\ ito \ Q^ QJ 
 
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 OF THE 
 
 i?as(!)[L(DS[i(Ba[L sacjaaasii?, 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 SAMUEL AGNEW, 
 
 ^^ «*■ PHILABKLPniA. Pa. 
 
 ■*-s<^^>9e,- 
 
 
 Case, _Djyision J 
 
Januauy, 1828. 
 
 WORKS 
 
 PREPARING FOR PUBLICATION 
 
 C. & J. RIVINGTON, 
 
 ST. Paul's church yard, and waterlog place, pall mall. 
 
 1. 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES of the APOSTLES, EVANGELISTS, 
 
 and other SAINTS. With Reflections, adapted to the Minor Festivals 
 
 of the Church. In 8vo. 
 
 By the Right Rev. RICHARD MANT, D.D. 
 
 Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. 
 
 II. 
 
 .ESCHYLUS. 
 Recensuit JACOBUS SCHOLEFIELD, A.M. 
 
 Graec. Lit. Professor Regius Cantab. 
 
 In 8vo. 
 
 III. 
 
 The HULSEAN LECTURES for 1827, 
 
 On the Proofs of Divine Power and Wisdom derived from the Study of 
 
 Astronomy : and on the Evidence, Doctrines and Precepts of 
 
 Revealed Religion. 8vo. 12s. 
 
 By the Rev. TEMPLE CHEVALLIER, M.A. 
 
 Late Fellow and Tutor of Catharine Hall. 
 
 IV. 
 
 MILITARY REFLECTIONS on TURKEY. 
 By BARON VON VALENTINI, 
 
 Major General in the Prussian Service. 
 
 Translated by a MILITARY OFFICER. 
 
 In 8vo. With a Map. 
 
 V. 
 
 A SECOND EDITION OF THE 
 
 Rev. GEORGE CROLY'S NEW INTERPRETATION of the 
 APOCALYPSE of ST. JOHN. In 8vo. 12.s. 
 
 VI. 
 A SECOND SERIES OF DISCOURSES, 
 
 Pleached before the University of Cambridge. 8vo. 
 
 By the Rev. HUGH JAMES ROSE, A.M. 
 
 Vicar of Horsham, Sussex. 
 
 VTI. 
 
 A TREATISE ON ALGEBRA. 
 
 By the Rev. GEORGE PEACOCK, A.M. F.R.S. F.G.S. 
 
 Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College, Cambridge. 
 In 8vo. With Plates. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 A SECOND SERIES of SELECTIONS from the PAPERS of 
 
 ADDISON, in the SPECTATOR and GUARDIAN. In 12rao. 5s. 6d. 
 
 By the Rev. E. BERENS, IM.A. 
 
2 PREPARING FOR PUBLICATION 
 
 IX. 
 
 An EXPOSITION of the MORNING, EVENING, and COMMU- 
 NION SERVICES, in the LITURGY of the CHURCH of ENGLAND. 
 
 In Thirteen Lectures. 12mo. 5s. 
 By the Rev. EDWARD PATTESON, M.A. 
 
 X. 
 
 A MANUAL OF ELECTRO-DYNAMICS. 
 
 Chiefly Translated from the French of J. F. Demonferrakd, with Alterations 
 and Additions, comprehending the latest Discoveries and Improvements. 
 
 By J. CUMMING, M.A. F.R.S. 
 
 Professor of Chemistry, and late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 
 
 In 8vo. With Plates. 12s. 
 
 XI. 
 
 On the EVIDENCES of NATURAL and REVEALED RELIGION. 
 
 By the late Rev. Dr. GERARD. 
 In 8vo. 
 
 XII. 
 
 PAROCHIAL SERMONS, 
 
 Illustrative of the Importance of the Revelation of God in Jesus Christ. 12mo. 
 By the Rev. RENN D. HAMPDEN, A.M. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 The ROMAN EMPIRE, under CONSTANTINE the GREAT. 
 
 By MATTHEW BRIDGES, Esq. 
 
 In 8vo. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 A POPULAR SYSTEM OF DIVINITY, 
 
 As comprised in the Liturgy, Services and Articles of the Church of England. 
 In Three Parts. 12mo. 
 
 By C. H. LUTWIDGE, B.A. 
 
 Vicar of Ottery, Somerset. 
 
 XV. 
 
 The DOCTRINE of the GREEK ARTICLE, 
 
 Applied to the Criticism and Illustration of the New Testament. 
 
 By the Right Rev. T. FANSHAWE MIDDLETON, D.D. 
 
 Late Lord Bishop of Calcutta. 
 
 , Second Edition, Revised, 
 
 By the Rev. J. SCHOLEFIELD, A.M. 
 
 Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Cambridge. 
 In 8vo. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 TWENTY-FIVE SERMONS, 
 
 Preached to the Inmates of a Gaol, and in a great degree adapted to a 
 
 Country Congregation. In I'iJmo. 6a. 
 
 By the Rev. JOHN CLAY, 
 
 Chaplain to the House of Correction, Preston. 
 
BY C. AND J. RIVINGTON. O 
 
 XVIT. 
 A SECOND EDITION OF 
 
 The PRIMER, a BOOK of PRIVATE PRAYER, 
 
 set forth by Order of King Edward VI. In 12mo. 
 
 Edited by the Rev. H. WALTER, B.D. F.R.S. 
 
 xviir. 
 
 A SECOND EDITION OF 
 
 A SERIES of DISCOURSES on the STATE of the PROTESTANT 
 RELIGION in GERMANY. 
 
 Preached before the University of Cambridge, in 1825. In 8vo. 
 
 By the Rev. HUGH JAMES ROSE, M.A. 
 
 Vicar of Horsham, Sussex. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 The BETROTHED LOVERS. A Milanese Tale of the 17th Century. 
 
 Translated from the Italian of Alessandro Manzoni. 
 
 In Three Vols. Post Svo. 
 
 XX. 
 
 THE FOURTPI AND CONCLUDING VOLUME OF THE 
 
 HISTORY of the REFORMATION of the CHURCH of ENGLAND. 
 By the Rev. H. SO AMES, M.A. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 A MANUAL of DEVOTION for PASSION WEEK. 
 
 Extracted from Dean Stanhope's Paraphrase on the Epistles and Gospels appointed 
 to be read in the Liturgy of the Church of England. In 12mo. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 A NEW EDITION OF 
 
 The CLERICAL GUIDE, or ECCLESIASTICAL DIRECTORY. 
 
 Containing a complete Register of all the BENEFICES in ENGLAND and 
 
 WALES, arranged alphabetically; with the Names of their INC:UMBENTS. 
 
 Corrected to 1828. In 8vo. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 A NEW AND IMPROVED EDITION OF 
 
 DEBRETT'S PEERAGE of the UNITED KINGDOM. 
 
 With a New Set of Plates, Engraved in a very superior Style. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 A NEW AND IMPROVED EDITION OF 
 
 DEBRETT'S BARONETAGE. 
 
 Printed Uniformly with the above. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 A SECOND EDITION OF 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN YEAR; 
 
 Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holidays throughout the Year. 
 In One Volume 8vo. lO.s. 6d. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 The INFANTILE SCHOOL-SYSTEM, 
 
 as it is generally practised. In 8vo. 
 
WORKS PUBLISHED IN 1827 
 
 BY 
 
 C. & J. RIVINGTON. 
 
 THE SECOND PART OF 
 
 RECENSIO. SYNOPTIC A ANNOTATIONIS SACR^ : 
 
 Or CRITICAL DIGEST of the most important ANNOTATIONS, Exegetical, 
 Philological, and Tlieological, on the New Testament. Containing the Acts 
 and the Epistles. In 5 vols. 8vo. Price 4/. 
 
 By the Rev. S. T. BLOOMFIELD, A.M. 
 
 Vicar of Bisbrook, Rutland. 
 
 This Work, especially adapted to the use of Academical Students, Candidates for Holy 
 Orders, INIinisters, &c. is intended to establish the interpretation, explain the phraseology, 
 and illustrate the New Testament, especially from the Classical Authors, the Rabbinical 
 Writings, the ancient Fathers, and early Greek Commentators, Scholiasts, and Glossogra- 
 phers. It contains an immense body of valuable matter hitherto inaccessible even to many 
 men of learning, but which, by being collated, digested, simplified, and translated into the 
 vernacular tongue, will be brought, in some measure, within the comprehension of even 
 English scholars, and made available to the religious instruction of all intelligent and well- 
 informed readers. 
 
 The Contents have been very carefully selected, and condensed, from the most eminent 
 Commentators and Theologians, both ancient and modern ; so digested as to form one con- 
 sistent body of interpretation and illustration, and wherever it has been derived from the 
 Learned languages, or the Gennan, translated into English. With the whole is inter- 
 mixed a series of Critical Remarks tending to guide the judgment of the Student; and an 
 ample body of Original Annotations, Philological, Exegetical, and Theological, formed 
 gradually during a long and laborious course of Classical and Biblical research. 
 
 The Work may now he had complete in 8 vols. Bro. Price 6l. 2«. 
 
 II. 
 HOMERI ILIAS : 
 With ENGLISH NOTES, illustrating the Grammatical Construction ; the Mytho- 
 logy and Antiquities, JNIanners and Customs of the Heroic Ages ; the Corre- 
 spondence between the early Greek and Jewish Customs; and with Preliminary 
 Observations on the Life and Writings of Homer. In 2 vols. 8vo. ll. 4s. 
 Tlie Text chiefly from HEYNE. 
 
 By the Rev. WILLIAM TROLLOPE, M.A. 
 
 One of the Masters of Christ's Hospital. 
 
 III. 
 
 An INTRODUCTION to the WRITINGS of the NEW TESTAMENT. 
 By Dr. JOHN LEONARD HUG. Professor of Theology in the University of 
 Freyburgh. Translated from the German, with an Introduction and Notes by 
 the Rev. DANIEL GUILFORD W^AIT, LL.D. Rector of Blagdon and Mem- 
 ber of the Royal Asiatic Society. In 2 Vols. Svo. ll. 12s. 
 
 I\. 
 
 A VINDICATION of the LITERARY CHARACTER of the LATE 
 
 PROFESSOR PORSON from the Animadversions of the Right Rev. THO- 
 MAS BURGESS, D.D. F.R.S. F.A.S. P.R.S.L. Lord Bishop of Salisbury, in 
 various Publications on 1 John, v. 7. 8vo. 1 Is. 
 
 By CRITO CANTABRIGIENSIS. 
 
WORKS PUBLISHED IN 182" 
 
 SERMONS 
 
 Designed to Correct some of the Principal Doctrinal Errors of the Present Times, 
 and to promote Christian Unity and Church-Membership. 8vo. 12s. 
 
 By the Rev. S. HYDE CASSAN, M.A. 
 Curate of Mere, Wilts. 
 
 VI. 
 
 RAMBLES in MADEIRA and PORTUGAL, 
 
 During the early part of 1826. 
 
 With an APPENDIX of DETAILS, illustrative of the Climate, Produce, and 
 Civil History of the Island. In one volume, Post Bvo. With a Map of the 
 Island of Madeira. Price 9s. 6d. 
 
 VII. 
 
 TWENTY-SIX VIEWS in the MADEIRAS. 
 
 Executed in Stone by Westall, Nicholson, Harding, Nash, Villeneuve, 
 
 Gauci, &c. from Original Drawings. 
 
 On plain or tinted Paper, 3/. 3s. Proofs, on India Paper, 4l. 4s. 
 
 By the Rev. JAMES BULWER. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 DEVOTIONAL HYMNS, 
 
 Designed especially for Public Worship, founded chiefly on the Collects, Epistles 
 and Gospels for each Sunday, and for the Fasts and Festivals and Public Offices 
 of the United Church of England and Ireland. 12mo. 5s. bound. 
 
 By the Rev. J. BULL, M.A. 
 
 Curate of Clipston, Northants, and Master of the Hospital and Free Grammar 
 
 School in that place. 
 
 IX. 
 The CONNECTION of SACRED and PROFANE HISTORY, from 
 
 the Death of Joshua until the Decline of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. 
 
 Intended to complete the Works of SHUCKFORD and PRIDEAUX. 
 
 In 2 vols. Bvo. 1/. 8s. 
 
 By the Rev. M. RUSSELL, LLD. 
 
 Episcopal Minister, Leith. 
 
 X. 
 
 The WORKS of the RIGHT HONOURABLE EDMUND BURKE. 
 
 Vols. XV. and XVI. Bvo. With a General Index. 1/. Is. 
 XI. 
 
 SERMONS 
 
 On some of the LEADING PRINCIPLES of CHRISTIANITY. 
 By PHILIP NICHOLAS SHUTTLEWORTH, D.D. 
 
 Warden of New College, Oxford ; and Rector of Foxley, Wilts. 
 
 In Bvo. 12s. 
 
 XII. 
 
 The TIMES and the SEASONS ; 
 
 Or the Prophetic Writings Harmonized : a Series of Treatises illustrative of the 
 
 Holy Scriptures. With a Table explaining the 2,300 Evenings and 
 
 Mornings of Daniel. Small Bvo. 12s. 
 
6 WORKS PUBLISHED IN 1827 
 
 XIII. 
 
 A PRACTICAL TREATISE on TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEYING 
 
 and DRAWING: containing a simple and easy Mode of Surveying the Detail of 
 any Portion of Country ; and a very important Improvement in the Delineation 
 of Ground. To which are added INSTRUCTIONS in TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 INIODELLING; or the Art of representing the Surface of a Country in Relief. 
 With Seven Illustrative Plates. 8vo. 9s. 
 By Lieut. WILLIAM SIBORN, 
 Assistant Military Secretary to the Commander of the Forces in Ireland. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF ROME. 
 
 Now first translated from the German of G. B. NIEBUHR. 
 By F. A. WALTER, Esq. F.R.S.L. 
 One of the Librarians of the British Museum. 
 
 With Two Large Maps. In 2 vols. 8vo. ll. 4s. 
 XV. 
 
 S E R M O N S, 
 
 Chiefly DOCTRINAL. With Notes. 8vo. 12s. 
 
 By GEORGE D'OYLY, D.D. F.R.S. 
 
 Rector of Lambeth; and of Sunbridge in Kent. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 A HISTORY of the Rt. Hon. WILLIAM PITT, Earl of CHATHAM; 
 
 containing his Speeches in Parliament, and his Correspondence, when Secretary 
 
 of State, upon Foreign Affairs. With an Account of the principal Events 
 
 connected with his Life and Administration. 
 
 By the Rev. FRANCIS THACKERAY, A.M. 
 
 In 2 vols. 4to. With a Portrait, engraved by Finden. 3/. 12.<f. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 A POPULAR COMMENTARY on the BIBLE, in a Series of SER- 
 MONS, following, in the Old Testament, the Course of the First Lessons at 
 Morning and Evening Service on Sundays. In 2 vols. 8vo. ll. 6s. 
 
 By the Rev. J. PLUMPTRE, B.D. 
 
 Vicar of Great Gransden, Huntingdonshire. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 HISTORY of the REFORMATION of the CHURCH of ENGLAND. 
 
 Volume the Third. Containing the Reign of KING EDWARD VI. 
 8vo. 18s. 
 
 By HENRY SOAMES, M.A. 
 
 Rector of Shelley, in Essex. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 The NATURE and EXTENT of the CHRISTIAN DISPENSATION, 
 
 withreference to the S ALVA BILITY of the HEATHEN. In 8vo. 12s. 
 
 By EDWARD WILLIAM GRINFIELD, M.A. 
 
 XX. 
 
 IDEAS and REALITIES, 
 
 or Tlioughts on Various Subjects. 8vo. 10s. 
 By WILLIAM DAN BY, Esq. of Swinton Park, Yorkshire. 
 
BY C. AND J. RIVINGTON. 7 
 
 XXI. 
 
 NARRATIVE of an EXCURSION to the MOUNTAINS of PIE- 
 MONT, in the Year 1823, and RESEARCHES among the VAUDOIS, or 
 WALDENSES, Protestant Inhabitants of the Cottian Alps. Fourth Edition. 
 By WILLIAM STEPHEN GILLY, M.A. M.R.S.L. 
 
 Prebendary of Durham, and Rector of North Fambridge, Essex. 
 
 With TEN VIEWS of SCENERY, drawn on Stone by Nicholson, and 
 
 Two Maps. 8vo. 185. 
 
 The Views may be had separately, Price 6s. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 The NEW TESTAMENT, 
 Arranged IN CHRONOLOGICAL and HISTORICAL ORDER. 
 
 The Gospels on the Basis of the Harmonies of Lightfoot, Doddridge, Pilking- 
 TON, Newcome, and Michvelis ; the Account of the Resurrection on the Autho- 
 rities of West, Townson, and Cranfield : with copious Notes on the principal 
 Subjects in Theology. Second Edition. With Marginal References. 2 vols. 
 8vo, 2l. 
 
 By the Rev. GEORGE TOWNSEND, M.A. 
 Prebendary of Durham, and Vicar of Northallerton. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 The EPISTOLARY CORRESPONDENCE of the 
 RIGHT HON. EDMUND BURKE and DR. FRENCH LAURENCE. 
 
 Published from the Original Manuscripts. 8vo. 8s. 6d. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 The CASE between the CHURCH and the DISSENTERS, 
 
 Impartially and Practically considered. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 By the Rev. FRANCIS MEREWETHER, M.A. 
 
 Rector of Cole Orton, Vicar of Whitwick, and Chaplain to the Most Noble the 
 
 Marquis of Lansdowne. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 A SELECTION from the PAPERS of ADDISON 
 
 In the SPECTATOR and GUARDIAN. For the Use of Young Persons. 
 
 12mo. 4s. 6d. 
 
 By the Rev. E. BERENS, M.A. 
 XXVI. 
 
 On the HISTORICAL TYPES of the OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 Twenty Discourses preached before the University of Cambridge in the year 18^6, 
 on the LECTURE founded by the Rev. JOHN HULSE. 8vo. 12s. 
 
 By the Rev. TEMPLE CHEVALLIER, M.A. 
 
 Late Fellow and Tutor of Catherine Hall. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 A TOUR in FRANCE, SAVOY, NORTHERN ITALY, SWITZER- 
 LAND, GERMANY, and the NETHERLANDS, in 1825. 
 Including some Observations on the Scenery of the Neckar and the Rhine. 
 
 By SETH WILLIAM STEVENSON. 
 
 2 vols. 8vo. 1/. Is. 
 
8 WORKS PUBLISHED IN 1827. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 A VINDICATION of the SENTIMENTS 
 
 Contained in a " LETTER to a CLERGYMAN on the PECULIAR TENETS 
 of the PRESENT DAY/' in Answer to the Letters of the Rev. Mr. WHISH, 
 which were intended as a Reply to that Publication. With an Appendix, con- 
 taining a few Remarks addressed to another Antagonist. 8vo. 10s. 6d. 
 
 By R. BRANSBY COOPER, Esq. M.P. 
 XXIX. 
 
 FACTS and DOCUMENTS, 
 
 Illustrative of the HISTORY of the PERIOD immediately preceding the Acces- 
 sion of WILLIAM III. referring particularly to Religion in England and 
 France, and bearing on RECENT EVENTS. 8vo. 9s. bd. 
 
 By ARTHUR H. KENNEY, D.D. 
 
 . Rector of St. Olave's, Southwark. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 SERMONS for SUNDAY EVENINGS on the TEN COMMAND- 
 MENTS. Second Edition. With Two Additional Sermons, and Family 
 Prayers adapted to the Seasons. 12mo. 4s. 6d. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 A HISTORY of INVENTIONS and DISCOVERIES, 
 
 Alphabetically Arranged. 8vo. 14s. 
 
 By FRANCIS SELLON WHITE, Esq. F.A.S. 
 Many years on the Military Staff in India. 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 A VINDICATION of the CHARACTER of the Pious and Learned 
 BISHOP BULL, from the unqualified Accusations brought against it by the 
 Archdeacon of Ely, in his Charge delivered in the year 1823. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 By the Ven. CHARLES DAUBENY, D.D. 
 Late Archdeacon of Sarum. 
 
 XXXIII. 
 
 DAVIDICA: 
 
 TWELVE PRACTICAL SERMONS on the Life and Character of DAVID, 
 King of Israel. 8vo. 10s. 6d. 
 
 By HENRY THOMPSON, M.A. 
 
 Assistant Minister of St. George's, Camberwell. 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 A HISTORY of ENGLAND, 
 
 From the earliest Period to the Present Time; in which it is intended to consider 
 
 Men and Events on Christian Principles. 
 
 By a Clergyman of the Church of England. 
 
 This work will be completed in about Forty-eight Monthly Numbers, at 6d. each, forming 
 4 vols, in 12mo. The first four numbers are now published. 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 A NEW CATALOGUE of STANDARD WORKS in THEOLOGY 
 
 and GENERAL LITERATURE. 
 
 In 8vo. 
 
^ 
 
 5 ^i>-^-»'^ 
 
AN INQUIRY 
 CONCERNING THE MEANS AND EXPEDIENCE 
 
 OF PROPOSING AND MAKING ANY CHANGES IN THE 
 
 CANONS, ARTICLES, OR LITURGY, 
 
 OR IN ANY OF THE 
 
 LAWS AFFECTING THE INTERESTS OF 
 
 THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 
 
 BY WILLIAM WINSTANLEY HULL, 
 
 OF LINCOLN'S INN, BARRISTER AT LAW, 
 LATE FELLOW OF BRASEN NOSE COLLEGE, OXFORD. 
 
 " LET US NOT THEREFORE JUDGE ONE ANOTHER ANY MORE : BUT JUDGE THIS 
 RATHER, THAT NO MAN PUT A STUMBLING BLOCK, OR AN OCCASION TO FALL, IN HIS 
 BROTHERS WAY. LET NOT OUR GOOD BE EVIL SPOKEN OF." 
 
 J. PARKER, OXFORD. 
 C. AND J. RIVINGTON, LONDON. 
 
 1828. 
 
PRINTED BY R. WATTS, CROWN COURT, TEMPLE BAR. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Ch. I. p. I. General Principles of Union. 
 
 II. S. Charles II.'s Commission in 16GL— Preface to 
 Eng-lish and American Prayer Books. 
 
 III. 13. Some general grounds for inquiry. 
 
 IV. 21. Reasons against any hasty conduct of such an 
 
 inquiry. 
 
 V. 24. Nature of truth and opinion as affecting Creeds 
 and Articles. 
 
 VI. 30. Import of the words "Church" and "Salvation." 
 
 VII. 38. The nature and basis of any profession of faith. 
 
 VIII. 46. The Athanasian Creed, and various opinions 
 about it. 
 
 IX. 63. Number of Articles in the Church, and other 
 questions affecting it, somewhat uncertain. 
 
 X. 84. Charles II.'s Declaration, 1660.— Savoy Confe- 
 rence. — Act of Uniformity.~Sir M. Hale's bill. 
 
 XI. 100. The Proceedings in the Jerusalem Chamber; 
 and various matters relating thereto. 
 
 XII. 160. General Questions, which might be debated 
 before any Commissioners at this time. 
 
 XIII. 188. American Church and Prayer Book. 
 
 XIV. 240. Conclusion. 
 
CHAP. I. 
 
 CONCIL. NIC. 
 JUELLI APOL. 12G. 
 
 St. PAUL besought the Ephesians to walk worthy 
 of the vocation wherewith they were called, with all 
 lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing 
 one another in love ; endeavouring to keep the unity 
 of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one 
 body, and one Spirit, even as they were and we now 
 are called, in one hope of our calling ; one Lord, one 
 faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Who is 
 above all, and through all, and in all Christians. Hence 
 it is inferred, that the Church, as a body compacted in 
 the Saviour, should be informed by His Spirit, and by 
 that one Spirit only : so that, as the body and the spirit 
 make up the man, the body and the spirit should make 
 up the Church. And every individual member of the 
 Church is therefore exhorted to take heed to himself, 
 that he is governed by that same Spirit which should 
 govern the whole Church, when he is exhorted to en- 
 deavour to keep the unity of the Church. The word 
 "endeavour" may have been used, because an indivi- 
 dual can only govern himself absolutely in one sense, 
 
 B 
 
and "endeavour" to govern the Church. The means 
 to make of one mind all the members of the Church, 
 as prescribed here for our adoption, are not difficult Ar- 
 ticles and Creeds which may possibly work exclusions 
 and ill-will ; but are the feelings which would most 
 lead us far away from such conditions, and induce 
 and enable us to bear with the ignorance of others, 
 however painful and inexplicable to ourselves. And 
 such feelings would keep them and us bound toge- 
 ther, not by any formal professions of faith, not by 
 any exercise of authority, direct or indirect, (for that 
 had implied subjection or opposition,) but in the bond 
 of peace. In our practice, whatever tends to raise 
 dissension, or a notion of disunion, is to be avoided, if 
 possible, in order that Christians may be bound to- 
 gether, and become of one body and one spirit, by 
 means of this blessed peace. 
 
 When this peace is broken by dissent, when there 
 exist divisions among Christians, it is not easy to de- 
 termine which are they "who will not endure sound 
 doctrine, and, having itching ears, are, after their own 
 lusts, heaping to themselves teachers;" and which are 
 they who will not endure, no, not for a moment, any 
 departure from the pure and simple Gospel. But this 
 difficulty must exist in every case : all that can be done, 
 is, to provide the best remedies we may, for evils which 
 it might else increase or create. And, on the other 
 hand, it is not easy to discover what profit there may 
 be to the Church of God, or even what profit there 
 may be expected to the Church of God, that Church so 
 dear to Him, that it was purchased with His own 
 
3 
 
 blood, from persisting in laws which are not now con- 
 sidered essential, whatever they may have been consi- 
 dered ages ago, to the salvation of souls. And, surely, 
 the burden of proof lies upon the active party, upon 
 them who make or maintain the positive law, to shew 
 its profitableness. If this cannot be shewn, the law is 
 idle, or mischievous : and if there be, what the Church 
 of England depends upon, great and undeniable ad- 
 vantages, not only temporal, but also spiritual, attendant 
 upon the establishment of one Church in every land, it 
 becomes the members of that Church to do their utmost, 
 individually and collectively, that each Englishman may 
 be built up on the foundation of that Church which was 
 laid by apostles and prophets, of which the Lord Jesus 
 is himself the head corner-stone. Now, as this cannot 
 be done by compulsion, it must be done by conciliation, 
 if it be done at all : and the first step towards the winning 
 of souls, will be to take care that the faith of any disciple 
 be not subverted at the time when we should be laying 
 the first stones of his future edification. To the mass 
 of our Church Service he will not find any tenable ob- 
 jection. If he have read history, he will admit the ne- 
 cessity of rule and order in the Church : if he have 
 read his Bible, he will admit the promises made to 
 public, as distinguishable from private worship : and 
 the declaration of the righteousness of our God, in the 
 great congregation, will soon prove itself better, than 
 hiding that righteousness within our hearts, as if we 
 were unwilling to avow His loving mercy : indeed, such 
 an unwillingness often proceeds from shame, at not 
 acting up to our principles; or from pride, or some 
 
 b2 
 
4 
 
 other questionable motive. In other words, each En- 
 glishman who remained a hearer at one of our parish 
 churches, because he found the Service insisting upon 
 truth without harshness and idle reproof, would soon 
 understand the temporal and spiritual advantages of 
 our Establishment. Let us, then, who love that Esta- 
 blishment, take care that we do not " strive with him 
 about words to no profit;" words which tend to the 
 subverting of every hearer:" but let us "rightly divide 
 the word of truth," and own together our common 
 hope, our common calling, our common Father and 
 God. "The servants of the Lord will avoid foohsh 
 and unlearned questions, knowing that they do gender 
 strifes ; and will be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, 
 patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose them- 
 selves; if God peradventure will give repentance to 
 the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may 
 recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, 
 who are taken captive by him at his will." Let us 
 take care that we do not worship God in vain, teach- 
 ing for doctrines the commandments of men ; and that, 
 in order to keep our own tradition, we do not reject 
 the commandment of God. Mark vii. 7 — 9. 
 
 In a limited sense, it is possible for man to make of 
 none effect the word of God: and hence the responsibi- 
 lity which attaches, in a greater degree, to the higher 
 clergy and the ruling powers in England. Each indivi- 
 dual, however low, has every day some opportunities of 
 serving his gracious Master; and does, or leaves un- 
 done, this his bounden duty. But those of high rank 
 and station, who are set as it were upon a hill, and 
 
have received much, are most especially called upon 
 to promote the kingdom of heaven by their example and 
 their influence: it is more immediately their duty to 
 look with a jealous eye upon the particular church to 
 which they may belong, that, so far as rests with them, 
 it may be freed from spot and blemish. 
 
