Later Unitarians in Christianity 215Joseph Priestly (1733-1804)
Joseph Priestly was born in the little harnlet of Fieldhead six miles
south-west of Leeds in 1733. He was the eldest child of a domestic
cloth-maker. His mother died when he was six years old. At home
he was given a strict Calvinist upbringing, but at school his teach
ers were dissenting ministers, that is to say, priests who did not
agree with all the doctrines of the Trinitarian Church of England.
With a view to becoming a minister; Priestly became well-grounded
in Latin, Greek and Hebrew. The EIders of the Quakers refused to
admit him, however, as he did not demonstrate sufficient repent
ance for Adam's sins. Similarly, the universities refused to accept
anyone who did not subscribe to all the doctrines of the orthodox
Church.
Instead, Priestly was sent to a well-known academy where the
teachers and students were divided between the 'orthodoxy' of
the established Church and the 'heresy' of belief in One God. Here
Priestly began to doubt the truth of the fundamental dogmas of
the official Christian church in earnest, especially that of the doc
trine of Trinity. The more he studied the Bible, the more convinced
of his own views Priestly became. The writings of Arius, Servetus,
and Socianus left a profound impression on him and like them, he
also came to the conclusion that the Scrîptures provided meagre
support for the doctrines of Trinity, Original Sin, and the Atone
ment and Redemption of Sins. The result was that on completion
of his studies he left the Academy as a confirmed Arian.
Priestly was subsequently appointed as an assistant to a minis
ter at a salary of thirty pounds per annum. When it was discovered
that he was an Arian, he was dismissed. In 1758 he succeeded in
securing another appointment as a minister in Nantwich, in Chesh
ire. He served there for three years. His income was small but he
supplemented it by giving private tuition, He soon acquired the
reputation of being a good teacher.
The Arians had established an Academy at Warrington in 1757,
and onleavingNantwich, Priestlybecamea teacherthere. Heused
to visit London during the vacations, and it was on one of these
visits that he met Benjamin Franklin for the first time.
In 1767 Priestly came to preach nearer his old home, becoming
the minister in Mill Hill in Leeds. He stayed there for six years. It
was in Leeds that Priestly printed a number of tracts and he soon
became well-known as an outstanding and authoritative spokes
man for Unitarianism.