570 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



received the honorary degree of 

 A.M.; when he went to an academy 

 at Angers, in France; and after about 

 oueyear's residence at that place, he 

 made a tour of the southern parts 

 of Europe, in company with the 

 late earl of Elgin, and then return- 

 ed to his native count}'. He was 

 about twenty-four years of age be- 

 fore he had a religious turn of mind ; 

 when he became known to the late 

 reverend and learned Messrs. Uo- 

 maine,Ta]bot,Stillingfleet, H.Venn, 

 Berridge, S. Walker, and others of 

 themost pious and laborious clergy 

 of the church of England ; whose 

 acquaintance was particularly be- 

 neficial to him. Desirous of being 

 useful in liis station, he published 

 and distributed several religious 

 tracts, visited and relieved the poor 

 and afflicted in his neighbourhood, 

 and exhorted them to repentance 

 and newness of life. His contro- 

 versial writings in defence of the 

 six students expelled the university 

 of Oxford, and in defence of the 

 Calvinistic doctrines of the gospel, 

 as held by and stated in the articles, 

 homilies and liturgy of the church 

 of England, do honour to his abili- 

 ties as an able writer, and to his 

 piety, jseal and integrity as a Chris- 

 tian, the polite gentleman, and 

 scholar ; but his reply to the rev. 

 Mr. Madan, entitled, •' The Bless- 

 ings of Polygamy displayed," gain- 

 ed him more credit than any of his 

 other publications. Sir Richard, 

 when but a young convert, became 

 a zealous champion for the religious 

 party to which he had attached 

 himself. It is well known that the 

 great leaders of methodism, Wesley 

 and Wliitfield, adopted opposite 

 sentiments on the extent of salva- 

 tion. The former allowed that 

 man is a free agent, and that the 



satisfaction of Christ was made for 

 all men. These points were flatly 

 denied by Whitfield and the Calvi- 

 nistical methodists, who made man 

 a passive instrument till grace in- 

 spired him with divine life; and 

 they contended that the elect only, 

 or those who where predestinated 

 from all eternity, shall be made 

 partakers of the kingdom of heaven. 

 A fierce contention arose among 

 themethodistical leaders upon these 

 inscrutable topics, and they almost 

 proceeded to excommunicate one 

 another for heterodoxy. The Cal- 

 vinists were by far the most violent, 

 and the harshness of their creed 

 inspired them with the most in- 

 tolerant sentiments. Sir Richard 

 Hill waged war against the whole 

 host of Arminians,andpublished se- 

 veral pamphlets upon the doctrines 

 in dispute, which exhibited consi- 

 derable knowledge of the subject, 

 and evinced no small skill in theo- 

 logical controversy. About the 

 same time, the university of Oxford 

 began to be jealous of the progress 

 of methodism, and finding that Ed- 

 mund-hall contained some students 

 who exercised their preaching ta- 

 lents before they were duly autho- 

 rized, expelled them. This caused 

 a mighty outcry among the zealots; 

 and several pieces were published 

 against the conduct of Dr. Durel 

 and Dr. Noel, and other heads of 

 houses who were engaged in that 

 affair. Among the rest Sir Richard 

 came forward as the champion of 

 methodism, in a tract which was 

 written with great shrewdness and 

 spirit, entitled, " Pietas Oxoniends." 

 Not long after this he engaged in 

 a paper warwith Dr. Adams, rector 

 of St. Chad's, Shrewsbury, on the 

 following occasion. It was the 

 custom of the late Mr. Romaine, 



whom 



