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YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Q

THE
WORKS
OF THE
RIGHT REVEREND
BEILBY PORTEUS, D.D.
LATE BISHOP OF LONDON:
WITH
HIS LIFE,
BY THE
REV. ROBERT HODGSON, A.M. F.R.S.
HECTOR OF ST. geokge's hanover-squaee,
AND ONE OF THE CHAPLAINS IN ORDINARY TO HIS MAJESTY.
A NEW EDITION, IN SIX VOLUMES.
VOL. L — LIFE.

HonUott i
PRINTED FOR T. CAD ELL, IN THE STRAND,
By Luke Hansard If Sons, neiir Lincoln's-Inn Fields.
1823.

^r

TO
THE RIGHT REVEREND
SHUTE,
LORD BISHOP OF DURHAM,
AND
THE RIGHT REVEREND
GEORGE,
LORD BISHOP OF LINCOLN,
THE FOLLOWING
LIFE OF DR. BEILBY PORTEUS,
LATE BISHOP OF LONDON,
FOR WHOM,
AS A PRELATE,
THEY ENTERTAINED THE HIGHEST RESPECT,
AND,
AS A FRIEND,
THE MOST AFFECTIONATE REGARD,
IS,
WITH GREAT DEFERENCE,
INSCRIBED, BY
THEIR OBLIGED
AND MOST OBEDIENT SERVANT,

ROBERT HODGSON.

13 Grosveiioi'-street, May 1811.

THE LIFE OF
DR. BEILBY PORTEUS,
BISHaP OF LONDON.

TTPON the merits of the venerable
Prelate, of whose Writings a new and
complete edition is now presented to the
world, the public sentiment has long and
justly decided : and it is under the im
pression, that whatever relates to him
will be read with interest, that a History
of his Life is here prefixed. I could
much have wished that the task of pre
paring it had fallen into abler hands: but
thus far I feel justified in saying, that it
has been drawn from the most authentic
B sources,

2 LIFE OF
sources, and certainly with no intention
to raise his character by undue panegyric.
The portrait of such a man is best de
lineated in the simple colouring of truth;
and it has been my anxious endeavour so
to represent it in the following pages.
Dr. Beilby Porteus, late Bishop of
London, was the youngest but one of
nineteen children, and was born at York
on the 8th of May 1731. His father
and mother were natives of Virginia, in
North America. They were both descend
ed from good families, and during their
residence in that colony, were on a foot
ing Avith its principal inhabitants, to
many of whom they were allied. His
father was. of no profession ; but, being
born to what in that country was consi
dered as an independent fortune, lived
upon his own estate. It consisted chiefly
of plantations of tobacco ; and on one of

BISHOP PORTEUS. 3
of these, called Newbottle (from a vil
lage of that name near Edinburgh, once
belonging to his family, but now in the
possession of the Marquis of Lothian),
he usually resided. The house stood
upon a rising ground, with a gradual
descent to York river, which was there
at least two miles over: and here he
enjoyed within himself every comfort and
convenience that a man of moderate
wishes could desire; living without the
burthen of taxes, and possessing, under
the powerful protection of this kingdom,
peace, plenty, and security. The Bishop
had a singular picture, which, though
not in the best style of colouring, was yet
thought valuable by Sir Joshua Reynolds,
as a specimen of the extent which the
art of painting had reached at that time
in America : and he himself very highly
prized it, as exhibiting a faithful and
B 2 interesting

4 LIFE OF
interesting representation of his fathers
residence. His mother's name was Jennings. 'She
was said to be distantly related to Sarah
Jennings, the wife of John, Duke of
Marlborough : and two of her ancestors.
Sir Edmund and Sir Jonathan Jennings,
lived at Ripon in Yorkshire, for which
place, it appears, they were both repre
sentatives in Parliament in the reign of
James the Second. Her father. Colonel
Jennings, was Sir Edmund's soji, and the
first of the family who settled in Virginia,
where he was Superintendent of Indian
affairs for that province; became after
wards one of the Supreme Council ; and
for some time acted as Deputy Governor
of the Colony.
The principal reason which induced
the Bishop's father to quit a situation so
perfectly independent and comfortable, as

BISHOP PORTEUS. 5
as that he had in America, was the desire
of prpGuring for his children better in-
structiph than he could there obtain.
His health besides had been much im
paired by the climate ; and these causes
combined) determined him at length to
leave the country, aiid remove to Eng
land, which he accordingly did in 1720,
and fixed himself in the city of York.
In one respect, however, and that an
important one, this change in his situa
tion was attended with considerable in
convenience ; for, whilst his expenses
every year increased, his revenue dimi
nished almost in the same proportion ;
and either by the negligence or dishonesty
of his agents, he received little more than
a fourth part of what ought to have been
his real income. But still, even with
such contracted means, he accomplished
the object nearest to his heart, that of
B 3 giving

6 LIFE OF
giving his children an excellent educa
tion ; and certainly, in the instance at
least of the subject of these memoirs, his
kindness was repaid beyond his most
sanguine expectations.
After having been for several years at
a small school at York, Mr. Porteus, then
at the age of thirteen, was placed at
Ripon, under the care of Mr. Hyde, an
upright, sensible, judicious man, of whose
attention he ever entertained a grateful
remembrance ; and from him, at an ear
lier age than is now usually the case, he,
was sent to Cambridge, where, by the
recommendation and under the immedi
ate superintendence of his elder brother,
Mr. Robert Porteus*, he was admitted a sizer
* This excellent man had the living of Cockayne
Hatley, near Potton, in Bedfordshire ; and I cannot
mention Ks name, without offering in this place a
tribute of affectionate respect to his memory. With very

BISHOP PORTEUS. 7
a sizer at Christ's College, of which Dr.
Rooke was at that time master, and the
only person whom he then knew in the
University. His attention, whilst he continued
under-graduate, was directed chiefly to
mathematical studies ; and in these he
gave the best proof of industry and
ability, by the situation he obtained of
tenth wrangler amongst the honorary
degrees of his year. After having taken
his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1752, he
became a candidate for one of the gold
medals, instituted not long before by
His
very considerable literary attainments, he combined
the greatest gentleness and simplicity of manners.
Exemplary in all his domestic duties, he was beloved
by his family: indefatigable in the labours of his
sacred office, he was revered by his parish. — No one
ever more uniformly maintained the Christian cha
racter ; and by those who knew his many virtues he
was most sincerely regretted. — He died in the prime
of life, and is buried in Hatley church.
B 4

8 LIFE OF
His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, on
his election to the chancellorship, as
the reward of eminence in classical lite
rature : and on this, the Jirst occasion of
their being adjudged, he had the merit,
after a long and severe examination, of
obtaining the second ; the other suc
cessful competitor being Mr. Maseres,
then a student at Clare Hall, and now
Cursitor Baron of the Exchequer, a man
of great erudition in every department
of learning, and more particularly dis
tinguished by his uncommon depth and
acuteness in the abstruser parts of ana
lytical science.
In the spring of the same year, Mr.
Porteus was elected Fellow of his col
lege, and became a resident in Cam
bridge. This, as I have frequently heard
him say, was one of the happiest periods
of his fife. By a series of unlocked for
occur-

BISHOP PORTEUS. 9
occurrences, he had been placed in a
situation which of all others he most
coveted; he had leisure to prosecute at
his own discretion those pursuits which
were best suited to his taste and dispo
sition ; and during the intervals of study,
he was passing his time in the society of
friends whom he respected and loved.
The happiness however which he thus
experienced, was not long without alloy ;
for about this time he was called sud
denly into Yorkshire by the death of his
mother ; an event which filled him with
the deepest grief, and, together with a se
vere cold which he caught in travelling,
brought on a most serious illness, the
effects of which he felt occasionally dur
ing his whole life.
On his return to college, he found that
without his knowledge, his friends had
been soliciting for him the situation of
Esquire

10 LIFE OF
Esquire Beadle, which had become va
cant by the promotion of Mr. Burroughs,
afterwards Sir James Burroughs, to the
Headship of Caius College. It was an
office but ill suited with his turn of mind,
and he was at first disinclined to accept
it ; but in consequence of the kind ex
ertions which had been made in his
favour, and, above all, his anxiety to
relieve his father from any further ex
pense, he at last complied. He kept
it however little more than two years,
having determined to make up the de
ficiency in his income in a way more
agreeable to himself, by taking private
pupils. These, with his established cha
racter and acknowledged talents, were
easily obtained : and, amongst others,
was the late Lord Grantham, afterwards
Ambassador to Spain, and, for a short
time, as his father had been before him,
Secretary

BISHOP PORTEUS. 11
Secretary of State. He was a man of
the most amiable disposition, of un
blemished integrity, and a highly cul
tivated understanding ; and his death,
which happened prematurely in 1785,
was generally and deeply lamented ; by
none however more sincerely than by
his early friend and tutor, who had con
ceived the highest opinion of his abilities,
and had lived with him for nearly thirty
years on terms of mutual intimacy, con
fidence, and regard.
Mr. Porteus had been long destined
for the Church, as well by his own deli
berate choice, as the wishes of his fa
mily ; and accordingly, at the age of
twenty-six, he took orders, being or
dained deacon at Buckden in the year
1757, by Dr. Thomas then Bishop of
Lincoln, and not long after, priest by
Archbishop Hutton at York, where he
preached

12 LIFE OF
preached the ordination sermon. On his
return to the University he resumed the
charge of his pupils ; but, amidst the
cares of tuition, he found time for other
pursuits, and more particularly for the ex
ercise of his poetical talents, which were
certainly of no ordinary stamp. Of this
indeed he soon after gave a public proof,
by obtaining Mr. Seaton's prize for the
best English poem on a sacred subject.
The subject fixed upon was " Death;" and
it was one, perhaps, at that time better
suited than any other to his feelings, in
consequence of his father's death, which
had occurred a little before. The loss of
so kind a parent, whom he most sin
cerely loved, had very deeply afflicted
him ; and he was therefore well prepared
to describe in the language of the heart
the sad and solemn scenes of human
mortality. How admirably he has done it.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 13
it, those who know and can feel the
poem, are best able to judge. It has
been long in print, and, I believe, has
been uniformly considered as a very able
composition. Undoubtedly, as a juve
nile performance, there are few superior ;
for it displays a correctness of taste com
bined with a sublimity of thought, and
a power and justness of expression, which
have seldom been exhibited in the first
effiisions of poetry.
In the mean time he was not inatten
tive to the duties of his profession, nor
unmindful of the engagement into which
he had entered,. " to banish and drive
away all erroneous and strange doctrines
contrary to God's word." A profane and
very licentious pamphlet, entitled, " The
History of the Man after God's own
Heart," was about that time much in
circulation, and had made a dangerous
impression

14 LIFE OF
impression on the public mind. Its
object was to strike a secret blow at Re
velation by ridicuUng the habits, man
ners, and religion of the Jews, and, par
ticularly, by representing the character
of David in a most odious point of view.
Mr. Porteus saw at once the fallacy and
mischief of this publication ; and, with
the view of checking its pernicious ten
dency, composed and preached before
the University a sermon in answer to it,
in which he forcibly exposed its many
errors and misrepresentations ; vindicated
the Mosaic Law from the charges brought
against it ; and gave the clearest and most
satisfactory reasons for the high and pe
culiar name by which David was distin
guished, namely, " The man after God's
own heart." Nothing indeed can be
more strictly just, than the character
which he has there given of the Royal
Penitent,

BISHOP PORTEUS. 15
Penitent, or more impressive than the
moral application; and it is therefore no
wonder that the sermon should have been
heard, as it was, with great attention at
the time, and afterwards, when in print,
most favourably received. It is now the
fifth in his second volume of Discourses ;
with the omission however of some pas
sages of a polemical nature, in order, as
he has himself observed, " to render it
more practical, and of course more gene
rally useful."
Before the appearance of this sermon
he stood high in the estimation of the
University for literary attainment; but
it tended undoubtedly to raise him still
higher in the public opinion ; and, as a
proof of it, he was not long after appointed
by Archbishop Seeker one of his domestic
chaplains. This appointment took place
early in 1762, and in the course of that
summer

16 LIFE OF
summer he quitted college, where he had
lived most happily for the last fourteen
years, to reside at Lambeth. Here he
had ample leisure for his professional
studies ; and it was besides a singular ad
vantage, which he did not fail to improve,
to have constantly before him such a
guide as the Archbishop ; a man whom
he wiell describes "as endowed with
superior talents, which he had highly
cultivated ; of a strong and sound under^
standing ; of extensive and profound
erudition, more particularly in Hebrew
literature, and every branch of theology ;
an admired and useful preacher ; of un
blemished purity of manners, unaffected
piety, unbounded benevolence, and ex
emplary in the discharge of all his various
fimctions, as. a parochial clergyman, a
bishop, and a metropolitan." " He was
to me," he adds, " a most kind friend and
a bountiful

BISHOP PORTEUS. 17
a bountifiil benefactor: but far beyond
all the other benefits I derived, was that
invaluable one of enjoying his conver
sation, of being honoured with his direc
tion and advice, and of living under the
influence of his example. These were
advantages indeed ; and, although I did
not profit by them so much as I ought,
yet to them, under Providence, I ascribe
whatever little credit I have attained in
the world, and the high situation I have
since arrived at in the Church*."
On the 13th of May 1765, Mr. Porteus
married Margaret, eldest daughter of Brian
Hodgson, Esq. of Ashbourne in Derby
shire ; and in the course of the same year
he was presented by the Archbishop to
the
* This and other passages in the Bishop's own
words, which the reader will find introduced into his
life, are extracted chiefly from several manuscript
volumes in my possession, and in his own hand
writing, containing a great variety of facts, and
observations on the principal incidents of his life.
C

18 LIFE OF
the two small livings of Rucking and
Wittersham in Kent, which, however, he
soon resigned for the rectory of Hunton,
in the same county, in addition to a
prebend at Peterborough, which had
been given him by His Grace before.
Upon the death of Dr. Denne, in 1767,
he obtained the rectory of Lambeth;
and soon after this he took his degree of
Doctor in Divinity, on which occasion he
preached the Commencement sermon.
In this discourse, which is now the eighth
of his first volume, " I ventured," he says,
" to recommend it to the University to
pay a little more attention to the instruc
tion of their youth, especially those
designed for orders, in the principles of
revealed religion. I proposed that these
should have a place assigned to them
among the other initiatory studies of the
place; that they should have the same
encouragement

BISHOP PORTEUS. 19
encduragement given to them as all the
other sciences ; that they should be made
an indispensable branch of academical
education, and have their full share of
academical honours and rewards. This
produced no practical effect at the time •
but some years afterwards, Mr. Norris,
a gentlenaan of fortune in Norfolk, into
whose hands some extracts from this
discourse happened to fall, was induced
by them to found and endow a professor
ship at Cambridge, for the sole purpose
of giving lectures to the students there
in the doctrines of revealed religion, and
afterwards to bequeath by his will a
premium of twelve pounds per ann. to
the author of the best prose essay on a
sapred subject ; the larger part of that
sum to be expended on a gold medal,
and the remainder in books."
These, as may be well im^ned, were
c 2 most

20 LIFE OF
most gratifying circumstances to Dr^
Porteus, and far exceeded his expectation.
At the same time, the object which he
had in view was in itself so reasonable,
so evidently necessary in all Christian'
education, and he had enforced it in a
manner so powerful and convincing, that
one cannot wonder it should make on
serious minds a very deep impression,
and be followed by some endeavour, either
on the part of the University, or of some
pious individual, to carry it into execu
tion. The result unquestionably has been
a most beneficial one; for it has not only
produced some excellent prize disserta
tions on various important subjects, and
made theology an essential part of aca
demical instruction, but has been the
means of giving to the world one of the
ablest and most compendious systems of
divinity, of which it is at present in pos-

BISHOP PORTEUS. n
session, namely, the Lectures delivered
by the first Norrisian Professor, Dr. Hey.
The reader will no doubt be struck with
a great originality, and sometimes eccen
tricity of illustration; but, as a work of
reference, full of deep research, and ac
curate and extensive information, more
particularly with respect to the history
and doctrines of the Church of England,
it cannot be too strongly recommended
to the biblical student.
On the 3d of August 1768, after a
most harassing and painful illness, which
he bore with the greatest fortitude, and
the most profound acquiescence in the
divine will, Archbishop Seeker died at
Lambeth; leaving his two chaplains, Dr.
Stinton* and Dr. Porteus, joint executors^, and
* Of this learned, amiable and excellent man, the
Bishop has left the following short, but interesting
account:—" The death of Dr. George Stinton, which
occurred April the 30th, 1783, was a very severe and
c 3 unexpected

22 LIFE OF
and, amongst other directions of his will,
committing to their care the revisal and
publication of his Lectures on the Cate
chism, his manuscript sermons, and other
occasional
unexpected misfortune to me. He was one of my best
and dearest and most intimate friends. I had known
him, and lived with him in habits of the most perfect
intimacy, for near twenty years ; during which time
not the slightest difference ever arose bettveen us.
He was a man of great integrity and worth, of supe
rior abilities, and very extensive erudition. Of the
learned languages he was a Complete master, and
was also well skilled in French, German, and Italian,
He wrote but little, and published only four sermons,
all on public occasions, and all excellent. He pos
sessed the talent of conversation in a degree superior
to almost any man I ever knew, and spoke, as he
cotoposed, with remarkable elegance and correctness.
To this he added a large share of wit and humour, all
which rendered him a most agreeable and entertaining
companion. " He was in appearance, a strong, robust man, and
seemed calculated, as much as any one I ever saw,
for long life. But he was cut off very suddenly and
unexpectedly, and added one more to the number of
those striking instances of the uncel-tainty of human
life, which are every day occurring, and which ought
to make a stronger impression upon us than they
usually

BISHOP PORTEUS. 2S
occasional writings. This trust was fiaith-
fuUy fulfilled: and in order to render the
work more complete, as well as to pay
the last tribute in his power to his de
ceased friend and benefactor, Dr. Porteus
prefixed a " Review of the Archbishop's
Life and Character." It is unquestion*-
ably a masterly performance, and one of
the happiest specimens of biographical
composition. The character of the Arch
bishop is drawn with accuracy and dis
crimination. There are no false tints
thrown in to embellish and set off" the
picture. It is touched with the firm
hand and in the sober colouring of truth;
and the impression left on the mind is
a mingled sentiment of admiration and
esteem
HSHally do. He was buried in the chuTch ©f AD-
hallows Barking, of which he was Vicar. I attended
his funeral, and shed tears of sincere grief over his
grave."
C 4

24 LIFE OF
esteem for the talents, the erudition, the
unostentatious beneficence, and the pro
found Christian piety, of that illustrious
Prelate. It was not however merely by giving to
the world this "review of his life," that
Dr. Porteus testified his respect and af
fection for the memory of his -great
Friend. He neglected afterwards no op-
portiinity of defending him privately or
publicly. He suffered no calumny to
go abroad, no unjust insinuation to be
thrown out against him, without instantly
stepping forward to refute and to repel
it. His anxiety in this particular was un
remitting and incessant. As an instance
of it, I can never forget the surprise and
pain and indignation, which were excited
in his mind, upon reading two passages
in the late Lord Orford's works, in one
of which the point of an Epigram is
made

BISHOP PORTEUS. 25
made to turn upon the supposition that
the Archbishop was a hypocrite ; and in
the other, he is expressly charged, in di
rect unqualified terms, with having been
the President of an Atheistical Club!
Such assertions as these, so disgraceful in
themselves, and so utterly and grossly
false, the Bishop of London, as he then
was, could not suffer for a moment to
pass uncontradicted. He wrote imme
diately to the Editor, Mr. Berry, stating
in the strongest terms the injustice and
mischief of such flagrant misrepresen
tations, and offering, if the thing were
possible, to have the leaves, which con
tained them, cancelled at his own ex
pense. Unfortunately, the book had got
too much into circulation to render this
proposal feasible : but he so far succeeded,
as to obtain a direct promise from Mr.
Berry, that, should the work in question ever

26 LIFE OF
ever reach a second edition, the ob
noxious passages should be expunged.
The same solicitude was also very
strongly marked in another instance,
upon his perusing the Life of Bishop
Warburton, by Bishop Hurd. His own
words, which follow, show how quick and
alive his feelings were upon this subject,
at the same time that they had nothing
in them of bitterness and animosity.
" In this work," he says, " I found the
merit of Archbishop Seeker greatly un
derrated, as a writer, a scholar, a divine,
and a critic in Hebrew. I therefore
thought myself called upoti, by honour
and by gratitude^ to vindicate my old
master against these unjust and injurious
attempts to lower bis character ; which I
did by publishing^ in a separate fbrm, a
new edition of the life pre£K€d to bis
works, adding at the same time a preface* and

BISHOP PORTEUS. 27
and a few notes tending to confute Bishop
Hurd's misrepresentations of him and his
writings. Still, however, this act of jus
tice to my great Patron, never in the least
diminished the high respect and venera
tion which I always entertained for the
character of Bishop Hurd ; whose piety,
learning, taste, and genius, rendered him
the great ornament of literature and reli
gion, and very justly gained him not only
the esteem, but the affection, friendship,
and confidence of his Sovereign, and
raised him to that distinguished situation^
which he filled with so mueJi dignity both
in public life, and in an honourable re
tirement for so long a course of years."
After Archbishop Seeker's death, Dr.
Porteus devoted his entire attention to
the care of his two benefices, Hunton
and Lambeth. Till his parsonage at the
fbriner place was ready for bis reeeptiioft, he

28 L I F E O F
he resided at a small neat cottage in the
village of Linton, which was near enough
to enable him to perform with ease his
parochial duties, superintend the repairs,
and make such alterations as the great
capability of the situation suggested to
his mind. He had found the premises at
first in a very ruinous and neglected state,
no rector having lived there for above
thirty years : but he saw at_ one glance
the natural beauties of the place, and
that it required only a little skill and
taste to display them to advantage. This
was gradually, and at some expense,
completely effected. A new room was
afterwards added to the house ; and, by
ornamenting the grounds about it, and
letting in the , rich luxuriant prospect
which it commanded on every side, he
made it at last a most comfortable and
delightful residence.. Every thing indeed.
concurred

BISHOP PORTEUS. 29
concurred to attach him strongly to Hun
ton. " It was to me," he says, with all
that animation, which was so peculiar to
him, " a little terrestrial Paradise : for
though there are many parsonages larger,
handsomer, and more commodious, yet
in comfort, warmth, repose, tranquillity,
and cheerfulness, in variety of walks,
shelter, shade, and sunshine, in perfectly
rural and picturesque scenery, I know
few superior to it. What however is of
more importance, no place was ever
better calculated to excite and cherish
devout and pious sentiments towards the
great Creator and Preserver of the Uni
verse. The solemn silence of the thicket
and the grove, the extensive horizon that
opened to the view, the glories of the
rising and the setting sun, the splendour
of a moon-hght night and a starry sky, all

30 LIFE OF
all which presented themselves to the
eye, to a vast extent without interruption,
from the lawn before the house ; these,
and a variety of other sublime and pleas
ing objects, could not fail to sool^e aii4
tranquillize and elevate the soul, and
raise it up to high and heavenly con
templations. Biit it was not the eharms
pf the pountry ojaly which formed the
delight of Hiuiton. The neighbourhood
\5ras excellent, consisting principally pf
antient and long- established faniilies, who
lived on their own estates in tfei^t decent
hpspit^jty, and that judicious mixture
of society and r^iremeat, which consti
tute the true felicity of human life, and
which so remarkably and so fortunately
disitinguish the gentry and nobility Qf
EiUgland Jrom almost all other countries
h). Europe. The greater part of them too

BISHOP PORTEUS. 31
too were not only polished in their man
ners, but of exemplary piety, probity,
and benevolence."
Much however as he enjoyed such a
retreat and such friends as these, it never
withdrew his thoughta from more serious
and more important pursuits. He dis
charged with zeal the duties of his parish;
preached almost always in the morning ;
in the afternoon very frequently lectured
on the catechism ; and lost no opportu
nity, when he saw fit occasion, of private
admonition. In his attention to the poor
he was uniform and indefatigable; he
visited the sick, comforted the afflicted,
relieved the indigent: he entered, in
short, with assiduity and earnestness into
whatever could promote in any degree
their temporal and eternal welfare, and
he did not labour in vain. " I had the
happiness," he says, "to see ray church well

32 LIFE OF
well filled with a congregation, neat and
decent in their attire, with cheerful and
satisfied looks, serious in their devotions,
and attentive and grateful to their in
structor." In the winter months he resided at
Lambeth, where, not less than in the
country, he supported the high character
of a faithful, laborious, conscientious
parish priest. Unfortunately, there was
here no parsonage in which the rector
could reside : but as there was a piece of
ground of about two acres, belonging to
the glebe, in an extremely good situation,
and at a convenient distance from the
church, he thought that by obtaining an
act of parliament for that purpose, a part
of this might be sold ; and with the sum
which that produced, a fit and com
modious residence might be built upon
the remainder. Accordingly, an agree^ ment

BISHOP PORTEUS. 33
ment upon this principle was made with
a builder at a stipulated price, and a
ground plan and elevation of the in
tended house were drawn under his own
direction. He was not however incum
bent long enough to carry himself this
design into execution ; but he had made
such excellent arrangements, that his
successor. Dr. Vyse, had no difficulty
in accomplishing it ; and the present
parsonage, than which there are few
better, was, with little variation, built
Upon the original plan proposed by
Dr. Porteus.
Besides the active part which he thus
took, in regard to the rectorial house, he
found, that the affairs of the parish had
fallen, from some neglect or mismanage
ment, into great confusion, in conse
quence of debts inadvertently contiacted
by the overseers. This was not a credit-
D able

34 LIFE OF
able circumstance ; and, in conjunction
therefore with the parish officers, and
the principal gentlemen then resident in
Lambeth, he took great pains to reduce
them into order. With this view, the sum
of eighteen hundred pounds was borrowed
upon annuities, with which they not only
cleared off" old encumbrances, but had a
considerable surplus left, which was very
judiciously expended in repairing and
embellishing the church, and in other
essential improvements. There was no
thing indeed that tended in any degree
to the credit and benefit of the parish
which escaped his attention; but that
especially which occupied his thoughts,
and to which his chief anxiety was
earnestly directed, was the salvation of
those committed to his care. This was
his great, his never-ceasing object ; and
there cannot be a stronger instance of it,
than

BISHOP PORTEUS. 35
than the Letter which he addressed to
them, on the more religious observance
of Good Friday. In this excellent little
tract, which has long been in the cata
logue of " The Society for promoting
Christian Knowledge," after lamenting
the neglect, which then universally pre
vailed, of that sacred day, he took occa
sion to state the various benefits which
it was intended to commemorate ; the
importance of them to the welfare of
mankind ; the unbounded compassion in
which they originated ; and the unpa
ralleled sufferings by which they were
acomplished : and from hence he in
ferred the indispensable obligation under
which a Christian lies, from every motive
of interest, of duty, and of gratitude, to
observe with peculiar strictness and de
votion the anniversary of the Crucifixion ;
a day, which recalls forcibly to the mind
D 2 the

36 LIFE -OF
the stupendous doctrine of atonement ;
for which our Church has wisely provided
a most solemn service, and which is cal
culated more than any other to lay us
low before the Throne of God in peni
tential humiliation, and to fill the soul
with thankfulness and love. All these
points he touched upon in so strong, so
impressive, and so affectionate a manner,
as could not fail to have the happiest
effect. It Was indeed even greater than
he had reason to expect ; for, not only
was a more devout observance of Good
Friday produced in his own parish, but,
as he has himself observed, " on the very
next return of that day, the shops were
all shut up, the churches were crowdedi
and the utmost seriousness and decorum
took place, throughout the cities of
London and Westminster, and their
environs." In

BISHOP PORTEUS. 3?
In the year I769, he had the honour
of being appointed chaplain to His
Majesty, and soon after he obtained the
mastership of the Hospital of St. Gross,
near Winchester. This piece of prefer
ment had been selected by Archbishop
Seeker, as one of his options, and the
presentation to it, when it became vacant^
was left to the discretion of certain
trustees, to whom he gave authority for
that purpose. The two persons, who
were considered, on mature deliberation,
as having the strongest claims, were
his Grace's chaplains at the time of
his decease ; and it was determined
that Dr. Porteus should have the mas
tership, and that he should resign his
prebend pf Peterborough to Dr. Stinton:
In consequence of this arrangement, he
.for some years afterwards resided oc
casionally at St. Cross. The place had
D 3 nothing

38 LIFE OF
nothing very striking to recommend it,
especially after the beautiful scenery
which he had in such perfection at
Hunton : but there was yet a stillness
about it which pleased him. The neigh
bourhood afforded excellent society, and
he had the satisfaction of improving, in
some degree, the condition of the poor
brethren in the hospital, by adding a
small increase of salary to each.
About this time a circumstance oc
curred, which then excited considerable
interest, and in which the part that
Dr. Porteus took has been much mis
interpreted and misunderstood. The fol
lowing statement, in his own words, will
place the fact in its true point of view.
^ At the close of the year 1772, and the
beginning of the next, an attempt was
made by himself and a few other cler
gymen, among whom were Mr. Francis
Wollaston,

