posers; who indeed have given great provocations, but not enough to make you forget (and I wish none others did) that 'the servant of the Lord must not strive, &c.' "That experimental Religion, which you prudently as well as piously give samples of, and no less aptly apply, must affect the hearts, even of infidels in secret. Go on, dear Sir, and prosper, and the Lord be with you, and all your labours for the service and support of the one true Religion. "Were the Clergy of this kingdom to draw up addresses of thanks to one who has so signally served the common cause, I should be one of the first to join in the grateful homage. And I rejoice to find that some of the most judicious of our communion have sent you their congratulations. "Do you mean (as I suppose you do) Mr. Lyttelton * of Worcestershire? I am glad to find such a man on our side. May God increase the number of such. I long to see your Second Letter, which I saw advertised in the last paper, and will have both, and communicate and recommend them, if it please God I live a little longer. I would gladly make them known to all sensible persons in England ;-but they will be known. "Mrs. Bonfoy joins in thanks for your present, and takes it very kindly, as she did the former. She sends her service, and only blames you (which she has desired and commissioned me to say) for thinking and speaking too well of her. She is sincere, be sure but you err, if at all, on the right side; as I also do, if I err concerning her. We are to have your pamphlet read next Sunday evening in her parlour. "And now, dear Sir, as to the Curacy. Whom should I chuse to recommend but my Assistant? None sooner, if I had the foundation I desire; but alas, I am indeed sorry to say it, I cannot, and answer your expectation. If I myself have been disappointed, I cannot promise you also shall not be so. But he has acknowledged his faults to me this morning, and promised to amend; which will be a comfort to me, and benefit to himself, if he does. I told him therefore I was willing to try him further. In the mean time, I have in my view a young gentleman that I have the greatest reason to believe (chiefly from the character given of him by a man that very well knows him, and would not forfeit his word and honour, and partly from my own conversation with him, and from the report of others, that) will answer the purpose. I have wrote to him this day, acquainted him with what you write, and desired him to come over the week after next, purposing, if I can, to attend him from hence to Northampton, and wait upon Dr. Doddridge; and then you will see and hear meanwhile be pleased to give me a line by the newsman, which may come to my hands the beginning of that week, being left at Mr. Audley's shop in Huntingdon, where it * Author of the celebrated "Observations on the Conversion and Apostleship of St. Paul; and afterwards Lord Lyttelton." shall shall be called for next Monday se'nnight, and communicated to my friend, whom I shall then expect. I think I may risk my character upon him, and you will believe I would not knowingly disappoint you. Let him therefore, I beg, have the preference, if found worthy, and if he approves the proposal; which I wish you would be pleased in your next to specify in more particulars. And soon after you shall have (if possible) his final answer; or no endeavours on my part shall be wanting to effect it,-nor any, I suppose, on his. "This young gentleman was recommended to me last spring, and was to have been my coadjutor: I had fixed upon him, and earnestly desired him, and he, I doubt not, would have made me happy, and my charge also; but Providence ordered it otherwise, undoubtedly for wise ends on the whole; which it is not for me to inquire into. And to let you see further my good opinion of him, I purposed, had my other young friend thought fit to resign his charge into my hands (which he is loth to do, though I gave him his option) to have taken this hopeful youth for my associate in a little time. Having said this, I need say no more; nor will you, dear Sir, mention these private concerns to others. "The storm which so long hung over me, ever since I saw you till lately, is in great measure vanished, I bless God, and thank you and other good friends that supported me. I hope, in due time, to rejoice over the powers of darkness. Pray for me, my dear Brother, as I do for you and yours; being with the truest love and esteem, worthy Sir, your sincere friend and servant, J. JONES." "MY EVER HONOURED FRIEND, Alconbury, Dec. 5, 1746. "I do not chuse to begin my letter with reminding you that you have been long in my debt (it is but for the trifle of an epistle or two); but I cannot either begin or end without telling you how glad I shall be at all times to hear from you. 'I know your business is great: which must very much hinder you in your correspondence with friends. Pray spare yourself a little, my dear friend, and extinguish not the light ton soon for we desire it may long continue burning and shining; and such men as you can but ill be spared in such an age. "We have lost poor Mr. White; and I am sorry your affairs were so urgent (as Mr. Jennings in a line tells me they were) that when at St. Ive's, to perform the last office to your departed friend, you had not time to call upon your living one.-However, a letter, if you can find time to write one, will make some amends. And when you do write, I hope you will be able to inform me, that Mrs. Doddridge is recovered, and that you yourself are well, with the rest of your family; the account of which will give me great pleasure. "Upon perusing your excellent Exposition of the Evangelists, I have frequently wished, and do still wish, as I suppose I always 1 shall, that you would be pleased to permit your book (after having served the more learned) to be now contracted into less VOL. III. 2 G compass compass for the instruction of the unlearned. You may not perhaps apprehend what I mean: I will tell you as nigh as I well can. I wish to see an edition of your Harmony, containing only the text, in your free and just translation, with the improvements; and here and there, where absolutely necessary, a short note, to clear the sense and remove difficulties, in a manner suited to vulgar understandings; as also a word or two sometimes, taken out of the Paraphrase, and exhibited in a different character, or within hooks, [-] either to make the connexion more visible, or the sense more intelligible *. Pray, dear Sir, cast your eye now and then upon a section or two of your book with this view, and see how far the proposal