Daniel Turner, Abingdon, to an unnamed correspondent at Watford, 14 June 1782.

My Dear Sir, I have ans.d yr Queries—Dyer is an excell.t man—He has one foible, that is, he is apt to be a little eccentric & to be carried away by sudden starts of Fancy sometimes into a behaviour not so manly as I c.d wish, but it is always with the most benevolent Intention from the overflowing of his heart.  He w.d not hurt a Worm.  In his preaching without notes he is sometimes excell.t especially when he is not overaw’d.  But else sometimes he pauses rather too long.  He came quite raw to Oxford in the preach.g way, not having had Time to form his Mind. And Robinson is too much of an original to be a pattern for Young Men, who are pleased with his Manner & naturally attempt to imitate it; which there is not one in a thousand can do.  For the Temper of the Man & the good Stuff in him: you will not easily find one to excell, & Time & Encouragement w.d make him a good preacher.—In short, he is a Man I have a very high Esteem of & w.d do anything in my power to render him happy. He is a very good Classical Scholar.  But he is upon going to Northampton as I hinted in the paper of Queries. Tho’ the Matter is not absolutely fix’d. I expect every post a Letter from Mr Ryland to determine it. If Mr Ryland chooses to engage him he has the prior Claim— There he will have Time to study divinity more attentively & fully, & will seldom preach wh is my Reason for recommendg him thither. But sh.d Ryland not choose to engage him, then Query whether I may send him to Watford? Let me know this as soon as you can.

I am sorry to hear such news of Mr Smith whom I know very well. I can’t think what has turn’d the Man’s head so far from the Truth except it is the puzzling nonsensical unscriptural Manner the Orthodox people too generally take in maintaining the Doctrines of the Deity of Christ upon the stupid Athanasian plan—The Language of Job is as different from that of the Scriptures as darkness from Light. Let us not attempt to explain what is inexplicable. Who by Searchg can find out the Almighty? The Bible says it is the Word of God; I therefore believe it: The Bible, the Bible.

Text: Daniel Turner: Letters, MSS, and Poems, 1743-82, FPC/c.55, Angus Library, Regent’s Park College, Oxford.