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ed that he gave much of his time to his people.

It is likewife known, that he had, very early in life, a large fhare in the management of the public affairs and business of the diffenters, and was obliged to be frequently abroad upon that account. His constant attendance at the stated meetings of his brethren took up much time; and, if any thing happened extraordinary that concerned the public intereft, he was alWays called upon as one, upon whofe difcretion in counfel, and diligence in execution, his brethren had an intire dependance. And it will appear, from the account to be given immediately, that his engagements and bufinefs of this kind must be fuppofed greatly to increafe, when the debates concerning the power of the church, and chriftian liberty, were brought into the fynod. He was always looked upon as at the head of that party, which efpoused the cause of liberty, and had a principal share in conducting the counfels of his friends, with respect to the public debates: In the business of their private focieties, he laboured with great diligence, wrote many papers

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papers himself upon the controverted points, feveral of which were published, and affifted in those which were published by his friends.

BUT befides all this, he made very great progrefs in learning: The reader will perceive, from the account of his education already given, that he was too much haftened in it; but he laboured afterwards with fuch application, that there were few branches of learning, to which he could be called a stranger. He had a tafte for the claffics, and understood them; and used to recommend the study of them very warmly to young candidates. He had carefully read the best fyftematical writers in divinity, and was fkilful in their controverfies. He was well acquainted with church hiftory; understood the modern improvements in philosophy, and was not a stranger to the various hypotheses of the antients. He was thoroughly verfed in the principles of natural religion and morality, and had made the principal authors, both antient and modern, upon thefe arguments, perfectly fami liar to him: His knowledge in these matters best appears, from the fermons he pub

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Inhed upon the divine attributes, which have been so well received in the learned world, that it is unneceflary to fay any thing concerning them.

1.: BUT above all things, he applied himself to the ftudy of the holy fcriptures; his thorough acqaintance with which, the reader will fee in the perufal of his fermons: No man could be more happy in pertinent quotations from them; or in explaining the more difficult and controverted paffages, comparing texts together, and cafting light upon them, by reasoning from the undoubted principles of religion, in which he had a great dexterity.

BUT while he was thus employed in the north, and had acquired a very high repu tation, he was, in the in the year 1717, year 1717, invited by the congregation of proteftant diffenters at Uber's Quay in Dublin, to be their paftor, in conjunction with the late reverend Mr. Arbuckle, then their fole paftor. This affair gave him much trouble. He had contracted a very great affection for his people in Antrim, and had feen his labours among them fuccefsful. He highly esteemed the

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fociety of minifters in that neighbourhood," and was inexpreffibly dear to them: It was his own opinion, that he was capable of ferving the great purposes of christianity, and of the diffenting intereft in Antrim, as effectually as he could in any other fituation; and thought it extremely hard, that any minister should be removed by mere dint of the authority of a fynod, contrary the judgment of his own mind. The affair was long depending, and took feveral turns, but at the last came to a decifion by the general fynod, in 1718..

Ar that time the congregation in Belfaft, ufually called the Old Congregation, wanted a minister; the reverend Mr. John Macbride, their paftor, was then in a declining ftate, and unable to go through the minifterial fervices; fo that congregation, while the affair of Usher's Quay was depending, invited Mr. Abernethy: And many imagined, that, if he was obliged to leave Antrim, it would be more agreeable to him to fix in Belfast than Dublin; and some thought it would be more ferviceable to the common interest. The general fynod, af

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ter a long debate among the parties, one for his going to Dublin, another for Belfast, and a third for his remaining at Antrim, came to a determination in favour of the first.

MR. ABERNETHY now found him-: felf in a good deal of perplexity; he was exceedingly dear to the congregation of Antrim, and they to him: His own judgment was, that his removal was like to be hurtful, rather than serviceable to the public intereft of the diffenters: At the fame time a great regard had been always shown to fynodical decifions; and there was apparent danger of incurring great inconveniencies, by acting in direct contradiction to them. The fynod had appointed his remo val to Dublin in three months; during this time, he had frequent confultations with his friends: Many urged him to comply with the fynod, and had frightful apprehenfions of the confequences of fuch an act of difobedience to their authority, as his continuing at Antrim muft be. That authority had been generally esteemed indisputable, and any thing that was like to weaken, much more to bring it into contempt,

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