6 will, by an act of his power, restore to life and consciousness the dead of the human species, who, by their own nature, and without his interposition, would remain in the state of insensibility, to which the death brought upon mankind by the sin of Adam had reduced them.' He interpreted literally that saying of St Paul, (1 Cor. xv. 21.) As by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.' This opinion had no other effect his own mind than to increase his reverence upon for Christianity, and for its divine founder. He retained it, as he did his other speculative opinions, without laying, as many are wont to do, an extravagant stress upon their importance, and without pretending to more certainty than the subject allowed of. No man formed his own conclusions with more freedom, or treated those of others with greater candour and equity. He never quarrelled with any person for differing from him, or considered that difference as a sufficient reason for questioning any man's sincerity, or judging meanly of his understanding. He was zealously attached to religious liberty, because he thought that it leads to truth: yet from his heart he loved peace. But he did not perceive any repugnancy in these two things. There was nothing in his elevation to his bishopric which he spoke of with more pleasure, than its being a proof that decent freedom of inquiry was not discouraged. * He was a man of great softness of manners, and of the mildest and most tranquil disposition. His voice was never raised above its ordinary pitch. His countenance seemed never to have been ruffled; it preserved the same kind and composed aspect, truly indicating the calmness and benignity of his temper. He had an utter dislike of large and mixed companies. Next to his books, his chief satisfaction was in the serious conversation of a literary companion, or in the company of a few friends. In this sort of society he would open his mind with great unreservedness, and with a peculiar turn and sprightliness of expression. His person was low, but well formed; his complexion fair and delicate. Except occasional interruptions by the gout, he had for the greatest part of his life enjoyed good health; and, when not confined by that distemper, was full of motion and activity. About nine years before his death, he was greatly enfeebled by a severe attack of the gout in his * His portrait, painted by Mr Romney, and engraved in mezzotinto, by W. Dickinson, in 1777, is a very correct likeness. stomach; and a short time after that, lost the use of one of his legs. Notwithstanding his fondness for exercise, he resigned himself to this change, not only without complaint, but without any sensible diminution of his cheerfulness and good humour. His fault (for we are not writing a panegyric) was the general fault of retired and studious characters, too great a degree of inaction and facility in his public station. The modesty, or rather bashfulness, of his nature, together with an extreme unwillingness to give pain, rendered him sometimes less firm and efficient in the administration of authority than was requisite. But it is the condition of human mortality. There is an opposition between some virtues which seldom permits them to subsist together in perfection. The bishop was interred with due solemnity in his cathedral church, in which a handsome monument is erected to his memory, bearing the following inscription : Columnæ hujus sepultus est ad pedem per xix fere annos hujusce ecclesiæ episcopus. ad extremum usque senectutem Quo autem studio et effectu veritatem, stare non posse arbitratus. Obiit Aug. XIV. MDCCLXXXVII. Etat. LXXXIV. CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN DR PERCIVAL AND [Extracted from the Literary Correspondence of Dr Percival: Works, vol. I. p. cxlvi.-cli.] TO THE REV. ARCHDEACON PALEY. MANCHESTER, June 20th, 1788. WHAT apology shall I offer for the liberty I am now presuming to take with you? The very high respect which I entertain for your talents and character, operates upon me at once as an incitement and restraint; and whilst I am solicitous to avail myself of your counsel and assistance, I am diffident in requesting them, from a consciousness of having no claim to be honoured with either. But the occasion requires a sacrifice of feeling to judgment; and I shall trust to your goodness to excuse, if peculiar reasons do not justify, my present application to you. My oldest son, whom I intended for the profession of physic, by his residence at St John's college, and connexions in Cambridge, has had his views changed, and is now strongly inclined to go into the Church. But previous to his final decision, he wishes to settle his mind on several important topics.comprehended in the articles of faith. The chapter on religious establishments, in your excellent System of Moral and Political Philosophy, has had great weight with him; and he has this morning expressed to me an earnest desire to have the benefit of your personal instructions, on points so interesting to his future peace, prosperity, and usefulness. Is it possible for him to enjoy this singular privilege, for the space of a few weeks? I shall cordially acquiesce in any terms that you may prescribe, and with a grateful sense of obligation to you. I am a Dissenter; but actuated by the same spirit of catholicism which you possess. An establishment I approve; the Church of England in many respects, I honour; and should think it my duty to enter instantly into her communion, VOL. V. 44 were the plan which you have proposed in your tenth chapter carried into execution.