BISHOP PORTEUS. 39
Wollaston, Dr. Percy, now Bishop of
Dromore, and Dr. York, now Bishop of
Ely, to induce the Bishops to promote a
review of the Liturgy and Articles, in
order to amend in both, but particularly
in the latter, those parts which all rea
sonable persons agreed stood in need of
amendment. This plan was not in the
smallest degree connected with the Peti
tioners at the Feathers Tavern, but on the
eontrary, was meant to counteract that
and all similar extravagant projects ; to
strengthen and confirm our Ecclesiastical
Establishment ; to repel the attacks which
were at that time continually made upon
it by its avowed enemies ; to render the
17th Article on Predestination and Elec
tion more clear and perspicuous, and less
liable to be wrested by our adversaries
to a Calvinistic sense, which has been so
"unjustly affixed -to it; to improve true
D 4 Christian

40 LIFE OF •
Christian piety amongst those of our. own
communion, and to diminish schism "ind
separation by bringing over to the Na
tional church all the moderate and well-
disposed of other persuasions. On these
grounds we applied, in a private and re
spectful manner, to Archbishop Cornwallis^
requesting him to signify our, wishes,
(which we conceived to be the wishes of
a very large proportion both of the clergy
and the laity) to the rest of the Bishops,
that every thing might be done, which
could be prudently and safely done, to
promote these important and salutary
purposes. " The answer given by the Arch
bishop, February 11, 1773, was in these
words : ' I have consulted severally my
' brethren the Bishops, and it is the
' opinion of the Bench in general, that
* nothing can in prudence be done in
' the

BISHOP PORTEUS. 41
'the matter that has been submitted to
* our consideration.' "
There can be no question that this
decision, viewed in all its bearings, was
right ; and Dr. Porteus, and those with
whom he acted, entirely acquiesced in it.
They had done their duty in submitting
to the Bench such alterations as appeared
to them to be conducive to the credit and
the interest of the Church of England,
and of religion in general ; and their
manner of doing it was most temperate
and respectful. At the same time, as it
appears to me, the proposal was re
jected on very satisfactory and sufficient
grounds. That in our Established Li
turgy there are some redundancies which
might be spared, and some^ changes
which might be made with advantage,
few will be disposed- to deny. That in
the Articles also, a clearer and more
intelligible

42 LIFE OF
intelligible mode of expression might in
parts be introduced, and some passages
amended or expunged, which give a
colour to false interpretation, may equally
be conceded. But the main point to be
considered is, whether, however desirable
it may be to remove all possible ground
of separation and schism, such altera
tions as those suggested, or even any at
all, would produce that effect. It has
been said by an eminent Divine, that
" it is not in the wit or in the power
of man to prevent diversity of opinion,
since this is the unavoidable result of
human imperfection and human liberty,
and is not to be removed, unless we had
more light or less agency." Suppose
then the Liturgy and Articles to undergo
a revision, would the consequence be an
union of sentiment? What one approved,
there would be still another to condemn ;
and

BISHOP PORTEUS. 43
and even *? amongst the moderate and
well-disposed of other persuasions," I fear
the Church, with all her concessions,
would gain few converts. It is always
dangerous to innovate, more so in things
connected with religion than in any other;
and, after all, is there any absolute need
of change ? " The men," says Dr. Hey,
" who were at the head of the Reforma
tion, were men of the first ability. As
scholars, we are mere children to them.
They were conversant in Scripture to a
degree of which few now have any con
ception. Ecclesiastical history lay open
before them. Yet they were not mere
scholars, nor monks, nor monkish men ;
but skilled in government, knowing men
and manners, liberal in behaviour, free
from all fanaticism, full of probity, yet
guided in their measures by prudence.
None then could be chosen more likely to
frame

44 LIFE OF
frame a good set of Forms and Articles^
They would fall short of nothingattaiui
able through indolence or cowardice. They
would set down nothing carelessly, on the
presumption of its passing unexamined.
They would overshoot nothing, in the
hope of catching a few. They had in short
nothing for it, but to fix on that which
right reason and good feelings would
embrace." Surely then in the labours of
these illustrious men we may contentedly
acquiesce. They were the result of fer
vent piety, profound learning, "^consuiht-
mate prudence, long, anxious,-'and patient
deliberation; and I should therefore think
any change inexpedient and unwise, which
was not deirianded by a strong necessity,
and justified by the clear and certain
prospect of some decisive advantage.
The period had now arrived when
Dr. Porteus was to be called to that
high

BISHOP PORTEUS. 45
high station in the Church, to which his
character and talents so well entitled him,
and which he afterwards filled with so
much credit to himself, and so much ad
vantage to his country. On the 20th of
December 1776, he kissed the King's
hand on his promotion to the see of
Chester; a preferment on his own part
perfectly unsolicited, and so entirely un-
looked for, that, till a short time before
it happened, he had not the smallest ex
pectation of it. In consequence of this
accession of dignity, which was conferred
in the most flattering and gracious man
ner, he resigned the: Uving of Lambeth,
though he had permission to retain it:
but he thonght that with so many addi
tional cares he should not be able to
attend to so large a benefice, at least
to the satisfaction of his own mind; and
he therefore hesitated not a moment in
giving

46 LIFE OF
giving it up into other hands. It was a
resolution founded only on a strong sense
of duty ; for it was with feelings of sin
cere and painful regret that he discon
tinued his pastoral connexion with a
parish, where he had lived with many
on terms of firiendly intercourse, and in
which he had so much reason to hope
that he had not laboured in vain. But
he affairs of a large diocese now de
manded his attention, and to these he
determined to sacrifice every other con
sideration. From various causes, it was not till
the 4th of July 1777, that he went to
Chester, where he lost no time in entering
with zeal and ardour into the functions
of his office. As soon as circumstances
would permit, he confirmed in several
places, and in the summer of the year '
following held his primary visitation. The

BISHOP PORTEUS. 47
The Charge which he delivered to his
clergy on that occasion was printed at
their request, and is now for the first time
added to his Works. Why it was omitted
in the volume of tracts which he after
wards published, I am unable to say.
It is undoubtedly a performance of great
merit, and should not be suffered to sink
into oblivion. The reader will find in it
the main outlines of the clerical character
very ably drawn. The education which
a clergyman should receive ; the pecuiliar
studies which he should afterwards pro
secute ; the dignity and importance of the
ministry ; the various duties, exclusively
of the mere stated discharge of the offices
of the church, which are inseparably
attached to it; the advantages of per
sonal residence upon his cure; more
especially the indispensable necessity of
example, to give weight and efficacy to
his

48 LIFE OF
his instruction ; all these considerations
are urged with force and impression:
and, amongst other points, the following
r«narks, upon a subject deeply involving
the respectability of our order, cannot be
too widely diffused. " Under the head
of appearance," says the Bishop, " give
me leave to mention the article of dress,
in which I have observed with concern,
that some of the younger clergy in several
parts of the kingdom (I mean not par
ticularly in ;this) have been gradually
departing from. that gravity and sobriety,
which the nature of their profession^ -as
well, as the /injunctions of- the church,
require. We are distinguished from > all
other persons by a peculiar habit, 'and
instead of being ashamed, - we ought
rather to bee proud of it, as a badge
of that high and honourable callijig to
which we have been admitted. If, from a
childish

BISHOP PORTEUS. 49
childish passion for show, we endeavour to
drop this distinction as rnuch as possible,
and to appear as little like clergymen,
as with any decency we can; instead of
procuring us admiration and respect, it
will only expose us to contempt."
Towards the conclusion of this year,
1778, the Bishop had an opportunity of
very highly gratifying his own feelings,
by being enabled to relieve the distress of
a poor clergyman in his diocese, whose
situation and circumstances were made
known to him in the following letter :
« My Lord,
" Impelled by a gloomy fit of reflec
tion (and many I have, God knows) on
my condition; I prostrate myself at your
feet, imploring in the humblest manner
compassion and regard. If distress has
eloquence, and may be permitted to
E plead,

50 LIFE OF
plead, I have, alas! but too powerful an
advocate in my favour.
" I am, my Lord, the Curate of Wood
Plumpton, near Preston, where I have
served, as such, for about forty-two years
successively, and led withal an obscure
contemplative life. I am now in the
sixty-seventh year of my age, and have
brought up six sons and six daughters to
men's and women's estate, and am grand
father to twenty-seven children. All my
annual income is only something more
than forty pounds. I had a small tene
ment here that came by my wife, but, as
I had contracted small debts time after
time, in so long a series of family occa
sions, have sold it to discharge those
engagements ; so that my bare salary is
all that I now enjoy for the support of
myself and family : and such is the in
digence I am reduced to at present, that
were

BISHOP PORTEUS. 51
were it not for religious prospects, I
should be wretched beyond the utmost
energy of language to express. Although
poverty and old age together be but a
mortifying fate, yet as to any personal
misery, I hope I c6uld defy it to touch
me with impatience. But, oh! my Lord,
the thing that enervates all my fortitude,
and cuts me to the heart, is, to see my
poor family in want, and to be a spec
tator of their misery without the power
of relief!
" As you may have the direction of
some charities, be pleased to use your
influence in the case of
" Your Lordship's
" Faithful servant,
" Mathew Woethingtqn."
It will easily be imagined, that a letter
such as this, written with all the pathetic
E 2 eloquence

52 LIFE OF
eloquence of undissembled distress, could
not fail to make a strong impression on
a feeling mind. The Bishop was ex
ceedingly struck by it ; and with the as
sistance of the Chancellor, Dr. Peploe,
immediately opened a subscription, to
wards which he contributed largely him
self, as a temporary relief: soon after
which, the Living of Childwell, a vicarage
in his gift, becoming vacant by resigna
tion, he immediately presented it to Mr.
Worthington. I have related this occur
rence, not only because it is in itself an
extremely interesting one, but as it marks
a very conspicuous feature in the Bishop's
character; namely, the eagerness with
which his mind always seized a bene
volent object. It was not a mere com
pliance with judgment. It was not a
frigid, dilatory, reluctant charity, extorted
by the occasion. On the contrary, I
never

BISHOP PORTEUS. 53
never yet saw any one, who appeared to
me to possess, in a more exalted degree,
the true spirit of beneficence. It came
warm from the heart, unchecked by cold
calculation; whilst the good he did be
came doubly valuable by his manner of
doing it.
On the 10th of March 1779, a motion
was made in the House of Commons, for
leave to bring in a Bill for the further
relief of Protestant Dissenters ; the pur
port of which was to exempt them from
subscription to the Article, and to entitle
them to the full benefit of the Act of
Toleration, on their taking the oaths of
Allegiance and Supremacy, and subscrib
ing the Declaration against Popery. To
this the Bench had no objection; but
were at the same time of opinion, that in
a Christian country none ought to be
allowed to preach or teach without some
E 3 formal

54 LIFE OF
formal acknowledgment of their being
Christians and Protestants, and that they
will make the Scriptures the rule of their
faith and practice. Upon this principle
it was agreed to move an amendment to
the Bill, containing a declaration to that
effect, and with the exception of a few
expressions, the same with that proposed
by the Dissenters themselves, on a former
application to Parliament in 1773. In
the Bishop's papers, I find the following
reasons assigned for the part which he
himself took in this question.
" On the most mature consideration,"
he says, " I am clearly of opinion that
some declaration was proper and neces
sary, and that for several reasons. First,
Because the English clergy in general,
and many of the laity, would have been,
and I think justly, exceedingly dissatis
fied, had the Bishops consented to an un
limited

BISHOP PORTEUS. 55
hmited indulgence of religious opinions,
without any declaration at all.
" Secondly, When any one applies for
hberty to preach and teach, the State has
a right to know what the leading prin
ciples of his rehgion are, in order to be
assured that they contain nothing injuri
ous to civil society, or to the established
form of Government.
" Thirdly, If there be no declaration,
not only Protestant Dissenters, but Maho
metans, Deists, Atheists and Pagans, will
by this Bill be entitled to preach and
teach their opinions with impunity; for
any of these may pretend to be Protest
ant Dissenters. And although these may
be connived at, as they now are, so long
as they behave peaceably and inoffen
sively i, yet I apprehend the Legislature
would not choose to give them a legal tole
ration. Indeed some of their opinions are
E 4 dangerous

56 LIFE OF
dangerous to the State. A Mahometan,
for instance, holds it lawful to propagate
his religion by the sword ; and Mr. Locke
himself thinks that Atheism ought not to
be tolerated. ' Certain however it is, that
the intention of the present Bill is to give
relief to Protestant Dissenters only ; and
therefore there ought to be some test,
to distinguish who are and who are not
Protestant Dissenters. This, I think,
will be sufficiently done by the proposed
Declaration." It was accordingly proposed by Lord
North himself to be inserted as a clause
in the Bill, which was at last agreed to,
though not till after much opposition
from several members, particularly from
Mr. Wilkes, whose language on that occa
sion forms a very sufficient illustration of
his religious principles. He contended for
unlimited, universal toleration; observing, " that

BISHOP PORTEUS. 57
" that Mr. Locke was much too confined
in his notions, when he asserted that
Atheists ought not to be tolerated. For
his own part, he should wish to see
pagodas, mosques, and temples of the
sun, rising up in the neighbourhood of
our finest gothic cathedrals." Notwith
standing this pious declamation, the
clause was agreed to ; and when the
Bill was brought into the House of
Lords, it passed unanimously without
debate or division. " Thus," says the
Bishop, " what the Dissenters had been
so long struggling for, and for which
they had twice before applied to Par-
Hament in vain, was at length obtained.
It was a measure generally approved as
wise and just, and no less consonant to
the principles of sound policy, than to
the genuine spirit of the Gospel."
Whilst the Government and the Church of

58 LIFE OF
of England were acting with this mode
ration towards the Protestant Dissenters,
it was reasonable that some indulgence
should be shewn to the Roman Cathohcs;
and accordingly in the course of this
year an Act was passed, repealing a
severe, oppressive law, which had been
enacted against them in the reign of
King William. But this measure, though
sanctioned on the same principles of
charity, and grounded on the same po
licy, was very differently received. In
Scotland, the Calvinistic clergy, in par
ticular, immediately took the alarm; and
from the exasperating language of their
sermons, aided by some : ftM'iQus pamr
phlets, which were disseminated amongst
the people, many disgraceful outrages
were committed in various places ; public
meetings were held for the security of
the established religion, and the General
Assembly

BISHOP PORTEUS. 59
Assembly even pa:ssed a vote, that any
alteration of the penal laWs against
Papists would be dangerous to civil and
religious liberty. About the same time
a similar spirit, though at first less violent
in degree, manifested itself in England.
A Protestant Association, as it was called,
was formed in London, the avowed design
of which was to oppose the progress of
Popery, and to counteract the effects of
the late Act, which was affirmed to be
of the most dangerous tendency. It was
stated that several Popish schools, and
mass houses, which had before been kept
private, were made public ; that many
new ones Were opened in several parts of
the Metropolis, and that the numbers
resorting to them greatly increased. At
the same time the Association disclaimed
persecution, as contrary to the Christian
rule, and professed to make use of no
other

60 LIFE OF
other means, but what were clearly con
sistent with moderation and prudence.
All this was plausible : and had it in a
single case been clearly substantiated,
that a priest or his congregation had re
fused to take the oath prescribed by the
Act; that doctrines had been inculcated
injurious to the Constitution; or that
any attempts had been made to seduce
Protestants from their faith; there would
then have been sufficient ground for
alarm : but no such facts were made out
in evidence.
The Bishop's sentiments upon this sub
ject are perfectly just, and worthy of his
own liberal and enlightened mind. " Un
doubtedly," he says, " we ought to be on
our guard against the arts and industry
of those who profess to teach the tenets
of Popery; we ought to combat their
manifold errors, as occasions offer, both in

BISHOP PORTEUS. 61
in the pulpit and from the press; and we
should in an especial manner instil care
fully into the minds of the young, the true
principles of Protestantism. But, on the
other hand, admitting the facts, as repre
sented, to be true, if it appears that the
schools and mass houses so much com
plained of, are only frequented by per
sons of the Roman Catholic persuasion ;
if the priests and their congregations take
the prescribed oath ; if no undue endea-
A^ours are used to make proselytes, and
no doctrines are taught hostile to the
government of the country ; I do not see
how, on the principles of Toleration or of
Christianity, any other opposition can be
made to them, but that of argument and
persuasion, and increased activity and
zeal on our part in guarding those in
trusted to our care against- the supersti
tions and errors of the Church of Rome." This

62 LIFE OF
This surely is precisely the language as
well of sound reason as of true religion :
but it was not that which answered the
views of the Protestant Association. Men
under the influence of passion and preju
dice are not easily repressed ; and there
fore, though against the concurrent opi
nion of the Bishops and the whole bod}'^
of the English Clergy, they determined,
as they expressed themselves, in the most
prudent and respectful manner — in other
words, at the head of 150^000 people--— to
present their petition to Parliament. The
consequences, as is well known, were the
riots of 1780, when a scene of desperate
outrage was exhibited in this Metropolis,
than which nothing could be more dis
graceful to the national character, or
more injurious to the credit of the Esta-
bhshed Faith.
Early in 1781, the returns to an
inquiry.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 63
inquiry, which the House of Lords had
ordered to be made, into the number of
Papists in England and Wales, were laid
upon the table : when Earl Ferrers, who
had moved for that inquiry, observed,
that it appeared evidently fi-om these
retumsl, that there had been a very con
siderable increase of Papists in this king
dom, and particiilarly in the Diocese of
Chester. " In that Diocese," he said,
" the number in 1717, was 10,308 ; in
1767, it was 25,139; and at this time the
number given in to the House amounts
to 27^228. He therefore submitted to
their Lordships, whether it would not be
highly expedient to lay such restrictions
upon the Catholics, as might, consistently
with the true principles of liberaUty and
candour, prevent their further increase.
He was no fi-iend to persecution ; but he
believed the spirit of. Popery was not
changed ;

64 LIFE OF
changed : and if it was allowed to spread
in the minds of the multitude without
control, the worst consequences at a
future period might be justly appre
hended." This proposition, as the facts on which
it rested referred principally to his own
Diocese, made it necessary for the Bishop
to reply; and he has left the following
abstract, as the substance of his speech
on that occasion. " As the discussion
of this subject appeared to me exceed
ingly dangerous, and as I well knew that
there was no just ground for dreading
any increase of Popery, I thought it
right to say something in answer to
Lord Ferrers; and undertook to prove,
that his statement of the number . of
Catholics in the Diocese of Chester in
the year 1717, was extremely erroneous,
having been taken only from very inac
curate

BISHOP PORTEUS. 65
curate returns to Bishop Gaskell's visi
tatorial inquiries, and not from any par
liamentary survey, which alone could be
depended upon: that two such surveys
had been lately taken, of the number of
Papists in England and Wales, one in
1767, the other in 1780; that the num
ber returned at the former period was
67,916, at the latter, 6"9,376; that the
increase therefore, in these thirteen years,
throughout the whole kingdom, was only
1,460, and that this was owing entirely,
not to the increase of Popery, but to the
increase of population : that I had in my
own possession, in consequence of in
quiries made upon the subject, very con
vincing proofs, that in the diocese of
Chester alone there had been within the
last sixty years an increase of more than
250^000 souls, and that this would more
than account for the progress which
F Popery

66 LIFE OF
Popery had made in that See. Upon
the whole I contended, that, considering
the great increase of general population
in this realm, the Catholics were a
decreasing rather than an increasing
quantity, and that there was therefore no
ground for the alarms, which some \vell-
meaning but certainly not well-informed
people had taken on that subject. These
observations were satisfactory to the
House, and Lord Ferrers withdrew his
motion." Whilst however the Bishop of Chester
thus expressed his sentiments in Parlia
ment, and endeavoured to rectify errors,
which, if left uncontradicted, might have
ended to inflame the already irritated
state of the public mind against the
Catholics of this country, he was not
unmindful of the real nature of their
religion, nor inattentive in guarding those
committed

BISHOP PORTEUS. 67
committed to his care against its false
and dangerous tenets. As the best and
mildest and most effectual mode of doing
this, he addressed a Letter to his clergy,
and at the same time printed for the
use of his diocese, in the compendious
form of a small tract, the substance of
five veiy admirable sermons by Arch
bishop Seeker, which appeared to him
to contain the most complete refiitation
of Popery that he had ever seen in so
small a compass. It is indeed one of
the many treatises on this subject, which
should be particularly put into the hands
of those, who are at all unsettled and
T^avering in their religious principles. It
is a short, perspicuous statement of all
the points at issue between Papists and
Protestants. The spirit in which it is
written is truly Christian, and the general
argument, in my judgment, and, I think,
F 2 in

68 LIFE OF
in the judgment of every unprejudiced
and candid man, is altogether unanswer
able. Besides the dispersion of this valuable
little tract, the Bishop made it a primary
object in the course of visiting his See,
to inquire as minutely as possible into
the conduct of the Catholics; directing
his clergy to keep a vigilant eye upon
their motions, and to inform him of any
transactions respecting them, which were
worthy of notice: and I have his autho
rity for saying, that the result of this
inquiry was, that he could not find that
they had in any instance attempted to
make converts ; that they adhered quietly
to their own persuasion, without disturb
ing the faith of their Protestant neigh
bours; and that so far from adding
to their numbers, a Popish priest had
on the contrary been converted, and
regularly

BISHOP PORTEUS. 69
regularly admitted into the Church of
England. These were important facts at that
time; and I have entered more largely
into the subject than perhaps I otherwise
might, under the conviction that they are
not unimportant now. It is the full per
suasion of my own mind, that the Catho
lics in this country, whatever may be the
case in Ireland, are content with the
liberty of maintaining their own doc
trines, and their own forms of worship,
without endeavouring to proselyte others ;
that their numbers only increase in pro
portion to the increase of population;
and that in the present advanced state '
of public knowledge. Protestantism has
nothing to apprehend from the toleration
of Popery. In fact, the real evils to be
dreaded, and on which the attention of
eyery man zealous for the preservation
F 3 and

70 LIFE OF
and the honour of Christianity should
be incessantly fixed, are dissoluteness
of manners, and the diffusion of infidel
opinions. These, if I may use the term,
are the Pythons we should strive to
crush. They are destructive monsters,
which assail the vitals of religion. They
strike at the very found^ation and root of
all social virtue and all social order ; and
it is therefore against these, above every
thing, that our penal laws should be
framed, and the power of the magistrate
directed. The great Prelate, whose life is
the subject of these pages, undoubtedly
so thought and acted. He was never
wanting in zeal for the Church; but as
one of the guardians of that Church, he
was persuaded that zeal could never be
so well employed as against vice and
infidelity. The following statement I insert exactly as

BISHOP PORTEUS. 71
as I find it. It marks in the strongest
manner his vigilant, firm, and persevering
mind, and the unremitting assiduity with
which he ever laboured to discharge the
high and sacred duties of a Christian
Bishop. " The beginning of the winter of 1780,'f
he observes, " was distinguished by the
rise of a new species of dissipation and
profaneness. A set of needy and profli
gate adventurers, finding every day and
almost every hour, of the week occupied
by some amusement or other, bethought
themselves of trying what might be done
on a Sunday. It was a novel and a bold
attempt, but not the less likely to succeed
in this country and in these times. They
therefore opened and publicly advertised
two different sorts of entertainment for
the Sunday evening. One of these was
at Carlisle House, and was called a Pro-
F 4 menade.

72 L I F E O F
menade. The other was a meeting at
public rooms hired for the purpose, and
assumed the name of Christian Societies,
Religious Societies, Theological Societies,
Theological Academies, &c. The professed
design of the former was merely to walk
about and converse, and take refresh
ments, the price of admission being three
shillings: but the real consequence, and
probably the real purpose of it, was to
draw together dissolute people of both
sexes, and to make the Promenade a
place of assignation : and, in fact, it was
a collection of the lowest and most pro
fligate characters that could possibly be
assembled together from every part of
London. It gave offence, not only to
every man of gravity and seriousness,
but even to young men of gaiety and
freedom, several of whom I have heard
speak of it with abhorrence. Nay, even
foreigners

BISHOP PORTEUS. 73
foreigners were shocked and scandalized
at it, considering it a disgrace to any
Christian country to tolerate so gross an
insult on all decency and good order.
" The business, or, as it should be rather
called, the amusement, proposed at the
Sunday Debating Societies, was to dis
cuss passages of Scripture, which were
selected and given out for that purpose ;
when every one present, ladies as well as
gentlemen, were to propose their doubts,
receive explanations, and display their
eloquence on the text proposed. It was
to be, in short, a school for Metaphysics,
Ethics, Pulpit Oratory, Church History,
and Canon Law. It is easy to conceive
what infinite mischief such debates as
these must do to the younger part of the
community, who, being unemployed on
this day, would flock to any assembly of
this sort; would look upon every doubt and

74 LIFE OF
and difficulty started there as an un
answerable argument against religion,
and would go home absolute sceptics, if
not confirmed unbelievers. Thus, as the
Promenade tended to destroy every moral
sentiment, the Theological Assemblies
were calculated to extinguish every
religious principle; and both together
threatened the worst consequences to
public morals.
" It was therefore highly necessary to
put a speedy and effectual stop to such
alarming evils. I mentioned it early in
the winter to several persons of rank
and authority, and waited a considerable
time in the hope, that some one of more
weight and influence than myself would
have stood forth on this occasion. But
the Session being now far advanced, and
finding no one inclined to take the matter
up, it became absolutely necessary to db
something;

BISHOP PORTEUS. 75
something; and I therefore resolved to
try what my own exertions would do.
I first consulted several eminent lawyers,
as well as the principal acting magistrates
in Westminster, in order to know, whether
either the statute or the common laAv,
as they now stood, was sufficient to check
this evil. They all assured me that both
were insufficient, and that nothing but
an Act of Parliament, framed on pur
pose, could effectually suppress it. In
consequence of this opinion, I applied to
a legal friend, and with his assistance got
a proper Bill sketched out, which I after
wards shewed to Lord Bathurst, President
of the Council, and to Sir John Skinner,
Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer;
and it was afterwards communicated
to the Lord Chancellor Thurlow, and
Lord' Mansfield. After it had received
their apprebatipn, I applied te the Spli- citor

76 LIFE OF
citor General, Mr. Mansfield, who under
took to move it in the House of Com
mons ; and Sir William Dolben agreed
to second it. This they did on the 3d
of May 1781, and the Bill was intitled,
' An Act for preventing certain Abuses
' and Profanations on the Lord's Day,
' commonly called Sunday.' It was vio
lently opposed in its different stages
through the House by several members,
particularly Mr. Wilkes ; but it passed
without a division. On the second read
ing of the Bill in the House of Lords, it
was opposed principally by the Duke of
Manchester, who thought that there were
not sufficient proofs of the mischievous
tendency of the Sunday evening amuse
ments. ' The subjects of this kingdom,'
he said, ' should be left at perfect liberty
to confer upon religious subjects without
control: and he did not believe that
there

BISHOP PORTEUS. 77
there was any thing improper either in
the Promenade or the Societies. In his
apprehension they were perfectly inno
cent: but, even if the fact were otherwise,
there were laws already in force sufficient
to restrain them; and there was no
necessity to add to the number of our
penal statutes, already sufficiently nu
merous.' " In answer to this, I observed, that
although there was no evidence at the
bar, to prove the allegations of the
preamble, which in a public Bill, and in
a matter of such notoriety, I conceived
was seldom, if ever required; yet there
were the very best grounds for believing
the pernicious tendency of the Sunday
evening amusements to be much greater
than the preamble stated. I had con
versed with many persons, who had them
selves been present in these places, and was

78 LIFE OF
was perfectly satisfied that they were
highly dangerous in every point of view.
But, even without entering into their
interior constitution and consequences,
I conld not but think that the very
external appearance of them on the
Lord's Day, was an offence against com
mon decency, and the most antient and
venerable customs of this country. They
were places of public amusement opened
on a Sunday. They were publicly ad
vertised; were in a public room; money
was publicly taken at the door, and that
for the avowed purpose of public amuse
ment. This, I apprehended, was the very
definition of a public diversion; and it
was notorious, that public diversions had
never been permitted by the laws of the
land in this kingdom, from the time of
the Reformation to the present moment,
and I hoped they never would. In
Popish

