LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
BISHOP WILBERFORCE.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR:1
Sin,—Will you allow me to observe that in my sermon at Graff- ham I did not attempt anything so formidable as a general esti- mate of Bishop Wilberforce's character? After the manner of preachers, I selected one particular point for consideration, namely, the strength, breadth, and versatility of his sympathy; partly because this subject appeared to admit of profitable dis- cussion, and partly because it supplied the true answer to a criticism which is often, but, as I think, unjustly, passed upon the Bishop's sincerity.
Guided by a phrase of my own, you describe my testimony on this point as that of a "friend;" and here I am obliged, some- what reluctantly, to enter upon a personal explanation. Cer- tainly for twenty years the Bishop honoured me with his friend- ship ; and he was a man, if ever there was one, whom to know was to love. In my case, at least, he inspired the warmest affec- tion ; and yet I was not his "friend," in the sense of entire sym- pathy as to some doctrinal matters which are keenly debated in modern controversy, and about which I had, and have, strong feelings and convictions. For five years I was Vice-Principal of his College at Cuddesdon, but, to speak plainly, I was too decided a High Churchman to suit the Bishop, and when, in the years 1858-59, the Puritan storm broke upon the College, I had to leave. My own disposition would have been to meet what I could not but think an outbreak of silly fanaticism by civil but unyielding resistance. But I was not responsible for the conduct of the College, and in acting as he did, Bishop Wilberforce was strictly loyal to what I knew to be his own convictions as to the matters under discussion. Had the Bishop been as hollow as is sometimes supposed, I must, I think, have discovered it, under the trying circumstances to which I have referred ; and I only refer to them because they enable me to profess my belief in his absolute sincerity of purpose, with more chance of being listened to than would be the case if it were supposed that I had always been able to agree with him.
Indeed, in my sermon I was careful to say that he was not, in my opinion, an accomplished theologian ; and I contrasted him, in this respect, with the late Bishop of Brechin. But I hope that a man is not wanting in " honesty," because in the course of his official duties he has to handle topics with the heights and depths of which he is, through lack of time for study, imperfectly acquainted. Certainly the Bishop's extraordinary powers enabled him to disguise or to defeat this disadvantage, as few men, if any, could have done it. But he could not help preaching before the Uni- versity; and in the discharge of this duty, he could not well avoid the topics which, he knew, were influencing young men against revealed religion, at a critical period of their lives. He did his best ; and I, for one, know that, in a great many cases, his efforts were rewarded by success. If he did not face the difficulties which presented themselves to the minds which you have in view in your article he did, at any rate, both face and remove the difficulties of a large number of minds of another order. Surely this was better than to have left so grave a department of his responsibility altogether untouched.
You instance certain phrases which he used with reference to Dr. Colenso, as illustrating an unreal use of words, which is sometimes ascribed to Dr. Wilberforce. For myself, I must say that I believe him to have meant the exact phrases which you quote. No less truly did he mean what he said from time to time about Rome being the mystical Babylon,—about the theological drift of the Reformation in the sixteenth century,—about the sayings and doings of the advanced High Churchmen. Such language appeared to me, as to others, to be often emotional rather than accurate; and it certainly would not have occurred to us to employ it. But of its sincerity on the Bishop's part there could be no doubt whatever ; and I cannot think that you will really condemn him for not carrying into his private correspondence the antique con- ventionalisms which flavour Episcopal speeches in the House of Lords. Even if some of his phrases were rhetorical exaggera- tions, is a man's moral integrity to be measured by every- thing that escapes him, when he has to speak, whether he will or not, on every sort of subject, on almost every day of his life ? Is nothing to be allowed for the mental lan- guor which fails to throw into the incidental phrase the exact contents of the inspiring thought, and which perchance " ex- aggerates" unintentionally, lest it should fail of adequate ex- pression? The old friends of the present Bishop of Man- chester would, I am sure, be sorry that his real simplicity and strength of mind should be measured by the immense assort- ment of utterances on all kinds of topics which the public papers ascribe to him ; and if Bishop Wilberforce is to be judged equit- ably, it will not be by dwelling on this or that phrase which may have fallen from so constant and fluent a speaker, but by the general drift and tenor of his life and character.
Who that knew him can doubt that had he been, I will not say a worldly-minded adventurer, but a man with blunted sensitiveness of conscience, he might easily, with his vast abilities, have commanded the very highest honours in the English Church? His translation to Winchester came when his work was almost done ; it was a change of scene, rather than a promotion. Had he been less single-hearted than he was, be would have declined the proffered see, because he would have reflected that an ill- natured world would certainly believe it to have been won by his silence—conscientious as that silence really was—during the second debate on the disestablishment of the Irish Church. Surely, now that he is beyond the reach of our praise and our blame, we can afford to be,—I will not say generous, but—just. There are many Bishops among us still who do good work usefully and faith- fully, but at least they do not excite enthusiasm. Bishop Wilber- force's was a great soul, glowing with life and love, and kindling into unwonted activity all the sluggish and feeble natures with which he came into contact. Too probably we shall wait a very long time before we see another man of the kind in his position ; meanwhile, it is surely useful, as well as just, to make the most of his memory.—I am, Sir, &c.,
Christ Church, November 8, 1875. H. P. LIDDON.
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