The National Register.
London, England, 1817-09-22 00:00:00

LORD BISHOP OF CHESTER.

The periodical visitation of a diocese by its Bishop,
is always one of much interest, to the clergy, in pa-
ticular, and of no slight advantage to the laity, in
general : it is like the father of a large family calling
around him his absent children, and after taking a re-
view of their conduct since he had last seen thens, de-
livering to them a series of rules for their..
and guidance, till the next returning* instr.;etion
.i
again meeting together. The V crod of their
i,'.eation sermon which
its tenets, clearnec
we here notice,
is
•
distoished by the soundness of
simplicity or -
.of arrangement, and umaeeted
view .. language. It commence.; with a brief
. of what had been effected in the diocese since
the preceding visitation for promoting the instruction
of the poor, upon the principles of the Established
Church. We select the following; interesting passage
on this subject.

" As it was my wish, on the former occasion, to place
Enderyoer review that lineof duty, of whieh the timesappeared
peculiarly to demand froia yon, so shall I pursue, the like
plan anti objects now. I would however, previously observe,
that nothing has occurred siace my last visitation, which
has, hi any, this smallest degree, induced me to alter the
opinions, which I then tilt myself called upon, to submit to
on. On the contrary, maturer reflection, as vv:11 as subse-
quent events,—all have tended, more strongly to confirm
them. If (hose institutions against which I guarded you,
appeared unfriendly to our Ecclesiastical Establishineut at
that period of time, do they, let me ask you, appear Itss so
at the present? Have they become, what they professed to be,
a bond of Amity and Union? Has a single doubt been satis-
fied, a single tear allayed? That your conviction on those
very important objects coincided with my own, has been
most abundantly, and satisfactorily demonstrated, by the
seal and the success, with which District Committees and
National Schools have been established, in ulmost every part
of this diocese, Most honourable to you, most gratifying to
me, is the mention, that there ale few towns, or even vil-
lages, throughout this large extent of country, in vs hick the
poor may not, unless wanting to themselves, procure their
Bible and Prayer Book, and In which their children may
not enjoy the blessing of a reglions education. I say rest•
gions education, because, though a tiaestion may be raised,
how far it be wise or useful to communicate other kinds of
instruction unto every one, and to open wide the field of sci-
ence, even to the very lowest classes in society, yet with re-
gard to the diffusion of sound religious knowledge, upon this
point there can be no doubt at all. The great troths of Chris-
tianity can never be imprinted on the mind of youth, too
early, or too deeply. Heie knowledge invariably leads to
content and virtue. Here instruction cannot be misapplied—
cannot, by any perversion, be made the instrument of sin."

The sermon itself is comprised under three general
heads, or divisions=-Ist. Necessity of preaching Sal-
vation through Christ alone—Lith in him to be accom-
panied with good works—a refutation of the Calvinistic
doctrine of prelestination and election—concluded by
the following dispassionate defence of the discourses of
the clergy of oar church.

". It has been said, more particularly by them who are de-
nominated Evangelical, that the clergy of our church preach
rather a system of Ethics, than a system of Divinity—that
they inenleate huathenish morality, hut not the religion of
Jesus Christ our Saviour. In answer, however, let me ask
hither the gospel be not pure morality founded on Chi est ion
principles : whether the sermon of our blessed Lord himself
be not a fit model for our own. Belt, whether the charge be
or be not true, with respect to the Ministets of out church at
any former period of tese, yet dies it not, in any degree we
believe, atta,•ll to the clergy uc the present day. They gentled
tlieer di-enurses co the peculiar doctrines of the Christian
Leyclation. They first chew the imperfection and debase-
ment of goer fallen nature ;—the inefficiency of human merit,
bet, throng!, redemption and grace. Thence they deduce
the.necessity of faith, not forgetting at the same time to de
Aare, as the manner of some is, that we_must acid to faith
holiness, without which no man shall see the I ord. If this be
the heathenish motalily, then Indeed the. Ministers of our
Chinch must stand self-condemned. If this be not to preach
Christ, then, toy reverend Brethren, both you and I, alas!
have preached in sails.
" In developing the causes of those various errors, which
Lave, more or less, abounded in, and disgraced, every age of
the Christian Church, the source of many of them may be
traced to that imperfect anti prejudiced view, which has
too often been taken of thescheene of Christianity. Biassed
in favour of some particular system of theology, its advocates
have nut coated spiritual things with spiritual—scripture
n tilt scripture. On the contrary, they have deduced their
conclosious,from insulated or broken passages of holy w sit.
Bed this is not denting flirty vs ith such a niatiect,or with their
h arise: As jets"), should we conceive the t4ne of some
reorient edifice, frotn surveying its detached nod nentiiated
fragment can delern.ina what the temple of the Lord
is, %%libel,' ev.ainitiiteg and comparing every part of the sacred
laikere. -

" There are few opinions merely theoretical, against which
we could have been induced to oppose 011:9elves. Most
Piny also do we acknou ledge, ti z sincerity and private vir-
tues of very many of our Calvinistic brethren ; et still, when
error leads to crime, even the mild genius of Christianity
ittelf calls upon is:, to %indicate the faith once delivered to
tt‘c owl to maintain her doctsines pure and undefiled.
Refigion, as it Is rendered more irrational, becomes, in the
same degree, mare incredible. The records also of history,
and main particularly 'he annals of our own nation, teach n-
th it extremes run into each wher—sthat fanaticism ends in
1:11;41:•lity, the tore e 'rent of Cvery misery and sill
as we 'Hirt in points of opinion or discipline, yet b
it I sr Iran 51$, 1,1 :Ora ove or 1,161111140 alight itisin•i them,
who ail. 'A 1:11tiLlt tree p•lie sile established etiorcit. If ene •
are fair Old ol.rn enemies. To diem all toiera
tion and respect are slue. list %%lieu they who arc within,
woos him, %alio saould defend the fortress, betray it, then in.
deed we leek in Villa, Ecr any palliation or excuse."

mdilL