OLD-BAILEY.—Presbyterian, Extinct. tution, were the jury intimidated to deliver their verdict, and to bring in the defendant guilty; for which some of them afterwards expressed their concern. When the verdict was pronounced, the attorney-general moved that our author might have the honour of the pillory; but sentence was deferred till the last day of the term. In the mean time Mr. Emlyn was committed to the common gaol. During this interval Mr. Boyse shewed great concern for our author, and used all his interest to prevent the passing of the cruel sentence for which the Attorney General moved. Mr. Emlyn also, in compliance with the advice of his friends, wrote a letter to the lord chief. justice, expressed in such candid, serious, and manly terms, as ought to have produced strong impressions in his favour. On the day when he appeared to receive judgment, it was moved by one of the Queen's counsel that he should retract; but to this Mr. Emlyn could not consent. The lord chief justice, therefore, sentenced him to suffer a year's imprisonment, to pay a fine of one thousand pounds to the Queen, and to lie in prison till it should be paid; and to find security for his good behaviour during life. The punishment of the pillory, he was told, was what was due to his crime, but on account of his being a man of letters, it was not inflicted. After sentence was pronounced, with a paper on his breast, he was led round the four courts to be exposed. In passing this severe sentence for matters of mere speculation and belief, the lord chief justice was so unfeeling as to magnify his mercy, because that in Spain and Portugal, the punishment of such a ́crime would have been no less than burning. A poor compliment to the constitution of his country, that the persons in it whose consciences might lead to question the truth of the established creed, were not exposed to the extreme miseries and cruelties practised by the horrid tribunal of the Inquisition ! After the proceedings of this day, Mr. Emlyn was close prisoner for something more than a quarter of a year in the OLD-BAILEY.-Presbyterian, Extinct. under-sheriff's house; and at the expiration of that time, was hastily hurried away to the common gaol, where he lay among the prisoners in a close room, filled with six beds, for about five or six weeks; and thence, by an habeas corpus, he was upon his petition, removed to the Marshalsea for the sake of his health. In this prison he wrote, in the year 1704, a treatise, entitled, "General Remarks on Mr. Boyse's Vindication of the true Deity of our Blessed Saviour." Mr. Emlyn remained in the Marshalsea until the month of July, 1705; during which time, very few of his former friends, excepting some of the plainer tradesmen belonging to his late congregation, shewed him any marks of friendship or civility. And the Dissenting ministers of Dublin, Mr. Boyse alone excepted, shewed themselves particularly destitute of humanity and kindness towards a supposed erring brother, by not once visiting him in his afflicted situation. Mr. Emlyn's release was at length effected in consequence of the zealous and repeated solicitations of Mr. Boyse, the generous interference of Thomas Medlicote, Esq. the humane interposition of the Duke of Ormond, and the favourable report of the Lord Chancellor, that the exhorbitant fine passed upon him was against law. Through their exertions his fine was reduced to seventy pounds, which was paid into her Majesty's exchequer. The Archbishop of Armagh, however, who, as Queen's almoner, had a claim of a shilling in the pound upon the whole fine, was less merciful than the government, and would not extend his charity towards a poor sufferer for conscience' sake, until he had received twenty pounds by way of composition for the fifty which the sentence of the Court gave him. While Mr. Emlyn wae confined in the Marshalsea, he hired a pretty large room for himself, in which he constantly preached on Sundays, and was attended by some of the imprisoned debtors, and several of the lower class of his former hearers, whose attachment to him was a source of consolation and pleasure under his afflictions. Soon after his release Mr. Emlyn removed to London, OLD-BAILEY.--Presbyterian, Extinct. where he preached once every Sunday to a small congregation of persons who entertained similar opinions with himself, but without receiving any salary, notwithstanding that his incoine was now very much diminished. This liberty of preaching which he enjoyed, gave great offence to several persons, and particularly to Mr. Charles Leslie, the famous nonjuror; through whose means complaint was made on the subject to Dr. Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury. That good prelate, however, knew too much of Mr. Emlyn's real character to sanction any measures for his molestation. Nor were the lower house of convocation, who, in their representation to the Queen, in 1711, asserted that weekly sermons were preached in defence of the unitarian principles, successful, any more than Mr. Leslie, in endeavouring to renew the persecutions against him. On their assertion, Mr. Emlyn thought proper to write some observations which sufficiently proved its falsehood. After a few years his congregation was dissolved, in consequence of the death of his principal hearers, and he retired into obscurity to devote his remaining days to the support, by various publications, of the principles which he had embraced, and the cause for which he had suffered. The first performance published by him after his release from prison was, "A Letter to the Rev. Dr. Willis, Dean of Lincoln; being some friendly Remarks on his Sermon before the Honourable House of Commons, November 5, 1705." The intention of it was to shew, that the punishment, even of Papists, for religion, was not warranted by the Jewish laws; and that Christians had been more cruet persecutors than Jews. In 1706, Mr. Emlyn published one of his most elaborate productions, which is, "A Vindication of the Worship of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Unitarian Principles, &c." In 1707, he gave to the world two publications: the first of which was entitled, "The Supreme Deity of God the Father demonstrated, in Answer VOL. III. 3 G OLD-BAILEY.-Presbyterian, Extinct. to Dr. Sherlock's Arguments for the Supreme Deity of Jesus Christ, &c." and the second, "A brief Vindication of the Bishop of Glocester's (Dr. Fowler) Discourses concerning the Descent of the Man Christ Jesus from Heaven, from Sherlock, the Dean of St. Paul's, Charge of Heresy, &c." In 1708, Mr. Emlyn printed three tracts, all of them directed against Mr. Charles Leslie, on the subject of the Socinian controversy. One of our author's most curious productions made its appearance in 1710, and was entitled, "The Previous Question to the several Questions about valid and invalid Baptism, lay Baptism, &c. considered, viz. whether there be any Necessity (upon the Principles of Mr. Wall's History of Infant Baptism) for the continual Use of Baptism among the Posterity of baptized Christians." Whatever may be thought of the author's hypothesis, it must be allowed that he supports it with ingenuity and learning; and though the converts to it have not been numerous, we believe that of late years they have been rather increasing. The next work which our author published was in the year 1715, and entitled, "A full Inquiry into the original Authority of the Text, 1'John, v. 7. There are Three that bear Record in Heaven, &c. containing an Account of Dr. Mill's Evidence from Antiquity, for and against its being genuine, &c." This piece produced an advocate for the disputed text in Mr. Martin, pastor of the French church at the Hague, who published a critical dissertation on the subject, in answer to Mr. Emlyn's "Inquiry." These were followed by some other tracts upon the subject. It is generally allowed, that Mr. Emlyn shewed distinguished abilities and literature in the controversy; and his side of the question has been since supported by a great number of able critics. A few years back the controversy was revived by Mr. Archdeacon Travis, and Mr. Professor Porson; and since that time, we believe, the generality of the learned have given up the disputed text. While Mr. Emlyn was engaged in the above-mentioned controversy, he published, in 1781, . OLD-BAILEY.-Presbyterian, Extinct. a treatise, entitled, "Dr. Bennet's New Theory of the Trinity examined; or, some Considerations on the Discourse of the ever-blessed Trinity in Unity, and his Examination of Dr. Clarke's Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity;" in 1719, "Remarks on a Book, entitled, The Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity stated and defended, by four London Ministers, &c." in the same year, "A true Narrative of the Proceedings of the Dissenting Ministers of Dublin against Mr. Thomas Emlyn, and of his Prosecution (at some of the Dissenter's instigation) in the Secular Court, &c." and in the same year, "The Rev. Mr. Trosse's Arguments answered relating to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Deity of the Holy Ghost, &c." Mr. Emlyn enjoyed the satisfaction of finding that the doctrine for which he had written and suffered so much, gradually gained ground, both in England and Ireland. Nevertheless, he still continued to be so obnoxious, that none of the Dissenting Divines in London, dared to ask him to preach for them, excepting Mr. Burroughs, and Mr. (afterwards Dr.) James Foster, ministers of a General Baptist congregation in London. But he was, notwithstanding, honoured with the esteem and friendship of many persons of distinguished learning, and in eminent stations; particularly with the truly excellent Dr. Samuel Clarke, rector of St. James's, and Mr. Whiston. About the year 1726, upon the death of the worthy and learned Mr. James Pierce, of Exeter, several of the people intended to take measures to procure an invitation to be sent to Mr. Emlyn, to become his successor; but as soon as he was informed of their design, he requested that they would relinquish it, as his declining years and increasing infirmities would not permit him to accept of it. In the year 1731, he wrote " Observations on Dr. Waterland's Notions in Relation to Polytheism, Ditheism, &c." and in the same year drew up some " Memoirs of the Life and Sentiments of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Clarke." Those pieces were not published till a complete collection |