explained their advantages, and recommended their univer fal adoption.

Dr. Porteus was now to be exalted to a ftill more confpicuous fituation in the church, in which the sphere of his benevolence, liberality, and piety, was itill more extended; and where he was enabled to indulge one of the warmest wishes of his heart, in becoming the friend and protector of literature. The times alfo were at that period fuch as to require a vigilant, active, and pertinacious attention to the duties of his high office. The first thing which engaged the bishop's attention on his promotion to the fee of London, was the king's proclamation against immorality and profaneness. The good effects of his exertions on this fubject were immediate and important. Many falutary acts of parliament were obtained, and many mischiefs injurious to good morals reftrained and punished. The next great popular event, was the measure which finally led to the abolition of the flave trade. To promote and accomplish this truly benevolent object, the good bishop fpared no exertions, or fatigue either of mind or body. We pafs over the circumftances of his firft vifitation of his diocefe, as defcribed at p. 106, referring the reader to the bishop's admirable charge, which will be found in his works. We come now to that horrible and deftructive tornado, the French revolution, which shook thrones and empires with dreadful convulfions, and introduced a malignant poifon into the moral ftate of things, the pernicious confequences of which feem not yet to have reached their height. Mr. Hodgfon has expreffed himself on this fubject with fo much judgment, and indeed pathos, that his words are fubjoined, as fully expreffive of our own feelings and fentiments.

"During the interval which elapfed between the bishop's first and fecond vifitation of his diocefe, the French revolution burst forth: overturning from its very foundation one of the most powerful governments in Europe; fubftituting a republic in the room of an antient monarchy, and overwhelming all law and order in one wild, fanguinary scene of anarchy and confufion. In a con. vulfion fuch as this, which threw down every barrier, that the wisdom of ages had raised for the confolidation of a great empire, it was not to be expected that religion would pafs unmolested: and in fact it very foon appeared, that the revolutionists of France aimed at nothing less than the utter fubverfion of all mo. ral 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 blafphemous and infidel philofophy. The attempt fucceeded but too effectually in their own country, and the contagion foon spread to this. No efforts were fpared,

which could tend to contaminate the public mind, and obliterate from it all reverence for our civil and religious establishments; and had it not been for the vigorous meafures of that great mi. nifter, who was then at the head of the administration, and to whom, under providence, we owe our prefervation, we might have witneffed here the fame frightful fcenes, which convulfed and defolated a neighbouring kingdom.

.

I

"At a crifis fuch as this, in which all that is dear to us hung fufpended on the iffue, it was plainly every man's bounden duty to exert himself to the utmoft for the public welfare: and, in a fituation fo refponfible as the fee of London, comprehending a vaft metropolis, where the emiffaries of infidelity were moft actively occupied in their work of mifchief, the bishop felt himself called upon to counteract, as far as in him lay, the licentious principles which were then afloat, and to check, if poffible, the progrefs they had too evidently made in the various ranks of fo. ciety. The beft mode, as he conceived, of doing this, was to roufe the attention of the clergy to what was paffing around them; and nothing furely was ever better calculated to produce that effect, than the charge which he addreffed to them in 1794. know not where, in a fhort compass, the character of the French philofophy is more ably drawn, or its baneful influence more ftrikingly developed. He had marked its courfe with an obferving 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 defigned to accomplish. It was not therefore without much deliberation and a full knowledge of his fubject, that he drew up for his fecond vifitation that eloquent and most impreffive addrefs, in which he gave fuch a picture of the infidel school of that day, and of the industry which was then employed to diffeminate its principles in this country, as at once carried conviction to the mind, and moft powerfully awakened the attention of every serious and thinking man. But it was on the clergy, in an efpecial manner, that he was anxious to leave a ftrong and fixed perfuafion of the neceffity of increafed affiduity and vigilance in the discharge of their religious functions. Chriftianity, attacked as it was on every fide, required more than common efforts, and more than òrdinary zeal on the part of its natural defenders; and he there. fore called upon them to repel with vigour and effect all those charges of fraud, falfehood and fanaticifm, which had been fo li berally thrown upon it; at fuch a perilous crifis to contend with peculiar earnestnefs for the faith once delivered to the faints', and to fhew that it is not, as ur enemies affirm, a cunningly devifed fable,' but a real revelation from heaven.

In particular he recommended it to them, with the view of ftemming more effectually the overwhelming torrent of infidel opinions, to draw out from the whole body of the chriftian evi. dences the principal and moft ftriking arguments, and to bring them down to the understandings of the common people. If this,' fays he, or any thing of a fimilar nature, were thrown into

a re.

a regular courfe of fermons or lectures, and delivered in eafy, intelligible, familiar language to your refpective congregations, I know nothing that would, in thefe philofophic times, render a more effential fervice to religion, or tend more to preserve the principles of thofe entrusted to your care, uncorrupted and unihaken by thofe moft pernicious and dangerous publications, which, I have too much reafon to apprehend, will very foon be diffeminated with dreadful induftry and activity through every quarter of this island.'" P. 117.

To demonftrate that he was willing himself to take his full fhare of the burthen which he impofed upon others, he in 1794 undertook to prepare and deliver at St. James's church, his justly celebrated Lent lectures. These are far beyond our praife. The public received them with enthufiaftic gratitude, and we doubt not with the most beneficial impreffion; and they who can perufe them, and in particular the introductory preface, without being improved as chrif tians, must be beyond the reach of human argument, or hu man eloquence.

We fhould have made fome remarks on his memorable conteft with an Effex clergyman, on the fubject of a very valuable living, as defcribed at p. 143, but as the matter is from circumstances again a fubject of difcuffion, it would be unreasonable. The anecdote of the princefs Charlotte of Wales, as it occurs at p. 160, muft by no means be omitted.

