WATSON. 



houfe of lords, for expunging the Athanafian creed from 

 the Liturgy ; but on account of the French revolution, the 

 defign was poftponed. In this conneftion, we cannot forbear 

 mentioning what is called the Windfor anecdote. It is as 

 follows ; and given by the bifhop on the authority of Dr. 

 Heberden : " The clergyman there, on a day when the 

 Athanafian creed was to be read, began with IVhofoever •will 

 befaved. Sec. the king, who ufuaUy refponded with a loud 

 voice, was filent ; the minifter repeated, m a higher tone, 

 his IVhofoever ; the king continued filent ; at length the 

 Apoftle's creed was repeated by the minifter, and the king 

 followed him throughout with a diftinct and audible voice." 

 " I certainly diflike," fays the biftiop, " the impofition of all 

 creeds formed by human authority ; though I do not diflike 

 them, as ufeful fummaries of what their compilers ielieve to 

 be true, either in natural or revealed rehgion." In a letter 

 to the duke of Grafton, dated OAober, 1 79 1, he briefly 

 ftates his fentiments on feveral fubjecls of importance. 

 Amongft other obfervations that deferve attention, he fays, 

 " In England we want not a fundamental revolution ; but 

 we certainly want a reform both in the civil and ecclcfiafti- 

 cal part of our conftitution ; men's minds, however, I think, 

 are not yet generally prepared for admitting its neceflity. 

 A reformer of Luther's temper and talents would, in five 

 years, perfuade the people to compel the parliament to 

 abohfli tithes, to extinguifh pluralities, to enforce refidence, 

 to confine epifcopacy to the overfeeing of diocefes, to ex- 

 punge the Athanafian creed from our liturgy, to free Dif- 

 fenters from tell afts, and the minifters of the eftablifliment 

 from fubfcription to human articles of faith. Thefe, and 

 other matters refpefting the church, ought to be done : I 

 want not courage to attempt doing what I think ought to 

 be done ; and I am not held back by confiderations of per- 

 fonal interefl: ; but my temper is peaceable, I diflike con- 

 tention, and truft; that the ftill voice of reafon will at length 

 be heard. — As to the civil ftate, it cannot long contmue as 

 it is, &c. &c." In a charge delivered in 1792, the bifliop 

 touched on feveral fubjefts of importance and general in- 

 tereft ; and among other things on the injuftice and impolicy 

 of our Teft and Corporation Ads. " There feem to me," 

 fays our prelate, " but two reafons for excluding any honell 

 man from ehgibility to public ofSce ; — want of capacity to 

 ferve the office, and want of attachment to the civil confti- 

 tution of the country. That the Diflenters want capacity 

 will not be aflerted ; that they want attachment to the civil 

 conftitution of the country is aflerted by many, but proved 

 by none." — " The Diflenters are neither Tories nor Repub- 

 licans, but friends to the principles of the revolution ;" but 

 their condutl fince the revolution, and at and fince the re- 

 ftoration, proves that they have no defign to undermine the 

 conftitution of the country. 



" But it may be faid, that inafmuch as the Diflenters are 

 enemies to the church eftabfifliment, and that the ftate is fo 

 allied to the church, that he who is unfriendly to the one 

 muft wifli the fubverfion of both. I think this reafon- 

 ing is not juft ; a man may certainly wifli for a change 

 in an ecclefiaftical eftablifhment, without wifliing for a 

 change in the civil conftitution of a country. An Epif- 

 copahan, e.g. may wifh to fee biftiops eftabliflied in all 

 Scotland, without wifliing Scotland to become a republic : 

 and he may wifti that epifcopacy may be ettabhflied in 

 all the American ftates, without wifhing that monarchy 

 may be eftabliftied in any of them. The proteftion of 

 life, liberty, and property, is not infeparably or exclu- 

 fively connetted with any particular form of church-go- 

 vernment. The bleflings of civil fociety depend upon the 

 proper execution of good laws, and upon the good morals 



of the people ; but no one will attempt to prove, that the 

 laws and morals of the people may not be as good in Ger- 

 many, Switzerland, Scotland, under a Prefbyterian, as in 

 England or France, under an epifcopal form of church- 

 government," with much more to the fame purpofe. 