BISHOP PORTEUS. 79
Popish countries they were indeed per
mitted, though even there they were
condemned by many serious men; for
a friend of mine. Dr. Lort, in the year
1768, saw an injunction or admonition
of the Archbishpp pf Mechlin, in pne pf
the towns under his jurisdiction, in which
he complained heavily of the liberties
taken by the people on Sundays, and
spoke in high terms of the conduct pf
the Heretics, that is, the Prptestants, in
that respect. But, however these indul
gences might suit the spirit of Popery,
they did not accord with the temper of
Protestantism. They were contrary to
the spirit of our constitution; contrary
to the spirit of our laws and our religion.
They were new invasions of the sanctity
of the Lord's Day, and had never been
heard of in this country till within these
few years. The diffierent method of
observing

80 LIFE OF
observing Sunday in England and in
foreign countries, was one great mark of
distinction between the Church of Eng
land and the Church of Rome, and it
was a distinction which I hoped never to
see abolished. It was not my wish to
go to the Church of Rome to know in
what manner Sunday ought to be ob
served in England. I was therefore for
resisting these dangerous innovations in
the very beginning. If they were not
crushed at their very outset, it was im
possible to say how far they might go.
If the Legislature suffered them to pass
at first without notice, their Lordships
must not, imagine the mischief would
stop where it now is. The places of
entertainment lately opened for the Sun
day evening, were only the beginnings of
a regular plan to introduce Sunday diver
sions into this kingdom; they are only
trials

BISHOP PORTEUS. 81
trials and experiments to feel the way,
and to see how the Government will bear
such violations of decency ; and if the
proprietors of these places find that they
are perfectly secure, they will very soon
take care to have fresh amusements for
every hour of the Sunday, even for those
which ought to be spent in the celebra
tion of divine worship. Unless therefore
their Lordships were prepared to say,
that public diversions ought to be allowed
in this country, they must resist this
artful attempt to introduce them imder
the specious name of a Promenade, and
the sacred plea of religion.
", It has been said, indeed, that this
I
Bill is a restraint upon religious liberty.
It is no such thing. It restrains no one
from professing that mode of religion,
and joining in that form of public wor
ship, which his conscience best approves.
G It

82 LIFE OF
It restrains no one from speaking, con
versing, or writing upon religious sub
jects. It imposes no other restraint than
this, which is surely no very great hard
ship, that no one shall either pay or be
paid for talking blasphemy or profaneness
in a public room on the Lord's Day. It
takes away, in short, no other liberty,
but the liberty of burlesquing Scripture,
and making rehgion a pubhc amusement,
and a public trade, which I was inclined
to think their Lordships would not
consider essential marks of religious
freedom." A division then took place on the com
mitment of the Bill, which was carried
by a majority of 26; and it afterwards
passed without further opposition.
In this manner did the Bishop, by
his own energy and perseverance, carry
through Parliament an Act, which by its
judicious

BISHOP PORTEUS. 8.^
judicious prQv;saons effectually checked a
most wicked and hcejitipus system, calcu
lated to produce tl^e worst consequences
to religion and to public morals. There
were many difficulties in the way, which
WPuld have staggered, as in fact they did
stagger, ordinary minds. But his was
not of that stamp. He saw them all,
and surmounted them. He stood alone
against a crying evil, and succeede4. It
was the opinion indeed of Lord Mansfield
at the time, that the Bill, though in itself
a, good one, ^ould soon be evaded.
But contrary to the sentiments of that
great lawyer the very reverse has been
the case. It has completely answered its
object; and from the period of its passing
into a law no attempts have been made,
in the same way at least, to profane and
desecrate the Christian Sabbath.
Vr 2 Towards

84 LIFE OF
Towards the close of 1781, the great
question between the then Bishop of
London, Dr. Lowth, and Mr. Disney
Fytche, a gentleman of Essex, with
respect to the validity of a general bond
of resignation, that is a bond to resign,
whenever called upon by the patron,
came to a hearing in the Court of Chan
cery ; when it was determined by Lord
Loughborough, that such bonds were
good in law. — Notwithstanding how;ever
this decision, it was deemed expedient, in
a matter of such consequence, to carry
the cause before the House of Lords;
and it must ever redound to the Bishop
of Chester's honour, that such a man as
Bishop Lowth, who in the fullest mean
ing of his own words, as applied to Arch
bishop Seeker, was " vir summus summo
in loco," but who was then unable fi-om
illness to attend in Parliament, should
particularly

BISHOP PORTEUS. 85
particularly have selected and requested
him to undertake the management of it.
I mention the circumstance, merely with
the view of marking the high sense which
that distinguished Prelate entertained of
his character and talents. With respect
to the contest itself, , the issue is well
known. The judgments of the Courts
below were reversed; general bonds of
resignation, when given, as in the present
case, to procure a presentation, were de
clared to be illegal, and the presentation
procured by them to be corrupt, simo-
niacal and void.
On February 11th, 1783, the Bishop
preached before " the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel ; " and he chose
as his subject, the Civilization and Con
version of the Negroes in the British
West-India Islands. It appears that for
G 3 some

8€ LIFE OF
some time before this he had turned his
mind very much to the condition of that
Oppressed and suffering people, and had
corresponded and conversed on the sub
ject with several persons possessing pro
perty in the Islands, and others in this
country. The result of his inquiry was,
that the state of the Negroes was a most
deplorable one, as well in a temporal as
a spiritual point of View ; and he there-
fdre thought himself called upon by every
principle of justice and of policy to excite
if possible the attention of the public
to this great question. This he did, in
the first instance, by recommending it
strongly to the Society, in the discourse
which he addressed to them, to begin on
their own trust-estate in Barbadoes a
regular system of religious instruction,
as an example to the planters, and to
appropriate a portion of their funds to s<[)
desirable

BISHOP PORTEUS. 87
desirable a purpose. The suggestion at
the time met with general approbation;
and he was therefore induced early in the
following year to lay before the Society
a plan* which he had drawn up, and in
which he had the concurrence of several
of the Bench, and other intelligent friends,
for carrying it into execution. It how
ever very snon appeared that nothing
would be done; for a Committee, to
whom, after much opposition, the ques
tion was referred, gave it as their opinion
in a short sitting of four hours, that his
Lordship merited the thanks of the
Society

* This plan is now incorporated in " an Essay,"
which he afterwards printed and published, " towards
the more eiFectual Civilization and Conversion of the
Negro Slaves ©n the Trust Estate in Barbadoes,
belonging to the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel in Foreign Parts." The reader will find it in
his Volume of Tracts.
G 4

88 LIFE OF
Society for the great pains and trouble
he had taken, but that the circumstances
of the Society rendered it at that time
unadvisable to adopt the plan.
" Thus," says the Bishop, " was a final
period put at once to a most interesting
and important subject, and the spiritual
condition of near half a milUon of Ne
gro Slaves decided in four hours. That
the particular plan offered to the Society
might stand in need of improvement,
arid that a better might have been sub
stituted in its room, is very probable. I
would have given my hearty vote for any
wiser plan in preference to my own. It
was not the mode, it was the measure, I
had at heart. But that the discussion of
this subject should have been entirely
finished at one meeting, which every one
expected would have taken up two or
three; that no other plan should be
adopted

BISHOP PORTEUS. 89
adopted or proposed, nor any one effec
tual measure taken for the conversion
and salvation of near 300 Slaves, who
were the immediate property of a reli
gious Society, did, I own, a little surprise
me. The Society had undoubtedly an
opportunity of rendering their name il
lustrious in every part of the world, by
beginning on their ozm plantation the ci
vilization and conversion of the Negroes,
and thereby at once shewing the possibi
lity of it, and the method of doing it,
and setting an example, which might
excite the attention, and by degrees the
imitation, of all the West-India pro
prietors. If this example be not set; if
this attempt be not made by a Society,
whose professed purpose is to ' propagate
the Gospel in Foreign Parts' among In
fidels and Heathens; by whom is there
the least probability that it can or will be
undertaken?

90 LIFE OF
undertaken? It is not small difficulties,
it is not great difficulties, that should have
deterred us from an undertaking, in which
our credit, our reputation, our interest,
and the interests of religion, are so essen
tially concerned. Nothing less than an
absolute demonstrable impossibility should
have discouraged us from the attempt.
This was the opinion of Bishop Gibson
half a century ago, as expressed in the
admirable Letters which he wrote upon
this subject; and it is, I will ventMre to
say, the opinion of every unprejudiced
man in this kingdom, who has considered
the subject with sufficient attention and
sufficient sensibility."
From this passage, it appears evidently
that the Bi^op was both disa|)pointBd
and hurt by such a basity rejectioQ, ou
the part of the Society, of a plan on
which he had bestowed oonsiderable care and

BISHOP PORTEUS. 91
and thought, and which it was admitted
came wiWiln the letter and spirit of their
charter. But though he failed in this
endeavour, he was not discouraged, as
the following pages Avill shew, from pur
suing steadily his favourite object, the
civilization and conversion of the Negro
Slaves in our West-India colonies.
In the mean time his attention to the
duties of his diocese was constant and
unwearied. Amongst other things, he
took infinite pains to establish an annual
subscription for the relief of his poorer
elergy. Such an institution, more par
ticularly in the Archdeaconry of Rich
mond, was greatly wanted; and by urging
the subject in the course of conversation,
and circulating besides a printed letter,
in which he very strongly pressed the
necessity of the measure, he at last
succeeded. His

92 LIFE OF
His efforts were also directed with the
same active zeal to the establishment of
Sunday Schools. Of this admirable plan,
first suggested by Mr. Robert Raikes,
of Gloucester, for diffusing amongst the
poor the principles of religious know
ledge, at an age when they are most
capable of receiving them, and in a
manner which in no respect interferes
with their ordinary occupations, he had
early conceived a very favourable opinion,
and in several instances privately encou
raged it. But, as an act of prudence,
he determined not to give it the sanction
of his public approbation, till, as he
observes, " time and experience, and
more accurate inquiry, had enabled him
to form a more decided judgment of its
real value, and its probable effects."
When, however, repeated information
from various quarters, and particularly from

BISHOP PORTEUS. 93
from some of the largest manufacturing
towns in his diocese, had convinced him
that such institutions, wherever the ex
periment had been fairly tried, had pro
duced, and could not fail to produce,
if discreetly regulated, essential benefit,
he no longer hesitated in promoting
them generally throughout his diocese.
With this view, as the wisest and most
effectual mode of giving publicity to his
sentiments, he addressed to his clergy
a very excellent letter, containing, in
a short compass, a plain, temperate, and
judicious exposition of the advantages
of Sunday Schools, and of the rules by
which they should be conducted.
The time had now arrived, when the
Bishop of Chester was destined to fill
a still more distinguished situation in
the English church. The high character he

94 LIFE OF
he had long maintained; his zeal, his
activity, his judgment, his powers of use
fulness in every branch of his profession,
and all these illustrated and adorned by
a most unblemished life, and the most
conciliating and attracting manners ;
naturally marked him out as a person
eminently qualified to supply the vacancy
which had for some time been expected
in the See of London. Accordingly,
the very next day after the death of
Dr. liowth, which took place at the Pa
lace at Fulham, November the S\ 1787,
the Bishop, who was then at Hunton,
received by a king's messenger the fol
lowing letter from Mr. Pitt :
" My Lord,
"In consequence of the death of the
Bishop of Londoii, which took place
yesterday, I lost no time in making it

BISHOP PORTEUS. 9.5
it my humble recommendation to His
Majesty, that your Lordship might be
appointed to succeed him. I have this
moment received His Majesty's answer,
expressing His entire apprebation of the
proposal, and authorizing me to ac
quaint your Lordship with His gracious
intentions. I have peculiar satisfaction
in executing this commission, and in the
pppprtunity of expressing the sentiments
of high respect and esteem with which
I have the honour to be,
" My Lerd,
" Your Lordship's most obedient
" and most humble servant, "W.Pitt."
This important cpmmunicatipn, made
in such flattering and gracieus terms,
was mpst gratifying to the Bishop's
feelings: but yet the high station to
which

96 LIFE OF
which he was raised did not for a mo
ment carry his thoughts from the great
and only Disposer of all earthly good.
Much as he felt the honour conferred
upon him by his Sovereign, he looked
beyond this world, up to Him, who is, the
King of kings ; for, subjoined to a copy
of the preceding letter, are written in
his own hand the following words;
" I acknowledge the goodness of a
kind Providence, and am fully sen
sible that nothing but this could have
placed me in a situation so infinitely
transcending my expectations and de
serts."
^ This appointment, Jike all that he had
before filled, was on his own part per
fectly unsought for and unsolicited. So
far indeed from being desirous of a
change of station, he had on the con
trary many substantial reasons for wishing to

BISHOP PORTEUS. 97
to retain the Bishopric of Chester.
During his resid€n<;;e in that city, the
attention he had uniformly shewed to all
ranks of people; the ease and affability
of his whole depprtmejit; his kindness
tp all whp needed his assistance ; the
warm interest he took in the affairs of
his clergy; his endeavours to promote in
every way the cause of religion, and the
good of those committed to his charge;
all this had placed him high in public
estimation, and rendered him in every
part of his diocese respected and be
loved. It was not therefore without
much regret, and a hard struggle with
his own feelings, that he quitted a
situation to which he was most sin
cerely attached, to enter upon another,
where the duties were more burthen-
some, and the responsibility grea:tly
increased. H In

98 LIFE OF.
In addition to this, he was under
the necessity, by accepting the See of
London, of giving up his living at
Hunton; that calm, dehghtful retreat,
where he had spent so many years of
happiness, and which, I am persuaded,
no accession of dignity, no increase of
revenue, would have ever induced him
to resign, had it not been for the high
and honourable principle, which in all
circumstances governed him through
life — the relinquishment of private en
joyment for the sake of public usefulness.
To those who knew him well, as it was
my privilege to do, it is superfluous to
say, that he quitted this favourite re
sidence with infinite regret. His own
words will best express what he felt upon
the occasion. ^
" When I took my leave of Hunton
early in the morning, and cast a parting look

BISHOP PORTEUS. 99
look on the rich vale below, (the sun
shining gloriously upon it, and lighting
up all the beauties of that enchanting
scene) my heart sunk within me; and
as I went slowly up the hill, I could
not forbear repeating and applying to
myself those exquisite lines of the
Minstrel,
O ! how canst thou renounce the boundless store
Of charms, which Nature to her vot'ries yields ;
The warbling woodland, the resounding shore.
The pomp of groves, and garniture of fields ;
All that the genial ray of Morning gilds,
And all that echoes to the song of Even ;
All that the mountain's sheltering bosom shields.
And all the dread magnificence of Heaven;
O ! how canst thou renounce, and hope to be forgiv'n !
«« It was indeed a long time before
I could forgive myself. But various cir
cumstances rendered this sacrifice neces
sary; and by degrees custom reconciled
me to a scene very different from that to
H 2 which

100 LIFE OF
which I had been so long accustomed,
and which it cost me no small pain to
renounce." After kissing the King's hand for
his new See, on the 8th of November
1787, and being confirmed at_ Bow
Church on the 7th of December follow
ing, one of the first objects which en
gaged the Bishop's mind was the ad
vancement of a Society, which had been
set on foot about a year before, and
which bore the title of " The Society for
enforcing the King's Proclamation against
Immorality and Profaneness." The ne
cessity of taking some active measures
for endeavouring to check, if possible,
the increasing profligacy of the times, had
been long apparent ; and it was thought
that it would be one very likely mode
of furthering that important purpose, if
persons

BISHOP PORTEUS. 101
persons of distinguished name and charac
ter would combine together to enforce the
execution of the laws, and to support the
magistrates in the conviction of offenders.
This, by great perseverance, was at last
effected ; and the Bishop, who had been
from the first a zealpus prpmoter of the
Association, and afterwards was elected
President of it, had the satisfaction of
seeing it productive of the best results.
Many useful Acts of Parliament were
obtained by its influence; many persons
were prosecuted and punished for disse
minating licentious books; and amongst
other acts of beneficial interference, a
check was in some measure given to that
most pernicious custom of exhibiting
publicly indecent prints. Most earnestly
is it to be wished that it could be re
pressed altogether; and if this cannot be
done by any statute at present in force,
H S it

102 LIFE OF
it is surely incumbent upon the wisdom
of the Legislature to take the subject into
consideration, and to enact some positive
law, which, by the infliction of a heavy
penalty, may ultimately tend to the anni
hilation of a system, than which there
can be none more injurious to good
morals, nor any more prejudicial to the
best interests of a State.
On the 10th of July 1788, Sir William
Dolben's Slave-carrying Bill passed the
Lords; an event which afforded the
Bishop the utmost satisfaction. During
its progress, so great was his anxiety for
its success that he attended the House
daily from Fulham for a month together;
but had the fatigue of that attendance been
even greater than it was, he would most
cheerfully have submitted to it with such
an object in view. The measure indeed
fell far short pf the whple extent of
his

BISHOP PORTEUS. 103
his wishes: but, as under the existing
circumstances, more could hardly be
expected, he considered it, as in fact
it was, a most important measure ; since
it lessened, at least in some degree, the
horrors of the passage, and prevented the
merchants from crowding into their ships
too large a number of slaves, under the
alarm of an approaching abolition of the
trade itself. About the same time, on a
motion by Lord Bathurst for an address
to His Majesty, to instruct the Governors
of the Islands to secure, by some legisla
tive measure, a better treatment of the
slaves, and provide for their religious
instruction, he expressed in the strongest
terms his entire approbation of the noble
Earl's proposition; and availed himself
of that opportunity to assure the House,
that in the hope of promoting particu
larly the last of these purposes, he had
H 4 addressed

104 LIFE OF
addressed to the Clergy of the different
Islands a circular letter, earnestly ex
horting them to take the condition of the
Negroes in their respective parishes into
their consideration, and to instruct them
in the principles of the Christian Faith.
On the 23d of April in the following
year 1789, in obedience to the King's
express command, he preached at St.
Paul's on the day of public thanksgiving
for His Majesty's recovery. The subject
which he chose was, " Trust in God,"
and he enforced it with all that warmth
and spirit and energy which the pecu
liar circumstances of the case, and a
scene so uncommonly grand and striking
could hardly fail to inspire. That part
of his discourse, which bears more im
mediately upon the occasion, is touched
with great delicacy and judgment. There

BISHOP PORTEUS. 106
There is no elaborate eulogy, no over
charged description ; but he stated simply
and strongly, what he knew upon indu
bitable authority to be true, that " the
heart of his Sovereign was deeply im
pressed with the conviction, that in God
was his help; and that throughout the
whole of his severe trial his trust in God
had never forsaken him." Of the reality
of this declaration, I believe, out of all
that vast assembly, there was not an
individual present who entertained the
slightest doubt. It came home to every
one's feelings, and called up one united
thanksgiving to the Great Disposer of
events, for having preserved and restored
to them a Monarch, not more illustrious
for his high station, than revered and
beloved for his many private virtues.
More than two years had passed from
the time of his taking possession of the
See

106 LIFE OF
See of London before the Bishop held
his primary visitation; but the cause of
the delay arose, as he himself observes,
" from a wish to collect all the informa
tion he could from various quarters, and
more particularly from the answers to
the several queries which had been some
months before circulated through the
diocese." With these materials before him, he
was enabled to select such topics for his
Charge as appeared the most important ;
and accordingly he insisted principally
on the necessity of more constant re
sidence*, an increase of salaries to
curates,
* The residence of the beneficed Clergy on their
cures was one of the objects, connected with the
discipline and good order of the Church, which the
Bishop was unceasing in his endeavours to promote ;
and the following extract from a most useful and able
Charge dehvered by Mr. Archdeacon Cambridge in
1808, to the Clergy of the Archdeaconry of Middlesex,
is an honourable and convincing proof how success- fully

BISHOP PORTEUS. 107
curates, and the improvement of our
parochial psalmody. In regard to the
last
fully those endeavours were exerted. — " It will now," he
says, " be expected, that I should make some report of
the state and condition of the Parsonage Houses, which
it was a part of my duty to inspect ; but it was with
real pleasure I found, that the difficulty and trouble,
which may readily be supposed to attend the due per
formance of this delicate branch of our official inquiry,
were considerably lessened, and the duty in a great
measure anticipated by the unwearied exertions of our
excellent Prelate, whose constant endeavour it has
been, ever since he presided over this important
diocese, to establish resident clergy on every pre
ferment where it was possible to accomplish it ; an
endeavour, in which he had most meritoriously and
successfully persevered for many years previous to the
late Act for enforcing the Residence of the Parochial
Clergy. Of tbis, his first concern, the' repair and
improvement of the parsonage house, in which the
incumbent was required to reside, formed an essential
and often a preliminary part. And it is now with in
finite satisfaction I can state, that with the exception
of a very few cases, where accidental circumstances
^ave occasioned delays in the accomplishment of the
wishes and directions of the Bishop, on almost every
living, the income of which is sufficient to supply the
means of maintaining a decent residence for the in
cumbent, this important object is already attained."

108 LIFE OF
last of these subjects, he states the
following reasons for pressing it on the
attention of his clergy.
" Of all the Services of our Church,
none appear to me to have sunk to so
low an ebb, or so evidently to need
reform, as our parochial psalmody ; more
especially, as Dr. Burney, in his History
of Music, had very injudiciously taken
great pains to ridicule and discredit the
use of psalmody in our churches, and
to introduce in the room of it cathedral
music. In consequence of this, many
churches and chapels in London had
already adopted his ideas; and at their
charity sermons, professional singers,
both male and female, were brought
from various places of public entertain
ment to sing hymns and anthems for
the benefit of the children. Nay, in one
or two churches there had been musical
entertainments

BISHOP PORTEUS. 109
entertainments upon Sunday evenings,
without even prayers or a sermon. I
therefore thought it highly necessary, in
order to prevent our places of public
worship from being converted into con
cert-rooms, to endeavour to check this
musical madness, and if possible to
bring back our psalmody to its antient
purity and simplicity."
For his opinions and advice, both
which are extremely judicious upon
this subject, I must refer the reader to
the Charge itself, which will be found in
his Works. It is a composition through
out of great elegance and ability ; and
there is one circumstance in it which
I cannot suffer to pass without notice,
namely, the high testimony which it
bears to the talents and virtues of his
venerable predecessor. Bishop Lowth.
The See of London had never been filled by

110 LIFE OF
by a more distinguished prelate; and his
successor felt that it would have been
an act of injustice to so great a man,
if he had not offered some part at least
of that tribute which was justly due to
his memory, and publicly expressed his
deep regret for the loss sustained by the
church, and by the world at large. The
character he has given of him is forcibjly
and ably drawn : and, although the ne
cessity of enlarging upon other important
matter prevented him from saying much
upon the subject, he would yet but ill have
satisfied his own feelings, or the expec
tations of his clergy, if, with such an
opportunity before him, he had said less.
Not many months after his return
from the visitation of his diocese, a
decree given in his favour by the Court
of Chancery enabled him to prosecute a
plan,

BISHOP PORTEUS. Ill
plan, which he had long had much at
heart, for improving the condition of the
Negro Slaves employed in the cultivation
of the West-India Islands, and particularly
for their better instruction in religious
knowledge. As he has left in manuscript
the following statement of the causes and
consequences of that decree, it is here
inserted. " In 1691, the great Mr. Boyle left
a sum of money, amounting to .£.5,400.
for the advancement of the Christian
religion amongst infidels. With this sum
an estate was afterwards purchased at
Brafferton, near Boroughbridge in York
shire. The Earl of Burlington, and the
Bishop pf London for the time being,
were constituted trustees of the charity;
and in 1693, they directed that the
profits of the estate should be paid to the
President of William and Mary College, in

112 LIFE OF
in Virginia, to be by them applied tp
the education and instruction of a cer^.
tain number of Indian children. This
appointment was confirmed by a decree
of the Court of Chancery in I698. The
charity continued to be so applied till
the breaking out of the American war,
soon after which the then Bishop of
London forbad the Agent of the College
to remit any more money to Virginia.
After the peace, the College claimed the
rents of the estate, and all the arrears
that had accumulated, which, with the
sale of some timber, amounted to a
very large sum. This was resisted by
Bishop Lowth ; and on my succeeding
to the See of London, a regular suit in
Chancery was commenced between me
and the College in Virginia. The ques
tion was, whether they, being now sepa
rated from this kingdom, and become a
foreign.

BISHOP PORTEUS. lis
foreign, independent state, were entitled
to the benefit of this charity. It was the
first question of the kind, that had oc
curred in this country since the American
Revolution, and was therefore in the
highest degree curious and important.
The Chancellor, Lord Thurlow, decided
against the College. He excluded them
from all share in the charity, and directed
that the Trustees should offer a plan for
the appropriation of the charity to some
other purpose. In consequence of this
decree, I gave in to the Master in Chan
cery, Mr. Orde, my plan for the ap
plication of Mr. Boyle's charity, and
proposed for its object, ' the conversion
and religious instruction of the Negroes
in the British West-India Islands.' This
has been subsequently approved by the
Lord Chancellor, and there will now be
1 a revenue

114 LIFE OF
a revenue of near .£.1,000. per annum,
applied to that purpose,"
To this, his own account of the origin
and establishment of that Society, I am
enabled to add from my own personal
observation and knowledge, that he not
only in his capacity of President took
a leading part in all its transactions, but
that he was indefatigable in his efforts
to promote the objects of it. With the
view of rendering the Scriptures more
generally useful to the Negroes, he un
dertook to make a selection of such
parts, both of the Old and New Testa
ment, as appeared to him best adapted
to their understandings and condition.
He spared no pains in procuring able
and conscientious ministers to fill the
office of missionaries. He corresponded
frequently with them on the state of their
mission.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 115
mission. He endeavoured by all the
means in his power to conciliate the
good-will of the planters, to remove the
apprehensions they expressed, and to
convince them of the policy as well as
humanity of educating and instructing
their slaves. In short, he did all that the
most active and unwearied zeal could
do, to advance in every possible way the
great purposes of the institution. If,
after all, its success fell short of his
hopes, as I have heard him often lament
that it did, the failure is to be ascribed,
not to want of effort in him, but to
difficulties, which, though in some in
stances overcome, he found in others
insuperable. The chief of these always
has been, and still continues to be, an
invincible reluctance on the part of the
proprietors and planters of estates in our
West-India colonies, effectually to pro-
I 2 mote

116 LIFE OF
mote any plan, however quietly and
prudently conducted, for the Christian
education of their Negro slaves. To
this general assertion indeed, there are,
I know, some honourable exceptions;
but, on the whole, there does appear to
be an increasing disposition, as far as my
information and experience enable me
to judge, to discountenance and impede
all attempts to instruct that unfortunate
part of our fellow beings in the prin
ciples and practice of religion. I trust,
however, that no obstructions, which the
Society may experience, will induce them
to relax their endeavours. Perseverance
may gradually surmount all difficulties.
It must, by God's blessing, ultimately
triumph; for it stands as the recorded
word of that great Being, who has said,
" Have I spoken, and shall I not do it?"
that " the earth shall be full of the
knowledge

BISHOP PORTEUS. 117
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters
cover the sea."

