THE excellent author of the following sheets was born at Hartlepool, in the county of Durham, September 25, 1714. It appears from the most authentic account of him published, that his father was one of the unfortunate emigrants, who issued from a colony in France, during the distracted reign of Louis XIV. upon the revocation of the edict of Nantes. In this town he became a member of the corporation; which is a very ancient one. Here he settled, and for his means of subsistence became a corn-dealer; and as he was a man fearing God and hating covetousness, that canker of the human mind, he gave a remarkable proof of his benevolent disposition in the year 1741.
England was then at war with Spain; and, as war-time usually occasions an advance in the price of most necessaries, wheat was then advanced from six to fifteen shillings per bol, the bushel of that place, containing about two of the common measures of Winchester. This occasioned the people to be much displeased, and they soon rose in a very tumultuous manner in great numbers, and became very troublesome at Hartlepool Mr. Romaine now became a mediator; and to put an effectual stop to their complaints, actually sold all the corn he was possessed of at five shillings a bushel, while the other corn-merchants of the place refused to part with a sack upon such moderate terms.
In this manner, with the blessings of the poor, and without reproach from any, he brought up a family of two sons and three daughters, whom he lived to see Comfortably and respectably settled in the world. He lived to the age of eighty-five, and was" gathered to the Lord" in the year 1757.
Our author was the second son, and his promising disposition inclined his parents to send him very early to the Grammar School at Houghton le Spring, in the county of Durham, founded by the celebrated rector of that parish, Barnard Gilpin; here he remained seven years, whence he removed to Oxford about 1731. He was first at Hertford College, but afterward removed to Christ Church; there the Rev. Mr. Fifield Allen was his tutor, who was afterward chaplain to Bishop Gibson, of the see of London, archdeacon of Middlesex, sub-dean of the Royal Chapel, a prebendary of St. Paul, and well known to most classical scholars as being the editor of the three "Electras" used in the school of Westminster. His residence was principally at Oxford, till he took up his degree of Master of Arts, which commenced on the 15th of October, 1737, having been previously ordained a deacon at Hertford the year before by the then bishop of that see, Dr. H. Egerton. After he had obtained orders, he was appointed to the curacy of Loe Trenchard, near Lidford, in Devonshire, which he filled but a few months, for On the 15th day of December in the same year, he was ordained a priest by the then bishop of Winchester, Dr. Benjamin Hoadley, who obtained for him a nomination to the church of Banstead, which he served for some years, together with that of Horton, in Middlesex, officiating as curate to Mr. Edwards, who had both those livings.
It was at this place he had the happiness to become acquainted with Sir Daniel Lambert, who had a country-house there, an alderman of London, and who, serving the mayoralty in 1741, appointed Mr. Romaine his chaplain, which opened him the way into the cathedral of St. Paul, where he preached the second sermon that he printed, on the 14th and 15th verses of Rom. chap. ii., in which may be discovered the sound classical divine, with the religion of a believing heart.
The first sermon which he printed was preached before the University of Oxford, March 4, 1739; and the third upon the same subject, and at the same place, St. Mary's, in Oxford, was printed the beginning of 1742; they are upon the subjects of Future Rewards and Punishments, proved to be the sanctions of the Mosaic dispensation, in answer to "Warburton's Divine Legation of Moses," two volumes of which had then made their appearance. Those who wish to learn more of this controversy, are referred, for information, to the second volume of the "Works of the Learned," for 1739, where are to be found Mr. Romaine's original correspondence with Dr. Warburton, and the whole of that dispute, arranged by Dr. Birch, the editor, afterward librarian to the British Museum.
He had now engaged in the arduous undertaking of preparing for the press a new edition of "Calasio's Concordance;" a work which employed him seven years, and he published the first volume in 1747.
This is a work highly celebrated abroad, and how far he may be justified or censured for having omitted his author's account of the word Elohim, which is usually rendered God, and having substituted his own in the stead, is left to the learned to decide; certain it is, that with the credit of restoring to light one of the most useful works that ever was published, he has ventured a criticism which his warmest advocates can but reluctantly defend. But he has excused himself, by imputing himself criminal, if lie had acted otherwise. His alteration is marked by inverted commas; this apology he must stand or fall in the public opinion. He is now supposed to have meant to return home; but on accidentally meeting with a gentleman, a total stranger to him, just as he was going to embark for his passage, on a visit to his own country, he procured him a very beneficial, and at the same time unlooked-for, establishment in the church, for we often find, that while "man proposes, God disposes."
