B L A C K B U R N E. 



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but they are not the productions which have chiefly 

 endeared his name to an enlightened posterity. His 

 first publication n the subject of subscription to arti- 

 cles of faith, is entitled, Remarks on the Rev. Dr 

 Powell's Sermon, in Defence of Subscriptions, 

 preached before the University of Cambridge on the 

 Commencement Sunday, 1757. These remarks, 

 which made their appearance in 17.58, may be consi- 

 dered as preliminary to that masterly production 

 which forms the basis of his reputation, The Con- 

 fessional ; or, a Full and Free Inquiry into the 

 Right, Utility, Edification, and Success, of esta- 

 blishing Systematical Coifessions of Faith and Doc- 

 trine m Protestant Churches. Lond. 176(), 8vo. 

 This production, which, like the rest of his contro- 

 versial works, appeared without the author's name, 

 excited no ordinary degree of attention ; and its pub- 

 lication was succeeded by that of a multitude of po- 

 lemical tracts. No satisfactory answer, however, 

 has yet been produced ; and, we may venture to af- 

 firm, that his fundamental principles are such as 

 nothing but mere prejudice or sophistry will ever at- 

 tempt to explode. Blackburne repelled some of the 

 attacks which were made on his truly liberal and ex- 

 cellent performance. In 1770, he published a third 

 edition, with corrections and large additions. This 

 work, in its state of final improvement, we earnestly 

 recommend to the serious consideration of every man 

 of learning and sincerity. 



It was natural to suppose, that, in hi3 connection 

 with a church which spreads so many snares for the 

 consciences of its ministers, the author of The Con- 

 fessional might experience some secret uneasiness ; 

 and, in consequence of such an impression, and of 

 the archdeacon's high character, some leading mem- 

 bers of the dissenting congregation in the Old Jewry, 

 London, authorised one of his friends, on the death 

 pf Dr Chandler in 1760, to ascertain whether he was 

 inclined to accept the situation of pastor to that so- 

 ciety. This invitation he, however, declined, for 

 reasons which have not been made public, but which 

 appeared satisfactory to the applicants. Although 

 lie disapproved of some of the forms and doctrines of 

 the established church, yet he is said to have prefer- 

 red it on the whole to any other religious society ; 

 and, as his attack had been chiefly directed against 

 its injunction of subscription to articles of faith, ex- 

 pressed in unscriptural language, he might think his 

 consistency sufficiently maintained, by a refusal of 

 any further preferment which required a renewal of 

 subscription. In this honourable resolution he Stea- 

 dily persevered, when, in the year 1763, the living of 

 Middleton-Fyas near Richmond became vacant, and 

 the Lord Chancellor Northington was ready to be- 

 stow it upon him, in consequence of a promise which 

 had been obtained by some of his friends. This liv- 

 ing was tenable with his other preferments, and in 

 value exceeded them all. 



In 1768, Ar,chdeacon Blackburne published Con- 

 siderations on the present State of the Controversy 

 between the Protestants and Papists of Great Britain 

 and Ireland, particularly on the question, how far 

 the latter are entitled to toleration on Protestant 

 principles." His zeal against Popery manifests it- 

 eelf ia most of the works which he produced ; and 



it is certainly to be -regretted, that, with all his be- 

 nevolence and liberality, he should have been too 

 much disposed to assimilate the Catholics of his own 

 with those of a very different age. It is, however, 

 to be remarked, that Blackburne resided in a part of 

 the country where they were numerous and power- 

 ful ; and that he had witnessed some imprudent dis- 

 plays of their spirit, at a time when their hopes 

 were animated by the first events of the rebellion in 

 1745. 



Blackburne published many other tracts on theo- 

 logical subjects ; and, as he was always distinguished 

 for the faithful discharge of his clerical duties, his 

 life must have been spent in complete activity. For 

 the first twenty years of his ministry, he composed a 

 new discourse whenever he officiated. His archdea- 

 conal visitations he endeavoured to render as useful 

 as possible, by plain and serious charges, delivered 

 with dignified earnestness ; and his annual appear- 

 ance generally attracted a large and respectable au- 

 ditory. In the year 1767, he accepted the office of 

 commissioner to the commissary of the archdeacon- 

 ry ; by virtue of which, he presided in the spiritual 

 court at Richmond. By his integrity and know- 

 ledge, he restored to this court a respectability not 

 always attached to the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of 

 his country ; and his merits were very handsomely 

 recognized by Mr Eden, now Lord Auckland, on 

 his appointment tp the commissariat. As the eccle- 

 siastical law had not previously formed a part of ins 

 study, it has been mentioned as a proof of the vi- 

 gour of his understanding, that he should make such 

 proficiency in it as to pronounce decisions which 

 were seldom, if ever, reversed, on appeals to a higher 

 court. 



At an advanced period of life, he formed the plan 

 of writing copious memoirs of Martin Luther ; but 

 when he had proceeded so far as to collect a consi- 

 derable mass of materials, he relinquished his under- 

 taking in order to commemorate the patriotism and 

 philanthropy of a deceased friend. On the death of 

 Thomas Hollis, he was induced by Mr Brand Mol- 

 lis, the friend and heir of that gentleman, to com. 

 pile an account of his life. The Memoirs of 'Thomas 

 Hollis, Esq., which were printed at London in 4to, 

 in the year 1780, arc usually bound in two volumes, 

 but have only one series of pages. The book was not 

 originally published ; but, after the death of Mi- 

 Brand Hollis, some copies have come into the mar- 

 ket, and are sold at a high price. Thomas Hollis 

 was an English gentleman of considerable fortune, 

 somewhat eccentric perhaps in his character, but di- 

 stinguished by an ardent spirit of philanthropy. He 

 did not himself aspire to the fame of authorship ; 

 but he was liberally anxious to promote every lite- 

 rary 6cheme of a laudable tendency ; and, in parti- 

 cular, he expended considerable sums in reprinting 

 some of the earlier English writers on politics. 

 Blackburne's Memoirs oj his Life form a very curi- 

 ous and entertaining production ; and every page 

 breathes the manly and liberal spirit of a genuiue 

 Whig. A portion of this work was published in a 

 separate form, under the title of Remarks on John- 

 son's Life of Milton. Lond. 1780, small 8vo. 



Blackburne was equally attached to the principles. 



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