Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/249

 A M O R Y. 213 conduced by him with admirable propriety, ferioufhefs, and fervour. His fermons were clofe, accurate, folid, and affec- tionate. The topics he chiefly infifted upon were the per- fections and providence of God ; the veneration, love, truft, and obedience we fhould ever exercife towards him ; the evidences of a future ftate; the truth and excellency of the gofpel ; the great duties of the Chriftian life; the account we muft give hereafter ; and the important confequences of that account. He never devoted the pulpit to trifling fub- jecls. If any thing difputable was ever introduced by him, it was to expofe the doclrines of rigid Calvinifm, which he much difapproved, as giving very narrow and unworthy ideas of the Supreme mind. His fentiments, with regard to both natural and revealed religion, nearly agreed with thofe of Dr. Samuel Clarke, and of the eminent divines who were coadjutors with that great man. Dr. Amory did not, therefore, fall in with the Socinian principles, which, of late, have been fo warmly defended : neither did he reject: the na- tural evidences of a life to come, or the notion of a feparate Hate, as feveral ingenious moderns have done. How far his general fyftem of opinions was right, we pretend not to de- termine; our bufmefs being only, as hiftorians, to relate the matter of fact. Whatever his fentiments were, he maintain- ed them with the utmoft candour, and retained the fmcerefl regard for thofe who differed from him. As to his learning, it was folid, judicious, and extenfive. He was well acquaint- ed with every part of theology, and diligently ftudied the Holy Scriptures. He was, likewife, much converfant with ethics, natural and experimental philofophy, and the beft an- cients, efpecially their moral writings. Nor was he above amufing himfelf with hiftory, books of travels, poetry, and other entertaining fpecies of compofttion. But his general application was to thofe more lerious and important parts of tfudy, that were immediately fuited to his profeflion. This will appear from his works ; the account of which, as given by Dr. Flexman, at trie end of his Funeral Sermon for Dr. Amory (together with an addition or two by Dr. Kippis, to render it more complete), may be feen at large intheBiogra- phia Bntannica, vol. I. p. 178. , AMYOT (JAMES), bifoop of Auxerre and great almoner of France, was born of an obfcure family at Melun, the 30th of October 1514; and ftudied philofophy at Paris, in the college of cardinal Le Moire. He was naturally dull and heavy j but diligence and application made amends for thefe P 3 natural