CAMPBELL, G Eoite F.:, D. D. was born at Aberdeen, on the 25th of December 1719. Ilis father, who was one of the ministers of that city, died suddenly in 1723, and left, his family, consisting of three sons and three daughters, in circumstances not very afilueht. This event, which at first bore an unfavourable aspect on the future fortunes of %thing George, proved advantageous to him, by the necessity of personal exertion which it imposed, and by the early and powerful stimulus which it gave to the innate energies of his mind. Ile studied the languages at the grammar school and university of his native place. In the former, the Latin tongue was taught with great ability, and in the latter, a taste and zeal for Grecian literature had been happily introduced by Pro fessor Blackwell, whose eminence in that department is well known to every scholar. George Campbell made great proficiency in both, and thus laid the foundation of that critical erudition by which he was afterwards so much distinguished. At first he intended to follow the profession of a lawyer, and actually served an appren ticeship with a writer to the signet in Edinburgh. But, from what cause it is not known, he soon abandoned that view, and began to qualify himself for the clerical office. The short time, however, which lie spent in studying law was attended with advantage, as it furnished him with a general knowledge of that important subject, accustom ed him to closeness and ingenuity of reasoning, and gave him the faculty of drawing up papers with accuracy and skill. And though in making these acquisitions he had been tempted to neglect his Greek, yet he soon recover ed what he had thus lost, when exertion and application became necessary. Having attended the theological classes, both at Edinburgh and Aberdeen, during the re quisite number of years, and having undergone the pro bationary trials prescribed by the laws of the church in such cases, he was licensed to preach the gospel by the presbytery of Aberdeen, on the 11 th of June 17•16. In the following year he was a candidate for the parish of Fordoun, but for reasons which it is unnecessary to men tion, lie did not succeed in the application. Another year, however, did not elapse, till he received prefcr ment. In 1748, lie was ordained minister of Banchory Tertian, in the presbytery cf Kincardine-o-nik_1, w Lich living he obtained through the g( ne•ous and dishitert stud patronage of Sir Alexander Burnt tt of Leys. In this ravish he was chiefly distinguished by his powers of lecturing or expounding the scriptures, a practice which forms a regular part of the service observed in the church of Scotland, and has been found extremely useful in pro moting the religious knowledge of the people. And it was while engaged in this important and laudable exer cise among the humble rustics over whom he was set, that he first entertained the great design which he after wards so ably and happily executed, of giving a new translation of the gospels. It is curious also,to observe, that in this country parish, where scarcely any thing could occur to draw his attention to the niceties of gram mar and the beauties of composition, and where all his ordinary duties and pursuits were rather hostile to meta physical investigations, he composed a great part of his acute and excellent work on the Philosophy of Rhetoric.
Here, too, he entered into a matrimonial union, by marry ing Miss Grace Farquharson of Whitehouse, a lady of good understanding and amiable dispositions, who uni formly and minutely attended to his comfort, and who was happily spared to him till a very few years before his death.
In 1 7'57, he was translated to Aberdeen, and became one of the city ministers. This new situation, in which he had easy access to books, enjoyed the opportunity of associating daily with literary men, and lived in the im mediate neighbourhood of two universities, which held out to him objects of ambition and of hope, stimulated hint to greater efforts, and led him on to higher attain ments than he could have been expected to make in the narrow sphere to which he had been hitherto confined. Accordingly we find him more active in the pursuit of knowledge, and more successful, both in the acquisition and application of it. While he did not neglect the pecu liar duties of his profession, and was especially so atten tive to one branch of these, as to establish, and even in crease his reputation as an expounder of holy writ, he allowed his studies to take a wider range, and began to cultivate, with equal diligence and success, the taste which he already indulged for literature and philosophy. About a year after his settlement in Aberdeen, a society was formed, which afforded him the means at once of improving his mind and displaying his talents. This so ciety will he deemed worthy of record, when it is recol lected that its leading members consisted of such men as Campbell, Reid, Gregory, Gerard, and Beattie, and that in it were first conceived, and partially produced, many of those writings by which these eminent men have done honour to themselves and service to mankind. Its con stitution was well calculated to sharpen the intellect, to elucidate truth, and to ameliorate the social dispositions. Instead of that stiff formal procedure, common in such associations, w hich obliges the mind either to remain at rest, or to move in affected dignity, there was a spirit of freedom which expressed itself rather in easy conver sation, than alternate debate, and combined pleasure ith advantage. And in room of that party temper which sometimes takes possession of learned bodies, sacrificing truth and harmony and every thing else to its own con tracted views, and converting a season professedly de toted to intellectual and social intercourse into an occa sion of indulging illiberal feelings and angry passions, there a predominance of good will and affection, which rendered the discussion of the gray( st points agreeable, tuul invested philosophy' with that moral charm and influence w hick should always grace her. At the meetings of this society a great variety of cts were handled, into all of which Mr Campbell entered with his characteristic acuteness ; and he himself delivered some very ingenious essays on rhetoric, criticism, and other topics to which his attention had been particularly directed.