Page images
PDF
EPUB

chapter of the Romans, he obtained a clear view of the scriptural doctrine of justification by faith-a view which he never after lost sight of. He frequently spoke of that evening as the time from which he dated his more distinct perception of what he called Evangelical doctrines; but he had for months before lived under their influence by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, for whose enlightening as well as sanctifying aid he was daily praying, and whose promise, that they that seek shall find, was fully verified in his experience.

From this time Mr. Townshend walked closely with God, growing in grace and in the knowledge of his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Nor did the change which had taken place in his religious sentiments, fail to display itself in his conduct, or to produce in him the distinguishing and appropriate fruits which accompany true repentance and faith. He speedily renounced many worldly pursuits in which he had formerly indulged. He was no longer to be seen in those resorts of fashionable amusement in which he had previously mingled, but an attendance on which he now felt was incompatible with the nobler objects of his high vocation as a Christian. In the exercise of his ministerial office, the change in his character was especially striking. "The grace of God was seen," and its powerful influence over his character displayed, in the fervour and devotion of his public ministrations; in the deeper anxiety which he now manifested for the spiritual interests of his flock; in the additional means of instruction which he laboured to provide for their welfare; in the frequency of his pastoral visits among them; and in the delight which he felt and expressed whenever any of them seemed to profit by his exertions in their behalf. Nor was the power of true religion less conspicuous in the improvement of those parts of his character which, as has been mentioned, were naturally the most faulty. He who before was proud became deeply abased in the sight of God, and learned to think more highly of others than of himself. He whose unity before led him to court the admiration of his fellow-creatures, now reuounced it as dangerous to his soul's health. He who was formerly ready to take fire at injuries and affronts, now received them with an exemplary portion of the meekness of Him who,

"when he was reviled, reviled not again." The peculiar features of his renovated character were humility and charity, in the large acceptation of the term; while that sincerity, firmness, and integrity, which had always been prominent features in his character, now shione with a still steadier and brighter lustre, being derived from principles and motives infinitely above the maxims of this world, or the suggestions of mere natural constitu

tion or artificial refinement

In his creed, Mr. Townshend was a genuine member of the Church of England; a minister truly attached to her Articles and services, and who scrupulously adhered to all her forms, not from bigotry, but from a sense of duty, and a conviction of their excellence: yet he loved all who loved the Lord Jesus Christ, and never, it is believed, allowed himself to draw invidious comparisons. Maintaining, in the spirit of meekness and candour, his own preferences, he allowed the full rights of conscience to others, whe ther in or out of the Establishment.

The doctrine of justification by faith alone, he held to be the great pillar of every true church. To some points of secondary consideration, respecting which much difference of opinion exists, he assented just so far as he thought he saw them in the Bible, while he greatly regretted that they should ever be so maintained, or so opposed, as to occasion the slightest breach of Christian charity. Christ crucified, as the foundation of all our dependence, and Christ, in his various offices, becoming our" wisdom, righte ousness, sanctification, and redemp tion," constituted the subject of his public discourses and private teaching, and the ground of all his own hopes and expectations. He received every thing at the hand of God, as the gift of free and unmerited grace; and he went on from strength to strength, as a re cipient of that grace, till he was removed to appear before his God in the heavenly Zion.

For several years previously to his death, he found his strength declining, and therefore desired constantly to keep that solemn event in view. Many quotations from his letters might be adduced in proof of this; but one may suffice. Writing to a beloved friend and relative, a few months before his decease, he says; "We rejoiced to hear of your safe arrival, through the blessing of God at the scene of all

your duties and your joys. May your heavenly Father long continue you in the full and faithful discharge of the one, and a duly chastised enjoyment of the other! Perhaps my mind may be more led to these prayers in behalf of others, and more especially of those I love, since it seems to be the will of God to abridge me of the former, and at the same time to forwarn me of no very distant dereliction of the latter. God in his mercy grant that these may be followed by a full fruition of those which eye hath not seen nor ear heard, &c., and which shall be the portion of all who are his by faith in Christ Jesus. You will not, I trust, refer these expressions to gloom, or the melancholy effusion of accidental depression of spirits. No these have no part in them. I have long been sensible of a gradual diminution both of mental and bodily powers. This has evidently made great pro gress within the last two months; and an interdict, under which my medical adviser has now laid me, more especially from preaching and almost all professional exertions, confirms me in the persuasion, that my Heavenly Father graciously designs by these visita tions to putme on the watch. May I not defeat this his additional goodness, but be, if possible, in momentury expectation of the God of my salvation! This calls for your hearty Amen."

