the same time begged the prelate to august parent; the one treating him, | unkind to be neglected by him, and at through life, with gratitude, and the king with almost unbounded confidence. So pleased, indeed, was his majesty with the facile mode of communicating knowledge which distinguished the instructor of his son, and so gratified was he with the solid foundation of moral principle laid in the mind of the prince, without pedantry, that when called upon to provide for the education of the presumptive heiress to the crown, though then in her infancy, the king found not the smallest difficulty in determining his choice of a teacher. In the mean time, the bishopric of Exeter becoming vacant, by the death of Dr. Reginald Courtenay, His Majesty at once nominated Dr. Fisher to that see, and on the 17th of July, 1803, the consecration took place in Lambeth chapel, where also Dr. Thomas Burgess was then set apart, with the same solemnity, to the government of the diocese of St. David's; the sermon being preached by Mr. Ralph Churton, of Brazennose college, Oxford. Two such prelates have not often been consecrated together; both being men of great learning, remarkably modest, and unaffectedly pious. Of both it may be said, that though they did not refuse the episcopal chair, they neither of them sought it; and when the dignity was offered them, it came upon them by surprise. The king himself first communicated his intention to Dr. Fisher, who, of course, received the gracious proffer with the respect due to his sovereign. Of the other right reverend prelate, we shall here, without scruple, relate an anecdote which is highly honourable to all the parties concerned, and for the truth of which we can safely pledge our credit. Dr. Burgess, it is well known, was patronized in early life by the present venerable bishop of Durham, at that time bishop of Salisbury, who made him his chaplain, and gave him his first preferment. The doctor received his education at Winchester school, where he was contemporary with Mr. Addington, now Lord Sidmouth. After the elevation of that statesman to the office of prime minister, he took an opportunity of addressing the bishop of Durham in the House of Lords, and asking, whether his old friend and schoolfellow Burgess was in town, said, that he thought it very In 1804, bishop Fisher became one of the vice-presidents of the Bible Society, and the same year he made his primary visitation of the diocese of Exeter, beginning with Devonshire; and the following year, he extended his episcopal inquiry through Cornwall, On both occasions he delivered the same charge, which made such a deep impression on the hearers, that, at their unanimous and repeated request, his lordship sent it at last to the press. In this excellent pastoral address, which would have done honour to Chrysostom, the amiable bishop went over several points of importance as regarding doctrine and manners. At the time of its delivery, two subjects particularly agitated the public mind, neither of which hath, as yet, subsided, or is likely to lose that degree of interest which belongs to religious questions when taken up in` connexion with parties. On the claims of the Roman Catholics, which were then urged with great vehemence, the bishop of Exeter said, "I am sure your good sense will anticipate me in thinking, that toleration is one thing, civil power, rewards, and privilege, another. When toleration is granted, that is granted, to which all peaceable and conscientious dissenters have a claim. But when men ask to be armed with extensive and formidable powers, it is very natural, it is strictly justifiable, it is highly prudential, to ask, how power has been used by this sect in time past? If doctrines sanctioned by the highest authority in the Church of Rome, have never, by the same authority, been repealed or disavowed, it cannot reasonably be expected, that their practices (if the means of execution were allowed) would be materially different. It is a well-known truth, that from no one principle which the Church of Rome has ever authoritatively made, it has ever authoritatively receded." On The other point on which the bishop felt himself called, by his intercourse with the clergy, to give his opinion, was, the alleged Calvinism of the Church of England; a charge, as he observed, perfectly groundless, and flatly contradicted in the articles themselves, where universal redemption is stated in express terms, as well as the possibility of falling from grace. Calvinism itself, the bishop says, "I confess, I never could be induced to think that the doctrines peculiar to Calvin (for of such only I speak) are analogous to those ideas which all religion, natural as well as revealed, suggests to us, concerning the perfections of a God. It was wisely observed, by an ancient philosopher, that peculiar care was to be taken in obtaining sound and right sentiments concerning the Deity and his attributes. Whatever perversity of opinion enters into men's creed on this head, must in a great measure tincture their whole conduct; and I think it can scarcely be denied, that the conceptions of those who are biassed towards Calvinism, seem peculiarly calculated to influence and keep alive a spirit of