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the passage gave me no trouble, because I did not consider it as a metaphysical assertion, but as a plain reference to the words of the Scripture; which to each person of the Godhead, distinctly taken by himself, so far as that can be done, does certainly give the titles both of God and Lord.* In this, therefore, instead of depending on the Creed, we only depend, as that does, upon the words of the Scripture. With this he was satisfied, and allowed that such an intention in the Creed removed the difficulty.

The last considerable affair in which he concerned himself while Dean of Canterbury, was an application from the bishops of the Episcopal Church of Scotland; three of whom, in the year 1789, came up to London, to petition parliament for relief from the hard penalties under which they had long suffered. This they ventured to do, in consideration of the loyalty and attachment they had lately professed toward the king and the constitution.

It was my lot likewise not to be an unconcerned spectator in this business. Through an intimacy which had long subsisted between myself and a gentleman of great worth and learning in the county of Kent, (the Rev. Nicholas Brett, of Spring-Grove,) I became acquainted with the Bishop of Edinburgh, Dr. Abernethy Drummond, of Hawthornden, and had frequently corresponded with him. As soon as he came to London with his colleagues on the business aforesaid, he wrote me word of his arrival, and explained the cause of the journey they had undertaken. Being myself of too inconsiderable a station to be of any immediate service to them in a matter of such importance, I thought it the most prudent step I could take, to forward the letter to a great person; who, with his usual goodness and discretion, undertook to be an advocate for them; together with many other persons of high respectability; and their petition was at length brought to such an issue, as excited great thankfulness in the petitioners, though it did not exactly come up to the wishes they had formed at setting out.

There was no small difficulty in making some persons understand, who and what these poor petitioners were: and the case, notwithstanding all that has passed, may still be the same with many at this day. I therefore hope to be excused, if I enlarge a little in this place on their history and character, as they appeared and were known to Dr. Horne; whose good opinion will be remem

* See John, xx. 28. Acts. v. 4. and xxviii. 25, and many other like passages.

bered as an honor, and may be of some use to them hereafter.

He had considered, that there is such a thing as a pure and primitive constitution of the church of Christ, when viewed apart from those outward appendages of worldly power, and worldly protection, which are sometimes mistaken, as if they were as essential to the being of the church, as they are useful to its sustentation. The history of the Christian church, in its early ages, is a proof of the contrary; when it underwent various hardships and sufferings from the fluctuating policy of earthly kingdoms. And the same happened to the Episcopal Church of Scotland, at the revolution in 1688: when episcopacy was abolished by the state, and the Presbyterian form of church-government established. * By this establishment the bishops were deprived of their jurisdiction, and of all right to the temporalities of their sees. But in this forlorn state they still continued to exist, and to exercise the spiritual functions of their Episcopal character: by means of which, a regular succession of bishops, and episcopally-ordained clergymen, has been kept up in Scotland, under all the disadvantages arising from a suspicion of their being disaffected to the crown, and attached to the interest of an exiled family. While attempts were making in behalf of that family, a variety of circumstances rendered it impossible for them to remove this suspicion, notwithstanding the many inconveniences and hardships to which it exposed them. All they could do was to conduct themselves in such a quiet manner, as might at length convince the government they had nothing to fear from a Scotch Episcopal church, and consequently that there was no necessity for the execution of those severe laws, which on different occasions had been enacted against it.

At last the happy period came, which was to relieve them from this embarrassing situation. The wisdom and clemency of his present majesty's government encouraged them to hope, that an offer of their allegiance would not be rejected: and, as soon as they could make that offer in a conscientious manner, they had the satisfaction to find by the king's answer to their address, that it was graciously accepted in consequence of

* It is notorious, that the violence of the adverse party against the Episcopal Church in Scotland began before the government under King William was settled: when it could not be known by experience whether they would join with it or not. Before the convention met, their clergy were forcibly driven from their churches, and their possessions seized.

which, they could not but hope, that the British legislature would take their case into consideration, and see the expediency of relieving both clergy and laity of the Episcopal communion in Scotland from the penalties to which they were exposed in the exercise of their religion.

