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clinable to censure those, who yield to the force of them." His generous heart never confined truth and goodness to one particular sect, nor in any other respect appeared bigotted to that, or uncharitable to those who differed from him. The principles on which he acted will be seen by the following extracts from his writings. "I look upon the dissenting interest, saith he, to be the cause of truth, honour, and liberty; and I will add, in a great measure, the cause of serious piety too. It was not merely a generous sense of liberty (which may warm the breast of a deist, or an atheist) but a religious reverence for the divine authority, which animated our pious forefathers to so resolute and so expensive an opposition to the attempts, which were made in their days to invade the rights of conscience, and the throne of God, its only sovereign. And if the cause be not still maintained on the same principles, I think it will hardly be worth our while to be much concerned about maintaining it at all.”

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In his dedication of a Sermon to the pious Mr. Hervey, he thus expresseth himself; "You being, I doubt not, persuaded your own mind that diocesan episcopacy is of divine original,” and that “ the church hath power to decree rites or ceremonies and authority in controversies of faith," have solemnly declared that belief; and in consequence of it, have obliged yourself to render canonical obedience to those, whom you thereby acknowledge as governing you by an authority delegated from Christ; that thus you may be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, and thereby approve your submission to him. I have declined that subjection; not from any disrespect to the persons of the established ecclesiastical governors (many of whom I hold in the highest esteem and number among the most distinguished ornaments of our common christianity) and least of all from an unwillingness to yield subjection, where I apprehend Christ to have appointed it; for, so far as I know my own heart, it would be my greatest joy to bow, with all humility, to any authority delegated from him: But I will freely tell you and the world, my non-conformity is founded on this, that I assuredly believe the contrary, to what the constitution of the church of England requires me to declare, on the above-mentioned heads and some others, to be the truth. And I esteem it much more eligible to remain under an incapacity of sharing its honours and revenues, than to open my way to a

*Free Thoughts, &c.

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possibility of obtaining them, by what would in me, while I have such an apprehension, be undoubtedly an act of prevarication, hypocrisy and falsehood; reverencing herein the authority of God, and remembering the account I must shortly give in his presence.' Yet he behaved with the utmost candour to the members of the established church. "I would be far, saith he, from confining all true religion to the members of our own congregations. I am very well aware, that there is a multitude of excellent persons in the establishment, both among the clergy and laity, who, in their different stations, are burning and shining lights; such as reflect a glory on the human nature and the christian profession." He always spoke of the established religion of our country with respect.

In explaining those texts of scripture in his Family Expositor, in which he could not avoid shewing his sentiments in some points of discipline, different from those which generally prevail, he conscientiously abstained from all reproaches; "To which indeed, saith he, I am on no occasion inclined, and which I should esteem peculiarly indecent, where the religious establishment of my country is in question; and above all, where a body of men would be affected, many of whom have been, and are among the ablest advocates and brightest ornaments of christianity. I have been also careful to adjust my expressions with as much tenderness and respect, as integrity and that reverence, which an honest man would owe to the judgment of his own conscience, were it more singular than mine, would admit*.He never made any petulant objections against the worship or discipline of the church of England, nor uttered any severe or unkind reflections upon it. Indeed he very seldom mentioned the grounds of the difference between it and the dissenters in the pulpit; and when his subject naturally led him to it, he took occasion to shew how small the things in debate were, compared with those important principles and truths, in which they agreed.-He always spoke in the most respectful terms of the worthy clergy of the established church; thought himself happy in the intimate friendship of some of them, and kept up a friendly correspondence with others, even with some of the highest rank in it. Upon the same principles, he rejoiced, when he had opportunity, as he sometimes had, of serving any of them in their secular or ministerial interests. He deeply lamented, that separation from the communion of that church was, in his apprehension and that of many other

* Expositor, V. 3. Pref. p. ix. 4to. ed.

good men, made so necessary. He heartily wished and prayed for a greater union among protestants; and longed for the happy time, when, to use his own words, "The question would be, not how much may we lawfully impose, and how much may we lawfully dispute? but on the one side, what may we wave, and on the other, what may we acquiesce in? from a principle of mutual tenderness and respect, without displeasing our common Lord, and injuring that great cause of original christianity, which he hath appointed us to guard." Having mentioned to one of his friends a candid letter he had received from a bishop, he adds, "O that God would open a way to a stricter union among protestants of every denomination! But the darkness of our minds, the narrowness of our hearts, and our attachment to private interest make it, I fear, in a great measure, impracticable." "I greatly rejoice," saith he on another occasion," when I see in those, whom upon other accounts I most highly esteem, as the excellent of the earth, that their prejudices against their brethren of any denomination are subdued, as mine against the writers of the establishment early were, and that we are coming nearer to the harmony, in which I hope we shall ever be one in Christ Jesus."

