Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

1

Engraved for The New Christian's Magazine.

X

The RevD THOSNEWTON,
Late LORD BISHOP of BRISTOL

Accurately Engraved from a Drawing taken from
original Miniature Painting.

Published by Alex Hogg N16 Paternoster Row, Oct. 1.1788.

an

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

AUTHENTIC MEMOIRS beloved, to the age of eighty-three:

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

but the mother of our worthy prelate, who was the daughter of a clergyman, died when young, this her only child being, at the time of her death, about a year old.

In the early part of life, the bishop of Brittol was placed in the free-fchool of Litchfield, which has had the honour of training up, in the first rudiments of their education, many learned and eminent men, among whom, we may rank bishop Smalridge, Mr. Wollafton, Dr. Johnfon, Mr. Garrick, Lord Chief Justice Willes, Baron Parker, Judge Noel, Lord Chief Justice Wilmot, and Mr. Baron Lloyd, In 1717 he was removed to Westmintter-fchool, and the year foladmitted a king's lowing was fcholar. Having continued there fix years, he was next elected to Trinity-college in Cambridge, at O 2

which

which place he conftantly refided eight months, at least, in every year, till he had taken his degree, of bachelor of arts. In the time

of the long vacation, and after he had taken his degree, he was with his father and friends at Litchfield, till he returned to Cambridge to deliver the fpeech, on the 29th of May, in order to his being chofen fellow in the October following. Not long after his election to this fellowship, he fettled in London. It having been his inclination from a child, and as he was always defigned for holy orders, he had fufficient time to prepare himfelf for the important work of the ministry, and compofed feveral fermons, which, by the advice of a good old clergyman, he took care to write in large legible characters, that he might never have occafion to copy them; and having fome stock in hand, he was not under the neceffity of making fermons in a hurry, nor of borrowing them from others, but might proceed at his leifure with more time and deli beration. His method was, in all his compofitions, to finish the whole in his mind, before he committed any part of it to writing; and to fome of his friends, he

would repeat feveral of his fermons verbatim, before he had wrote a fingle tittie of them; fo that, if he had pleafed, he could have preached eafily without notes. Mr. Newton was ordained deacon on the twenty-firft of December, 1729, and priest in the February following. He firft officiated, for a fhort time, as curate of St. George's, Hanover-square, and continued several years affiftantpreacher to Dr Trebeck, whofe ill ftate of health prevented him from performing the duties of his function. His first preferment was that of reader and afternoon preacher at Grofvenor's Chapel, in South-Audley street. He was then taken into the family of lord Carpenter, af

[ocr errors]

terwards earl of Tyrconnel, to whofe fon he was appointed tutor. In this family he lived many years, much at his eafe, and h. ppy in the intimacy of lord and lady Carpenter.

In the year 1738 an acquaintance commenced between him, and that venerable prelate, Dr. Pearce, afterwards bishop of Rochefter, whose life we have pourtrayed in one of our preceding numbers. By his intereft he was appointed morning preacher to the chapel in Spring Garden; and another friend, very ufeful to him, was Mrs. Anne Deanes Devenith of a very good family in Dorfetfhie. This lady was married to Mr. Row, the dramatic writer, by whom he was left in circumftances far from affluent. She was afterwards married to colonel Deanes, by whom he was alfo left a widow; and upon the family eftate coming to her by the death of a near relation, the refumed the family name of Devenish. Being honoured with the friendfhip of the prince and princess of Wales, fhe was often with them in their privacies and retirements; and as the prince was then inftructing his children to repeat fine moral paffages out of plays, particularly out of Mr. Rowe's, which are the most chafte and moral, he defired to have a more correct editien printed of Mr. Rowe's works, and recommended Mr Mallett to her for that fervice. She rather chofe to employ a friend of her own, and engaged Mr. Newton to undertake it, who corrected the prefs, and wrote the dedication in her name to the prince of Wales. By thefe fortunate incidents the name of Mr. New ton came first tọ be known to their royal highneffes; and Mrs Devenifh, ftrictly juft to the facred character of a true friend, took every opportunity of fpeaking to them in his commendaNot content with having performed this act of friendship,

tion.

the

fhe likewife introduced him to the acquaintance of lord Bath; and thefe two introductions he afterwards confidered as the most happy circumftances of his life.

Through the intereft of the above noble lord, in 1744, Mr. Ne ton was preferred to the rectory of St. Mary le Bow in Cheapfide; fo that he was forty years old before he obtained any living; but having obtained this, he quitted the chapel in Spring-gardens; vacated his fellowship of courfe; and at the beginning of the year 1745, he took his degree of doctor of divinity; and in 1747 he was chofen lecturer of St. George's, Hanover Square, in the room of Dr. Savage, deceafed. The fame year he married his first wife Jane, eldest daughter of the Rev. Dr. Trebeck, with whom he lived in a happy union near seven years.

If we confider Dr. Newton as an author, his writings, particuJarly thofe on the propheties, are the belt eulogium. In 1749 he published his edition of Milton's Paradife Loft, which met with a very favourable reception. The earl of Bath, being fome time after in Paris, wrote to him in the following terms, in a letter dated January 2, 1750. "There are' many perfons here great admirers of Milton. I have lent Monfieur Dupre your edition, and he is extremely pleafed with it, and particularly with the notes." In another letter he writes, "Your Milton has been much admired here the edition and notes greatly commended. Numbers of ladies as well as gentlemen understand English enough to read it with pleasure, and the Milton you fent me has travelled already through twenty different hands. At laft it has gone into exile with Monfieur de Maurepas, and will remain with him at Bourges (for he is prodigiously pleafed with it) till fuch

time as the king of France pleases to fend for them both back again."

At St. George's Hanover Square, in 1751, Dr. Newton preached a funeral fermon, on the death of Frederick prince of Wales. Hav ing excufed himself from complying with the request of some of the noblemen and gentlemen of the veftry to publifh it; the princess dowager, to whom it was reported, fent Lady Charlotte Edwin to requet a private perufal of the dif courfe, with which her royal highnefs was fo well pleased, that the appointed him immediately one of her chaplains. In 1754 the doctor loft his father, aged eighty-three; and a few days after his wife, aged thirty-eight. At this time he was engaged in writing his Differtations on the prophecies; and under any affliction he generally found a remedy by plunging deep into ftudy. The firft volume of his Differtations was published the following winter, but the other two did not appear till three years afterwards; and in this interval of time he was appointed to preach Boyle's Lectures. The reception of his Differtations, at home and abroad, was very favourable. The famous count Bernftorf, fo many years the great minifter in Denmark, in a letter to M. Schrader, one of the preceptors, and German secretary to Frederick prince of Wales, wrote as follows, March 29, 1760. "I am charmed with the Differtations of Dr. Newton. It must be confeffed, theEnglish think and write with fuperiority." In another letter he writes, 66 New ton every day delights and convinces one more and more. His method is undoubtedly that which ought to be followed in treating of the prophecies. I cannot believe that any thing more decifive has ever been written against the fee of Rome, whofe adherents must be at a loss what to anfwer. This work cannot be too much known, and it

has

« AnteriorContinuar »