 The changes in any church should be made by the 
 members of that church, who love it, and understand it 
 better than strangers. And, on this ground, it may well 
 be questioned, how far dissenters should be allowed such 
 privileges as will give them the power to make any 
 changes in the Church of England, until that Church has 
 been changed by its own members into a form less ob- 
 jectionable than that which it now wears. If these pri- 
 vileges be granted to dissenters before such a change, it 
 is not improbable that some classes of them may deem 
 it right to interfere with the regulations of our church ; 
 and some law, to prevent such an interference, would 
 become at least advisable : and yet it would be very 
 difficult to provide such a law^, without a trespass on 
 the feelings or privileges of loyal dissenters. If some 
 negative changes were now made in the Church of 
 England, not any dissenters would be able, and few, if 
 any, would be desirous to make any further changes. 
 Upon the whole, the mass of protestant dissenters seem 
 better inclined to the Church, than the Church is to 
 them ; and more aware of the value of the Church, as 
 maintaining and promoting, at home and abroad, true 
 religion and useful learning, than churchmen themselves 
 as a body. Men are too apt to undervalue their privi- 
 leges ; and often, from an unadmitted conviction that they 
 
6 
 
 do not live up to them. Most churchmen, individually, 
 speak and act with much charity towards tlieir weaker 
 brethren individually ; but they forget this charity as 
 a body. By a sad error in reason and feeling, they 
 approve and support, when done by the whole body, 
 that which they disclaim for themselves separately. But 
 surely this error ought to be corrected : and no indi- 
 vidual churchman should hold himself obhged to ap- 
 prove, as one of a body, that which he disapproves in 
 his own conscience. The Church is but a multitude of 
 individuals, and there can only be one rule of right 
 and wrong. The spirit of party is very treacherous ; 
 and churchmen have also some reason to be on their 
 watch against a spirit of jealousy founded upon wrong 
 principles. Dissenters are zealous and pious ; and so 
 they should be. They press hard upon the heels of 
 the Church in the race of life; and so they should, 
 and both should profit thereby. Let not pride and envy 
 delight to prove that their zeal is without knowledge, 
 and their piety of contention ; that their efforts are 
 the result of conscious weakness. If the pages of Neal 
 and Calamy, and Baxter himself, if the proceedings in 
 Red-cross street seem to warrant such an inference, 
 still the induction is from a very small number to a 
 very large one: and if it be true, as against those who 
 are thereby condemned, is it right or safe for those who 
 thereby condemn their neighbours? and that in a point 
 concerning which the fact, that they are themselves so 
 peculiarly sensitive, ought to make them examine their 
 own motives with especial care. Such an inference, if 
 true, may not be known to be true by those who adopt 
 
it. Jewell observed of certain charges brought against 
 the early Christians, that the Devil thought it enough 
 for him if he could only so far prevail as to make men 
 beheve them true. Apol. iv. & post. 62. Indisputably, 
 there are offenders both within and without the pale of 
 our Church : let all alike try to lessen the numbers of 
 both. If some of the inquiries hereinafter suggested 
 were satisfactorily made, it is not unlikely some changes 
 in our Creed, and Articles, and Liturgy, would be the 
 result. And if, after such changes, all religious tests 
 were abolished, in respect to fitness for civil employ- 
 ments ; and no individual presumed unchristian in this 
 Christian land, without evidence to that effect; it 
 seems probable that the Church of England would 
 soon number the great mass of Protestant dissenters 
 among the adherents to her communion. It is as- 
 sumed, that the ruling powers on behalf of the Church 
 would not, for conscience sake, overlook the lessons 
 afforded them in the 17th and 18th centuries, by Pu- 
 ritans, Non-conformists, and Wesleyans, as to the many 
 points that would then be agitated ; especially as to 
 the ordination and re-ordination of ministers, and the 
 necessity for conciliating any congregation, rather than 
 insisting upon identity of opinion, in matters of minor 
 importance. It must be kept in mind, that no pro- 
 fessions can absolutely secure or at any time maintain 
 such an identity. The outward exhibition of opinions 
 in practice can alone be controlled: and it should be 
 acounted enough, to controul that practice. 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 Neque enim ea est Ecclesia Dei, quae infuscari labe aliqua non possit, 
 aut non interdum egeat instauratione.— Juelli Apol. 69. &v. 124. 
 
 The Commission which King Charles issued, on the 
 25th of March 1661, empowered twelve bishops, among 
 whom were Sheldon, Cosin, Sanderson, and Morley ; 
 and twelve leading men on the Presbyterian side, among 
 whom were Reynolds (bishop of Norwich), Wallis, 
 Calamy, and Baxter ; to consider the objections urged 
 against the Liturgy, and to make such alterations in it 
 as they might concur in thinking advisable. Nine as- 
 sistants were named for each side ; among whom were 
 Heylin, Pearson, Sparrow, and Light foot. The direc- 
 tions given these commissioners were, " to advise upon 
 and review the Book of Common Prayer, comparing 
 the same with the most ancient Liturgies which have 
 been used in the Church in the primitive and purest 
 times; and to take into their serious and grave con- 
 siderations the several directions and rules, forms of 
 prayer, and things in the said Book of Common Prayer 
 contained ; and to advise and consult upon and about 
 the same, and the several objections and exceptions 
 which shall now be raised against the same; and (if 
 
occasion be) to make such reasonable and necessary 
 alterations, corrections, and amendments, as shall be 
 agreed upon to be needful and expedient, for the giving 
 satisfaction to tender consciences, and the restoring and 
 continuance of peace and unity in the churches under 
 his Majesty's protection and government. And to cer- 
 tify, and present to his Majesty in vrriting, under their 
 several hands, the matters and things whereupon they 
 shall so determine, to be by his Majesty approved and 
 established." 
 
 In the preface to our Common Prayer, it is stated 
 " to have been the wisdom of the Church of England, 
 ever since the first compiling of her public Liturgy, to 
 keep the mean between the two extremes, of too much 
 stiffness in refusing, and of too much easiness in ad- 
 mitting, any variation from it." The reviewers re- 
 jected all such alterations as seemed to them dangerous 
 or frivolous : " but such as were tendered to them (by 
 what person, under what pretences, or to what purpose 
 soever tendered), and seemed to them in any degree 
 requisite or expedient, they willingly and of their own 
 accord assented unto: not enforced so to do by any 
 strength of argument, convincing them of the neces- 
 sity of making the said alterations; for that they were 
 fully persuaded, in their own judgments, that the book, 
 as it stood before established by law, did not contain 
 in it any thing contrary to the word of God, or to sound 
 doctrine, or which a godly man might not, with a good 
 conscience, use and submit unto, or which was not fairly 
 defensible against any that should oppose the same,* if 
 it should be allowed such just and favourable construe- 
 
 AAA Al \J JA aU^I 
 
 T^ IT ^ n T. o n T n •; Ti /? 
 
10 
 
 tion as, in common equity, ought to be allowed to all 
 human writings." Their general aim in their under- 
 taking was, " to do that which, to their best understand- 
 ings, they conceived might most tend to the preservation 
 of peace and unity in the Church ; the procuring of 
 reverence, and exciting of piety and devotion, in the 
 public worship of God ; and the cutting off occasion, 
 from them that seek occasion, of cavil or quarrel against 
 the Liturgy of the Church." They describe, generally, 
 the alterations and additions they made, in three classes : 
 The first. As directions for the officiating minister: 
 The second. For " the more proper expressing of some 
 words or phrases of ancient usage, in terms more suitable 
 to the language of the then present times; and the 
 clearer explanation of some other words and phrases, 
 that were either of doubtful signification, or otherwise 
 liable to misconstruction : and The third. For the more 
 perfect rendering of such portions of Holy Scripture, as 
 were inserted into the Liturgy." 
 
 Since that time, no further review has been made of 
 our Liturgy; which remains now as it was then set 
 forth, except only such alterations in form and names 
 as the King in Council has from time to time directed ; 
 and the sanction, such as it may be, given to the forms 
 of prayer for the 5th of November, the 30th of January, 
 the S9th of May, and the King's Accession, for the first 
 time in October 1761, by order of the King. 
 
 When America broke her faith, and rebelled against 
 the King to whom she had plighted her allegiance, it 
 was necessary for the churchmen there to make some 
 alterations in their Prayer Book. Seven of the States 
 
11 
 
 held a Convention at Philadelphia in 1785; and set forth 
 a Liturgy varying much more from ours than appeared 
 right to later Conventions. Their present Prayer Book 
 came into use October 1, 1790, under the Conven- 
 tion of October 1789: and the preface to it cites 
 much of the preface to the English Liturgy, and con- 
 cludes thus : 
 
 " The attention of this Church was, in the first 
 place, drawn to those alterations in the Liturgy, which 
 became necessary, in the prayers for our civil rulers, 
 in consequence of the Revolution. And the principal 
 care herein was to make them conformable to what 
 ought to be the proper end of such prayers ; namely, 
 that ' rulers may have grace, wisdom, and understanding 
 to execute justice, and to maintain truth ;' and that 
 the people * may lead quiet and peaceable lives, in all 
 godliness and honesty.* 
 
 " But while these alterations were in review before 
 the Convention, they could not but, with gratitude 
 to God, embrace the happy occasion which was of- 
 fered to them, uninfluenced and unrestrained by any 
 worldly authority whatsoever, to take a further review 
 of the public service, and to establish such other al- 
 terations and amendments therein as might be deemed 
 expedient. 
 
 " It seems unnecessary to enumerate all the different 
 alterations and amendments. They will appear, and 
 it is to be hoped the reasons of them also, upon a com- 
 parison of this with the Book of Common Prayer of 
 the Church of England. In which it will also appear, 
 that this Church is far from intending to depart from 
 
12 
 
 the Church of England in any essential point of doc- 
 trine, discipline, or worship, or further than local cir- 
 cumstances require, 
 
 *' And now, this important work being brought to a 
 conclusion, it is hoped the whole will be received 
 and examined by every true member of our Church, 
 and every sincere Christian, with a meek, candid, 
 and charitable frame of mind ; without prejudice 
 or prepossession ; seriously considering what Chris- 
 tianity is, and what the truths of the Gospel are ; 
 and earnestly beseeching Almighty God to accom- 
 pany with his blessing every endeavour for promul- 
 gating them to mankind, in the clearest, plainest, most 
 affecting, and majestic manner, for the sake of Jesus 
 Christ, our blessed Lord and Saviour." 
 
 And this Prayer Book is well worth the serious atten- 
 tion of all those who look upon our own Prayer Book 
 as capable of improvement. Before any change is 
 effected in our Prayer Book, some inquiries should be 
 sent round to the clergy of each diocese, and some gene- 
 ral report be published. The Americans have made 
 some changes which appear for the worse, and some for 
 which the reasons are not evident to common readers : 
 but there are those among our churchmen now, who 
 are able and willing to weigh all such changes as may 
 be proposed, and act accordingly. 
 
13 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 It is good also not to try experiments in States, except the necessity- 
 be urgent, or the utility evident : and well to beware, that it be the 
 reformation that draweth on the change ; and not the desire of change 
 that pretendeth the reformation.— Bacon, Ess. xxiv. Of Innovations. 
 
 The Articles of our Church contain matters of most 
 unequal importance, required in such manner as to make 
 them seem of equal importance : and some of them are 
 negative, and therefore essentially articles of peace ; and 
 they should be declared such, and not articles of faith. 
 
 The Athanasian Creed is still read as part of our 
 Church Service, and yet it offends many : nor can those 
 who may think it essential, as a " bulwark of our faith," 
 imagine that the damnatory clauses are indispensable. 
 The arguments of Hooker and Waterland, as far as they 
 deserve the name, are not applicable in support of the 
 retention of the Creed in the Service. They, at the 
 most, only require that such use should be made of the 
 Athanasian Creed as is now made of the Articles. In- 
 deed, Waterland himself, while he declares it best to 
 retain the Creed as it stands, also declares that the re- 
 jection of the damnatory clauses, " which are separable 
 from it," were better than to reject it altogether, or to 
 
14 
 
 qualify and explain those clauses by a Rubric. It is 
 manifest, that a creed has not hitherto been allowed to 
 be a mere declaration of faith: but if it be intended 
 further to keep together the frame-work of a particular 
 church, can damnatory clauses give effect to such an in- 
 tention ? On this point, much more will be said by and 
 by : for the present, it is enough to remark, that Water- 
 land's book is about 210 pages, fourteen of which are 
 devoted to " the vindication of the Church of England 
 for receiving and retaining the Athanasian Creed." 
 Any inquirer may therefore, in one short chapter, the 
 eleventh, find what Waterland has to say upon the sub- 
 ject; and he will soon understand why Waterland dis- 
 proved the cause of Clarke, rather than proved his own. 
 The Sacrament could not, on the present system, be 
 administered by any clergy attached to any church, in 
 a populous parish, within any reasonable time, if every 
 parishioner admitted and acted upon the advice of his 
 pastor. The bodily strength of any rector and curate 
 would be exhausted, in almost every case, before each 
 communicant had received the bread and wine; and the 
 hours it would require could not be spared by poor 
 parents and householders. On Good Friday, this year, 
 four clergymen officiated at one of the parish churches 
 in London; and from the time when the first communi- 
 cant received the bread, to that at which the latest re- 
 ceived the wine, three quarters of an hour elapsed. Such 
 a system is also unfavourable to devotion, in the congre- 
 gation, as well as in the minister. There are many who 
 have not ever been made able to sustain a proper tone 
 of mind throughout the long communion of hundreds ; 
 
15 
 
 and it is almost necessary to leave the " business in 
 hand," in order to keep the thoughts from rambUng, 
 by reading the Bible or the Prayer Book. On the 
 other hand, every man must have felt very sensibly 
 the great advantages of a shortened communion. The 
 amendments which may be practicable will be discussed 
 hereafter. Neither the Redeemer, nor his Apostles, 
 nor the early Christians, have said or done any thing, 
 which is commonly known, whereby the changes pro- 
 posed can be disapproved. And these changes would 
 discard that garment of popery which is now thrown 
 around the Sacrament ; and would also lessen that ten- 
 dency to superstition, with which many good churchmen 
 now look upon the bread and wine, as a sort of charm 
 or medicine, which can work independently of the reci- 
 pient's own exertions; indeed, many but take it as 
 another form of extreme unction. By how much the 
 more the priest has to do, by so much will the layman 
 be tempted to do less; and so to betray his own soul, 
 by entrusting too much to others. 
 
 Excommunication is now made, by a sort of practical 
 catachresis, a civil punishment: and yet it is agreed, on 
 all hands, that one distinguishing excellence of Chris- 
 tianity is its amalgamation with every form of govern- 
 ment that leaves conscience free; and it ought to stand 
 aloof from all merely civil regulations. " Can any man 
 defend the use of excommunication as a base process to 
 lackey up and down for duties and fees, it being a pre- 
 cursory judgment of the latter day." Bacon, Of Church 
 Controversies. 
 
 From these, and other such considerations as these. 
 
16 
 
 more developed, and more extended in reasoning and 
 application, the following pages have been submitted to 
 the public. 
 
 Their compiler has persuaded himself that they are, 
 in fact, what they certainly are intended to be, most 
 friendly to the Church and its members : all the changes 
 proposed are, in their effect, negative ; and, when made, 
 would not require any change in opinion from him who 
 now admits, to the fullest extent, our Articles and Li- 
 turgy ; while they seem calculated to improve the gene- 
 ral character of our Church, and to conciliate many 
 who now disapprove, and some who now dissent from, 
 its institutions and discipline. 
 
 The remarks will probably seem irregular and desul- 
 tory : but it must be remembered, that their purpose is 
 to excite the attention of every reader, for himself, to the 
 present state of our Church, and its clergy ; and not to 
 give offence to its adherents, or pleasure to its oppo- 
 nents ; to inquire, rather than to advocate ; to call forth 
 examination, rather than expect belief; not to ask 
 treacherous questions; not even, directly, to supply in- 
 formation ; but to lead every true friend of our Church 
 to consider for himself, how the multitude of those with- 
 out its pale may be most advisably decreased. At this 
 time, such a purpose appears a sufficient reason for pub- 
 Hcation; and in furtherance of it, have several reviews 
 and anonymous pamphlets been pubUshed of late : and 
 those who require to know the name, to have the per- 
 sonal warrant of every writer, whose pages they read 
 on subjects capable of controversy, must bear a Uttle 
 with motives to them unknown; and lament, rather than 
 
17 
 
 censure, the existence of impediments so prejudicial to 
 the best cause, and yet so strong as to be insuperable. 
 
 These remarks are all written in good part ; and 
 upon the understanding, that they shall be taken in 
 good part, and not wrested to inferences, which were 
 not, as the writer thought, probable : which may be 
 possible, but are not necessary. Nor, on such a subject, 
 is it unfair to crave an allowance for some apparent 
 inconsistency : for there are good reasons and great 
 authorities on both sides of many questions here 
 assumed or discussed, and very different characters to 
 be conciliated. The same mass, when viewed from 
 different quarters, takes very different shapes, and is 
 justly spoken of in such shape as it may then be wear- 
 ing. There is a learned puzzle for children, in which 
 one piece of wood is required to pass through, and 
 in passing exactly to fill, three different holes ; one 
 square, one round, and one oval. 
 
 It is not, however, right to point out any defects in 
 the constitution of Church or State, without at the 
 same time suggesting a remedy. This remedy may 
 be, or may appear, worse than the disease ; and, cer- 
 tainly, more able inquirers will suggest better reme- 
 dies : but every inquirer is bound to tell what plan 
 would, in his opinion, remedy the defects of which he 
 complains, or not to point out these defects to the 
 public. Every institution of man is, of necessity, im- 
 perfect : to declaim against necessary imperfections 
 argues an evil and factious purpose in the declaimer, 
 or an ignorance which should keep him silent. Even 
 
18 
 
 were the tlieory perfect, the practice could never 
 become so. 
 
 The plan here suggested, for removing the evils 
 now complained of, is a review of our Liturgy and 
 Articles, by Commission to that effect, if obtainable 
 from the Crown ; if not, by a Committee of Religion, in 
 the House of Commons. And there are two definite 
 advantages which would probably result from such a 
 review; and which would justify such a review, and all 
 the discussions it must create, if there do not result 
 any third advantage whatever: and these two are, 
 the disuse of the Athanasian Creed, and the division 
 of our Articles into articles of faith and articles of 
 peace. We have been all too long in bringing our 
 practice to prove our agreement with Jewell, that the 
 truth of the Gospel depends not upon Councils. 
 Apol. 131. When Luther was accused of heresy, 
 not because he differed from Scripture, but from holy 
 Fathers and Councils and Universities, Melancthon ex- 
 pressed his belief, three centuries ago, that holy Fathers 
 and Councils and Universities were not to decree the 
 articles of Christian faith. Cox's Life, 159. If this re- 
 view of the Liturgy and Articles should end in con- 
 firming them, exactly as they are, men's minds will for 
 the present be set at rest : and the discussion of them, 
 if published, will have satisfied and instructed many, 
 wlio cannot now believe that such would be the result. 
 
 In thinking over the various objections that have 
 been made against our Church, and the plans that 
 may be suggested for their removal, let every inquirer 
 
19 
 
 keep his attention well awake to what appears to him- 
 self advisable in the second place, if his first plan be 
 rejected ; and make that plan the subject of conversa- 
 tion, when suitable. The best plan, as of old the fittest 
 man, may so be discovered : and, at all events, a spirit 
 of fellowship and conciliation will so be cherished. The 
 Church of Christ is a common cause ; and does not re- 
 quire, if it in any way sanction, all the distinctions 
 which now so unhappily prevail among Protestants, as 
 though their common Master were divided. And it is 
 not possible to do away these distinctions by the rude 
 hand of law. The cause, therefore, is almost perso- 
 nally thrown upon those who can make concessions, if 
 any be thought advisable. 
 
 The Nineteenth Article is not so definite as it should 
 be: certainly, there is abroad in the world a very mis- 
 taken notion of what is intended by the " Church," 
 which shews itself but too often. Our Common Prayer 
 recognises all Christians as the heritage of their Crea- 
 tor : and although the term " clergy " be still retained, 
 its derivation is now disregarded, and its meaning much 
 diminished where it is not entirely changed. Its first 
 adoption, and its present retention, are trifles of that 
 kind which serve to indicate the current of opinion ; 
 and both ahke warn us against the spirit that gradually 
 formed the system of popery, that still sanctions, and in 
 some measure supports, its sway. Among the Papists, 
 all Protestants can see how a mistaken notion of faith 
 was gradually permitted to enlist on its side our pas- 
 sions, and reconcile in strong delusion the service of 
 God and Mammon. Something of the spirit of popery 
 
 c2 
 
20 
 
 seems to be still traceable in our own Church, and in 
 some of its most honest and zealous friends ; and to 
 have been pointed out very strongly at the beginning 
 of the Third WilHam's reign ; but by those, who erred 
 much on the other side of the question, and so crippled 
 their own testimony. 
 
 The opinions here stated, have all been borrowed, and 
 are not any of them new : indeed, were they believed 
 to be new, they would be suppressed, as sufficiently 
 objectionable on that ground alone : authorities have 
 been forgotten, and references mislaid ; but most of the 
 arguments here used will be found in Baxter and his 
 friends, or their cotemporary opponents ; and were ad- 
 vanced, on one side or other, by the various w^riters on 
 the subject. The Catalogue of the British Museum 
 will prove that each party had numerous waiters: and 
 although many idle objections were urged against the 
 Liturgy, both at the Savoy Conference, and at the Re- 
 volution, and in the Jerusalem Chamber, yet were there 
 other objections which seem now tenable, and, when 
 discussed in a proper spirit by those of competent 
 learning and experience, hold forth a promise of cor- 
 respondent changes. And the form of a Commission 
 in the first instance, if obtainable, is legal, and has been 
 usual. It is undoubtedly true, that the legality of such 
 a Commission has been disputed in several publications : 
 and a satisfactory answer to all objections will be 
 found in a small tract, entitled, " A Discourse concern- 
 ing the Ecclesiastical Commission opened in the Jeru- 
 salem Chamber, Oct. 10, 1689," which was licensed 
 Oct. 29 f 1689, and pubhshed at that time. 
 
21 
 
 CHAP. IV, 
 
 The true and Christian unity is this, " that the whole flock of 
 Christ hear the voice of the only Shepherd, and follow Him. The 
 band of unity is simple verity." — Jewell's Defence of his Apol. p. 330. 
 
 All will agree, that discussion should precede any 
 change: and if the changes, here proposed, appear too 
 boldly and definitely laid down, it is not from any pre- 
 sumptuous notion that they are the best that can be 
 proposed ; but it is from an earnest desire to obtain 
 the assent or dissent of the reader, and to avoid leav- 
 ing upon his mind a vague and indistinct impression, 
 that there is some truth in what is urged; and that 
 something, a word that bafHes inquiry, and makes indo- 
 lence look like wisdom, something may be done, or per- 
 haps must be done, by and by, but not at present. Any 
 inquiry before the House of Commons, although it did 
 not lead to any change, would be most useful. And it 
 would be well that inquiry began where reform most 
 probably must begin ; and begin, too, so early, that in 
 the common duration of Parliaments the same indivi- 
 dual Members might consider it w^ell. If necessary, 
 let session after session pass away, until the subject 
 is treated as dispassionately as possible, by the friends 
 more particularly, than by the opponents of change. 
 
22 
 
 Long ago, Burke proved the folly of hasty legislation; 
 and, waving all reference to higher principles than the 
 wisdom of this world, urged irresistibly the long vaca- 
 tions of the British Parliament, against the headlong 
 presumption and almost unbroken sittings of the trai- 
 tors and atheists who effected and maintained in France 
 the Revolution and its tyranny. Caution, and lapse of 
 time, and temperate rumination, are more especially 
 requisite in the case of laws concerning which all dis- 
 cussion has been deprecated, upon plausible grounds, 
 by many wise and good men, for a century ; laws, in 
 which any change whatever must be proposed under 
 much obloquy, carried on through much opposition, 
 and be effected eventually perhaps, if effected at all, 
 in such a manner as will not at first fully satisfy friend 
 or foe. Where there subsists an alliance between 
 Church and State, they who seek change must know what 
 a difficult cause they have undertaken ; and all friends 
 to that alliance must feel what it is to legislate concern- 
 ing articles of faith, and Liturgies, and Convocations, 
 and bishops; and there is now some ground to believe, 
 that statesmen may have gladly considered the press of 
 other business as a sufficient excuse for deferring the 
 consideration of subjects at once so delicate and im- 
 portant. And this virtual neglect has been, and is, 
 rendered more easily practicable, by the long forbear- 
 ance and truly Christian spirit of our clergymen indi- 
 vidually ; by the sound feeling in which each of them 
 sets quietly about his own work in his own district, 
 making the best of what he thinks he cannot change, 
 and ought not idly to dispute. And there may exist. 
 
in the feelings of many, what assuredly exists in the 
 feelings of some, an indefinite objection to publishing 
 their opinions in favour of any change, in the great pro- 
 bability that such a publication would not be well re- 
 ceived from those whom the world considers profes- 
 sionally bound to oppose change. That the world 
 should consider them so, is one more proof to the 
 many, how very unwise it is to abstain for a long pe-. 
 riod from considering the expediency of changes. In 
 Synod or otherwise, with laymen or without them, the 
 Church should be frequently passed under review. 
 
 If an Establishment be understood to mean such re- 
 gulations concerning the Church, and its officers and 
 its formularies, as will throw artificial difficulties in the 
 way of those who propose to review that Church, 
 those officers and those formularies, an Estabhshment 
 cannot be considered desirable. And if an Establish- 
 ment be of such a nature as to require its own cham- 
 pions to go forth to the battle in the coat of mail and 
 the helmet of brass, and to gird on the sword that is 
 provided for them ; and do not allow any one who may 
 have proved them to put them off, and take up stones 
 out of the brook, and a sling; the blasphemers that 
 come forth against that Church are not unlikely to 
 conquer. An Estabhshment is not intended to per- 
 petuate error: and any change in the Established 
 Church of England cannot at any time affect our prin- 
 ciples of conduct, which would remain obligatory, 
 though heathen altars defiled the land. 
 
24 
 
 CHAP. V 
 
 Men's minds should move in charity, rest in providence, and turn 
 upon the poles of truth. — Bacon, Ess. i. Of Truth. 
 
 Aristotle, a delightfully clear and most satisfac- 
 tory writer on moral conduct and the exercise of the 
 mind, has shewn, that for questions properly submitted 
 to our determination and reasoning, questions in con- 
 tingent matter, we cannot have an absolute standard 
 of reference. Abstract and absolute truth, if within 
 our reach, were inconsistent with a state of trial. In- 
 strictness, indeed, truth is merely logical : although now 
 in practice, it takes a substantive existence much oftener 
 than its original and primary meaning. From this 
 transformation of words into things, arises one great 
 difficulty in forming creeds : and when formed, they 
 are too often abused into means of discord, by the 
 perverseness of those who will not understand them ; 
 and so, charity is rendered almost impracticable. Men 
 suspect themselves to be arguing about words ; and 
 grow fierce and insolent, to drown their consciousness. 
 They attack the adversary in person, when his cause is 
 too much for them. 
 
 A question proposed to the mind, and duly proved, 
 is an opinion held by that mind : and the enunciation of 
 
25 
 
 that opinion, so duly proved, is then the truth, if the 
 words be strictly taken ; but the same word, " true," is 
 used to denote, that what was the question has been 
 fairly proved from the premises ; which may be, whether 
 the premises represent the thing that is, or the thing 
 that is not ; and also to denote, that the question so 
 proved represents the thing that is, over and above being 
 also fairly proved from the premises, which can only be 
 when the premises also represent the thing that is. 
 Under 'v ^s equivocal term, a man who, being in error, 
 states as fact what is not fact, tells in the same words that 
 which at one and the same time is truth and is not truth. 
 Nor are these the only abuses of this term : but enough 
 has been thrown out, to shew that the opinion of those 
 persons who may be of that character any individual 
 most approves, is the standard to which that individual 
 must have recourse, in all matters of doubt : and this 
 conviction is likely to produce mutual forbearance, 
 where any two may differ in opinion. And now, adapt- 
 ing our remarks to England, and its present state of 
 knowledge, it is evident, that, in words, the opinion of 
 Christians will be the best standard : and this seems 
 enough for our present purpose, although nicer diffe- 
 rences than tho^e now to to be discussed would find 
 the word Christian more equivocal than any of the 
 terms considered by Aristotle, with a view to establish- 
 ing his standard of opinion. Some have used the word 
 " truth," as expressing what the Bible really and directly 
 says in matters of religion ; and the word " opinion," as 
 expressing what it seems to say, or to imply, or to admit 
 as justly deduced ; presuming, in fact, upon their own 
 
26 
 
 opinion in both cases. But the Bible is not of any 
 private interpretation : and whether we construe the 
 passage with Horsley, as requiring us to adopt the 
 general sense and spirit of Scripture ; or with other 
 commentators, as warning us against individual teachers ; 
 it seems to warrant a declaration, that, relatively to us, 
 truth is the opinion of the majority of Christians. 
 Hence it follows, that if the result of experience be 
 fairly collected to require a creed, it should be such a 
 creed as to command the unbiassed assent of the majo- 
 rity of Christians : and this statement, if true, raises a 
 question, to be considered more at large hereafter, how- 
 far the ruling powers in England should suffer, in our 
 national creed, a single article which does not appear 
 essential to Salvation : for a creed, composed of such 
 essential articles of faith, would supply a safe and 
 sure rock, and a broad enough basis, for building there 
 upon a national Church. It is very necessary that the 
 terms " of faith," when applied to creeds, articles, and 
 confessions, should not be misunderstood. Words can 
 not avow the faith, which our lives must evidence and 
 realize. True faith is a living principle, an active spirit 
 that governs our conduct and thoughts; and cannot, as 
 Jewell strongly observes, ever be at leisure, or dis- 
 charged from its work. Apol. 36. The best creed 
 has not in itself any life ; and the admission of it, by the 
 understanding and the public profession of it, are not 
 at all inconsistent with want of faith. A form of sound 
 words is, indeed, by many thought advisable, and even 
 necessary, for a particular church, as a symbol or watch- 
 word to prevent secret foes from entering the inclosure 
 
27 
 
 as friends and partisans, and turning against itself the 
 strength of the camp. But that is all its use, even 
 as they think : and it is hardly necessary that any such 
 creed should be made part of public worship, in which, 
 but for that creed, all Christians might concur. If it 
 be necessary, as a continual memento, yet it might be 
 repeated in the Communion Service only, as now ob- 
 served ; or be thrown into the third person, as in the 
 Athanasian Creed, and so leave unhurt any dissenter 
 that may have been among the congregation. " Con- 
 cerning the bonds of unity, the true placing of them 
 importeth exceedingly. There appear to be two ex- 
 tremes : for, to certain zealots, all speech of pacifica- 
 tion is odious." " Peace is not the matter, but follow- 
 ing and party. Contrariwise, certain Laodiceans and 
 lukewarm persons think they may accommodate points 
 of religion by middle ways, and taking part of both, 
 and witty reconcilements; as if they would make an 
 arbitrement between God and them." " The fruit of 
 unity (next unto the well-pleasing of God, which is all 
 in all), towards those that are within the Church, is 
 peace, which containeth infinite blessings : it estabhsheth 
 faith : it kindleth charity : the outward peace of the 
 Church distilleth into peace of conscience : and it turn- 
 eth the labours of writing and reading of controversies 
 into treaties of mortification and devotion." Bacon, 
 Ess. III. Of Unity in Religion. 
 
