Arthur Sykes.

BORN A. D. 1684.-DIED A. D. 1756.

ARTHUR ASHLEY SYKES, a celebrated polemical divine of the church of England, was born in London about the year 1684, and educated at St Paul's school by Mr Postlethway. He was admitted of Corpus Christi college, Cambridge, on the 15th of April, 1701, under the tutorship of Dr Kidman, the first who introduced into that university Locke's great essay as a text-book. He took the degree of B. A. in 1704, and proceeded to that of M. A. in 1708. His first employment after leaving college was as an assistant in St Paul's school. From this situation he was preferred, on the presentation of the duchess of Bedford, to the vicarage of Godmersham in Kent, to which he was collated by Dr Tennison.

In the year 1712, Dr Thomas Brett published a sermon, with a preface addressed to dissenters, entitled, 'The Extent of Christ's Commission to Baptize,' in which he laboured to prove that dissenting teachers could not, on the authority of the laws of Christ's kingdom, administer Christian baptism, or either of the sacraments of the Christian church; and that none but such as had received episcopal ordination can be regarded as lawfully called to the work of the ministry. Mr Sykes replied to Dr Brett in a short 'Letter,' in which he admits the expediency of episcopal ordination, and that episcopacy has the warrant of scripture; but denies that the want of such ordination can affect the validity of the ordinances or offices performed by others. In 1714 Mr Sykes was instituted to the rectory of Dry-Drayton in Cambridgeshire.

In 1715 he published a tract, entitled 'The Innocency of Error asserted and vindicated.' The doctrines asserted in this piece are, that no errors, if involuntary, are or can be punishable; and that no heresy is so destructive of religion as a wicked life; no schism so damnable as a course of sin. The first argument adduced is, that in all perceptions the mind itself is passive; and the perceptions of things being, in numberless instances, quite different from what things are really in themselves, unless we are capable of bringing together and comparing a great many intermediate ideas to rectify these mistakes, we must necessarily fall into many errors. Secondly, that error, always consisting in a mistake of the judgment, must be in its own nature involuntary. Thirdly, that involuntary error cannot be punishable by God; for that would be an impeachment of his justice as well as mercy. Among the first to oppose Sykes's views of the moral quality of error was Thomas Sherwell, and Potter, then bishop of Oxford. Sykes replied in a Vindication,' in which he avowed himself the author of the treatise animadverted on by the bishop. Sykes's tract passed through a third edition in 1729, and a fourth in 1742.

To counteract the efforts of the high churchmen and Jacobites, Sykes published, in 1715, a tract, entitled 'The Safety of the Church under the present ministry considered,' in which he endeavours to show that the ecclesiastical establishment of the country was as likely to thrive

under the care and protection of George I., and the dukes of Marlborough and Devonshire, and Lords Townshend and Cowper, as under Queen Anne, the duke of Ormond, and Lords Bolingbroke and Harcourt. His next pamphlet was intended as a persuasive to moderation in religious disputes. He maintains in it that subscription is by no means to be regarded as implying uniformity of opinion: the sense, he says, which such as require subscriptions accept and tolerate is the rule of subscription; and, as the church accepts and tolerates ontrary opinions, she evidently does not conceive identity of opinion necessary to her tranquillity. This doctrine was very ably replied to by the author of The Confessional.'

In 1716 Mr Sykes produced two political pamphlets, one of them, a plea for the suspension of the triennial bill, and the other entitled, The Thanks of an honest clergyman for Mr Paul's speech at Tyburne.' William Paul was a non-juring clergyman, who retained his living of Orton, in Leicestershire, until the breaking out of the rebellion in 1715, when he joined the earl of Mar's forces. He was at the battle of Preston, but behaved with great pusillanimity. He was taken, pled guilty, and was condemned. Immediately after his execution, his letters written to the archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Townshend, and his petition to the king, all abject productions in the extreme, were published; and to these were added his speech at Tyburne, in which he contradicted all that he had so solemnly professed a few days before, while suing for mercy. In the same year, he also published An Answer to the Non-juror's charge of Schism upon the Church of Eng

land.'

On the publication of the bishop of Bangor's Preservative against the Principles and Practices of the Non-jurors,' and his sermon on the nature of Christ's kingdom, Sykes descended into the polemical arena as an auxiliary of Hoadly's. He selected Dean Sherlock for his antagonist, and proved a very formidable assailant.