The death-bed of this excellent man was a scene not to be forgotten. It veri

fied the Scripture assurance, “Thoir shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee." He remarked, that he "had not a ruffled thought;" that he was "severed from every earthly tie," (dear as many were, and one in particular); that his desire was to depart and be with Christ, on whose full salvation all his present hopes and future expectations reposed. He displayed an entire resignation of himself and all that he had, into the hands of his Heavenly Father; expressing such views of his own sinful ness, as made the atonement of Christ in its personal application to himself, infinitely precious. He strongly felt the value of the Divine promises at this trying period; and remarked: "I have often studied the promises of God, and believed them, and knew that they were very full; but never felt, nor could I have conceived, the full effect of them in my own experience till now." These promises were truly his support and consolation. The power and grace of Christ rested on hin: his faith and patience were never exhausted; and his " peace flowed on

as a river" to the last. His care for the souls of others, and his desire to glorify God, became increasingly strong. He was sensible of his situa tion to the final moment of his earthly existence, and closed his eyes,doubtless, with " a hope full of immortality."

W.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

F.; J. S-, H; Пs; W. READ; S. B.; X., and R. G. will appear.

J. H; J. B-R; B. S.; J. M. W.; A CUNSTANT READER; VIGIL; R. B.; and A FAITHFUL FRIEND; are under consideration.

We much regret to find, that advertising Bills of a nature which we disapprove, have, in one or two instances, been placed under our cover. We have taken measures to prevent a recurrence of the evil; for which purpose it will be necessary, that persons sending Bills or Advertisements should transmit them to our Publisher, as directed on the Blue Cover, on or before the 20th of the month, to afford time for inspection. We must, however, again remind our correspondents, that we do not hold ourselves responsible either for bills or advertisements, except so far as to reject in toto such as are clearly excep tionable. Over the good taste and judiciousness of these articles of public information our control is necessarily feeble. We are much obliged to several correspondents who have called our attention to the subject.

ERRATUM.

For G. H., at the bottom of p. 635, and the top of p. 636, read George Harrison.

CHRISTIAN OBSERVER.

No. 252.]

DECEMBER, 1822. [No. 12. Vol. XXII.

RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATIONS.

For the Christian Observer. MEMOIR OF THE LATE RIGHT REV. THEODORE DEHON, D. D.

IN

(Concluded from p. 679.)

'N the year 1812, the Convention of South Carolina unanimously chose Dr. Dehon for their bishop. The post had been unoccupied for many years: it was also an office little known, and of an unpopular character in the country; and, besides involving great anxiety and fatigue, appeared likely to give rise to much misconception and misrepresentation. It was besides not very congenial to the retired habits, the diffident manners, and the early associations of a man like Dehon, to whom honours were burdens; and was also a post for which he conscientiously thought himself very ill qualified. He, how ever, fully entered into the views of his fellow-churchmen in relation to the importance, and, as he considered, the necessity, of the episcopal order; and remarked that, in declining to receive it, he should incur as great responsibility as in accepting it. He therefore deliberately weighed the subject with much fervent prayer to God for direction, and with an attentive perusal of the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, in order to have fully before him the qualifications requisite for a bishop. He also frankly stated his difficulties to his brethren, and did not at length accept the office till they had expressed their deliberate opinion that, under the circumstances of the case, Divine Providence called him to it, and that it was clearly his duty to

CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 252.

make the sacrifice. That he did not yield through any interested or ambitious motive is proved by a resolution which he formed, that the appointment should never be to him a source of emolument; and that, far from assuming any appearance of elevation above his brethren or his flock, he would endeavour more than ever to be "the servant of all." The following observations found in a paper after his death evince the truly Christian spirit in which he undertook the office.

"It having pleased Almighty God to permit me to be called to the office of a bishop in his church, I ought to be humbled to the dust, by the sense of my unworthiness, and penetrated with gratitude, love, and fear, for this undeserved distinction. Lord! what am I, or what is my father's house, that thou shouldest bring me to this honour in thy service?' I have examined my past life. Oh! how little do I find with which to be satisfied! how much to condemn !

God be merciful to me a sinner!" Would men inspect themselves closely by the light of God's word, how little cause would they find in themselves for self-complacency. Alas! my best services have been alloyed with too much selfishness; and conscience accuses me of many sius. Never have I felt myself so poor and needy, so culpable and wretched, so much a subject for mercy rather than favour. 'Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him; or the son of man, that thou so regardest him?' At times I have felt as if I would give worlds, if I had them, could I but go spotless

5 E

into the office whereunto I have been permitted to be called. But, perhaps, there is something of pride and self-love in this. There is none good but One.' All whom He has employed, from among men, have been sinners. In Him alone can there be any glorying; to Him must be all glory. Saul who persecuted, and Peter who denied Jesus, were employed as Apostles by Him, and their conversion has scarcely done less than their labours for His cause. I hope that God has presented me with this most humbling view of myself, that I may perceive fully at my entrance on this office, that if I stand at all, it must be in the worthiness of Christ: that in me there is no good thing to give me authority, power, complacency, or confidence: that I must act by his authority and power; be a dependant of his, and owe every thing to Him; especially that I may know and feel the absolute necessity, the amazing extent, the constraining power of his mercy in Christ Jesus; and so have a fuller sense of the importance of the treasure entrusted to me. My best delight has been in His law. My fondest joy***** This interesting fragment here abruptly terminates; but not without having disclosed to the reader the feelings of devotion, of self-abasement, and of trust in God, with which this humble-minded man commenced his episcopal labours. His life hitherto had been somewhat retired, but he soon became well skilled in all the duties of his public station. In the chair of the State Convention, he displayed an exemplary diligence and impartiality, combined with an unaffected dignity of deportment, great collectedness of spirit, and an almost instinctive discrimination in matters of business. In administering the rite of Confirmation, or conferring holy orders, he exhibited a demeanour and expression which none who have ever beheld him on such occasions, will be

