of the good man's ill-timed zeal, than to observe in some part of my discourse, that if the good old gentleman had seen some of my later writings, wherein I had corrected several of my former mistakes, he would not have expressed himself in such strong terms. "The people being thus diverted from controversy with man, were deeply impressed with what they heard from the word of God. All was hushed, and more than solemn! On the morrow, the magistrates sent for me, expressed themselves quite concerned at the treatment I had met with, and begged me to accept the freedom of the city. But of this enough." Dr. Southey justly says, "this triumph Whitefield obtained, as much by that perfect self-command which he always possessed in public, as by his surpassing oratory." Bisset's hostility did not end here, nor confine itself to Whitefield. Next year he assailed the Scotch clergymen, who had employed the English curate; and charged them with caressing Whitefield," as it would seem, to break the seceders." Bisset's Letter on Communion with a Priest of the Church of England. Thus it was not the Associate Synod alone who attributed the friendship of the kirk for Whitefield to selfish motives. One thing occurred in Edinburgh which pleased Whitefield very much. After preaching in the orphan-house park, a large company came to salute him. Amongst the rest a fine portly quaker took him by the hand, and said, "Friend George, I am as thou art. I am for bringing all to the life and power of the ever-living God; and, therefore, if thou wilt not quarrel with me about my hat, I will not quarrel with thee about thy gown." I know some ex-quakers who would say, that Whitefield would not have been so much pleased, if he had known the mystery of the hat in quakerism. CHAPTER X. WHITEFIELD AND THE DISSENTERS. NEITHER the revivals in Scotland, nor the riots in England, won for Whitefield the sympathy of the London ministers. Bradbury lampooned him; Barker sneered at him; Dr. Watts was silent; and Coward's trustees were insolent to Dr. Doddridge, because he gave him some countenance at Northampton. There was a deeper cause for all this than their dread of his enthusiasm. They were then in treaty with some of the bishops, in order to revive that scheme of COMPREHENSION, which Bates, Manton, and Baxter tried to negociate with Stillingfleet; but which Clarendon, even whilst in banishment, had influence enough at home to defeat, although the bill in favour of it was drawn up by Lord Chief Baron Hale. Tillotson's Life. The Clarendon party were not dead nor idle, when the subject of the comprehension was revived by Chandler and Doddridge with Archbishop Herring. Warburton, who knew them well, foretold the issue thus, even when the prospect was brightest before curtain; "I can tell you of certain science, that not the least alteration will be made in the ecclesiastical system." Letter to Doddridge. The progress of this affair will explain both the shyness and the sharpness of the London ministers towards Whitefield. They could not have negociated with him and the archbishop at the same time. Indeed, they had no wish to be identified with any of his measures. : It belongs to history to tell this matter gravely I prefer the graphic sketch of its origin and progress, given in the following letters. The first letter is from Barker to Doddridge. "As for the comprehension, so much talked of in town and country, the utmost of the matter is this:-Mr. Chandler, while his meeting-place was shut up, made a visit to his friends at Norwich; and there happened to hear the bishop give a charge to his clergy, which he thought not very candid. One expression appeared to him invidious, viz. that the heads of the rebellion were presbyterians; as appeared by those lords in the Tower sending for presbyterian confessors. Upon Mr. Chandler's return to London, he wrote a letter to Dr. Gooch, complaining of his charge, and particularly of that expression. This letter was written very handsomely, and it brought a very civil, respectful answer. After Gooch came to town, Chandler, at his desire, made him a visit, in which they had much discourse; and amongst other things, there was talk of a comprehension. This visit was followed, at Gooch's desire, with another, when the bishop of Salisbury was present, who soon discovered his shrewdness, but said, Our church, Mr. Chandler, consists of three parts,—doctrine, discipline, and ceremonies: as to the last, they should be left indifferent, as they are agreed on all hands to be: as to the second, our discipline,' said he, 'is so bad, that no one knows how, or where, to mend it: and as to the first, what is your objection?' He answered, 'Your Articles, my Lord, must be expressed in Scripture words, and the Athanasian creed be discarded.' Both the bishops answered, they wished they were rid of that creed, and had no objection to restoring the Articles into Scripture words; but what shall we do about reordination?" To this Mr. Chandler made such a reply as he judged proper; but, I think, granted more than he ought: he said none of