With this hope, three of their bishops, as I have said, came to London in the year 1789; and, notwithstanding the ample recommendations they brought with them from their own country, they found it a work of time to make themselves and their application properly understood. It would have been barbarous, after the die was cast, to have thrown any discouragements in their way, but I was of opinion, from the beginning, that they were come too soon: more preparation was requisite than they were aware of. The penal laws had reduced the Scotch Episcopal church to a condition so depressed and obscure, that it could scarcely be known to exist, but by such persons as were previously acquainted with its history. Among these, none entered more willingly and warmly than the then good Dean of Canterbury. As soon as he heard of the arrival of the Scotch bishops at London, he was anxious to let them know how heartily he approved of the object of their journey, and kindly offered every assistance in his power to bring this matter to a happy conclusion. He paid them every mark of attention both at London and Oxford; and, when they set out on their return to Scotland, without having attained their object, he expressed, in very affectionate terms, his concern at their disappointment, and told them at parting not to be discouraged; for, said he," your cause is good, and your request so reasonable, that it cannot long be denied." In February, 1791, after having taken his seat in the house of lords, as Bishop of Norwich, he wrote a friendly letter to Bishop Skinner, of Aberdeen, assuring him and the other members of the committee for managing the business of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, that any help in his power should be at their service; and, speaking of their applying anew to both houses of parliament, he said, "It grieved him to think they had so much heavy work to do over again, but business of that sort required patience and perseverance."

It was said about this time, that the lord chancellor, Thurlow, withheld his consent to the Scotch Episcopal bill, till he should be satisfied by some of the English prelates, that

Dr. John Skinner, Bishop of Aberdeen; Dr. Abernethy Drummond, Bishop of Edinburgh; and Dr. William Strachan, Bishop of Brechin.

there really were bishops in Scotland. When Bishop Horne was waited upon with this view by the committee of the Scotch church, and one of them observed, that his lordship could assure the chancellor they were good bishops, he answered, with his usual affability and good humor, "Yes, sir, much better bishops than I am."

A clergyman of Scotland, who had received English ordination, applied to him, wishing to be considered as under the jurisdiction of some English bishop; that is, to be, in effect, independent of the bishops of Scotland in their own country; but he gave no countenance to the proposal, and advised the person who made it quietly to acknowledge the bishop of the diocese in which he lived, who, he knew, would be ready to receive him into communion, and require nothing of him, but what was necessary to maintain the order and unity of a Christian church; assuring him, at the same time, that, if he were a private clergyman himself, he should be glad to be under the authority of such a bishop. One anecdote more upon this subject, and I have done.

From the present circumstances of its primitive orthodoxy, piety, poverty, and depressed state, he had such an opinion of this church, as to think, that, if the great apostle of the Gentiles were upon earth, and it were put to his choice with what denomination of Christians he would communicate, the preference would probably be given to the Episcopalians of Scotland, as most like to the people he had been used to. This happened, as I perfectly recollect, while we were talking together on the subject of the Scotch petition, on one of the hills near the city of Canterbury, higher than the pinnacles of the cathedral, where there was no witness to our discourse but the sky that was over our heads; and yet, when all things are duly considered, I think no good man would have been angry, if he had overheard us.

If the reader should wish to know more of the people of this communion, let him consult an ecclesiatical history of the church of Scotland, by Mr. Skinner, father to the present worthy Bishop of Aberdeen; a his tory comprehending a plain and unaffected detail of facts very interesting and amusing: and I hope he will also be convinced by the narrative I have here given, not only that the bishops of Scotland are true Christian bishops, but that the bishops of England, from the part they kindly took in the affair, do little deserve the clamor which some have raised against them, as if they were so dazzled by their temporalities, as to lose sight of