During the interval which elapsed
between the Bishop's first and second
visitation of his diocese, the French
Revolution burst forth; overturning from
its very foundation one of the most
powerful governments in Europe; sub
stituting a republic in the room of an
antient monarchy, and overwhelming all
law and order in one wild, sanguinary
scene of anarchy and confusion. In a
convulsion such as this, which threw
down every barrier, that the wisdom of
ages had raised for the consolidation of
a great empire, it was not to be expected
that Religion would pass unmolested;
and in fact it very soon appeared, that
the revolutionists of France aimed at
nothing less than the utter subversion of
I 3 all

118 LIFE OF
all moral principle, and the complete
abandonment of public worship. Their
object was to degrade and vilify the
truths of Revelation, and to propagate
in its place a blasphemous and infidel
philosophy. The attempt succeeded but
too effectually in their own country ; and
the contagion soon spread to this. No
efforts were spared, which could tend to
contaminate the public mind, and obli
terate from it all reverence for our civil
and religious establishments; and had
it not been for the vigorous measures
of that great Minister, who was then at
the head of the administration, and to
whom, under Providence, we owe our
preservation, we might have witnessed
here the same frightful scenes, which
convulsed and desolated a neighbouring
kingdom. At a crisis such as this, in which all
that

BISHOP PORTEUS. II9
that is dear to us hung suspended on the
issue, it was plainly every man's bounden
duty to exert himself to the utmost for
the public welfare : and, in a situation so
responsible as the See of London, com
prehending a vast metropolis, where the
emissaries of infidelity were most actively
occupied in their work of mischief, the
Bishop felt himself called upon to coun
teract, as far as in him lay, the licentious
principles which were then afloat, and to
check, if possible, the progress they had
too evidently made in the various ranks
of Society. The best mode, as he con
ceived, of doing this, was to rouse the
attention of the clergy to what was
passing around them ; and nothing surely
was ever better calculated to produce
that effect, than the Charge which he
addressed to them in 1794. I know not
where, in a short compass, the character
I 4 of

120 LIFE OF
of the French philosophy is more ably
drawn, or its baneful influence more
strikingly developed. He had watched
its course with an observing eye. He
had read all that its advocates could
allege in its favour. He had traced the
motives which gave it birth, the features
by which it was marked, and the real
objects which it was designed to accom
plish. It was not therefore without much
deliberation, and a full knowledge of his
subject, that he drew up for his sacred visi
tation that eloquent and most impressive
address, in which he gave such a picture
of the infidel school of that day, and of
the industry which was then employed to
disseminate its principles in this country,
as at once carried conviction to the mind,
and most powerfully awakened the atten
tion of every serious and thinking man-
But it was on the clergy, in an especial
manner.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 121
manner, that he was anxious to leave a
strong and fixed persuasion of the neces
sity of increased assiduity and vigilance
in the discharge of their religious func
tions. Christianity, attacked as it was
on every side, required more than com
mon efforts, and more than ordinary zeal
on the part of its natural defenders ; and
he therefore called upon them " to repel
with vigour and effiect all those charges
of fraud, falsehood and fanaticism, which
had been so liberally thrown upon it ; at
such a perilous crisis to contend with
peculiar earnestness for ' the faith once
delivered to the saints,' and to shew
that it is not, as our enemies affirm, ' a
cunningly devised fable,' but a real
Revelation from Heaven."
In particular he recommended it to
them, with a view of stemming more
effectually the overwhelming torrent of
infidel

122 LIFE OF
infidel opinions, " to draw out from the
whole body of the Christian Evidences
the principal and most striking argu
ments, and to bring them down to the
understandings of the common people."
" If this," he says, " or any thing of a
similar nature, were thrown into a regular
course of sermons or lectures, and de
livered in easy, intelligible, famiUar lan
guage to your respective congregations,
I know nothing that would, in these
philosophic times, render a more essen
tial service to religion, or tend more
to preserve the principles of those en
trusted to your care, uncorrupted and
unshaken by those most pernicious and
dangerous publications, which, I have
too much reason to apprehend, will very
soon be disseminated with dreadful in
dustry and activity through every quarter
of this Island." It

BISHOP PORTEUS. 123
It is almost superfluous to add, that
the effect of this admirable Charge was
very soon apparent. It was calculated
to make, and it did make, a great im
pression. The clergy gave, full proof,
that the advice of their Diocesan had
not been offered in vain ; and, I am well
convinced, that in combination with
other causes, the zeal and energy, which
they displayed at that period, contributed
in no small degree to the defeat of Infi
delity, and, by necessary consequence, to
the essential welfare of the State.
On the 3d of December 1795, the
Bishop presented an address to the King,
from himself, the Dean and Chapter of
St. Paul's, and the clergy of the cities of
London and Westminster, on the outrage
offered tp His Majesty by a seditipus
mpb, in his way to the Hpuse of Lords; a
circumstance

124 LIFE OF
circumstance in his life, which perhaps
I should not have mentioned, but that it
gave occasion to the assertion of a right,
which, as it had immemorially been
observed, he thought it his duty not to
relinquish upon that occasion. The fol
lowing is his own account of the trans
action : " When I sent a copy of the
Address to the Duke of Portland, and
desired him to take the King's pleasure,
when he would receive it, he in a few-
days returned an answer, that His Ma
jesty would receive it not on the throne,
but at the levee. As I conceived it did
not become me to give up a privilege of
the London Clergy, which I knew to be
founded in antient custom, I desired an
interview with the Duke, and, on shewing
him the papers in my possession, soon
convinced him that addresses from the
Clergy of London were always received on

BISHOP PORTEUS. 125
on the throne. He promised to state
this the next day to the King, which he
did, and His Majesty very graciously then
appointed us to be received on the throne
as usual."
It has been already mentioned, that
the Bishop filled the situation of Presi
dent of " the Society for enforcing the
King's Proclamation against Immorality
and Profaneness," and that under his
active and discreet direction the licen
tiousness of the Metropolis had to a cer
tain degree been checked. It was not
then probable, that when a publication
of such an infamous description, and cal
culated to produce such infinite mischief
as Pain's Age of Reason, made its ap
pearance, and was disseminated with in
conceivable industry through every town
and village of the kingdom, the Society
would suffer it to pass unnoticed. The
book

126 LIFE OF
book indeed, in point of argument and
composition, was perfectly contemptible:
but, as the Bishop has Well observed,
" it was addressed to the multitude, and
most dexterously brought down to the
level of their understandings. It com
pressed the whole poison of infidelity
into the narrow compass of an essence or
an extract, and rendered irreligion easy
to the meanest capacity." The progress
therefore of a work like this was to be
checked instantly, and with a high hand.
If is true, an antidote, and with all think
ing men a most effectual one, had been
sent abroad into the world, in the ad
mirable answer of Dr. Watson, the present
Bishop of Llandaff, but still it was neces
sary to inflict some signal punishment on
the person, who, in violation of all de
cency, had dared to be the publisher
pf The Age qf Reason. The man was a
bookseller.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 127
bookseller, of the name of Williams; and
against him, though unquestionably only
an instrument in the hands of more ex
perienced adepts in the school of infi
delity, a prosecution was set on foot in
the Court of King's Bench. Upon the
issue of this trial, the credit and influence
of Religion were in a great measure at
stake; and it was therefore of the very
last importance, that the cause of the
Society should be well defended. Accord
ingly the Bishops of London and Durham
had an interview with Mr. Erskine, who
at their joint and earnest request, most
cheerfully undertook the management of
the prosecution ; and it is well known how
successfully he employed his splendid ta
lents in the execution of that office. " His
speech^" says the Bishop, " was a noble
specimen pf true elpquence pn the neblest
of all subjects, the defence of Christianity. There

128 LIFE OF
There were passages in it as sublime as
any thing to be met with in the writings
of any orator whatever, antient or modern.
There is one in particular, uncommonly
striking and forcible from the mouth of
a layman and a lawyer. Mr. Erskine
declared in reply, that ' bred as he'was
to the consideration of evidence, he con
sidered the Prophecy concerning the
destruction of the Jewish temple and
nation to be, even if there were nothing
else to support Christianity, absolutely
irresistible.' "
In addition to these exertions on the
part of their Counsel, the Society re
ceived the thanks of Lord Kenyon, for
their spirited and manly conduct. In his
charge to the Jury, than which nothing
could be more able or perspicuous, he
spoke of the prosecution in terms of high
approbation ; and at the same time
availed

BISHOP PORTEUS. 129
availed himself of that opportunity to
make a public avowal, in the most solemn
language and manner, of his own sincere,
deliberate and entire conviction of the
truth of Christianity.
Without a moment's hesitation the
Jury found the Defendant guilty ; and
thus was a stop effectually put to the sale
of a publication, which concentrated in
itself more impiety, and was calculated
to inflict a deeper wound on religion,
than any that had ever appeared in this
or any other country.
In the Charge addressed to his Clergy
in 1794, which I have already noticed,
it has been seen how strongly he pressed
upon them the necessity of greater zeal
and activity in their sacred calling. But
he never imposed a burthen upon others,
of which he was not always disposed and
K anxious

ISO LIFE OF
anxious to take a full share himself ;
and of this he gave a memorable proof,
by undertaking to prepare and deliver in
St. James's church, on the Fridays during
Lent, a course of Lectures on the Gospel
of St. Matthew. The reasons which de
termined him thus to exert himself out of
the ordinary course of his professional
duty, at a time of life too then far ad
vanced, and amidst all the other employ
ments of a most laborious diocese, he
has himself stated in his Preface to the
Lectures; and they are such as could
not fail to make a deep impression on
a mind like his. The gloomy aspect of
the times ; the alarming and perilous
situation of this country ; the astonishing
success, which every where attended its
enemies abroad ; the indefatigable indus
try of other enemies, still more formi
dable, at home, in diffusing disloyalty and
infidelity

BISHOP PORTEUS. 131
infidelity and wickedness amongst the
lower orders of the people ; the unabated
dissipation of the upper ranks; their
extreme prodigality, luxury and volupr
tuousness; the marked indifference, which
was every day rnore visible in their con
duct, to all moral and religious obligaT
tions ; a train of circumstances such as
these called loudly, he thought, on the
serious ^nd reflecting part of the com
munity, to make some vigojous struggle,
apd to stand boldly forward in the main
tenance of good order and of public
morals. He felt too, that these were
exertions jn a peculiar manner incum
bent on the clergy, and that not oply on
the parochial ininister, but on thosie, in
a ^till higher degree, who filled the more
ejcahed stations in the church, and to
whom therefore attached a weightier
resppnsibility. K 2 Influenced

132 LIFE OF
Influenced by these reasons, he re
solved on discharging i^is share at least
of such a solemn and imperious duty.
He considered that " it would be no
unbeconiing conclusion of his life, if the
labours of his declining years should
tend in any respect to render the Holy
Scriptures more clear and intelligible,
more useful and delightful; if they
should confirm the faith, reform the
manners, console and revive the hearts,
of those who heard him ; and vindicate
the honour of our Divine Master from
those gross indignities and insults which
had been so indecently thrown on Hiin,
and his religion." In addition to these
leading objects, he was at the same time
not without the hope that " it might be
the means of drawing," as he well ob-
serves, " a little more attention to that
holy, but too much neglected season, which

BISHOP PORTEUS. 133
which our Church has very wisely set
apart for the purpose of retirement and
recollection, and of giving some little
pause and respite to the ceaseless occu
pations and amusements of a busy and
a thoughtless world." With these views
he commenced his Lectures on the 23d
of February 1798, and never surely was
any undertaking more successfully pur
sued, or more evidently favoured by the
divine blessing. The eagerness to attend
them was beyond all example. The
church, long before the service begun,
was crowded to excess ; and the congre
gations consisted not only of the higher
orders, or of persons attached exclusively
to the Church of England, but of people
in every rank and station of life, and
almost of every possible religious persua
sion. There seemed, in short, to be
but one motive, one principle in all — an
K 3 anxious

134 LIFE OF
anxious desire to hear the great truths of
Christianity enforced by a prelate, who
stood high in the public estimation for
his powers of oratory and his enlarged
and liberal views, and higher still, as ex
emplifying in his constant practice the
true character of a Christian Bishop.
I know indeed it has been said, but
most unjustly and disingenuously, with
a view of detracting from their merit,
and the effect which they produced, that
it was the fashion to attend his Lectures.
To this my first answer is, that if a mere
compliance with fashion had been the
ruling motive, it would not have conti
nued without intermission for four yeare
together. The solicitude of persons, ac
tuated by no higher impulse, would,
instead of increasing, have diminished;
whereas, on the contrary, it is an undis^
puted fact, that the church was every
successive

BISHOP PORTEUS. 135
successive year more numerously at
tended, and the public desire to hear
him carried, if possible, to a still higher
pitch. But a second, and a better
answer is to be found in the Lectures
themselves; which, apart from the earnest,
devout, animated, and dignified manner
in which they were delivered, and by
which he gave such peculiar force and
interest to all his discourses, exhibit
such a luminous interpretation of Scrip
ture ; such a clear and ample refutation
of the most specious objections against
particular parts of it; such a convincing
statement, wherever the subject offered
itself, of the evidences on which it rests ;
such an unqualified avowal of its fun
damental doctrines; such a powerful
enforcement, of its moral duties ; such a
felicity in applying the characters and
incidents which it records, to the heart
K 4 and

136 LIFE OF
and conscience ; in a word, such an
awakening view of the vast importance
of religion, and such fervid exhortations
to all ranks of men to feel, to study, and
to practise it, as could not fail deeply to
affect and edify the persons he addressed.
He had himself, as he expressly says,
" the satisfaction of being assured, that
several, even of those amongst his au
dience, who disbelieved or doubted the
truth of Christianity, were impressed
with a more favourable opinion both of
its evidences and its doctrines, and
with a higher veneration for the Sacred
Writings than they had before enter
tained;" and indeed, I am most fully
persuaded that these Lectures were,
under God, eminently useful, at that
critical juncture, in checking the wild
career of Infidel opinion, and exciting
a habit of closer inquiry into the grounds of

BISHOP PORTEUS. 137
of Revelation ; that they were the means
of reforming and reclaiming many who
had been seduced into error ; and that
generally throughout the Metropolis they
produced at the time an evident change
in the tone of public morals. They
have now been some years in print, and
have passed through several editions;
and they are, I believe, universally ac
knowledged, by the deliberate judgment
of all candid men, to be in every sense
worthy of the Bishop's reputation, and
to have rendered essential service to the
cause of virtue and religion.
It was not however merely by his
exertions in the pulpit that he laboured
to promote those great objects. He had
long observed with regret a growing dis
regard for the sanctity and solemnity of
the Lord's Day, and had addressed to
his Clergy the very excellent Letter on
that

138 LIFE OF
that subject, which the reader will find
amongst his Tracts. This was attended
unquestionably by some benefit: but
still he thought it highly expedient that,
at such a time, and in a matter of such
moment, some more vigorous measures
should be adopted; and, accordingly, at
a meeting of the Society for enforcing
His Majesty's Proclamation, it was pro
posed, as the mode likely to be most
effectual, that the higher ranks of society
should be invited to bind themselves by
a voluntary resolution to observe the
Sabbath more striictly and religiously, and
that, as an exarjiple to the lower orders,
the resolution should be made public.
With this view, the following Declaration
was then drawia up and adopted :
" We, whose names are hereunto sub
scribed, being deeply sensible of the
great importance of the religious ob
servance

BISHOP PORTEUS. I39
servance of the Lord's Day to the inte
rests of Christianity and of civil society,
do declare that we hold it highly im
proper on that day to give or accept
invitations to entertainments or assem
blies, or (except in cases of urgency,
or for purposes of charity) to travel, or
to exercise an y worldly occupations, or
to employ our domestics or dependents
in any thing interfering with their public
or private religious duties. And as ex
ample, and a public declaration of the
principles of our own conduct, more
peculiarly at this time, may tend to influ
ence the conduct of others, we do hereby
further declare our resolution to adhere
(as far as may be practicable) to the ^ue
observance of the Lord's Day, according
to the preceding Declaration."
It might naturally have been expected
that a measure of this temperate and
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140 LIFE OF
judicious description, in which enthusi
asm had no share; in which there was not
the most distant intention of promoting
melancholy or austerity, or of excluding
from the Sabbath any innocent relaxa
tion compatible with the sacred purposes
of its institution; would have met with
general approbation, and received the
cordial support of all candid and reflect
ing men. Many of this character did
in fe-ct approve and sign it; but, as it
always happens when more than ordi
nary efforts are made on the side of Reli
gion, an outcry was immediately raised
by the trifling and licentious ; and the
most shameful misrepresentations of the
objects of the Society were industriously
and widely circulated. Amongst other
things, it was confidently affirmed in the
newspapers of the day, that the Declara
tion was only a preparatory step to the
introduction

BISHOP PORTEUS. 141
introduction of a Bill into Parliament
in order to take away from the common
people all the usual comforts of the
Sunday; to prevent them from seeing a
single friend, or from taking their even
ing walk; to confine them rigidly in their
own habitations, and to oblige them to
spend the day in fasting and in prayer.
In all this there was not, and could not
be, a particle of truth ; yet this, and
other gross perversions of a most laudable
design, but too well answered their pur
pose, by exciting groundless alarms and
prejudices in a part of the community,
who would otherwdse, it is probable, have
had no scruple in supporting a measure,
the real and the only object of which was
a more rational and a more religious ob
servance of the Christian Sabbath. Upon
this point, the Bishop makes the following
just observation: " That men," he says,
" who

142 LIFE OF
" who wish to see not only the Lord's
Day, but the Christian Rehgion, extin
guished in this country, should raise such
an outcry against a measure calculated
to preserve both, is no wonder : but that
men of sense, of piety, and of virtue,
should adopt the same language, and
join in the profane and senseless uproar,
is perfectly astonishing."
Early in 1800, his long and memorable
contest with a Clergyman in his diocese
was brought to a favourable conclusion,
by the latter suffering judgment to go
by default, and the consequent forfei
ture to the Crown of a valuable living in
Essex. The question thus terminated was
of great importance to the Church of
England; as it was the means of putting
an effectual stop to a species of Simony
at that time gaining ground; namely,
purchasing

BISHOP PORTEUS. 143
purchasing the advowson of a living,
and then taking a lease of the tithes,
glebe, house, &c. for ninety-nine years,
at a pepper-corn rent, and entering into
immediate possession of the premises,
and all the profits, just as if there had
been an immediate resignation. It is
evident that a practice such as this was
subversive of the proper exercise of ec
clesiastical discipline, by virtually taking
from the Ordinary the power, which
by law he has, of rejecting the proffered
resignation of a benefice under a suspi
cion of Simony. The Bishop therefore
had long determined, whenever the living
in question should become vacant by the
demise of the incumbent, to refuse insti
tution on the above-mentioned ground;
and when the time arrived, he adhered
inflexibly to his purpose, and tried the
question. In doing this, he was well
aware

144 LIFE OF
aware that he was bringing upon himself
much trouble, and no slight expense;
but such considerations had no weight
upon his mind ; nor was he tempted
by any solicitations, though very strong
ones were made, to change his resolution.
Amongst others, he received a formal
application from the Lord Lieutenant,
and nearly the whole Magistracy of the
county of Essex ; but though he con
curred with them in giving full credit to
the gentleman, in whose favour they had
interested themselves, for his agricultural
exertions, and his great activity as a
county magistrate, he yet declared un
equivocally in his answer, that he could
not on that account connive at a simo-
niacal contract ; a contract, of which he
had in his possession the clearest proof;
which he considered as pregnant with
the worst consequences to the Established Church ;

BISHOP PORTEUS. 145
Church ; and which therefore he felt
himself called upon, in his episcopal
character, firmly to resist.
The same paramount principle of
public duty had induced him some time
before to withhold his assent to an
appointment by the East-India Com
pany to a chaplaincy in Bengal. As the
transaction alluded to was in its conse
quences of great importance, and was so
considered by the Bishop, I shall give
the account of it in his own words.
" The Charter of the East-India Com
pany requires, that the Chaplains whom
they shall appoint, shall be approved
by the Archbishop of Canterbury, or
the Bishop of London. The Clergyman
therefore elected on this occasion applied
to me for my apprpbation : but as I had
been informed, upon unquestionable
authority, that he was a very improper
L person

146 LIFE OF
person for the situation, I peremptorily
refused to confirm the appointment. This
produced much clamour, violence and
obloquy from him and his friends ; and
amongst other things I was threatened
with a Mandamus from the Court of King's
Bench. But I stood my ground, and
carried my point. I was also strongly
urged and called upon to assign my rea
sons for the opposition I had made to
him ; but I refiised to give any, except
that I thought him an unfit person for the
place ; conceiving the power given me
by the charter to be perfectly discretional.
By this resistance, and the final, though
reluctant, acquiescence of the East-India
Company, the right of the Archbishop of
Canterbury and Bishop of London to
refuse their assent, without assigning a
reason, is fully established ; and it is on
this account that I leave the transaction on

BISHOP PORTEUS. 147
on record, for the information of my
successors in the See of London ; it
being a matter of the utmost importance
to the interests of religion in our East-
India settlements." To this I am enabled
to add, that since this opposition, which
marks in a strong point of view the
Bishop's firmness of mind, in a matter
which nothing but spirit and energy
could have accomplished, the Com
pany have been much more careful in
recommending clergymen of approved
principles and morals, than they had
formerly been. Some of the Directors
in particular have paid, much to their
honour, peculiar attention to this sub
ject ; and there can indeed be no ques
tion, that it is of the utmost moment,
in a Country like India, where there is
no general ecclesiastical establishment,
that the services of the Church should
L 2 at

148 LIFE OF
at least be performed by men deeply im
pressed with the dignity of their sacred
function, and able and zealous in the
discharge of its duties.
In April 1800, Lord Auckland pre
sented a Bill to the House of Lords,
the object of which was to render it un
lawful for persons divorced for adultery
to intermarry with each other. This
unhappily failed ; and it was matter of
very sincere regret to the Bishop, that
a measure, as he conceived, imperiously
called for by the increasing profligacy
of the times, recommended by every
motive of expediency, and sanctioned
by the most express declarations of
Scripture, should not have been per
mitted to pass into a law*. During its
progress
* The absolute necessity of some legislative mea
sure to check the progress of adulterous intercourse, cannot

BISHOP PORTEUS. 149
progress in the Upper House, he spoke
strongly in its favour ; and he took oc
casion to express the same sentiments,
when an unsuccessfiil attempt was after
wards made by the present Marquis of
Buckingham, to introduce a clause into
a private Divorce Bill, with a view of
prohibiting the intermarriage of the
guilty
cannot be more strikingly exemplified than by a
declaration made by Lord Auckland, that from the
Reformation to the beginning of the present century,
he could only find four instances of parliamentary
divorces : but that in the present reign they had then
increased to the enormous number of 1 98. If, how
ever, any further proof were wanting, it would be the
still more alarming growth of adultery within the last
few years, and above all, the cool, deliberate, unblush
ing indiflFerence with which it is committed. In a
recent instance, more particularly, it seems to have
been reduced into a system, and to have set at open
defiance all decency and all law. Surely those, in
whose«hands the government of this country is placed,
are -bound, as they value the Divine blessing, to pro
vide without delay, some effectual barrier against tli«|
further spread of so much shameless iniquity,
L 3

150 LIFE OF
guilty parties. His speech, on this last
occasion, was as follows :
" After the very able manner in which
the clause proposed has been now sup
ported, I certainly do not mean to take
up much of your Lordships time, in
prolonging the discussion of it. But,
on a question of such importance, in
which the interests of morality and re-^
ligion are so essentially concerned, it is
impossible for me, in the situation which
I have the honour to hold in the church,
to give a silent vote. I therefore rise
merely for the purpose of declaring pub
licly my entire concurrence in the clause
proposed by the noble Marquis. I have
on former occasions fully explained my
sentiments on this subject, and every
thing I have heard in the course of this
day's debate confirms me in those sen
timents. The clause, though it will
certainly

BISHOP PORTEUS. 151
certainly not go to the root of the evil,
yet will surely be some check to adultery,
at least on the part of the female. It
will take away the encouragement at
present given to that detestable crime,
by the prospect of a future marriage of
the adulteress with her seducer ; which is
in fact offering a reward to vice, and
holding out a premium to adultery.
This premium operates most forcibly on
the female mind, and tends to destroy
that connexion, which God and nature
have established between guilt and dis
grace ; a constitution of things, much
wiser, I apprehend, and much more con
ducive tp the general welfare of mankind,
than that very liberal system of modern
ethics, which inculcates so much pity
and tenderness and indulgence to crimes
of the very worst complexion. I am
aware, my Lords, that this clause is only
L 4 a partial

152 LIFE OF
a partial remedy. It does not go to the
punishment of the seducer, who is, I con
fess, . generally the most culpable of the
two guilty parties. But this may be
brought forward on some future occasion.
In the mean time, let us do something ;
let us do what we can. To crush an evil
of such magnitude, we must go on gra
dually, and proceed step by step. The
hydra of adultery cannot be subdued all
at once : but we may cut off the many
heads of the monster one by one, till at
last it may become a lifeless trunk.
" My Lords, I shall only detain your
Lordships a few moments more, just to
notice an argument, which has been very
much relied upon by the Noble Lordsj
who object to the clause in question, and
which appears to me wholly gratuitous
and unfounded. They have always taken
it for granted, and assumed it as a: kind of

BISHOP PORTEUS. 153
of postulatum, that if the adulteress be
not permitted to marry her seducer, she
is necessarily and of course driven into
prostitution for hfe. Now this I hold to
be an assumption which cannot be main
tained. Is there no alternative, no middle
and better course between marriage with
the seducer and a life of prostitution?
Is it not possible, that the adulteress
may be struck with horror, with con
trition and remorse for her crime ? May
she not even wish to seclude herself for a
time from the world ; to withdraw herself
from the observation of mankind, and
endeavour to recover in the privacy of
retirement those virtuous habits which
she has unfortunately lost? Instances of
this sort are undoubtedly to be found,
especially amongst those, who have been
educated , in principles of virtue and
religion, but in some unguarded hour
have.

154 LIFE OF
have, by the vile arts of an abandoned
man, being betrayed into gUilt. This,
my Lords, has, I know, sometimes
happened ; and sure I am, that this
temporary seclusion gives a woman an
infinitely better chance for recovery, than
a marriage with her seducer. For, can
your Lordships suppose, that the con
versation and society of a man, who has
shewn himself destitute of every principle
of honour and virtue; who has been
guilty of so foul and base a crime, as to
corrupt the wife, of perhaps his dearest
friend, and plunge the very object of
his affection into a gulph of sin auid
misery ; can youi* Lordsihips, I say,
suppose, that die society of such a man
can possibly be the means of restoring
to her that purity of mind which he has
himself destroyed; or that his house
should be the proper schocdi for repent ance

BISHOP PORTEUS. 155
ance and for reformation ? No, my Lords,
the true, the only way to bring the un
happy victim back into the path of virtue,
is to separate her from the arms of her
vile betrayer ; to lead her into retire
ment ; to place her under the protection
of a few kind relatives or friends, and
thus give her an opportunity of making
her peace with her offended Maker; and,
by the discreetness and circumspection
of her future conduct, of recovering in
some degree her former character, and
re-establishing herself in the good opinion
of the world."
It was during the debate on this sub
ject in the House of Lords, that Lord
Clare, at that time Lord Ch?incellor of
Ireland, pubhcly declared in parhament,
that, in his opinion, marriage was a mere
ciyil contract, and that where that con-
ti^ct was declared void by a comp^t^a*
jurisdiction.

156 LIFE OF
jurisdiction, the parties were at liberty
to marry again. " Now this position,"
says the Bishop, " I hold to be a false
and dangerous doctrine. Marriage is
indeed a civil contract; but then it is
also something more. It is a divine
ordinance. It is so pronounced to be by
our Saviour. It is also declared so to
be in our Marriage Ceremony. Now the
Christian religion is incorporated into
our Constitution, and made a part of
the law of the land; and the Liturgy
besides is formally established by Act
of Parliament. It follows therefore that
matrimony is considered by the law of
England as a divine institution. Indeed,
if it were not so, why should adultery be
considered as so very heinous a?€rime?
What would the breach of marriage be
as a mere civil contract, but a mere civil
offence?" To

BISHOP PORTEUS. 157
To this I may add, that Lord Lough
borough, then Lord Chancellor, at the
Bishop's earnest and particular request,
took occasion to give a direct contra
diction to Lord Clare's assertion, . by
declaring it to be his fixed opinion, that
" marriage was not only a civil institu
tion, but also a divine ordinance, and
that it was uniformly so considered by
the laws of England."
The year 1800 closed by a singular
concurrence of circumstances: — the com
mencement on the same day of a new
year, a new century, and the Union
of Ireland with Great Britain. Such a
combination of events would naturally
make a strong impression on a thinking
and religious mind, and it evidently
made a very strong one on the Bishop!
" The present," he says, in a passage written

158 LIFE OF
written with his thoughts full of the
subject, and elevated by the warmest
patriotic feelings, " the present is a me
morable aera in the annals of this king
dom. God grant it may be a happy
one ! Auspicium melioris aevi ! replete
with the choicest blessings of Heaveu
upon this land, and bringing back to us
once more that Divine assistance and
protection, which have lately been with
drawn from us, and without which all
the efforts of human wisdom and peiwer,
as we have found by sad experience, can
avail us nothing !"
" To me," he adds, " a gracious
Providence has marked the close of this
century by many propitious circum
stances; more particularly by favouring
me with success in a contest of great
impcMrtance with a clergyman of my
diocese, in which the interests of Religibn and

BISHOP PORTEUS. 159
and the Church of England were ma
terially involved. Would to God! the
century had closed in a manner equally
favourable to this country. But, alas!
it has been the reverse. The last year
has entirely blotted out all the glorious
events and fair prospects of the pre
ceding one, and left us in a more perilous
situation than we were ever placed in
before I In truth, the sudden, frequent,
and astonishing vicissitudes of this war
have no parallel in history, and are
plainly out of the ordinary course of
human affairs. They bear the most evi
dent marks of an Almighty overruhng
hand; and, sure I am, that nothing but
the interposition of the same irresistible
Power in our behalf, can rescue us from

ruin."

