Besides the above, he wrote several "Prefaces" to the works of others; as to Mr. Chorlton's Funeral Sermon on the death of Mr. Henry Newcome of Manchester;-to the third volume of Dr. Manton's Sermons, by way of dedication to King William, in 1689;-to Mr. Flavel's Discourse of Mental Errors, &c. Several volumes of sermons (says Mr. Palmer) taken in short-hand as they were preached, have since his death been published, viz. two by Dr. Evans and Dr. Harris, " on the Spirit's Influence on the Church,"-and on "Particular Persons:"-Another by Dr. Evans, "on Family Religion," 12mo.-and two more by Mr. Fletcher, "on the Love of GoD," &c. Svo. 1744. WILLIAM BISHOP OF ST. ASAPH. THIS excellent Prelate, who, by his learning and piety, was one of the brightest ornaments to the church of England in his time, was born at Barrow in Leicestershire, in the year 1638. He was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he applied with great assiduity to the study of the oriental languages, and made such proficiency in this part of learning, that at eighteen years of age he wrote a treatise of the excellency and use of the oriental tongues, especially the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and Samaritan, with a Syriac Grammar. The 3d of January 1660-1, he was ordained deacon by Robert, Bishop of Lincoln, and priest the 31st of that month, and about the same time was presented to the vicarage of Ealing in Middlesey, which he resigned about a year after, upon his being chosen rector of St. Peter's, Cornhill, by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London. He applied himself to the discharge of his ministry, with the utmost zeal and assiduity. He was highly instructive in his discourses from the pulpit, and his labours were crowned with such success, that he was styled The great reviver and restorer of primitive piety.' Bishop Hinchman, his diocesan, having conceived a great esteem for him, collated him to the prebend of Chiswick, in the cathedral of St. Paul's, on the 22d of December 1674; and this bishop's successor, Dr. Compton, conferred upon him the archdeaconry of Colchester, on the 3d of November 1681. No vember the 5th, 1684, he was installed prebendary of Canterbury, and about the same time was appointed chaplain to King William and Queen Mary. In 1691 he was offered, but refused to accept of, the see of Bath and Wells, vacant by the deprivation of Dr. Kenn, for not taking the oaths to King William and Queen Mary. But some time time after he accepted of that of St. Asaph, and was consecrated July 16, 1704. Upon his advancement to the episcopal chair, he wrote a most pathetic letter to the clergy of his diocese, recommending to them "The duty of catechizing and instructing the people committed to their charge in the principles of the Christian religion, to the end they might know what they were to believe, and do, in order to salvation." And, to enable them to do this the more effectually, he sent them a plain exposition upon the church catechism. This good Prelate did not enjoy his episcopal station above three years and some months, for he died March the 5th, 1707, in the 71st year of his age, and was buried in St. Paul's cathedral. He left the greatest part of his estate to the Societies for Propagating Christian Knowledge. To the curacy of Mount Sorrel, and vicarage of Barrow, in the county of Leicester, he bequeathed twenty pounds a-year, on condition that prayers be read morning and evening every day, according to the liturgy of the church of England, in the chapel and parish church aforesaid; with the sum of forty shillings yearly, to be divided equally upon Christmas Eve among eight poor house-keepers of Barrow, as the minister and churchwardens should agree. Bishop Beveridge has had a high character given him by several writers. The author of a letter published in the Guardian, having made an extract out of the bishop's first sermon in the second volume, relating to the Deity, tells us, that it may for acuteness of judgment, ornament of speech, and true sublime, compare with any of the choicest writings of the ancient fathers, or doctors of the church, who lived nearest to the apostles' times. Dr. Henry Felton, in his dissertation on reading the classics and forming a just style, written in the year 1709, &c. tells us, That our learned and venerable Bishop hath delivered himself with those ornaments alone, which his subject suggested to him, and hath written in that plainVOL. IV. 6 L ness ness and solemnity of style, that gravity and simplicity, which give authority to the sacred truths he teacheth, and unanswerable evidence to the doctrines he defendeth; that there is something so great, primitive, and apostolical in his writings, that it creates an awe and veneration in our mind. That the importance of his subjects is above the decoration of words, and what is great and majestic in itself, looketh most like itself, the less it is adorned. The true sublime in the great articles of our faith is lodged in the plainest words. The divine Revelations are best expressed in the language they were revealed in; and, as I observed before of the Scriptures, they will suffer no or nament, nor amendment.' Thus Dr. Felton. 6 Another writer gives this character of our excellent Bishop: This great and good Bishop had very early addicted himself to piety and a religious course of life, of which his Private Thoughts upon Religion will be a lasting evidence. They were written in his younger years; and he must, a considerable time before this, have devoted himself to such practices, otherwise he could never have drawn up so judicious and sound a declaration of his faith, nor have formed such excellent resolutions so agreeable to the Christian life in all its parts. These things shew him to be acquainted with the life and power of religion long before, and that even from a child he knew the Holy Scriptures. And as his piety was early, so it was very eminent and conspicuous, in all the parts and stations of his life. As he had formed such good resolutions, he made suitable improvements upon them; and they, at length, grew up into such settled habits, that all his actions savoured of nothing but piety and religion. His holy example was a very great ornament to our church; and he honoured his profession and function by zealously discharging all the duties thereof. How remarkable was his piety towards GOD! What an awful sense of the Divine Majesty did he always express! How did he delight in his worship and service, and frequent his house of prayer! How great was his charity to men; how earnestly was he concerned for their welfare, as his pathetic addresses to them in his discourses plainly discover! How did the Christian spirit run through all his actions, and what a wonderful pattern was he of primitive purity, holiness, and devotion! As he was remarkable for his great piety and zeal for religion, so he was highly to be esteemed for his learning, which he wholly applied to promote the interest of his |