 " Unity indeed, and unanimity, best suit religion ; 
 yet are not a certain and peculiar mark of the Church 
 of God." JuELL, 44. Any Governors of any land may 
 be mistaken: and that, by putting too much, or too 
 
28 
 
 little, in their creed : and as it is probable, that, taking 
 into consideration the whole world, no one Government 
 will ever be in an absolute majority in every point, at 
 last the propriety of any given creed becomes a ques- 
 tion of numbers ; regard being had to the moral and 
 intellectual qualities of the individuals on both sides : 
 and here, some have gained, and laid down, as they 
 think, a substantive distinction between a creed for a 
 particular church, and a creed for the whole body of 
 Christians. Some sects are excluded on political 
 grounds, as offering to their own Government a di- 
 vided allegiance : but upon religious grounds only, 
 Protestants, who appeal to the Bible, can hardly be- 
 lieve themselves justified in excluding from their else 
 permitted share in the Government, those w^hom they 
 admit to be within the pale of Salvation, and so go- 
 verning and governed by the same essential motives 
 as themselves. On the other hand, such dissenters 
 as may complain of such exclusion in England must 
 be aware of the true nature of that complaint, and that 
 their desire is civil authority, not liberty of conscience. 
 There is one creed composed of articles essential to 
 Salvation, and therefore to communion, according to the 
 opinion of the ruling powers in any land : and this 
 creed they, in their own estimate, may consider them- 
 selves bound to require in all their officers, as a moral 
 qualification for the discharge of their offices. There 
 is another creed, composed of articles not essential to 
 Salvation, but preferable to the contrary notions, on va- 
 rious grounds, according to the opinion of the ruling 
 powers, who may thereupon consider themselves justi- 
 
20 
 
 fied in requiring their officers to abstain from teaching 
 the contrary. Some of our bishops have maintained, 
 and some have denied, the virtual existence of this sub- 
 division in our own Church Articles. Now, " howsoever 
 politick considerations and reasons of State may re- 
 quire uniformity, yet Christian and divine grounds look 
 chiefly upon unity." Bacon, Concerning the Liturgy &c. 
 The Scriptures shew me, " that God has left the like 
 liberty to the Church Government, as He has done to 
 the Civil Government, to be varied according to time 
 and place and accidents, which nevertheless His high 
 and divine Providence doth order and dispose." Bacon, 
 On the pacification of the Church. " It is hard for them 
 to avoid blame, who stand so precisely upon altering 
 nothing." Bacon, Of Church Controversies. 
 
 That alterations have been made in the creeds, is 
 matter of notoriety. The changes which are now con- 
 templated, are not any way hazardous, or detrimental to 
 what is called the " true faith." Each churchman may 
 hold his present belief, after a revision of the Liturgy. 
 The old Roman, or Apostles' Creed, is cited by Water- 
 land, from Usher, de Symbol. 6 and 9, in the following- 
 words : " I beheve in God the Father Almighty ; and 
 in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord ; who was born 
 of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary ; crucified 
 under Pontius Pilate, and buried ; rose again the third 
 day from the dead ; ascended into heaven ; sitteth at 
 the right hand of the Father ; from whence he shall 
 come to judge the quick and dead: And in the Holy 
 Ghost, the Holy Church, the remission of sins, the re- 
 surrection of the body. Amen." 
 
30 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Credimus unam esse Ecclesiam Dei, eamque r.on ut olim apud 
 Judseos ill unum aliquem angiilum aut regnum conclusam : sed ca- 
 tholicam atque universalem esse, et diffusam in totum terrarum orbem ; 
 ut nulla nunc natio sit quae possit vere conqueri se exclusam esse, et 
 non posse ad Ecclesiam et populum Dei pertinere.— Juelli Apol. 19. 
 
 Upon the force and conventional import of the word 
 Church, it is very difficult to say any thing without 
 breaking in upon some controversy. Laymen must 
 form the great mass of every church, in number ; and, 
 in every good sense, the term Church must comprehend 
 them, as well as clergymen. And this will be allowed 
 by all : and is enough for the present purpose, without 
 determining their relative value in the Church, or en- 
 tering upon invidious comparisons. As every soldier is 
 not fitted to be an officer, it seems fair to infer, that in 
 that knowledge, more immediately called for by his pro- 
 fession, every clergyman is better instructed than any 
 one layman: and yet the layman, possessing less of 
 such knowledge, may, in consequence of other quahfica- 
 tions, bring what little he has better into use, and be- 
 come far more efficient than his wiser pastor. They 
 who are walking under its walls, see not the general 
 effect of a building. Poets and painters are not al- 
 
31 
 
 ways the best judges of poetry and painting; and 
 from the personal respect due and mostly paid to 
 clergymen, and from an erroneous estimate of their 
 characters, as though they were only professional ad- 
 vocates, they do not, in the common intercourse of 
 life, hear the objections which are often and freely 
 discussed among laymen. At the same time, they 
 are more aware of the passing excellence of our 
 Church, as a whole, pervading the palace and the cot- 
 tage, than laymen are in general. They feel how truly 
 their own body may be called the salt of this land. 
 
 It were unfair to rest much upon the derivation and 
 early use of the words designating the Church an 
 assembly of " the Saints ; " as a secondary sense often 
 tacitly supersedes a primary one, and usage stamps a 
 new denomination on an old coin. To all that read 
 their Bibles, to every one but a Papist, it is sufficiently 
 clear that there have been, and are, more " Churches" 
 than one. Hence it is inferred, that, being of this 
 church, or of that church, has not, of necessity, any 
 thing to do with Salvation ; for Salvation is common to 
 every church now, as of old. Undoubtedly, there is 
 an Universal Church, made up of all these particular 
 churches ; and some unfair advantages have been 
 taken against inadvertency, by means of this double 
 signification ; every particular church being without 
 any peculiar name, as to the point of difference be- 
 tween the Church and a church. " A church in 
 error" conveys a distinct meaning to a Protestant ear: 
 Churches and Christians may safely differ on points 
 not essential to Salvation, and on points that seem, to the 
 
32 
 
 (lifFerers on both sides, essential. In the one case, free 
 communion and intercourse are allowed by most Chris- 
 tians to be practicable : in the other, they are not often 
 allowed to be so. When any man's conduct, in the 
 eyes of those to whom he is known, bears continual 
 witness that he confesses with his mouth the Lord 
 Jesus, and believes in his heart that God has raised 
 Him from the dead, such a man, in their estimate, is 
 saved, shall be saved, or will be saved ; for all these 
 forms of expression hold the same truth. Such a man 
 may fall away : and a church composed of such men 
 may fall away from their " first faith :" and then they 
 cease to be "in a state of Salvation;" for such appears 
 the force of the word " saved." A Christian m ho is not 
 saved at any given point of time, is a contradiction in 
 terms : as much and in the same manner as is a Chris- 
 tian habitually living in any known sin. Such Chris- 
 tians, by birth and courtesy, cannot be members in 
 truth of any particular church, or of the Church Uni- 
 versal, and may be seeming members of any church. 
 If, then, any definite meaning be wanted for the term 
 Church, when applied to distinguish any particular 
 church, it cannot be derived from the essentials to Sal- 
 vation, or Christianity, but must be found in some of 
 the accidents to that particular church; its situation, 
 for instance, or policy : but the distinction is, most fre- 
 quently, taken from some peculiar opinion, in which 
 differing parties may agree to differ. 
 
 To the word *' opinion" in religious matters, many 
 will feel objections, which it is earnestly hoped they 
 will examine for themselves : and the followino- hints 
 
33 
 
 are thrown out for the better illustratiojj of the term, 
 at the risk of being charged with repetition : but the 
 point is of the greatest importance, and should be well 
 determined. Absolute, abstract truth can essentially 
 be known to God only. We have not any reason to 
 believe that His creatures can know any thing, save by 
 relation : of our great Creator himself we know nothing, 
 more than what He is to us ward. Opinion is to each 
 man the measure of revelation, the ground on which his 
 faith, and consequent salvation, are built up. They who 
 saw the dead raised to life, and did not, and could not, 
 deny the fact, are recorded as attributing the miracle to 
 some evil power ; and that, in despite of the conviction 
 that so such an evil power were working against itself. 
 Others, who saw the miracle, took up a very different 
 opinion : and in both cases the appeal was to the judg- 
 ment or opinion of the witnesses. In the Old Testa- 
 ment there is evidence that lying wonders and seducing 
 spirits were permitted by an Almighty and merciful 
 Providence. The prophet, whose signs and wonders 
 came to pass, was to be stoned, if he taught idolatry. 
 Deut. xiii. To depend upon opinion, is the condition 
 of any creature, exposed and Hable, but not given up, to 
 sin, and capable of pardon. How opinions ought to be 
 formed, examined, rejected, and adopted, every willing 
 learner is soon taught ; and it is the same thing whether 
 a sound mind be an immediate gift, or a slow earning. 
 In whatever shape it be sent, we know Who gives every 
 good gift. Who worketh in us both to will and to do. 
 Supposing rehgion did not depend upon opinion, it must 
 be altogether natural, in a sense in which that epithet is 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 used, offensively, to signify something wliicli we cannot 
 help possessing by birth, and because we are men. 
 And to resist the evidence of lying miracles, wrought by 
 Satan and his agents, through the exercise of our judg- 
 ment, is a more easy task than the unquestioned struggle 
 in moral conduct, against our own fleshly propensities, 
 in league with the self-same evil powers and principali- 
 ties. Again, miracles are wrought in mercy : yet some 
 doubt, and some disbelieve ; and so the inference cannot 
 be necessary. Some Egyptians disregarded the timely 
 warning, and left their cattle to be killed by the hail. 
 The worship of power alone, in the present constitution 
 of man, were too much the result of conviction without 
 reasoning, and would be too like mere selfishness, too 
 like idolatry. The very use of the word "temptation" in 
 our Bible seems to involve the point under considera- 
 tion. In the case of miracles, for instance, if miracles 
 commanded belief, they who saw them were not in a 
 state of probation : and it follows, from what is here 
 contended for, as the nature of opinion, that no essen- 
 tial point of religion can have been left dependent upon 
 a deep knowledge of language, or other "fleshly wisdom," 
 wisdom which a gentile may possess as well as a Chris- 
 tian, or upon the purport of one or two texts, concerning 
 things confessedly hard to be understood : for that were 
 to make Salvation rest upon the head entirely, and not 
 upon the heart also ; which seems an untenable hypo- 
 thesis, even without our Bible ; for all forms of religion 
 address the will, and not the understanding, save as a 
 means of biassing the will : but is evidently wrong when 
 we find, on every page of our gospels, absolute proof 
 
35 
 
 that nothing can be requh'ed, nothing known, as an 
 article of faith, which does not shew itself as a principle 
 of action. On points of religion, opinions should be 
 left free, and must, when personal violence is not used, 
 be left free to every one. It does not follow, that every 
 one should be left free to circulate his own opinions, or 
 to intermeddle with the government of those who hold 
 different opinions from himself. Lardner, vol. vi. p, 217, 
 and vol. x. p. 33, thinks that an uncircumcised stranger 
 could only appear as a traveller, and could not at 
 any time have a permanent home among the Jews. 
 Such a stranger could not partake of the passover. 
 Exod. XII. 48. And admitting that the peculiar case 
 of the Jews furnishes no authority for other nations, 
 an individual cannot be considered reasonable, when 
 he says, " You shall allow me to legislate for your 
 Church, and shall not in the least intermeddle with 
 mine." Character, though mostly the cause, is, by a 
 common re-action, also the effect of laws: and it is 
 of great importance what opinions are held by those 
 who have the making our laws in England. It is not 
 difficult to see why Papists should wish for more power 
 in England than they now possess : and they would 
 probably receive it, but for their own hierarchy. There 
 is inseparably attached to any priesthood much political 
 influence over their flocks : and the direct tendency of 
 Popish influence is to overthrow the Church and State 
 of England. And the same tendency must there exist, 
 varying only in degree, wherever any priesthood requires 
 obedience or belief on any other authority than that of 
 the Bible, by any other arguments than such as address 
 
 d2 
 
36 
 
 themselves to the reason. It requires great considera- 
 tion before any further power is given to Papists, whose 
 influence must be great : for their religion is very near 
 superstition, and is built upon the passions, that should 
 die away from the heart, and is shaped for their in- 
 dulgence and pardon. The Papist now, when he is 
 bidden by his priest, pays his money to a foreign power, 
 friend or foe, as it may happen, and holds his spiritual 
 welfare independent of his native land, and dependent 
 upon his compliance with the commands of an alien ; 
 at the same time that that alien, if he reason con- 
 sistently from his own premises, must be set against 
 England. It must be kept in mind, that Popish priests 
 never deny to their own community that ultimate salva- 
 tion which they never concede to those out of their 
 community. What is doubly miscalled Catholic eman- 
 cipation is not a question of religion, and should not 
 be represented as such. If the faith of the Papist 
 be inconsistent with his fealty, the Pope is to blame, 
 not the King of England: and the question should 
 be argued at Rome, not here. 
 
 In England, a person who is not endeavouring to be, 
 or become, a Christian, cannot be considered, in any 
 sense, trustworthy. In the broad day, such a person is 
 winking hard, and crying out aloud. How dark it is. The 
 determination, who shall, and who shall not, share in 
 our government, is, not only of right, but of necessity, 
 by the force of terms, left to the ruling Civil Authorities. 
 It is not allowable for one individual to assert an inhe- 
 rent right to rule another, and to have for himself a share, 
 or voice, in government : for where, then, were the right 
 
37 
 
 to be ruled, by whom we approve ? Any further argument 
 in support of this point were useless. It always has been, 
 and long will be, disputed. In all these cases, the ulti- 
 mate appeal is, and must be, among men, to the sword : 
 and this appeal must be made at the peril of the souls 
 of those who make it. Now, it is evident, that they 
 who make that appeal, when they might enjoy their own 
 opinions, and follow their own faith, in private life, are 
 self-condemned, upon their own shewing : for their plea 
 of conscience is falsified, and their aim and cause proved 
 of this world. It has indeed been said, in Parliament, 
 by Pym, " that it belongs to the duty of Parliament to 
 establish true religion, and to punish false." Kennet, in. 
 53 : but the punishment of false religion is not now 
 held to be the province of any man, or any Church, or 
 other body of men, civil or ecclesiastical. The Church 
 has been defined, by Bishop Kennet, in the House of 
 Lords, on the debate of the Act for strengthening the 
 Protestant interest in these kingdoms, 5 Geo. I. c. 4. 
 1718, to be "a Scriptural institution upon a legal esta- 
 blishment." Tindale's Contin. c. 3. p. 249, note 8. 
 
38 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 . " To the Law and to the testimony." — Isaiah, viii. 20. 
 
 Assuming that a revelation has been made ; that, by 
 inspired messengers, we have been taught truths, which 
 without such messengers we could not have believed, 
 could not have been taught; and these, also, truths es- 
 sential for our restoration to that image in which Adam 
 was created, and existed until his fall ; each man's first 
 inquiry must be, who these inspired messengers were, 
 and what lessons they taught : in other words, our Bible 
 must be proved genuine and authentic, and a true con- 
 struction must be put upon its words. Christianity 
 depends upon our use of the Bible. If individuals 
 differ in the construction they put on the Bible, the 
 majority, in such cases of difference, will consider that 
 construction which differs from theirs as an error, be- 
 cause it differs from their own: and if the error be 
 deemed material, will seldom think themselves justified 
 in holding communion with the dissidents; some of 
 them, possibly, led to this conclusion by pride and 
 hardness of heart, and some by misunderstanding 
 the expressions of the Bible in Jewish mouths, but 
 many by zeal for the cause of truth, and by jealousy for 
 the honour of their Maker. The individuals, who thus 
 
39 
 
 difter, are supposed to differ on grounds which seem, in 
 their opinion, to support their difference against the 
 majority. Now beyond this point we cannot get: on 
 earth there is not any better, any other, authority for 
 them, or against them : arguments cannot give under- 
 standing. Each of us, whether in the minority or majo- 
 rity, must, at our own peril, abide by his own conscience, 
 and stand or fall to his own master. Using, for the pre- 
 sent, language somewhat incorrect, the adoption of a 
 right creed, unless, or rather until, we make it our own 
 in heart, cannot be of any possible service, cannot be 
 religious, cannot but be superstitious in its tendency. 
 Whatever be our profession of faith, it is a falsehood 
 in terms, if the faith be not ours. Forms of words, 
 adopted in ignorance, or indolence, and part knowledge, 
 or against our will, have not any power. The stream 
 of electricity will not light up the characters, unless 
 they be made of capable metal. Christianity by com- 
 pulsion, an involuntary service of God, is impossible. 
 Every man who serves God, must serve Him from his 
 heart, in such way as he may believe conformable to 
 the will of God: and for the latter purpose, he will 
 endeavour to ascertain the words of revelation, and 
 their due meaning. However unlearned he may be, 
 he is a judge of the moral character of the doctrines pro- 
 pounded to him, can try them by this sure, inseparable, 
 and most general test, and so far can have an opinion of 
 his own. And it is very observable, that the increase of 
 Christianity gives increasing means of bringing itself to 
 this test: and itself makes greater the demands against 
 itself, by continually raising, what has been perversely 
 
40 
 
 called the natural sense of right and wrong. The light 
 of Justice burns brighter, as the atmosphere becomes 
 more oxygenated : and, contrary to the rule in physics, 
 the atmosphere of Christianity grows more and more 
 capable of maintaining the light of the Gospel, as that 
 light burns brighter and more glorious to behold. On 
 other points, not so directly practical, the unlearned 
 man may have to take the opinion of others ; and this 
 at his own peril, for any thing revealed to the contrary. 
 
 As a general truth, it must be admitted, that the 
 great mass of mankind believe the books of the Bible 
 to be genuine, and authentic, and correctly translated, 
 on the authority of those, their rulers in Church and 
 State, by whom they have been set forth, except in so 
 far as every individual moral agent may be biassed by 
 the intrinsic moral worth of these books. There is not 
 any thing to relieve our Government in England from 
 this responsibility. The unlearned Englishman re- 
 quires, and has received, a Bible which is declared to 
 contain the word of God, and to be correctly translated 
 into the English language, upon the whole, on all 
 material points : for if it were possible, it is not neces- 
 sary, that every word should be rendered in the best 
 possible manner, any more than it is necessary that 
 there should not be any various readings in the original 
 manuscripts. Continual improvements may be shewn 
 practicable, so long as the English is a living language. 
 
 And thus, to the unlearned Englishman, the English 
 Bible becomes the basis of all his opinions, and ought 
 therefore to vary with the variations of language. In 
 one and the same language, the Bible cannot be the 
 
11 
 
 same to all who speak that one language ; for a difle- 
 rence is made by stops, and emphasis, and the nature of 
 the words in common use with the reader, and in the 
 districts where he may have resided. When St. Paul 
 says he knows nothing by himself, the words "by 
 himself" would, in the North, be at once understood to 
 mean " against himself: " and thus it is, that, in fact, and 
 to themselves perhaps imperceptibly, some Christians 
 add to our Bible, some deduct from it, and hardly any 
 two put the same meaning on every passage throughout 
 the whole volume. But it will be evident, from the 
 debates concerning the propriety of a new translation, 
 that all parties consider our present version, upon the 
 whole, as containing and conveying all that knowledge 
 which is necessary towards Salvation, in so far as that 
 expression may be allowable. It may well contain and 
 convey more than is absolutely necessary, according to 
 the notions of any individual ; for all blessings, all good 
 gifts, are dealt out with an unsparing and a prodigal 
 hand : but if such an one find a particular book in the 
 Bible enough, and more than enough, for himself, he 
 may surely allow others to add to that one book, for 
 their own use and comfort, other books not inconsistent 
 with it. And, on the other hand, those others need not 
 call upon him to accept their additional books, as 
 leading to conclusions, which conclusions he is wilhng 
 to adopt upon the strength of his own book. Our 
 Sixth Article declares " Holy Scripture contains all 
 things necessary to Salvation; so that whatsoever is not 
 read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be 
 required of any man, that it should be believed as an 
 
12 
 
 article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to 
 Salvation." This sentence may fairly be taken as speak- 
 ing, to the unlearned, of the English Bible and the 
 English Articles. And to the same purport we may 
 construe the positive wording of the next sentence, in 
 this Sixth Article ; which, however, would have accorded 
 better with the spirit of the First, had it proceeded in 
 the negative; thus: " In the name of the Holy Scripture 
 we do not understand any other books than those which 
 are here enumerated, and are termed Canonical, as 
 framing the rule of our Christian profession." A 
 negative change this, and a slight one, but one which 
 appears advisable, because the term " inspiration" has 
 not been, and cannot be, strictly defined in relation to the 
 Bible; and because many conscientious people, weaker 
 brethren it may be, but brethren still, have doubts, 
 which it cannot be thought necessary for their salvation 
 they should determine, concerning the canon of Scrip- 
 ture : for example, the Song of Solomon and the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews, and their relative merit when 
 compared to the Gospels, or the Epistle to the Romans. 
 If it be granted, for the present, that these doubts might 
 and ought to be solved, that these objections are wrong; 
 yet are they so wrong, that for such doubts men should 
 be compelled to dissent from any body of Christians, to 
 which else they would gladly belong, in order to satisfy 
 their own mistaken strictness as to the notion of com- 
 munion. Is there not, at least, equal pertinacity, the 
 same moral fault, on both sides: and what do the ex- 
 cluders gain, or propose to themselves for gain ? It is 
 admitted that this niceness of conscience may be a 
 
43 
 
 morbid infirmity, but it is one for which indulgence 
 may be craved: it is excess on the right side; the truth 
 of the feehng will obtain pardon for the falsehood of 
 the expression. All scruples of conscience that can be 
 attended to, without any forfeiture of positive right and 
 good, are entitled to attention: it is charity in its proper 
 sense. The declaration prefixed to the Articles of 
 156^ " prohibits the least difference from them;" and 
 shews much of popery, not only in this point, but in the 
 fourth paragraph : in which tlie King declares that any 
 varying or departing from the doctrine and discipline 
 of the Church of England as now established is not to be 
 endured. And the seventh paragraph admits, indirectly, 
 that it may be possible, without violence to the language, 
 to affix a new sense upon some one or other of the 
 articles ; and forbids its being done by any person, in 
 either University. Whether Charles the First, or James 
 the First, issued this Bull, is not of much importance : 
 but it is important to add, that it has not been sanc- 
 tioned by Parliament, and could not be put in force : 
 and there must have been occasions on which it might 
 have been used. Strype somewhere gives a petition 
 from certain individuals who could not believe their 
 Creator predestinated sinners to sin, and could not 
 deny that He predestinated the Christian to obedience : 
 their petition was, that the article on Predestination 
 might be worded accordingly, so as to let them into the 
 Church. 
 
 To a dissertation on the Seventeenth Article, published 
 in Oxford 1773, are subjoined papers ascertaining the 
 reign and time in which this declaration was first pub- 
 
u 
 
 lished, to have been that of Charles the First, and the 
 year 16^8. The authorities there cited are, Ham- 
 mond's Works, vol. I. p. 670 ; Prynne's Canterburie's 
 Doome, 160; Plaifere's Appeal, pp. 201 and 209, Camb. 
 1719 ; Rushworth's Coll. i. App. p. 4 ; Collier, ii. 746; 
 Neal II. 163. Waterland attributes this declaration to 
 Charles. Arian Subscription, 293. 365. 3S5. 
 
 It is not, surely, the object of a Church to exclude men 
 from what it calls, or declares, " the pale," to leave 
 them without that pale, but, if possible, to gather them 
 together, and fold them within that sheltering pale ; and 
 so, the Articles of every and any Church ought to be 
 such, and only such, that the Church believes every part 
 of every one of them essential to Salvation : or else, by 
 express declaration, or the poor alternative of common 
 understanding, and consent, some difference from them 
 ought to be allowed the members of that Church, eccle- 
 siastical, as well as civil. This principle is admitted in 
 our Church by the Article of Predestination, and the 
 question is entirely one of degree. To imagine any 
 Church quite perfect in its construction of the Bible, 
 and consequent rules of practice, hazards the leading 
 principle of Protestantism ; and presupposes the world 
 stationary upon the highest attainable ground : it even 
 hazards Christianity; for at least it tends to derogate 
 from individual responsibility, supposing it does not 
 altogether deny its importance. It seems] fair from 
 history, fair in theory, to infer, that the most] perfect 
 Church in our eyes, at the commencement of this century, 
 might be well improved at the commencement of the 
 next by its then members. 
 
45 
 
 How sad are the consequences of that pretension to 
 infallibility which the Popes still maintain. If we 
 declare at once against all change without inquiry, we 
 pretend to infallibility just as much as the Popish 
 Church. Any needless impediments to inquiry and 
 change are evidence of the same pretension in a less 
 degree. On the other hand, it is idle for individuals in 
 a Church to claim a right to live without rules and 
 articles and creeds ; it cannot be, even in the civil 
 department. They who systematically break the laws 
 of the land, and live by such breach of law, yet intend 
 mostly to live true to their own law ; and are so, until 
 temptation becomes too strong for their artificial barrier 
 to withstand. All men should leave to the rulers of 
 their Church all things that are indifferent; and make 
 those regulations their own, and obey them in all cases 
 wherein such obedience does not offend conscience. 
 When an individual insists upon doing all his con- 
 science requires him to do, then he is becoming a bad 
 subject. All that conscience can possibly require is, that 
 he should not be compelled to do what offends his con- 
 science. Order and good rule would soon be at an 
 end, if conscience were allowed to justify the deeds of 
 any enthusiast : and there might be many a Venner in 
 the streets of London every year. 
 
46 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 Grant us but the freedom which Christ and his Apostles left to the 
 churches ; use necessary things as necessary, and unnecessary things 
 as unnecessary; and charitably bear with the infirmities of the weak, 
 and tolerate the tolerable while they live peaceably ; and then you 
 will know when you have done : and for the intolerable we beg not 
 your toleration. 
 
 The Nonconformists' Petition to the Bishops, presented with the 
 Reformed Liturgy, 1661. Calamy's Baxter, 161. 
 
 It is declared in the Preamble, that the Thirty-nine 
 Articles were agreed upon " for the avoiding of diver- 
 sities of opinions, and for the stablishing of consent 
 touching true rehgion;" or, as the Latin runs, " ad tol- 
 lendam opinionum dissentionem, et consensum in vera 
 religione firmandum," 1562. It is not necessary to say 
 any thing about this translation, because English and 
 Latin are alike original here, any thing about the am- 
 biguity, or any thing about the propriety of this declara- 
 tion. But what does it effect ? and what bearing has it 
 upon the Articles ? It is exceedingly difficult for any 
 declaration, on any subject, to be so drawn up as to 
 admit one full, definite meaning, and one only : and it is 
 not right that any sophistical advantage should be taken 
 of this inherent difficulty. But the case in our Church 
 is this : whenever, upon any one article thus prefaced, 
 we have any doubt, we are generally referred to what is 
 
47 
 
 called the '' received acceptation," and this answer is to 
 be deemed satisfactory. Again, some one article offers 
 what is most offensively termed a "convenient latitude :"' 
 a man would avail himself of it; and accordingly makes 
 inquiries, and is told he can, by some ; he cannot, by 
 others, equally pious, equally learned. Even our 
 highest Dignitaries have differed, and do differ, about 
 certain points ; and so the " received acceptation," in 
 this case of difficulty, becomes, after all, the inquirer's 
 own opinion, upon a review of both sides of the ques- 
 tion : and the Article, prefaced as it is, the article 
 which ought in theory to express one only meaning, 
 and that one meaning, upon an essential and necessary 
 point, expresses two meanings, and so declares that the 
 point is not essential and necessary ; so admits, against 
 itself, that any expression of either meaning is super- 
 fluous: and then, after all, instead of estabhshing, or 
 even guiding, the inquirer's faith, points two ways ; and, 
 whatever way he may take, leaves him in doubt, as far 
 as its own authority goes, which way were the right 
 one ; and throws him upon his own decision. The 
 greatest caution, and the deepest and best-derived 
 wisdom, are alike requisite, in determining what points 
 shall form any confession of faith, and how they shall 
 be expressed : and however great the attention, however 
 fervent the charity, which is at any time exercised upon 
 the substance or expression of such high and important 
 forms, it is evident that any the lightest restrictions 
 should not be thrown upon the reconsideration of them 
 the. next day, if advisable. Abstract adherence to an- 
 tient usage were greater innovation than change : and 
 
48 
 
 as change, before its adoption, must be discussed in the 
 House of Commons, the mere discussion of it there ought 
 not to be dreaded : and any reform that may be advised, 
 ought to be made. If it were practicable to avoid diver- 
 sities of opinions, is it now advisable ? And would not 
 a division of our present Articles, into articles of peace 
 and articles of faith, be preferable ? 
 