Such were the sentiments of this great
Prelate more than ten years ago, on the
state

160 LIFE OF
state of this country. How much greater
reason have we at the present day, and
amidst the present awfiil and tumul
tuous scene of things, to stand amazed
at the mysterious ways of Providence,
and to send up our devoutest prayers
to the Supreme Disposer of all human
events, not to forsake us in this hour of
peril! Unless He protect us, we must
sink inevitably beneath the dangers which
surround us : and yet who must not
tremble at the thought, how very little
we deserve to be protected !
In the Autumn of 1801, a very inte
resting scene took place, which, though
strictly of a private nature, I cannot for
bear from mentioning. It is thus related
by the Bishop. " Yelsterday, the 6th of
August, I passed a very pleasant day at
Shrewsbury House, near Shooter's Hill,
the residence^of the Princess Charlotte of
Wales.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 161
Wales. The day was fine; and the
prospect extensive and beautiful, taking
in a large reach of the Thames, which
was covered with vessels of various sizes
and descriptions. We saAV a good deal
of the young Princess. She is a most
captivating and engaging child, and,
considering the high station she may
hereafter fill, a most interesting and
important one. She repeated to me
several of her hymns with great correct
ness and propriety; and on being told,
that, when she went to South-End in
Essex, as' she afterwards did for the
benefit of sea-bathing/ she would then
be in my Diocese, she fell down on her
knees and begged by blessing. I gave
it her. with all my heart, and with my
earnest secret prayeirs to God, that she
might adorn her illustrious station with
every Christian grace ; and that, if ever
M she

162 LIFE OF
she became the Queen of this truly
oreat and glorious country, she might
be the means of diffusing virtue, piety,
and happiness through every part of her
dominions!" Soon after this incident occurred^
the Bishop went, as usual to his little
cottage at Sundridge. It has been
already stated, that on his accession to
the See of London, he was obliged very
reluctantly to relinquish Hunton. From
that time he lived principally^ during the
summer at Fulham Palace, which, by the
successive improvements it had under
gone, and particularly by some very
judicious alterations of his own, adding
much both to its beauty and convenience,
Avas in all respects a truly venerable and
most desirable residence. So indeed he
always considered it : but still, from its
proximity to the Metropolis, and its being close

BISHOP PORTEUS. 163
close to a poor and populous village, it
had not that tranquillity and retirement
about it, which he so much coveted :
and therefore, soon after entering upon
his new bishoprick, he determined to
obtain some small habitation in his fa
vourite county of Kent, where he might
spend a month or two every Autumn;
and one of that description being vacant
at Sundridge, he immediately secured the
lease of it. The situation was a most
delightful dne, about the middle of the
beautiful valley, which runs between
Westerham and Sevenoaks, in a country
remarkable for its rich, picturesque and
varied scenery, abounding in the best
society, and possessing, in short, all the
attractions which could recommend it to
his choice. Here then he always passed
a part of the year in a manner most
agreeable to his wishes; enjoying that
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164 LIFE OF
rural quiet, which carried to his mind so
many charms; mixing cheerfully and fre-
quentiy with the excellent neighbourhood
by which he was surrounded; inquiring
into and relieving the wants of the poor
people who needed his assistance, and
benefiting them in every way by his
care, his counsel, his instruction and his
example. Amongst other instances of
attention to them, he contributed libe
rally, at the time I am speaking of,
towards repairing and embellishing their
parochial church* ; and I shall soon have
occasion to record an act of still greater
munificence,
* The chancel was at the same time much im
proved at the expense of the present worthy Rector
of Sundridge, Dr. Vyse ; and Lord Frederick Campbell,
who resides at a most beautiful place in the parish,
called Coomb Bank, ana of whose benevolence on all
occasions, where it can be usefully exerted, it is im
possible to speak too highly, undertook to make an
excellent road to the church, instead of a very narrow
and bad one, which before led to it from the village.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 165
munificence, which, if any thing could
have added to the respect and veneration
in which he was before held, will immor
talize his name as the* benefactor of that
parish. In the months of April and May in the
following year 1802, he undertook for
the fourth time the visitation of his Dio
cese. This at his advanced age was an
arduous and laborious undertaking; more
particularly, as from its increasing popu
lation he thought it necessary to extend
his confirmations to the more distant
parts of the county of Essex, where they
had never been held before. On this
occasion I had the honour of attending
him, as his chaplain ; and I can never
forget the admirable and striking manner
in which he executed all the duties of his
high station ; the attention, the respect,
the kindness which he shewed to his
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166 LIFE OF
Clergy ; the anxiety he displayed to rectify
all that was wrong, to encourage all that
was good ; the dignified solemnity, with
which he performed the rite of Confir
mation, and the deep impression, which
was uniformly made by his animated,
simple, and affectionate address to the
congregation, when that service was con
cluded. This address, 1 doubt not, is
still fixed, in substance at least, on the re
collection of thousands : but as a correct
copy of it has never been before the
public, and as those, who heard it, cannot
but feel an interest in reading, what so
much touched and affected them at the
time of its delivery, I shall here insert it
at length.
" The office of Confirmation is now
over: but before you leave this place, I
have a few words to say to you, to which
I desire you will all pay the most serious
attention.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 167
attention. Remember, I beseech you,
every one of you, as long as you live,
what has passed here this day. Think
not that it is a mere formal, unmeaning
ceremony, which extends not beyond the
moment; which may be forgotten as soon
as it is over, and which can have no in
fluence on your future condition either
here or hereafter. On the contrary, it is
one of the most awful, one of the most
important, and, if it is not your own
fault, one of the most useful acts of your
whole lives. It is a solemn dedication of
yourselves in this sacred place to God
and to religion. It is a voluntary obla
tion of yourselves, your souls and bodies,
at your first entrance into the world, at
the first commencement of your rational
life, to the service of your Maker and
Redeemer. You have, in short, cho^n
this day whom you will serve ; you have
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168 LIFE OF
chosen Christ for your Lord and Master;
you have, in the presence of God and of
this congregation, professed yourselves
his disciples ; you have vowed fidelity
and allegiance to him ; you have pro
mised to believe his doctrines and to
obey his laws.
"Take care then, every one of you,
that you punctually fulfil these sacred
engagements; and be assured, that, upon
your doing so, depend the whole comfort
and happiness of your future lives, both
in this world and the next. And that
you may be enabled to do all this, you
must frequently and fervently apply for
the. assistance of God's Holy Spirit; you
must .never let: the morning rise nor the
evening close upon you, without address
ing God in private prayer; you must be
constant in your attendance on the public
service of the Church, on the Lord's Day,

BISHOP PORTEUS. 169
Day, both morning and afternoon ; you
must remember that God claims that
day as his own, and that he has stamped
upon it a peculiar mark of sanctity,
which you must never dare to violate by
following your ordinary amusements, or
ordinary occupations on that day, or by
any act of levity, dissipation, profane
ness and immorality.
" And you must not only attend to the
general duties of the Church, but must
prepare yourselves as soon as possible,
for that most solemn rite of our religion,
the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper; that
supper which Christ himself did almost
with his dying breath command you to
receive in remembrance of him. Above
all things, let this consideration sink deep
into your hearts, and be for ever present
to your thoughts ; that this world is not
the only one you have to live in; but
that

170 LIFE OF
that after death you will pass into
another, where you will be judged for
every thing that you have thought, said,
or done in this; and according as you
are found innocent or guilty, by your
Almighty Judge, you will, through the
merits of your Redeemer, be rewarded
with everlasting happiness, or, on the
contrary, be doomed to never-ceasing
misery. " Eternity, in short, with all its awful
train of consequences, is now before you,
and whether it shall be a happy or a
miserable one, will in a great degree
depend on the course you now take at
your first setting out in the world; for
the habits you now form will determine
your future character and conduct: the
steps you now talse will probably decide
your doom for ever. Be resolved then
at once, and remember your Creator m
the

BISHOP PORTEUS. 171
the days of your youth. If you do, you
may depend uportit, that your Creator
will not forget you all the days of your
life. He will look down upon you with
an eye of uncommon favour and appro
bation. He will bless and prosper you
in all your honest designs and under
takings; will conduct you through the
dangers, the difficulties, the distresses of
this mortal scene, to a state of endless
felicity hereafter; and in the meanwhile,
like your blessed Master in the same
period of life, you will be growing in
wisdom, and in stature, and in favour
both with God and man.
" You may now depart to your re
spective homes, and may the blessing of
Ood for ever rest upon you I"
The Charge, which he delivered on
this last visitation', was inferioor in spirit,
energy and usefulness, to none of the
former.

172 LIFE OF
former. It embraced a variety of the
most important topics; and, in parti
cular, the necessity of redoubled zeal, on
the part of the clergy, not only to coun
teract the pernicious tendency of that
multitude of foreign infidel publications,
which, during the short interval of peace,
had found their way into this country;
but also to check in the most effectual
way, the growth of fanaticism, and of
separation from the Church. The way
which he recommended to them, as
best according with the true spirit and
genius of Christianity, was — not violence
and animosity, not bitterness and per
secution — but a faithful, fervent, con
scientious discharge of every part of
their ministerial duty ; and it is assuredly
the only way by which we can ever hope
to prevail against that sectarian zeal,
which strengthens with, our weakness, and

BISHOP PORTEUS. 173
and triumphs by our inactivity. I hesi
tate not to quote the following passage,
because it speaks the language of wisdom,
and cannot be too widely diffused through
every part of the kingdom. " It is,"
says the Bishop, " a fact, which admits
of little doubt, that when the itinerant
preacher, goes forth upon his mission,
he commonly looks out for those parishes,
where either the shepherd has entirely
deserted his flock, and is employing or
amusing himself elsewhere, or where he
unfortunately pays so little attention to
it, is so indolent, so lukewarm, so indiffe
rent to its welfare, as to make it an easy
prey to every bold invader. There that
invader finds an easy access and a wel
come reception, and soon collects to
gether a large number of proselytes.
But, in general, he very prudently keeps
aloof from those parishes, where he sees
a resident

174 LIFE OF
a resident minister conducting himself in
the manner I have above described ;
watching over his people with unremitted
care ; grounding them early in the rudi
ments of sound religion ; guarding them
carefully against the false glosses and dan
gerous delusions of illiterate and unautho
rized teachers ; bringing them to a constant
attendance on divine worship in their pa
rish churches ; and manifesting the same
zeal, activity, and esunestness to retain
his people in the Church of England,
which he sees others exert to seduce
them from it. Into parishes so consti
tuted, the self-commissioned preacher
seldom, if ever, enters; or, if he does,
he rarely gains any permanent footing,
any settled establishment in them. He
is in most cases forced to give way to
the superior weight and influence of a
regular, a learned, an exemplary, and a
diligent

BISHOP PORTEUS. 175
diligent pastor. This then is the true,
the most effectual way, of counteracting
the progress of schism and fanaticism.
There are numbers, I am persuaded,
here present, who can, from their own
experience, and their own laudable exer
tions, bear testimony to the truth of this
position ; and whenever this remedy is
universally applied, (as I hope and trust
it gradually will) I do not hesitate to pre
dict that the evil complained of will be
considerably lessened, in some instances
entirely subdued.
" Indeed, it would, I think, be de
grading to the honour and dignity of our
antient and venerable Establishment, to
suppose, that a Church founded on the
Gospel of Christ; cemented with the
blood of its martyr?; constructed by
some of the wisest, most learned, most
pious, most eminent men of that or
almost

176 LIFE OF
almost any other period ; a Church, which
has stood the test of ages, and the shock
of persecution ; which is the great bul
wark of Protestantism in Europe, the
admii^ation of foreign nations, aind the
glory of our own; it would, I say, be
paying but an ill compliment to such an
Establishment to suppose, that a Church
so constituted, and at the same time
supported and protected by the State,
can be shaken, or in any material degree
injured, by the invectives or misrepre
sentations of any adversaries that we have
to contend with. No, my Brethren,' let
us think better of ourselves ; let us be
true to ourselves; let us make the best
use of the vast advantages we possjess ;
let us exert ourselves in our several sta
tions with diligence, with vigour, with
energy and with perseverance, and we
have nothing to fear." In

BISHOP PORTEUS. 177
In addition to these admirable obser^
vations, which I would to God were unii-
versally felt and followed, he exhorted
his clergy to encourage ampngst their
people, peculiarly at such a time, a spirit
of loyalty, obedience and subordination;
and, with that view, recommended tp
them in the strongest terms the adoption
in their respective parishes of those ex
cellent institutions, Sunday Schools ; or,
if these should be disapproved, or thought
impracticable^ the propriety at least in
some way or other of educating the lower
classes of the people, and instructing
them in the principles of the ' Christian
Faith. The conclusion of this Chjarge, the
last he ever delivered, isvery affecting.
" I have now stated to you," he says,
"what appeared to. me most worthy of
your attention, and most necessary at the
present moment. And as, at my advanced
X period

178 LIFE OF
period of life, I dare scarcely indulge the
hope of being permitted to meet you
again in this place, I was anxious to take
this opportunity of collecting into one
view, and pressing upon your most serious
consideration, every thing that presented
itself to my mind, as most conducive to
your real credit and welfare, to the best
interests of the Church of England, and
to the general diffusion of sound moraUty
and genuine piety and religion throughout
the great mass of the people of this land.
What I have here offered to your thoughts,
I do in my best judgment, after the most
mature consideration and the experience
of a long life, most conscientiously believe
to be well calculated for those important
purposes ; and I entreat you to receive it
as the advice of one, who can now have
no other possible view in this world but
that of discharging the various duties
incumbent

BISHOP PORTEUS. 179
incumbent on him (more especially those
which he owes to you) to the best of
those abilities, which God has given him.
And it will be my last and most fervent
prayer to Heaven, that both you and I
may be well prepared for that most awful
account, which we must all of us give,
of the sacred and important trust reposed
in us, at the tribunal of our Almighty

e."

On the subject of Residence, in this
Charge, the Bishop stated that the con
sideration of the question was then
before the Legislature. The fact was,
that under the Statute of the 21st of
Henry the Eighth, many vexatious pro
secutions had been instituted by, common
informers, for the mere sake of the penal
ties, against non-resident clergy ; in con
sequence pf which, many excellent men
had been subjected tp great hardships.
N 2 It

180 LIFE OF
It was therefore extremely desirable, that
such persons should be reheved from
the pressure of this Act. Accordingly
with this view a short Bill was in the
first instance introduced, to suspend all
actions on the Statute of Henry till the
25th of March 1802; and during the
interval another Bill was brought forward
by Sir William Scott, the outline of
which, as stated by himself in a speech
of great learning, ability and eloquence,
was shortly this: first, on the matter of
farming — for on that point also the Act
of Henry was extremely rigorous and
severe — to give the clergy the liberty of
farming in cases where they had been
injuriously prohibited ; and, secondly, in
the matter of residence — to give a fair and
reasonable allowance of time to the
clergyman for the occasions of private
life, free from the vexatious suits of an
informer,

BISHOP PORTEUS. 181
informer, though still subject to the
superintendence of his proper superior :
to allow an exemption from all penalties
for clergymen bearing certain offices,
during the times required for the duties
of those offices : to restore the power of
bishops to grant licences for absence in
certain enumerated and expressed cases;
and in other cases, which cannot be spe
cifically foreseen or provided for, to allow
the concurrence and consent pf the
metropolitan to have that effect. This
Bill, which, before it was introduced,
had been long in contemplation, was
afterwards warmly debated in Parlia--
ment, and every point of it maturely
weighed and thoroughly discussed. Many
of its clauses were very strongly opposed;
and, amongst others, the ^ishop was
himself of opinion, that the exemptions
were too numerous, so as considerably
n3 to

182 LIFE OF
to weaken the general good effects of
the Bill. " Those," he observes, " which
I particularly wished to be omitted, were,
in the first class of absolute exemptions,
those granted to the Chaplains of the
British Factories abroad and to Fellows
of Colleges ; and, in the second class of
discretionary exemptions, those allowed
to Masters of Hospitals, Lecturers and
Preachers of Proprietary Chapels, or to
the Masters or Ushers of Schools not
endowed. I also objected to the per
mission given to persons possessing small
benefices to serve curacies in great towns
or other places; and to the omission of
the Oath of Residence formerly taken.
Experience will shew, whether these and
perhaps a few other exemptions will not
open too wide a door to non-residence,
and in some degree defeat the good
intentions of the Legislature, and the
great

BISHOP PORTEUS. 183
g^eat object of the Bill. I admit how
ever thai, in its general frame and struc
ture, it is undoubtedly a very judicious
on&, and that it reflects the highest credit
on the temper, moderation, and distin
guished talents of the excellent person
who drew it up, and who took upon
himself the laborious task of carrying it
through the House of Commons."
During the discussion of this question
in the Committee of the HoUse of Lords,
the Bishop proposed a clause, empower
ing the ordinary to require a resident
cUrate, wherever the incumbent himself
was exempted from residence. This he
considered absolutely necessary to remedy
the imperfections and render effectual the
beneficial operations of the Act. It w'as
thought hbWever at that time that the
introduction of such a clause might risk
the passing of the original Bill, and that
N 4 it

184 LIFE OF
it would on the whole be a safer course,
if a separate Bill were, brought in fpr
that purpose; which was afterwards done
by Sir WiUiam Scott, though without
success ; for so many objections were
made from various quarters, and such
unforeseen difficulties arose in the pro
secution of the measure, that he at length
determined not to proceed with it further.
This to the Bishop was a mortifying and
severe disappointment : but yet with such
an object in view— an object, as he con
sidered it, strictly consonant with every
principle of justice, and essentially in
volving the best interests of religion — he
was not discouraged, as I shall soon have
occasion to state, from making another
effort to carry it into effect.
In the mean time, a question of con
siderable importance to the London
Clergy engaged much of his attention, and

BISHOP PORTEUS. 185
and it was, I believe, in no small degree
owing to his exertions, that it finally
succeeded. The circumstances, in which
it originated, were shortly these. In con
sequence of the fire of London in 1666",
eighty-five churches were destroyed; and
of these, fifty-one were rebuilt. Instead
however of the maintenance of the clergy
being regulated, as before, by a rate in
creasing with theJncrease of property and
the augmented expense of living, an Act
of Charles the Second, commonly called
the. Fire Act, limited their incomes to
certain fixed sums, the largest of which
did not; exceed .£ . 200 per annum. This,
though at the time it was considered,
and perhaps might be, an adequate pro
vision, became soon a very insufficient
one; and, in fact, exactly in proportion
as their parishioners grew rich, the
incumbents

186 LIFE OF
incumbents became less capable of sup
porting themselves with that decency and
respectability, which, especially in a large
commercial city, their stations required.
But, in a peculiar degree in the present
times, when from various causes the
price of all the necessaries of life has
been so enormously advanced, the in
adequacy of such a maintenance was felt
with such severity, as to render it abso
lutely necessary to call in the aid of the
Legislature : and it was therefore the
object of the Bill then proposed by the
Bishop, to improve, on the authority of
Parliament, all the livings under the Act
of Charles, by an increased rate upoh
property. This, however, though called
for equally by justice and necessity, was
strongly opposed; chiefly on the ground,
that there was no consent of the parties
affected

BISHOP PORTEUS. 187
affected by it, namely, the inhabitants of
the several parishes where the augmen
tation was tP be made ; and that without
that consent it would be an unreasonable
and unjust invasion of private prpperty.
But it was answered, and amongst others,
with great impression, by the Bishop,
that the Bill had then been eighteen
months in agitation, during which period
no petition against it of any kind had'
been received from any one of the
parishes ; a circumstance, he observed,
which ought surely to be considered as
an acquiescence on their part, implied
though not expressed, and, as in fact it
was, a tacit consent to the measure.
This reasoning was considered sufficient,
and the Bill passed without further
opposition. " Thus," he says, " after a
long delay, and difficulties of various
kinds, was a most important measure brought

188 LIFE OF
brought to an issue ; the London Clergy
were highly gratified by it, and expressed
themselves much obliged by the exertions
I had made. It was indeed an object, in
which I felt most deeply interested, and
its success has given me heartfelt satis
faction : for it has not only procured a
considerable addition of income to fifty
of the London Incumbents, but has also,
I hope, m its principle, laid a foundation
for a future augmentation of their bene
fices, whenever particular emergencies
may render it necessary ; and from what
fell from several Noble Lords in the
course of the debate, I cannot help flat
tering myself, that it may ultimately lead
the way to a reasonable increase of all
the poorer livings throughout England
and Wales."
In the winter of the following year,
1805, the Bishop, with that unceasing attention

BISHOP PORTEUS. 189
attention which he paid, in every thing,
tp the great concerns of religion, took
considerable pains to suppress a custom,
which he justly considered, in common
with many others, as a most glaring vio
lation of public decency, and which was
evidently gaining ground in the fashion
able world ; namely, that of Sunday
Concerts at private houses by profes
sional performers, at which large numbers
were assembled, and much disturbance
created on the evening of that sacred
day. This was a profanation, which, in
his high responsible station, as Diocesan
of the Metrppolis, it was his duty, if pos
sible, to prevent ; and accordingly with
this view he separately addressed the fol
lowing letter to three Ladies of high rank
in society, who, by opening their houses
for these musical exhibitions, had eontri^
buted principally to their introduction. " Although

190 LIFE OF
" Although I have not the honour of
being personally known to your Lady
ship, you will, I hope, allow me to take
up a few moments of your time on a
subject which appears to me of the
highest importance to the interests of
religion, more especially in this great
Metropolis, of which Providence has been
pleased to constitute me the spiritual
guardian and superintendent.
" Your Ladyship, if I am not misin
formed, is one among other ladies of high
rank and distinction in this town, who
are in the habit of having concerts at
their own houses on Sunday evenings,
where there are hired professional per
formers, and a large number of persons
of fashion assembled together to partake
of the entertainment. It is very possible
your Ladyship may be of opinion, that
there is no kind of impropriety in thissort

BISHOP PORTEUS. I91
sort of amusement on the evening of
the Sunday, after the Service of the day
is over, and the sacred duties of it are
fulfilled. But a littie consideration will,
I am persuaded, convince you that this
is a very unfortunate mistake. This prac
tice is a direct violation of the express
injunction of God himself; it is an in
fringement of that rest,^ which in the
fourth Commandment we are enjoined to
observe on the Sabbath; of that respite
from toil and labour of every kind, which
we are directed to give to our servants,
and our cattle throughout the whole of
this sacred day. Besides this, it evidently
tends to efface, or at least to weaken
greatly, those useful impressions which
may have been made upon our minds,
and upon those of our children and
servants, in the offices of public worship, or

192 LIFE OF
or in our private meditations and devo
tions ; and it mingles too much of the
gaieties and the pleasures of this world
with those serious thoughts of another,
which this day was pecuharly intended
to excite and to cherish in our hearts.
" Allow me also to add, Madam, that
the laws of this kingdom expressly pro
hibit all public diversions on the Lord's
Day, and I entreat your Ladyship to con
sider, whether the Sunday evening con
certs do not in every respect resemble
a public diversion, except that they are
given in a private house, instead of
a Theatre, or an Opera House. This
does not escape the observation of the
lower orders of the people,, who, when
they see the crowdeddoors and splendid
assemblies of the wealthy and the great
on the Lord's Day, are apt to express (as
I happen

BISHOP PORTEUS. 193
I happen to know from good inforrhation)
much dissatisfaction and much discontent
at the grating difference.
" I am aware, that in Roman Catholic
countries on the Continent, both public
and private amusements are permitted on
the Sunday evening. But your Ladyship
will, I am sure, agree with me in thinking,
that is not exactly the precedent which a
Protestant country ought to follow. In
fact, it is well known, that for a long
course of years the Church of England
has been distinguished from the Church
of Rome, not only by its doctrine, its
discipline, and its purer mode of worship,
but also by the decency, the propriety,
the SPlemnity, with which the Christian
Sabbath has been usually observed. It
is a distinction. Madam, which does us
honour; which is altogether worthy of
the first Protestant Church in the world ;
o and

194 LIFE OF
and it is of the very last importance, that
we should always preserve inviolate this
glorious pre-eminence amongst the tia-
tions of Europe. It is my decided
opinion, that on the due observance of
the Lord's Day, according to the antient
and venerable usage of our ancestors,
depends in a great measure the very ex
istence of Christianity in this kingdom.
" When we look arojmd us in this im
mense Capital, and observe how every
day of the week, and almost every hour
of the day, is occupied with one scene of
gaiety or other, one would imagine there
could be no very pressing necessity for
intrenching on the repose of the Sabbath ;
one would thiUk, that six days out of the
Seven would be sufficieUt for the purposes
of amusement, and that one day of rest
and tranquillity in the "week. Would be to
all persons a welcome Sabbath, a desir able

BISHOP PORTEUS. igs
able pause, a relief from the incessant
toil of diversion and of pleasure.
" But let me not, Madam, be misun
derstood. I am no friend to a pharisaical
or puritanical observance of the Lord's
Day. I do not contend, that it should
be either to the poor, or to the rich, or
to any other human being whatever, a
day of gloom and melancholy, a day of
superstitious rigour, a day of absolute
exclusion from all society. No, it is on
the contrary a festival, a joyful festival,
to which we ought always to look forward
with delight, and enjoy with a thankful
and a grateful heart. It is only to those
amusements, which partake of the nature
and complexion of public diversions, on
the Lord's Day, that I object ; to large
assemblies, for instance, and large con
certs consisting of hired performers,
where numerous parties are collected
o 2 together,

196 LIFE OF
together, occasioning a great concourse
of servants in one place, employing them
at a time when they have a right to ease
and rest, and producing much of that
noise and tumult in the public streets,
which are so opposite to the peaceful
tranquillity that should prevail on that
day — a day which the Almighty himself
has distinguished with a peculiar mark
of sanctity, and which he claims as his
own. It is against these open infractions
of the Lord's Day, that I think it my
duty to remonstrate. But in hearing
sacred music on the Sunday evening,
confined to a small domestic circle of
relations and friends, without any hired
performers, I am so far from seeing any
impropriety, that it appears to me a
relaxation well suited to the nature of
a Christian Sabbath, perfectly congenial
to the spirit of our religion, and calcu lated

BISHOP PORTEUS. 197
lated to raise our minds to heavenly
thoughts, and subUme and holy con
templations. " Your Ladyship will, I hope, do me
the justice to believe, that, in addressing
these lines to you, I meant not to intrude
myself needlessly on your notice, much
less to give you the slightest offence ; but
merely to discharge a very important
duty resulting from that most responsible
situation, in which it has pleased God to
place me. And I cannot help flatter
ing myself, that when your Ladyship
reflects a little on the arguments I have
offered to your consideration, you will
see reason to relinquish (and even re
commend it to your friends to relinquish)
a practice, which you probably took up
frPm mere want of attention to the sub
ject, and from not being aware of the mis
chievous consequences resulting from it.
o 3 " Should

198 LIFE OF
" Should you come to this determi
nation, I have no hesitation in saying,
that you will add greatly to that respect,
which is so justly due to your high rank
and station ; you will do a most essential
service to the holy religion we profess ;
and you will store up a reflection in
your own mind, which will afford you the
most substantial comfort and support, at
a moment, when all the splendour and
gaiety of the world will fade before your
eyes and vanish into nothing."
Upon this admirable letter it would be
superfluous to make a single comment.
So much rational, yet fervent piety; so
much earnestness in the cause of virtue ;
so much anxiety to promote the best
interests of man, could hardly plead in
vain ; and it did not. He received
assurances, that the practice, of which
he complained, should, if not imme
diately,

BISHOP PORTEUS, 199
diately, at all eveijts the following year,
be discontinued: and I feel persuaded
that a promise thus solemnly made and
hitherto observed, will not be forgotten.
" Though dead, he yet speaketh :" and
it is in the hope, that the sentiments he
expressed on this occasion, may still
operate as a powerful check on the
licentiousness of public manners, and be
the means of fixing, on the minds of
many, serious and religious impressions,
that I have thought it my duty to leave
his letter on record.
n
In the interesting and important dis
cussions, which took place in Parliament
in 1805, on the great question of Catholic
Emancipation, when it was rejected by
a large majority, he abstained from any
public expression of his sentiments ; but,
though he contented himself with giving
o 4 only

200 LIFE OF
only a silent vote, he gave it, as the fol
lowing statement in his own words will
shew, after much deliberation, and with
a perfect conviction of its being a right
one. " If," he observes, " the Petition
from the Catholics of Ireland had been
for a more complete toleration in matters
of religion, though it can hardly, I think,
be more complete than it is, there was
not an individual in the House that would
have given a more hearty and cordial
assent to the prayer of the petition than
myself. I am and ever have been a de
cided friend to liberty of conscience, and
a full and free toleration of all who differ
in reUgious opinions from the Estabhshed
Church. It is a sentiment perfectly con
sonant with the spirit of the Gospel, the
principles of the Church of England, and
every dictate of justice and humanity.
It is a sentiment deeply engraven on my
heart.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 201
heart, by which I have ever regulated, and
hope I ever shall regulate my conduct.
But this was not an application for liberty
of conscience, and freedom of religious
opinion and religious worship. The truth
is, it is an application for pohtical power;
and that power I, for one, am not dis
posed to grant them : because, I believe
that it would be difficult to produce a
single instance, where they have possessed
political power in a Protestant country, with
out using it cruelly and tyrannically.
And this indeed follows necessarily from
the very doctrines of their church, several
of which are well known to be hostile
not only to the PrPtestant Religion, but
to a Protestant Government. It has been
said, indeed, that these are not now the
tenets of the Church of Rome ; that they
may be found perhaps ' in some old
musty records,' but that they are now
grown

202 LIFE OF
grown obsolete and invalid, and are held
in utter detestation by the whole body of
Roman Catholics both in England and
Ireland. But those ' musty records,' in
wjiich these doctrines appear, are nothing
less than the decrees of general councils
confirmed by the pope ; and Dr. Troy,
Titular Archbishop of Dublin, in his
pastoral instructions to the Roman Ca-
thpUcs of his diocese, published in 1793,
tells his flock that 'they must adhere
implicitly to decrees and canons of the
church assembled in general councils
and confirmed by the pope;' and the
celebrated lay Roman Catholic writer,
M?. Plowden, in his ' Case stated,' pubr
lished in J791, maintains the same doc
trine, and the infaUihity of general coun
cils. These therefore are unquestionably
at this day the tenets of their church ;
they have never been reneunced or dis
avowed ;

BISHOP PORTEUS. 203
avowed ; and, till they are so disavo^y^ed
by authority, every good Catholic is
bound to obey them.
" It is true, that they haye been re
nounced by the Petitioners from Ireland :
but they can renounce them only for
themselves ; they cannot renounce them
for the whole body of Catholics in that
country; and this renunciation besides,
comes unaccompanied by any competent
authority. It is neither authorized by
the pope, by a general council, by their
bishops pr by their clergy. On the con
trary, it is very remarkable, that not one
of the latter signed the petition ; and one
cannot therefore help fearing that the
same thing may happen in this (ja^e that
happened in 1793, when the Lprds Petre,
Stourton, and many pther Roman iCa-r
tholic gentlemen, on applying to Parlia
ment for further indulgence, made the
same

204 LIFE OF
same renunciation of the same obnoxious
doctrines that appears in the Irish Peti
tion. The Church of Rome immediately
took the alarm, and announced their en
tire disapprobation of that measure by
her Apostolical Vicar in England, who
wrote an energetic letter to those gentle
men, condemning what they had done;
and that condemnation was sanctioned
by the pope, and by all the Catholic
bishops in this country and in Scotland.
" But, laying these doctrines out of the
question, there is one certainly, which the
petitioners have not renounced, and indeed
cannot renounce, namely, the supremacy
of the pope — the acknowledgment of a
foreign jurisdiction. It is contended, in
deed, that this jurisdiction is only a spiri
tual one: but the jurisdiction of a foreign
Catholic potentate of any kind whatsoever
must always be a dangerous thing in a
Protestant

BISHOP PORTEUS. ^5
Protestant country; and at this time it
is particularly so, considering the present
abject state of the Roman Pontiff, and
his absolute vassalage to the Emperor of
France. This argument has, I know,
been considered of little moment, and
treated with little respect : but in my
apprehension it is a most important and
alarming circumstance. A spiritual au
thority can never be wholly separated
from a temporal one. An unbounded
influence over the hearts and consciences
of men in spiritual matters, must [neces
sarily, be. attended with great influence
in civil and pohtical concerns: and when
we consider, that the Romish clergy of
• Ireland have an almost absolute command
over their flocks ; that the clergy are ap
pointed by the bishops ; that the bishops
are nominated by the pope ; and that the
pope is now a mere tool in the hands of
the

206 LIFE OF
the French Emperor; it is easy to see
what power this must give him over
the people of Ireland, and in how formi
dable a manner, at the present perilous
and awful crisis, that power may be
exerted. " But, besides this, it appears from the
history of this kingdom, that in fact
Roman Catholics and Protestants haVe
never yet agreed together in administer
ing the powers of government ; and that
England never enjoyed peace and se
curity, till the ascendency of one party
was established by the downfall of the
other. Where the power of the Cathclks
and Protestants was' nearly equal, it was
a constant struggle for superiority^. The
Corporation and Test Acts put a final
period to that struggle. Sinfc© those Acts
p'asSed,the Church of Englatad has enjoyed
perfect security and tranquillity. Let us
not.

