few in number; some of them were poor, but possessed of eminent piety, and residents in the surrounding villages. Not a student or member of the university was to be seen in the place. The principal influential members of the church and congregration consisted of persons in the meridian of life, who were embarked in commercial pursuits. A generation of their fathers had been nearly all removed during the ministry of Mr. Robinson. There were a few of these gentlemen of whose intelligence Mr. Hall entertained a very high opinion, which circumstance induced a laborious and diligent preparation for the exercises of the pulpit.

It

Most of his sermons at this period were written at full length, though preached without the use of notes. His delivery was uncommonly rapid, occasioned by the astonishing flow of his ideas, which literally struggled for utterance. This was accompanied by an impediment in his voice, together with a slight cough, which by attention he in some measure overcame. His voice was feeble, and had not much compass or variety of tone. required great attention to follow him; and such was the stillness which prevailed, that the slightest sound was perceptible, and even the ticking of the clock was distinctly heard. The strictest silence was preserved until Mr. Hall had finished the head of discourse, or made a momentary pause, when a movement was made by the congregation, to give vent to suppressed emotions, and to refix attention. Notwithstanding the general style of Mr. Hall's sermons, which was far above the comprehension of

ordinary minds, I heard it observed by some of his poorer members, that there were always passages which afforded matter for profitable meditation. A taste for metaphysics led him occasionally to indulge in that mode of reasoning. To this were united keen satire, and the purest attic wit; which were principally directed against scepticism and materialism, to make them appear unphilosophical, absurd, and ridiculous.

His prayers were highly scriptural and devotional; they possessed a solemnity which touched every heart, and prepared the mind for the reception of the sermon. It has been stated that Mr. Hall's religious sentiments were not evangelical till after his illness in 1805. This however is a mistaken idea, as may be proved, not only by an appeal to living witnesses, but by the sermons delivered before that period; a few sketches of which will be found in another part of this work. I am aware that the supposition has been favoured by the opinion entertained by Mr. Hall himself after his recovery, which induced him to give greater prominency to the peculiar doctrines of the gospel than he had previously done; and it is to the same conviction we may attribute the destruction of his manuscripts after his removal to Leicester.

These discourses, however, as he delivered them, were by no means deficient in orthodoxy. He divided rightly the word of truth, giving to every one his portion of meat in due season. I have frequently heard him say that when he first received the invitation to Cambridge, he had “just a

sufficient quantum of orthodoxy to pass muster with the pious part of the members, and not too much to be refused by the refined and speculative part of the congregation."

To use his own words, "there was a bad leaven in the place, produced by the preaching of his predecessor, which tended to scepticism." This "leaven," as he termed it, consisted in latitudinarian sentiments, which, under the garb of liberality, had inclined some of his respectable hearers, who were men of considerable talent and influence, to socinianism, if not to the verge of scepticism. Such was the peculiarity of his situation, that when I first became acquainted with him he was engaged in laying the foundations, raising the outworks, and establishing the evidences of Christianity, before he could build up his people in their most holy faith. By his peerless eloquence, accompanied with the divine blessing, he eventually succeeded, and had the happiness of seeing the most sensible and distinguished of his hearers embrace the truth as it is in Jesus. He felt and spoke more strongly upon these subjects, having narrowly escaped from similar errors, in consequence of reading Hume's treatise upon miracles, and other deistical works, when a tutor at Bristol. This fact he has frequently related to me, adding, "Sir, I should have been a devil without christianity."

Mr. Hall's sermons were principally upon subjects suited to the condition of his audience; and his appeals to the consciences and feelings of his hearers were equally pungent and faithful;

"What! will you shut out the Deity from his own dominions, till at length the great eternal Being becomes unknown and unacknowledged in his own world? Will you dare to venture on the thick bosses of the Almighty's buckler; or will you place briers and thorns before him? He would pass through them; He would burn them up together!" To form any idea of the effect produced by these appeals, it would be necessary to witness the expression of his brilliant eye, the moving eloquence of his lifted brow, and the animated and impassioned manner in which his addresses were delivered.

His senior deacon, W. Hollick, Esq., who took the most active part in the society during Mr. Hall's residence at Cambridge, has frequently acknowledged to me with tears of gratitude, that had it not been for Mr. Hall's ministry he should have become a focinian, if not an infidel. I visited him in his last illness, which I think was in 1817. He died in the faith.

Many of the young men who had been trained up under the instruction of Mr. Hall's predecessor, were also sceptically inclined. They formed themselves into a society for the purpose of discussing controverted points; and shortly afterwards the orthodox party was joined by Mr. now Dr. Gregory, who ably contended for the faith once delivered to the saints. Mr. Hall, being desirous to obtain some information respecting Mr. Gregory, as a new comer, with whom I had become intimate, inquired my opinion of him; I replied in terms

of the warmest approbation. From this period Dr. Gregory enjoyed a large share in his affections.

It was under these circumstances that Mr. Hall's great usefulness at Cambridge was apparent. I frequently reminded him of this when he lamented to me in private the little success that, in his opinion, attended his ministry.

Mr. Hall was at this time a bachelor between thirty and forty years of age, and occupied two rooms belonging to Mr. Lucas Ray, in the Petty Cury, which he held till about 1803. His sittingroom, which was also his study, was unusually large; I think about forty feet by twenty-five, and very lofty. It had two large windows looking into St. Andrew's church-yard, with the tower opposite, which was unfortunate for his peculiar turn of mind. In this room we have spent together many sacred and delightful evenings, the grateful remembrance of which I shall never lose.

His habits were very studious: I never knew any man that was so great a reader on all subjects. It is a mistaken notion that he was entirely indebted to genius; he possessed great industry and application, united to which was a thirst for knowledge, and an ambition to excel in every thing which he undertook. Dissatisfied with present attainments, he frequently said, "Let your aim and standard be high, for you will always be below your standard; and if your standard is high, your attainments will be high also." He generally read from an early hour of the morning till eight o'clock in the evening; after which he visited either the sick, or his