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their spiritual character, and bury the Chris-versation oetween him and some of his tian bishop in the peer of parliament. friends. In the summer of the year 1790, The year 1789 was the fatal period, when he was upon a visit at the seat of a gentleFrench infidelity, with all the enthusiastic man in Norfolk, for whom he had a great fury of fanaticism, which it had affected to regard. I met his lordship there, by his apabhor, rose up to destroy all regal authority, pointment; and it so happened, that, during to extirpate all religion, to silence with the our visit, Mr. John Wesley was upon his halter or the axe all that were not with them; circuit about the counties of Norfolk and and, in consequence of their success at home, Suffolk, and came to a market-town very undertook to shake, and dissolve, if possible, near us. Here he had many followers; and, all the kingdoms of the world. When this being desirous of preaching to a large contremendous form of wickedness first appeared, gregation, he sent some of his friends to the it happened that I was at Canterbury, on a minister of the place, to ask for the use of visit to the dean; and being called upon to the parish church for the forenoon of the preach in the cathedral, I took the subject next day. The clergyman was under diffiof the time, and freely delivered my own culty how to conduct himself; but recollectsense of it; which is now, I believe, the ing that the bishop of the diocese was near universal sense of all that are true friends to at hand, he advised them to go and ask his this country. But some persons, to whose permission. The messengers accordingly affairs a similar revolution in England would went; and the bishop sent them back to the have been of great service, were very much clergyman with this answer: "Mr. Wesley offended; and one of them abused me grossly is a regularly ordained clergyman of the for it in a newspaper. Not many weeks church of England; and, if the minister after, the dean himself, on a court holiday, makes no objection, I shall make none." took the same subject in the same pulpit; in it was determined that Mr. Wesley should consequence of which, the same person that preach in the church the next day. As I had reviled me was heard to declare, that his never had an interview with that extraordisermon ought to be burned by the hangman. nary man, and had often desired to meet When he informed me by letter of this acci- him, I would have taken this opportunity; dent, he observed upon it in his easy way especially as there was a matter of no small that, as our doctrines, in bad times, would importance, concering which I had a quescertainly bring us both to the lamp-post, it tion to ask him. But being at this time an might then be said of us, "in their death attendant upon the bishop of the diocese, we they were not divided." The character of did not know how it might appear, and were the man, who had treated us with all this unwilling to run the hazard of such reports insolence, was so vulnerable from its infamy, as might have been raised upon the occasion. that some other person, who was intimately But our friend, at whose house we then were, acquainted with his exploits, paid off our being of the laity, was under none of our scores to the last farthing, by exposing them difficulties; and a more intelligent person for to the public in a paper of the time. In so the purpose was no where to be found. I doing, he verified a wise observation, which therefore requested him to get to the speech I once received from a traveller in France, of Mr. Wesley in private, after the sermon who had seen and knew more of the world should be over, and to ask him in my name than any I ever met with: "The man," said he, "who injures me without provocation, will never be able to contain himself without injuring others in like manner; some of whom will be sure to pay off my scores, and save me the trouble and in the course of my life, I never yet found, but that somebody or other, in due time, revenged my quarrel, far beyond its value, upon that man whose ill manners and insolence I had patiently neglected."*

The life of Dr. Horne, during his episcopate, affords but few incidents considerable enough to be here related: but there was one, which became the subject of much con

The two discourses here spoken of are to be found in Bishop Horne's Sermons, vol. ii. dis. lix.

Jones's Sermons, vol. ii. disc. i.

the following question: "Whether it was true, as I had been assured, that he had invested two gentlemen with the Episcopal character, and had sent them, in that capacity, over to America?" With some difficulty our friend obtained a private audience; and, after some short civilities had passed, he put his question. At first, Mr. Wesley was not direct in his answer; but by degrees he owned the fact, and gave the following reason for it: that, as soon as we had made peace with America, and allowed them their independence, all religious connection, between this country and the independent colonies, was at an end; in consequence of which, the sectaries fell to work to increase their several parties, and the Anabaptists in particular were carrying all before them.