BISHOP PORTEUS. §07
t^ot, then, part wirth these bulwarks of out
Constitution civil and ecclesiastical, which
we must do, if we grant to the Catholics
pf Ireland (and of course to those of
England) all that they demand. Let uS
preserve with care that admirable Con
stitution, which our Ancestors have be-
tjueathed to us ; namely, the Established
Churth under the protection of the State,
with a toleration to all other religious
sects and denominations whatever, but at
the sanle time an exclusion of them by
proper tests froin all places of trust,
authority and power. This is the only
system, that caii give Stability and peace
to any kihg|dotii, where there are different
sorts of religion. It has' giveri stability
and peace to this kingdom. It has be^fa
found by experience, which is better than
a thousand theories, to be the soundest
policy. It has left lis i^tiiet for above an
hundred

208 LIFE OF
hundred years ; and it would be the
highest imprudence to throw away this
our best safeguard, for visionary projects
of innovation and improvement in our
Civil and Ecclesiastical Establishment."
Such were the grounds, which deter
mined the Bishop's vote on the important
question of Catholic Emancipation. It
was evidently in him not the result of
bigotry; not the ebullition of a narrow
and contracted spirit. He had taken
a wide, dispassionate, deliberate view of
the whole subject; and in resisting the
Petition, he acted on the conscientious
persuasion of his own mind, that to
grant it in any shape would be incom
patible with the peace and security of
the Empire.
It is well known that an excellent and
venerable Society has been long esta
blished.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 209
m
blished, under the tide, of " The Society
for promoting ChristianKnowledge," which,
with a zeal and ardour proportioned to
its name and purpose^ has been indefati-
gably employed in disseminating moral
and religious , truth ampngst the people
of this country; and by the labours of
its Missionaries abroad, diffusing the
doctrines of the Gospel among Pagan
nations. A Society actuated by such
views, and conducted, as it always has
been, on the best and soundest principles,
claimed in a pre-eminent degree the
regard and support of the Established
Church; and particularly of those mem
bers of it, who, from their exalted
stations, were most able to advance
its interests and uphold its reputation.
Amongst these, I will take upon myself
to affirm, the Society had not a more
zealous, cordial, and determined friend
p than

210 LIFE OF
than the late Bishop of London. He
was attached to it from every motive
of private opinion and of pubhc duty.
The main objects, which it had in view,
were those nearest to his heart; and to
promote them by all practicable means
had been the chief employment of his
thoughts, and the anxious endeavour of
his whole life. At the same time, the
high and just estimation in which he
held this venerable Establishment, did
not preclude him from supporting other
institutions founded for the same great
end, the diffusion of Christian know
ledge : and accordingly, about the period
to which I have brought these Memoirs,
he accepted the office of Vice-President
of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
The plan of this Society embraced a
most extensive range of action : and in
order to raise an adequate fund, it was
thought

BISHOP PORTEUS. 211
thought necessary, not to confine it
merely to members of the Established
Church, but to take in without exception
all denominations of Christians. But
then, on the other hand, it was laid down
as a primary and fundamental rule, from
which there was in no instance to be the
slightest deviation, that its sole and ex
clusive object should be the circulation
of the- Scriptures, and the Scriptures only,
without note or comment.
A limitation thus absolute and un
equivocal, removed from the Bishop's
mind all doubt and hesitation. He saw
instantly that a design of such magni-
tdde, which aimed at nothing less, than
the dispersion of the Bible over every
accessible part of the world, cduld only
be accomplished by the associkion of
meti of all religidus persuasions. He
looked forward to great results from such
p 2 a com-

212 LIFE OF
a combination of effort. He entertained
the hope, that it might operate as a bond
of union between contending parties ;
and that by bringing them together in
one point of vast moment, about which
there could hardly be a diversity of
opinion, it might gradually allay that
bitterness of dispute, and put an end to
those unhappy divisions, which have so
long tarnished the credit of the Christian
world. Whilst therefore he remained
firmly attached to the original Society,
whose exertions, as far as its limited
sphere allowed, no one ever held in higher
estimation, he gave at the same time the
sanction of his name without scruple tp
the new one ; and the more he considered
its object, and the longer experience he
had of the spirit and principles on which
it was conducted, the more deeply he was
convinced, that it merited all the support which

BISHOP PORTEUS. 213
which the Church of England could give
it. " It is now," he observes, in a passage
which strongly marks his sentiments, " it
is now well known and firmly established,
and has completely triumphed over all
the attempts made to destroy it. None
of those secret dark designs, none of
those plots and conspiracies to subvert
the Establishment and devour both the
shepherds and their flocks, which were
so confidently predicted by a certain set
of men as the inevitable effect of this
Society, have yet been discovered in it.
It is, in fact, much better employed. It
goes on quietly and steadily in the prose
cution of its great object, and pays no
sort of regard to the sneers and cavils of
its intemperate opponents." — In another
passage, written at a still later date, he
says, — " that he cannot but add, in justice
to this Society, which has been so much
p S opposed.

214 LIFE OF
opposed, misrepresented and traduced,
that all the important works in which it
has been engaged, have been carried on
with the utmost harmony and unanimity ;
without any difference of opinion ; with
out the slightest symptom of any hostile
or treacherous design against the Church ;
and without any other idea upon their
minds, but that of extending, as widely
as possible, the knowledge of the Chris
tian Scriptures. The Bishops of Durham
and Salisbury attended several of their
meetings, and were delighted with the
decorum, calmness and good temper with
which their proceedings were conducted.
In short, all the apprehensions, to which
this Society has given rise, are now found
to be but vain terrors ; and all the pro
phecies of the mischief and evil that
would result from it, are falsified by facts.
It is rising uniformly in reputation and
credit :

BISHOP PORTEUS. 215
credit ; gaining new accessions of strength
and revenue; and attaching to itself more
and more the approbation and support
of every real friend to the Church and to
Religion." It does not fall within the plan and
scope of these Memoirs to take a part in
the controversy now subsisting, between
the advocates of the two Societies. I
cannot however avoid expressing my
regret, that such a controversy should
ever have taken place: but, as it has
taken place, it does, I confess, appear to
me, that no one argument has yet been
advanced against the Foreign and British
Bible Society, which can at all be con-^
sidered as proof, that it has any secret
views injurious to the interests of the
Established Church, or that it has in the
slightest degree deviated from the original
exclusive purpose, to which, in the face
p 4 of

216 LIFE OF
of the world, it stands most solemnly
pledged. The charge hitherto rests upon
suspicion and surmise : and there must
be some better and stronger evidence,
before I can bring myself to condemn
an Institution, of which the Bishop, in
conjunction with many other excellent
and distinguished men, entertained so
high an opinion, and the avowed design
of which is so strictly in unison with the
labours and the spirit of the Christian
Ministry. I have before mentioned the active
and zealous part which the Bishop took,
in whatever could mitigate the hardships
or improve the condition of the Negro
Slaves in our West-India Colonies. After
all, however, the object to which he had
long most anxiously looked, and which
alone Could completely satisfy him on
this

BISHOP PORTEUS. 217
this subject, was the absolute and total
abolition of the trade itself; and this, to
his infinite gratification and delight, was
at last effected in 1807, by considerable
majorities in favour of that measure in
both Houses of Parliament. His senti
ments and feelings on this occasion he
has left upon record ; and I should do
great injustice to his memory, if I
neglected the present occasion of laying
them before the public.
" The Act," he says, "which has just
passed, has at length put a period in this
country to the most inhuman and exe
crable traffic that ever disgraced the
Christian world ; and it will reflect im
mortal honour on the British Parliament
and the British Nation. For myself, I
am inexpressibly thankful to a kind
Providence, for permitting me to see this
great work, after such a glorious struggle, brought

218 LIFE OF
brought to a conclusion. It has been for
upwards of four and twenty years the
constant object of my thoughts ; and it
will be a source of the purest and most
genuine satisfaction to me during the
remainder of my life, and above all, at
the final close of it, that I have had some
share in promoting, to the utmost of my
power, the success of so important and
so righteous a measure. It ought to be
remembered, however, in justice to a
most worthy man, no less remarkable for
his modesty and humility, than for his
learning and piety, I mean Mr. Granville
Sharp, that the^n^ publication which
drew the attention of this country to the
horrors of the African trade, came from
his pen; and that at his own expense,
and by his own personal exertions, he
liberated several Negroes from a state of
slavery, who were brought over by their
masters

BISHOP PORTEUS. 219
masters to England, with an intention of
carrying them back again to the West
Indies. " Upon the whole, long and severe as
this conflict has been, the labour of it is
amply repaid by the immense magnitude
of the benefit obtained by it. It is
nothing less than a total change in the
condition of one quarter of the habitable
globe, containing many millions of inha
bitants ; a change from the lowest abyss
of human misery, to ease, to freedom,
and to happiness. What a, glorious work
for this country to have accomplished !
and what a contrast is there between the
conduct of the common Enemy of man
kind, and that of the English Govern
ment — the former desolating, enslaving,
and deluging with blood the Continent
of Europe-— the latter giving liberty,
not merely political hberty, but real,
substantial,

220 LIFE OF
substantial, personal liberty to the Con
tinent of Africa!*
"It was said by' Mr. Pitt, that the
Slave Trade was the greatest practical
evil that ever afflicted the human race :
and, if this be true, the annihilation of
that trade is the greatest practical good
that can be conferred on man ; and so I
firmly believe that it will prove to be.
There never was, I am persuaded, from
the beginning of the world to this hour,
a single instance, in which so great a
quantity of evil was ever exterminated from

* How perfectly applicable to this country, with
a few shght alterations, is that eloquent eulogy of
the Greeks upon the Roman people. The former
exclaimed with ecstacy — " Esse aliquam in terris
gentem, quae sui impensS., suo labore ac periculo,
bella gerit pro libertate aliorum ; nee hoc finitimis,
aut propinquse vicinitatis hominibus, aut terris con-
tinenti junctis prsestet : maria trajiciat, ne quod toto
orbe terrarum injustum imperium sit, et ubique Jus,
Fas, Lex potentissima sint." Liv. 1. xxxiii. c. 33.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 221
from the earth, and so great a quantity
of good produced, as by this one act of
the British Legislature. It will call down
upon us the blessing of millions, not only
now in existence, but of miUions yet
unborn : and, what is still more import
ant, it will draw down upon our arms the
blessing of Heaven ; and be the means of
securing to us the favour of that Being,
whose hand outstretched in our defence
can alone carry us safely through the
dangers that surround us !
"Of the conduct of Mr. Wilberforce
in the prosecution of this great cause, I
cannot express my admiration in ade-.
quate terms. The applause he received
was such, as was scarcely ever before
given to any man sitting in his place in
either House of Parliament : but, had it
been even greater than it was, he would.
have deserved it all, for the unceasing efforts,

222 LIFE OF
efforts, the firm, unshaken, intrepid per
severance, with which he maintained,
and finally brought to a successful issue,
the most glorious battle, that ever was
fought by any human being."
In this just panegyric of the illustrious
Champion of the Abolition, all men must
unite : but still let it not be forgotten,
that the Bishop was one of its earliest
promoters and most strenuous advocates.
Next to the great and paramount con
cerns of religion, it was the object of all
others nearest to his heart. He never
spoke of it but with the utmost anima
tion and enthusiasm. He spared no
pains, no fatigue of body or mind, to
further its accomphshment. He not only
ejqjressed his sentiments, on every occa
sion that presented itself, pubhcly and
strongly in Parliament ; but he was inde
fatigable in urging all, over whom he
had

BISHOP PORTEUS. 223
had any influence, to conspire and co
operate in what he considered the general
cause of civilized man, against a most
intolerable system of cruelty and oppres
sion. In short, the best years of his
life, and all his talents and powers, were
applied and devoted to it ; and, I believe,
the happiest day, beyond comparison,
that he ever experienced, was the day of
its final triumph.
But, though he contended with so
much zeal and earnestness for the abo
lition of the Slave Trade, he resisted,
in common with many other supporters
of that measure, an injudicious though
benevolent attempt which was afterwards
made to emancipate the Slaves in our
West-India Colonies. All that was safely
attainable, had been attained; and to
have aimed at more would have been
imprudent and dangerous. At the same time

224 LIFE OF
time he thought, that, without proceed-
in o- to the length of emancipation, much
might be done towards ameliorating the
condition of the Slaves, by improving
them in civilization ; by habituating them
gradually to milder treatment ; and above
all, by impressing deeply upon their
minds the precepts and the doctrines of
the Gospel. In the attainment of these
objects, he had long been actively and
anxiously engaged ; as the ecclesiastical
superintendent of the Colonies, he had
at various times and in the most earnest
manner pressed the religious instruction
of the Negroes on the Governors and
Proprietors of the different Islands ; and
one of the last acts of his life was to
address to them a public Letter, written,
considering . his advanced age, with un
common spirit and energy, in which he
urged the expediency of establishing parochial

Bishop porteus. S25
parochial schools on the admirable sys
tem of Dr. Bell, for the education par
ticularly of the Children of the Slaves
in the principles of Christian knowledge.
How far they may be induced to follow
up this suggestion, experience 'will de
cide. Duty and policy unite in recom
mending it to their observance ; and I am
induced at least to hope, that, in con
junction with other powerful motives,
the respect, which they cannot but feel
foi* the advice and opinion of the late
Bishop of London, on a subject to which
he had devoted so much consideration,
will finally have its due weight upon
their minds.
On the 12th of June 1807, the Bishop
had the satisfaction of being present at
the consecration of a new Chapel, erected
at his own expense, in the parish of
Q Sundridge.

226 LIFE OF
Sundridge. During his residence there
in the autumn months, he had been often
struck with the situation and circum
stances of a small hamlet, called Ide-
Hill, about two miles from that village.
It stands on the summit of the hilly
tract, which rises gradually from the
church, and commands one of the finest
prospects that can be imagined. The
whole vale of Tunbridge lies beneath ;
and on each side the eye ranges over a
most luxuriant landscape, exhibiting the
wild profusion of nature heightened by
all the charms of a rich and varied culti
vation. To this scene, the hamlet itself,
consisting of a few cottages erected
without order on a little green, forms a
highly picturesque and interesting fore
ground ; and it seemed to the Bishop,
when he saw it first, completely to realize
the idea of rural happiness, innocence, and
peace.

bishop PORTEUS. 227
peace. But upon inquiry he soon found,
that, even in this sequestered place,
amidst so much natural beauty, there
was a more than common share of moral
deformity ; that the poor inhabitants
were in a state of the most deplorable
ignorance of the great truths of Reve
lation ; and that with habits of sordid
and disgusting beggary they were actu
ally " living without God in the world."
A combination of circumstances so pe
culiar dwelt strongly upon his mind;
and as much of the evil seemed to ori
ginate in the distance of the hamlet from
the parish church, and the difficulty
of attending divine worship, especially
during the winter, he undertook at his
own sole cost to erect and to endow a
Chapel of Ease, where the duties of
rehgion might be regularly performed,-
and at the same time to build a house for
q2

228 LIFE OF
for a resident minister. All this, at
a very large expense, he lived to
accomplish ; and thus, by an act of
benevolence, of which there are few
examples, conferred the greatest of all
human benefits. What his own feelings
must have been on the day of the conse
cration, the following extract will best
describe. " On the morning of the 12th," he says,
" the principal Gentry of the neighbour
hood assembled at my house, to attend
the Archbishop of Canterbury to the
Chapel. The day was fine. The sun
shone gloriously on the extensive vale
below, and brought out all the beauties
of that enchanting prospect. Great
crowds were assembled on the hill, and
presented a most cheerful and animated
scene. It was, I confess, a most joyful
and gratifying day to me ; and I thank- God

BISHOP PORTEUS. 229
God most devoutly that He inspired me
with the resolution to undertake the
work, and prolonged my hfe to see it
finished. It will, I trust, under His gra
cious superintendence, contribute ma
terially to the present comfort and future
happiness of ^ome hundreds of poor
ignorant people, who, from their remote,
and almost inaccessible situation, and
their distance from the parish church,
were too often destitute of that relief,
which their extreme indigence required
in this life, and of that religious instruc
tion, which was necessary to their sal
vation in the next. The clergyman, who
will now be fixed among them, and who
is bound to reside constantly in the
parsonage house, will, it is hoped, by his
doctrines, his exhortations, and his ex
ample, be the means of remedying
these evils, and will, both in their
Q 3 temporal

230 LIFE OF
temporal and their spiritual concerns, be
their guide, protector, benefactor and
friend." It is in my power to say, and I say it
with genuine satisfaction, that the ex
cellent Minister, who, by the Bishop's
own appointment, fills the situation, dis
charges faithfully and ably all its various
duties, and has amply realized his Patron's
expectations. Large congregations attend
the chapel morning and afternoon; the
children of the poor are instructed ; and
instead of all that idleness, misery and
vice, by which the place was formerly
distinguished, there is now the appear
ance of decency and comfort and in
dustry and religion.
The Summer of this year the Bishop
spent at Clifton, near Bristol, for the
benefit of his health, which was then, and had

BISHOP PORTEUS. 231
had been for some months before, in
a very precarious and declining state.
During his stay there, he was induced by
the peculiar fineness of the season, to
make several very pleasant excursions to
the various places and scenes most worthy
of observation, in that highly beautiful
and romantic country ; and amongst
other interesting visits which he paid,
one of the most gratifying was to his
friend Mrs. Hannah More, who resided
in the neighbourhood, at a place called
Barley Wood. Of the talents and vir
tues of this amiable and excellent Lady,
he had not only long entertained, as
is well known, the highest opinion,
but had taken pains to express it in
the strongest terms ; and indeed her
Writings have been so decidedly and
extensively useful ; their value has been
so highly estimated by the public ; her
Q 4 time

232 LIFE OF
time and thoughts have been so stea
dily and laboriously devoted to the
cause of religion and the best interests
of society ; and she has done, par
ticularly, such infinite good by her
incomparable schools for the educa
tion of the poor, to whose compre
hension she has most honourably to
herself brought down the ample stores
of her own highly cultivated and su
perior understanding; that it is hardly
possible to speak of her in terms of
adequate respect, gratitude, and admi
ration. The Bishop derived undoubtedly con
siderable benefit from the clear, salu
brious air of Clifton ; but still, though
in some degree recruited, his constitu
tion was^ evidently much enfeebled and
broken. In the mean time his mind
retained its wonted vigour ; and on his
return

BISHOP PORTEUS. 233
return to Fulham he resumed with un
diminished assiduity all the duties of his
high station.
Soon after his arrival, about the end
of October, he was surprised by the
unexpected visit of a Prussian Clergy
man, the Rev. Mr. Usko, ¦ who had
been for upwards of twenty years Chap
lain to the German Factory at Smyrna,
and for the ' last eight to the English
Factory in the same place. This gen
tleman had been introduced to him
before, when on a former visit to Eng
land ; and, both then and on this last
occasion, he considered him as a man
of high character, and of astonishing
attainments in the Eastern and Euro
pean languages.' A passage, written at
the time I am now speaking of, very
strongly marks his anxious wish to fix
Mr. Usko in this country, in ai sta^
tion

234 LIFE OF
tion of all others best adapted to his
talents. " As such a man," he says, " may
throw much new light on those treasures
of Oriental MSS. which are now shut up
in our libraries public and private, and
especially in the British Museum, I have
strongly recommended him to the Trus
tees of that national Establishment; and
I shall do every thing in my power to
place him in a situation, where he may
have the best opportunity of displaying
his prodigious stores of Oriental learning
to his own honour and advantage, as
well as to the benefit of the literary
world." Unfortunately no vacancy occurred,
so as to enable the Bishop to carry into
execution this judicions intention : but
as he felt the utmost sohcitude to mani
fest in some way or other his respect for
a clergyman.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 235
a clergyman, from whom he expected
such essential benefit to the cause of
Christianity ; and as, not long after, the
valuable living of Orsett, in the county
of Essex fell to his disposal, he eagerly
seized an opportunity, which might not,
and in fact did not, again occur, and
immediately presented him to that bene
fice. It has been thought, I well know,
that he acted in this instance with too
little consideration ; but I also know,
that he did it in the warmth of his heart,
and with the best and purest design of
rendering a most important service to the
Church of England. I trust it will soon
appear, that the hope he so fondly che
rished, has not been forgotten. Mr.Uskp
stands solemnly pledged in honour and
in duty to fulfil the engagement which
he made with his deceased and venerable
Patron. The public look with no small
anxiety

236 LIFE OF
anxiety to some production illustrative
of the Christian Scriptures, and worthy
of his own superior erudition ; and he
cannot, I should think, satisfy his own
mind, certainly he will not satisfy the
expectation which has been excited,
unless he give this substantial and
unequivocal proof of his gratitude and
sincerity. On the 8th of May 1808, the Bishop
entered into his 78th year ; and it is
remarkable, that on the same day he
preached his last sermon in St. George's
Church. It was a discourse on the
following text from the Revelation of
St. John :— " Blessed is he that readeth,
and they that hear the words of this pro
phecy, and keep those things which are
written therein : for the time is at hand."
During the four months that he had
spent

BISHOP PORTEUS. €37
spent at Clifton, he had employed him
self in reading the Apocalypse with great
attention; and from the impression made
upon his own mind, by the grand, com
prehensive views of that sublime and
interesting Book, he was anxious to sti
mulate others to acquaint themselves
with its contents, which, though un
doubtedly of a high mysterious nature,
might, he conceived, by a reasonable
degree of application, steady persever
ance, and the assistance of able and
judicious expositors, be very well com
prehended, at least in its most ma
terial and useful parts, by persons of
little learning and moderate under
standings. This, in general, was the object which
he had in view ; but in the course of the
sermon he adverted particularly to that
part of St. John's Revelation, which pre
dicts

2.38 LIFE OF
diets the rise, continuance, and fall of
the Popish and Mahometan corruptions.
These, the best commentators agree in
opinion, were to commence in the sixth
century, and at the expiration of 1260
years, calculated from that period, were
finally to cease. There remained, then,
as the Bishop justly observed, according
to the commonly received interpretation,
but a short term of about fifty or sixty
years before the prophecy would be ful
filled; when Antichrist would be extir
pated from the earth, and the Millennium,
or the reign of Christ, would commence.
This was accurately, in substance, what
he delivered in the very interesting dis
course to which I allude : but from the
low tone of voice in which he had
preached it on the Ash Wednesday pre
ceding at the Chapel Royal, some, who
heard him indistinctly, understood him to

BISHOP PORTEUS. 239
to say, that the Day of Judgment would
take place in sixty years !
It was in consequence of this strange
misapprehension, that he repeated the
same sermon at St. George's Church,
when, with a strength and firmness of
tone, which reached every part of that
large congregation, he stated explicitly
and distinctly, that he neither pretended to
prophecy nor to interpret prophecy ; but
that the sentiments, which he then ex
pressed, were sanctioned by the known,
recorded opinion of some of the ablest
and most distinguished Divines.
I believe that no sermon ever attracted
more attention than this. The veneration
universally felt for his exalted character ;
the general idea, which prevailed, that
this was the last occasion of his pubhc
preaching; the interest, which his feeble
and emaciated form so powerftilly ex
cited ;

240 LIFE OF
cited ; the energy, with which, notwith
standing his infirmities, he delivered many
of those subhme passages, which are in
terspersed through the Revelations; the
animated picture, which he drew of the
unprecedented and portentous aspect of
the times ; and the hope, which seemed
to fill and elevate his soul, that this
Country might possibly be the chosen
instrument in the hand of GPd to diffuse
the light of the Gospel throughout the
world, and ultimately to accomplish the
great schemes of Providence; all these
circumstances conspired to render this
discourse uncommonly affecting. It was
heard with a profound stillness, of which
I scarcely ever observed a similar in*
stance ; and it made, I trust, a deep and
lasting impression on the minds of the
congregation. Not many days after, on the 20th of
the

BISHOP PORTEUS. 241
the same month, he pronounced in his
official capacity, sentence of deprivation
on the Rev. Francis Stone ; a clergyman
of his diocese, who, at the proseCution
of the King's Advocate, under the direc
tion of Government, had been clearly
convicted, in the Consistory Court of
London, of having preached and after-
-^ards published a most profane and
blasphemous sermon, in which, with a
coarseness and vulgarity of language
altogether unparalleled in modern theo
logical controversy, he denied the grand,
essential doctrine of our Church, the
Divinity of Jesus Christ. The following
passage, in reference to this subject,
marks in a strong point of view the
Bishop's sentiments, and is highly ho
nourable' to his feelings.
" It was very painful to me," he says,
** to feel myself under the necessity of
R proceeding

242 LIFE OF
proceeding to such extremities. It was
the first instance of the kind that had
occurred to me, since I sat upon the
Bench ; and it was totally repugnant to
my wishes to punish any man /or mere
difference of opinion in matters of religion.
But this was far from being the whole of
the offence on the present occasion ; for,
besides the very obnoxious principles
advanced in the Sermon, it reviles, and
treats with the utmost indignity, con
tempt, and ridicule, not only all the
Articles of the Church of England, but
the essential, fundamental doctrines of
the Gospel : and when it is considered
further, that the author had himself sub
scribed to the very doctrines which he
so strongly reprobated and inveighed
against, and that by means of that sub
scription he held a Living in the Diocese
of London, no one surely can think' it
right.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 243
right, that such a man under such cir
cumstances, should be permitted any
longer to retain a valuable benefice in
that very Church which he had in suCh
gross opprobrious terms vilified and in-
suhed." Notwithstanding the Bishop's increas
ing debility, which rendered him very
unequal to any great exertion, he yet
determined to make a last effort in the
eourse of the summer to carry through
Parliament a Bill, which he had Ipng
had much at heart, for encouraging the
jesidence of Stipendiary Curates. I have
already mentioned the disappointment
which he experienced in the rejection of
this measure upon a former occasion ;
and, though he was well aware that a
strong opposition would again be made
to it, yet he would not have satisfied his
own mind, if he had abandened a
B 2 questien.