fanaticism, not altogether reconcileable with true charity and humility. Those who can work themselves up to a persuasion, that, from all eternity they have been the designated vessels of the Divine favour, without any reference to their virtue, their moral conduct, or even their faith, will naturally be elated with a fanatic presumption, little calculated to render them moral in their dealings, mild in their deportment, or submissive to those whom it has pleased Providence to place over them." men of ardent piety and humility, it cannot be denied, of the Calvinistic controvertists in general, that they have been distinguished in their disputations by the stern spirit of fatalism which they professed to believe, as the Roman orator said of the works which he read, "Studiosus legerim sentio orationem meam illorum cantu quasi colorari." "I found my own compositions coloured by their strains." But to return to the subject of this memoir: In 1806, the bishop preached the anniversary sermon at the meeting of the charity-schools, before the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, in St. Paul's cathedral. In this sermon, which was printed with the report of the Society, the good prelate took occasion to enter somewhat minutely into the want of places of worship in the large outlying parishes of the metropolis, where the increase of the population obviously called for an additional number of churches and chapels. The observation produced a lively effect at the time, but owing to the pressure of the war, no plan adequate to the necessity could then be adopted by the government, and without that support, the benevolent suggestions of the bishop were hardly practicable. He had the pleasure, however, to see his ideas taken up actively, and on an extensive scale, both by parliament and the people. His In the following year, bishop Fisher preached the Fast Sermon before the House of Lords, in Westminster Abbey; and three months afterwards, on the death of that distinguished scholar, Dr. John Douglas, he was translated to the diocese of Salisbury. lordship's attention was now very much engaged in superintending the education of the Princess Charlotte of Wales, an office of no ordinary magnitude at any time, but in the present case, and under the peculiar circumstances of the royal family, it was rendered peculiarly difficult. The bishop, we know, had frequent trials, and some of them exceedingly painful ones too, for the exercise of his patience, insoSevere as this remark upon the much, that nothing but a profound influential character of the Calvinistic | respect for his sovereign could have system may seem, it would be no dif-induced him to continue in the imficult matter to prove the correctness of it by historical references; for though, beyond all question, numbers who have professed their sincere belief in the quinquarticular points, were portant and honourable charge with which he was intrusted. By perseverance and mildness, indeed, he overcame most of the obstacles which, for a considerable time, embarrassed and distressed him; so that at length, the service, instead of being irksome, proved extremely pleasant. But here, for many reasons, suspenso pede incendere, as the subject is of too delicate a nature to admit of farther detail. In February 1809, the bishop of Salisbury was called to preach the anniversary sermon for the Society for Propagating the Gospel; and with this the list of his publications ends, for though no divine of his rank was better qualified to instruct men from the press, as well as the pulpit, his invincible modesty was such, that nothing but a compliance with established usage could have prevailed upon him to publish even the few discourses here enumerated. After a life of activity, but not ostentatiously devoted to the duties of his high station, this excellent prelate died at his house in Upper Seymour-street, on Sunday, May 8th, 1825, and on the 16th his remains were interred, with appropriate ceremony, in St. George's chapel, Windsor. The benevolence of the good bishop was unbounded, and after his advancement to the episcopate, he made it a rule to distribute a considerable portion of the revenues of each diocese to charitable uses. One proof of his uncommon disinterestedness appeared in his declining to renew the lease of the best manor belonging to the temporalities of the see of Salisbury, by which extraordinary sacrifice, the sum of thirty thousand pounds falls into the hands of his worthy friend and successor, bishop Burgess. The principal feature in the character of the late bishop, was the command of his temper. Though he suffered for a great portion of his life under severe bodily indisposition, he was seldom heard to complain; but endured pain with a peculiar placidity of manner, and even generally with a smile on his | Countenance. He appeared, indeed, to make it his first study, to raise his mind to such a state, that it should not partake of the irritability of the body; and if a hasty expression ever chanced to escape him, it was instantly checked, and followed by an urbane expression, and an anxious desire to remove, by an act of kindness, any uneasiness that he might have occasioned. In the course of his labours as an