The National Register. — London, England, 1813-08-08 00:00:00

5O .. RETROSPECT OF TH E epivitopat ebaratter OF THE LATE r _RIGHT REV. JOHN RANDOLPH, D. De ..1. 4110..... It is not unusual to see men rest their opinions upon tonedations that have no more certainty nor solidity than the 'propositions built on them, and embraced for their sake. Such foundations are these, anti the like, viz:—the tinn►►lcrs or leatlers of any party are good men, and therefore their tenets are trite: it is the opinion of a sect that it is erroneous, and.therefore it is Use it bath been long Deceived in the world, therefore it is true; or it is new,. and therefore false. These, and many the like, which are by no li►ealls the measures of truth and falsehood, the generality of men make the standards by which they accustom their understanding to judge:, LocICE. DEATH has signally visited the church. Within one short month, the Establishment has been deprived of•an •efficient dignitary ; while Dissenters have also experienced the loss of two of the most distinguished nonconformists•of :recent times. , The names of Randolph, Huntington,. and Worthington, each resplendent in his respective sphere, will readily occur to persons at all conversant with those topics .. , which it is the hu•ine•s of these papers more immediately to •embrace. It forms the direct object of the present writer, itherefore, to give some account of the prelate whose name , stands at the head of this article; who so lately filled one cot the most important situations in our national church, and who will not suddenly be forgotten with regard to the tpart which he acted in the theological contentions of his :age. Perhaps it should be observed, in the outset 'of this task, 1 +that the nature of the contest between the establishment and ►those whom she considers her adversaries has in part .changed. The scene has also changed with the cause. It is no longer a contest with their undisguised antagonists, about mete rites and ceremonies, in which the heads of our established church have latterly been engaged ; but a con flict with her professed adherents, and even song, respecting the essentials of religion, or, what is much the same, the manner in which her most holy faith is to he promulgated to the world. Preaching is itsel!' the matter in dispute The individuals who are now denounced k.s schismaties;according to the language of her dignitaries, are applrewly attached to the discipline of the establishment, and profess them selves more than usually strenuous is behalf of her doctrines; yet their devotedness to her cause seems worse than sus• pected, and their zeal is repelled as not canonically just. Schismatics are in, anti not out, of the establishment. Such appears to he the opinion, at least, which the• legitimate puardians of the Church of England of late entertain and impress. They complain not of express foes; their quarrel is with suspicious friends. 'they appear to labour under no fears of sectat ism from without, provided they could succeed in quenching the spirit of fanaticism that is within. Atnongt those dignitaries who adopted this pe rsuasion as to the state of the national church, and acted upon it, the deceased Bishop of London was conspicuous. It-. ; was with him, indeed, .no new persuasion, but one that he had deli berately conceived ; and which, therefore, he steadfastly cherished; in spite of the remonstrances of the well-mean ing, and the contradictions of such as both impugned. his motives and opposed his proceedings. He considered the credit of his church as concerned to regulate the effer vescence of those who called themselves evangelical clergy; and who. he thought, assumed to themselves an improper superiotity over their fellow-labourers in the same vine% ard, not without eventual injury to the very church for whose in- A UGUST terests they seemed to evince such extraordinary care. His notion might be erroneous,- or not; but, undo. its sanction, he exerted himself to restore the decency, and thereby pre. serve the dignity, of the sacred body to which he belonged. JOHN RANDOLPH. D. D. (lately Lind Bishop of London) was one of the sons of the Reverend Dr. gilomas Randolph, formerly Archdeacon of Oxford, and President of Corpus- Christi College, - in the University adult city. He was born about the year 1744. Educated at his father'S 'College, of which he became a Fellow, he• afterwards had the honour of tilting the distin guished situations of Greek Professor, and Regius Professor of Divinity, in the same University. : After being for some time a Clinon in Christ's Church, Dr. Randolph was raised to the See of Oxford; whence, in 1807, he was translated to that of Bangor ; and, .finally, to that of London, in September 1809, on the demise of Bi shop Pored's. Translated to the metropolitan see, Dr. Randolph seized the earliest occasion for explicitly avowing those sentiments - which he announced to the Clergy of Bangor, at his pri mary visitation of that Diocese,—sentiments to which he was understood to have owed the very prominent prefer ment he last enjoyed. His Lordship's Charge, therefore, (:elivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of London, in the Cathedral church of St. Paul, in the month of May, 1810, • either recapitulates or corroborates those official opinions on which he had previously laid his greatest stress. Circum stances occasion, indeed, corresponding variations. Bangor was cautioned against the practice's of those evangelical cler gymen who not only covet the orders of the church, but who purchase, by their friends, the patronage of livings it)" • counties where such means are open to them ; and the'Clergy l . of the metropolis are equally admonished as to the •" at. tempts made to introduce preachers of this stamp," the po pularly evangelical stamp. " as Lecturers in the London churches." Was not tie Bishop of London at liberty to de cide for himself on these points ? Even the party 'that stood most opposed to his es•imate of evangelical clergymen, de plored, with him, the great separation from the Establish ment, and the increasing evil of schism ; more pointedly with regard to those " non Wescript Dissenters, who, while they inveigh against the Church, still observe sonic of its dis cipline, wear its vestments, use its Arm of prayer, and find their account in drawing disciples after them." Schism seems not sufficiently apprehended in these times. Religious separation, without evident and clear warrant from some divine precept, is decidedly unjustifiable. Mo dern schism proceeds. notwithstanding, without such warrant. Schismatics of the modern school (adopting the words of a good old theologian) do merely " gather christians, protes• taut christians, from amongst christians, and of such as they find fitted to their hands, without any pains of theirs, but by the sweat, and labour, and care, and prayers of some other faithful pastors and ministers of Christ ; under whose hands they formerly have been, to whose charge they have been committed, and under whose ministry God bath pros , pored them. These, amongst others, they either persuade to be of their congregations, or, if they- offer themselves voluntarily, they admit them ; and this to the great grief of their own pastors. When they accept of these, they neither teach them any new article of faith, which formerly they professed not; nor press upon them any nevi duty, accord- • Observations on the Establishment ; communicated fur the publi, cation entitled The Watchman, and which were from the pen of an eminent Evangelical Clergyman, who was reinadtable fur his resistance to the proceedjugs cif our receutly deceased Metropolitan. • • - .4 •