In the latter end of 1718, Mr Sykes was instituted to the rectory of Rayleigh in Essex, and soon afterwards was appointed to the afternoon preachership at St James's chapel. We now find him involving himself in Dr Bentley's famous quarrels with his university. On this occasion Middleton and Sykes assailed each other with very harsh terms. Sykes wrote 'The case of Dr Bentley truly stated,' and Middleton in Some Remarks' upon this pamphlet, was led to exceed all the bounds of decorum."

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After a brief controversy with Mr Rogers on church power, in answer to his discourse on the visible and invisible church of Christ, Mr Sykes got engaged with a very formidable antagonist, Dr Waterland, on the case of Arian subscription; and, when yet defending himself against Waterland, he undertook the cause of the quakers, while a bill was depending in parliament for relieving them from oaths. The London clergy petitioned against the passing of this bill, alleging that it would endanger the legal maintenance of the clergy by tithes, that it would endanger the administration of justice, and that it was uncalled for, as instances were rare in which any quaker had refused the solemn affirmation prescribed in the 7th and 8th of William III. The house of lords rejected the petition, but it was countenanced by a protest, signed by twenty lords, among whom were Sir William Dawes, archbishop of

York, Bishop Atterbury, and Dr Potter. Mr Sykes addressed a letter to the petitioning clergy, signed Joshua Freeman, in which he vindicates the right of the quakers to the relief sought for.

In 1723 he was made precentor of Winchester cathedral, in which Hoadly at the same time collated him to a prebend. In 1725 he published his Essay on the Truth of the Christian Religion,' in answer to Collins. In 1726 he proceeded to the degree of S.T.P., at Cambridge, on which occasion, it is said, with some confusion of metaphor, "he stood like a sturdy oak, to receive and return back the fiery darts of the orthodox."

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On the publication of Dr Samuel Clarke's Exposition of the Catechism,' after the author's death in 1729, and of Dr Waterland's remarks thereon, Dr Sykes stepped forward in defence of the Exposition,' and, in the course of his argument, threw out some views of the design and efficacy of the Lord's supper, which appeared to Waterland highly erroneous. The argument maintained by Sykes, after Clarke, was, "that the sacrament of the supper, and all other positive institutions, had the nature only of means to an end; and that, therefore, they were never to be compared with moral virtues, nor can ever be of any use or benefit without them." Dr Waterland's argument was, "that the sacraments are not merely means of virtue and holiness, but duties essential to the Christian covenant, and out of which all other Christian duties thrive and grow, so as to be productive of virtues, rather than instrumental to them."

The controversy with Waterland was scarcely closed, before Dr Sykes was engaged in another with Messrs Whiston, Chapman, and Douglass, on the eclipse which happened at our Saviour's passion. Early in the year 1736, he appeared as an advocate for the repeal of the corporation and test acts. In the next year, he published an 'Inquiry into the meaning of the Demoniacs in the New Testament,' which was replied to by Dr Twells. In 1739 Dr Sykes was advanced to the deanery of St Burien, in Cornwall, and next year he was collated to a prebend of Winchester. In this last year he published a work on the principles and connection of natural and revealed religion. In his preface to this book he says, that his design is "so to treat of religion, both natural and revealed, as to deduce it from its first principles, and to show that they are both rational and worthy of every serious man's attention, and to represent them in such a manner as may show what ground there is for a rational faith." Warburton attacked Sykes for denying the theory of a double interpretation of prophecy, in this lastmentioned work; and Sykes defended himself, and then proceeded to retaliate in an Examination' of some of the positions laid down in the 'Divine Legation.' Among his subsequent productions were, An Essay on the Nature, Design, and Origin, of Sacrifices;' 'Two Questions previous to Dr Middleton's Free Inquiry impartially considered ;' and A Paraphrase and Notes upon the Epistle to the Hebrews.'

Dr Sykes died on the 23d of December, 1756. In private life, Dr Sykes was of easy and obliging manners. In his person he was of low stature, and inclined to corpulency. His numerous writings amply evidence his accurate and varied learning, and strong powers of mind. It is to be regretted that, in more than one important point, Dr Sykes should have held very heterodox opinions.

Archbishop Herring.

BORN A. D. 1691.—died a. d. 1757.

