C'er all the wide creation, from thy urn We fhall make no remarks on the above paffage, but fhall leave it to our Readers either to accept it as a confirmation of the judgment we have paffed upon the whole book, or to draw conclufions from it more or lefs favourable to the Author, as they fhall think proper. ! Seven Sermons on public Occafions. By the moft Reverend Dr. Thomas Herring, late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Now firft collected. 8vo. 3s. fewed. Whifton, &c. T gave us fincere pleafure to fee this collection of the Dif courfes, firft feparately published, of the late excellent Dr. Herring; a Prelate of uncommon virtues, a man of extraordinary accomplishments, a candid Divine, a polite Scholar, a warm lover of his country, a true friend to liberty, religious as well as civil; and, of course, a moft fincere HATER OF PERSECUTION, Glorious character! rarely merited-rarely imitated !.. In the preface to this collection we have fome memoirs of this amiable perfon; by which we learn, that he was born at Walfoken, in Norfolk, in the year 1693; his father, Mr. John Herring, being then Rector of that parish. "He was educated in the fchool of Wifbech, in the Isle of Ely, under the care of Dr. John Carter, afterwards Fellow of Eton college. "In June 1710, he was admitted into Jefus college, in Cambridge: Dr. Warren, afterwards Rector of Cavendish, and Archdeacon of Suffolk, was his Tutor. "While he was a member of this college, he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts. But feeing no profpect of obtaining a Fellowship there, he removed himself, in July 1714, to Corpus Chrifti, or Benet college, of which he was chofen Fellow in REV. Apr. 1763. X April April 1716. The year after he was created Mafter of Arts. He, and the learned Dr. Denne, now Archdeacon of Rochester, were joint Tutors there for upwards of feven years. Mr. Herring read the claffical, and Dr. Denne the philofophical lectures. "He entered into Prieft's orders in the year 1719, and was fucceffively Minifter of Great Shelford, Stow cum Qui, and Trinity in Cambridge. In the year 1722, Dr. Fleetwood, then Bishop of Ely, made him his Chaplain. His Lordship had generally preached himfelf at the chapel belonging to Ely House 'during the winter feafon; but in the decline of life, when his health was greatly impaired, Mr. Herring preached for him; and this excellent Prelate declared to his friends, that he never heard a fermon from Mr. Herring, but what he fhould have been proud to have been the Author of himfelf. "On the 1ft of October in the fame year, viz. 1722, the Bishop prefented him to the Rectory of Rettingdon in Effex; and, on the 7th of December, to that of Barley in Hertfordfhire. In the year 1724 he took the degree of Bachelor in Divinity; and, about the fame time, was prefented by his Majefty to the Rectory of Allhallows the Great in the city of London'; which, however, he gave up before inftitution. "In the year 1726 the Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn, on the death of Dr. Lupton, chofe him their Preacher. About the fame time he was appointed Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majefty; and, in the year 1728, took the degree of Doctor in Divinity at Cambridge. "His Sermons at Lincolns Inn chapel were received with the highest approbation by that learned and judicious Society. They abounded with manly fenfe, were animated by the moft benevolent principles, and adorned by his happy elocution and unaffected delivery. He feldom entered into the difputes canvaffed among Christians, having obferved that thefe more frequently exafperate than convince. But he explained and enforced with the utmost clearness and warmth, the fundamental duties of the Chriftian life, which are fo affectionately recommended in the Gofpel. He was of opinion, with a very ingenious Writer, that true Religion is true Reafon, which fimiles at pointed wit, mocks the Scoffer's tongue, and is alike invulnerable by ridicule or rage.' "Once, indeed, a great clamour was raised on account of his alluding to a popular entertainment, then exhibited at the neighbouring theatre, and prefuming to condemn it, as of pernicious confequence in regard to the practice of morality and Chriftian virtue. He was not fingular in this opinion; and ex perience Aperience afterwards confirmed the truth of his obfervations, fince feveral thieves and street-robbers confeffed in Newgate, that they raised their courage at the playhouse, by the fongs of their Hero Macheath, before they fallied forth on their defperate nocturnal exploits." The Editor hath here republished two Letters, which were then printed in one of the weekly papers, in juftification of the doctrine maintained in that Sermon; but for these we refer to the book, and fhall proceed with the memoirs. In 1731 Dr. Herring was prefented "to the Rectory of Blechingly in Surry; and, towards the clofe of the fame year, his Majefty promoted him to the Deanery of Rochester, where he was inftalled February 5, 1731-2. "In 1737 he was advanced to the Bishopric of Bangor; and, in 1743, on the death of Dr. Blackburn, was tranflated to the Archiepifcopal See of York. "In the year 1745 the rebellion broke out in Scotland. The progrefs the rebels then made was fo artfully concealed by their friends in England, that it was fcarce known or believed that the Highlanders were up in arms, before certain advice came, that they had defeated the King's troops at Prefton-pans. The panic with which all were then feized is well remembered. "The Archbishop was the firft who gave the alarm, and awakened the nation from its lethargy. This will always be re-. membered to his honour by every fincere Proteftant. His