*. TO DR PERCIVAL. CARLISLE, June 25th, 1788. I DESIRE you to accept my thanks for the many obliging expressions of respect which your letter contains. If the state of my engagements had allowed me to spare a few weeks to a personal conference with your son upon any subject of doubt which he should chance to propose, it would have been a pleasure to me to have complied with your wishes, from a sense both of private obligation and of public esteem. As my time is at present very little in my own power, and my being at home very uncertain, I know not how I can contribute to your son's satisfaction in any better way than by sending you a few additional explanatory observations upon what I have written in my chapter, entitled, 'Of Subscription.' 1st, If any person understand and believe all the several propositions in the thirty-nine articles, and in the liturgy and homilies, which they recognize, there can be no place for doubt. 2d, If a person think that every such proposition is probable, or as probable as the contrary or any other supposition on the subject, there can be no just cause of scruple. 3d, If a person, after using due inquiry, understand some of the propositions in the thirty-nine articles, but not all, and assent to those propositions which he does understand, I think he may safely subscribe. 4th, If a person think any part of the discipline, government, rites, or worship of the Church of England to be forbid *A comprehensive national religion, guarded by a few articles of peace and conformity, together with a legal provision for the clergy of that religion; and with a complete toleration of all dissenters from the established church, without any other limitation or exception than what arises from the conjunction of dangerous political dispositions with certain religious tenets, appears to be, not only the most just and liberal, but the wisest and safest system, which a state can adopt inasmuch as it unites the several perfections which a religious constitution ought to aim at-liberty of conscience, with means of instruction; progress of truth, with the peace of society; the right of private judgment, with the care of the public safety. Mor. and Pol. Phil. b. vi. ch. 10. the den, he certainly ought not to subscribe; but certain parts of these being not commanded, or not the best possible, or not good and useful, or not reasonable, (for many things man be absurd, and yet very innocent), is not, in my opinion, a sufficient ground of objection. 5th, If there be certain particular propositions in the articles which he disbelieves, although he assent to the main part of them, as well as to the lawfulness of the established government and worship of the Church, then arises the case in which the principal difficulty consists. And as to this case, I find no reason, upon much reconsideration, to question the principle I have laid down, viz. that if the intention and view of the legislature, which imposed subscription, be satisfied, it is enough.' But here comes a doubt, whether we can be permitted to go out of the terms of subscription, that is to say, the words of the statute, to collect the intention of the legislature, or not. If we look to the terms of the subscription, they seem to require a positive assent to each and every proposition contained in the articles, so as that believing any one such proposition to be untrue, is inconsistent with subscription. If we may be allowed to judge of the design and object of the legislature from the nature of the case, and the ordinary maxims of human conduct, it appears likely that they meant to fence out such sects and characters as were hostile and dangerous to the new establishment, viz. popery, and the tenets of the continental anabaptists; rather than expect, what they must have known to be impracticable, the exact agreement of so many minds in such a great number of controverted propositions.* Now, concerning this doubt, viz. whether we may or not go out of the terms of the statute to collect the design of the legislature, (which question I think involves the whole difficulty), I can only say that a court of justice, in interpreting written laws, certainly could not, and ought not; for any such liberty would give to courts of justice the power of making laws; but I do not see that any danger or insecurity will be introduced by allowing this liberty to private persons. I mean, that private persons acting under the direction of a law may be said to do their duty, if they act up to what they believe to be the design of the *The Articles of the Church of England,' Mr Paley used to say, 'would be found, on dissection, to contain about two hundred and forty distinct and independent propositions, many of them inconsistent with each other.' |