likely to forget: his countenance beamed with affection, devotion, and every Christian grace, in a way difficult either for the pen or pencil to describe; nor did he ever lose his devotional and interesting manner of conducting these services, though they were often protracted for many hours, and were sometimes interrupted by a want of sympathy in those around him. In his visitations, he ever kept in mind his great object: in all his conversations, his anxiety for the welfare of the church of Christ, especially of that branch of it of which he was a minister and overseer, was prominent. He carried a Christian and a missionary spirit into the social circle; and even amidst the exertion and haste of his visitations, he would go many miles out of his way to visit a Christian inquirer, or a sick or afflicted person "perishing for lack of knowledge." Many of the parishes in his diocese were far remote from his residence; and as his duties to his own large congregation would not permit of his being absent long together from Charleston, he was obliged to travel with a degree of exposure and fatigue which his delicate constitution could ill sustain, especially in a Carolinean climate, travelling often beyond midnight, and hastening not unfrequently from church to church, worn down in body, but ardent in spirit, without even al lowing time between one service and another for the friendly hospitalities which he so much needed, and which an affectionate people were most anxious to bestow. In these visitations he succeeded by the Divine blessing, in reviving episcopal worship in several parishes where it had been long neglected, and establishing it in others where it had been hitherto unknown. The candidates for Protestant Episcopal ordination having at that time no regular instructor, he voluntarily undertook that office; pointing out to them the best theo

the spring of 1817, at New York, where Bishop Dehon attended in his place; and though a young man, and almost the junior bishop, animated, by his powerful influence, the whole body of that assembly. On no occasion probably had his talents and eloquence appeared to so great advantage, and never certainly did he impress on his admiring auditors a greater regard for his person, or a greater estimation of his Christian zeal and piety. He had attended this General Convention with almost certain risk to his health, having, on a similar occasion in 1814, keenly experienced the hazard of returning to the pestilential climate of Charleston at midsummer. But his sense of duty prevailed, and he counted not his life dear if he might in any way benefit the church of Christ. On his arrival at home, he instantly resumed his customary duties with his characteristic ardour and activity. The larger sphere in which his talents had been lately displayed, had created in him no distaste for the most minute details of his ordinary function: he was seen vi

logical works for their study, patiently examining the abstracts which they made under his directions; conversing with them with the freedom of a friend and brother; and as a parent correcting their errors, and cherishing in them the dispositions which become the sacred office. His examination for orders, as respected sound doctrine, personal piety, professional attainment, and attachment to the discipline of the episcopal church, was strict and conscientious. It needs scarcely be added, that he cherished great affection for his elergy, whom he was always pleased to see around him, especially at the sacred altar; and he particularly wished to have the society and advice of one or more of them in all his episcopal visits, alleging the example of our Lord, who sent out his ministers by "two and two." He felt great interest in their concerns his influence and exertion were ever at command to promote their welfare, and his purse to supply their necessities. He extended his regard to their families, and, in case of their death, would undertake the education of their fatherless off-siting the poor, the sick, the afflictspring. He was particularly anxious for the establishment of a college under the patronage of the whole of the American Protestant Episcopal church for the instruction of candidates for the sacred ministry. This measure he had urged for a considerable period in the General Convention, and elsewhere, without effect; but he had the satis faction, before his death, to induce a change in the opinions of those who had most strongly opposed the project. His success on this occasion filled him with the liveliest joy; and the " Theological Academy" since instituted in consequence of his exertions, bids fair to become as splendid a monument to his memory as a lasting benefit to the American Episcopal church, and to posterity.

This great point was carried in the General Convention held, in

ed, as usual; and his last visit, within a few hours of the attack of that malady which terminated his life, was to the chamber of a mother who had lost her child. The seeds of the fever which ended thus fatally, and for the reception of which his return to Charleston in the sickly season had predisposed him, are thought to have been sown while he was attending by the deathbed and at the grave of the wife of a clerical brother who was from home, and whose family the bishop had been accustomed to visit in seasons of sickness and affliction. The last two letters he ever wrote were to the absent relatives of this lady, to console them under their bereavment.

The Bishop's illness was too severe to admit of his holding much conversation; and the world is consequently deprived of the benefit

« PreviousContinue »