Something therefore was to be done, without that, if bishops were wanting in America for loss of time, for his poor people (as he called the preservation of unity among his people, them) in America: and he had therefore taken and he himself did not send them, nobody the step in question, with the hope of pre- else ever would: for, as the British governventing farther disorders. The fact being ment did not send them, when it had power not denied, the gentleman, who, for a lay- so to do, it was little to be expected they man, is as able a church-casuist as most of would attempt it when they had none. I his own or any other order, began to inquire cannot say what use he might make of the a little farther into the case, with the desire dispute between Dr. Mayhew, an American to know, how Mr. Wesley had satisfied his dissenter, and Archbishop Secker, about the own mind in this matter, and what grounds sending of bishops from hence to America: he had gone upon. But as they were pro- which I have always considered as the beceeding, some of his friends, either being ginning and cause of the revolt that soon impatient of any delay, or suspecting that followed: this, I say, I do not know, and it some mischief might be going forward, came would be vain to speculate: therefore, let us abruptly into the room, and reminded Mr. now ask the second question, by what auWesley that he had no more time to spare. thority he sent bishops to America? Thus the conference was ended, and our friend was obliged to take his leave. Some time afterwards (for we had left his house that morning) he gave us this account, as nearly as I can recollect; and having been present at Mr. Wesley's sermon, was so well pleased, that he wished half the clergy of the church of England had preached the same doctrines, with the same zeal and devotion.*

There are but two possible ways of putting men truly into the ministry: the one is by succession; the other by immediate revelation or appointment from God himself. Paul received his commission to preach, not of man nor by man, but of God, who put him into the ministry. Other ministers of the Gospel receive their commission by imposition of hands, from those who had received it before. In this latter way of succession, In this preaching of Mr. Wesley, and the no man can possibly give that which he hath subject of the conference, when compared not received. Mr. Wesley, being himself together, we have the character of Method- but a presbyter, could no more make a bishop, ism complete: it is Christian godliness with- than a member of the house of commons can out Christian order. It is pity we could not make a member of the house of lords, who obtain Mr. Wesley's own sense of the com- is made by creation from the king; the less mission with which his bishops were sent is blessed of the greater, not the greater of out: but, as we were disappointed in that, the less. And, as this could not be done by we must inquire for ourselves, and answer as Mr. Wesley in virtue of what he was, it well as we can, without his help. The case must have been done in virtue of what he obliges us to ask these two questions: 1. thought himself to be, a vicar-general of With what view this was done? and 2. By heaven, who was above all human rules, and what authority? By Mr. Wesley's own ac- could give a commsssion, by a superior right count, this was his expedient for the pre- vested in his own person. If he acted of venting of confusion: whence we may gather himself, as John Wesley, a presbyter of the that he supposed confusion was not to be church of England, he acted against all sense prevented among Christians, but by retaining and order; and, by taking upon himself the order of bishops: and farther, that unity what no man can take, he would introduce had, in his opinion, been preserved among in the issue more confusion than he would his own people by their relation to the epis- prevent. The end will never be prosperous, copacy of the church of England, from which when we do evil that good may come; and, neither he nor they did ever profess them- if it doth not please God to uphold his own selves to be in a state of separation. Of this work in his own way, no man can do it for many proofs might be given. Their present him. He may seem to do something, but it application to the bishop of the diocese was will not last: he works upon a principle, the a confession of his authority, and signified a tendency of which is not to edification but to desire of acting under it: and Mr. Wesley dissolution. If Mr. Wesley did not act as had presented himself at the communion in of himself, but as by immediate revelation the cathedral church at Bristol, and had re- from God, and by the primary authority of ceived it from the hands of Bishop Bagot, as Jesus Christ in his church, then he was an the bishop himself informed me. Mr. Wes- enthusiast, in the strictest and fullest sense of ley might perhaps have considered farther, the word; and any other person, or any hundred persons, might act as he did, if they could think of themselves as he thought of

• Let us hope that the other half do preach them. 8

VOL. I.

