mended him to the university of Oxford for the degree of Doctor in Divinity; which was readily and unanimously conferred upon him by diploma, in February, 1743. Twenty years before, the university, in the diploma given him for his Master's degree, used this expression: "Sperantes nempe, illius Ministerio, aliam et ean“dem, olim, nascituram, Ecclesiam Anglica“6 nam.” To this they allude in their present diploma, as partly accomplished in the late great increase of the Church, in which he had been instrumental; and Dr. ASTRY, in his letter on the occasion of transmitting the diploma, tells him, "He did not so much consider himself as doing "a good office to a private friend, as promoting "the public interest of religion." Several persons of rank and distinction, as Dr. JOHNSON was informed by his friend Dr. ASTRY, were very active in procuring his degree; particularly Dr. SECKER, then Bishop of Oxford, and afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, and Dr. HODGES, Provost of Oriel College, and ViceChancellor of the University.* To them the

* Dr. HODGES, in his oration before the university, Oct. 5, 1744, when he resigned the office of Vice-Chancellor, speaks of this degree conferred upon Dr. JOHNSON, as one of the most agreeable things that had happened during his administration. "Fateor autem me," says he, "Voluntati "vestræ obsecundare semper paratum, numquam ad jussa

H

Doctor made his thankful acknowledgments; and, in his letter to Bishop SECKER, he took the occasion to thank him for his admirable sermon, then lately preached before the society; in which he had excelled all his predecessors in pleading the cause of the Church of England in the colonies, and had particularly urged the necessity of sending Bishops to America. The Doctor enlarged on the necessity of establishing an Episcopate in the colonies, and requested his Lordship to continue the exertion of his influence and great abilities towards obtaining a blessing of such importance. The Bishop wrote the following polite and kind answer to him, which introduced a correspondence that continued till near the time of his Lordship's death, in 1768.

"vestra capessenda paratiorem accessisse quam in illo justis"simo decreto exequendo, quo egregium virum* in propa

ganda fide apud Indos Occidentales feliciter occupatum "Doctorali Gradu voluistis insigniri. Operi tam divino se "accingentem, iterque officio tam pio destinatum instituen"tem, liberali gradas magistralis viatico, quo potuistis uti"lissimo, aliquando olim instuxistis. Spes vestras minimè "fefellit fidus illi Christi Minister, qui ornamentum ipsi de"latum in usum Ecclesæ Deique gloriam egregiè converte"bat. Erat æquissimum, ut virtutem ita spectatam viribus "vestris et subsidiis omnibus aleretis, promoveretis. Illi, "qui ex una mina lucrifacit decem, divini nostri magistri "sequaces plura et honorificentiora esse committenda jure "et exemplo summo decrevistis." See Dr. Hodges' Theological Pieces, &c. p. 334.

* SAMUELEM JOHNSON.

"St. James's, Westminster, March 8, 1745.

“SIR,

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"I thank you heartily for the favour of 66 your obliging letter. If I contributed any thing towards obtaining your degree, it was only "by acquainting some members of the univer"sity with your character: and if I have fur"thered, in any measure, by my sermon, the "designs of the society, God be thanked. For

next to the support of religion, if it be possi

"ble, amongst ourselves, our principal object "should be the encouraging it in our colonies. "Every thing looks very discouraging here, ec"clesiastical and civil, domestic and foreign. "God avert from us the judgments we have de"served; or, if he hath determined our fall, 66 raise you up in our stead, that his truth may "still have some place of refuge! We have "been greatly blameable, amongst many other

things, towards you; particularly in giving you 66 no Bishops. But I see no prospect of the "amendment of that or any thing, except what "arises from the contemplation of his over"ruling Providence, who brings light out of "darkness.

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"Being taken up, while in town, with the care of a parish, which is too much for me,

" and having no interest amongst the great, I can "attend the society but little, and serve them

yet less: but shall be glad to receive whatever -46 you may please to communicate to me concerning the state of religion amongst you "which will always have my best wishes and 66 prayers. I earnestly pray God to bless you "for the sake of it; and am, with much regard, "Sir, your loving brother, and humble servant, "THO. OXFORD.

"To the Rev. Dr. JOHNSON."

About this time Dr. JOHNSON entered upon a new course of studies, both philosophical and theological; which, as it depended upon his beloved Hebrew, was the more agreeable; and engaged the whole of his time that could be spared from the duties of his station. He had met with Lord President FORBES's Thoughts on Religion, and Letter to a Bishop. This led him to procure the works of Mr. JOHN HUTCHINSON, which, of late years, have made such a noise in the learned world. These he read over again and again. He studied them with the utmost care and attention, making use of all the assistance he could obtain from the best critics and lexicographers. At length he became entirely

satisfied in his own mind, with regard to the fol lowing particulars. On the one hand, many of Mr. HUTCHINSON's criticisms appeared to him to be unjust, and many of his translations forced and unnatural. He was also greatly disgusted at the superciliousness of that author, who treats the great names of Sir ISAAC NEWTON and Dr. CLARKE contemptuously, and represents them as no better than atheists, and apostates from Christianity; nor did he think that he had done justice to the characters of Philo and the Jewish Rabbies, however obnoxious they were in many respects. Yet, on the other hand, he was struck with admiration of the profound and stupendous genius of Mr. HUTCHINSON, which appeared to him to be but little, if at all, inferior to that of Sir ISAAC himself. He thought he had really weakened the principles of the Newtonian philosophy, showing its inconsistency in several points; and that he had proved that the only right system of philosophy is taught in the Bible. With regard to divinity, it appeared to him, 1. That there was the highest probability that Mr. HUTCHINSON had discovered some very important ancient truths, that had been in a manner lost, particularly with respect to the divine names, the cherubim, &c. 2. That he had most