This was a friend, who, though unknown to him, from his knowledge of his father resolved upon serving him in some essential way, and having much interest, offered him the lectureship of the united parishes et St. George's, Botolph-lane, and St. Botolph, Billingsgate. To this proposal he consented, and postponed his intended voyage; but he made his conditions, that he should not be obliged to canvass in person, according to the vulgar method, which from principle he always declined, as he thought it most unworthy of the Christian character.
This happened in 1748, when he was chosen in the lectureship of the above-mentioned places; and he is recorded among the promotions in the "Gentleman's Magazine" for November, of that year, as the editor of "Calasio's Dictionary." From the contents of some of his private letters about this time, ho seems to own that he was much infected with worldly pride, and with the sufficiency of his own merits; but he soon took Timothy's advice, ,and became more sober-minded, reflecting that the enticing things of this world are but the outward man, while the excellency of a gracious spirit exceedeth all things.
In 1749, he was chosen lecturer of St. Dustan-in-the-West, to which was united another, endowed by Dr. White, for the Benchers of the Temple; but the first was a common parish lecture, supported by voluntary subscriptions. Our author was appointed to both, and continued a long while in the quiet exercise of both, till his faithful discharge of them raised him some enemies, whose violent clamour and opposition ended in the most shameful abuse and personal affronts. The rector, who had a long while viewed Mr. Romaine with a very jealous eye, for the large congregations which usually attended him, thought fit at last to dispute with him the right of the pulpit, and assumed the right of filling it during the time of prayers, in order to exclude him from it.
This affair became, at last, so serious, that it was carried into the Court of the King's Bench, in 1762, where Lord Mansfield's decision was, that Mr. Romaine should retain Dr. White's lectureship, with the old salary of 18l. a year, to be exercised at seven in the evening; the churchwardens then refused to let the church be opened till that hour, and to light it when there was occasion; so that our divine frequently read prayers and preached by the light of a single candle, which he held in his own hand, the church-doors remaining shut until the precise time fixed by the law for delivering the lecture, the congregation ail the while waiting in the street.
It was in this situation of things one evening that Dr. Terrick, the then bishop of London, who had been Mr. Romaine's predecessor in the lectureship, happening to pass by, inquired among the crowd the cause of the meeting; and being informed it was the audience of Dr. White's lecture delivered by Mr. Romaine, who were in this predicament, he considered the circumstance, and immediately undertook to interfere with the rector and the parish, and obtained for him and his hearers the use of the church, for prayers to begin at six o'clock, and proper lights to be provided for the winter season. These measures serried the dispute, and he remained quietly in the exercise of his ministry there until his latter end.
Mr. Romaine was appointed assistant morning preacher in 1750, to the parish of St. George, Hanover Square. This office is not a settlement, but only optional and dependent on the opinion of the rector, who called him to the office and also removed him from it. This was Dr. A. Trebeck; the first act was the result of friendship, and the latter of displeasure at his popularity and plainness of preaching, for all his discourses were of Christ alone, and Christ crucified. He retired from this office in 1755: during his exercise in which he had occasionally preached at Bow Church, in the room of Dr. Newton, afterward bishop of Bristol, but then rector of that parish, and lecturer of St. George's, Hanover Square, and also at Curzon Chapel, then known by the name of St. George's Chapel, May Fair, in exchange with Dr. Trebeck himself, who was the morning preacher of the chapel.
Some time about this period he was called to the professorship of astronomy in Gresham College; but he was more a divine titan a philosopher, and having but an indifferent opinion of the Newtonian philosophy, he opposed it with firmness, and observing in the calculations of the clay a difference of 121,000,000 of miles, so he compared the modern divinity as bringing up souls as many miles short of heaven. The only remains that can be met with of his conduct in his professorship, I believe are to be read in the March number of the "Gentleman's Magazine" for 1752.