 And it is one object of these pages to set every 
 reader upon determining for himself how far his 
 opinion may be for or against some such a division or 
 distinction. The next object is, to submit to such au- 
 thorities, as may be deemed most competent, the pro- 
 priety of any negative changes in our Prayer Book, and 
 its occasional offices, especially since the Prayer Book 
 of the American Episcopal Church is before us for our 
 consideration. Any positive change is not at present 
 called for ; and if it ever be, let it then be made. 
 These subjects would formerly have been discussed in 
 a Synod or Convocation, and probably with the report 
 of some previous Committee^ to lay a basis for the dis- 
 cussion. As matters now stand, a commission might 
 issue to churchmen and laymen; and their report, if 
 approved, be laid before the Houses of Parliament. 
 An Ecclesiastical Court, under whatever name, would 
 not now be considered a proper tribunal for the con- 
 sideration of such a report : our religion is by Act of 
 Parliament ; and they who use that phrase as a gibe 
 against our bishops and our Church, only hurt them- 
 selves. Wheatly gives a very different opinion on this 
 point, citing Bishops Sparrow and Burnet, p. 31. It 
 will be enough, for the present, to point out some of 
 
49 
 
 the changes held advisable. That which, in physics, 
 has been veiled under the name of " The healing power 
 of Nature" has long sustained our Church, but cannot 
 sustain it for ever. The admirable corrective which 
 the good sense and the sound religion of individual 
 clergymen have continued to apply, wherever it was 
 needful, is more than we have any reason to expect for 
 the future. Hope will fail, the over-scrupulous will 
 cease to make a stand against their scruples ; and the 
 Church will be made a merchandize for formal friends, 
 and lose the vigorous services of its real adherents. 
 How many now dare not take orders, for reasons the 
 bishops would most gladly declare had ceased to exist ! 
 And is the fear of possible evils to prevail thus far ? Is 
 evil to be continued, lest evil should be done, which, 
 when done, is the less evil of the two ? The Athanasian 
 Creed should be struck out of the Prayer Book, or be 
 disused; or should, at least, be there explained by some 
 rubric ; or be so altered, that its plain words may ex- 
 press its plain meaning. There is not any warrant for 
 Christians so to declare accursed any one class or indi- 
 vidual. Christian or not Christian ; and if there were, 
 we do not meet together on Sundays for such a purpose. 
 If this curse be defensible, the declaration of it is not. 
 Had the curse been against evil-doers, as in the Com- 
 mination, a sort of defence might be set up for this 
 creed. People do not enough bear in mind, that we 
 know nothing of faith, except from the works it pro- 
 duces: they will not own, often perhaps from long 
 reverence for what they think right, the lamentable error 
 of insisting upon dull and dry creeds, however well 
 
50 
 
 founded on truth : yet the immediate effect of this 
 error is, to admit the thoughtless and the hypocrite, 
 and to exchide the honest investigator. Many indivi- 
 duals have not any objections to any of the statements 
 and clauses in this creed, which they have done their 
 best to understand, and approve, as far as they can 
 understand, excepting only the curse declared against 
 those who believe the Cathohc faith to be something 
 different from what is there stated. If the letter of this 
 curse had not been explained away by high Authorities 
 in our Church, and had it not also been generally 
 known that it was so explained away, they would hardly 
 have remained in communion with a Church so un- 
 charitable; though agreeing, upon the whole, that every 
 opinion in this creed which does not affect any other 
 man's belief is consistent with Scripture, whether it be 
 or be not in so many words contained in Scripture. 
 
 If this practical abolition of what is offensive in the 
 Athanasian Creed had not taken place, the creed itself 
 would have been put out of the Prayer Book long ago ; 
 or we should have had a second Church in England, out- 
 numbering the Church of England; an event which may 
 yet happen, and would happen, but for the difficulties 
 of securing a maintenance for a second set of clergy. 
 The existence of the Methodists is almost the existence 
 of such a second Church : and, much as their founder 
 was in fault, our Church has also been in fault, or they 
 would not have established such a community ; which, 
 although shaken by internal divisions, will probably 
 stand, until the Church makes some allowances for 
 them, and so makes this church part of the Church of 
 
51 
 
 England. It is not meant that the Methodists object 
 to the Athanasian Creed : indeed those who dissent 
 from the Church on the plea of conscience, and adopt 
 any definite profession of faith, are not always better 
 informed or of a better charity than churchmen : but it 
 is meant, that what Wesley did, others may do ; and 
 that the offence of any division, even in the judgment 
 of those who deem division an offence, does not always 
 rest with the dissident party, but may rest with the esta- 
 blishment from which they dissent : and the offence of 
 divisions is not at all lessened by any incidental advan- 
 tages they may be so overruled as to produce. It is a me- 
 lancholy truth, that mistaken objections should be urged 
 against the word " Trinity;" but it is worse, perhaps, that 
 they should not be yielded to, particularly in the case 
 of direct prayer, as in the fourth clause of the Litany. 
 The Gospel has been heard by all who worship the Lord 
 their God, in the character in which He has revealed 
 Himself to His creatures, who *' could not see His face 
 and live :" " who believe with all their heart that Jesus 
 Christ is the Son of God." Acts viii. 37. The signs, 
 which Jesus did, are written down, " that men might 
 believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and 
 that beheving, they might have life through His name." 
 St. John XX. 31. " We ought to obey God rather than 
 men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, and 
 exalted him with his right hand, to be a Prince and a 
 Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgive- 
 ness of sins. And daily in the temple, and in every 
 house, the Apostles ceased not to teach and preach 
 Jesus Christ." Acts v. 29—31, 42. It is not probable 
 
 e2 
 
52 
 
 that any article of faith, commonly so called, should be 
 the purpose of the Gospel, which does not tend to bring 
 us within the promises of the Gospel: and the formal 
 recognition of the Trinity, in the words of the Athana- 
 sian Creed, even as limited by some to the worship of 
 One God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, has not any 
 such tendency : the words only are in dispute. 
 
 Bp. Tomline, in his Elem., observ es, that " Great ob- 
 jection has been made to the clauses of this creed, which 
 denounce eternal damnation against those who do not 
 believe the Catholic faith as here stated ; and it cer- 
 tainly is to be lamented, that assertions of so peremptory 
 a nature, unexplained and unqualified, should have 
 been used in any human composition." Vol. ii. p. 220. 
 St. Mark xvi. 16. is cited on this page. " We know 
 that different persons have deduced different and even 
 opposite doctrines from the words of Scripture, and 
 consequently there must be many errors among Chris- 
 tians : but since the Gospel no where informs us what 
 degree of error will exclude from eternal happiness, I 
 am ready to acknowledge, that, in my judgment, not- 
 withstanding the authority of former times, our Church 
 would have acted more wisely, and more consistently 
 with its general principles of mildness and toleration, 
 if it had not adopted the damnatory clauses of the 
 Athanasian Creed. Though I firmly believe that the 
 doctrines themselves of this creed are all founded in 
 Scripture, I cannot but conceive it to be both unneces- 
 sary and presumptuous to say, that except every one do 
 keep them whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall 
 perish everlastingly." p. 222. And afterwards: "In our 
 
53 
 
 exertions to establish the unity of faith, we are not to 
 violate the bond of peace : we are not to consider all 
 who differ from us unworthy of, or excluded from, the 
 favour of God." p. 224. It must be borne in mind, 
 that not any one of these three creeds has, according to 
 Bp. Tomhne, " any other claim to our assent than as it 
 agrees with the New Testament." p. 226. Yet Bp. Tom- 
 line gives twenty-four pages to prove the Trinity, ten of 
 which contain texts and arguments from the Old Testa- 
 ment. From the New Testament he quotes the charge 
 to baptize, St. Matt, xxviii. 19. and the sayings of many 
 Fathers in regard thereto. The second text is the 
 Apostolical Benediction, 2 Cor. xiii. 14. The third 
 and last text is Rev. i. 4. From page 90 to 98, are ar- 
 guments from Fathers, and none from the Scriptures. 
 
 The word ^' Trinity" does not occur in the Bible, or in 
 the Articles, but only in the title to the First Article. 
 The doctrine of the Trinity is rested by Bp. Burnet upon 
 St. Matt, xxviii. 19, principally, and upon the same two 
 texts as are cited by Bp. Tomline. It is however evident 
 enough that these two texts do not lend the doctrine 
 much support. On almost every page of the Bible is 
 some remark or allusion which establishes the doctrine 
 of the Trinity, quite as firmly as any one definite de- 
 claration could do. The belief of the Trinity is mostly 
 rested by individual Trinitarians upon this general im- 
 pression and the attribution of Divinity to the separate 
 Persons ; and perhaps, most of all, upon a conviction 
 that redemption and sanctification are as it were a new 
 creation to a fallen descendant of Adam, and call for 
 his warmest love : and to own a Redeemer and Sane- 
 
54 
 
 tifier without worship, were cold and thankless: and to 
 worship Him, unless He were the Creator, the one Lord 
 God, were idolatry ; to which idolatry the knowledge 
 of our obligations would be continually urging us, by 
 means of the best feelings of our nature. But direct 
 words in support of any doctrine are necessary to 
 warrant a declaration that the rejection of that doctrine 
 condemns' to certain and endless misery those who die 
 rejecting it. All but direct words are matters of infe- 
 rence ; fitted, perhaps, for articles of peace, but not es- 
 sential to Christianity. Thus it was that long and nega- 
 tive creeds grew into use. To silence disturbers, truths 
 were authoritatively stated and assent required, and 
 dissent forbidden. And when the particular disturbers 
 were silenced, the creeds ought to have been restored to 
 their original form ; else our Church might prescribe a 
 creed containing a summary of all Theology. Creeds, 
 like laws, are for offenders : it is true, they may be 
 captious and unwise who dispute the use of the word 
 *^ Trinity; " but are they less guilty than others, who, be- 
 heving it, cause thereby to offend those weaker brethren 
 who will readily, and in tears, avow their dependence 
 upon the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. If the first four 
 sentences of the Litany were superseded by some such 
 a clause as should solemnly call upon the Creator, the 
 Redeemer, and the Sanctifier of all his people, what 
 churchman would lose aught of his devotion ? 
 
 To quote, in support of the damnatory clauses of this 
 creed, the declaration of our Saviour in St. Mark xvi. 16, 
 and disregard the connexion of the 14th with the 16tli 
 verse, appears a most melancholy misconstruction of 
 
that text ; and whether it be or be not a misconstruction, 
 such a declaration from Him cannot justify the Church 
 in making the declaration which is made in this creed. 
 Nor ought it to be forgotten, that the ninth and all sub- 
 sequent verses in this chapter are not in the Vatican 
 MSS., and are marked by Griesbach as probable 
 omissions, although he retains them. Lipsiae, 1805. 
 This damnatory clause should, if untrue, be put out of 
 use, as being untrue ; but if it be true, the declaration 
 of it is merely idle, where it is not mischievous. The 
 condemnation of man is not of any further effect against 
 those who are under the condemnation of Heaven, and 
 the solemn pronunciation of it now hardens or affronts 
 many more than it deters. It does, confessedly, give 
 much offence, and keep away from our Church many, 
 who would else be in its communion. And if so, then it 
 is directly injurious : and a stronger term still might 
 be used, among those who consider the established 
 Church the most fitting place of refuge. What can be 
 more at variance, than it is with the soothing and inviting 
 tenor of our Liturgy ? 
 
 It is melancholy to look around the noble institu- 
 tions of this land, and to see into how many of them 
 admission must be purchased by some improper pledge 
 or some slight sacrifice of principle. The ingenuous and 
 honest mind is to be broken by some conscious little- 
 ness, before it can be allowed to serve the purposes of 
 the world. To set up, as it were, a yoke, and cause 
 men to pass under it upon their entrance into active 
 and useful life, is hateful in every way : it takes from 
 their cheeks the proper blush ; and teaches them to out- 
 
rj6 
 
 reason conscience, and to make nice distinctions in de- 
 fence of what they would rather give up, only that, as 
 the suggestion is, they stand committed. On the same 
 ground, all indirect means of keeping up particular no- 
 tions in Church or in State should be shunned, as worse 
 than absolute falsehood. Above all things, a resolute 
 adherence to moral principle is requisite in every State, 
 and every individual of that State, high or low. Intellect 
 without principle is cunning ; and leads to tyranny in 
 rulers, and to slavery in subjects : and whatever tends 
 to deprive men of the conviction of their own integrity, 
 when supporting any cause that may need support, ought 
 to be abolished by the friends of that cause. Imputa- 
 tions are thrown out, which are more deplorable, because 
 untrue. It seems, for instance, advisable to discontinue 
 the practice of swearing to the Thirty-nine Articles 
 young Students, when entering upon their Oxford career. 
 The youth, at sixteen, is required to pledge his ad- 
 herence to results, concerning which, it is often certain, 
 he has not individually made, if he be found capable of 
 making, the requisite inquiry : whilst this pledge will 
 bias the inquiry, should it afterwards be instituted: and 
 a biassed inquirer lends no strength to his cause, and 
 gains none himself. This evil is not cured by the acci- 
 dent that our Church has been right, as he may after- 
 wards agree, in laying down these results. In all these 
 cases, we can easily comment upon the mistake ; but 
 yet it does not appear, that reading the Athanasian 
 Creed on Sundays is a mistake as generally admitted, 
 though of the same nature, and only differing in de- 
 gree. We hear it read : and are committed, in a measure, 
 
0/ 
 
 to its defence. Some of the clergy, perhaps, do not 
 read it : and it may be questionable whether any bishop 
 would, or discreetly could, interfere in such a case. But 
 many do read it ; and so are committed, and commit 
 others, in some measure, to its defence. When it is 
 read, every man must have seen others sit down, and 
 shut their books : and every layman must have seen and 
 heard, continually, both in church and out of it, dis- 
 satisfied features and honest complaints. Some stay 
 away from church on the Athanasian Creed days: 
 others leave the church when the Athanasian Creed is 
 begun : and many sit it out, burning, rightly or wrongly 
 burning, with shame and indignation, yet repeating to 
 themselves the necessity of submitting to those who are 
 lawfully set over them in the Church. Are these feel- 
 ings to be kindled in a Church without any necessity ? 
 Should dissensions be created by a creed ? Is it not 
 rather a bond of peace ? The boundaries of the king- 
 dom of heaven are not to be declared by man. A 
 superior understanding and learned leisure are gifts to 
 raise those who receive them, and not to put down 
 those who do not. Are we, in our earthborn and selfish 
 narrowness, afraid that we ourselves shall be injured 
 by the admission of too many others within the pale of 
 our communion ? Is this the way in which we are to 
 shew ourselves obedient to the wisdom that would have 
 us become all things to all men , if by any means one 
 might be saved ? 
 
 If Wheatly's " most natural signification of the word 
 creed," p. 147, be adopted, why should there be read in 
 church any creed? And in any case it is difficult to assign 
 
58 
 
 a satisfactory reason for using more creeds than one. 
 The existence of any two creeds, makes the propriety 
 of each questionable, according to the judgment of 
 those who recommend both : for if each were ap- 
 proved, why should not an option be given the officiating 
 minister to read either ? The retention of the Athana- 
 sian Creed, as a part of our Church Service, has been 
 deprecated for a long time, by many good and sincere 
 Christians. And now there is a very strong conviction, 
 in the minds of many churchmen, that its repetition in 
 church cannot be essential to the salvation of any single 
 Protestant, or the maintenance of any Church in a 
 proper spirit. Hooker, when he is speaking about the 
 Creeds, Book v. sec. 42. observes : " These Catholique 
 declarations of our belief delivered by them, w hich were 
 so much nearer than we are unto the first publication 
 therof, and continuing needful for all men at all times 
 to know, these confessions, as testimonies of our con- 
 tinuance in the same faith to this present day, we rather 
 use than any other glosse or paraphrase devised by 
 ourselves, which though it were to the same effect not- 
 withstanding could not be of the like authority and 
 credit." 
 
 It is observable, in this first sentence, that the basis of 
 the argument is either begged, or asserted without 
 proof. If the rise of heresies made the creeds needful 
 at one period, it does not follow they should always 
 continue needful for all men, at all times. To whom, 
 further, are these confessions, testimonies? to those who 
 agree, or to those who differ from us ? and for what 
 good, in either case ? And admitting that profession 
 
59 
 
 proves a continuance in the same faith, of wliat ad- 
 vantage is it to us to profess the faith held by Athana- 
 sius or any man ? If not in the Bible, his creed is 
 wrong : if there, it needs not any name. 
 
 Hooker's next sentence is : " For that of Hilary unto 
 St. Augustin hath been ever, and is likely to bee alwayes, 
 true. * Your most religious wisdome knoweth how great 
 their number is in the Church of God, whom the true 
 authority of men's names doth keep in that opinion 
 which they hold already, or draw unto that which they 
 have not before held." 
 
 Jewell's Notions of the Scriptures, pp. 26, 14, 15, 
 and 39, are very adverse to this notion. The authority 
 of the whole world would not excuse a departure from 
 the plain text of the Bible ; and would not, in itself, at 
 all warrant an adherence to it, but is altogether colla- 
 teral : useful as a guide^ and only as such, to the 
 meaning of the Bible ; and mischievous when it pre- 
 vents a continual recurrence to the Bible. The autho- 
 rity of St. Paul did not satisfy the Beraeans : and each 
 Christian, who does not now search for himself the 
 Scriptures, to see whether the doctrines of his Church 
 be there or not, must be himself in error, whether those 
 doctrines be or be not set forth on certain warrant of 
 Holy Writ. And, as in the fable of the Farmer and his 
 Two Sons, the indirect gain of such a search is far more 
 than the direct gain afterwards : it also brings together 
 faith and practice, which creeds tend to separate. 
 
 Many men are agreed, that this Creed should be dis- 
 used, and the Articles distinguished into two classes : and 
 yet delays and difficulties are continually thrown by 
 
60 
 
 themselves in one another's way. And they vvho dis- 
 approve all change, urge this against the innovators, as 
 reasonably as the Papist urges against Protestants the 
 variance of their creeds. Those who are considered 
 by many the wise and the prudent in our Church, are 
 afraid to call in the aid of Parliament; lest more should 
 be done than they might approve; and so our second 
 state be worse than our first. A distrust of Providence, 
 so at variance with the promise of support, argues some 
 internal misgivings. Let them examine themselves; 
 and it may be shewn to them, that such further inter- 
 ference as they are dreading is advisable, and therefore 
 dreaded. If so, then let the conviction of their real 
 strength set them to work, as it ought to do, heedless of 
 themselves, and full of their purpose under God's bless- 
 ing. Ambition and diffidence are impertinent terms, 
 and have not any application to matters of such tre- 
 mendous importance. Events are not within our 
 controul. Let each man do his best, at the time he is 
 doing any thing; and not waste the next day in better- 
 ing his work, for his own character's sake. We cannot 
 here on earth do any work of our own. Our own work 
 is that of our Master, in whose uncalculating and free 
 service we have reason to be thankful that unprofitable 
 servants may rejoice. We are not dealt with as slaves : 
 we have not any out-hours for the cultivation of an 
 evening or Sunday garden, for our own private and 
 petty gain or subsistence : our high calling is, to walk 
 the earth joint-heirs of it with its Maker: if our hearts 
 be turned to him, gratitude should be stronger than 
 ]iire, and affection than indolence. Any thing which 
 
61 
 
 a man can do, he leaves undone at his own peril : it is 
 nothing to him, that another would have done, or might 
 do it better, unless he can set such other person to that 
 work. Some are in themselves timid, and dare not 
 admit the changes proposed : others declare them im- 
 practicable ; impatient, too often, of weak objections ; 
 and desirous, occasionally, to save themselves the trouble 
 of consideration, under the mask of what will be called 
 practical wisdom ; a proceeding which turns the good 
 they have done, and thereby become most esteemed in 
 the Church, into a reason for not attempting to do 
 more, and for discouraging those who might else do it 
 instead of them : and so they doubly gainsay the pledge 
 of increasing exertion, and the means of increased use- 
 fulness, implied in high character as it rises, and ought 
 to rise, higher and higher. 
 
 The rubric proposed in 1689 is cited by Waterland 
 from the original book then in the hands of the bishop 
 of London, November 7, 1 727, in these words : " Upon 
 these Feasts, Christmas Day, Easter Day, Ascension 
 Day, Whit Sunday, Trinity Sunday, and upon All 
 Saints, shall be said at Morning Prayer, by the Minister 
 and people standing, instead of the creed commonly 
 called the Apostles' Creed, this confession of our Chris- 
 tian faith, commonly called the Creed of St. Athanasius : 
 the articles of which ought to be received and believed, 
 as being agreeable to the Holy Scriptures. And the 
 condemning clauses are to be understood as relating 
 only to those who obstinately deny the substance of the 
 Christian faith." The less that is said about this rubric, 
 the better. Waterland observes, that a better plan 
 
62 
 
 might have been adopted than either Nichols or Calamy 
 mention, for that, as the damnatory clauses were the 
 main difficulty, the creed might have been preserved, 
 " except those clauses which are separable from it." 
 p. 307. Bp. Mant concludes his notes upon the Atha- 
 nasian Creed in Waterland's words : " As long as there 
 shall be any men left to oppose the doctrines which this 
 creed contains, so long will it be expedient and even 
 necessary to continue the use of it, in order to preserve 
 the rest: and I suppose, when we have none remaining 
 to find fault with the doctrines, there will be none to 
 object against the use of the creed, or so much as to 
 wish to have it laid aside." It seems fair to infer, that 
 Waterland did suppose there would not be any person 
 to object against the use of this creed, when there w^ere 
 none remaining to find fault with the doctrine. There 
 is undoubtedly great difficulty, most especially with re- 
 gard to candidates for ordination, in saying which shall 
 be taken as articles of faith, commonly so called, and 
 which as articles of peace. And this difficulty calls for a 
 correspondent increase of exertion, and cannot, by being 
 very great, justify us in shutting our eyes against its 
 existence, or deserting the standard of our Church. 
 And, in fact, this difficulty now exists in the present 
 scheme, and must be overcome, as best it may, by each 
 bishop individually. It is not very long since the inter- 
 view between Abp. Seeker and Dean Peckard. The 
 Peterborough Questions are very recent: and most 
 bishops use some test, such as admits the principle upon 
 which those questions were rested, or intended to be 
 rested. 
 
03 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Sed in mitiorem partem, turn dictis, turn factis, est propendendum : 
 nee eadem nobis homuncionibus, qujB Apostolis falli nesciis fuit, 
 auctoritas est arroganda. 
 
 Archbishop Secker's Synodal Oration, 1761, p. 519. 
 
 It is strange, that while so much is said against 
 change, as unsettling the Church, and so much is rested 
 on the wisdom and strength of an Establishment, in the 
 good sense of that word, our own Church institutions 
 are yet in some measure unsettled, and our own Esta- 
 blishment in some points not established. Even upon 
 the number of Articles to which the Acts of Parliament 
 require subscription, are doubts still entertained: and 
 as this is in itself a question of great interest, and 
 bears directly some little, but indirectly very much, 
 upon our present inquiry, the following account is sub- 
 mitted to the reader's attention. 
 
 Sir Simonds D'Ewes, in his Journal, p. 179, states, 
 that, on Wednesday, April 25, 1571, Sir Robert Lane, 
 Sir Henry Gate, Mr. Henry Knolles senior, Mr. Astley, 
 Master of the Jewel-house, Mr. Sands, and Mr. Went- 
 worth, were appointed to attend the Lord of Canter- 
 bury his grace, for answer touching matters of religion. 
 Sir Henry Gate was one of the Committee appointed 
 by the House, April G, 1571. Journal, p. 70. Any 
 
64 
 
 authentic account in detail of what passed at this inter- 
 view between the archbishop and the Committee would 
 shew how far the general sense of the Commons' House 
 was represented by the tone of what Wentworth then 
 said. 
 
 It appears, from p, 180, by a message through the 
 Lords to a Committee of the Commons, delivered on 
 Tuesday, May 1, 1571, that Queen Elizabeth "liked 
 very well of the Thirty -nine Articles, and minded to 
 publish them and have them executed by the bishops, 
 by direction of her Highness's regal authority of supre- 
 macy of the Church of England, and not to have the 
 same dealt in by Parliament." In the then Parliament 
 there had been much agitation about matters of rehgion, 
 which then at last the Queen so took out of the hands 
 of the House, and promised other amendment ; although 
 the said matters and agitations were not thereupon 
 given up, as appears especially from the proceedings 
 of the Commons afterwards, recorded by D'Ewes, 
 p. 184, on the 17th May lo71. On Monday, May 19, 
 1572, 14 Eliz. it is said by D'Ewes, p. 207: " The 
 bill concerning rites and ceremonies was read the second 
 time, and ordered to be engrossed. Page 212 states 
 this bill to have been read a third time, and referred, 
 on May 20. Page 213 contains the following para- 
 graph, dated Thursday, May 22 : * Upon declaration 
 made unto this House by Mr. Speaker (Robert Bell, 
 p. 205), from the Queen's Majesty, that her Highness's 
 pleasure is, that, from henceforth, no bills concerning 
 religion shall be preferred, or renewed, into this House, 
 unless the same should be first considered, and liked, 
 
Go 
 
 hy the Clergy. And further^ that her Majesty's plea- 
 sure is, to see the two last bills, read in this House, 
 touching Rites and Ceremonies.' It is ordered by the 
 House, that the same bills shall be delivered unto her 
 Majesty, by all the Privy Council that are of this House, 
 Mr, Heneage, and Mr. Doctor Wilson, Master of the 
 Requests, or by any four of them." On the 23d May, 
 Sir Francis Knolles, Treasurer, reported to the House 
 the delivery of the two bills to her Majesty : who 
 "seemed to mislike" one of them utterly, but declared 
 her determination to " aid and maintain all good Pro- 
 testants, to the discouraging of all Papists." p. 214. 
 This first session of this Parliament ended on the 30th 
 June. The second session of this Parliament began 
 in the 18th of Eliz., Wednesday, Feb. 8, 1575; on 
 which day Peter Wentworth, esquire, one of the 
 burgesses of Tregony, made a speech, for which he 
 was the same day examined in the Star Chamber, and 
 imprisoned in the Tower, p. 259; but received again 
 to his place in the House on Monday, March 12, p. 260. 
 One paragraph in this speech begins as follows, with 
 what seems an allusion to the Queen's message of the 
 22d May 1572; and not to the message on page 219, 
 ^s stated at the end of the speech, p. 241, by D'Ewes. 
 
 " Now, the other was a message, Mr. Speaker, brought 
 the last sessions into the House, that we should not 
 deal in any matters of religion, but first to receive from 
 the bishops : surely this was a doleful message : " and 
 after giving the reasons for accounting it so, and de- 
 claring the Queen to have " committed great fault," 
 Wentworth proceeds thus, p. 289 ; "I have heard, of 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 old Parliament men, that the banishment of the Pope 
 and popery, and the restoring of true religion, had 
 their beginning from this House, and not from the 
 bishops : and I have heard, that few laws for religion 
 had their foundation from them : and I do surely think, 
 before God I speak it, that the bishops were the cause 
 of that doleful message ; and I will shew you what 
 moveth me so to think. I was, among others, the last 
 Parliament, sent unto the bishop of Canterbury (Parker), 
 for the Articles of Religion that then passed this 
 House. He asked us, why we did put out of the book 
 the Articles for the Homilies, Consecrating of Bishops, 
 and such like. * Surely, Sir,' said I, * because we were 
 so occupied by other matters, that we had no time to 
 examine them, how they agreed with the word of 
 God.' * What V said he, * surely you mistook the matter : 
 you will refer yourselves wholly to us therein.' * No,' 
 by the faith I bear to God,' said I, * we will pass nothing 
 before we understand what it is ; for that were but to 
 make you popes : make you popes who list,' said I, ' for 
 we will make you none.' And sure, Mr. Speaker, the 
 speech seemed to me to be a pope-like speech ; and I 
 fear lest our bishops do attribute this of the Pope's 
 Canons unto themselves, * Papa non potest errare :' for 
 surely if they did not, they would reform things amiss, 
 and not to spurn against God's people for writing 
 therein as they do." And afterwards, p. 240, " The 
 writ, Mr. Speaker, that we are called up by, is chiefly 
 to deal in God's cause : so that our Commission, both 
 from God and our Prince, is to deal in God's causes : 
 therefore the accepting of such messages, and taking 
 
67 
 
 them in good part, do highly offend God, and is the 
 acceptation of the breech of the Uberties of this honou- 
 rable Councel : for is it not all one thing to say, Sirs, 
 you shall deal in such matters only, as to say, you shall 
 not deal in such matters ? so as good to have fools and 
 flatterers in the House, as men of wisdom, grave judg- 
 ment, faithful hearts, and sincere consciences : for they 
 being taught what they shall do, can give their consents 
 as well as the others : well, he that hath an office, 
 saith St. Paul, let him wait on his office, or give diligent 
 attendance upon his office." And afterwards, p. 241, he 
 reproves some of the House for having adopted the 
 ''common policy" of voting with the best sort of the 
 House, instead of voting as the matter giveth cause ; 
 for that " the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, to 
 strengthen all the hearts of them that are whole with 
 Him." The whole speech is such as to make its readers 
 regret the general understanding upon which all use of 
 the Bible in argument seems now interdicted, lest it 
 should be mis-applied. 
 
 The account of this matter in Strype's Life of 
 Parker, vol. ii. p. 201, and Annals, iii. 96, and 99, and 
 186, is not materially different ; and, as he does not 
 quote any other authority than D'Ewes's Journal, 
 he does not give his readers any means of learning any 
 thing more about the conversation, but only of learning 
 the bent of his own opinions. The preface which Abp. 
 Parker wrote and prefixed to his edition of the Bible 
 in 1572, (Strype, iii. 236, App. 83.) agrees much more 
 with what Wentworth said, than with what he himself 
 was understood to have said at this interview. The 
 
 f2 
 
68 
 
 13th of Elizabeth began 17th Nov. 1570, and ended 
 Nov. 1571. The Parhament of the l3th Eliz. began 
 April 2, 1571, and was dissolved May 29, 1571. The 
 14th Ehz. was from Nov. 1571 to Nov. 1572. The 
 Parliament of the 14th Eliz. began May 8, 1572, and 
 was adjourned on Monday, June 30, 1572. About this 
 adjournment, and the subsequent meeting or dissolu- 
 tion of this Parliament, it is somewhat hazardous to 
 give an opinion ; but it is probable that this very Par- 
 liament was the same Parliament, a second session of 
 which was next holden and met at Westminster 8th 
 Feb. 1575, 18 Eliz., from the words which Wentworth 
 then used, as cited ant. p. 65 : for the words " last ses- 
 sions" apply truly to the message of 22d of May 1572, 
 and "last Parliament" p. 66. apply truly to the 25th 
 April 1571. And Wentworth's argument will be : The 
 message of 1 572, May 22, was a grievance ; and I think 
 it is attributable to the bishops, in consequence of 
 having myself witnessed such a spirit as would prompt 
 such a message actuating Archbishop Parker in 1 57 1 . 
 At all events, the next time after June 30, 1572, at 
 which Parliament met, appears to have been on Wed- 
 nesday, Feb. 8, 1575, 18th Ehz. William Jones has 
 been said to be the writer of " Three Letters to 
 the Author of the Confessional," printed anonymously 
 in 1768. But this is not probable: for the "Remarks 
 on the principles and spirit of the Confessional," to 
 which W. Jones puts his name, have a preface com- 
 mending the Three Letters as written by a judicious 
 hand : and some have said Archbishop Seeker, others, 
 Dr. Ridley, was the author of them. The third 
 
69 
 
 Letter, be the author who he may, p. 40, raises 
 some difficukies about Wentworth's conversation with 
 Abp. Parker, as though it were after the Act 13 Ehz. 
 c. 12: but supposing it were so, the conversation will 
 still serve the purpose for which it is stated here; 
 which is not to prove the hmiting clause, but to shew 
 the principle of protestantism at work. However, it 
 does appear, if the dates here given be correct, that 
 the conversation was before the act, and had reference 
 to it, being held on the 25th. of April. There is some 
 confusion, both in D'Ewes and Strype, as to dates ; 
 and the probability is, that Strype is mistaken, in his 
 Life of Abp. Parker, vol. ii.p. 201 (old paging 394), where 
 he puts down this conversation vaguely to the year 
 1572. The statement by Strype in his Annals, vol. iir. 
 98 (old paging 67), is, that the conversation took place 
 in 1571 : and yet in that page he speaks of the next 
 Parliament being that of the 18th Eliz. 
 
