"Your mother writes me word that Mr. Allen, of Battersea, will come and dine with her to-morrow, and remain here nearly the whole week. I am very happy at this, because, if you are sincere (and I do not now mean to question your sincerity) in wishing for information, instruction, and advice, I know of no man—either high or low, clerical or secular—more able to afford them to you, more correct in his doctrines and character, or more affectionately disposed to be of all the service he can to every one connected with us, and to you in particular. But, my dear George, in order to enable yourself to derive all the benefit that may unquestionably be derived from serious and confidential communications on a most important subject, with such a man, you must be more explicit, more open, and more confidential with him than, I am grieved to think, you have yet been, either with your excellent friend the Bishop of Chester, or even with me, though I allow that in the conversations we have had together in this visit to you here, I saw rather more disposition to frankness on your part than I had before experienced.
"I should not thus argue with you, my dear George, if I did not from my heart, as God is my judge, firmly believe that your welfare, both temporal and eternal, as well as the health both of your body and mind, depended upon your taking every possible means to follow a better course of thinking, and of study, and of occupation, than you have hitherto done since you have entered the profession for which, as I fondly hoped, and you seemed fitted by inclination, you would have been in due time, if well directed and well advised, formed to become as much an ornament to it as your brothers are, God Almighty be thanked for it, to those they have entered into.
"I still venture to hope, though not without trembling, but I do hope and will encourage myself in the humble hope, which shall be daily expressed to the Almighty in my prayers, that I may be permitted, before I go hence, to witness better things of you; and I even extend my wish that when I return hither on Friday, I may have the satisfaction of learning that your interviews with Mr. Allen, who I have no doubt will be well prepared to hear and to discuss all you have to say, have had a salutary effect; and that our private domestic circle here may be relieved from the gloom which, for some time past, you must have perceived to overhang it when you made part of it, and afford us those blessings of home so comfortable and almost necessary to our advancing age. I write all this, because, perhaps, if I had had the opportunity, my spirits, which are always very sensitive, might prevent me from speaking it. God bless you, my dear George.
"Your ever affectionate father,
"Spencer."
The conferences he held with this Mr. Allen are faithfully noted in the Journal, and many and long they were. To-day conversing, to-morrow reading Hay and Waterland together, on the Athanasian Creed. He became no better, but a good deal worse, and the finale was that he wrote to his own Bishop, Dr. Marsh, of Peterborough, to resign his living or have his doubts settled. This was early in the year 1828.
This Bishop answers him thus:—
"In reference to the doubts which you expressed in a former letter, you say: 'All that I was anxious about was to avoid any just imputation of dishonesty, by keeping an office and emoluments in the Established Church, while I felt that I could not heartily assent to her formularies.'
"If this difficulty had occurred to you when you were a candidate for Holy Orders, it would certainly have been your duty, either to wait till your doubts had been removed, or, if they could not be removed, to choose some other profession or employment. Whoever is persuaded that our Liturgy and Articles are not founded on Holy Scripture cannot conscientiously subscribe to the latter, or declare his assent to the former. To enter, therefore, on a profession which requires such subscription and assent, with the previous belief that such assent is not warranted by Scripture, is undoubtedly a sacrifice of principle made in the expectation of future advantage. But you did not make such a sacrifice of principle. ... Whatever doubts you now entertain, they have been imbibed since you became Rector of Brington; and you are apprehensive that it may be considered as a mark of dishonesty, if, oppressed with these difficulties, you retain your preferment.
"I know not at present the kind or the extent of these difficulties, and therefore can only reply in general terms. I have already stated my opinion on the impropriety of entering the Church with the previous belief that our Liturgy and Articles are not founded on Scripture. But if a clergyman who believed that they were so at the time of his ordination, and continued that belief till after he had obtained preferment in the Church, begins at some future period to entertain doubts about certain parts either of the Liturgy or the Articles, we have a case which presents a very different question from that which was considered in the former paragraph. In the former case there was a choice of professions, in the latter case there is not. By the laws of this country a clergyman cannot divest himself of the character acquired by the admission to Holy Orders. He can hold no office in the State which is inconsistent with the character of a clergyman. To relinquish preferment, therefore, without being able to relinquish the character by which that preferment was acquired, is quite a different question from that which relates to the original assumption of that character: Nor must it be forgotten that a clergyman may have a numerous family altogether dependent on the income of his benefice, whom he would bring therefore to utter ruin if he resigned it.
"On the other hand, I do not think that even a clergyman so situated is at liberty to substitute his own doctrine for that to which he objects. By so doing he would directly impugn the Articles of our Church, he would make himself liable to deprivation, and would justly deserve it. For he would violate a solemn contract, and destroy the very tenure by which he holds his preferment.
"But is there no medium between an open attack on our Liturgy and Articles and the entertaining of doubts on certain points, which a clergyman may communicate in confidence to a friend, in the hope of having them removed? If, in the mean time, he is unwilling to inculcate in the pulpit doctrines to which his doubts apply, he will at the same time conscientiously abstain from inculcating doctrines of an opposite tendency. Now, if I mistake not, this is precisely your case. And happy shall I be if I can be instrumental to the removal of the doubts which oppress you. I am now at leisure; the engagements which I had at Cambridge respecting my lectures are finished; you may now fully and freely unburden your mind, and I will give to all your difficulties the best consideration in my power.
"I am, my dear Sir,
"Very truly yours,
"Herbert Peterborough."