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THE

ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S

MAGAZINE AND REVIEW,

FOR JANUARY 1805.

Superstition on the one hand, and Irreligion on the other, have left True Christians a narrow Path to walk in.

BISHOP SHERLOCK.

BIOGRAPHY.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S

GENTLEMEN,

MAGAZINE.

If the following account of the life of the celebrated Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, the materials of which have been furnished by the dedication of his sermons, and by the sermon preached at his funeral by the Bishop of Ely, shall be thought worthy of following the interesting biographical notices which have already appeared in your Miscellany, it is altogether at your disposal.

L

ANCELOT ANDREW ES was born in the city of London, in the year 1555, of honest and godly parents. Having given him a good education, they left him also a sufficient patrimony and inheritance, which descended to his heir, at Rawreth in Essex: He had the happiness to be of a well ordered life and conversation, even from his childhood; and from his early years was brought up, andcontinued in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord."

In his tender age, he shewed such readiness and quickness of wit and capacity, that his teachers foresaw he would prove eminent in the literary world. And therefore the two first masters who had the care of his early education, Mr. Ward of Ratcliffe, and Mr. Mulcaster Vol. VIII. Churchm. Mag. Jan. 1805.

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of

of Merchant Taylor's School, contended who should have the honour of the instruction of him, who afterwards became the ornament of their schools, and of learning in general. Mr. Ward first prevailed upon his parents not to put him apprentice; and at length Mr. Mulcaster had him under his care; and from hence he accounted all the time lost which was not spent in study. In learning he surpassed bis equals; but his indefatigable industry had almost proved fatal to himself: he studied so closely while others played, that if his parents and masters had not forced him to join with them in play, his excessive application would have destroyed his health. His late hours, and early rising by four o'clock in the morning, raised the envy of his equals, and proved not very acceptable to the ushers, whose rest was disturbed too soon.

The pains and care of those who were concerned in his education, he so gratefully remembered all' his life long, that he studied always how to do good to them and their families. Hence he promoted Dr. Ward to the parsonage of Waltham; and ever loved and honoured his master Mulcaster during life, and was a constant friend to him, and his son Peter Mulcaster, to whom he bequeathed by will a legacy of twenty pounds. And as if he had wished to have Mulcaster in perpetual remembrance, he placed his picture over the door of his study, whereas in all the rest of his house there was scarcely a picture to be seen.

From Mulcaster he went to Cambridge; and was admitted at Pembroke Hall, a scholar of Dr. Watts, a cefebrated Grammarian, well versed in the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages, and likewise in geometry and the mathematics. Here he was chosen fellow; and took his degrees, and filled all the stations to which he was appointed, with so much credit, as ever to seem worthy of higher dignity, and to give fair promises, that in the and he would attain the highest: for his abilities and virtues were mature, and ripe for greater employments.

In the improvements which he made, he owed little to his tutors, but most to his own labour and study. But this implies no disparagement to them; for he often lamented that he could never find a fit opportunity of shewing his respect, and gratitude to Dr. Watts, his pa tron, nor to any of his posterity. He did not however, altogether forget him in his will; having ordered that,

the

the two fellowships, to be founded by him in Pembroke Hall, should always be filled out of the scholars of Dr. Watts's foundation, if they were found competent, of which he himself had been one.

Being now in holy orders, he attended the noble and zealous Henry Earl of Huntingdon, President of York, and was employed by him in frequent preaching, and in conferences with recusants, both of the clergy and laity: in which undertakings, God so blessed his endeavours, that he converted some of the priests, and many of the laity; and had great and unusual success in bringing many to a conformity with the established Church.

Afterwards Mr. Secretary Walsingham, took notice of him, and, intending his preferment, became his patron. He would never permit him to take any country benefice, lest he and his great learning should be buried in the obscurity of a country church. His intention was, to make him reader of controversies in Cambridge; and for his maintenance he assigned him, it is said, the lease of the parsonage of Alton in Hampshire, which after his death he returned, without her knowlege, to his lady.

After this, he obtained the vicarage of St. Giles, with out Cripplegate, London, and the dignity of residentiary in St. Paul's Cathedral; was chosen master of Pembroke Hall, and advanced to the deanry of Westminster: and this without any ambition or application of his own; God putting it into the hearts of his friends, to promote him according to his great worth.

When he took the degree of D.D. in Cambridge, one of his questions was, "An decimæ debentur jure divino;" which he proved by the Scriptures, and by natural rea

son.

He was, as is well known, a singular preacher and a celebrated writer. His arguments were irrefragable; nor durst the Romanists attempt to answer him; but, as their practice was, what they could not refute they slighted, and let it pass without any answer at all.

His knowlege in the learned languages, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriack, Arabick, besides other modern tongues to the number of fifteen, as is reported, was so rare and admirable, that he might well be ranked in the first place among the most eminent linguists in Christendom. He was perfectly skilled in the Grammar, and profound in the knowlege of the subject matter of those tongues; so skilful in grammar and criticism, as

if he had utterly neglected the matter itself, and yet so exquisite and sound in the matter and learning, as if he had never regarded the minutiae of grammar. His knowlege was great and uncommon; his memory greater; his judgment profoundest and greatest of all; and moreover his pains and modesty were infinite. For in what he published, he used the assistance of no man to read for him; unlike Bellarmine and others, who employed whole colleges and societies to furnish them with matter by their study and reading; he employed only an amanuensis to transcribe what he himself had written with his own hand.

Such was his example, that it cannot be easily equalled or imitated. His attainments were so extraordinary, that they might justly be allowed to obscure the merit of his cotemporaries, or of posterity. His fame was great, and yet his various virtues and excellences exceeded his fame. He was himself a mirror of learning, and a singular lover and encourager of learning and learned men: as appeared in his liberality and bounty to Casaubon, Cluverius, Vossins, Grotius and Erpenius, whom he attempted, by the offer of a very large stipend from his own private purse, to bring into England, that they might promote the knowlege of the oriental languages; honouring and rewarding in others those gifts and attain. ments, which he loved and had cultivated himself.

When the bishoprics of Ely and Salisbury were vacant, and some portion of their revenues was to be alienated, a proposal was made to him to accept them, which he absolutely refused; actuated by this honourable principle, "Nolo episcopari, quia nolo alienare;' refusing then to be made a bishop, because he would not alienate bishop's lands.

Afterwards he was prevailed upon to accept the bishoprick of Chichester; yet with some fear of the burden; and was successively translated to the sees of Ely and Winchester, Here he exonerated himself and his suc cessors of a pension of four hundred pounds per annum, which many of his predecessors had paid. He was Almoner, Dean of the Chapel, and a Privy Counsellor to King James, and King Charles. In these situations he spake and intermeddled little in civil and temporal affairs, which belonged not to his profession; but in causes and matters ecclesiastical, he spake fully and to the purpose; and shewed, that he had a thorough knowlege of,

and

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