CONTENTS. page His Ordination as Deacon and Prefbyter, &c. 42 12. Original Letters never before published MEMOIRS OF THE LATE REV. ISAAC SLEE 1. His Birth and Education. THE Reverend Ifaac Slee defcended from a refpectable family, in the county of Cumberland. His parents were Mr. John and Mrs. Agnes Slee, of Studdah, in the parish of Greyflock, not many miles from Penrith. They possessed a very handsome eftate, on a part of which they lived; they were perfons of fober fame and reputation, frugal, juft, and, fo far as I know, generous; both members of the established church of England. Their fon Ifaac, the fubject of these memoirs, was born at Studdah, February 2, 1753. The cheapnefs of claffical education in Cumber Tand and Weftmoreland, is probably one, if not the principal reason, why fo many young men in these counties are brought up for the service of the church. But it would be uncharitable to fuppofe that none are influenced by higher confiderations: for the honour of chriftianity we would gladly hope, that purer motives in fome, if not in many inftances prevail. Having a numerous family of children, Mr. Slee defigned two of his fons, Ifaac and Daniel, for the church. Ifaac, at the ufual age, was initiated into the knowledge of letters. His juvenile attainments were fuch as gave general fatisfaction, and encouraged his father, when he was about ten years of age, to confine his attention wholly to the claffics. His improvement was very confiderable. The first four years he was under the care of the Rev. Mr. Thwaits, at Dacre, afterwards of New-Church, Cumberland. His next tutor was the Reverend Mr. Cooper, then master of the grammar-school, at Blencow, in the parish of Dacre. He continued four years with him, during which period he obtained an accurate knowledge both of the Latin and Greek claffics. During the two laft years that he was at Blencow, he had fometimes the charge of the fchool for nearly half of the week. Here it was that he first began to fee the truth of that maxim, Evil commu nications nications corrupt good manners. He found acts of immorality prevailing, which he had no authority to prevent, and which his modesty would not permit him to difclofe. He difcovered fome boys perpetrating a crime which we dare not mention, and corrupting their fellows by vile example: This led him, in maturer years, to look upon large public fchools as nurferies of vice, rather than feminaries of learning and virtue. He judged that tutors of youth were entrusted with a charge of the greatest importance; and that their vigilance, in detecting and restraining vice, fhould only be equalled by their diligence in implanting the principles of knowledge and virtue. He had formed the very fame idea of most of our popular feminaries of education as the amiable author of the little poem, TYROCINIUM. Mr. Slee was now about his twentieth year, and had obtained fufficient learning for ordination to the facred office in the epifcopal church, or for admittance into either of the univerfities. For the former, according to the canon law, he was three years under age.; for the latter, it was high time, and he was very defirous of it, but his father was at prefent averfe to it. He admitted the propriety of the measure, fince none but graduates in the univer fity can rife to any preferment in the English eftablifhed church. But he thought preferment a dif tant object; that his fon might obtain fome fituation to fupport himself till that period drew nearer ; and that as it was prefumed his qualifications would foon be equal to the ufual examination, he might obtain his degrees with such a residence in the college, as only to comply with the forms of univerfity-ftatutes. This plan, more plausible than folid, was adopted, and the old gentleman promifed, at fome future period, to fend Ifaac to the university. All this while, though defigned for a minister of the gospel, he was deftitute of real religion. He was modeft, fober, and a regular attendant upon public worship, though in a mere formal way. The thoughts of that office for which he was inrended, and the prudent frugality of his parents, not allowing the means of expensive vices, kept him from running to the excess of riot which many do. At this period, however, he was not without many checks of confcience, and concern about the falvation of his immortal foul; yet he neither faw any amiableness in the Divine Character, nor loved or feared the God who made him; except uniting formally in public worship could be fo called. When he reflected upon religious fubjects, and the foundation of his hope as to a future ftate, all he could fay was this,There are thousands in the |