he might have occasion for.

It is said, that "no one remembered the poor wise man who sa ved the city;" but the author of the Catholic Doctrine of the Trinity, who did such eminent service to the church and city of God was not forgotten; he was remembered by archbishop Secker, who presented him, first to the vicarage of Bethersden in Kent, in the year 1764, and soon after to the more valuable Rectory of Pluckley in the same county, as some reward for his able defence of christian orthodoxy.

"By a constant unwearied diligence he attained unto a perfection in all the learned languages; by the help of which, and his unremitted studies he had made the subtilty of all the arts easy and familiar to himself. So that by these, added to his great reason, and his industry added to both, he did not only know more of causes and effects, but what he knew, he knew better than other men. And with this knowledge, he had a most blessed and clear method of demonstrating what he knew, to the great advantage of all his pupils."

In 1766, he preached the visitation sermon before archbishop Secker at Ashford, greatly to the satisfaction of his grace and the whole audience. Owing to some delicacy or other (perhaps false delicacy,) it was not printed at the time, though much wished; but in the year 1769 the substance of it was published in the form of a letter to a young gentleman at Oxford, intended for Holy Orders, containing some seasonable cautions against errors in doctrine; and may be read to great advantage by every candidate for the sacred profession.

In 1773, he collected together into a volume disquisitions on some select subjects of Scripture, which had been before printed in separate tracts, all in the highest degree instructing and edifying.

In 1776, in the character of a presbyter of the church of England, he published, in a letter to a friend at Oxford, which was reprinted in the Scholar Armed, Reflections on the Growth of Heathenism among Modern Christians. In an advertisement prefixed he

says, "The reader may be shocked, when he is told that there is a disposition to heathenism in an age of so much improvement, and pronounce the accusation improbable and visionary; but he is requested to weigh impartially the facts here offered, and then to

form his judgment." And when the facts are weighed, which he adduces, the conclusion must be, that the accusation is not visionary but just. In all the sciences, in poets, orators, artists, and natural philosophers, the tokens of this pagan infection are very observable "Where at last (says he) will this taste for heathen learning, which hath been prevailing and increasing for so many years, from the days of Lord Herbert to the present time, lead us? Whither can it lead us but to indifference and atheism? A Christian corrupted with heathen affections degenerates into something worse than the original heathens of antiquity."

The good rector was induced to remove from Pluckley, and accepting the perpetual curacy of Nayland in Suffolk, he went thither to reside with his family. Soon after he effected an exchange of Pluckley for Paston in Northamptonshire, which he visited annually; but he set up his staff at Nayland for the remainder of his days, not being " led into temptation" ever to quit that post by any future offer of preferment.

The physiological disquisitions before alluded to, having received their last revise, they were added to the public stock of philosophical knowledge in 1781. Whatever prejudices might. subsist against them at that time, it is to be supposed they soon died away; for the impression has long since been sold off, and the book is now in great request.

The figurative language of the Holy Scripture, having been always his favourite study; after revolving the subjects in his mind for many years, he drew up a course of lectures, which were delivered in the parish church of Nayland, in Suffolk, in the year 1786; and that they might not be confined to a corner, but that "other cities also" might have the benefit of them, in the year following, they were published for the edification of the christian church at large. The mode of interpretation here pursued is what Christians knew and taught above a thousand years ago; yet apprehensive it might seem to be "bringing many strange things to the ears of some people" in these days, he has been particularly careful to have the sanction of Scripture itself for every explanation he has adopted, that he might be able to say, "thus it is written." To complete his plan, he had a supplemental discourse in reserve, which, knowing how "unskilful some are in the word