instructor, he constantly made it a point to mould the temper of his royal pupils according to that principle of self-command, which he had so eminently acquired for his own government. It is well known, that the Princess Charlotte was, at one period, of so very impetuous a disposition, as to occasion the bishop considerable trouble. At length, he desired Her Royal Highness to learn these lines of Pope's Universal Prayer: Teach me to feel another's wo, That mercy shew to me. Having fixed the stanzas strongly in the memory of the Princess, he begged, that whenever she found her resentment rising against any one, to repeat the verse which she had learnt; and though sometimes youthful heat would get the better of the monition, yet generally the lesson had a good effect. At one time the bishop came into the room where the Princess was scolding with great vehemence a very young female domestic, who stood trembling before her, without being suffered to stir out of the royal presence. The bishop having dismissed the poor culprit, whose offence was of the most trivial description, asked the angry Princess whether she had repeated the lesson which she had been taught. "No," said she, "I was in too great a passion to remember that, or any thing else." The excellent preceptor then recited the lines, and applied them so forcibly to the occasion, that the Princess burst into tears, and spontaneously calling for the servant, asked her forgiveness in the most tender and feeling manner. With this anecdote we shall conclude the biographical sketch that we have so feebly delineated, adding only, in the words of Lucian, onμ ουτος μαλιςα επαινος αξιος ειμι, οσος το μηδεν εξ αρχη ων, όμως επι μεγα προεχω μησα, αξιος αρχη : "Those chiefly are. worthy to be commemorated, who have raised themselves by their merit to a high station, and, though obscure originally, have been deemed worthy of command.” Since the funeral, letters of administration have been granted by the Commons to Dorothea Fisher, widow and executrix of the bishop, by which it appears, that the personal property amounted to no more than £20,000. APHORISMS EXTRACTED FROM THE WRITINGS OF THE REV. R. HALL. 1.—THE influence of religion on the heart depends not on the multiplicity, but on the quality of the objects. 2.-The grandeur and efficacy of the gospel results not from an immense accumulation of little things, but from its powerful exhibition of a few great ones. 3.-The unnecessary multiplication of articles of faith, gives a character of littleness to Christianity, and tends, in no small degree, to impress a similar character on its professors. 4.-Terms have been invented for the purpose of excluding error, or more accurately defining truth, to which the New Testament is a stranger; and on these terms, associations and impressions ingrafted, which, in some instances, perhaps, little correspond with the divine simplicity of the gospel. 5.-It is to the immoderate attachment to secular interest, the love of power, and the want of reverence for truth, not to the obscurities of revelation, we must impute the unhappy contentions among Christians. 6.-There is an intimate connexion between the perception and relish of truth, and a right disposition of mind, that they have a reciprocal influence on each other, and that the mystery of faith can only be placed with safety in a pure conscience. 7.-It is the business of the statesman to project for this world, of the Christian minister for eternity. The former proposes to improve the advantages, and to mitigate the evils, of life ; the latter, the conquest of death, and the achievement of immortality. 8.* * *Antinomianism; that thickskinned monster of the ooze and the mire, which no weapon can pierce, no dicipline can tame. 9.-The qualities of Antinomianism are, vulgarity of conception, paucity of ideas, a determined hostility to taste, science, and letters. It includes, within a compass which every hand can contain, and every tongue can utter, a system which cancels every moral tie, consigns the whole race to the extremes of presumption and despair, enacts religion on the ruins of morality, and imparts to the dregs of stupidity all the energy of the most active power. 10.-Christianity will civilize, it is true, but it is only when it is allowed to develop the energies by which it sanctifies. 11.-It may be inquired, whether all classes of Christians have not receded from the standard, if not by the adoption of positive error, by a disproportionate attention to some parts of revelation? 12.-Faith, considered as a mere speculative assent to the truth of a divine testimony, may be looked upon as uniform or stationary; but when we consider it as a practical principle, as one of the graces of the Spirit, we perceive it to be, in common with others, susceptible of continual enlargement and increase. 13.-In the degree of power which future and invisible realities exert over the mind, in the practical energy of what men profess to believe, in the promptitude and certainty with which it determines them to a correspondent conduct, there is the utmost diversity, even among those who believe with the heart. 