While his mind was thus busied with the philosophy of the world, his heart was still occupied with the promises of God; and what he lost with man, he obtained tenfold with his Maker. The famous Jew Naturalization Bill was now the subject of public consideration; and those who opposed it were highly gratified by the part he took in that perilous business, and on which occasion he published a pamphlet, which was afterwards reprinted in 1753. In 1755 our author changed his condition by marrying Miss Price, whom he left an affectionate widow. Soon after his leaving his situation at St. George's, Hanover Square, he became curate and morning preacher at St. Olave's, Southwark; this was the beginning of 1756, and here he continued to 1759; and to this congregation he dedicated his sermon upon Ezekiel's dry bones, preached in their church, and published at their desire. He did not reside long in the rectory-house before he removed to a pleasant situation in Walnut-tree Walk, Lambeth.
He used in the early part of his life to be very severe with the luxurious manner of living of the modern dignitaries of the church, and which gave great offence, but he left this off by degrees; as did also, at the same time, the Rev. George Whitfield, who, particularly in the latter part of his life, began to grow very corpulent.
After he had relinquished the cure of St. Olave's, he was for near two years morning preacher at St. Bartholomew's the Great, near West Smithfield; and from thence went to Westminster Chapel, where he held the same office for six months, till the dean and chapter thought proper, upon his great popularity, to withdraw their patronage and protection from him, and refused him their nomination for a licence to preach there. He had now no other establishment in the church, excepting the lectureship of St. Dunstan-in-the-West, till he was chosen to the rectory of Blackfriars, in 1764; and then, owing to a dispute relating to his advancement, that was afterwards settled in the Court of Chancery, he was not fixed in it before the year 1766.
During this interval he was not idle; he preached many charity sermons in several churches in and about London; and with truth it may be asserted that he brought better collections than his contemporaries by their mere essays upon charity.
He was also during this interval strongly solicited to fall the pulpit of St. Paul's Church, in Philadelphia, to which was appended a salary of 600l. a year; and these offers were seconded by the most urgent and repeated entreaties of Mr. Whitfield, his friend, who considered him as persecuted in one city, which plainly directed him to go to another; but he was a thorough churchman, and for particular reasons, which he never imparted, he declined all thoughts of going there, although he considered many who had retired to that part of the world as rightly disposed as himself in keeping in England.
His attention at this time was particularly taken up with his favourite publication, "The Life of Faith," the first edition of which came out about this time.
We now enter upon the detail of a few circumstances relating to his transactions in his memorable appointment to his last settlement as to this world, in the rectory of St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, and St. Ann's, Blackfriars. Nor were the wars of Providence less wonderful in this part of his life than they had been before. It appears that the right of presentation to this living is alternately by the crown and the parishioners. The late incumbent was a Mr. Henley, a nephew of the then Lord Chancellor Henley. He died while a young man, of a putrid fever, which he caught of one of his parishioners at a visit, after holding the place only about six years and a half. It was now the turn of the parish to nominate, and Mr. Romaine was spoken of as a fit person to fill such an important station, and he was accordingly proposed, without his knowledge or consent; for the first intimation he received of it was from a newspaper, which he happened to read by accident while on a journey. Some persons, who did not wish him so well, spread a rumour that he would be above soliciting their votes and interest. But upon the day appointed for the candidates to preach their probationary sermon, Mr. Romaine made his appearance among them; this was the 30th of September, 1764. Upon this occasion many of his friends absented themselves, who had always been in the habit of hearing him, lest they should crowd the church, and occupy the seats of the inhabitants; and by giving them offence, throw obstacles in the way of his election.
In his sermon he made a handsome apology for not canvassing in person, and this operated greatly in his favour; it was well received by the parishioners, and published at their request.
Yet he had some opposition to withstand, for there were two other candidates for the living besides himself, one named Warner, and the other Smith, and a scrutiny was demanded. However, this scrutiny did not produce any decision. The parish were divided about what should constitute the proper qualification of an elector; and a second election was agreed upon by the friends of both, which ended in favour of our divine, who had a great majority of votes, and was declared duly elected. But the other side still remained dissatisfied, and put in another claim which occasioned the matter to be transferred into the Court of Chancery, where it continued for more than a year, and about the beginning of 1760 a decree was granted by Lord Chancellor Henley in favour of Mr. Romaine. He was accordingly inducted into the office, but was observed to tremble much during the ceremony. He was conscious, undoubtedly, of the heavy weight of his office, but it was his Master's will, he observed to one of his friends who wrote to him upon the occasion; and he entered upon his living not only in the faith and patience of Christ, but also with a considerate and decided preference to the Church of England, in which he determined to preach His name and wonderful salvation.