 What the archbishop alludes to, as " putting out of 
 the book the Articles for the Homihes, Consecrating of 
 Bishops, and such like," appears to have been the 
 clause hmiting the subscription to such of the articles 
 as only concern the confession of the true Christian 
 faith, instead of requiring the subscription to all the 
 thirty nine. 
 
 The Stat. 13 Eliz. c. 12, sec. 1, "in order that the 
 churches may be served with pastors of sound reh- 
 gion," enacts, that every person under the degree of a 
 bishop, pretending to be a priest or minister of God's 
 holy word and sacraments, under any other than the 
 prescribed ordination, shall declare his assent, and 
 
70 
 
 subscribe, to all the Articles of Religion, " which only 
 concern" the confession of the true Christian faith 
 and the doctrine of the sacraments, comprised in " the 
 Book of Articles agreed upon by Convocation in 1562 " 
 and shall read a testimonial of his assent and subscrip- 
 tion, and also the " said Articles," in church, some 
 Sunday before the then next Christmas, or ipso facto 
 be deprived. The 3d section enacts, that no person 
 shall hereafter be admitted to any benefice " with cure, 
 except he then be of the age of three and twenty 
 years at the least, and a deacon, and shall first have 
 subscribed ' the said ' Articles, in the presence of the 
 Ordinary, and publickly read * the same ' in the parish 
 church of that benefice, with declaration of his un- 
 feigned assent to *the same.' And that every person, 
 after the end of the then session, to be admitted to 
 a benefice with cure, except that within two months 
 after his induction he do publickly read * the said ' Ar- 
 ticles in the same church whereof he shall have cure, 
 in the time of common prayer there, with declaration 
 of his unfeigned assent thereunto, and be admitted to 
 minister the sacraments within one year after his in- 
 duction, if he be not so admitted before, shall be, upon 
 every such default, ipso facto immediately deprived.'* 
 This act is referred to by the 23 Geo. 2. c. 28; and the 
 "Articles there mentioned" is the mode of reference. 
 
 From this conversation between Wentworth and 
 Archbishop Parker, and this clause in the act of Par- 
 liament, Archdeacon Blackburne, in the preface to his 
 " Confessional," has drawn the following five conclu- 
 sions : "1. That the lay part of the Legislature of that 
 
71 
 
 time thought themselves as competent judges of what 
 did or did not agree with the word of God, as the 
 bishops. 2. That the Lay part of the Legislature of 
 that time thought that the leaving it to the governors 
 of the Church, exclusive of themselves, to determine 
 what articles of religion should be established for the 
 public confession, was to make them popes ; that is to 
 say, invest them with a power, which, upon the prin- 
 ciples of the Reformation, did not belong to them. 
 3, That, by passing the act with the limiting clause, the 
 Legislature did not only think, but did determine, that 
 the governors of the Church of England had no right 
 to require the inferior clergy to subscribe to any con- 
 fession of faith and doctrines, without the authority 
 of Parliament. 4. That by passing the act with the 
 limiting clause, no other subscription is required by it, 
 than to those Articles * which only concern ' the con- 
 fession of the true Christian faith, and the doctrine of 
 the sacraments. And, 5. That no other act having 
 repealed this act, or in any wise contravened it, touch- 
 ing subscription to the Articles of Religion ; and the 
 Act of Uniformity in particular (14 Car. IL) having re- 
 ferred to it, as the standing law, concerning subscrip- 
 tion to the Articles of Religion ; the limiting clause is 
 in full force to this hour." 
 
 The last edition of the "Confessional," which its 
 author corrected, contains these same five conclusions, 
 and is dated 1770. He died in 1787 : and it is mat- 
 ter of regret to all his readers, as it was to himself, 
 that so many things in it should have been, as they 
 are, " too warmly, too hastily advanced." Honesty of 
 
72 
 
 purpose will not redeem even a want of temper : an J 
 the character of an advocate, as such, for any particu- 
 lar scheme, is properly measured by the manner and 
 tone in which he pleads his cause ; unless, from a 
 knowledge of his name and character, the readers can 
 form their judgment upon other grounds. As an ano- 
 nymous writer, Mr. Blackburne had not any right to 
 complain that the Author of the Confessional should 
 have been treated as a hard tempered man. He says 
 of himself, in the short account of his life prefixed to 
 his works in the edition of 1804, when he has declared 
 that not any word in the " Free and candid disquisi- 
 tions " of John Jones was suggested by himself : " The 
 truth is, Mr. Blackburne, whatever desire he might 
 have to forward the work of ecclesiastical reformation^ 
 which was as earnest at least as Mr. Jones's, could not 
 possibly conform his style to the milky phraseology of 
 the disquisitions ; nor could he be content to have his 
 sentiments mollified by the gentle qualifications of Mr. 
 Jones's lenient pen." And all who have read his books 
 are sorry for it ; and yet will find, or make for them- 
 selves, many excuses for his "warm and hasty" lan- 
 guage. And this language does not invalidate his ar- 
 guments, or prove him on the wrong side in the contro- 
 versy. The Gentleman's Magazine (vol. xLi.for 1771, 
 Sept. and Nov. p. 405 and 500 ; and vol. xlii. p. 263) 
 gives a list of the publications in attack and defence of 
 the Confessional. 
 
 Upon the 1st, 2d, and 3d conclusions of Black- 
 burne little need be said : upon the 4th and 5th a 
 few remarks must be allowed. It does not exactly 
 
73 
 
 follow that the notions on which Wentworth insisted 
 were the notions of the whole House. The ex- 
 pressions of the act are awkward, *' all the Articles 
 which only concern" and "comprised in, &c. ;" and so far 
 ambiguous, that it is not improbable some of the Com- 
 mons may have understood them as asserting that all 
 the Thirty nine Articles did concern the confession and 
 the sacraments, and did not concern any thing else ; or 
 did alone, and without the canons or any other docu- 
 ments, make up the religious code : and in the Articles 
 of Abp. Grindal's first Convocation in 1575 (Strype, 
 p. £89, and Appen. 537), the word " only " is left out, in 
 reciting the enactment of 13 Eliz. c. 12: and to the 
 same effect, and strengthening the last-mentioned con- 
 struction of the clause, after a statement in the text 
 (3 Annals 105, old paging 71) that^the subscribers were 
 to subscribe thirty nine Articles in language still am- 
 biguous, there is a marginal note concerning the limit- 
 ing clause, in the following terms : " This clause seems 
 to be inserted to meet with those of the House that 
 moved for a new confession of faith to be made ; which 
 needed not, since those Articles of Religion Was the 
 Church of England's sufficient confession of the true 
 Christian faith." And it seems that all the Thirty nine 
 Articles ought, according to the general construction 
 put on this act at the time it was made, to be sub- 
 scribed; because they were subscribed by Abp. Whitgift 
 in 1571 (Strype's Life of him, vol. i. 45 and 116) ; and 
 "because the faculty then granted him, states, in words, 
 that the Thirty nine Articles were to be subscribed 
 under an order of archbishops and bishops recited 
 
74 
 
 therein, without reciting the act of ParUament, or 
 alluding to it in any way : (Strype*s Whitgift, vol. iii. 
 p. 20,) If Strype had not thought that Parhament had 
 passed thirty nine Articles, he would have said so, when 
 and where he does say (3 Annals 98, old paging 67) that 
 the Committee did strike out some of the Thirty nine 
 Articles. His words are : " Only let me add what hap- 
 pened to the said Committee for Religion, when, ac- 
 cording as it was appointed, they attended the arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury with their model for reforma- 
 tion: wherein, as some articles of religion were al- 
 lowed by them, so others, already received into the 
 Church, were left out." A general Index to Strype is 
 said to be in preparation, which will, perhaps, correct 
 or explain this statement. And it is further remark- 
 able, thatjf Gibson, Codex I. 321, have rightly distin- 
 guished the Articles, "which only concern the confession 
 of true faith," as being the sixteen marked with the letter 
 F in the table below, these sixteen, together with the 
 25thf * On the Sacraments,' are among the most im- 
 portant. This, together with Wentworth's speech, 
 makes it possible that the limiting clause was intended, 
 by the majority of the House, to work as such ; but 
 not more than possible. Whatever was intended, it 
 would appear that, in effect, thirty nine have always 
 been admitted and recognised under that statute since 
 it was made. That thirty nine were required under it 
 as articles of faith entirely may be inferred from Co. iv. 
 Ins. 324, and from Smith and Gierke, Cro. Ehz. 252. 
 
 The following table will bring the Articles at once 
 before the eye. 
 
75 
 
 F. 1. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. 
 F. 2. Of Christ the Son of God. 
 F. 3. Of his going down into Hell. 
 F. 4. Of his Resurrection. 
 F. 5. Of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 6. Of the Sufficiency of the Scripture. 
 
 7. Of the Old Testament. 
 
 8. Of the Three Creeds. 
 
 F. 9. Of Original or Birth Sin. 
 
 F. 10. Of Free Will. 
 
 F. 11. Of Justification. 
 
 F. 12. Of Good Works. 
 
 F. 13. Of Works before Justification. 
 
 F. 14. Of Works of Supererogation. 
 
 F. 15. Of Christ alone without sin. 
 
 F. 16. Of Sin after Baptism. 
 
 F. 17. Of Predestination and Election. 
 
 F. 18. Of obtaining Salvation by Christ. 
 
 19. Of the Church. 
 
 20. Of the Authority of the Church. 
 
 21. Of the Authority of General Councils. 
 F. 22. Of Purgatory. 
 
 23. Of Ministering in the Congregation. 
 
 24. Of Speaking in the Congregation. 
 S. 25. Of the Sacraments. 
 
 26. Of the Unworthiness of Ministers. 
 
 27. Of Baptism. 
 
 28. Of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 29. Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ. 
 
 30. Of both kinds. 
 
 31. Of Christ's one Oblation. 
 
 32. Of the Marriage of Priests. 
 
 33. Of Excommunicate Persons. 
 
 34. Of the Traditions of the Church. 
 
 35. Of the Homilies. 
 
 36. Of Consecration of Ministers. 
 
 37. Of Civil Magistrates. 
 
 38. Of Christian Men's Goods. 
 
 39. Of a Christian Man's Oath. 
 
76 
 
 It appears to have been the beUef of all succeeding 
 Parliaments that thirty nine Articles had been re- 
 quired ; and to this effect is the protest of the Com- 
 mons in 1627 (Kennet in. 54), although the language 
 is ambiguous, from referring to the statute. Colher 
 also gives this protest, ii. 747. If greater care had 
 been used in correcting this same act, it might have 
 been inferred from the third section, cited in words 
 antea p. 70, that thirty nine Articles were required by 
 this very act, and this very Parhament : for they knew, 
 and we know, that under the statute, or vmder the 
 injunctions and canons, or under the " Three Articles" 
 and the various orders for enforcing subscription to them, 
 issued at intervals for many years, as by Abp. Whitgift 
 in 1583 (Strype's Life, i. 229), thirty nine Articles 
 were in practice read upon admission to any bene- 
 fice: if, therefore, thirty nine had not been sub- 
 scribed, and were not intended to be subscribed, the 
 word " said," and the word " same," in the statute, 
 mean different articles : and so assuming Gibson's Six- 
 teen, and the Sacramental Article, to have been those 
 really required, the third clause would have enacted 
 that no person should be admitted unless he first had 
 subscribed Seventeen Articles and read thirty nine : 
 and the greater probability seems, that subscription was 
 required by the act to thirty nine : for else the spirits, 
 then at work, would not have allowed injunctions and 
 canons to require the reading of thirty nine. And it 
 is matter of history, that, afterwards, under this very 
 act, many clergymen were deprived for refusal or neg- 
 lect ef subscription (Strype's Annals, in. 106 and 276), 
 
77 
 
 who, " though Puritans or favourers of popery, had 
 kept their hvings and prebends till by this statute 
 they were searched out and discovered," p. 278 : and 
 the terms used seem to imply that the subscription 
 should have been to thirty nine Articles. The 22d 
 Article would have thrown out the Papists : but there 
 does not appear any one among the seventeen which 
 wovdd have thrown out a Puritan: and if there had 
 been such a one, then, from the fact of the limiting 
 clause being ineffective for the purpose alleged, it might 
 have been inferred that such a purpose was not enter- 
 tained at the time. And certainly, when this statute was 
 passed, there do not appear to have been any opinions 
 or prejudices which would have called for the rejection 
 of all the Articles that were rejected, if seventeen only 
 were adopted. The " Admonition to Parliament" was 
 published in \572; and answered the same year, by Abp. 
 Whitgift: (Strype's Life, i. 57.) Cartwright's reply to 
 ,Whitgift's " Answer," and " Defence of his Answer," 
 were published in 1573. And Abp. Whitgift published 
 his further " Defence against Cartwright" in 1573, al- 
 though it is dated in 1574. 
 
 In other respects, also, much of our Church Esta- 
 blishment is not established by law, as commonly mean- 
 ing a settled rule : but is rested upon the varying 
 customs of various parishes, and upon the personal 
 authority of our bishops. At this time, the Courts of 
 Common Law may have to determine whether facts 
 proved amount to heresy, which they decide " upon 
 consultation and advice of learned divines;" Black, 
 vol. I. 390 : yet the bishop and his metropolitan can 
 
78 
 
 reject any clergyman who may be presented to a living, 
 by declaring him deficient in learning ; that he appears 
 to them " persona in literature minus sufficiens, sive 
 capax ad habendam ecclesiam praedictam." Hele v. 
 Bp. of Ex. 3 W. & M. 3 Lev. 313. The measure of 
 heresy or schism is to be had from Articles of Peace : 
 and the facts being found by a jury, might well be left 
 to the bishop : all questions properly belonging to the 
 Church should rest with its rulers. 
 
 Any confusion in laws or jurisdiction is unadvisable, 
 and forms a sufficient reason for inquiry by one Com- 
 mission or more : and the result of such a Commission 
 might not now be a reformation of ecclesiastical laws, 
 but a virtual abrogation of all ecclesiastical law and 
 courts, as distinct from other law and courts. Any de- 
 tailed remarks upon the various statutes which touch 
 upon Church matters would not be consistent with the 
 principal object of this publication. The civil notice of 
 ecclesiastical offences is now generally disapproved. 
 There does not seem any good reason for giving civil 
 power to ecclesiastical persons, or ecclesiastical courts, 
 as such. Any power they ought to have, if had for 
 the purpose they profess, pro salute animarum, must 
 be had from the free subjection of their adherents, not 
 from the compulsory power of law. On the other 
 hand, the common law often ill exerts its controul 
 over the property of the Church and the personal 
 rights of clergymen. Bishops sit in the House of Lords 
 as ecclesiastical persons ; their baronies being reasons 
 why they should not refuse to sit there, and why they 
 should be compellable to sit there, which else of old 
 
79 
 
 they had not been ; and not reasons why they should 
 sit there, and titles to enable them to sit there. It must 
 be kept in mind, that now the King nominates those indi- 
 viduals who shall be made bishops, and that this was not 
 the case originally. The bishops therefore cannot fairly 
 be said to be the representatives of the clergy now. It 
 is held the best plan that the King should nominate the 
 bishops: and the right and expedience of such a nomina- 
 tion is willingly conceded by many who thereupon deny 
 that clergymen should now^ be excluded by law from 
 the House of Commons. When the mode of nominating 
 bishops was changed, other consequent changes should 
 have l)een made. If two of the three estates of this 
 land were now represented in the House of Lords, the 
 clergy might reasonably be excluded from the Com- 
 mons, as such, even if any electors returned them. The 
 clergy themselves or the bishops might deem it im- 
 proper that clergymen should sit in the House of Com- 
 mons : if so, the election to a seat need not be compul- 
 sory. The clergy are now deprived of their character 
 as a third estate, and have also been deprived of one 
 means of compensation. The votes they give for mem- 
 bers of the Commons are given in respect of their pro- 
 perty, not of their order. Without violence to our Consti- 
 tution, they might as clergymen return to Parliament a 
 proportionate number of members from each diocese, 
 laymen or ecclesiastics. Is there any tenable reason 
 why they should be excluded from sitting in the House 
 of Commons, merely because they are ecclesiastical 
 persons? A peer becoming a clergyman retains his 
 seat in the House of Lords : a clergyman becoming a 
 
80 
 
 peer takes liis seat in the House of Lords. And 
 Parliamentary duties are not held inconsistent with 
 the pursuits of other professions. The probable non- 
 residence of the parish priest, who might be in his 
 place at Westminster, cannot be urged, while pluralities 
 and non-residence are lawful on grounds much less 
 important. Clergymen are most in their places where 
 most business is to be done : and though some of them 
 protest against being secularized, the term is as dis- 
 agreeable as the notion is mistaken. The closet and 
 the world, the church and the drawing-room, have all 
 the same uses to clergymen and laymen, and all, too, 
 the same abuses. Laymen are apt to make up for their 
 own faults by requiring a much greater degree of 
 holiness in the clergy : there may be some latent 
 popery in the requisition. It is right to add here, that 
 landowners would think it a grievance if their tenants 
 were allowed to plead against a fair rent, the customary 
 payment of an unfair rent, by the name of a modus, 
 in cases where ancestors could not by law have bound 
 their successors ; and that reduced rent were confessedly 
 too little for their support in a rank, which, as a body, 
 they are expected to maintain. 
 
 Upon inquiry, many changes might be debated use- 
 fully. Full payment of all tithes should be insisted 
 upon ; and each cure should be made a living. If 
 tithes were fully paid, the surplus so gained might be 
 well applied to Church purposes in many ways. A con- 
 siderable sum might be raised by licensing the sale of 
 next presentations ; if, indeed, such sales be ever advisa- 
 ble. The patronage of all livings might in less than a 
 
81 
 
 century, be vested in any bodies or individuals, without 
 injury to private property. Two of our bishoprics 
 might be raised into archbishoprics : and each bishop 
 be translated only within his own province, with which 
 he would so become better acquainted. The arch- 
 bishops need not be under any restrictions. 
 
 Advowsons and next presentations are at present 
 under different regulations, such as imply that the prin- 
 ciple is, money shall not put a man into a cure of souls, 
 lest, indirectly, money should become a reason for 
 undertaking such a cure. But this principle is not 
 adhered to : a father is not nearer to his son than he 
 is to himself: and it is the same thing to the Church, 
 whether a father or a stranger be the patron. The 
 regulations about selling and buying, not orders in 
 the Churchj but livings, which can only be held by 
 those who have previously received orders, should be 
 reviewed. They are now such, as to render cheaper 
 any saleable living to him who disregards the plain and 
 avowed purpose of the statutes, and measures simony 
 by decisions of court ; in as much as they preclude the 
 competition of those who recognise the purpose of the 
 statutes and canons, and obey them, although they 
 think them mistaken. Simony, as forbidden by 31 Ehz. 
 c. 6. sec. 10. is consistent with the common notion among 
 men : but that it should be simony for a priest to buy 
 a living, is a misapplication of the term. This misappli- 
 cation may have arisen from the recital of the purpose of 
 this statute ; which, in sec. 4, is declared to be for " the 
 avoiding of simony and corruption in presentations, col- 
 lations, and donations of and to benefices, dignities, 
 
 G 
 
82 ' 
 
 prebends, and other livings and promotions ecclesiastical, 
 and in admissions, institutions, and inductions to the 
 same ; " and it is not until the tenth and last section 
 that simony, strictly so called, is forbidden. According 
 to Coke, 3 Inst. c. 71. p. 153. " Simonia est vox ecclesi- 
 astica, a Simone illo Mago deducta, qui donum Spirit<is 
 Sancti pecuniis emi putavit." And Elizabeth's advisers 
 estimated the offence of him who sold holy orders at 
 40/., and the offence of him who bought them at 10/. 
 and a disqualification for seven years from any further 
 benefice, living, or promotion ecclesiastical. Black. 
 Comm. IV. 63. The Stat, of Anne (stat. 2, c. \2. sec. 2) 
 is far different ; and is not enough known, and is 
 therefore given here in its own words : "And whereas 
 some of the clergy have procured preferments for 
 themselves by buying ecclesiastical livings, and others 
 have been thereby discouraged; Be it further enacted, 
 by the authority aforesaid, That if any person, from and 
 after the 29th day of September 1714, shall or do, for 
 any sum of money, reward, gift, profit, or advantage, 
 directly or indirectly, or for or by reason of any promise, 
 agreement, grant, bond, covenant^ or other assurance, of 
 or for any sum of money, reward, gift, profit, or benefit 
 whatsoever, directly or indirectly, in his own name, or in 
 the name of any other person or persons, take, procure, 
 or accept the next avoidance of or presentation to, any 
 benefice with cure of souls, dignity, prebend, or living 
 ecclesiastical, and shall be presented or collated there- 
 upon, that then every such presentation or collation, 
 and every admission, institution, investiture, and induc- 
 tion upon the same, shall be utterly void, frustrate, and 
 
83 
 
 of no effect in law, and such agreement shall be deemed 
 and taken to be a simoniacal contract ; and that it shall 
 and may be lawful to and for the Queen's Majesty, her 
 heirs and successors, to present or collate utito, or 
 give or bestow every such benefice, dignity, prebend, 
 and living ecclesiastical, for that one time or turn only; 
 and the person so corruptly taking, procuring, or 
 accepting any such benefice, dignity, prebend, or hving, 
 shall thereupon, and from thenceforth, be adjudged a 
 disabled person in law to have and enjoy the same 
 benefice, dignity, prebend, or living ecclesiastical ; and 
 shall also be subject to any punishment, pain, or pe- 
 nalty, limited, prescribed, or inflicted, by the laws eccle- 
 siastical, in like manner as if such corrupt agreement 
 had been made after such benefice, dignity, prebend, or 
 living ecclesiastical had becomfe vacant; any law or 
 statute to the contrary, in any wise notwithstanding." 
 
 This is not a mere dispute about terms ; for many rest 
 the propriety of forbidding the sale of livings upon the 
 offence of Simon Magus, with which it has not any direct 
 connexion. If livings ought not to be bought and sold, 
 let an effectual law be made to that effect : if they ought, 
 remove the present partial bar. Under the restrictions 
 upon sale, a Christian patron can provide for a Christian 
 minister without injury to his own property, and with- 
 out any shock to the feelings of the minister : an advan- 
 tage which should not lightly be abandoned. 
 
 g2 
 
84 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 Until all thoughts of victory are laid aside, the humble and 
 necessary thought for the vindication of truth cannot be enough 
 entertained. — Rennet's History, 226. 
 
 These words are taken from the Declaration of King 
 Charles, dated at Whitehall, 25th of October 1660; 
 which is given at length in Wilkin's Concilia, vol. iv. 
 p. 569 ; and also by Kennet, vol. iii. p. 225 : the 
 principal part of it concerns the government of the 
 Church. The seventh among the Concessions is in 
 the words following : ^' We are very glad to find, that 
 all with whom we have conferr'd, do in their judg- 
 ments approve a Liturgy, or set form of publick worship, 
 to be lawful ; which in our judgment, for the preser- 
 vation of unity and uniformity, we conceive to be very 
 necessary. And though we do conceive the Liturgy 
 of the Church of England, contained in the Book of 
 Common Prayer, and by law established, to be the 
 best we have seen ; and we believe that we have seen 
 all that are extant, and used in this part of the world ; 
 and we well know what reverence most of the Reformed 
 Churches, or at least the most learned men in those 
 Churches, have for it ; yet since we find some excep- 
 tions made against several things therein, we will ap- 
 point an equal number of learned divines, of both 
 
85 
 
 perswasions, to review the same, and to make such al^ 
 terations as shall be thought most necessary ; and some 
 additional Forms (in the Scripture phrase as near as 
 may be) suited unto the several parts of worship, and 
 that it be left to the minister's choice to use one or 
 other at his discretion. In the mean time, and until 
 this be done, although we do heartily wish and desire 
 that the ministers in their several churches, because 
 they dislike some clauses and expressions, would not 
 totally lay aside the use of the book of Common Prayer, 
 but read those parts against which there can be no 
 exception, which would be the best instance of de- 
 clining those marks of distinction which we so much 
 labour and desire to remove : yet, in compassion to 
 divers of our good subjects, who scruple the use of it 
 as now it is, our will and pleasure is, that none be 
 punished or troubled for not using it, until it be re- 
 view'd and effectually reformed as aforesaid." 
 
 Kennet sets out at length this Declaration ; and then 
 says, " That though very large, it cannot be tedious to 
 any good reader, because it has a spirit of truth and 
 wisdom and charity above any one public profession 
 that was ever yet made in matters of religion. It 
 shews the admirable temper and prudence of the King 
 and his Council, in that tender juncture of affairs. It 
 proves the charity and moderation of the suffering 
 bishops, in thinking such concessions to be just and 
 reasonable for peace and unity ; and it shews a disposi- 
 tion in the chief leaders, of the other party, to have ac- 
 cepted of terms of union consistent with our Episcopacy 
 and Liturgy. It condemns the unhappy ferments that 
 
86 
 
 soon after followed for want of coming to this temper ; 
 and it may stand for a pattern to posterity, whenever 
 they are heartily disposed to restore the discipline and 
 heal up the breaches of the Church. A very learned 
 Conformist writer has given this character of it : ' If 
 ever a divine sentence was in the mouth of any King, 
 and his mouth erred not in judgment, I verily believe 
 it was thus with our present Majesty, when he com- 
 posed that admirable Declaration ; which, next to 
 Holy Scripture, I adore, and think that the united 
 judgment of the whole nation cannot frame a better or 
 a more unexceptionable expedient for a firm and lasting 
 concord of these distracted Churches.' " p. 229. 
 
 This Declaration was followed by the Commission 
 of 1661 : from which the directions given to the 
 Commissioners have been quoted, antea, p. 8. In the 
 preface to his Prayer Book, Bp. Mant has quoted 
 Wheatly's account of the Savoy Conference, p. 30, 
 but left out some of Wheatly's offensive language. 
 And even so, on Bp. Mant's pages, the expressions 
 of Wheatly shew a mistaken feeling. He talks about 
 *' heaping together scruples a hundred years old," 
 which is but an invidious way of stating what was to 
 the credit of those who did it, especially in the judg- 
 ment of persons who object against a new Liturgy 
 " that it was drawn up without any regard to any other 
 Liturgy, modern or ancient." The phrase " As if these 
 old scruples were not enough, they swelled the num- 
 ber of them with new ones of their own," means 
 nothing as against those whom it is intended to charge 
 with doing something improper. Not any ill usage 
 
87 
 
 could draw or warrant, or could reasonably be thought 
 to draw or warrant, " the disdain and contempt of any 
 that were" really "concerned for the Church." From 
 the Homily against Contention, we learn, " That it is 
 better to give place meekly, than to win the victory 
 with the breach of charity : which chanceth, when every 
 man will defend his opinion obstinately. There shall 
 never be an end of striving and contention, if we con- 
 tend who in contention shall be master and have the 
 over-hand : we shall heap error upon error, if we con- 
 tinue to defend that obstinately which was spoken un- 
 advisedly." p. 114. 
 
 " An Account of all the Proceedings of the Commis- 
 sioners of both Perswasions" was pubhshed under that 
 title in 1661. Collier's account will be found in his 
 History, vol. ii. p. 878 ; and Baxter's, in his Life, pub- 
 lished by Silvester, p. 305. Calamy's account is in 
 the 8th chapter of his Life of Baxter, p. 153 ; and 
 Kennet's account is in the 3d vol. of his History, p. 234. 
 Sheldon, then bishop of London, required the other 
 party to bring in all they had to say against the Liturgy 
 in writing, and all the additional forms and alterations 
 which they desired, as until then the Churchmen had 
 nothing to say or do. The Presbyterians were much 
 against that motion, and urged the King's Commission, 
 which required them to meet together to advise and 
 consult : they told Bp. Sheldon, that by conference 
 each party might perceive, as they went along, what 
 each would yield to; but the bishop "resolutely in- 
 sisted on it not to do any thing till the Presbyterians 
 brought in all their exceptions, alterations, and addi- 
 
88 
 
 tions at once : and in this Baxter confesses he was 
 wholly of the bishop's mind, and prevailed with his 
 brethren to consent thereto ; yet, as he well conjectures, 
 upon contrary reasons." Silvester, p. o06. After some 
 debate, it was then agreed that the Non-conformists 
 should bring in all their exceptions at one time, and all 
 their additions at another. 
 
