216 OUR HYMNS :
often including in its number members of the University, some of whom, however, came to find sport and give annoyance.
It was while at Cambridge that Robinson added to his other pursuits that of farmer. From 1782 to 1785 he was in posses sion of a considerable extent of land, which he had under his own care, and he had previously farmed a little, his object being pro bably to supplement his means in order to supply the wants of his numerous children. It was there too that he wrote his able works. In 1770, he commenced as an author by publishing a translation of one of Saurin s sermons. He afterwards published others of Saurin s sermons, and in 1778-79, " Claude s Essay on the Composition of a Sermon," in two volumes. This was a trans lation with many notes, full of lively anecdotes and valuable sugges tions, added by the translator. In 1774, Mr. Robinson took his place as a powerful writer by writing a masterly work, entitled "Arcana ; or, the Principles of the late Petitioners to Parliament for Relief in the Matter of Subscription." The work was written when there was great excitement on the subject, and both Church men and Nonconformists were petitioning.
In 1781, he was invited by the Baptists of London to under take to write a new " History of the Baptists." For this purpose he was to visit London, ami preach in some of the principal chapels, while detained in London to pursue his historical re searches. This plan proved too laborious, and he had to con tinue his researches at home, availing himselfof the rich treasures of the University library. He spared no pains to master the different languages, in which various works on the subject were written, and with ceaseless industry traversed the whole of the wide field. But the toil was too severe, and the writer did not live to complete all that he had purposed. The result appeared in " The History of Baptism," quarto, published in 1790, and followed by another work " Ecclesiastical Researches," in 1792, published after his death.
Robinson was also the author of " A Plea for the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ," of which several editions were published ; and
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