It was about this time he published his "Walk of Faith," in two volumes, 12mo. He was not careless of his temporal affairs, although the spiritual took up most of his attention. The parsonage-house being unfit to live in, having occasionally been converted into warehouses, he prevailed upon the inhabitants to cause it to be taken down, and he built a handsome rectory-house close to the church for himself and his posterity. He also prevailed upon the inhabitants to repair the church, and. to erect a gallery at the west end of it, for the convenience of his increasing congregation, and to demolish the high wall that surrounded it, by which means it became one of the best places of public worship in London. After these necessary alterations were made, he prevailed upon his congregation to make a subscription toward defraying the expenses, that the parishioners might not have to complain that his accommodation brought expenses upon them. In this he was successful: £500 were raised by voluntary gifts; and this instance of his generosity to the parish is recorded by the following inscription over the west door:–
Mr. Romaine was a great benefactor to his parishes, as a promoter of charity. Every call of distress, both public and private, urged his warmest exhortations, and the sums raised were generally proportionate to the motives urged. The yearly collections for the poor of the parish and the schools in the ward, with the money collected in the church at the weekly sacraments, which he was the first to promote, and with the charity sermons which he preached, amounted one year with another to 300l. a year. Even the pew-openers, who were but two at first, when he died were increased to eight, each getting a comfortable livelihood from the congregation, without any assistance from the parish.
When the great fire happened in Blackfriars, in 1793, which consumed many of the houses, containing a number of poor families upon every floor, he was the first to alleviate their distress on this occasion, he caused one of the inhabitants to relieve the sufferers with two guineas each, to the amount of more than ninety guineas, for which sum he made himself debtor to that gentleman.
His zeal upon this public calamity was long remembered. On the mornings of the Sunday and Tuesday following, he pleaded from the pulpit for the poor sufferers, who had been entirely ruined by this shocking disaster. The sum he raised, inclusive of a donation of 50l. from the Duke of York, amounted to upwards of 300l. He, besides this, prevailed upon the inhabitants of Ludgate to lend their assistance upon this occasion, which, together with the former collection, enabled him to give from 10l. to 18l. each to the sufferers.
When the calamities of the poor French emigrants called upon the national generosity and public spirit, ho was no less zealous in their behalf; on which account some evil-minded persons, mistaking the motive, in an anonymous pamphlet charged him with favouring the Roman Catholic religion, as if relieving the distresses of a papist, whom compulsive necessities had forced upon us for charity, was encouraging the errors of popery.
Many public charities lost a good and firm benefactor in Mr. Romaine: but in a more especial degree the Royal Humane Society. Convinced of the utility of this institution, he delivered a voluntary sermon for their relief, at Blackfriars, in the year 1777; observing, that, by those means, the soul might have the benefit as well as the body; for, he observed, their miraculous recovery made them serious, and their thoughtfulness brought them to inquire how it might have been with them, had they then been precipitated into eternity. Mr. Romaine preached annually for this Society for seventeen years, and his sermons brought in generally about thirty pounds, besides some new subscribers.
The Bible Society also experienced the benefit of his pious exertions. He observed, much good was done by it, both by sea and land.
The life of Mr. Romaine had very little to do with the men of the present evil generation, or, as they are called, the men of the world. He lived regularly useful in his vocation. He usually resided in London, or near it, from the commencement of November term, until the long vacation after Trinity term, when he generally took a little excursion into the country, which was always northward while his mother lived, and afterward, chiefly into the west, where he had many friends. He seldom suffered himself to remain silent on the Lord's-day, and his Bible was his companion regularly every day, which he constantly read through once a year.