 The present purpose is, not to defend or attack 
 Churchmen or Non-conformists, but to state what took 
 place then, as a means of learning what might be done 
 now, if all parties will bear and forbear. The conces- 
 sions of Abp. Usher, Abp. Williams, Bps. Morton and 
 Holdsworth, and others, in a Committee at Westminster 
 in 1641, were then in the hands of the Non-confor- 
 mists, and are printed in Silvester's Life, p. 369 — S72. 
 Eighteen innovations in doctrine, and twenty one in dis- 
 cipline, are stated ; and then come thirty five considera- 
 tions upon the book of Common Prayer. The fourth is, 
 ** whether lessons of canonical Scripture should be put 
 into the Kalender instead of Apocrypha :" and the sub- 
 stance of them is adopted in the exceptions taken at 
 this time. The exceptions were dated August 30, 1661 ; 
 and, in Silvester's Life of Baxter, occupy 17 pages, in- 
 cluding a sensible preface. They are abridged in 
 Calamy's Life, p. 154 to 158. The reformed Liturgy 
 was drawn up by Baxter ; and is printed at the end of 
 Calamy's Life of him. Baxter also drew up some ex- 
 ceptions, which are printed in Silvester's liife of him, 
 p. 308, and which were rejected " by the brethren, be- 
 cause they could not, by so particular an enumeration 
 of fiiults, provoke those that they had to do with," 
 
89 
 
 which Baxter "misliked not, but from the beginning 
 told them he was not of their mind who charged the 
 Common Prayer with false doctrine or idolatry or false 
 worship in the matter or substance ;" and declared his 
 opinion that it was a true worship, though imperfect. 
 
 The bishops sent a paper of reasonings against these 
 exceptions, which was answered by the Non-conformists ; 
 but Calamy says, p. 161, there is some reason to think 
 neither this reply nor the reformed Liturgy was read 
 by the generality of the bishops and doctors. At last, 
 the Commission, which had been issued for four months 
 only, was near expiring ; and there being but ten days 
 left, the Non-conformists obtained a personal confe- 
 rence with the bishops, and, at the meeting, they re- 
 ceived the reply to their answer. 
 
 The proceedings at this Conference in the Savoy afford 
 an useful lesson to all those who may now ask or refuse 
 any changes in the Liturgy. Some amendments and 
 alterations were proposed at that time by the episcopal 
 divines ; which were afterwards adopted by Convocation, 
 and are quoted in the preface of Bp. Mant, apparently 
 from Wheatly. But nothing was effected towards a 
 reconciliation of two parties, whose faults are even now 
 more easily seen than avoided. At the close of the last 
 day, it was mutually agreed, that the Report of the Con- 
 ference should be delivered to the King in writing, and 
 that each party should give in this general account, 
 that the Church's welfare, that unity and peace, and his 
 Majesty's satisfaction, were ends upon which they were 
 all agreed ; but as to the means, they could not come 
 to any harmony. Collier, p. 885. It appears a great 
 
90 
 
 error to have a council of two distinct parties. All the 
 Commissioners should have been Churchmen, whether 
 ecclesiastics or not ; and the Non-conformists might 
 have given such advice or explanation as they were 
 asked to give, as witnesses or assessors for a given time 
 and purpose, but not as fellow-counsellors. 
 
 The act of Uniformity was shortly afterward passed ; 
 and the time limited for Conformity was the Feast of 
 St. Bartholomew, August 24th, 1662, by which day it 
 was almost impossible for many of the Non-conformists 
 to have seen the book of Common Prayer which they 
 were required to adopt, as there w^as great delay in 
 printing the book. It did not go to the press till some 
 months after it was subscribed and ratified by Parlia- 
 ment, and was not published until a few weeks before 
 St. Bartholomew. There is quoted by D'Oyley, in his 
 Life of Abp. Sancroft, p. Ill, a note from Nichols, that 
 on the 8th of March, Abp. Sancroft, Scattergood, and 
 Dillingham were appointed, by the bishops, supervisors 
 of the press, when the book should be printed. It may 
 be observed here, that four of the Non-conformist Com- 
 missioners afterwards conformed,*Wallis, Horton, Light- 
 foot, and Conant. Kennet's Reg. 748. 
 
 From the Register of Bp. Kennet, fol. 1728, the fol- 
 lowing particulars are taken : " The bill for Uniformity 
 passed the Lords, Wednesday, April 9, 1662. The 
 Conference with the Commons was the next day ; and 
 the amendments sent from the Lords were read in the 
 Commons' House, Saturday, April 12. (p. 658.) These 
 amendments were debated many days. On the 21st 
 April, the printing of the Prayer Book was mentioned 
 
91 
 
 in the Upper House of Convocation. On the Gth of 
 May, a message from the Commons urged the Lords to 
 give dispatch to the bill for Uniformity (675), who finally 
 passed it on Ascension Day, May 8 ; (680.) and an- 
 nounced it to the Commons, Saturday, May 10. On 
 the 19th May, the royal assent was given, and Parlia- 
 ment prorogued ; and the Convocation of Canterbury 
 prorogued the next day. There was some debate 
 whether the act of Uniformity should be executed or 
 relaxed and in a manner suspended, in July, and 
 especially in Council, Aug. the 13th and 18th (730) : 
 the great objection appears to have been, the disavowal 
 of the solemn league and covenant, p. 743. Nichols 
 observes : " It was indeed a sad spectacle to see so 
 many good pastors torn away from their flocks : but 
 this was a remarkable instance of the wonderful exact- 
 ness of the divine justice ; that this oath of the cove- 
 nant, which the Puritans devised to displace the Episco- 
 parians from their preferments, should be turn'd to 
 their own ruin the very same way which they had laid 
 against their adversaries." p. 81. edit, of 1715. 
 
 The act of Uniformity had been brought up from the 
 Commons on the 10th of July, 1661. On August 6, 
 1662, public advertisement was given, " that, in pur- 
 suance of the late act for Uniformity of PubUc Prayers 
 in the Church of England, the book itself is now per- 
 fectly and exactly printed ; and, by the great care and 
 prudence of the most reverend archbishops and bishops, 
 books in folio are provided for all churches and chapels 
 in this kingdom. The price of which book, tho' it 
 
92 
 
 contains 165 sheets, is ordered to be but six shillings, 
 ready bound." p. 739. 
 
 The bishop of Peterborough allowed, as an excuse 
 for not reading the new Liturgy, that it could not be 
 gotten by the dean and prebendaries of Peterborough 
 until August the 1 7th. (743.) Calamy and others peti- 
 tioned : and the King declared in Council, Aug. 28, he 
 intended an indulgence, if it were at all feasible ; but 
 Bp. Sheldon prevailed, and it was carried, that no in- 
 dulgence should be granted. 
 
 The attempt to give effect to a scheme for Compre- 
 hension, set on foot by Ld. Keeper Bridgman in 1668, 
 is mentioned in Burnet's Life of Hale, pp. 70 — 73, and 
 Kennet 272, and in Silvester, part 3. p. 23 to 39. The 
 following account of it is reprinted from Silvester's and 
 from Calamy's Life of Baxter, ch. 12. p. 317 : "In January 
 1668, Mr. Baxter received a letter from Dr. Manton, in- 
 timating that he was told by Sir John Barber, that the 
 Lord Keeper Bridgman desir'd to confer with them two, 
 about a Comprehension and Toleration. Hereupon he 
 came to London, and they two waited on the Lord 
 Keeper ; who told them that he had sent for them, to 
 think of a way of their restauration : to which end he 
 had some proposals to offer to them, which were for a 
 comprehension for the Presbyterians, and an indul- 
 gence for the Independents, and the rest. They ask'd 
 him, whether it was his pleasure, that they should offer 
 him their opinion of the means, or only receive what 
 he ofFer'd to them. He reply'd, that he had something 
 to offer, but they might also make their own proposals. 
 
93 
 
 Mr. Baxter told him, he tho't they might be able to 
 offer him such terms (without injuring any one) as 
 might take in both Presbyterians and Independents, 
 and all sound Christians, into the publick establish'd 
 ministry. He answer'd, that that was a thing that he 
 would not have, and so it was agreed to go first upon 
 the comprehension. A few days after he sent his 
 proposals. After this they met with Dr. Wilkins, the 
 author of the proposals, and his chaplain, Mr. Burton, 
 to confer about the matter." 
 
 Some proposals had been made by Baxter, Manton, 
 and Bates, which were presently rejected. They began 
 with, " That the credenda and agenda in religion being 
 distinguished, no profession of assent be required, but 
 only to the holy canonical Scriptures in general, and to 
 the creeds and thirty six articles in particular. 
 
 Afterwards, Baxter states (Silvester's Life, part S. 
 p. 38) the reasons why they could not consent to re- 
 ordination : and says, that besides some rejected altera- 
 tions in the proposals made to them, they offered Dr. 
 Wilkins the emendation of the Liturgy there printed, 
 containing in some points less and in some points more 
 than his own proposals ; " for in that Dr. Wilkins was 
 not streight." 
 
 " The Lord Keepers, or Dr. Wilkins's proposals 
 
 were these: (Calamy, p. 317.) 
 " In Order to a Comprehension, it is humbly offer'd, 
 " * L That such persons as in the late times of dis- 
 order have been ordain'd by Presbyters, shall be ad- 
 mitted to the exercise of the ministerial function, by 
 
94 
 
 the imposition of the hands of the bishop, with this or 
 the hke form of words : Take thou authority to preach 
 the word of God, and to minister the sacraments, 
 in any congregation of the Church of England, where 
 thou shalt be lawfully appointed thereunto. An ex- 
 pedient much of this nature was practic'd and allow'd 
 of, in the case of the Catharists and Meletians. Vid. 8th 
 Canon Cone. Nic. : and Synodical Epistle of the same 
 to the Churches of Egypt, Gelasius Cyzicenus, Hist. 
 Con. Nic. Second Part. 
 
 " * 2. That all persons to be admitted to any ec- 
 clesiastical function or dignity, or the employment of 
 a schoolmaster, (after the oaths of allegiance and supre- 
 macy) shall (instead of all former subscriptions) be re- 
 quir'd to subscribe this, or the like form of words. I, 
 A. B. do hereby profess and declare, that I do approve 
 the doctrines, worship and government establish'd in 
 the Church of England, as containing all things neces- 
 sary to Salvation ; and that I will not endeavour by 
 myself or any other, directly or indirectly, to bring in 
 any doctrine contrary to that which is so established : 
 and I do hereby promise, that I will continue in the 
 communion of the Church of England, and will not do 
 any thing to disturb the peace thereof. 
 
 " * 3. That the gesture of kneeling at the Sacrament, 
 and the use of the cross in Baptism, and bowing at the 
 name of Jesus, may be left indifferent, or may be taken 
 away, as shall be tho't most expedient. 
 
 " * 4. That in case it be thought fit to review and 
 alter the Liturgy and Canons for the satisfaction of 
 Dissenters, that then every person to be admitted to 
 
9o 
 
 preach, shall, upon his mstitution, or admission to 
 preach, upon some Lord's Day (within a time to be 
 limitted) publickly and solemnly read the said Liturgy, 
 and openly declare his assent to the lawfulness of the 
 use of it, and shall promise, that it shall be constantly 
 used at the time and place accustomed.' 
 
 " In Order to Indulgence of such Protestants as can- 
 not be comprehended under the publick esta- 
 blishment, it is humbly offered, 
 
 " M. That such Protestants may have liberty for 
 the exercise of religion in publick, and at their own 
 charges to build or procure places for their publick 
 worship, either within or near towns, as shall be tho't 
 most expedient. 
 
 " ' 2. That the names of all such persons who are to 
 have this liberty, be registred, together with the con- 
 gregations to which they belong, and the names of their 
 teachers. 
 
 *' ' 3. That every one admitted to this liberty, be dis- 
 abled to bear any publick office, but shall fine for offices 
 of burden. 
 
 " ^ 4. And that upon shewing a certificate of their 
 being listed among those who are indulg'd, they shall 
 be freed from such legal penalties, as are to be inflicted 
 on those who do not frequent their parish churches. 
 
 " * 5. And such persons so indulged shall not for 
 their meeting in conventicles, be punish'd by confisca- 
 tion of estates. 
 
 " * 6. Provided that they be obhged to pay all publick 
 duties to the parish where they inhabit under penalty, 
 
 " ^ 7. This indulgence to continue for three years.' 
 
96 
 
 " That the Liturgy may be alter'd by omitting, &c. 
 
 " * By using the Reading Psalms in the new trans- 
 lation. By appointing some other Lessons out of the 
 Canonical Scripture instead of those taken out of the 
 Apocrypha. By not enjoining godfathers and god- 
 mothers when either of the parents are ready to answer 
 for the child. By omitting that clause in the prayer at 
 Baptism, * By spiritual regeneration.' By changing that 
 question, * Wilt thou be baptized,' into * Wilt thou have 
 this child baptized.' By omitting those words in the 
 Thanksgiving after Publick and Private Baptism, ' To 
 regenerate this infant by thy Holy Spirit, and to receive 
 him for thy child by adoption :' And the first Kubrick 
 after Baptism, * It is certain by God's word,' &c. By 
 changing those words in the Exhortation after Bap- 
 tism, ' Regenerate and grafted into the body,' into ' Re- 
 ceived into the Church of Christ.' By not requiring 
 reiteration of any part of the Service about Baptism in 
 Publick, when it is evident that the child hath been law- 
 fully baptiz'd in private. By omitting that clause in 
 the Collect after imposition of hands in Confirmation, 
 * After the example of thy holy Apostles, and to certify 
 them by this sign, of thy favour, and gracious goodness 
 towards them.' And by changing that other passage in 
 the Prayer before Confirmation, * Who hast vouchsafed 
 to regenerate,' &c. into * Who hast vouchsafed to receive 
 these thy servants into thy Church by baptism.' By 
 omitting that clause in the office of Matrimony, ' With my 
 body I thee worship :' and that in the Collect, ' W^ho hast 
 consecrated,' &c. By allowing ministers some liberty in 
 the Visitation of the Sick, to use such other prayers as 
 
97 
 
 they shall judge expedient. By changing that clause 
 in the Prayer at Burial, * Forasmuch as it hath pleased 
 Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself/ 
 &c. into, ' Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God 
 to take out of this world, the soul,' &c. : and that 
 clause, * In a sure and certain hope,' &c. into, ' In a 
 full assurance of the resurrection by our Lord Jesus 
 Christ,' &c. By omitting that clause, ' We give thee 
 hearty thanks for that it hath pleased thee to deliver 
 this our brother out of the miseries of this sinful world :' 
 and that other, ' As our hope is this our brother doth.' 
 By changing that clause in the Communion Service, ^ Our 
 sinful bodies may be made clean by his body,' &c. into, 
 *Our sinful souls and bodies may be cleansed by his pre- 
 cious body and blood.' By not enjoy ning the reading 
 of the Commination. That the Liturgy may be abbre- 
 viated as to the length of it, especially as to Morning- 
 Service, by omitting all the Responsal Prayers, from 
 * O Lord, open thou our,' &c. to the Litany : and the 
 Litany, and all the Prayers from, ' Son of God, we 
 beseech thee,' &c. ; to, ' We humbly beseech thee, O 
 Father,' &c. By not enjoyning the use of the Lord's 
 Prayer above once, viz. immediately after the Abso- 
 lution, except after the Minister's Prayer before Ser- 
 mon. By using the Gloria Patria only once, viz. 
 after the Reading Psalms. By omitting the Venite 
 Exultemus, unless it be tho't fit to put any, or all of 
 the first seven among the Sentences at the beginning. 
 By omitting the Communion Service at such times as 
 are not Communion days ,• excepting the Ten Command- 
 ments, which may be read after the Creed : and enjoyning 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 the prayer, * Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline 
 our hearts' to keep these laws,' only once at the end. 
 By omitting the Collects, Epistles and Gospels, except 
 only on particular holidays. By inserting the Prayers 
 for the Parliament into the Litany, immediately after 
 the Prayer for the Royal Family, in this or the like 
 form : * That it may please thee to direct and prosper all 
 the consultations of the High Court of Parliament, to 
 the advantage of thy glory, the good of the Church, the 
 safety, honour and welfare of our Sovereign and his 
 kingdoms.' By omitting the two Hymns in the Conse- 
 cration of Bishops, and the Ordination of Priests. That 
 after the First Question in the Catechism, ' What is your 
 name V this may follow, ' When was this name given 
 you V And after that, ' What was promis'd for you in 
 baptism V Answer : * Three things were promised for 
 me,' &c. In the Question before the Commandments it 
 may be alter'd, ' You said it was promis'd for you,' &c. 
 To the Fourteenth Question, *How many sacraments 
 hath Christ ordained V the ansvrer may be, * Two only, 
 Baptism and the Lord's Supper.' 
 
 *' Mr. Baxter and his brethren mov'd for other things 
 to be added : and Dr. Wilkins professed himself willing 
 of more, but said that more would not pass with the 
 Parliament. The things desir'd to be added, were such 
 as these. 
 
 "That such as had been ordain'd by Presbyters, and 
 were in this way admitted into the Establish'd Church, 
 might have leave to give in their professions, that they 
 renounc'd not their former ordinations, &c. That the 
 subscription might be only to the Scriptures, and the 
 
99 
 
 doctrinal Articles of the Church, &c. That the power of 
 bishops, chancellors, and other ecclesiastical officers to 
 suspend or silence might be more limited ; That there 
 might be an explicit owning the Baptismal covenant in- 
 sisted on in the case of all admitted to full communion ; 
 That a conjunction of honest neighbours for private reli- 
 gious exercises might not be taken for Conventicles ; 
 And that such as deride or scorn at Christianity or the 
 Holy Scriptures might be numbered with the scandalous 
 sinners mention' d in the Canons and Kubrick, and not 
 admitted to the Communion, &c. 
 
 " After a long debate, a bill was drawn up by Judge 
 Hale, to be presented to the Parhament. But they no 
 sooner sate, than the High Church party made such an 
 interest, as that, upon putting it to the vote, it was car- 
 ry'd that no man should bring an act of this nature into 
 the House ; and so they prevented all talk or motion of 
 such a thing. And the Lord Keeper, who set it on 
 foot, grew as indifFerent about it as any one, when he 
 saw which way the stream was strongest." 
 
100 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 OvTa>q araXatTTcopoq TOiq 7To\\o7q r] i^nTtjcriq TTjq aXiiOsiaq, km i-ni 
 Tfx eroifxa fxaKKov rpsTTOvrai. — ThucYD. I. 20. 
 
 The conference in the Jerusalem Chamber is not 
 mentioned by Bp. Mant, in the preface to his Prayer 
 Book, and requires a notice of several matters which 
 occurred before it was held. The first Declaration for 
 Liberty of Conscience, by James the Second, dated 
 April 4, 1687, is given by Kennet, p. 463: and the 
 second, dated the 27th April 1688, on p. 481. On the 
 4th May 1688, the Order in Council was made, direct- 
 ing the last Declaration to be read in all churches 
 and chapels through the kingdom. On the S9th of 
 June following, the trial of the seven bishops took 
 place: in regard to which, D'Oyly, in his Life of Abp. 
 Bancroft, gives the particulars here stated. These men, 
 and such as these, redeem the page of history; shewing 
 the difference between conscience and rebellion, and 
 setting a most Christian and manly pattern for all gene- 
 rations. Their names were : Sancroft, archbishop of 
 Canterbury ; Lloyd, . bishop of St. Asaph ; Turner, 
 bishop of Ely ; Lake, bishop of Chichester ; Ken, bishop 
 of Bath and Wells ; White, bishop of Peterborough ; 
 and Sir John Trelawney, bishop of Bristol. In addition 
 
101 
 
 to these seven, there assembled at Lambeth, on Friday, 
 May 18, 1688, Compton, bishop of London; and Drs. 
 Tillotson, StiUingfleet, Patrick, Tennison, Sherlock, and 
 Grove : and there the Petition was framed, which was 
 presented to the King the evening of that same day, by 
 the six bishops ; Abp. Sancroft being then forbidden 
 the Court. The Petition was afterwards signed by the 
 bishops of London, Norwich, Gloucester, Salisbury, 
 Winchester, and Exeter : the latest, the bishop of 
 Exeter, signed it May 29. Lloyd, bishop of Norwich, 
 did not receive Abp. Sancroft's letter in due time, the 
 archbishop having sent a servant to the first country 
 post-office on the Norwich road, in order that his letter 
 might not be stopped at the London post-office, where 
 all suspected letters were, at that time, opened every 
 night. The counsel for the bishops were : Sawyer, for- 
 merly Attorney-General, Pemberton, Finch, Pollexfen, 
 Levinz, Treby, and Sommers, afterwards Lord Som- 
 mers. Sir Roger Langley was foreman of the jury. 
 The Chief, and one Puisne Judge of the King's Bench, 
 charged the jury that the Petition mounted to a libel. 
 The other two Puisne Judges, Holloway and Powel, 
 pronounced it no libel ; and were, on the 7th July follow- 
 ing, dismissed from their stations by James. The jury 
 debated their verdict all night, and sent word they were 
 ready to give their verdict at six in the morning of June 
 30, 1688. At ten, the bishops were brought into court, 
 and the verdict given : and well might then be raised 
 that " wonderful shout," as Lord Clarendon says, who 
 was present, " that one would have thought the hall had 
 cracked." The memoi-y of it has not died away ; and 
 
102 
 
 whenever such a wind may come sweeping over the hearts 
 of Enghshmen, it should be nobly charged with the 
 same reviving cheer. History bears ample witness, that 
 useful learning and liberty are at least as much indebted 
 to Ecclesiastics, Papists and Protestants, as to any class 
 of men : and this is proof, that, as a body, they well im- 
 prove the talents committed to their stewardship : and 
 the crown of the whole matter is, that it were invidious 
 to mention any names, except in regard to some parti- 
 cular occasion : when and where they are wanted, there 
 will they be found, and there are they recorded. 
 
 In July 1688, Abp. Sancroft sent round to his clergy 
 the eleven Articles of advice, whereof the eleventh is as 
 follows, p. 824: 
 
 * That they also walk in wisdom towards those that are 
 not of our communion ; and if there be in their parishes 
 any such, that they neglect not frequently to confer 
 with them in the spirit of meekness, seeking by all good 
 ways and means to gain and win them over to our com- 
 munion : more especially, that they have a very tender 
 regard to our brethren the Protestant Dissenters ; that 
 vipon occasion offered, they visit them at their houses, 
 and receive them kindly at their own, and treat them 
 fairly wherever they meet them, discoursing calmly and 
 civilly with them ; persuading them (if it may be) to a 
 full compliance with our Church, or at least that 
 " whereto we have already attained, we may all walk by 
 the same rule, and mind the same thing." And in order 
 hereunto, that they take all opportunities of assuring 
 and convincing them, that the bishops of this Church 
 are really and sincerely irreconcileable enemies to the 
 
103 
 
 errors, superstitions, idolatries, and tyrannies of the 
 Church of Rome ; and that the very unkind jealousies 
 which some have had of us to the contrary, were alto- 
 gether groundless. And, in the last place, that they 
 warmly and most affectionately exhort them to join with 
 us in daily fervent prayer to the God of Peace, for the 
 universal blessed union of all reformed churches both 
 at home and abroad against our common enemies ; that 
 all they, who do confess the holy name of our dear Lord, 
 and do agree in the truth of his holy word, may also 
 meet in one holy communion, and live in perfect unity 
 and godly love.' Dr. D'Oyly then says, p. 330 : 
 
 " The Protestant Dissenters showed at this time a 
 peculiarly mild disposition towards the Established 
 Church, partly from the pressing danger of popery, 
 which naturally tended to unite all Protestants in mutual 
 good feeling, and in views of mutual support ; and partly 
 from the admiration and gratitude which they felt for 
 the firm and dignified stand which the members of the 
 Church had made, so much to their honour, both by 
 their unanswerable writings and by their public mea- 
 sures, against the designs of the Roman Catholics. In 
 consequence of this temper now displayed by the Pro- 
 testant Dissenters, Archbishop Sancroft was induced to 
 set on foot a scheme of comprehension, in which his pur- 
 pose seems to have been, to make such alterations in the 
 Liturgy and in the discipline of the Church, in points 
 not deemed of essential and primary importance, as 
 might prove the means, through corresponding conces- 
 sions on the part of the more moderate Dissenters, of 
 admitting them within its pale. It were to be wished. 
 
104^ 
 
 as matter of curious information, that we possessed more 
 knowledge than has reached us, of the details of the 
 plan which he proposed, and of the extent to which he 
 proceeded in it. Our principal information respecting 
 it is derived from the speech of Dr. Wake, dehvered by 
 him some years after, when Bishop of Lincoln, at the trial 
 of Dr. Sacheverel. This prelate, in consequence of the 
 misrepresentations which were industriously made of 
 this scheme, which had been termed a popular engine 
 to pull down the Church, was induced to enter into a 
 short detail of what had really been intended. He 
 stated, that the person who first concerted this supposed 
 design against our Church was the late most reverend 
 Dr. Bancroft, then archbishop of Canterbury. ' The time 
 was towards the end of the late unhappy reign, when 
 we were in the height of our labours in defending the 
 Church of England against the assaults of popery, and 
 thought of nothing else. x\t this time, that wise prelate, 
 foreseeing a revolution such as that which soon after 
 occurred, began to consider how utterly unprepared 
 they had been at the Restoration of King Charles II. to 
 settle many things to the advantage of the Church ; and 
 what a happy opportunity had been lost, for want of 
 such previous care, for its more perfect establishment. 
 It was visible to all the nation, that the more moderate 
 Dissenters were generally so well satisfied with that 
 stand which our divines had made against popery, and 
 the many unanswerable treatises they had published in 
 confutation of it, as to express an unusual readiness to 
 come in to us. And it was therefore thought worth 
 while, when they were deliberating about those other 
 
105 
 
 matters, to consider at the same time what might be done 
 to gain them without doing any prejudice to ourselves.' 
 
 " ' The scheme,' he proceeds, ' was laid out, and the 
 several parts of it were committed, not only with the 
 approbation, but by the direction, of that great prelate, 
 to such of our divines as were thought most worthy to 
 be intrusted with it. His Grace took one part himself; 
 another was committed to a pious and reverend person 
 (Dr. Patrick), then a dean, and afterwards a bishop of 
 our Church. The reviewing of the daily service of our 
 Liturgy and the Communion-book was referred to a 
 select number of excellent persons, two of whom are at 
 this time upon our bench (Dr. Sharp, archbishop of 
 York, and Dr. J. Thorn, bishop of Ely,) and, I am sure, 
 will bear witness to the truth of my relation. The de- 
 sign was, in short, this : to improve, and, if possible, 
 amend our discipline; to review and enlarge our Liturgy 
 by correcting some things, by adding others, and, if it 
 should be thought advisable by authority, when this 
 matter should be legally considered, first in Convocation, 
 then in Parliament, by omitting some few ceremonies 
 which are allowed to be indifferent in their nature, also 
 indifferent in their usage, so as not to make them of 
 necessity binding on those who had conscientious scru- 
 ples respecting them, till they should be able to over- 
 come either their weaknesses or their prejudices respect- 
 ing them, and be willing to comply.' 
 
 " * How far this good design was not only known to, 
 but, approved by, the other fathers of our Church, that 
 famous Petition for which seven of them were committed 
 to the Tower, and which contributed so much to our 
 
100 
 
 deliverance, may suffice to show. "' Tfie willingness 
 they there declared of coming to such a temper as 
 should be thought fit, with the Dissenters, when that 
 matter should be considered and settled in Parliament 
 and Convocation,'" manifestly referred to what was then 
 known to several, if not all, of the subscribers, to have 
 been at that very time under deliberation. And, that 
 nothing more v>^as intended than has been stated, is no 
 less evident from what was publicly declared in a trea- 
 tise, purposely written to recommend the design when 
 it was brought before the two Houses of Parliament in 
 the beginning of the late reign, and licensed by the au- 
 thority of a noble peer, who was at that time Secretary 
 of State. In the very beginning of which is this re- 
 markable passage : '" No alteration, that I know of, is 
 intended but in things declared to be alterable by the 
 Church itself. And, if things alterable be altered upon 
 the grounds of prudence and charity, and things de- 
 fective be supplied, and things abused be restored to 
 their proper use, and things of a more ordinary compo- 
 sition revised and improved, whilst the doctrine, go- 
 vernment, and worship of the Church remain entire in 
 all the substantial parts of them, we have all reason 
 to believe that this will be so far from injuring the 
 Church, that, on the contrary, it will receive a great 
 benefit from it.'" ' 
 
 " Such is the only account which we possess of the 
 scheme of comprehension projected by Archbishop San- 
 croft. That it originated on his part from the purest 
 and best of motives, and that his sole object was to give 
 stability to the Church, and to extend the influence of 
 
107 
 
 sound religion, can admit of no question. Circum- 
 stances prevented his bringing it to a conclusion : but a 
 similar attempt was made soon after the Revolution, 
 which proved altogether abortive. Judging from the 
 result of that later attempt, and from the similar results 
 which have generally followed from plans of this de- 
 scription, we may conjecture, with some probability, 
 that, although all would have been effected by Arch- 
 bishop Sancroft, which could be effected by a spirit of 
 conciliation, mixed with firmness and discretion, the 
 scheme which he projected, had he been enabled to 
 persevere in it, would not have been attended with any 
 successful result." 
 
 The Declaration of WiUiam, previous to his landing 
 in England, was dated October 10, 1688 : and was read 
 before him in the Cathedral at Exeter, by Dr. Burnet, 
 on Friday, November 9, 1688. On the 11th December, 
 the day after James first left London, was published 
 the Declaration of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal. 
 On the 16th December, the King again left London, 
 and William took possession of St. James's. On the 
 21st December 1688, the bishop of London, at- 
 tended with some of his own clergy and with some 
 of the dissenting ministers, and, in his ovYn and their 
 names, thanked William for his preservation of the 
 Protestant rehgion. Ken. 521. On the 13th February, 
 the Declaration of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal 
 and Commons assembled at Westminster was read be- 
 fore the Prince and Princess in the Banqueting House 
 at Whitehall ; who were on the same day, being Ash 
 Wednesday, solemnly proclaimed King and Queen 
 
108 
 
 of England. On Saturday, 16th of March, 1688, Wil- 
 liam made his first formal speech from the throne : of 
 which speech, the following words made more than half: 
 " I am, with all the expedition I can, filling up the 
 vacancies that are in offices and places of trust, by this 
 late Revolution. I hope you are sensible there is a ne- 
 cessity of some law to settle the oaths to be taken by 
 all persons to be admitted to such places : I recommend 
 to your care, to make a speedy provision for it. And as 
 I doubt not but you will sufficiently provide against 
 Papists, so I hope you will leave room for the admission 
 of all Protestants that are willing and able to serve." 
 Kennetjp. 518. 
 