"In the autumn of 1801, a very interefting fcene took place, which, though ftrictly of a private nature, I cannot forbear from mentioning. It is thus related by the bishop:- Yesterday, the 6th of Auguft, I paffed a very pleasant day at Shrewsbury House, near Shooter's Hill, the refidence of the Princefs Charlotte of Wales. The day was fine; and the profpect extenfive and beautiful, taking in a large reach of the Thames, which was covered with veffels of various fizes and defcriptions. We saw a good deal of the young princefs. She is a moft captivating and engaging child, and, confidering the high ftation fhe may hereafter fill, a moft interefting and important one. She repeated to me feveral of her hymns with great correctnefs and propriety; and on being told, that, when he went to South-End in Effex, as the afterwards did for the benefit of fea.bathing, the wolud then be in my diocefe, fhe fell down on her knees and begged my bleffing, I gave it her with all my heart, and with my earnest fecret prayers to God, that the might adorn her illuftrious ftation with every chriftian grace; and that, if ever the became the queen of this truly great and glorious country, the might be the means of diffufing virtue, piety, and happiness through every

part

of her dominions !'''

This excellent prelate continued to exert all the influence of his high office, and to display all the energies of his cha racter in whatever comprehended the extenfion and benefit of religion, morality, and literature. But we are fearful of extending our article to an undue limit; we muft, therefore, briefly refer our readers to other parts of this biographical narrative, upon which, if it were poffible, we would gladly dilate at length.

His addrefs to thofe who came to him for confirmation when he vifited his diocefé for the fourth time in 1802, is an admirable piece of eloquence, and will be found in detail at p. 155. His charge on his laft vifitation, the substance of which is given at p. 175, is more particularly deferving of attention, as it demonftrates the malignity and falfehood with which fome perfons were base enough to afperfe his character, by representing his lordfhip as friendly to fectaries. The part he took on the fubject of the Curates' Bill, and residence of the clergy, (p. 179-80, et feq.) evinces his tenacious zeal in whatever feemed in his opinion to be connected with his duty. This is ftill more obviously exhibited in p. 189, where the letter which he fent to certain ladies of high rank who held Sunday concerts alternately at each other's houses, is tranfcribed at length. To fhow that he was not influenced in this by any over rigid or fanatical prejudices, appeal may fecurely be made to the following paragraph.

"But let me not, madam, be misunderstood. I am no friend to a pharifaical or puritanical obfervance 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 fuperftitious rigour, a day of abfolute exclufion from all fociety. No, it is on the contrary a feftival, 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 thofe amufements, which partake of the nature and complexion of public diverfions, on the Lord's day, that I object; to large affemblies, for inftance, and large concerts confifting of hired performers, where numerous parties are collected together, occafioning a great concourfe of fervants in one place, employing them at a time when they have a right to cafe and reft, and producing much of that noise and tumult in the public streets, which are fo oppofite to the peaceful tranquillity that fhould prevail on that day-a day which the Almighty himfelf has diftinguished with a peculiar mark of fanctity, and which he claims as his oaun. It is against thefe open infractions of the Lord's day, that I think it my duty to remonftrate. But in hearing facred mufic on

the

the Sunday evening, confined to a fmall domeftic circle of rela tions and friends, without any hired performers, I am fo far from feeing any impropriety, that it appears to me a relaxation well fuited to the nature of a christian fabbath, perfectly congenial to the fpirit of our religion, and calculated to raife our minds to heavenly thoughts, and fublime and holy contemplations.'

The diftreffing and perilous queftion of Catholic Emanci pation prefented itfelf in 1805, upon which the good bishop's fentiments are fo entirely in unifon with our own, to which we conftantly adhere, and fhall vindicate with all the vigour in our power, that we fhall be fatisfied with tranfcrib. ing them without comment.

"I am and ever have been a decided friend to liberty of confcience, and a full and free toleration of all who differ in religious opinions from the eftablished church. It is a fentiment perfectly confonant with the fpirit of the gofpel, the principles of the church of England, and every dictate of justice and humanity. It is a fentiment deeply engraven on my heart, by which I have ever regulated, and hope I ever fhall regulate my conduct. But this was not an application for liberty of confcience, and freedom of religious opinion and religious worship. The truth is, it is an application for political power; and that power I, for one, atm not difpofed to grant them: because, I believe that it would be difficult to produce a fingle inftance, where they have poffeffed political power in a Proteftant conntry, without ufing it cruelly and tyrannically. And this indeed follows neceffarily from the very doctrines of their church, feveral of which are well known to be hostile not only to the Proteftant religion, but to a Proteftant government. It has been faid, indeed, that these are not now the tenets of the church of Rome; that they may be found per. haps in fome old mufty records,' but that they are now grown obfolete and invalid, and are held in utter deteftation by the whole body. of Roman Catholics both in England and Ireland. But thofe mufty records,' in which thefe doctrines appear, are nothing less than the decrees of general councils confirmed by the pope; and Dr. Troy, titular archbishop of Dublin, in his paftoral inftructions to the Roman Catholics of his diocefe, published in 1793, tells his flock that they muft adhere implicitly to de crees and canons of the church affembled in general councils and confirmed by the pope;' and the celebrated lay Roman Catholic writer, Mr. Plowden, in his Cafe ftated, publifhed in 1791, maintains the fame doctrine, and the infallibility of general councils. These therefore are unquestionably at this day the tenets of their church; they have never been renounced or difavowed;

L

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXXVIII. AUGUST, 1811.

and,