Into every branch of science he made early inquiries, and some lectures which he heard at school on natural philosophy, are said to have riveted his attention in a particular manner. After the usual routine of a school education, he was placed, at the age of fourteen, as an apprentice with Mr. Dawson, a surgeon and apothecary, at Leeds.

The parents of Mr. Hey had carefully trained him, from his earliest years, in habits of strict attention to moral principle, and a regard to the outward duties of religion. From the commencement of his apprenticeship, he never omitted prayer on rising in the morning and retiring at night. This exposed him to the scoffs and ridicule of his fellow-apprentice, who would introduce the servant boy into the bedroom to join in his mockery of this religious service; but he was not to be thus intimidated, and his firmness and perseverance induced them at length to desist. As yet, however, he had acquired no correct notions of the leading doctrines of the Bible, for in conversation with a young friend, who was pressing on his attention the necessity of disclaiming all merit and relying solely on the mercy and grace of the Redeemer for salvation, he exclaimed, with some surprise, "What! are we not to do our duty ?". so little perception had he then of that inward change of mind, which the blessed doctrine of justification by faith only in the righteousness and atonement of the Lord Jesus invariably produces, if it be but simply and sincerely

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embraced :-"With the heart man believeth unto righteousness." But this doubtful mental twilight was about to yield to the dawn of a brighter day: "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord." He was at this period in the habit also of retiring at convenient seasons to study the holy Scriptures; and on one of those occasions, while reading the 5th chapter of the 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians, his attention was forcibly arrested by the 17th verse, If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." In reflecting on these words, a series of considerations arose in his mind, in the course of which, doubtless under the teaching of God's Holy Spirit, he was led to a right knowledge of himself as a sinner -of the only way of salvation-of the necessity of an entire renewal of the inward man. Scenes of worldly gaiety and amusement began forthwith to lose their accustomed attraction. His thoughts were now chiefly occupied, and his affections engaged, by invisible and eternal realities. At first, as he once remarked in conversation with an intimate friend, his mind was not so deeply impressed by a sense of the great evil of sin, as attracted by an apprehension of the beauty and excellence of holiness. What chiefly affected him was the love of God manifested in the redemption of a sinful world by Jesus Christ, and the Divine wisdom displayed in the dispensations of providence and grace. Certain it is, that, at this time, he entered

upon a course from which nothing afterwards ever induced him to turn aside. He became the willing and consistent and unflinching disciple of Divine truth, daily growing in grace and in the knowledge of his Lord and Saviour. His religious views and habits did not escape the notice of Mr. and Mrs. Dawson, who considered him unnecessarily precise, and suspected that the tenets he had adopted were not a little tinctured with enthusiasm. On one occasion, Mrs. D. undertook to expostulate with him on the subject of his religious sentiments. The reply he made was calm and conciliating. He frankly avowed his views of the nature of true religion, and on this, as on many following occasions, referred to the Articles and Liturgy of the Church of England, as sufficient evidence that the principles he maintained were exactly those for which the reformers contended as the pure doctrines of the sacred writings. These conversations convinced Mrs. D. that his sentiments were not without foundation. He read to her several religious works, no book engaging more of their attention than the "Rise and Progress of Religion," by Dr. Doddridge; and Mrs. D. became finally, not only a convert to his opinions, but an imitator of his piety, and continued his steady and affectionate friend to the end of life.

In the autumn of 1757, Mr. Hey went to London to complete his professional education. Attached to his studies, actuated by an ardent thirst for knowledge, and steadily determined

to become master of every subject to which he applied, it was, at the same time, a matter of conscience with him, to acquire a thorough acquaintance with the profession he was to exercise. "I would spare no pains to qualify myself for that state of life to which the providence of God has called me, and then trust him with the success of my endeavours:"-Such was the maxim by which he was actuated. His first winter was devoted to anatomy, and seldom did he employ less than twelve hours daily in the lecture and dissecting-rooms. But this unwearied application qualified him for deriving many superior advantages from his subsequent attendance on hospital practice. His youthful companions in study would treat his seriousness with mockery, and sneer at the correctness of his conduct; yet they were constrained to allow the soundness of his understanding, and his superior attainments in professional knowledge. They frequently applied to him in matters of difficulty, and ever found him as cheerfully ready as he was able, to assist them in their inquiries, and to aid and encourage them in their several pursuits. "Remember," said he in a letter to his son, written forty years afterwards, "that one talent is to be improved as well as ten. When I was a student I always endeavoured to be at the head of my class. This diligence insured me the regard of my teachers, and preserved me from many rude attacks from my equals. This I experienced very much, when engaged in my

medical studies in London, where I could not meet with one religious young man in my own profession. But as I took such pains, that my fellow-students were obliged to consult me in their difficulties, I preserved a considerable check their conduct. A religious young man, who followed me, did not escape so well. His fellow-students, at St. George's Hospital, tossed him in a blanket."

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It is said to have been during the period of his studies in London, that Mr. Hey undertook the very difficult task of systematically governing his thoughts, and laid the foundation of a valuable habit, which remained with him to the end of life. He determined that he would meditate on a given subject, while he was walking to a certain distance, and that then he would turn his attention to some other topic; and he was thus accustomed to pass through the streets of London, investigating the various subjects to which his thoughts had been directed by the lectures or other professional occupations. He found this acquirement of the greatest use, not only in preserving him from a swarm of vain thoughts, but in enabling him to form a correct judgment on many points of Divine and human knowledge. The same kind of accuracy was observed in his conversation. He would often discuss a subject with a friend as they rode in his carriage. In the midst of the conversation, Mr. Hey would alight to see a patient; and, although this circumstance occurred frequently, he never failed to resume the subject