us would renounce his presbyterian ordination; but if their Lordships meant only to impose their hands on us, and by that rite recommend us to public service in their society or constitution, that, perhaps, might be submitted to: but when he told me this, I said, perhaps not-no, by no means; that being, in my opinion, a virtual renunciation of our ordination, which I apprehend not only as good but better than theirs.' The two bishops, at the conclusion of the visit, requested Mr. Chandler to wait on the archbishop, which he did, and met Gooch there by accident. The archbishop received him well, and being told by Gooch what Chandler and he had been talking on, viz. a comprehension, said, A very good thing; he wished it with all his heart; and the rather, because this was a time which called upon all good men to unite against infidelity and immorality, which threatened universal ruin; and added, he was encouraged to hope, from the piety, learning, and moderation of many dissenters, that this was a proper time to make the attempt. But, may it please your Grace, said Gooch, Mr. Chandler says the Articles must be altered into the words of Scripture. And why not? replied the archbishop; it is the impertinences of men, thrusting their words into articles instead of the words of God, that have occasioned most of the divisions in the christian church, from the beginning of it to this day. The archbishop added, that the bench of bishops seemed to be of his mind; that he should be glad to see Mr. Chandler again, but was then obliged to go to court. And this is all. I have smiled at some who seem mightily frighted at this affair, are very angry with Mr. Chandler, and cry out, We won't be comprehended--we won't be comprehended.' One would think, they imagined it was like being electrified, or inoculated for the small pox. But most of your fault-finders, I apprehend, are angry with Mr. Chandler, for an expression he used in the second visit. When urging the expediency of expressing the Articles in Scripture words, he said, it was for others, not himself, he suggested this, his conscience not. being disturbed by them as they now stood, for he freely owned himself a moderate Calvinist.” Six months after this, Doddridge himself had an interview with Herring, and found, at first, that although the archbishop had "most candid sentiments of his dissenting brethren, he had no great zeal for attempting any thing in order to introduce them into the church; wisely foreseeing the difficulties with which it might be attended." Doddridge's Letters. He was not likely to have zeal for it. He had not zeal even for the orthodox of his own church. Jortin concludes his formal and inflated sketch of him thus; "he was willing to think the best of other people's principles." What this means, may, perhaps, be guessed from the primate's letters to Duncombe; of which, the following is one specimen: "I abhor every tendency to the TRINITY controversy. The manner in which it is always conducted is the disgrace and ruin of christianity." When Doddridge saw that the comprehension scheme, as proposed by Chandler, did not suit Herring, he suggested "a sort of medium between our present state, and that of a perfect coalition." "I mentioned," he says, "acknowledging our churches as unschismatical; by permitting their clergy to officiate amongst us, if desired, and dissenting ministers to officiate. in churches. It struck him as a new and important thought. He told me, more than once, that I had suggested-what he should lay up in his mind for further consideration." Next year, however, Doddridge learned from Sir Thomas Birch, that, although " several of the bishops endeavoured to have White's Third Letter (see Towgood) suppressed, as unfriendly to comprehension, Sherlock insisted upon having all objections brought out at once." Good Doddridge, however, still cherished hopes for his own plan; and, accordingly, cultivated intimacy with the heads of the church so closely, that the very men who censured him for risking the comprehension, at first, by countenancing Whitefield, came at last to insinuate that he paid more court" to eminent members of the establishment,” than was prudent. However this may be, he rejoiced with Lady Huntingdon, at the same time, that "the mighty, the noble, the wise, and the rich," assembled at her house, " to hear Whitefield." How Doddridge acted and was censured, in reference to Whitefield, when the vision of a comprehension dawned upon some of the leading dissenters of 1743, will be best told by the secretary of Coward's trustees, Nathaniel Neal, Esq. of Million Bank. "It was with the utmost concern that I received the information of Mr. Whitefield's having preached last week in your pulpit, and that I attended the meeting of Coward's trustees this day, when that matter was canvassed, and that I now find myself obliged to apprize you of the very great uneasiness which your conduct herein has occasioned them. "The many characters you sustain with so much honour, and in which I reverence you so highly, make me ashamed, and the |