duty, active and laborious duty; and while he could look back on the time spent at the University with the consciousness of having been useful, he could look forward to future exertion without apprehension or distaste. That he missed the intellectual pleasures of Cambridge, it would not perhaps be safe to deny, but he surrounded himself with other sources of pure gratification, and he has often been heard to say that the time which he passed at Musgrove was to be numbered amongst the happiest periods of his life.

The patronage of the Bishop of Carlisle is far from being extensive, but Dr. Law gave what he could to the friend of his son. In 1776, Paley added to his former preferment the vicarage of Dalston, in Cumberland, worth about 907. per annum; and on the 5th of September, 1777, he vacated his rectory of Musgrove, upon his appointment to the vicarage of St. Lawrence, Appleby, a living in the gift of the dean and chapter, which brought him an income of about 2001. He now resided half the year at Appleby, and half at Dal

ston.

Previous to Paley's appointment to Appleby, he had preached in the cathedral of Carlisle, at an episcopal visitation, a sermon which was afterwards published, on the necessity of caution in the use and application of Scripture language. During his residence in this parish, where, from the extent of the population, he was probably much called upon to visit the sick and dying, he was struck with the utility of compiling a manual of devotion for the assistance of the Parochial Minister, adapted to the several varieties of character which he may have to address, and supplying such topics of reproof or consolation as may not always readily suggest themselves to the mind of every Christian pastor, however anxious to perform this arduous and often painful duty. This manual is before the public, and its excellence is sufficiently attested by its success. The little work in question is valuable, also, as offering an undeniable proof of the sincerity of Paley's zeal for the best interests of mankind, and his exemplary attention to the quiet duties of his sacred calling. As the book is merely a compilation, it could add nothing to his literary character, and the only motive for its publication must have been the desire of doing good.

In 1781, Paley published an admonitory Sermon to the young Clergy of the Diocess of Carlisle, preached at a general Ordination holden at Rose Castle, July 29th. This is a composition which cannot be studied without benefit by those who have lately assumed the ministerial office, or those who are about to undertake it. He is certainly unqualified for the awfully responsible character of a Christian pastor, who is not fully prepared to receive all the admonitions of Paley upon the subject, and to frame his conduct after the model

which he proposes. It is to be lamented that enough is not said, in this sermon, of the means by which a devotional spirit must be acquired; and that, while the vices most subversive of ministerial usefulness, and the qualities most conducive to ministerial success, are treated with a minuteness of detail, and a force of application, which leave us nothing to desire, fervent prayer for the Divine blessing, without which the deductions of human reason, and the efforts of human resolution, are equally vain, is not pressed upon the hearts and consciences of his hearers.

Previously to his publication of this sermon, Paley had been promoted, in June, 1780, by his warm patron, the Bishop of Carlisle, to a prebendal stall in his cathedral, worth about 400%. per annum : and Mr. Law being elevated, in 1782, to the Bishopric of Clonfert, his vacant archdeaconry was added to the preferment of his friend. The archdeaconry of Carlisle is a sinecure, the duties of the office being performed by the chancellor, but it augmented Paley's income by the small living attached to it, and it gave him rank in the church. In 1785, Dr. Richard Burn, who had been made chancellor of Carlisle for his well-known work on Ecclesiastical Law, vacated his office by death, and the chancellorship, being then united with the archdeaconry, the labours, as well as the dignity, of the charge devolved upon our author. The annual value of these two pieces of preferment was probably about £300. The living of Appleby had been resigned upon his appointment to the archdeaconry, and his residence was now divided between Dalston and his prebendal house. In Ireland, whither he accompanied the Bishop of Clonfert, in 1782, he preached in the Castle Chapel at Dublin, at his friend's consecration, the sermon which was afterwards published, entitled, A Distinction of Orders in the Church defended upon principles of public Utility!'

A curious instance of unintentional, or, wilful, exaggeration, may be traced in the following anecdote, which was circulated pretty widely for its wit, without reflecting on the absence of decorum which it would imply, had it been strictly and literally true: "A report had been long in circulation that Mr. Paley, being appointed to preach before the University of Cambridge, on the day when Mr. Pitt, after his elevation to the premiership, in 1784, made his first appearance at St. Mary's, chose this singular, but appropriate, text, 'There is a lad here, which hath five barley-loaves and two small fishes; but what are they among so many?' John, vi. 9. A lady, who had seen this story in the newspaper, once asked the facetious divine if it was true. Why no, madam,' replied he, 'I certainly never preached such a sermon, I was not at Cambridge at the time; but I remember that one day, when I was riding out with a

friend, in the neighbourhood of Carlisle, and we were talking about the bustle and confusion which Mr. Pitt's appearance would then cause in the University, I said, that if I had been there, and asked to preach on the occasion, I would have taken that passage for my text.'

In 1785 commenced the series of those celebrated works which have raised Paley to the height of literary reputation on which he stands. The Bishop of Clonfert estimated his friend's talents more highly than his own native modesty would suffer him to do; and it was at his Lordship's suggestion that the Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy' appeared before the public. When the work was completed, some hesitation and delay took place, from a difference of opinion with respect to its value. The publisher, Mr. Faulder, was unwilling to give more than £250 for the copy-right, while the author insisted upon £300. The circumstance was a fortunate one, for, in the mean time, through the medium of a bookseller from Carlisle, Mr. Robinson, of Paternoster-row, offered £1000. The Bishop of Clonfert was in town superintending the sale of the book, and Paley, to whom this liberal offer had been communicated, was in great agitation lest the letter, which he immediately despatched, should not reach London before the treaty was concluded. This, however, it happily did; and Mr. Faulder was compelled, either to relinquish the purchase, or quadruple his former offer. He wisely chose the latter alternative, and he had no reason to regret his decision. "Little did I think," said Paley, when the business was completed, "that I should ever make a thousand pounds by any book of mine."