may be just. For my own part, I seldom look into it but a thought of this kind starts, and I indulge my fancy and my wishes in pursuing the thought. If ever you should come to a resolution to do any thing of this nature, or to permit and commission a friend to do it, please to send me word, and I may possibly be able to suggest some hints that may be of service; for I have noted down some things to this purpose. "Another thing I have to ask you is, whether now, the controversy with unbelievers having been fully debated, it may not be seasonable and adviseable for a set of learned and judicious men (attached to no party in matters of controversy amongst Christians themselves) to set about the reviewing of the argument, and select out of the best writers the best things that have been written upon so important a subject, reducing them under proper heads, and publishing them in one or more portable volumes, which might remain as standards of our defence, and be read over or consulted with profit on all emergent occasions, and especially be in the hands of all young students of Christian theology, both yours and ours: which, in my mean opinion, would make their researches on this head much shorter and easier, as well as more pleasant and more convincing. "If it pleases God to bring me again into conversation with you, I may dilate upon this subject, and explain my meaning inore fully, which I cannot well do in a letter. In the mean time be pleased to bestow a few thoughts upon it, and give me your opinion in general, when you favour me with a line.—I beg my respects to dear Mr. Hervey when you see him. I am much pleased with his book; as you are, and every other good man is. "Thanks to God, my dear brother, that your two good Sermons on the Rebellion did not in the event prove to be premature. May we always thankfully acknowledge so great a mercy as we have received in our deliverance!-I pray for you, dear Sir, and am invariably yours, JOHN JONES." * This has been since done by the late worthy Mr. Palmer of Hackney, under the title of "The Family Expositor abridged: according to the plan of its Author," in two volumes 8vo, printed for Conder. T.S. Dr. Dr. THOMAS HERRING, Abp. of CANTERBURY. Of this pious, worthy, and truly modest Metropolitan Prelate, some particulars, with several of his Letters, may be seen in the "Literary Anecdotes * ;" but a few additional dates shall here be given: He was born at Walsoken in Norfolk in 1694; educated at Wisbeach; admitted of Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1710; removed in 1714 to Bene't College, where in April 1716 he was made a Fellow. He was in the same year admitted Deacon; and in 1717 took the degree of M. A. and commenced Tutor. He was ordained Priest in 1719; was successively Minister of the several parishes of Great Shelford, Stow cum Qui, and Trinity, in Cambridge; and acquired the character of an eminent Preacher. In 1722 Bp. Fleetwood made Mr. Herring his Domestic Chaplain; presented him to the Rectory of Rettenden in Essex; and soon after to the Rectory of Barley, Herts. In 1724 he took the degree of B. D.; and about the same time was presented by King George I. to the Rectory of Allhallows the Great, Thames-street; but he gave up that Benefice before institution, and in 1726 was appointed Preacher at Lincoln's Inn. In 1731 he was presented, by Sir William Clayton, Bart. to the Rectory of Blechingley in Surrey; and in February 1731-2, by King George the Second, to the Deanery of Rochester. In 1737 he was nominated to the Bishoprick of Bangor; confirmed Jan. 14, 1737-8; and continued to hold the Deanery of Rochester in commendam. In his Letters to Mr. Duncombet, soon after this promotion, are several characteristic traits of * See the several pages referred to in the Index to that Work. † See some Extracts from these Letters in p. 459. 2 G 2 his his natural pleasantry and benevolence. And of the natural goodness of his heart he gave a convincing proof*, in the pleasure he received in perfecting a * The following Letters were communicated to me in 1790: To the Rev. WILLIAM LLOYD, Curate of Llanfrothen, 1." MR. LLOYD, near Carnarvon. Temple, Nov. 5, 1734. "I do assure you that I thought of you and your circumstances in Llanfrothen before I received your letter. I will make it my request to the Bishop to provide a more comfortable being for you; and I hope I shall be able to recommend you to him with effect. It is a concern to me whenever I think of the state of the Clergy in the Diocese which I am now very soon to leave. I did what I could to help them, much less than I wished to do; and am sensible I have left many worthy Clergymen but meanly provided. I should have left more so, if I had not withstood great importunities for the sake of those whom I judged deserv ing. I will not forget you; and though I leave the Diocese, yet I hope the good opinion you have given me reason to have of you will not be altogether useless to you. “I am your humble servant, THO. BANGOR [SHERLOCK]." [Bp. Sherlock was succeeded at Banger in 1734 by Dr. Charles Cecill, translated from Bristol, who died in 1737; and was succeeded by Dr. Herring.] 2. "REVEREND SIR, Kensington, March 11, 1739-40. "Your good friend the Bishop of Sarum spoke to me to-day in the House of Lords in your favour; but I had you in my thoughts before I saw him, the moment I heard of Mr. Hughes's death. I cannot give you Edern, being obliged to fulfil a promise to Mr. Price; and Mr. Lloyd has acquired a sort of title to a Vicar's place at Bangor: but, if it is like to be of any service to you to become Mr. Evans's Deputy at the Cathedral, that is at your service. They tell me it is about 251. per annum; but the chief thing I consider is, that the situation there may accommodate your family, and be an introduction to better preferment some time or other. I promise nothing in particular, but you may be quite assured of my friendship in general; and I shall be pleased to see you settle at Bangor. You will consider this, and give me your thoughts upon it as soon as you can conveniently. If you accept this slender offer, I think I can furnish you with a Curate at Llanfrothen and Ffestiniog. I am, Reverend Sir, "Your assured friend, THO. BANGOR [HERRING]." 3. "MR. LLOYD, March 15, 1739-40. "Immediately upon receiving yours, I applied to the Bishop of Bangor for you. I wish I could have succeeded in the present instance; but I found the Bishop had very kind intentions towards you, which he intends to acquaint you with himself; and therefore I have nothing to add but my good wishes for your success, |