14.The faith to which the scriptures attach such momentous consequences, and ascribe such glorious exploits, is a practical habit, which, like every other, is strengthened and increased by continual exercise. 14.-It is nourished by meditation, by prayer, and the devout perusal of the scriptures; and the light which it diffuses, becomes stronger and clearer by an unintercepted converse with its object, and a faithful compliance with its dictates; as, on the contrary, it is weakened and obscured by whatever wounds the conscience, or impairs the purity and spirituality of the mind. POPERY AND UNITARIANISM. MR. EDITOR. SIR,- Can you account for the singu lar affection that has recently taken place between the Romanists and Unitarians? The fact is indisputable, for in several instances the two parties have associated together with uncom mon familiarity, and paid one another most extraordinary compliments. The union is so much like that of Herod and Pilate, as to make one suspect the motives of both to be of a similar description, and that, though there is apparently nothing in common between the Pope, to set Louis, the dauphin of France, upon the throne of England. How his holiness contrived to cheat the one and the other, as the monkey did the two cats in the fable, by getting the crown surrendered to himself, is too notorious to need recital in this place. them, they are alike actuated by a if not worse, they confederated with desire to pull down an establishment, the faith of which is at variance with their own. This is one of the paradoxical wonders of our planet-stricken times, when men of active minds seem to vie with each other in discovering new principles of moral action, and in exploding truths of old date. Hence, we are told that the Roman Church was never either idolatrous or intolerant, and that to it the English people are actually indebted for the liberties they enjoy; because the great charter was wrested from an arbitrary monarch by bis Catholic subjects. That the barons bold' were papists, is most true, for there were no sectaries in those days, and the whole western world was under the dominant rule of the tiara. But this particular history is rather unfortunate for the cause which it is cited to support; since the two factions, who coalesced against the king, were neither of them actuated by the noble principle of justice and freedom. The ecclesiastics aimed at the aggrandizement of their order, and an exemption from all imposts; while the barons strove to render themselves totally independent of the crown, and to have an absolute sovereignty over their vassals or tenantry of every quality. In this struggle for power, the Pope took a part, for his own emolument; and laid the kingdom, as well as John, under an interdict, the consequence of which was, that religious service of every kind was suspended throughout England for the space of five years. During that frightful period, there was neither a sermon preached, nor baptism, mass, or any funeral ceremony performed in all the land, so that the very form of religion was destroyed by the arbitrary act of the Head of the Church. It is true, that in this case, as in most others, good came out of evil; but no thanks are due either to the barons, the pope, or the clergy, for that beneficial result which the whole of them, as well as the miserable monarch himself, would have prevented, if they could. The same band of rebellious chieftains, who made their stand against John, sold three of the northern counties, Northumberland, Westmoreland, and Cumberland, to the king of Scotland, to enable them to make war upon their own sovereign; and what was as bad, The present is called a thinking generation, but the spirit of inquiry, which is said to be spreading far and wide, seems to be of a headlong quality; for while men are intent upon finding out new things, they appear to treat the lessons and examples of former days as tales of idle import, that may be adapted to any argument, and rendered subservient to any purpose. That the Unitarians, of all people, should have discovered something harmless and amiable in the harsh features of popery, would seem very unaccountable, did we not know that extremes will occasionally meet. Therefore, as formerly, the leaders of that party proposed an alliance with the Mohammedans, on the simple basis of a reciprocal acknowledgment of the divine unity; setting aside all other articles of faith as of no moment; so now their successors may be disposed to think that there is no essential difference between them and the Romanists, since, if the one have degraded the Messiah to a state of peccable humanity; the others have lowered his dignity as a mediator, by raising to the same rank a host of male and female saints, whose powerful intercession, particularly that of the Virgin, is considered as being, at least, equally efficacious with that of the Saviour of the world. Under these circumstances, the transit from Popery to Socinianism, and vice versa, is not so wonderful a thing as, at first sight, might appear; and it merits notice, that many such changes have occurred in the present day, as well as in former times; the relation of which would be very serviceable as warnings against that latitudinarianism which invariably leads either to infidelity or superstition. W. THE SCRAP BOOK. |