 On p. 522, Kennet observes, that " there was at 
 this time a glorious opportunity of reconciling all mo- 
 derate Dissenters to the communion of the Church 
 of England ; which might have been happily effected, if 
 this extraordinary juncture had been well managed and 
 improved. For the bishops, and most eminent clergy, 
 had publicly professed to King James their being 
 willing to come to a temper with their dissenting bre- 
 thren : and they had made their applications to the 
 Prince of Orange, upon the like assurances of peace 
 and union by all proper and lawful means. And, at 
 the same time, there was a like amicable disposition in 
 the body of the Dissenters, who took care to represent 
 their desires of accommodation by the mouth of Dr. 
 Bates, who, being attended by very many dissenting mi- 
 nisters, made to their Majesties" the speeches then cited. 
 
 Pursuant to the speech of WiUiam, before cited, as 
 made on March the 16th, when the act for abroeatinsf 
 
109 
 
 the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, and appointing 
 other oaths in their stead, was read a second time in 
 the House of Lords, a clause was ordered to be brought 
 in to take away the necessity of receiving the sacrament 
 to make a man capable of having an office : but this 
 clause was rejected; and seven Lords entered a protest 
 against its rejection, for the following reasons : 
 
 '* 1 . That an hearty union among Protestants was a 
 greater security to the Church and State, than any Test 
 that cou'd be invented. 2. That an obligation to re- 
 ceive the sacrament in churches, was now a Test on the 
 Protestants, rather than on the Papists ; and as long as 
 it was so continu'd, there cou'd not be that hearty and 
 perfect union among Protestants, as had always been 
 wish'd, and was at this time indispensably necessary. 
 And, lastly. That a greater caution ought not to be re- 
 quir'd from such as were admitted into offices, than 
 from the members of the two Houses of Parliament, 
 who were not oblig'd to receive the sacrament, to en- 
 able 'em to sit in either House." Kennet, p. 519. 
 
 The King's party then endeavoured to make it 
 enough to qualify for office if the sacrament were re- 
 ceived according to the usage of the Church of England, 
 or any other Protestant congregation, within a year be- 
 fore or after office taken ; but this measure also was re- 
 jected; and six Lords entered a protest against its re- 
 jection, for the following reasons : 
 
 " 1. Because it gives a great part of the Protestant 
 freemen of England reason to complain of inequality 
 and hard-usage, when they are excluded from publick 
 employments by law : and also, because it deprives the 
 
no 
 
 King and kingdom of divers men fit and capable to 
 serve the publick, in several stations ; and that for a 
 meer scruple of conscience, which can by no means 
 render them suspected, much less disaffected to the 
 Government. 2. Because his Majesty, as the common 
 and indulgent father of his people, having express'd an 
 earnest desire of liberty for tender consciences, to his 
 Protestant subjects ; and my lords the bishops having, 
 divers of them, on several occasions, profess'd an incli- 
 nation to, and own'd the reasonableness of such a 
 Christian temper ; we apprehend it will raise suspicion 
 in some men's minds, of something else than the care of 
 religion, or the publick, and different from a design to 
 heal our breaches, when they find, that by confining 
 secular employments to ecclesiastical conformity, those 
 are shut out from civil affairs, whose doctrine and wor- 
 ship may be tolerated by authority of Parliament ; there 
 being a bill before us, by order of the House, to that 
 purpose : especially when^ without this exclusive rigour, 
 the Church is secur'd in all her privileges and prefer- 
 ments ; nobody being hereby let in to them, who is not 
 strictly conformable. S. Because, to set marks of dis- 
 tinction or humiliation on any sort of men, v, ho have not 
 rendred themselves justly suspected to the Government, 
 as it is at all times to be avoided by the makers of just 
 and equitable laws, so may be of particularly ill effect to 
 the Reformed interest at home and abroad, in this present 
 conjuncture, which stands in need of the united hands 
 and hearts of all Protestants, against the open attempts 
 and secret endeavours of a restless party, and a potent 
 neighbour, who is more zealous than Rome itself to 
 
Ill 
 
 plant popery in these kingdoms ; and labours, with the 
 utmost force, to settle his tyranny upon the mines of 
 the Reformation, all through Europe. 4. Because it 
 turns the edge of a law (we know not by what fate) 
 upon Protestants, and friends to the Government, which 
 was intended against Papists, to exclude them from 
 places of trust, as men avowedly dangerous to our Go- 
 vernment and religion : and thus, the taking the sacra- 
 ment, which was enjoin'd only as a means to discover 
 Papists, is now made a distinguishing duty amongst Pro- 
 testants, to weaken the whole, by casting-off a part of 
 them. 5. Because mysteries of religion, and divine 
 worship, are of divine original, and of a nature so wholly 
 distinct from the secular affairs of politick society, that 
 they cannot be applied to those ends ; and therefore, 
 the Church, by the law of the Gospel, as well as com- 
 mon prudence, ought to take care, neither to offend 
 tender consciences within itself, nor give offence to those 
 without, by mixing their sacred mysteries with secular 
 interests. 6. Because we cannot see how it can consist 
 with the law of God, common equity, or the right of 
 any free-born subject, that any one be punish'd without 
 crime. If it be a crime, not to take the sacrament ac- 
 cording to the usage of the Church of England, every-one 
 ought to be punish'd for it ; which nobody affirms : if 
 it be no crime, those who are capable, and judg'd fit for 
 employments by the King, ought not to be punish'd 
 with a law of exclusion, for not doing that which 'tis no 
 crime to forbear. If it be urg'd still, as an effectual 
 test to discover and keep out Papists ; the taking the 
 sacrament in these Protestant congregations where they 
 
112 
 
 are members, and known, will be at least as effectual 
 to that purpose." Kennet, p. 5 19. 
 
 On the 5th of April, when the Lords had under their 
 consideration the reports of the amendments in the bill 
 for uniting their Majesty's Protestant subjects,, a par- 
 ticular clause was debated, concerning a commission to 
 be given out by the King to the bishops and others of 
 the clergy ; and it was proposed that some layman 
 should be added to the commission : but, as the votes 
 on both sides were equal, the proposal was rejected. 
 Some Peers protested against the rejection, for the fol- 
 lowing reasons : Kennet, 549. 
 
 " 1. Because the act itself being, as the preamble sets 
 forth, designed for the peace of the State ; the putting 
 the clergy into commission, with a total exclusion of the 
 laity, lays this humiliation on the laity, as if the clergy 
 of the Church of England were alone friends to the 
 peace of the State, and the laity less able, or less con- 
 cerned to provide for it. 
 
 " 2. Because the matter to be considered being 
 barely of humane constitution, viz. the Liturgy and Ce- 
 remonies of the Church of England, which had their 
 establishment from King, Lords Spiritual and Temporal, 
 and Commons assembled in Parliament, there can be no 
 reason why the commissioners, for altering any thing in 
 that Civil Constitution, should consist only of men of 
 one sort of them ; unless it be supposed that humane 
 reason is to be quitted in this affair, and the inspiration 
 of spiritual men to be alone depended on. 
 
 *' 3. Because tho' upon Romish principles the clergy 
 may have the title to meddle alone in matters of religion 
 
118 
 
 yet with us they cannot, where the Chvirch is ac- 
 knowledg'd and defin'd to consist of clergy and laity ; 
 and so those matters of rehgion which fall under hu- 
 mane determination, being properly the business of the 
 Church, belong equally to both ; for in what is of di- 
 vine institution, neither clergy nor laity can make any 
 alteration at all. 
 
 " 4. Because the pretending, that differences and 
 delays may arise, by mixing laymen with ecclesiasticks, 
 to the frustrating the design of the Commission, is vain 
 and out-of-doors ; unless those that make use of this 
 pretence suppose that the clergy part of the Church 
 have distinct interests or designs from the lay part of 
 the same Church ; and will be a reason, if good, why 
 one or other of them shou'd quit this House, for fear 
 of obstructing the business of it. 
 
 " 5. Because the Commission being intended for the 
 satisfaction of Dissenters, it wou'd be convenient, that 
 laymen of different ranks, nay, perhaps of different 
 opinions too, shou'd be mix'd in it, the better to find 
 expedients for that end ; rather than clergymen alone 
 of our Church, who are generally observ'd to have all 
 very much the same way of reasoning and thinking. 
 
 '* 6. Because it is the most ready way to facilitate 
 the passing the alterations into a law, that Lay-Lords 
 and Commoners shou'd be join'd in the Commission, 
 who may be able to satisfie both Houses of the reasons 
 upon which they were made, and thereby remove all 
 fears and jealousies ill men may raise up against the 
 clergy, of their endeavouring to keep up, without 
 grounds, a distinct interest from that of the laity, whom 
 
114 
 
 they so carefully exclude from being join'd with them, 
 in consultations of common concernment, that they will 
 not have those have any part in the deliberation, who 
 must have the greatest in determining. 
 
 " 7. Because such a restrain'd Commission lies liable 
 to this great objection, That it might be made use of to 
 elude repeated promises, and the present general ex- 
 pectation of compliance with tender consciences, when 
 the providing for it is taken out of the ordinary course 
 of Parliament, to be put into the hands of those alone, 
 who were latest in admitting any need of it, and who 
 may be thought to be the more vmfit to be the sole 
 composers of our differences, when they are look'd 
 upon, by some, as parties. 
 
 " Lastly : Because, after all, this carries a dangerous 
 supposition along with it, as if the laity were not a part 
 of the Church, nor had any power to meddle in matters 
 of religion : a supposition directly opposite to the con- 
 stitution both of Church and State : which will make 
 all alterations utterly impossible, unless the clergy alone 
 be allow'd to have power to make laws in matters of 
 religion ; since what is establish'd by law, cannot be 
 taken away, but by consent of laymen in Parliament ; 
 the clergy themselves having no authority to meddle in 
 this very^case, in which the laity are excluded by this 
 vote, but what they derive from lay hands. 
 '' Subscrib'd, 
 
 " Winchester, Mordant, Lovel ce. 
 
 " I dissent, for this and other reasons ; because it is 
 contrary to three Statutes, made in the reign of King 
 
II 
 
 Henry VIIL, and one in King Edward VI., which im- 
 power thirty two Commissioners to alter the Canon 
 and Ecclesiastical Law, &c. whereof sixteen to be of 
 the laity, and sixteen of the clergy. 
 
 " Stamford." 
 
 Kennet proceeds thus : 
 
 " On May 24th, the act of Toleration, or Liberty 
 of Conscience, receiv'd the royal assent, intituled, ' An 
 Act for exempting their Majesties' Protestant subjects, 
 dissenting from the Church of England, from the pe- 
 nalties of certain laws.' The reason of it was thus 
 given, in the preamble : * Forasmuch as some ease to 
 scrupulous consciences, in the exercise of religion, may 
 be an effectual means to unite their Majesties' Protes- 
 tant subjects in interest and affection ; It was therefore 
 enacted, That none of the Penal Laws shall be con- 
 stru'd to extend to any person or persons dissenting 
 from the Church of England, that shall take the oaths 
 to the present Government, and subscribe the Declara- 
 tion mention'd in stat. 30. Car. II. cap. 1. Provided, 
 That no assembly of persons so dissenting should be 
 had in any place for religious worship with the doors 
 lock'd, barr'd or bolted, during the time of such meeting 
 together ; and Provided, That nothing shou'd be con- 
 strued to exempt any of the persons aforesaid from 
 paying of tythes, or other parochial duties : If any Dis- 
 senter shou'd be chosen or appointed to bear the office 
 of constable, churchwarden, overseer, &c. and shou'd 
 scruple the oaths required by law to be taken, in respect 
 of such office, he shall or may execute such office or 
 
116 
 
 employment by a sufficient deputy : That all preachers 
 or teachers of any congregation of Dissenting Protes- 
 tants, who shall take the oaths, and subscribe the Decla- 
 ration aforesaid, and also subscribe the Articles of Re- 
 ligion, mention'd in stat. 13 Eliz. cap. 12. except the 
 34th, 35th, and 3Gth, and these words in the 20th Ar- 
 ticle, viz. [' The Church hath power to decree rites or 
 ceremonies, and authority in controversies of faith ; 
 and yet] shall not be liable to any of the pains and pe- 
 nalties mention'd in stat. 17 Car. II. 2. 22 Car. II. 13. 
 and 14 Car. II. cap. 4. Every such teacher shall be 
 exempted from serving upon any jury, or from being 
 chosen and appointed to bear the office of church- 
 w^arden, overseer of the poor, &c. ; but any Justice of 
 Peace may require any person that goes to any meeting, 
 for exercise of religion, to subscribe the Declaration, 
 and to take the oaths ; and in case of refusal, is required 
 to commit such person to prison, without bail or main- 
 prise, &c.' The like liberty was given to Anabaptists : 
 and the Quakers were admitted to it, on condition of 
 making this Declaration of Fidelity : ' I, A. B., do sin- 
 cerely promise, and solemnly declare, before God and 
 the world, that I will be true and faithful to King 
 William and Queen Mary : and I do solemnly profess 
 and declare, that I do, from my heart, abhor, detest and 
 renounce, as impious and heretical, that damnable doc- 
 trine and position [That Princes excommunicated or 
 deprived by the Pope, or any authority of the See of 
 Rome, may be deposed or murthered by their subjects, 
 or any other whatsoever.] And I do declare, that no 
 foreign prince, person, prelate, state or potentate, hath, 
 
117 
 
 or ought to have, any power, jurisdiction, superiority, 
 pre-eminence or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, 
 within this realm.' And subscribing a profession of 
 their Christian belief, in these words : ^ I, A. B., profess 
 faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ his eternal 
 Son the True God, and in the Holy Spirit, One God 
 blessed for evermore ; and do acknowledge the Holy 
 Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, to be given 
 by Divine inspiration.' * Provided, That all the laws 
 made for the frequenting divine service on the Lord's 
 Day shall be still in force and executed against all 
 persons that offend against the said laws, except such 
 persons come to some congregation permitted by this 
 act. Provided, That if any person shall maliciously or 
 contemptuously come into any cathedral, or parish 
 church, or other congregation, and disquiet or disturb 
 the same, or misuse any preacher, or teacher, he shall, 
 upon conviction, suffer the penalty of twenty pounds. 
 And finally, Provided, That no congregation or assembly 
 for religious worship shall be permitted or allow'd by 
 this act, until the place of such meeting shall be certify'd 
 to the bishop of the diocese, or to the archdeacon of 
 that archdeaconry, or to the Justices of the Peace at the 
 General or Quarter Sessions, and registred in the said 
 bishop's or archdeacon's Court, or recorded at the said 
 General or Quarter Sessions.' 
 
 " Tho' the body of Dissenters were contented with 
 this liberty, yet the more moderate and wiser part of 
 'em would be glad to be taken into the National Esta- 
 blishment ; and there was indeed a Bill of Union still 
 depending in Parliament, which pass'd the House of 
 
118 
 
 Lords ; and when it came down to the House of Com- 
 mons, they desh''d his Majesty to summon a Convoca- 
 tion, and lay the matter before them. Accordingly a 
 Convocation was summon'd by the King's Writ, to meet 
 on December 4. In the mean time, his Majesty thought 
 fit to fill up the vacant sees : And therefore, on October 
 13, Dr. Edward Stillingfleet, late dean of St. Paul's, 
 bishop elect of Worcester ; Dr. Simon Patrick, late 
 dean of Peterborough, bishop elect of Chichester ; and 
 Dr. Gilbert Ironside, late warden of Wadham College 
 in Oxford, bishop elect of Bristol, were consecrated 
 in the chappel of Fulham Palace by the bishops of 
 London, St. Asaph, and Rochester, by virtue of a 
 Commission granted to them in that behalf. And be- 
 cause the time allow'd by act of Parliament for the 
 clergy to take the oaths was expired, those who refus'd 
 to qualifie themselves were suspended ab officio; par- 
 ticularly the archbishop of Canterbury, and the bishops 
 of Glocester, Ely, Norwich, Bath and Wells, and Pe- 
 terborough. 
 
 " In order to prepare matters to be consider'd by 
 the Convocation, his Majesty issued out this legal and 
 reasonable Commission, to the most eminent bishops 
 and divines. 
 
 " * Whereas, the particular forms of divine worship, 
 and the rites and ceremonies appointed to be us'd 
 therein, are things in their own nature indifferent and 
 alterable, and so acknowledg'd ; It is but reasonable, that 
 upon weighty and important considerations, according 
 to the various exigencies of times and occasions, such 
 changes and alterations should be made therein, as to 
 
119 
 
 those that are m place and authority should from time 
 to time seem either necessary or expedient. 
 
 " * And whereas the Book of Canons is fit to be 
 review'd, and made more suitable to the state of the 
 Church ; And whereas there are defects and abuses in 
 the Ecclesiastical courts and jurisdictions; and parti- 
 cularly, there is not sufficient provision made for the 
 removing of scandalous ministers, and for the reforming 
 of manners either in ministers or people : And whereas 
 it is most fit, that there should be a strict method pre- 
 scrib'd for the examination of such persons as desire to 
 be admitted into holy Orders, both as to their learning 
 and manners. 
 
 " * We therefore, out of our pious and princely care, 
 for the good order and edification and unity of the 
 Church of England, committed to our charge and care ; 
 and for the reconciling, as much as is possible, of all 
 differences among our good subjects, and to take away 
 all occasions of the like for the future ; have thought fit 
 to authorize and empower you, &c. and any nine of 
 you, whereof three to be bishops, to meet from time to 
 time as often as shall be needful, and to prepare such 
 alterations of the Liturgy and Canons, and such pro- 
 posals for the reformation of Ecclesiastical courts, and to 
 consider of such other matters, as in your judgments 
 may most conduce to the ends above-mention'd.' 
 
 The Names of the Commissioners, a. d. 1689. 
 Tho. Lamplugh, Id. archbishop of York. 
 Henry Compton, Id. bishop of London. 
 Peter Mew, Id. bishop of Winchester. 
 
12a 
 
 William Lloyd, Id. bishop of St. Asaph. 
 
 Thomas Sprat, Id. bishop of Rochester. 
 
 Thomas Smith, Id. bishop of Carhsle. 
 
 Jonathan Trelawny, Id. bishop of Exeter. By Dr.D'Oyly 
 
 Gilbert Burnet, Id. bishop of Sahsbury. [called 'John/ 
 
 Humphrey Humfreys, Id. bishop of Bangor. 
 
 Nicholas Stratford, Id. bishop of Chester. 
 
 Edward Stillingfleet, late dean of St. Paul's, London, 
 
 now bishop of Worcester. 
 Simon Patrick, late dean of Peterborough, now bishop 
 
 of Chichester. 
 John Tillotson, d.d. late dean of Canterbury, now dean 
 
 of St. Paul's, London. 
 Rich. Meggot, d.d. dean of Winchester. 
 John Sharp, d.d. late dean of Norwich, now dean of 
 
 Canterbury. 
 Rich. Kidder, d.d. dean of Peterborough. 
 Henry Aldridge, d.d. dean of Christ Church, Oxford. 
 William Jane, d.d. Regius Professor of Divinity in the 
 
 University of Oxford. 
 John Hall, d.d. Margaret Professor of Divinity in the 
 
 University of Oxford. 
 Joseph Beaumont, d.d. Regius Professor of Divinity in 
 
 the University of Cambridge. 
 John Mountague, d.d. and Master of Trinity College in 
 
 the University of Cambridge. 
 John Goodman, d.d. archdeacon of Middlesex. 
 W^ill. Beveridge, d.d. archdeacon of Colchester. 
 John Battely, d.d. archdeacon of Canterbury. 
 Charles Alston, d.d. archdeacon of Essex. 
 Tho. Tenison, d.d. archdeacon of London. 
 
121 
 
 John Scot, D.D. prebendary of St Paul's, London. 
 Edward Fowler, d.d. prebendary of Glocester. 
 Robert Grove, d.d. prebendary of St. Paul's, London. 
 John Williams, d.d. prebendary of St. Paul's, London. 
 
 " These Commissioners often met, and drew up 
 several alterations to make conformity the more easie 
 and acceptable to all manner of conscientious persons : 
 but some that were named in the Commission, did either 
 not appear, or did soon desert their other brethren upon 
 a high notion, That either no alterations ought to be 
 made, or at least that this was not a seasonable time for 
 the making of 'em ; of which number were. Dr. Jane, 
 Regius Professor of Divinity in Oxford, and some 
 others. But the better and much greater majority 
 apply 'd themselves to the business of accommodation, 
 with greater industry and prudence. That point which 
 created the greatest difficulty, was about the admitting 
 of dissenting ministers to officiate in the church, when 
 duely reconciled to it. Some of the Commissioners 
 were inclined not to insist on the re -ordination of 'em, 
 alledging, that they ought not to shew less regard to 
 the vocation of Presbyterian ministers, than to that of 
 Roman-Catholick priests, whose ordination was never 
 question'd upon their joining in communion with the 
 Church of England. But the majority thought it 
 more proper to keep a middle course, which was, first, 
 with respect to Romish priests, to leave it undecided 
 whether their ordination was good or no : but because 
 they were not obhg'd to give credit to their certificates, 
 that, therefore, such of 'em as for the future should 
 
122 
 
 turn Protestants, should live in lay communion only, 
 unless they were re-ordained to a legal title of any 
 church or cure : and secondly, that tho' they did not 
 determine the ordination of Presbyterians to be alto- 
 gether invalid, yet they thought it necessary for their 
 ministers to receive Orders from a bishop, who, in con- 
 ferring the same, might add a clause to the common 
 form, as the Church had already ordain'd in the case 
 of uncertain Baptism, to this effect, * If thou art not 
 already ordain'd, I ordain thee, &c.' and this was the 
 greatest concession that was made by the Commis- 
 sioners. One of the chief Dissenters has given this 
 opinion of their proceedings : ' These Commissioners 
 often met and debated matters, but were deserted by 
 Dr. Jane and several others. They drew up sundry 
 alterations, a copy of which I have by me ; but they 
 having never thought fit to communicate them to the 
 body of the Convocation, or to expose them to the view 
 of the world from the press, I know not how proper it 
 would be for me to print them. But this much I shall 
 venture to say, that such amendments as those were, with 
 such an allowance in the point of Orders for Ordination 
 by Presbyters, as is made 13 Eliz. cap. 12. would in all 
 probability have brought in two thirds of the Dis- 
 senters in England, which being done, and at the same 
 time a liberty continued to such as could not be com- 
 prehended, would have been greater service than can 
 easily be imagined.' 
 
 " One of the Commissioners has more lately given 
 this better account of it : * In the reign of King James, 
 those of the Church who saw the Papists drawing in 
 
123 
 
 the Dissenters to concur with them in their designs 
 against the Church, applied to the then Prince of 
 Orange, desiring him to make use of his interest in 
 them for diverting them from that : and in those letters, 
 which are yet extant, assurances were given, that the 
 Church was then in such a temper, so well convinced of 
 former errors, that if ever she got out of that distress, 
 all those differences would be certainly made up. And 
 to make this assurance more publick, the archbishop 
 and bishops in that Petition, for which they were impri- 
 soned and tryed, declared. That they were ready to 
 come to a temper in those matters, both in Parliament 
 and Convocation. Upon this it was, that the Prince of 
 Orange promised, in his Declaration, to use his endea- 
 vours to heal all those divisions. In order to the per- 
 forming this, he, by a special Commission, appointed all 
 those bishops who owned his authority, he being then 
 set on the throne, together with a great many of the 
 clergy, to draw out the grounds upon which the Dis- 
 senters had separated from us, and to offer expedients 
 in order to the heahng our breaches. We had before 
 us all the books and papers that they had at any time 
 offered, setting forth their demands; together with 
 many advices and propositions which had been made 
 at several times, by most of the best and most learned 
 of our divines ; of which the late most learned bishop 
 of Worcester had a great collection : so we prepared a 
 scheme to be laid before the Convocation ; but did not 
 think that we, ourselves, much less that any other 
 person, was any way limited, or bound to comp)ly with 
 what we resolved to propose. On the contrary, we 
 
124 
 
 said, if we saw better reason, we would change our 
 minds : yet this, which was only a Council created by 
 the King to prepare matters, was complained of, as an 
 imposing on the Convocation, and as a limiting of it ; 
 and tho' a royal license was sent them, yet a previous 
 resolution was taken, to admit of no alterations. When 
 we saw that, we resolved to be quiet, and leave that 
 matter to better times : but then the enemies of the 
 Civil Government began to work on the jealousies and 
 fears of many well-minded men ; and the *" Preserving 
 the Church,'" was given out as the word, by those who 
 meant France or St. Germains by it ; and vmder this 
 fatal delusion many are apt to be misled to this day.' 
 
 " The Convocation met on Thursday, Nov. 21, and 
 began in an unhappy difference about the choice of a 
 Prolocutor. The person design'd by the bishop of 
 London and most of his brethren, and the sober part 
 of the clergy, w as Dr. Tillotson, dean of Canterbury, 
 whom the King had lately made Clerk of his Closet, 
 and used to call him * the honestest man, and the best 
 friend that ever he had in his life;' but it was carried 
 by a majority of votes for Dr. Jane of Oxford, who 
 being presented on the 25th to the bishop of London 
 as President, for his approbation, made a customary 
 speech in Latin, wherein he extoll'd the excellency of 
 the Church of England as established by law, above all 
 Christian communities, and imply'd that it wanted no 
 amendments ; and then ended with the application of 
 this sentence by way of triumph, ' Nolumus leges 
 Angliae mutari.' The bishop of London, to whom the 
 Prolocutor had been chaplain, made a speech in the 
 
\2:) 
 
 same language with more charity and candor : he told 
 the clergy, * they ought to endeavour a temper in 
 tho^e things that are not essential in religion, thereby 
 to open the door of Salvation to a multitude of straying 
 Christians : that it must needs be their duty, to shew 
 the same indulgence and charity to the Dissenters under 
 King William, which some of the bishops and clergy 
 had promised to them in their Addresses to King 
 James,' and concluded with a pathetical exhortation to 
 unanimity and concord. 
 
 " At the next meeting, the bishop of London, being 
 sensible that the majority of the Lower House were 
 resolv'd to oppose the intended union with the Dis- 
 senters, acquainted the Convocation, * That having 
 communicated the Royal Commission by which they 
 were impowered to act, to an eminent civilian, he had 
 found it defective in not having the Great Seal, and 
 therefore he should prorogue 'em till that was procured." 
 During this interval many arguments were used to bring 
 the most stiff of the inferiour clergy to a charitable con- 
 descension, and the much-desir'd union, but to very 
 little purpose ; there was a jealousie and a distrust not to 
 be conquer'd: tho' there could be but two arguments 
 of any force to justify their averseness to enter upon 
 the terms of accommodation. One was, ' That it seem'd 
 to derogate from the dignity of the Church of England 
 to make any step toward the altering of her constitution, 
 till it did appear that the Dissenters themselves did 
 desire a reconcilement, and were ready to offer some 
 proposals, or to accept of others.' A second argument 
 might be, * That the archbishop of Canterbury and 
 
126 
 
 some of his suffragans, and some other divines, would 
 not own the present Government, and were therefore 
 ready to fall into a new separation from their brethren; 
 so that at this juncture it might be dangerous to make 
 any change that might give a pretence of being for the 
 old Church, as well as for the old King.' 
 
 " On Dec. 4, while both Houses were together in 
 Henry Vllth's Chappel, the earl of Nottingham brought 
 in the King's Commission, and a message from his 
 Majesty in writing, both which were read, there being 
 present twelve bishops, and a good number of the in- 
 feriour clergy. The Commission was as follows ; 
 
 " ' William and Mary, by the grace of God, King 
 and Queen of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, 
 Defender of the Faith, &c. to all to whom these 
 presents shall come, greeting; Whereas, in and by 
 one act of Parliament, made at Westminster in the 
 twenty-fifth year of the reign of King Henry the VHI. 
 reciting, That whereas the King's humble and obedient 
 subjects, the clergy of this realm of England, had not 
 only acknowledged according to the truth, that the 
 Convocation of the same clergy were always, had been, 
 and ought to be assembled only by the King's writ ; 
 but also submitting themselves to the King's Majesty, 
 had promised in verbo sacerdotis, That they would 
 never from thenceforth presume to attempt, ailed ge, 
 claim, or put in use, or enact, promulge, or execute any 
 new Canons, Constitutions, Ordinances, Provincial, or 
 others, or by whatsoever other name they should be 
 called in the Convocation, unless the said King's most 
 royal assent and license might to them be had, to make, 
 
127 
 
 promulge and execute the same ; and that the said 
 King did give his royal assent and authority in that 
 behalf. 
 
 " * It was therefore enacted by the authority of the 
 said Parliament, according to the said submission and 
 petition of the said clergy, among other things, That 
 they, nor any of them, from thenceforth should enact, 
 promulge or execute any such Canons, Constitutions, or 
 Ordinances Provincial, by whatsoever name they might 
 be called in their Convocations in time coming, which 
 always should be assembled by authority of the King's 
 writ, unless the same clergy might have the King's most 
 royal assent and license, to make, promulge and execute 
 such Canons, Constitutions, and Ordinances, Provincial 
 or Synodal, upon pain of every one of the said clergy 
 doing contrary to the said act, and being thereof convict, 
 to suffer imprisonment, and make fines at the King's 
 will. 
 
 " ' And further, by the said act it is provided. That 
 no Canons, Constitutions or Ordinances should be made, 
 or put in execution within this realm, by authority of 
 the Convocations of the clergy, which should be con- 
 trariant or repugnant to the King's prerogative royal, or 
 the customs, laws or statutes of this realm, any thing 
 contained in the said act to the contrary thereof not- 
 withstanding. 
 
 " * And lastly. It is also provided by the said act, 
 
 That such Canons, Constitutions, Ordinances and 
 
 .Synodals Provincial, which then were already made, 
 
 and which then were not contrariant or repugnant to 
 
 the laws, statutes and customs of this realm, nor to the 
 
128 
 
 damage or hurt of the King's prerogative royal, should 
 then still be used and executed as they were before the 
 making of the said act, until such time as they should 
 be viewed, searched, or otherwise order'd and determin'd 
 by the persons mentioned in the said act, or the most 
 part of them, according to the tenor, form and effect of 
 the said act; as by the said act, among divers other 
 things, more fully and at large, it doth and may appear. 
 