himself. But all such confusion was foreseen | he made thousands of people sober and godly; and prevented, by the rules and orders of a and, while he was doing good, he avoided church visibly appointed and visibly contin- evil; he avoided (at least in words) the sin ued. When any people, whoever they are, of schism: he took the Christian side, in think they can act with God against the rules stating the origin of power, against the repubof God, they are either become rationalists, licans of America; for which he was abused who do all by human authority, and deny all as an old for, who only wanted to be made spiritual communication between God and a bishop. But with all this, he raised a man; or enthusiasts, who think the inspira- society on such principles as cannot preserve tion or spirit of the Gospel has set them its unity; and thence, in effect, its existence. above the forms of the church; which per- I now understand, that partly from the loss suasion terminates in spiritual republicanism. of their leader, and partly from the confusion In the Christian society, two things are to be of the times, they have embraced some bad kept up with all diligence; these are unity opinions; in consequence of which, with and piety. The man who should suppose that little or no relation to the church, they will unity without piety will be sufficient to carry not much longer be distinguished from other him to heaven, would be under a great mis- dissenters, and may in time be as bad as the take, and he would be justly condemned and worst of them. When the lamp is broken, despised for it. But is not he, who supposes the snuff may lie burning for a time; but the that piety without unity will carry him to supply of oil being gone, the light can be of heaven, under as great (and, if he believes no long continuance. If the Methodists the apostle, as dangerous) a mistake?* The would keep what they have got, and prevent subject merits great consideration: but I say their own ruin, they must do as Mr. Wesley no more of it in this place. It reminds me did: they must preserve some relation to the of an anecdote I heard several years ago, church, so long as any church shall remain and I believe Bishop Horne was my author. to which they may be related. When John and Charles Wesley began their new ministry, one of them went to consult with Mr. William Law, as a person of profound judgment in spiritual matters; and, when the case had been opened, and the intention explained, Mr. Law made answer: "Mr. Wesley, if you wish to reform the world and spread the Gospel, you must undertake the work in the same spirit as you would take a curacy in the Peak of Derbyshire; but, if you pretend to a new commisssion, and go forth in the spirit and power of an apostle, your scheme will end in Bedlam."

John Wesley was a wonderful man in his way; his labors were abundant and almost incredible :† in many respects he did good;

*See and consider the xiith and xiiith chapters of 1 Cor. the xiiith as a continuation of the xiith. Some excellent hints will be found on this subject in the Cautions to the Readers of Mr. Law, printed in the Appendix.

Among his own people, he seemed to do more than he did. Of this I was informed by a bookseller, who, like others, had been injured in his trade by the encroachments of Mr. Wesley in the way of book-making: and I was witness to some instances of this myself. He put his name to a translation of Thomas A. Kempis, as if the translation had been his own: but a friend showed me an old translation, with which it agreed, so far as we could see, in every word. He put his name to a Compendium of Philosophy, though he tells us curiously in the preface, it was taken from the work of a professor at Jena in Germany: yet he must be allowed great merit in amplifying the work. He sold a work of mine, as if it had been an original work, partly copied, and partly put into English

About a year after the accident of the sermon and the conference, a Life of Mr. Wesley was published by a Mr. Hampson, in which the fact of sending out bishops is confessed. This book Bishop Horne had procured; and taking it out of his pocket as we were walking together in his garden at Norwich, he turned to the passage and showed it me; and afterwards he put it into his Charge, which was the last work he printed before his death; and this brings me to the end of his literary life.

For the sake of those who admire Bishop Horne's works, and were not acquainted with his person, it may be proper, before I conclude, to say something of his natural life. When he first came to the University of Oxford, he was quite a boy; but being at a time of life when boys alter very fast, he soon grew up into a person so agreeable, that, at the opening of the Radcliffe library, when all were assembled and made their best appearance, I heard it said of him, that there was not then a handsomer young man in the theatre. But he was not of a strong and muscular constitution; and, from the disadvantage of being very near-sighted (quite helpless without the use of a glass,) he did not render himself more robust by the prac

verse, without asking the consent, or making a word of acknowledgment in the title or a preface, to the author. He was free to produce any possible good from any labor of mine, without being envied; but such proceedings have too much the appearance of party-craft to consist well with honest unaffected piety.

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