Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hervey, James (1714-1758)
HERVEY, JAMES (1714–1758), devotional writer, was born at Hardingstone, a village one mile from Northampton, on 26 Feb. 1713-14. His father was the incumbent of Collingtree, a neighbouring village. He was educated as a day scholar at the free grammar school, Northampton. At the age of seventeen he was sent to Lincoln College, Oxford, under the tuition of Dr. Hutchins, the rector of the college. During the first two or three years of his Oxford course he was rather idle, but in 1783 was greatly influenced by the Oxford methodists. In 1734 he began to learn Hebrew without any teacher at the persuasion of John Wesley, then fellow and tutor of Lincoln College. Hervey in his letters gratefully owns his obligations to Wesley for this and other services. After having graduated B.A. he received holy orders at the end of 1736 or the beginning of 1737. He held a Crewe exhibition of 20l. a year at Lincoln College, and his father urged him to take a curacy in or near Oxford so that he might still retain his exhibition. He thought it unfair to keep what another might want more, and after acting as curate to his father for a short while he went to London. He was curate for a year at Dummer in Hampshire, the rector being Mr. Kinchin, one of the early Oxford methodists. In 1738 he became chaplain to Paul Orchard of Stoke Abbey, Devonshire. He was godfather to Orchard’s son and heir, and dedicated the second volume of the ‘Meditations’ to his godchild. He remained at Stoke for more than two years, and then (1740) became curate of Bideford, North Devon. While in Devonshire he planned and probably began his ‘Meditations among the Tombs.’ An excursion to Kilkhampton from Bideford is said to have been the occasion of his laying the scene of the ‘Meditations’ among the tombs of that place. His friends at Bideford contributed to raise his stipend to 60l. per annum. When after serving this curacy for nearly three years he was dismissed by a new rector, the parishioners offered to maintain him at their own expense. But he returned to Weston Favell, a living which his father held with Collingtree, in 1743, and became his father’s curate. He was very industrious both in his parochial and literary work, and his delicate constitution broke down. He retired to London, but his health grew worse. He remained in London until 1762, when on his father's death he succeeded at once to the living of Weston Favell; some authorities assert, though others deny, that he scrupled so long about taking his father's other living of Collingtree that the presentation nearly lapsed to the bishop. At any rate he accepted both at last (the joint value only amounted to 180l. a year) in consideration of his having to support his widowed mother and sister. His biographers, say (though the statement requires explanation) that in order to qualify him for holding both livings his friends procured, without his knowledge, the certificates from Oxford of his being a BA.. that he might take the degree of M.A. at Cambridge. This be did at Clare Hall in 1769, and then settled at Weston Favell. He again overworked himself in his parish and in his study. This brought on a decline, of which he died on Christmas day, 1758. His body was, by his own express desire, carried to the grave covered with the poor's pall. He was buried under the middle of the communion-table of Weston Favell Church. His funeral sermon was preached by the ablest of all the evangelicals, William Romaine.
Hervey's writings were for a long time exceedingly popular. His finest work was entitled 'Meditations and Contemplations.' The first volume, containing 'Meditations among the Tombs,' 'Reflections on a Flower Garden,' and 'A Descant upon Creation,' was published in February 1745–46 and the second containing 'Contemplations on the Night', 'Contemplations on the Starry Heavens,' and a 'Winter Piece,' appeared in 1747. These volumes are filled with truisms expressed in the most inflated language, but were admired by educated parson., and even superseded to a great extent such a powerful work as Law's 'Serious Call.' The explanation may in part he found in Hervey's sympathy with the principles of the evangelical revival and partly in a true appreciation of the beauties of nature, very rare in his time. If he had condescended to write plain English many of his descriptions would have been pleasing. The 'Meditations' had reached a twenty-fifth edition in 1791.
Towards the end of 1752 he published 'Remarks on Lord Bolingbroke's Letters on the Study and Use of History,' and in 1755 a much more famous work, 'Dialogues between Theron and Aspasio,' in three volumes. This work he dedicated to Lady Frances Shirley, a kinswoman of Selina Hastings, countesse of Huntingdon [q. v.] Aspasia endeavours to convince Theron of the doctrine of imputed righteousness. The 'Calvinistic controversy' was then at its height, and Hervey, as a Calvinist, drew down upon himself many opponents, especially John Wesley, who wrote some 'Remarks' on 'Theron and Aspasio' which were not very complimentary either in matter or style. Hervey wrote 'Eleven Letters' in reply, which were all but ready for the press when he died, and which were published by his brother, William Hervey, in 1706. These are the most important of his works; but he also wrote in 1753 a perface, and account of the author for the 'Pious Memorials' of Richard Burnham (1711-1752) [q. v.] In 1757 he published three sermons preached on public fast-days, to which were added in the third edition of 1769 his sermon at Archdeacon Browne's visitation in 1763, and a sermon on the prevailing custom of visiting on Sundays. In 1767 he also published a new edition of his favourite work, Jenk's 'Meditations,' with a preface. He intended also to have written a treatise on 'Gospel Holiness', as a supplement to Theron and Aspasio. After his death a collection of his letters were published, and in 1782 his 'Letters to Lady Frances Shirley,' various sermons also were printed from his manuscripts,. All these compositions are included in the full edition of his 'Works,' published in 1 vol. folio, Edinburgh, 1769, in 6 vols. 8vo, Edinburgh. 1709, and afterwards several times republished.
A more gentle, pious, unworldly spirit than that of James Heresy it is difficult to conceive. He was never known to be in a passion; be made a solemn vow to dedicate all the profits of his literary work to pious and charitable uses, and scrupulously per-formed it. He was naturally disinclined to controversy, though from a sense of duty he threw himself into the hottest and most unsatisfactory of all controversies. The simplicity of his character is a strange contrast to the artificiality of his best-known writings; but in his correspondence and his sermons he uses a simpler end therefore more pleasing style. His popularity as a writer never led him to take a false view of his own powers; when it was at its height he frankly confessed that he was not a man of strong mind, and that he had not power for arduous researches.