One of his correspondents had informed him of a report spread in London, in 1750, that he was about to conform to the church of England, to which he thus answereth; " Assurethose, who may have heard of the report, that though my growing acquaintance with many excellent persons, some of them of great eminence, in the establishment increases those candid, respectful sentiments of that body of christians, which I had long entertained; yet I am so thorougly persuaded of the reasonableness of nonconformity, and find many of the terms of ministerial conformity so contrary to the dictates of my conscience in the sight of God, that I never was less inclined to submit to them; and hope I shall not be willing to buy my liberty or my life at that price. But I think it my duty to do my part towards promoting that mutual peace and good will, which I think more likely than any thing else, either to reform the church, or at least to promote true christianity, both in the establishment and separation; to strengthen the protestant cause, and defeat the designs of our common enemies. And, conscious that I speak and act from these principles, and that I am approved of God in it, I do not fear the resentments of any narrow-spirited persons. I would not be a knight-errant in the cause of candour itself; nor would I so fear the imputation of mean and unworthy de

signs, as to be deterred, by the apprehension of it, from what is in itself right. For at that rate, from what may we not be deterred? I am much more solicitous to deserve well of the public, than about the returns I may meet with for doing it."

But his catholic sentiments on this head will more fully appear from a passage in his preface to Archbishop Leighton's expository works, which I think must give great pleasure to every benevolent mind. "It is truly my grief, that any thing should divide me from the fullest communion with those, to whom I am united in the bonds of as tender affection as I bear to any of my fellow-christians. And it is my daily prayer, that God would, by his gentle but powerful influence on our minds, mutually dispose us more and more for such an union, as may most effectually consolidate the protestant cause, establish the throne of our gracious sovereign, remove the scandal our divisions have occasioned, and strengthen our hands in those efforts, by which we are attempting, and might then I hope more successfully attempt the service of our common christianity. In the mean time, I desire most heartily to bless God for any advances that are made towards it." He illustrates and confirms his thoughts and hopes on this head, by the words of a familiar letter he had received, from a worthy member of the church of England, well known in the learned world. "I am glad, saith his correspondent, that christianity begins so well to be understood and taught by so many men of parts and learning in all sects; the fruits of which appear in a candour and charity, unknown to all ages of the church, except the primitive, I had almost said, the apostolic age. Doth not this give you a prospect, though perhaps still very distant, of the completion of the famous prophecy, that speaks of the lion and the lamb lying down together in the kingdom of the Messiah? Lions there have been in all churches; but too many fierce, greedy and bloodthirsty lions, though often disguised like lambs; and some lambs there have been simple enough, to think it expedient for the flock to assume the habit and terror of lions. But I hope they now begin to undeceive themselves, and to consider christianity, as intended to bring back the world to that state of innocence, which it enjoyed before the fall. To attain this happy state, all christians should unite their amiable endeavours: And instead of looking out for, and insisting upon, points of difference and distinction, seck for those only, in which they do or may agree. They may at least sow the seeds of peace and unity, though they should not live to reap

the fruit of it in this world. Blessed are the peace-makers, saith the Prince of peace, for they shall be called the children of God: An appellation infinitely more honourable than that of pastor, bishop, archbishop, patriarch, cardinal or pope; and attended with a recompence infinitely surpassing the richest revenues of the highest ecclesiastical dignities." "I join," adds the Doctor, "my hearty wish and prayer with those of my much esteemed friend, that we may all more and more deserve this character, and attain its reward."

I am persuaded, that nothing ever appeared, in his lectures, correspondence or private discourse, inconsistent with these sentiments, which he hath publicly avowed; especially in his sermon on christian candour and unanimity. He laboured to promote a like candid and friendly spirit in his pupils. He exhorted them to treat their brethren of the establishment with respect; never to utter any invectives against the constitution or forms of the church of England; and if providence should fix them near humble, peaceable, pious clergymen, to honour and love them, to cultivate a friendship with them, to study to serve them and promote their reputation and interest. These were the advices of the lectureroom: And I have the pleasure to know, that those of his pupils, with whom I am acquainted, have acted upon these catholic instructions, and been remarkable for their candour and moderation, in consequence of the pains he took, by his instructions and example, to instill these virtues into them, and his laying before them the arguments on both sides of contested questions.

Whoever considers how numerous the protestant dissenters in this kingdom are; that they claim a liberty of chusing their own ministers, of judging for themselves of the sense of scripture, and what rites and modes of worship that enjoins; and where there is no particular rule, of determining for themselves what is most subservient to christian edification; whoever considers this, will not wonder that there have been, and are, different sentiments among them; that they are ranged under different denominations, and that there are sometimes divisions and contentions among them. These Dr. Doddridge saw and lamented; and was as careful, as he could be, consistently with keeping a good conscience, to be upon friendly terms with them all, to shew a candid temper to those of a different persuasion, and promote the like in them. "He was very little inclined to contend about technical phrases of human invention, which have, with equal frailty, been idolized by some and anathematized

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