THOMAS HERRING was the son of the Rev. John Herring, rector of Walsoken in Norfolk. He received his education at Wisbeach school and Jesus' college, Cambridge. In 1716 he obtained a fellowship of Corpus Christi college. He took orders in 1719, and was successively minister of the several parishes of Great Sheeford, Stow, and Trinity in Cambridge. In 1722 he became domestic chaplain to Bishop Fleetwood, who presented him to the rectories of Rettenden in Essex, and Barclay in Hertfordshire. In 1726 he was appointed Lincoln's-inn preacher, and soon after chaplain in ordinary to the king.

He was elevated to the bishopric of Bangor in 1737; and, on the death of Blackburn, archbishop of York, was translated to that see. His elevation to the see of Canterbury took place in 1747, on the death of Dr Potter.

His grace was a man of moderate principles and moderate attainments. He owed his early popularity to a fine pulpit-manner; his subsequent elevation in the church was chiefly the result of circumstances unconnected with the individual himself. He died in 1757. Dean Swift, in revenge for his having denounced the 'Beggar's Opera' from the pulpit, calls him "a stupid, injudicious, and prostitute divine.”1

James Hervey.

BORN A. D. 1713.-DIED A. D. 1758.

THE author of so popular a work as the Meditations and Contemplations,' can scarcely be overlooked in such a work as the present, although many divines of much higher talent must pass without a notice in our limited catalogue of English divines.

Hervey was born at Hardingstone, near Northampton, in February, 1713, and was educated at Northampton and Oxford. While at the university he was a diligent, if not a highly and distinguished student. In 1736 he became his father's curate. He afterwards held the two livings of Weston-Favel and Collingtree. He died in 1758.

Hervey was a truly pious and benevolent man. He published several works in his short lifetime; the best known of which are the work already named, and the series of dialogues betwixt Theron and Aspasio.' The latter work contains some rather inaccurate and misleading views on the subject of imputation, which have been very ably pointed out and confuted by Bellamy, an American divine of the school of Jonathan Edwards. The Meditations and Contemplations' have passed through many editions, but have long ceased to be regarded as masterpieces of sentimental diction. Their best feature is the devout spirit which they everywhere breathe.

Samuel Chandler.

BORN A. d. 1693.-died a. D. 1766.

THIS eminent dissenting clergyman was born at Hungerford in Berkshire, where his father was pastor of a dissenting congregation, in 1693. He was educated for the ministry under Mr Jones of Tewkesbury, who numbered among his pupils, Butler, afterwards bishop of Durham; and Secker, afterwards archbishop of Canterbury.

In 1716 he was chosen minister of a presbyterian congregation at Peckham, in the neighbourhood of London. In 1725 he published a 'Vindication of the Christian Religion, in answer to the objections of Collins.' In 1726 he transferred his services as a preacher to the Old Jewry congregation.

While on a visit to Scotland, in company with the earl of Findlater and Seafield, he received the diploma of D.D. both from Edinburgh and Glasgow. The publication of a very infamous pamphlet, entitled 'The History of the Man after God's own heart,' excited Chandler to produce his Critical History of the Life of David,' a work of considerable reputation in theological literature. Besides the works we have mentioned, Dr Chandler wrote a number of treatises, chiefly on points of theology and the prevailing controversies of the day. Four volumes of his sermons were edited by Dr Amory. He died in 1766,

Bishop Hoadly.

BORN A. D. 1676.-DIED A. D. 1761.

JOHN HOADLY, grandfather of Benjamin Hoadly, the subject of the present memoir, emigrated to America about the year 1639. The family remained in that place fourteen years, and then went back to England. From that period little is known of the grandfather, except that he became chaplain to the garrison of Edinburgh castle. His son Samuel was educated at Edinburgh, and at an early age commenced the employment of schoolmaster. He followed this vocation in different places, till he was called to be head-master of the public school at Norwich, which station he held during the remainder of his life. He was the friend and correspondent of Grævius, and several of his letters to that eminent critic have been preserved.

Benjamin Hoadly, son of Samuel Hoadly, was born at Westerham, Kent, November 14th, 1676, while his father was teacher of a private school in that place. He continued under his father's tuition till he entered the university of Cambridge, as a pensioner of Catherine hall. We hear little of him at the university, except that he took his degrees in due course, was elected fellow, and discharged the office of tutor with much credit for two years. During the first years of his life he was of a sickly constitution, and seldom in good health. By an accident also he contracted a lameness which never left him. He always