The Moral and Political Philosophy' is a standard examiningbook in the University of Cambridge. It was first introduced as such by Mr. Jones, senior tutor of Trinity, when he was moderator, in the years 1786 and 1787, and it still keeps its ground. It is difficult to imagine any circumstance better calculated than this to confirm the reputation of the author, and stamp the excellence of the work. Yet, in spite of the laudable care which Paley shows never to run counter to Revelation, and never to apply to any source but Scripture, except when Scripture is silent, he has been thought, by some men of piety and judgment, to be wrong in some of his principles, and inconclusive in some of his reasonings. The doctrine of expedience, in particular, has been warmly censured, as lowering the standard of strict Christian morality, and opening a door to all the deceptions of the unsubdued heart. It may certainly be answered, and with perfect truth, that the doctrine, as taught by Paley, has

See the Life of Paley.'

been greatly misunderstood; that his aim is to estimate actions and institutions by their general consequences; to recommend that only which is universally expedient; and to seek the benefit of the individual, only as far as may be consistent with the welfare of the community. But it may be doubted whether a principle so liable to perversion can be safe; and when we see men of the most depraved habits, and most inveterate selfishness, defending their opinions and their actions by quoting the authority of Paley, we cannot help feeling a sort of undefined suspicion that there must be something

wrong.

In 1787, the Bishop of Carlisle, who had been for more than twelve years the firm friend, and constant patron, of Paley, died at Rose Castle, on the 14th of August, at the advanced age of eighty-four. As a tribute of grateful respect to the memory of this upright prelate, Paley published, some years after, a short Memoir of his Life, which has been introduced into Hutchinson's History of Cumberland,' and the Encyclopædia Britannica.'

During Paley's residence at his prebendal house in Carlisle, in the year 1788, he received a letter from Dr. Percival, a physician of Manchester, a man of distinguished talents and of most amiable character, stating his son's wish to enter into holy orders in the Church of England, he himself being a Dissenter from that Church, and holding doctrines at variance with her authorised creed. The answer returned by the archdeacon, while it shows his laudable desire to include within the pale of the established communion all that he could bring into it of wisdom and of virtue affords at the same time a proof of that laxity of interpretation which his friends cannot but lament. The letters are sufficiently interesting to be suffered to speak for themselves.

From Dr. Percival to the Rev. Archdeacon Paley.

66 Manchester, June 20, 1788.

"What apology shall I offer for the liberty I am now presuming to take with you? The very high respect which I entertain for your talents and character operates upon me at once as an incitement and restraint; and, whilst I am solicitous to avail myself of your council and assistance, I am diffident in requesting them, from a consciousness of having no claim to be honoured with either. But the occasion requires a sacrifice of feeling to judgment: and I shall trust to your goodness to excuse, if peculiar reasons do not justify, my present application to you.

"My eldest son, whom I intended for the profession of physic, by his residence at St. John's College, and connexions in Cambridge,

has had his views changed, and is now strongly inclined to go into the Church. But, previous to his final decision, he wishes to settle his mind on several important topics comprehended in the articles of faith. The chapter on Religious Establishments, in your excellent System of Moral and Political Philosophy,' has had great weight with him and he has this morning expressed to me an earnest desire to have the benefit of your personal instructions, on points so interesting to his future peace, prosperity, and usefulness. Is it possible for him to enjoy this singular privilege for the space of a few weeks? I shall cordially acquiesce in any terms that you may prescribe, and with a grateful sense of obligation to you.

"I am a Dissenter, but actuated by the same spirit of catholicism which you possess. An establishment I approve; the Church of England, in many respects, I honour; and should think it my duty to enter instantly into her communion, were the plan which you have proposed in your tenth chapter carried into execution."

From the Rev. Archdeacon Paley to Dr. Percival.

"Carlisle, June 25, 1788.

"I desire you to accept my thanks for the many obliging expressions of respect which your letter contains. If the state of my engagements had allowed me to spare a few weeks to a personal conference with your son, upon any subject of doubt which he should chance to propose, it would have been a pleasure to me to have complied with your wishes, from a sense both of private obligation and of public esteem. As my time is at present very little in my own power, and my being at home very uncertain, I know not how I can contribute to your son's satisfaction in any better way than by sending you a few additional explanatory observations upon what I have written in my chapter entitled 'Of Subscription.'

"1st. If any person understand and believe all the several propositions in the thirty-nine articles, and in the liturgy and homilies which they recognise, there can be no place for doubt.

"2nd. If a person think that every such proposition is probable, or as probable as the contrary or any other supposition on the subject, there can be no just cause of scruple.

"3rd. If a person, after using due inquiry, understand some of the propositions in the thirty-nine articles, but not all, and assent to those propositions which he does understand, I think he may safely subscribe.

“4th. If a person think any part of the discipline, government, rites, or worship, of the Church of England to be forbidden, he certainly ought not to subscribe; but certain parts of these being not Book vi. of Moral Philosophy.'

VOL. I.

C