244 LIFE OF
question, as it seemed to him, of the
very last importance, whilst there re
mained a hope of success. The objects,
which he had in view, were briefly these :
in the first place, to provide, that where-
ever the Incumbent of any benefice did
not reside himself, there should be a
resident curate ; — ^in the second, where
the annual value of the benefice exceeded
£. 400. to empower the bishop to assign
to the curate one-fifth of that yearly
income, by which means his stipend
would increase proportionably to the
value of the living. A Bill of this de
scription he thought absolutely essential
to the welfare of the church, and sanc
tioned by every principle of justice and
expediency; and in these sentiments he
had the entire concurrence of the Chan
cellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Perceval,
who had some time before published a
most

BISHOP PORTEUS. 245
most able pamphlet on the subject, and
by whose energy and eloquence it was
carried triumphantly through the House
of Commons. It was not therefore with
out a sanguine expectation of success,
that he introduced the Bill into the House
of Lords. At its second reading, though
littie equal to such an effort, he dehvered
his sentiments fully and Clearly on the
whole measure, and gave, as he conceived,
satisfactory and conclusive answers to
the objections which had been urged
against it. But it very soon appeared,
that the opposition formerly made had
in.no respect subsided, and that even
on the Bench there was a great difference
of opinion. Indeed one right reverend
Prelate did not scruple to declare, that in
his judgment it was a measure pregnant
with mischief; and that it would pro
duce nothing but jealousy and discord
R 3 in

246 LIFE OF
in the Church, through every part of the
kingdom. This unambiguous and pe
remptory language, a'dded to the unfa
vourable view taken of the subject by
the Lord Chancellor, decided the House;
and the consequence was, that on the third
reading, to the Bishop's infinite mortifi
cation and regret, the Bill was rejected.
The following note, subjoined to his
Speech on this occasion, which he after
wards printed, is a strong proof of the
liberality and candour of his mind, and
places in a striking point of view the
objects which he proposed to himself,
and the motives upon which he acted ; —
objects and motives, which those, who
dissented from him, will at least do him
the justice to say, were most honourable
to his character.
" It was matter," he observes, " of
extreme concern to me, that in the
discussion

BISHOP PORTEUS. 247
discussion of this Bill I found myself
under the necessity of differing from
many noble Lords and learned Prelates
(some of them in the highest stations, and
of the most distinguished character) for
whom I entertain the greatest respect
and esteem. But I beg to have it under
stood, that if any strong expressions
escaped me in the warmth of debate, I
did not mean to cast the slightest re^
flection on those who opposed the Bill,
and who, I well know, opposed it upon
principle, and from a conscientious con
viction that it would not answer the end
proposed. I give them the fullest credit
for the purity of their motives, and the
rectitude of their intentions; and all I
have to ask in return, is, the same candid
interpretation of the part which I have
taken, and of the motives by which I have
been actuated. R 4 "I can

248 LIFE OF
" I can with perfect truth declare,
that I had not any other objects in view,
than those which I openly avowed and
professed in the outset of the debate;
namely, the general interests of Religion,
the credit of the Church of England, the
spiritual welfare of the people, and the
relief of a large, laborious, deserving,
indigent and suffering class of the inferior
Clergy : all which important ends I did,
and do still most sincerely think, this
Bill was well calculated to obtain. I had
not, and could not possibly have any
other objects in view than these. Indeed
no considerations of less moment could
have had weight enough to draw me
from my retreat, or to set in motion
those springs of active exertion, which
age and indisposition had so much
weakened and impaired ; for I can but
too closely apply to myself, with a small
variation,

BISHOP PORTEUS. 249
variation, those affecting words of old
Evander ;
 Mihi tarda gelu, sseclisque effceta senectus
Invidet eloquium, seraeque ad fortia vires."
The last public act, if I may so term
it, of the Bishop's life, was worthy of all
that he had done before, and I give it in
his own words.
" I had for some time past," he says,
*' observed in several of the papers an
account of a meeting, chiefly of military
Gentlemen, at an Hotel at the West end
of the Town, which was regularly an
nounced, as held every other Sunday
during the winter season. This appeared
to me, and to every friend tp religipn,
a needless and wanton profanation of
the Christian Sabbath, which by the laws
both of God and man was set apart for
very different purposes ; and the Bishops
and Clergy were severely censured for
permitting

250 LIFE OF
permitting such a glaring abuse of that
sacred day to pass without notice or
reproof. I determined that it should
not ; and therefore thought it best to
go at once to the fountain-head, to the
person of the highest and principal
influence in the meeting. The Prince of
Wales. I accordingly requested the
honour of an audience, and a personal
conference with him on this subject. He
very graciously granted it ; and I had a
conversation with him of more than half
an hour. He entered immediately into
my views, and confessed that he saw no
reasons for holding the meeting on
Sundays, more than on any other day
of the week; and he voluntarily pro
posed that the day should be changed
from Sunday to Saturday, for which he
said that he should give immediate
orders. " Thus

BISHOP PORTEUS. 251
" Thus auspiciously ended this inter
view ; and during the whole time, I was
charmed with his fine, open, manly coun
tenance, the peculiar mildness and gen
tleness of his manner, the elegance of
his language, and the clearness and pre
cision with which he gave me the history
of the whole meeting." — " Surely," adds
the Bishop, in language, the truth of
which will be universally acknowledged,
" it is in the power of such a man, in a
station of such eminence, and formed
as he is to be the delight not only of this
country, but of all Europe, so to win the
public affection, as ' to bow the hearts'
of all the people of England, ' as it were
the heart of one man !' "
Within a very few days after this
interesting occurrence at Carlton House,
a visible and alarming alteration took
place in the Bishop's already shattered and

252 LIFE OF
and exhausted frame; and it became
evident to those most constantly with
him, that nature. could not much longer
sustain the shock. He was himself
indeed strongly impressed with the con
viction, that his end was fast approach
ing; and he contemplated the event
with all that calm, composed resignation,
which nothing can inspire but a deep
sense of piety, and a devout, religious
submission to the will of God. On
Thursday the 10th of May, I saw him
for the last time; and never can I forget
the affecting solemnity of voice, and look,
and manner, in which he begged my
most earnest prayers for his early and
easy release. He said little more to me,
for his mind seemed wholly absorbed in
,the near prospect of an eternal world.
The following day he was at his own
desire removed to Fulham ; and for a
short

BISHOP PORTEUS. 253
short time the change of air and scene
appeared to cheer and exhilarate him.
As he sat the next morning in his library,
near the Avindow, the brightness of a fine
spring day called up a transient glow
into his countenance ; and he several
times exclaimed, O, that glorious Sun !
Afterwards, whilst sitting at dinner, he
was seized with some slight convulsions,
which were happily of short duration;
and he then fell, as it seemed, into a
gentle sleep. From that time however he
never spoke, and scarcely could be said
to move. Without a pang or a sigh, —
by a transition so easy, as only to be
known by a pressure of his hand upon
the knee of his servant, who was sitting
near him, — the spirit of this grCat and
good Man fled from its earthly mansion
to the realms of Peace ! How

f54 LIFE OF
How truly were his own prayers accom
plished, thus beautifully expressed many
years before in his Poem upon Death :
--------At Thy good time
Let Death approach ; I reck not : — let him come
In genuine form, not with thy vengeance armed.
Too much for man to bear. O ! rather lend
Thy kindly aid to mitigate his stroke.
Then shed thy comforts o'er me ; then put on
The gentlest of thy looks ; then deign to cheer
My fainting heart with the consoling hope
Of Mercy, Mercy, at thy hands !— And Thou,
Whom soft-eyed Pity once led down from Heaven
To bleed for Mail, to teach him how to live.,
And, O, still harder lesson! how to die;
Disdain not thou to smooth the restless bed
Of sickness and of pain. Forgive the tear
That feeble Nature drops ; calm all her fears ;
Fix her firm trust on thy triumphant Cross,
Wake all her hopes, and animate her Faith ;
Till my rapt Soul, anticipating Heaven,
bursts from the thraldom of encumb'ring clay.
And, on the wing of ecstacy upborne,
Springs into Liberty and Light and Life."
In obedience to express directions,
which he left in writing, he was removed
to Sundridge, and there interred in a
vault.

BISHOP PORTEUS. ^^5^
vault, in the church-yard, which he had
some time before caused to be erected.
The Inscription on the tomb simply re
cords, in compliance with his own wish,
the dates of his birth and death; the
former, on the 8th of May 1731; the
latter, on the 13th of May 1809.
The Executors to the Bishop's Will
were his old and much valued friends,
the Bishops of Durham and Lincoln,
and his nephew, Mr. Thomas Porteus :
and, in addition to various kind re-'
membrances to different parts of his
family, the following are the principal
Bequests :
TO the Rector of St. James's Westminster, to be
distributed by him at his discretion amongst the
deserving Poor of that parish, within three months
after his decease, £. xoo.
To the Vicar of Fulham, in Middlesex, to be dis^
tributed by him in the same manner, and v^ithin the
same time, .£. loo. To

256 LIFE OF
To the Rector of Hunton, in Kent, to be distri- ¦
buted by him in the same manner, and within the
same time, £. 50.
To the Hector of Sundridge, in Kent, to be dis
tributed by him in the same manner, and within the
same time, £.50.
To each of his Executors, £.100,
To his dear and pleasant friend Mrs. Kennicott*,
£.500. Stock in the 3 per Cents.
To his excellent friend Mrs. Hannah More, of
Barley Wood, in the county of Somerset, £.200
Stock, in the 3 per Cents.
He also bequeaths, after Mrs. Porteus's
death (to whom he leaves, as it was his
anxious
* The regard, which the Bishop entertained for
this amiable and excellent Lady, is well known. Fof
many years she paid him an annual visit ; and he
was always charmed by that "power of cheerful,
animated, improying conversation, by which she is
so much distinguished. He had also the highest
opinion of her good sense and judgment and talents ;
and these qualities, combined, as they eminently are,
vrith the greatest humiUty, and an unremitted atten
tion to every act of religious duty, public and private,
could not fail of rendering her a most welcome and
" pleasant" visitor at Fulham.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 257
anxious wish to do, and as indeed by her
exemplary piety, her amiable manners,
and her affectionate unceasing attention
to him, she well deserved*, a most
comfortable and liberal provision,) the
undermentioned sums to the following
pubhc Charities :
TO the Treasurer of a Society in London, palled or
described by the name of the Society of Stewards
and Subscribers for maintaining and educating poor
Orphans of Clergymen, till of age to be put appren
tice, for the general uses of that excellent Society,
£. 2,000. Stock, 3 per Cents. :
To the Treasurer of the Corporation of the Sons of
the Clergy, for the benefit of the Maiden Daughters
. , of
* How deeply the Bishop himself felt the truth
of this observation, maybe collected from the follow
ing passage, written some years before his death :
" To Mrs. Porteus's kind attention and attachment
to me, I owe," he says, " much of the comfort and
halppiness of my life ; ' and it is my earnest wish and
intention , to make a provision for her after my
decease in some degree proportioned to her merits,
and to the situation she has held in Ufe."

258 LIFE OF
of Clergymen of the Church of England, £. 2,000.
Stock, 3 per Cents. :
To the Treasurer of the Society for the Conversion
and religious Instruction and Education of the Negro
Slaves in the British West-India Islands, for the
general uses of that Society, £. 1,000. Stock, 3 per
Cents :
To the Treasurer of St. George's Hospital, near
Hyde Park Comer, for the general uses of that
Charity, £. l,ooo. Stock, 3 per Cents. :
To the Treasurer of the Middlesex Hospital, for
the general uses of that Charity, £. 1,000. Stock,
3 per Cents. :
To the Treasurer of the London Hospital, for
the general uses of that Charity, £.1,000. Stock,
3 per Cents. :
To the Vicar of Fulham for the time being, to be
divided equally every year amongst the twelve poor
Women in the Alms-houses in that parish, the
Interest of £, 400. Stock, 3 per Cents.

He also left to his Successors, the
Bishops of London, the pictures of his
Predecessors in that See, together with
his own portrait by Hoppner ; his excel lent

BISHOP PORTEUS, 259
lent and extensive cpllection of books ;
and, with the exception of three hundred
ppunds, applied to another purpose, the
value, whatever it might amount to, of
the copyright of his prin,ted works, as
the commencement of a fund for the
erection of a new wing for an episcopal
library, to correspond with what is now
the episcopal chapel at Fulham Palace.
The Bishop was in person under the
middle size, of a thin and slender frame,
and na-turally of a tender constitution-
In his youth he must have been extremely
ha,ndsome; his features were of a supe
rior cast ; and, even when advanced in
years, he still retained a remarkable
clearness of complexion. These how
ever were uot the circumstances, whiqh
formed J the prominent character of his
countenance. There was a mildness, a
s 2 gentleness,

260 LIFE OF
gentleness, an air of genuine philanthropy
about it, with which even indifferent
persons were always struck ; and yet,
when lighted up by the occasion, it dis
played the utmost vivacity and animation.
His smile had something in it uncom
monly captivating ; and, though he never
lost sight of that dignity, which became
his station, it was yet a dignity totally
unmixed with pride. He had the envi
able talent of dissipating at once that
feeling of reserve and apprehension,
which, in the presence of a superior, is
so often a bar to the freedom and com
fort of social intercourse, and by the
graciousness of his manner placing those
around him perfectly at ease. He de
lighted in cheerful, hvely conversation,
and no one ever more promoted it, or
perhaps more excelled in it. There was
a spirit and playfulness in his language, which

BISHOP PORTEUS. 261
which gave an interest even to the most
ordinary topics ; and on subjects of
graver import, he always appeared to
great advantage. His remarks were con
spicuous for correct taste, accurate infor
mation, and a sound and well regulated
judgment ; and he expressed himself with
so much facility and perspicuity, so much
natural energy and eloquence, as never
failed to excite attention, and render his
society equally instructive and enter
taining. In estimating his intellectual acquire
ments, I do not think, that profound eru
dition can be ascribed to him. He had not
the inchnation, if he had the faculty, to fix
and concentrate his thoughts on any one
particular science. His imagination was
too active and ardent for such exclusive
application. Perhaps, if he had fohowed
the natural bent of his genius. Poetry
~ s 3 would

S62 LIFE OF
would have been his favourite pursuit.
He saw every thing with a poet's eye;
he loved to dwell and expatiate on the
wild scenes of nature; his fancy Avas
easily fired, and his affections moved ;
and he had all that enthusiasm of feeling,
which delights in warm and glowing de
scription. As however he had other views
in life, he very wisely checked this early
impulse, and applied himself to graver
studies. In classical literature, he held
unquestionably no mean rank ; for, with
out that critical exactness which consti
tutes the profound scholar, he had read
with attention the best writers of an^
tiquity, both Greek and Latin; entered
with taste and discernment into their
various beauties ; and, as his memory
was strong and retentive, could recal
without difficulty, whatever in them was
most worthy of being remembered. In
his

BISHOP PORTEUS. 263
his admirable tract, for instance, on the
Beneficial Effects of Christianity, there
is an appeal to ancient authorities in Con
firmation of his argument, which marks
an intimate acquaintance with Pagan
history, and the books of principal credit,
from which any accurate account could
be collected of the manners, habits and
circumstances of Pagan nations. It is
evident from that treatise, that he was
Completely master of his subject; that he
had within his grasp whatever ^; could
illustrate and enforce it; and that by a
full and ample statement of well authen
ticated facts he has unanswerably proved
his position.
In regard to Theological attainment,
there have undoubtedly been, and there
are undoubtedly now in the world, men
of wider research, more critical precision,
and more copious and extensive learning.
s 4 But

264 LIFE OF
But still, generally speaking, he must be
considered even in these respects to have
ranked high in his profession. His know
ledge of Hebrew literature, though he
never made any display of it, was by
no means inconsiderable. He was well
versed in Ecclesiastical history. The
evidences of religion, natural and re
vealed, were in their whole extent familiar
to him. He had made himself thoroughly
acquainted with the different systems of
Theology, which divided the Christian
world; and few undoubtedly had ever
studied Scripture itself with greater care
or more profound attention. He was,
in short, in every view of the subject, a
sound, well informed, and able divine;
and it is, in my judgment, a circumstance
highly honourable to his character, that
he had read Divinity without imbibing
any of that narrow, contracted spirit, which

BISHOP PORTEUS. 265
which is known sometimes to attach to
it. He was indeed on principle, and
from a deep persuasion of its superior
excellence, unalterably attached to the
Church of England. He considered its
doctrines, as exhibited in its Homilies, its
Articles, and its Liturgy, to be essentially
and fundamentally scriptural. The Cal
vinistic interpretation of them he would
never admit to be the true one ; and in
this opinion he was uniform and consist
ent. He conceived them to speak ^he
language of Scripture, which, in his view
of it, was decidedly adverse to the sen
timents of Calvin. Upon this point,
I wish distictly to be understood, as
asserting on my own positive knowledge,
that in no one article of faith, as far
as they differ from our Church, did he
sanction the tenets of that school. On
the contrary, I have heard him repeatedly and

266 LIFE OF
and in the most unqualified terms express
his astonishment, that any sober-minded
man, sitting down without prejudice to
the study of the Sacred Writings, should
so explain and understand them*.
He was not less attached to the Church
of England in its Discipline, which he
thought formed altogether on the Apos
tolical model; and no one was ever more
strenuous in resisting any departure from
it on the part of its established Ministers.
Amongst other numerous proofs of this
fact,
* The world has lately been favoured by an admi
rable treatise on this subject from the pen of the
excellent and learned Prelate, who now presides over
the Diocese of Lincoln. It contains a most profound,
laborious, conclusive investigation of an intricate and
long-agitated question, and must set- it, I4hink,- at
rest for ever. It is in fact, what it claims to be,
" A Refutation of Calvinism ; " — a system of religion,
as a Writer of great eminence has most justly defined
it, " consisting of human creatutes without liberty —
doctrines without sense — faith without reason — and
a God without mercy."

BISHOP PORTEUS. 267
fact, I shall introduce in this place
the following letter, which he wrote
to a Gentleman, who had ' applied
to him in behalf of Dr. Draper, an
episcopally ordained clergyman, whom
he had expressly prohibited, on ac
count of some very irregular proceed
ings, from officiating in any church in
his diocese.
"As I understood that Dr. Draper was
what you represent him to be, a man of
piety and a good preacher, it gave me,
I assure you, no small pain to feel myself
under the necessity of excluding him
from the pulpits of my diocese: but
his own conduct rendered it in me an
indispensable duty. Instead of confin
ing himself, which as a Minister of the
Church of England he ought to have
done, to the celebration of divine service
in places of worship hcenced or conse crated

268 LIFE OF
crated by his Diocesan, and authorized
by law, he chose to become the President
of a College, and Preacher in a Chapel,
founded by Lady Huntingdon, for the
purpose of training up lay-preachers
for conventicles, licensed as Dissenting
Meeting-houses. Lady Huntingdon,
though a pious woman, was unques
tionably not a member of the Church
of England, but what is strictly and
properly so called, a Methodist; pro
fessing the doctrines of one of the first
founders of Methodism, George Whitfield,
and educating young men to preach those
doctrines without episcopal ordination.
There could not therefore be a more
injudicious and offensive measure, or
more hostile to the Church of England,
than to become the President of such a
College, and the Preacher in such a
Chapel, founded for such purposes. " What

BISHOP PORTEUS. 209
" What Dr. Draper has done, is more
over directly repugnant to the Canons of
the Church of England, which prohibit
every minister of that church from preach
ing in any chapel that is not sanctioned
and allowed by the ecclesiastical laws of
the realm, under very severe penalties;
and were I to proceed to extremities,
those penalties must be inflicted. But
I have taken a milder course. I have only
excluded from the parochial churches of
my diocese a Clergyman, who has sepa
rated himself for a considerable part of
the year from the Established Church,
and set up a church of his own, neither
licensed nor consecrated by his Diocesan.
I neither blame Dr. Draper nor any other
man for following the dictates of his own
conscience in matters of religion. I would
have every man permitted to worship God
without interruption or molestation in the
manner

^0 LIFE OF
manner he most approves. But then let
him be consistent. Let him not halt
between two opinions. Let him not
vibrate between two modes of worship.
Let him not be a Methodist in the
morning, and a Church-of-England man
in the afternoon. I never can consent
that any clergyman in my diocese should
so divide himself between Sectarism and
the Establishment— between the Church
of England and the church of Lady
Huntingdon. Let him take Ins part,
and adhere to it steadily and uniformly
throughout. " In this, I hope, there is nothing like
intolerance. It is nothing more than
what common decency and common
sense require. There cannot be a more
determined enemy.to persecution of ewexy
kind, and a more decided friend to tole
ration, than myself. Every one that has
known

BISHOP PORTEUS. 371
known me and my sentiments and habits,
from my earliest youth, knows this to be
the case ; and, I trust, my writings con
tain unequivocal proofs of it. Indeed,
I believe, I am generally thought to carry
my lenity towards those, who have the
misfortune to differ from the Church of
England, a little too far. I have cer
tainly always treated them with gentle
ness and courtesy, considering them, as
they certainly are, fellow Christians, fel
low Protestants, and fellow members of
that Holy Catholic Church, that universal
Church of Christ, which we repeatedly
pray for in our admirable and charitable
Liturgy. " Yet, notwithstanding this, whenever
the occasion requires it, I will vigpr-
ously resist the invasion of unauthorized
preachers upon our parish churches. I
will not shrink from the duties of my
station.

@72 LIFE OF
station, but will maintain the discipline
and good order of that Ecclesiastical
Constitution, of which I am bound to be
a vigilant and faithful guardian, and to*
exercise that authority, with which the
laws of the land and the Canons of
the Church have invested me for that
purpose. " With respect to the pamphlets you
mention, which have been written against
me on the case of Dr. Draper, I have
read none of them, nor ever shall. I am
not to be frightened from doing what
I conceive to be my duty, by such con
temptible assailants as these. Every man
in such a public and ostensible station as
mine, must be prepared for attacks of
that sort, and must have firmness and
fortitude enough to despise them. Other
wise, he is unfit to fill the situation which
he occupies." After

BISHOP PORTEUS. 273
After reading this letter, it will be
utterly impossible for any candid man
to suppose for a moment, that the Bishop
was not a strenuous supporter of th.e
established discipline of the Church of
England. But, at the same time, as this
letter proves, he had a mind too liberal,
too noble and enlarged, not to treat, as
he says, " with gentleness and courtesy"
those who diffiered from him in religious
opinions. Provided they held the fun
damentals of Christianity, he considered
them " as fellow Christians, fellow Pro
testants, and fellow members of the
universal church;" and he could never
tolerate the thought, that on account of
a mere diversity in outward forms, they
should be avoided as foeS to religion,
excluded from the covenant of mercy,
and thrust with, acrimony and scqrn
beyond the pale of salvation. Such
T language

274 LIFE OF
language and conduct he held to be at
open variance with the text and spirit of
Scripture: and he therefore uniformly
manifested in his own practice the utmost
liberality and candour to every denomi
nation of Christians. He would have
been glad to have brought them over to
his own way of thinking ; but he did
not break off all intercourse with them,
merely because they chose to think for
themselves. On the contrary, he gave
th^xi credit for sincerity; he was anxious
to shew them any kindness in his power ;
and, instead of widening the breach by
contending about points in which they
varied from each other, he laboured with
them in promoting those great essential
truths, and that unalterable moral Law,
in which they all agreed.
I know indeed, and he knew it himself,
that he was thought by some to entertain lax

BISHOP PORTEUS. 275
lax opinions upon this subject, and thai
he fell under the common, sweeping im
putation of Methodism. But he Was not
to be deterred from pursuing the calm
determination of his own mind by any
calumny whatever; and much less by the
stigma of a name— a name, devised by
the enemies of religion for the worst
purposes, and which, as generally used,
attaches indiscriminately to the ignorant,
raving fanatic, and the sound, learned,
pious, and even orthodox divine. He
was, in fact, neither a Methodist, nor an
encourager of Methodism: but he was
the advocate of religious liberty, — the
friend of moderation and concord. He
deprecated, as the greatest injury to
Christianity, all violence and animosity;
and it was the fervent wish of his
heart, that, if men cannot be brought
to think together, they would at least
T 2 endeavour

276 LIFE OF
endeavour to live together in amity and
in peace.
In Parliament, the Bishop never spoke,
except on points strictly ecclesiastical,
connected either with the discipline and
good order of the Church, or the general
welfare of religion. But when he did
deliver his sentiments, he expressed him
self with ease, propriety and firmness, and
was always heard with attention. His
political opinions were those of Mr. Pitt;
and he entertained them, not blindly
and submissively on a mere party prin
ciple, but from a conscientious deliberate
conviction, that they were intrinsically
right. What his sentiments were of that
truly great and ever to be lamented
man, will be seen in the following
passage :
" The death," he says, " of this illus
trious

BISHOP PORTEUS. 277
trious Statesman, has, with very few
exceptions, caused inexpressible concern
throughout the kingdom. He was un
questionably one of the most extraordi
nary men that this or any other country
ever produced. For near twenty years,
he directed the affairs of the British
Empire with unbounded confidence from
his Sovereign and the people, with un
rivalled eloquence and ability, and with
unspotted, unimpeached integrity; and
we may justly apply to him Mark
Antony's splendid encomium upon
Cfesar ;
He was the foremost man of all the world.
" For a long period he maintained a
noble struggle for our liberty and inde
pendence, against the gigantic power of
France ; preserved us, under Providence,
from the anarchy and desolation, which
T 3 over-

278 LIFE OF
overwhelmed a large portion of the rest
of Europe, and died at last a martyr to
his unwearied labours in the service of
his country.
" It is a singular circumstance," adds
the Bishop, " and a most unfortunate
one for this kingdom, that two such men
as Lord Nelson and Mr. Pitt (each in his
respective station without a parallel in
the history of the world) should be pre
maturely taken away from us, within a
few months of each other; in the very
meridian of their course; at the same
period of life ; in the full possession of
all their faculties and powers; and at a
time too, when we stood most in need of
the mighty mind of the one, and the in
vincible arm of the other!— 'Hbw un
searchable are God's judgments, and his
ways past finding out !' " As

BISHOP PORTEUS. 279
As a Preacher, the Bishop's reputation
has ever stood deservedly high in the
public estimation. Few men indeed
were ever so remarkably endowed with
all the qualities, which give pre-eminence
in the pulpit. His voice, without imusual
loudness or strength, was yet uncom
monly clear ; and it was combined with
such a liquid, distinct enunciation, as
rendered him completely audible even in
the largest churches and to the most
crowded congregations. It also possessed
great sweetness and flexibility ; and he
had the talent of modulating it so cor
rectly as always to please and satisfy the
ear, and yet so easily and naturally, as
never, even in the slightest degree, to
incur the charge of affectation. His
delivery was very impressive. It was
chaste, earnest, spirited, devout. He
had no studied action, no vehement and
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280 LIFE OF
forced emotion. . He spoke evidently as
he felt. His whole soul was in his sub
ject. He seemed to forget himself in
the deep interest, which he took in the
edification of his hearers; and this cir
cumstance gave, as it manifestly would,
such a power and charm to his preaching,
as never failed to extort attention even
from the coldest and the most insensible.
His style was admirably adapted to the
pulpit. It was plain, without being too
famihar ; classical, without being pe
dantic. His great aim was, to express
himself so clearly, that the meanest and
the least informed might always com
prehend him*; and yet with such cor
rectness and purity, as to be heard with
satisfaction
'* The fact contained in the follovring extract of a
letter to me, from a very sensible and judicious man,
is a most striking proof of the clearness and per
spicuity of the Bishop's writing, and of its being
calculated

BISHOP PORTEUS. 281
satisfaction by men of taste and educa
tion. How perfectiy he succeeded, his
discourses
calculated in an eminent degree for general use
fulness :
" - - - - - - Sir Alexander Johnston, who
holds, as you know, a high situation in the Island of
Ceylon, told me, that, having heard of the discussions
which were carrying on in Europe, respecting the
introduction of Christianity into the East, it occurred
to him, that great mistakes were made from a want
of knowledge of the minds of the people, and the
most probable means of influencing them ; and that
with a view to obtain this knowledge he had assem
bled the leading people in the Island, who were ac
quainted with the English language, and put into
their hands several treatises containing the doctrines
and proofs of Religion ; requesting that they would
read them, and tell him which of them carried most
conviction to their minds, and which they thought
most likely to make an impression upon the rest of
their countrymen. I should tell you, that the persons
he consulted were previously nominal Christians,being
descendants of those who had embraced the Catholic
Religion under the Portuguese, or Calvinism under
the Dutch. They all gave a decided preference to
the Bishop of London's Epitome of the Christian
Evidences ; saying, that they had never understood
their religion before, and that they were convinced it
was

282 LIFE OF
discourses prove. They are distinguished
throughout by the most elegant sim
plicity: at the same time, when the occa
sion calls for it, they are strong, nervous,
eloquent, sublime. His sentiments and
language rise with his subject; and,
heightened as they were by his peculiar
elocution, they made a deep and most
powerfiil impression. But it was neither
style, nor manner, nor utterance, which
alone gave such efficacy to his preaching. His
was the best adapted to influence the Cingalese.
Upon this he ordered it to be translated by the two
Interpreters of the Court of Justice, who are men of
rank in the Island ; and he says it was generally
circulated. " I thought you would be pleased to hear this fact,
as an honourable testimony to the merit of the
Bishop's work, proceeding from the criticism of nature.
It strikes me too, that it may be of public use, as a
guide to the best mode of instructing the people of
the East. At least it shews, that they are open to
instruction, conveyed in a sober, rational form, and
that the office need not be left, as some think, to wild
enthusiasts."