example was followed by the Bishops and the Clergy in general with great fuccefs. An affociation was entered into at York, and a fubfcription propofed, for money to raife troops for the defence. of that county." The neighbouring Nobility, Gentry, and Clergy met for that purpose, at the caftle of York, September 24, 1745; where his Grace addreffed them in a fpeech, which will do him immortal honour. Of this noble fpeech our Editor hath alfo given us a copy; but it is too long for us to tranfcribe. The effect it had upon his auditory may be judged of from the confequent fubfcription for the before-mentioned purpofes, which amounted to forty thousand pounds. "Archbishop Potter dying in the year 1747, Dr. Herring was tranflated to the See of Canterbury. His acceffion to the higheft dignity in the Church, gave great joy to the friends of the prefent happy Eftablishment, and to all Lovers of Chriftian Liberty. In this high ftation he treated his friends with the fame X 2 eafe eafe and courtesy as before: he knew how to condefcend, without detracting from the reverence due to his character. "The learned Dr. Birch, in his dedication of the life of A. B. Tillotson to our excellent Prelate, obferves, "That he resembled him by his known reluctance to accepting the first station in the church, with this peculiar circumftance, of having befo fhewn the highest qualifications for it, by a conduct in the fecond, from which the public fafety received its earlieft fupport at its most dangerous crifis." "The fentiments which B. Burnet tells us the fame Archbishop entertained of the chief end of the Christian religion are no lefs applicable to thofe of our Prelate. "He judged that the great defign of Christianity was to reform men's natures, to govern their actions, to reftrain their appetites and paffions, to fweeten their tempers, compose their affections, and raife their minds above the interefts and follies of this prefent world, to the hope and purfuit of endless felicity: and he confidered the whole Chriftian doctrine as a fyftem of principles all tending to this end. He looked on our contending about leffer matters, or about fubtleties relating to those that are greater, as one of the chief practices of the powers of darknefs to defeat the true ends for which the Son of God came into the world.” "But let us hear Dr. Herring's own words, when he was bifhop of Bangor. "It was not the defign of Chriftianity certainly to make a new creation in a literal fenfe, but to restore men to that rectitude of mind and manners, which was the purpose of the old one; for we are naturally formed for the practice of virtue, and, without it, cannot poffibly be happy: The gofpel, therefore, does not alter the nature of virtue, but eftablish its practice, by affuring us, that God is pleafed with it, and will, by the fecret workings of his Spirit, affift good men in the performance of it; and that he has made fuch provifion for their reward in another world, that it is become not only our reafonable duty, but under all circumstances, even of the greateft diftrefs, moft eligible and advantageous. "It was before a matter of much difficulty to understand what was properly religion: It had been fo obfcured and blended with the corrupt additions of men. Our Saviour purified it, taught men what it was, and how to value it; and, to guard * See the bishop of Salisbury's fermon preached at St. Lawrence Jewry, November 30, 1694, at the funeral of archbishop Tillotson. againft against the bad practices of defigning or fuperftitious men, added but two poffitive duties, and thofe of very plain and eafy fignificancy; and, in their defign and operation, perfective of the Chriftian life. "Add to all this that other great doctrine of the Gospel, on which all our expectations of future happinefs feem to turn, and that is the mercy and placability of the Deity, who, though of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, has yet affured us, that if we endeavour, faithfully and fincerely, to do his will, and, from human frailty, fail in the performance, he will confider, and compaffionate, and forgive our miscarriages, through the mediation and redemption of Christ Jefus *.” Speaking of the worthy Archbishop's character in private life, our Editor observes that "No mafter was ever more carefully obeyed, or more cordially lamented, than he was by all his fervants; and indeed he deferved it. He fhewed himself a fort of father to them, by making in his' will a very handsome provision for all those, who had lived any time with him. "In the year 1753 he was feized with a violent fever at Lambeth houfe, which brought him to the brink of the grave. And though he did in fome measure recover, yet from that time he might be rather faid to languish than to live. He retired to Croydon, declined all public bufinefs, as far as he could, and faw little other company than his relations and particular friends.. "After languifhing, as we have obferved, for about four years, he calmly refigned his foul into the hands of his Creator on March 13, 1757, and was buried in a private manner in the vault of Croydon church, according to the express direction of his will. "Though he absolutely forbad a monument, it is hoped that this fmall one to his memory, of his own raifing, will neither be unaceptable to his friends or the public. "He left to the incorporated fociety for the relief of the widows and fons of poor clergymen, the fum of one thousand pounds. And to the mafter and fellows of Corpus Chrifti college, in Cambridge, for the time being, the fum of one thou The bishop of Bangor's fermon before the incorporated Society for propagating the Gofpel in foreign parts, February 17, 1737-8. X 3 fand |