He was not without misfortunes in his family. He suffered the severe mortification of losing his second son, who was a captain in the military service of the East-India Company. This event happened at Trincomalee, in June, 1782. And what is remarkable, he preached, notwithstanding, the same evening he received the account of his son's death, contrary to his wife's advice; but he replied, that he durst not leave his Master's concerns unattended to on that account.
He was most admirable in the management of his time. He constantly breakfasted at six in the morning, dinner was always ready for him at half-past one, and he supped at seven in the evening: He assembled his family to prayers at nine in the morning, and at the same hour at night, and occasionally his friends were admitted to these private devotions. His Hebrew Psalter was his constant breakfast companion. From ten to one he was employed in visiting the sick, and his friends His studies occupied the most part of the afternoon, and he sometimes resumed the exercise of walking after supper, in the height of summer, and retired to rest always at ten. From this mode of life he never deviated, but when at friend's house.
He had long been in the constant habit of friendship with the poor, unfortunate Dr. Dodd; but that gentleman having once expressed some dislike at Mr. Romaine's conduct and strictness, a coolness ensued; but when that unhappy man was in Newgate, for the crime for which he suffered, Mr. Romaine visited him there; their conversation there, as a friend has communicated it, equally evinced Mr. Romaine's abhorrence of sin and pity for sinners.
It is lamented by many good Christians, that for the sake of posterity, he did not keep a diary, or commit more of his thoughts, and the occurrences of his life, to writing. But among all his papers, only one of this sort was found, entitled, "in Old Man," and written on the day he accomplished the age of seventy years. The last years of his life seem to have taken their turn from this ay; and he has very aptly drawn his own character, when describing the triumph of faith over the infirmities of age. "He walked in the steps of the faith of Abraham, and brought forth more fruit in his age, till he died an old man, and full of days, satisfied with all that was past, ail that was present, and all that was before him."
To the fatal time, which put a period to his mortal career, he constantly pursued his ministerial labours, which, with his summer excursions, he used merrily to call his summer and winter campaigns; thus he kept the field like a good soldier to the last. His last illness commenced on the 6th of June, which put an end to his life and labours on the 26th of July. He was very sensible it was his last illness, and he considered it so from the moment he was taken; and though at intervals he had faint symptoms of a probable recovery, yet he never more attempted to resume his ministerial functions.
He expressed a deal of anxiety, affection, and kindness for his partner, Mrs. Romaine; and after thanking her for all her care, he would bless her, and make frequent mention of her in his prayers.
His illness continued to bring him lower and lower, until Sunday, July 26, 1705, when he expired, uttering some precious words of the gospel. Thus lived, and thus piously resigned his breath, the Rev. William Romaine. It was not the design of his friends and surviving relations to make any show of his funeral; but all their efforts for privacy were vain; he was too much in the mind of the people, for such an intention to take place.
On Monday, the 3rd of August, 1795, the corpse was removed from Mr. Whiteridge's house, where he died, to be interred in the rectory-vault, in Blackfriars-church. The funeral procession began to move about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, and was joined by fifty coaches on Clapham-common; the numbers on foot, who surrounded and followed, were incredible. At Blackfriars-bridge, the children of the charity-school, with the beadle, waited to join the procession. The city marshals and their men met it also, by order of the lord mayor, as a token of respect to his memory.
The church, which was previously hung in black, was filled with people, many of whom were dressed in black. The funeral service was performed by the Rev. Mr. Goode, to a very numerous and affected audience. Three funeral sermons were preached on the Lord's-day following, and a monument has been erected to his memory in his own church.
His character has suffered something from the imputation of asperity; but those who judged of him hastily did not know him. He is said to have abruptly answered to the inquiries of his friends in the street; as once, when Dr. G. and Mr. J. met him C, the latter asked our divine, "if he had forgotten him," to which Mr. Romaine made reply, "that he had not, nor his Master neither." This, if properly understood, carries no cynical air with it, as has been misrepresented in print, by altering the mode of the inquiry, thus, "Mr. Romaine, do you know me?" in which case, the same answer had a direct opposite sense, viz. that he did not, nor his master neither.
It has been observed of him, that he was an example to believers, in holiness of life, in universal benevolence, in faith, and in every good work.
Thus that much-honoured servant of Christ, William Romaine, lived, and thus he died, leaving us an example to follow his steps.