In the year 1795 °"'' hiftiop made a fpeech in the houfo 

 of lords in favour of a motion by the duke of Bedford, 

 " that no form of government which may prevail in France 

 ftiould preclude a negociation with that country, or pre- 

 vent a peace whenever it could be made confiftently with 

 the honour, intereft, and fecurity of the nation." In the 

 following fummer he publiflied a charge, and two fcrmons, 

 one of them entitled " Atheifm and InfideHty refuted from 

 Reafon and Scripture ;" and the other " The Chriftian Re- 

 ligion no Impofture." In 1796 he publilhed " An Apo- 

 logy for the Bible," in defence of it againft the Icurrilous 

 abufe of Thomas Paine. Of this tract many thoufands 

 were diftributed at a low price, both in England and Scot- 

 land ; and we have reafon to believe produced the moft 

 benelicial efi^efts, not only in Great Britain, but in Ireland 

 and America. In 1798 the bifliop pubhflied an addrefs to 

 the people of Great Britain, which was of great fervice in 

 raifing the fpirit of the nation. In 1799 he delivered a 

 fpeech, recommending and vindicating againft objeftions a 

 cordial union with Ireland, as an event which would enrieh 

 Ireland without impoverifliing Great Britain : and that 

 would render the empire, as to defence, the ftrongeft in 

 Europe. When Mr. B. Flower was brought to the bar of 

 the houfe of lords for a breach of privilege in publifliing j 

 fomething againft the above-mentioned fpeech, the biftiop, I 

 when he heard of it, declared, "that he fliould feel much] 

 more fatisfaclion in forgiving the man's mahgnity than in j 

 avenging it." 



In 1805 the petition of the Roman Catholics of Ireland ' 

 was taken into confideration by both houfes of parliament, 

 and rejefted by great majorities in both. Previoufly to the 1 

 difcuffion on this queftion, bifliop Watfon communicated] 

 his fentiments on the fubjeft in a letter addrefled to the] 

 duke of Grafton. As this is a queftion &i\l fai judice, wej 

 fliall here introduce the general heads of argument fuggefted 1 

 in relation to it by the bifliop. " l. The abfolute juftice of I 

 tolerating rehgious opinions, fince no civil government caal 

 juftly poflefs more power over its fubjefts than what indivi- 

 duals have conjentcd to transfer to it when they entered into I 

 fociety ; and no individual can give up the right of wor- j 

 ftiipping God according to his confcience, and therefore no j 

 government can juftly abridge that right. 2. No civil go- 

 vernment has any right to take cognizance of opinions either] 

 political or religious, but merely of men's aftions. Thigl 

 principle, however, is liable to exception with rcfpeft to I 

 the public teachers of religion. 3. The eftabliftied religion] 

 of every country ought to be the religion of the majority of I 

 the people ; unlefs an exception be admitted, when the mi- 

 nority of the inhabitants poflefles a majority of the property 

 by which the eftabliftiment is maintained ; and even in that 

 cafe, humanity and policy, if not ftrift juftice, require a j 

 co-eftablifliment of the religion of the minority. 4. Great j 

 credit ought to be given to men of probity and talents, dif- 1 

 claiming, in exprefs terms, the moft obnoxious principles 

 of the church of Rome ; the odium of paft tranfaftions 

 ought not to be thrown upon thofe who had no concern 1 

 in them. 5. Conftitutionally fpeaking, the Catholic peers 

 and commons have no more right to fit in parliament than 

 a Catholic king has to fit upon the throne ; and if the | 

 change of times is not yet fuch that a Proteftant would en- 

 dure the thought of a Catholic king upon the throne, it may ' 

 be inquired upon what principle it is that a Proteftant can 



endure J 



