A Practical View – William Wilberforce – 1799 | Practical Advice for Morality

William Wilberforce’s A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System was first issued in 1797 London. At the end of the 18th-century Wilberforce was a staunch supporter of the evangelistic efforts of the Church of England and to this, he published this exposition on the New Testament. ‘Practical View’ offered realistic practices for Protestants and charged Great Britain to turn from immorality and return to Christianity. This 1799 Boston printing is the second American edition, bound in the original leather.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Higher and Middle Classes, Contrasted with Real Christianity
• Author(s): William Wilberforce
• Publisher: Boston: Printed by Manning & Loring, for Ebenezer Larkin
• Edition: Second American Edition, 1799
• Format: (12mo), single volume
• Binding: Original leather
• Size:  6.75 in x 4.5 in (17.1 cm x 11.4 cm)
• Collation: 300 pp
• Contents Include:
  • Examination of outward religion vs. genuine practice
  • Moral critique rooted in Christian standards
  • Practical solutions for those who are consumed by money
  • A brief survey of Christianity in 18^th-century America
• Provenance: Handwritten note in prelims: “No. 47, This book belongs to the Social Library company in Easthampton”
• Reference(s): Evans 36716

Condition:

Good. Binding remains tight and intact. Leather shows wear and rubbing through at several spots. Internal pages are complete and legible.

Why Collect This?

• Early American edition of a foundational evangelical text, published in Boston
• Library provenance from Easthampton Social Library

Item Number: # 28979