BISHOP PORTEUS. 283
His sermons are conspicuous for sound
judgment, solid argument, great know
ledge of the human heart, accurate ob
servation of the world, an unshrinking
reprobation of vice, the most persuasive
exhortations to piety, and an unqualified
avowal of all the essential, fundamental
truths and doctrines of the Gospel. It
has been said indeed, that there are in
his discourses no deep views of rehgion ;
and unquestionably they contain no ela
borate discussions on controverted points
of theology : no visionary flights of fancy
into things not revealed; no minute
details of religiotts struggles, impulses,
and feehngs. But, for the grand object
of practical and vital amendment; for
all that can seize, excite, and interest the
best feelings of the soul ; for that ener
getic appeal to the heart and conscience,
which can arrest the sinner in a course of
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284 LIFE OF
guilt, strike him with compunction, urge
him to repentance, save him from per
dition ; for that earnestness of parental
counsel, which can fix the wavering and
confirm the virtuous ; for that power of
spiritual consolation, which can soothe
the afflicted, bind up the broken-hearted,
cheer the suffering, comfort the despond
ing; for that gentle, meek, conciliating
spirit, which can soften the asperity of
religious dispute, and unite men of va
rious and discordant sentiments in the
bond of peace, amity and affection ; —
for all these purposes, I know no dis
courses superior; and there are not
wanting instances on record, in which
they are known to have been powerfully
and signally efficacious. One, in parti
cular, occurred at Bath, where a gentle
man at that place, whose name was
Boissier, and who had unhappily imbibed all

BTSHOP PORTEUS. 285
all the mischievous tenets of the French
Philosophy, and was in fact an avowed
infidel, was so impressed and struck by a
sermon, which the Bishop preached on
these words,—" Truly this was the Son
of God," — that he was actually converted
by it. He was induced to renounce his
former principles. He was persuaded to
look into Revelation; to examine and
consider its evidences ; and the result
was, that he not only became a sincere
and firm Believer in the doctrines of the
Gospel, but undertook a translation . of
a very ingenious and excellent work,
M. Bonnet's Inquiries into Christianity,
with the hope, as he expresses himself,
" of imparting those advantages to others,
which I derived myself from the weighty
arguments and persuasive eloquence of
that respectable Prelate, who first traced
out to me the road to Truth." But

2S6 LIFE OF
But the Bishop was not only himself
pre-eminent in the pulpit, but he was
anxious to promote those in the church,
who appeared to him to be best qualified
by their learning, their talents, and their
eloquence, to uphold the cause of re
ligion. It must ever, for example, be
mentioned to his honour, that he con
ferred the valuable living of St. James's,
Westminster, on its present highly re
spected Rector, the Dean of Canterbury.
At the time the benefice became vacant.
Dr. Andrewes was no otherwise known
to him, than by his general character,
and his acknowledged excellence as a
preacher. But " for these reasons," says
the Bishop, " he appeared to me by far
the fittest person I could place in that
very important situation; the most im
portant perhaps of any parochial situation
in this kingdom. His conduct since has
fully

BISHOP PORTEUS. 287
fully answered my most sanguine ex
pectations. His church is crowded with
persons of every rank and condition;
and he is doing infinite service in that
large and populous parish, not only
by his preaching, but by his exem
plary unremitted attention to all the
duties of his profession, private and
pubhc." It was not however only by patro
nizing men of reputation, and placing
them in situations of usefiilness and
responsibility, that he endeavoured to
advance the credit of the church- He
was also anxious to lay a foundation for
its future benefit : and this he thought
might be most effectually done in the
manner thus stated by himself:
" It has often," he says, " been matter
of deep regret to me, that, in the excel
lent system of education established in
our

288 LIFE OF
our two Universities, sufficient regard
has not been paid to the instruction of
young men intended for the church, in
those studies and attainmjents, which are
peculiarly fitted to qualify them for dis
charging with respectability and success
the various important ftmctions of their
sacred office. More particularly I have
lamented that there i^ no part of acade
mical education that has any tendency
to produce, what is certainly one of the
most useful, and most essential branches
of our profession, — good preaching and
good reading. There is no instruction
given in it, no rewards or honours
assigned to it, no attention paid to it.
Yet this is confessedly the great instru
ment by which we are ' to persuade
men;' by which we are to make an
impression on their hearts and con
sciences, reclaim them from sin, establish them

BISHOP PORTEUS. 289
them in virtue, and ' work out their sal
vation.' " I therefore determined to try, whether
by any means I could excite in the
younger part of the University of Cam
bridge a spirit of ambition to excel in
those most important and necessary
qualifications of a parochial Clergyriian :
and, after much deliberation, nothing
seemed to me more likely to attain this
purpose, than the institution of Prizes
for good Elocution and good Compo
sition on religious subjects. If public
honours were once assigned to those,
^Vho distinguished themselves in these
things, as well as to eminent classical
scholars and mathematician^, I felt per
suaded, that the most beneficial effects
would result from such an institution ;
and I therefore resolved to form one for
that purpose at Christ's College, where
u I was

290 LIFE OF
I was educated, if that Society should be
inchned to accept it. On my proposing
it to Dr. Barker, then Master, he and
the College very obligingly acceded to
the proposal; and accordingly, very soon
after, I transferred the sum of ^.1,400.
4 per Cents, for the establishment of
three Prizes, to be appropriated to the
following purposes :
" 1st. A Gold Medal of £.15; value, for the best
X)issertation in Latin by an Undergraduate of any
standing, on any of the chief evidences, or funda
mental doctrines of the Christian Revelation.
" 2dly. A Gold Medal of the same value, for the
best practical Dissertation in English on any moral
precept in the New Testament; regard being had, in
deciding on its merits, both to the excellence of the
composition, and the graceful and impressive manner
of delivering it, when read in Chapel *.
" 3dly. A Gold Medal of £.10. value, to the best
reader of the Lessons in Chapel."
In
* By a subsequent Indenture, dated Jan. 4th, 1 809,
the Bishop determined, that the two Prize Medals for
Essays

BISHOP PORTEUS. 291
In this manner, did the Bishop, with
a truly liberal spirit, prove himself the
real friend of the Church, by encou
raging, as far as in him lay, a more able
and effectual performance of its sacred
oflfices. Indeed I can hardly speak of
his generosity, upon all occasions, in
which it could be exerted, without risking
the charge of exaggeration. Yet I know
it to be true, and I have before stated
the same fact, that no one ever practised
the virtue of beneficence in a more ex
alted degree. Providence had blessed
him with ample means, and he empfoyed
them freely and largely in removing to
the utmost of his power the wants of the
necessitous. The tale of distress never
came to him unheeded. His heart and
his hand were ever open ; and many were his
Essays, or Dissertations should not be confined to
Undergraduates, but should be open to all the Gra
duates, as well as Undergraduates of Christ's College.
u2

292 LIFE OF
his acts of charity, which were known
only to himself and those whom he re
lieved. In him the poor had a kind, a
constant, an unfailing friend ; not that
he wished to encourage a system of
begging, much less that sordid, lazy
wretchedness, which sometimes is allied
to poverty. On the contrary, he endea
voured to select: the virtuous and in
dustrious ; and, whilst he never refused
to give something to those, who seemed
to be in need, he always gaye more
readily and liberally to those, who really
wanted, and who, he knew, deserved it.
His principle was, in short, in all cases,
if possible, to discriminate ;- but not to
shrink from an act of charity, through a
general suspicion of artifice, and decep
tion. The very habit of giving was in his
apprehension more than an equivalent
for accidental imposition. To almost all

BISHOP PORTEUS. 293
all our public Charities, he more or less
contributed, and often, where it was
necessary, to a large amount. Wherever
indeed positive good could be done, or
positive evil be removed, his aid was
never wanting. He was " glad to distri
bute, willing to communicate."
To those of his Clergy, in particular,
whose situation and circumstances re
quired assistance, his kindness was un
ceasing; and it was always rendered
doubly acceptable by the unostentatious
manner in which it was bestowed. There
are many living at this moment, who can
bear ample testimony to the truth of this
declaration ; and who must often heave
a sigh of regret at the loss of so warm
a friend, and so generous a- benefactor.
But, though he himself can now no longer
dispense it, his liberahty will still be felt
in that splendid, and almost unexampled
u 3 donation

294 LIFE OF
donation of no less a sum than £. 6,700.
in the 3 per Cents. Consolidated Annui
ties, which, during his life, he transferred
into the hands of the five Archdeacons
for the time being of the Diocese of
London; and the Interest of which he di
rected to be annually distributed at their
discretion, in sums not exceeding twenty
pounds, to a certain number of the poorer
Clergy in that See, who may be thought
to stand most in need of relief. This
was indeed a noble act of munificence ;
and it will for ages yet to come render
his name illustrious, and endear his
memory to the Church of England.
It was not however merely by pecu
niary aid, that he displayed the spirit
of real Christian benevolence. In the
distress of his friends he ever deeply
sympathized, losing no opportunity of
encouraging, of soothing, of consoling them.

BISHOP PORTEUS. 295
them. To those who requested his ad
vice, he cheerfully and freely gave it :
and out of many instances I select the
following ; not only because the subjects
to which he adverts are in themselves of
all others the most interesting, but as it
marks in a very striking point of view the
readiness with which he endeavoured to
impart Instruction and counsel even to
a person, of whose name and condition he
had no knowledge, but who it sCems, had
consulted him on various religious diffi
culties, to which the perusal of Mr. Wil-
berforce's " Practical View" had given
rise. The importance and excellence of
the letter will compensate for its length.
"Although I sincerely vrish that you
had apphed to a more able adviser in
matters of so much importance, yeit as,
I trust, I can afford you some consolation,
and to a great degree, if not entirely
u 4 remove

296 LIFE OF
remove the fears and apprehensions,
which press so heavily upon your mind,
I think it an act of common humanity to
give you the best opinion I am able to
from on the subject, from a very atten
tive perusal of Mr. Wilberforce's book,
and a very diligent examination of the
Sacred Writings.
" And, first, there can be no doubt
that tiie love of God and of Christ is a
most indispensable duty ; and when we
consider the very forcible words made
use of wi^h respect to the former, —
* Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength ;' —
and when we reflect, that with regard to
the .latter, it is said — ' If any man love
not ^the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be
Anathema, Maran-atha,'— that is, as
Doddridge explains it, ' he will lie under the

BISHOP PORTEUS. 297
the heaviest curse that an Apostle can
pronounce, or God inflict,' — it is evident
that a very high degree of love, of
reverence, of attachment, and of gra
titude to our Maker and our Redeemer,
is expected from us ; and that this com
mand is utterly inconsistent with a cold,
lifeless, languid indifference towards them.
It is also true, that it is our duty by fre
quent meditations on the perfections and
the goodness of God, by pious contem
plation, by frequent and fervent prayer,
and by imploring the assistance of the
Holy Spirit, to animate and enliven and
invigorate these holy affections in our
souls, and to raise them to as great a
degree of warmth and ardour as we can.
Yet still the degree of that ardour must
very much depend on the different
tempers, constitutions, dispositions, and
habits of different men ; and therefore cannot

298 LIFE OF
cannot be expected to be the same in
all. Mr. Wilberforce himself allows this
to be the case. He says expressly, that
a difference in natural disposition, in the
circumstances of the past life, and in
numberless other particulars, may occa
sion a great difference in the predoniinant
tempers of different Christians : but that,
in a greater or less degree, a cordial com
placency in the sovereignty, an exalted
sense of the perfections, a grateful im
pression of the goodness, and a humble
hope of the favour of the Divine Beings
are common to all.
" Now of all these sentiments and
affections, in a certain degree, you seem
to be possessed. He says also, that the
only infallible criterion of a sincere lOve
of God, is an active diSchai-ge of the
several duties of life, and a conscientious
obedience to the laws of the Gospel ; and this

BISHOP PORTEUS. 299
this proof you humbly trust you can give.
In fine, he asserts, that in this, and all
other Christian duties, it is the willing
mind, the sincere wish and endeavour to
do our best, which is principally required.
Where that is found, every man will be
judged, ' according to what he hath, and
not according to what he hath not.'
" If we look into the Scriptures them
selves, we shall find that the definition,
which they give of the love of God, con
tains nothing that need alarm a really
serious and pious mind. They make it
to consist sdekf in obeying God's com
mands. ' This is the love of God,' says
St. John, ' that we keep his command
ments:' and again — ' He that hath my
commandments and keepeth them,' says
our Saviour, ' he it is that lovetb me ;'—
' Ye are my friends,' he says,' if ye do
whatsoever I command you ;' and again, in

300 LIFE OF
in still stronger terms we are told, that
' Whoso keepeth God's word, in him
verily is the love of God perfected.' If,
then, you can give this proof of your
love; and if moreover you have, as you
say, the highest reverence and admiration
of his infinite perfections ; are deeply im
pressed with a sense of his goodness ; and
if, finally, you prefer his favour and ap
probation to all earthly advantages ; —
though you may not feel so much ardour
of affection as you earnestly wish - and
strive for, you have yet no reason to
apprehend the Divine displeasure for
faUirig short of that measure of excel
lence, which you sincerely aim at, but
feel yourself unable to attain.
" Your next source of uneasiness is
the occasional languor and coldness arid
wanderings of your prayers, especially at
church, and the want of that rapturous delight

BISHOP PORTEUS. 301
delight and joy, which some persons
experience in the exercise of devotion.
To this I answer, that attention and
earnestness, and a certain degree of
fervour in our devotion, are doubtless
qualifications necessary to render them
acceptable to our Heavenly Father ; for
we are told, that it is only ' the effectual,
fervent prayer of a righteous man that
availeth much;' and God reproves those
who ' draw near to him with their lips,
while their hearts- are far from him.'
But the degree of this fervour, as well as
of the joy that springs from devotion,
will (like that of the love of, God) depend
much on the natural temper, disposition,
constitution, and other circumstances,
and will of course be very different in
different men. To wanderings and dis
traction and occasional languor in their
prayers, the best of men are, I fear,
sometimes

502 LIFE OF
sometimes subject; and they must always
be resisted to the utmost of our power.
There can be no doubt, that, if you
strive against them in earnest, you will,
by degrees, with God's grace, entirely or
in a great measure subdue them, and will
also acquire more pleasure in the exercise
of devotion. In the meantime, as you
say it already affords you satisfaction
and comfort, and spreads over your mind
a calm complacency and religious com
posure, you may humbly hope, that your
imperfections will be pardoned, and
your sincere endeavours accepted at the
Throne of Grace.
"The. next misfortune you complain
of is, that you dO' not possess that high
degree of heavenly-mirided'ness, that
hvely conception of the joys of heaven,
and that animated and rapturous deUght
in the contemplation of them, with which some

BISHOP PORTEUS. 303
some persons, and especially Mr. Wil
berforce, seem to be blessed. To this
I say, that although these delightful feel
ings are most ardently to be desired, and
aimed at, yet if with your utmost endea
vours and prayers you cannot attain to
them, you must submit with humble
resignation to the will of God, and not
be dejected or discouraged, or think it
any mark of God's displeasure, that he
does not vouchsafe them to you. They
are undoubtedly the most valuable bless
ings, that his mercy can bestow upon us ;
and happy, thrice happy, are they to
whom they are given. But, like many
other blessings, they fall to the lot of few.
Great numbers of sincere Christians feel,
that with their utmost efforts they cannot
raise their minds to them ; and it is then
a misfortune in which they must patiently
acquiesce. Besides, Infinite Wisdom
may see good reasons for not indulging you

304 LIFE OF
you with these heavenly sensations. The
denial of them may be intended as a trial
of your patience, your humility, your
meekness, your submission; and, if it
produce this effect, it will have answered
a good end; and, though you may lament
the want of these comforts, you have no
reason to fear that an involuntary want
will be imputed to you as a fault.
" With respect to the love of fame, or
worldly estimation, there is very little
said upon it in Scripture, less perhaps
than on any motive of human conduct.
But it may be said generally, that this
passion, like every other belonging to
our frame, when it becomes the predomi
nant and ruling passion, becomes unlaw
ful and sinful : but when kept within
proper bounds, and directed to worthy
objects, it is then certainly allowable. It
is in short to be governed and regulated,
not to be exterminated. Mr. Wilberforce himself

BISHOP PORTEUS. 30.5
himself says, that it is then only a corrupt
principle of action, when it is tinctured
with a disposition to estimate too highly
and to love too ardently the good opinion
of man ; when it prompts us to pride
ourselves on our natural or acquired
endowments; to assume to ourselves the
merit and credit of our good qualities,
instead of ascribing all the honour and
glory where they are due. It is only, in
short, an inordinate, and a too earnest
pursuit of worldly distinction, that is
forbidden. We are not called Upon ab
solutely to renounce it ; but when it is
voluntarily bestowed upon us for actions
intrinsically good, we may then accept it
with thankfiilness, as one of the rewards'
annexed to virtue. Under these restric
tions, therefore, you may have a due
regard to the favour and approbation of
good men. As to mentioning or pre
serving the memory of any services you
X have

306 LIFE OF
have rendered to mankind, or to religion;
if this be done solely and entirely for
the purposes you specify, of obviating
calumny, of exciting others to follow
your example, and increasing your power
of doing good, there seems nothing in it
to blame. But if it be merely to gain
applause, it is certainly contrary to the
true spirit of the Gospel, which forbids
all ostentation, both in the distribution
of alms, and in the exercise of every
other Christian virtue.
" In regard to the last point you touch
upon-«-the liberality of the rich towards
the poor — it ought undoubtedly to be
proportioned to their wealth; and they
should rather exceed than fall short of
the strict line of duty. They should give
with a willing heart and a liberal hand.
' Charge them,'- says the Apostle, * that
are rich in this world, that they do good ;
that they be rich in good works ; ready to

BISHOP PORTEUS. 307
to distribute, wiUing to communicate;
laying up in store for themselves a good
foundation against the time to come, that
they may attain eternal life.' But it is
not said here or any where else, that I can
recollect, that the rich are to deny them
selves necessaries. (The young man in
the Gospel indeed is commanded, ' if he
would be perfect, to sell all that he had
and give to the poor;' and the first
Disciples had ' all things in common.'
But no one, I believe, thinks, that we
are now obliged, or called upon by our
duty, or by any principle of Christianity,
to do either of these things. Neither,
I apprehend, are we now required to
part with necessaries, in order to relieve
the poor. If we do, it is without ques
tion highly commendable; but it is no
where required as a duty. It is out of
their abundance, that is, their superfluities,
that St. Paul directs the rich Corinthians
X 2 to

308 LIFE OF
to contribute to the support of their
poorer brethren; but he does not com
mand them to give their all. The poor
widow indeed, who threw her mite into
the treasury, gave all her living; and
therefore gave more, and would have
a greater reward, than the rich, who
gave from their abundance. Still how
ever, what they gave was of some Value,
and was not rejected ; and they are not
to be discouraged from going even so far.
But the further they go, and the greater
sacrifices they make for the benefit of the
poor, the greater will be their recom^
pense : For ' he that soweth sparingly
shall reap also sparingly, and he that
soweth pleriteously shall reap also plen-
teously.' At all events, they ought most
certainly not to consume on their plea
sures, their amusements, their vanities
3-udi their pride, even \he overftozdngs oi
their fortune. They should not indulge in

BISHOP PORTEUS. 309
in needless splendour, magnificence and
elegance of living, nor be anxious to
raise great families, or to leave immode
rate fortunes behind them. Whatever
can be fairly spared from the necessary
and unavoidable expenses of their situa
tion in life, and from that reasonable and
decent provision, which they are bound
to make for their families and, dependents
after their death, they ought undoubtedly
to appropriate to the relief of the poor,
¦the support of religion, and the benefit of
mankind. If they go beyond this— if they
part even with necessaries to feed the
poor — they deserve great praise: they
draw nearer to that perfection, which was
recommended to the young man in the
Gospel, and great will be their treasure
in Heaven. But I do not find that this
is enjoined in Scripture, any more than
selling all we have to give to the poor.
"Upon the whole, . I see nothing in
X 3 your

310 LIFE OF
your case, that need give you any serious
uneasiness or alarm. Although we should
all aim at the very highest point of per
fection in the Christian temper and cha
racter, yet too many of us, God knows,
must expect to fall short of it, some in a
greater, some in a less degree ; and there
must be many grievous errors and defects
even in our very best services; yet
these we hope will be forgiven, and our
imperfect efforts accepted through the
merits of our Redeemer. In our Father's
house, we are told, are many mansions,
and different gradations of happiness.
Some will be rewarded with more and
some with less, according to the different
progress they have made in Christian
excellence ; but no humble, serious, con
scientious Christian, who sincerely wishes
and strives, as far as he is able, to devote
his heart and life principally to God;
who is supremely and habitually governed by

BISHOP PORTEUS. 311
by a desire to know, and a disposition to
do his will, and endeavours, under the
influence of these motives, to live as much
as possible to his glory ; who, though he
cannot arrive at the perfection he aims
at, in his sentiments and feeling, affec
tions and actions, yet uses his utmost
efforts to come as near it as he can ; and
in the meanwhile sees and deplores and
labours to correct his failings, — no siich
pious Christian as this will, I humbly
Conceive, be excluded from the kingdom
of Heaven, and from some share, whatever
that may be, of future recompense."
In this admirable answer to a perfectly
unknown and anonymous correspondent,
exclusively of the kindness of the motive,
which could alone induce him to write
it, there is such a total absence of the
wildness of enthusiasm; the advice is
so judicious, so truly sound and scrip
tural ; and it offers so much substantial
X 4 con-

312 LIFE OF
consolation under the doubts and fears
to which a .religious mind is sometimes
subject, that I could not hesitate in
giving it a place in these memoirs. It
will, I am persuaded, be read with uni
versal interest, as the advice of a man
eminently qualified to give it on subjects
of the utmost moment; and I am not
witjhout the hope, that it may be the
means, with God's blessing, of recalling
many from error ; of fixing them in right
principles; and of rescuing them from
a state, of all others the most comfortless
and wretched, — a state of uncertainty and
apprehension, as to what is really and
strictly a Christian's duty.
It will doubtless excite surprise, that
amidst the numerous and perpetual em
ployments of so large a diocese, the
Bishop should have found leisure for
letters such as this; and, more particu
larly, for entering with such minuteness' of

BISHOP PORTEUS, 313
of detail into the feelings, and situation
of a person, with whom he had not the
slightest acquaintance. But to those,
who knew him well, it is in no respect
astonishing. His mind, naturally active
and vigorous, required employment ; and
long habit had made it easy and familiar
to him. He was besides a rigid economist
of time. Unless illness prevented him,
he rose constantly at six in the morning,
and every part of the day had its proper,
its allotted occupation. It was by this
regular, metho.dical arrangement, from
which he never deviated, that he was
enabled to dispatch his public, official
business, with the utmost accuracy and
precision, and yet to perform other duties
not less imperative, in his judgment, than
those, which strictly attached to his
episcopal station. He could never satisfy
himself with the mere formal discharge
of certain stated functions. In every way

314 LIFE OF
way that good could be done, he spared
no pains to do it. He thought his hours
well employed, his labour well repaid,
if, by any exertion of his own, he could
benefit a fellow-creature: if he could
assuage the anguish of distress, lighten
the pressure of calamity, calm the dis
quietude of a troubled mind, inspire the
timid with hope, or lead the wanderer
into the way of truth. For all these acts
of love, of sympathy, of Irindness, he
never wanted time. Whatever else might
require his attention, he still found oppor
tunity for these. He considered them,
as in fact they are, an important and
indispensable part of Christian duty,
and admitted no plea of business, no
private gratification, no personal fatigue,
to be an excuse for the neglect of
them. But it was not only in the grand fea
ture of benevolence, that the Bishop
displayed

BISHOP PORTEUS. 315
displayed die power of rehgion over tiie
heart and conduct. It was in him a
governing and a ruling principle. It was
the main spring, which constantiy and
uniformly regulated his thoughts and
actions. He had indeed, and who has
not, his foibles and infirmities. They
were however few, and venial, and almost
unavoidable. For instance, amidst the
toil and hurry of a laborious station,
and from great anxiety in what he was
engaged in, he sometimes betrayed, in
the latter part of his life, a slight impa
tience of manner. But he instantly
checked it, and no one more lamented it
than himself His disposition indeed,
with the exception of such occasional,
transient interruptions, arising from the
causes I have mentioned, was one of the
mildest and the sweetest that can be
imagined. It was the index of a heart
warmed with all the charities and sympa thies

316 LIFE OF
thies of our nature, and under the con
stant influence of a meek, a benevolent,
and a kind religion. In all the offices
of devotion, private and public, he was
unfailing and exemplary. Firm in his
belief of Christianity, every thing con
nected with it engaged his attention. It
was his great end and aim to defend,
to cherish, to promote it. The predomi
nant object of all his wishes and desires,
was, " in every thing he did, to do it to
the glory of God." Yet, amidst a con
duct so holy and so pure, he had no
melancholy, no austerity, no gloom. In
him were never seen the sanctified look,
-the depressed brow, the sullen spirit,
the dismal and desponding countenance.
Piety, as he felt and understood it, was
best exemplified by cheerfulness. He
saw no incompatibility in the ¦ innocent.
pleasures of hfe with the most unfeigned
devotion. He wished to render Rehgion as

BISHOP PORTEUS. 317
as amiable, as she is venerable ; to place
her before the eyes of men in her most
alluring and attracting form— bright,?
serene, unclouded and benign; in a
word, Ito represent her, not as the enemy
and the bane of happiness, but as the
guide, the companion, the solace, the
delight of man. His own character was
framed on this principle. He was cheer
ful without- levity, serious and devout
without moroseness. He lived, in short,
as he -taught others to live; and this it was
which, far beyond any other cause, gave
such power, such weight, such efficacy to
his preaching. "An orator," said the great
Roman Philosopher, " if he .would per
suade, must be a good man ;" and still
more must the Christian Preacher be him-/
self the Christian. Otherwise, though he
should even speak as an Angel of Light, ^
he will speak in vain : his:eloquence will be;
fruitiess, and his advice will be forgotten. Upon

318 LIFE OF
Upon the whole, tlje Bishop was, and
so at least Posterity will consider him, a
light in his generation — an ornament to
the times in which he lived. Firm and
fixed in his own principles ; candid and
liberal in his sentiments of others; unalter
able in his attachments; unbounded in
his acts of charity ; meek and humble in
his disposition; affable and courteous
in his manner and deportment ; ardent in
his piety; devoted to his God ; — surely,
such a man well maintained the Chris
tian character. That all men indeed
should think of him as I do, is hardly
to be expected. When the heart over
flows with gratitude, such, I trust, as
I shall ever feel, for a long course of
uninterrupted kindness, friendship and
protection, it is perhaps impossible to
divest the mind altogether of partiality.
I am not however aware, that I have
overstated any single fact, or ascribed to
him

BISHOP PORTEUS. 319
him a single quahty, which he did not
possess. All therefore I can say, is, and
they are his own words, as applied to
Archbishop Seeker, that, " if he really so
lived and acted, that the most faithful
delineation of his conduct must neces
sarily have the air of panegyric, the fault
is not in the copy, but in the original."

Luke Hansard & Sons,
near Lincoln's-Inn Fields, London.

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