 " * And whereas the particular forms of divine wor- 
 ship, and rites and ceremonies appointed to be used 
 therein, being things of their own nature indifferent and 
 alterable, and so acknowledged, it is but reasonable, 
 that upon weighty and important considerations, accord- 
 ing to the various exigency of times and occasions, such 
 changes and alterations should be made therein, as to 
 those that are in place and authority should, from time 
 to time, seem either necessary or expedient. 
 
 " * And whereas the book of Canons is fit to be re- 
 viewed, and made more suitable to the state of the 
 Church : and whereas there are divers defects and 
 abuses in the Ecclesiastical courts and jurisdictions; 
 and particularly there is not sufficient provision made 
 for the removing of scandalous ministers, and for the 
 reformation of manners, either in ministers or people : 
 and whereas it is most fit that there should be a strict 
 method prescribed, for the examination of such persons 
 as desire to be admitted into holy Orders, both as to 
 their learning and manners : know ye. That we, for divers 
 urgent and weighty causes and considerations, us there- 
 unto moving, of our especial grace, certain knowledge, 
 and meer motion, have, by virtue of our prerogative 
 
129 
 
 royal, and supreme authority in causes Ecclesiastical, 
 given and granted, and by these presents do give and 
 grant, full, free and lawful liberty, license, power and 
 authority unto the right rev. father in God, Henry, 
 lord bishop of London, President of this present Convo- 
 cation for the province of Canterbury, (upon the suspen- 
 sion of the lord archbishop of Canterbury,) during this 
 present Parliament now assembled ; and in his absence, 
 to such other bishop as shall be appointed President 
 thereof, and to the rest of the bishops of the same pro- 
 vince, and all deans of cathedral churches, archdeacons, 
 chapters and colleges, and the whole clergy of every 
 several diocese, within the said province : that they, the 
 said lord bishop of London, or other President of the 
 said convocation, and the rest of the clergy of this pre- 
 sent Convocation within the said province of Canterbury, 
 or the greatest number of them, whereof the President 
 of the said Convocation to be always one, shall and may 
 from time to time, during this present Parliament, con- 
 fer, treat, debate, consider, consult, and agree of and 
 upon such points, matters, causes and things, as we 
 from time to time shall propose or cause to be proposed 
 by the said lord bishop of London, or other President 
 of the said Convocation, concerning alterations and 
 amendments of the Liturgy and Canons, and Orders, 
 Ordinances and Constitutions for the reformation of 
 Ecclesiastical Courts, for the removing of scandalous 
 ministers, for the reformation of manners either in mi- 
 nisters or people, and for the examination of such 
 persons as desire to be admitted into holy Orders ; and 
 all such other points, causes and matters as we shall 
 think necessary and expedient, for advancing the honour 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 and service of Almighty God, the good and quiet of 
 the Church, and the better government thereof. 
 
 " * And we do also, by these presents, give and grant 
 unto the said lord bishop of London, or other President 
 of the said Convocation, and to the rest of the bishops 
 of the said province of Canterbury, and unto all deans 
 of cathedral churches, archdeacons, chapters and col- 
 leges, and the whole clergy of every several diocese 
 within the said province, full, free and lawful liberty, 
 license, power and authority, that they the said lord 
 bishop of London, or other President of the said Con- 
 vocation, and the rest of the said bishops, and other the 
 clergy of the same province, or the greatest number of 
 them that shall be present in person, or by their proxies, 
 shall and may, from time to time, draw into Forms, 
 Rules, Orders, Ordinances, Constitutions and Canons, 
 such matters as to them shall be thought necessary and 
 expedient for the purposes above-mention'd ; and the 
 same set down in writing, from time to time, to exhibit 
 and deliver, or cause to be exhibited and delivered unto 
 us ; to the end that we, as occasion shall require, may 
 thereupon have the advice of our Parliament : and that 
 such, and so many of the said Canons, Orders, Ordi- 
 nances, Constitutions, matters, causes and things, as 
 shall be thought requisite and convenient by our said 
 Parliament, may be presented to us in due form, for 
 our royal assent, if, upon mature consideration there- 
 of, we shall think fit to enact the same. In witness 
 whereof, we have caus'd these our Letters to be made 
 patent. 
 
 *' * Witness ourselves at Westminster the thirtieth 
 day of November, in the first year of our reign.' " 
 
181 
 
 Dr. Nichols published an English translation of his 
 defence of the Church of England: the edition in 
 12mo. 1715, does not differ from that in 8vo. 1730, in 
 this passage here reprinted. 
 
 After the Parliament had secured the Public liberties, 
 they turned their thoughts to obtain a toleration for the 
 Non-conformists, and passed an act to suspend the force 
 of the penal laws as against them. They were " going 
 on further in these affairs, although perhaps in a pro- 
 vince which did not so directly belong to them, and had 
 brought in a Bill of Comprehension, as it was called : 
 that is, for the receiving the Dissenters into the bosom of 
 the Church." But Dr. Tillotson declared his opinion 
 against it, and accordingly the Commissioners met in 
 the Jerusalem Chamber. 
 
 Nichols, 110. " The reverend persons do now forth- 
 with apply themselves to the business v/hich was laid 
 before them, and begin their work with a review of the 
 Common Prayer Book. And first of all the Calendar 
 comes under examination : from whence the Apocryphal 
 Lessons are expunged, and chapters out of the canoni- 
 cal books are substituted to be read in their room. The 
 creed, which is called Athanasius's, because it is found 
 fault with by some persons by reason of the damnatory 
 sentences, is permitted to be changed for the Apostles' 
 Creed, at the discretion of the minister. The Collects 
 throughout the whole course of the year are revised, 
 most of them being made anew and rendered more 
 suitable to the Epistles and Gospels of the day : and 
 this with so much elegance and purity of style, with so 
 much pious force and ardor, as nothing could tend 
 
 k2 
 
132 
 
 more to excite devotion in the minds of the hearers and 
 to raise up their souls to God. They were first drawn 
 up by Dr. Simon Patrick, who had an excellent talent 
 this way. Dr. Gilbert Burnet added a further life and 
 force and spirit to them. After this they underwent 
 the exquisite judgement of Dr. StilHngfleet : the last and 
 finishing stroke being given to them by Dr. Tillotson, 
 who polished over whatever was left rough in the com- 
 positions with his smooth language and flowingness of 
 his easy eloquence. They likewise agreed upon a new 
 translation of the Psalms to be read in the daily service 
 of the Church, more agreeable to the original than the 
 present is : which province was assigned to Dr. Kidder, 
 a person excellently well versed in the Oriental tongues. 
 Some few expressions and words, which lying scattered 
 about the Liturgy are found fault with by its adver- 
 saries, were collected by Dr. Tenison : such clear ex- 
 pressions being substituted in their stead as were not 
 liable to be excepted against by the most captious. 
 There were some few other things proposed, but which 
 were entirely to be referred to the Synod. First of all, 
 that the cross in Baptism should be in the election of 
 the parents, either to have it signed in the children's 
 . foreheads, or omitted. Secondly, if any Non-conformist 
 minister should return to the Church, he was not, as 
 the custom is now, to undergo a new ordination : but to 
 be admitted into the Church by a conditional Ordina- 
 tion, like as we are wont to do in the baptism of those 
 persons of whom it is uncertain whether they are bap- 
 tized or no : the bishop's hands being imposed upon 
 them, as was the custom among the ancients, in receiving 
 
133 
 
 those clergy into the Church who had been ordained by 
 hereticks : which was the method used by archbishop 
 Bramhall, primate of Ireland, when he gave visitation to 
 any who had received Presbyterian Orders in the then 
 late confusion." Nichols cites Dionys. Alex, apud 
 Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. vii. cap. 2. Con. Nic. i. Can. 8. 
 Just, sive Author Resp. ad Orthodox. Resp. 18. Theod. 
 Hist. Eccles. lib. i. cap. 8, and Archbishop Bramhall's 
 Life, before his Works. 
 
 There immediately follows in both translations the 
 paragraph cited hereafter, p. 150. But in the Latin edi- 
 tion of 1708, London, ISmo. is the following paragraph 
 intervening : 
 
 " H«c eorum summa erat, quae in hoc congressu viri 
 doctissimi moliebantur ; quae si omnia, ex eorum sen- 
 tentia, obtigissent, quid exinde incommodi Ecclesiae 
 importaretur, mihi sane istam rem saepius reputanti, 
 nondum compertum est. Sed quoniam aliis viris sapien- 
 tissimis et multo rerum usu exercitatis sententia longe 
 diversa fuerat, inter tantos viros litem soli a parti um 
 studio semoti, vel posteri, vel exteri, optime possunt 
 dirimere." p. 97. 
 
 Calamy, in his Life of Baxter, publishes the account 
 from Burnet's Triennial Visitation Charge, and from the 
 Bishop of Lincoln's Speech, March 17, 1709-10, and a 
 translation of Nichols's account, from the Latin of 1708, 
 as far as Bramhall's precedent ; but has not published 
 the paragraph above cited from the Latin edition. Then 
 Calamy proceeds as follows : p. 452. 
 
 " To all which I shall add an account which I re- 
 ceiv'd from a friend whom it is not necessary to name, 
 which in the main I have reason to think is right, 
 
134 
 
 though in some respects defective : and so 1 believe will 
 all our accounts be, till the original papers come to be 
 publish'd to the world, as I believe and hope they will 
 be in time. 
 
 " An Account of the Proceedings of the Commissioners, 
 to prepare Matters for the approaching Convoca- 
 tion, in 1689. 
 " The Committee being met in the Jerusalem Cham- 
 ber, a dispute arose about the authority and legality of 
 the Court; the bishop of Rochester, though he had 
 so lately acted in an illegal one, being one of those that 
 question'd it. The grounds of this scruple, were the 
 obligations the clergy lay under by act of Parliament of 
 King Henry the VIII, not to enter into any debates, 
 about making any alterations in Church affairs without 
 the King's special and immediate privacy, and direction 
 first given concerning such alterations. It was answer'd. 
 That, that must be done either by an act of the King's 
 own judgment, or by a private cabal, (both which ways 
 would be very exceptionable,) or else by his Majesty's 
 commission, to a certain number of Ecclesiasticks to 
 consult about, and prepare what was necessary to be 
 alter'd, as it was in the present case. For moreover, 
 the Commissioners pretended not to make these altera- 
 tions obligatory by virtue of a law, but only to get 
 them ready to lay before the Convocation : the very 
 reports being not so much as to be referr'd to the Privy 
 Council, least they might be subject to be canvass'd and 
 cook'd by lay hands. However, the bishops of Win- 
 chester and Rochester, Dr. Jane and Dr. Aldridge 
 withdrew dissatisfied ; and the rest, after a list of all 
 
135 
 
 that seem'd fit to be changed, was read over, proceeded 
 very unanimously, and without any heats, in determining, 
 as follows, (each article, as soon as agreed on, behig 
 sign'd by the bishop of London,) viz. 
 
 " That the chaunting of divine service in cathedral 
 churches shall be laid aside, that the whole may be 
 rendred intelligible to the common people. 
 
 *' That besides the Psalms, being read in their course 
 as before, some proper and devout ones be selected for 
 Sundays. 
 
 " That the Apocryphal Lessons, and those of the Old 
 Testament which are too natural, be thrown out ; and 
 others appointed in their stead by a new Calendar, 
 which is already fully settled, and out of which are 
 omitted all the Legendary Saints Days, and others not 
 directly referr'd to in the Service book. 
 
 " That not to send the vulgar to search the Canons, 
 which few of them €ver saw ; a Rubrick be made, setting 
 forth the usefulness of the cross in Baptism, not as an 
 essential part of that sacrament, but only a fit and 
 decent ceremony : however, if any do, after all, in con- 
 science scruple it, it may be omitted by the priest. 
 
 " That likewise if any refuse to receive the sacrament 
 of the Lord's Supper kneeling, it may be administered 
 to them in their pews. 
 
 " That a Rubrick be made, declaring the intention of 
 the Lent Fasts, to consist only in extraordinary acts of 
 devotion, not in distinction of meats. And another to 
 state the meaning of Rogation Sundays and Ember 
 Weeks ; and appoint that those ordained within the 
 quatuor tempora, do exercise strict devotion. 
 
136 
 
 " That the Kubrick which obhges ministers to read or 
 hear Common Prayer, pubhckly or privately every day, 
 be changed to an exhortation to the people to frequent 
 those prayers. 
 
 *' That the Absolution in Morning and Evening Prayer 
 may be read by a Deacon; the word * Priest' in the 
 Kubrick being changed into 'Minister,' and those words 
 ' and remission' be put out as not very intelligible. 
 
 " That the Gloria Patri shall not be repeated at the 
 end of every psalm, but of all, appointed for Morning 
 and Evening Prayer. 
 
 " That those words in the Te Deum, ' Thine honour- 
 able true and only Son,' be thus turn'd, ' Thine only 
 begotten Son ; ' ' honourable ' being only a Civil term, 
 and no where used in Sacris. 
 
 " The Benedicite shall be changed into the 128 Psalm ; 
 and other Psalms likewise appointed for the Benedictus 
 and Nunc dimittis. 
 
 " The Versicle, after the Lord's Prayer, &c. shall be 
 read kneeling, to avoid the trouble and inconveniences 
 of so often varying postures in the worship. And after 
 these words, ' Give peace in our time, O Lord,' shall 
 follow an answer, promissory of somewhat on the people's 
 part, of keeping God's laws, or the like : the old re- 
 sponse being grounded on the Predestinating doctrine, 
 taken in too strict an acceptation. 
 
 " All high titles or appellations of the King, Queen, 
 &c. shall be left out of the Prayers, such as * most illus- 
 trious, religious, mighty,' &c. ; and only the word ' Sove- 
 reign' retain'd for the King and Queen. 
 
 " Those words in the Prayer for the King, ' Grant 
 
137 
 
 that he may vanquish and overcome all his enemies,' as 
 of too large an extent, if the King engage in an unjust 
 war ; shall be turn'd thus : ^ Prosper all his righteous 
 undertakings against thy enemies,' or after some such 
 manner. 
 
 " Those words in the Prayer for the Clergy, 'Who 
 alone workest great marvels;' as subject to be ill inter- 
 preted by persons vainly disposed, shall be thus, ' Who 
 alone art the Author of all good gifts :' and those words, 
 * The healthful Spirit of thy grace,' shall be ' The holy 
 Spirit of thy grace ; ' ' healthful' being an obsolete word. 
 " The Prayer which begins, ' O God, whose nature 
 and property,' shall be thrown out, as full of strange 
 and impertinent expressions, and besides not in the 
 original, but foisted in since by another hand. 
 
 " The Collects for the most part are to be changed, 
 for those the bishop of Chichester has prepared ; being 
 a review of the old ones with enlargements, to render 
 them more sensible and affecting; and what expressions 
 are needful, so to be retrenched. 
 
 " If any minister refuse the surplice, the bishop, if 
 the people desire it^ and the living will bear it, may 
 substitute one in his place that will officiate in it ; but 
 the whole thing is left to the discretion of the bishops. 
 
 " If any desire to have godfathers and godmothers 
 omitted, and their children presented in their own names 
 to baptism, it may be granted. 
 
 " About the Athanasian Creed, they came at last to 
 this conclusion. That least the wholly rejecting it 
 should by unreasonable persons be imputed to them as 
 Socinianism, a rubrick shall be made, setting forth, or 
 
138 
 
 declaring the curses denounced therein not to be re- 
 sirain'd to every particular article, but intended against 
 those that deny the substance of the Christian religion 
 in general. 
 
 " Whether the amendment of the Translation of the 
 Reading Psalms (as they are call'd) made by the bishop 
 of St. Asaph and Dr. Kidder, or that in the Bible, shall 
 be inserted in the Prayer Book, is wholly left to the 
 Convocation to consider of and determine. 
 
 " In the Litany, Communion Service, &c. are some 
 alterations made, as also in the Canons, which I cannot 
 yet learn so particular account of as to give them you 
 with the rest, as perhaps I may hereafter be able to do. 
 Thus far my friend's narrative. 
 
 " On November the IGth, the reverend bishop of 
 Sarum gave an excellent exhortation to peace and 
 union, in a sermon preach'd at St. Lawrence Jury, on 
 Acts vii. 26. 'Tis pity it should be forgotten. Says he 
 there,. page 14. * We here in England have had a long 
 fierce contest about things, which we all confess are 
 indifferent in their own nature. This animosity works 
 still so high among us, that many take fire upon the 
 smallest steps that can be made towards the healing so 
 great a breach; and fill all places with tragical outcries, 
 as if the Church of England were to be puU'd down : 
 while the chief promoters of these reports, know well 
 how false they are, and that instead of offering at any 
 thing that can in any sort weaken our Church, every 
 thing which has been endeavour'd must prove its strength 
 as well as its glory, if we are so happy as to weigh all 
 in even ballances. The things that are propos'd are of 
 
139 
 
 themselves desireable, though there should not be one 
 Dissenter gain'd by them; and are such as will tend to 
 the making all the parts of our offices both more unex- 
 ceptionable, and more edifying. But distempers are 
 far gone, when the patient rages at the first mention of 
 a medicine. We have lost many happy opportunities, 
 since the first beginning of the Reformation among us, 
 for the healing our breaches : one is sorry to remember 
 them, and wishes that such fatal errors could be covered 
 from the knowledge of all succeeding ages for the sake 
 of the Church, and of those who have govern'd it. 
 But if we do again repeat former errors, and let the 
 present advantages that we have now in our hands slip 
 from us, what is to be said upon it, but that this is of 
 the Lord, who by it is punishing us for our other sins, 
 for our remissness in our duties ; for our neglect of the 
 pastoral care ; for our slackning that strictness of life 
 which becomes our profession ; for our indulging our- 
 selves too much in sensuality and laziness; and for all 
 those other sins, by which we have departed from his 
 law, and have corrupted the covenant of Levi, and made 
 many to stumble at the law ; and that therefore God 
 will make us become base and contemptible before the 
 people ; and that all our flocks shall be scatter'd. But 
 we might hope for better things, if every one would 
 put away all prejudices, all wrath, anger, and revenge ; 
 and would put on bowels of mercies and kindness, 
 remembring that we are brethren, so that having 
 purify'd ourselves from humour, passion, interest, and 
 every thing else that may corrupt our minds, unto the 
 unfeigned love of the brethren, we would resolve to love 
 
140 
 
 one another with a pure heart fervently. And if instead 
 of the pride of not yielding to one another in any thing, 
 we should rather engage into a holy emulation of trying 
 who could yield most for the healing of those wounds, 
 that have been so often open'd, and that begin now 
 again to bleed afresh.' He adds, page 27, * God be 
 thanked for it, that there is an end put to all persecu- 
 tion in matters of conscience ; and that the first and 
 chief right of humane nature, of following the dictates 
 of conscience in the service of God, is secured to all 
 men amongst us : and that we are freed, I hope, for 
 ever, of all the remnants of the worst part of popery 
 that we had too long retained, I mean the spirit of 
 persecution. If this gives uneasiness to any, it shews 
 that their eye is evil, because the eye of our Legislators 
 has been good towards those, who tho' they may be 
 mistaken in their notions, yet have still the rights of 
 men, and of Christians. But after all this, it is to be 
 remembred, that men may be still persecutors, tho* 
 they are not able to persecute any longer, according to 
 our Saviour's charging the guilt of intended sins, on 
 those who never acted them : for as long as we enter- 
 tain hatred and malice in our hearts, and wish that it 
 were in our power to do hurt to others, so long we 
 become guilty before God, and so do wrong to our- 
 selves, tho' we are not in condition to do them any ; 
 but if we do them all the wrong we can, we shew what 
 our tempers are, and that we would do more if it were 
 in our power. If we love to keep up old differences, or 
 to create new ones, if we will continue to make the 
 terms of communion with us as strait as possibly we 
 
141 
 
 can, and shut out all persons, as much as in us lies, 
 from joining labours with us, because they do not in all 
 things think as we do : if we will by turns imploy all 
 the interest we have in any turn of Government that is 
 kind to us, to do wrong to others, either by loading 
 them with false accusations, by aggravating some lesser 
 matters, or by an undvie prosecution of real but repented- 
 of faults ; all these are the several instances, in which 
 an injurious temper shews itself; and while such things 
 are among us, we are under the guilt that is charg'd on 
 these Israelites in my text, who tho' they were brethren, 
 yet did wrong one to another.' 
 
 " All the discourse now was about this famous Eccle- 
 siastical Commission, which was so different from that 
 of the foregoing reign. Some were earnest for it, and 
 others as warm against it." p. 457. 
 
 Calamy gives much of what was said on both sides : 
 for instance, on p. 4G0 : 
 
 " 'Twas objected. That altering any thing in a well- 
 constituted Church, was like plucking a beam out of 
 a well-built house, which cannot be done without en- 
 dangering the fabrick. 'Twas answer'd, If all had 
 been of this mind, we could never have reform'd from 
 popery, because this argument would have been as strong 
 against all alterations then as now. 
 
 *' 'Twas objected. If alterations were begun, there 
 was no knowing where to stop. 'Twas answer'd, When 
 any thing was propos'd not fit to be done. 
 
 " 'Twas objected, They that want alterations will still 
 be craving more. 'Twas answer'd. That denying them 
 
142 
 
 what was just and fitting to be granted, was giving 
 them a great advantage. 
 
 " 'Twas objected, Changing was reproachful. 'Twas 
 answer'd,. It was much more reproachful, obstinately to 
 resist a change when there's good reason for it. 
 
 " 'Twas objected, There was no reason to endeavour 
 to gratifie the Dissenters, who were guilty of great ob- 
 stinacy and perverseness. 'Twas answered, It there- 
 fore became them to act like physicians, who don't 
 presently cast off a peevish patient, but study to suit 
 his palate and humour." 
 
 Unhappily the Commission and Convocation both 
 alike ended in nothing being done : and it would there- 
 fore appear, that the act of Uniformity was preferred 
 to that union which might have been effected by some 
 alterations of the Prayer Book. Calamy prints Baxter's 
 sense of the subscribed Articles of Religion, p. 469 ; and 
 also the heads of agreement assented to by the United 
 Ministers in 1690, p. 476. 
 
 Birch, in his Life of Tillotson, has given the same 
 account in substance which has now been reprinted. 
 He says, that Bp. Burnet argued warmly against the 
 clause for introducing laymen into the Commission, 
 " imagining that the clergy would have come into the 
 design of the bill with zeal and unanimity, and being 
 apprehensive, that the propos'd amendment of the 
 clause would be look'd on by them, as taking the 
 matter out of their hands. But he was soon after con- 
 vinc'd, that he had taken wrong measures, and that the 
 method, propos'd by the Lords on the other side, was 
 
143 
 
 the only one like to be effectual. Nor did his opposi- 
 tion to it so recommend him to the clergy, as to balance 
 the censure, which he fell under, for moving, in another 
 proviso in that bill, that the subscription, instead of 
 
 * assent' and * consent,' should be only to ' submit' with 
 a promise of conformity; and for his zeal for the other 
 clause above-mention d, of dispensing with the posture 
 of kneeling at the sacrament." p. 176. 
 
 In respect to the bill " for uniting their Majesties' 
 Protestant subjects," Birch goes on to say : " While this 
 bill and that of Toleration were depending, Mr. Locke, 
 whose principles are well known to have been favoura- 
 ble to both, wrote a letter, dated March 12, 1688-9, to 
 his friend Philip a Limborch, an eminent writer and 
 professor of divinity among the Arniinians in Am- 
 sterdam, in which he declares it as his opinion, that the 
 Episcopal clergy were no great friends to those bills, 
 and other matters then in agitation in England ; 
 
 * whether,' says he, * to their own or the nation's ad- 
 vantage, let them consider.' 
 
 " The bill of Union, as well as that of Toleration, had 
 been moved for by some of the bishops, who afterwards 
 scrupled the oaths; and they both were drawn and 
 ofFer'd by the earl of Nottingham, who had been ap- 
 pointed one of the principal secretaries of State, on the 
 day of their Majesties' proclamation; and they were 
 the same, which had been prepar'd for the House of 
 Commons in King Charles II.'s reign during the debates 
 of the Exclusion ; but then consider'd rather as artifices 
 to allay the heat of that time, and to render the Church 
 party more popular. And even now those, who had 
 
iU 
 
 moved for the bill of Union, and afterwards brought it 
 into the House, acted a very disingenuous part ; for 
 while they studied to recommend themselves by this 
 shew of moderation, they set on their friends to oppose 
 it; and such, as were sincerely and cordially for it, 
 were represented as the enemies of the Church, who 
 intended to subvert it. When the bill had passed the 
 Lords, and was sent down to the House of Commons, it 
 was sufFer'd to lie upon the table ; and instead of pro- 
 ceeding in it, they resolved upon an address to the 
 King, in which they were joined by the Lords, and 
 which was presented to his Majesty on the 20th of 
 April, desiring him to continue his care for the preser- 
 vation of the Church of England established by law ; 
 and to issue forth writs, according to the ancient usage 
 and practice of the kingdom in time of Parliament, 
 for calling a Convocation of the clergy, to be advised 
 with in ecclesiastical matters ; assuring him, that it was 
 their intention forthwith to proceed to the consideration 
 of giving ease to Protestant Dissenters. The King re- 
 turned no answer till the next day, when he declared, 
 that the Church of England should always be his 
 peculiar care ; and he hop'd, that the ease, which they 
 design'd to Dissenters, would contribute very much to 
 the establishment of the Church ; and therefore earnestly 
 recommended to them, that the occasions of differences 
 and mutual animosities might be removed ; and that as 
 soon as conveniently might be, he would summon a 
 Convocation." p. 177. 
 
 On page 179, Birch says (in agreement with Nichols, 
 p. 109) it was Tillotson who dissuaded William from 
 
115 
 
 having recourse to Parliamentary authority, and said, 
 that lest the Church affairs then in debate, and " con- 
 sisting of such a multitudeof particulars, might proceed 
 too slowly in so numerous a body as the Convocation, 
 it would be best, as had been formerly done, for his 
 Majesty to authorize, by his Letters Patent, several of 
 the most eminent of the clergy to consider of some 
 methods of healing the wounds of the Church, and esta- 
 blishing a durable peace : that so what they should 
 agree upon being laid before a Convocation, might first 
 have their sanction, and then that of Parliamentary au- 
 thority ; " which was done accordingly. There had been 
 in the year 1641 a Commission of Review appointed by 
 the House of Lords, consisthig of ten earls, ten bishops, 
 and ten barons; Ken. in. 104.: and the bp. of Lincoln 
 summoned, as assessors to this Commission, seven divines 
 highly esteemed in the Church. They all subscribed a 
 paper called the Proceedings &c. *' touching innovations 
 in doctrine and disciphne of the Church of England, to- 
 gether with considerations upon the Common Prayer 
 Book." Birch then says : " About the time of passing 
 this Commission, in Sept. 1689, Dean Tillotson drew 
 up the following paper, of which there is a copy enter'd 
 in short-hand in his common-place-book, intitled, ' Con- 
 cessions, which will probably be made by the Church of 
 England for the union of Protestants ; which I sent to 
 the earl of Portland by Dr. StiUingfleet, Sept. 13, 1689. 
 
 '' * 1. That the ceremonies injoin'd or recommended 
 in the Liturgy, or Canons, be left indifferent. 
 
 " * 2. That the Liturgy be carefully reviewed, and 
 such alterations and changes therein made, as may 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 supply the defects, and remove, as much as is possible, 
 all ground of exception to any part of it, by leaving out 
 the Apocryphal Lessons, and correcting the translation 
 of the Psalms, used in the public Service, where there is 
 need of it ; and in many other particulars. 
 
 " * 3. That instead of all former declarations and sub- 
 scriptions to be made by ministers, it shall be sufficient 
 for them, that are admitted to the exercise of their 
 ministry in the Church of England, to subscribe one 
 general declaration and promise to this purpose, viz. 
 that we do submit to the doctrine, discipline, and worship 
 of the Church of England, as it shall be established by 
 law, and promise to teach and practise accordingly. 
 
 " * 4. That a new body of Ecclesiastical Canons be 
 made, parti<;ularly with a regard to a more effectual 
 provision for the reformation of manners both in mi- 
 nisters and people. 
 
 " * 5. That there be an effectual regulation of Eccle- 
 siastical courts, to remedy the great abuses and incon- 
 veniencies, which by degrees, and length of time, have 
 crept into them; and particularly, that the power of 
 excommunication be taken out of the hands of lay- 
 officers, and placed in the bishop, and not to be exer- 
 cised for trivial matters, but upon great and weighty 
 occasions. 
 
 " * 6. That for the future those, who have been 
 ordained in any of the foreign Reformed Churches, be 
 not required to be re-ordained here, to render them 
 capable of preferment in this Church. 
 
 ** ' That for the future none be capable of any Eccle- 
 siastical benefice or preferment in the Church of Eng- 
 
147 
 
 land, that shall be ordained in England, otherwise than 
 by bishops. And that those, who have been ordained 
 only by Presbyters, shall not be compelled to renounce 
 their former ordination. But because many have, and 
 do still doubt of the validity of such ordination, where 
 episcopal ordination may be had, and is by law required, 
 it shall be sufficient for such persons to receive ordina- 
 tion from a bishop in this or the like form : '" If thou art 
 not already ordained, I ordain thee,*" &c. as in case a 
 doubt be made of any one's baptism, it is appointed by 
 the Liturgy, that he be baptised in this form : "' If thou 
 art not baptised, I baptise thee,'" &c.' 
 
 " This last proposal of the Dean with respect to an 
 hypothetical ordination of those, who were before 
 ordain'd in England by Presbyters, agreed with the 
 sentiments of one of the most learned and judicious 
 prelates of the beginning of that century, Dr. John 
 Overall, bishop of Norwich, with regard to the ordina- 
 tion of the ministers of the Foreign Reformed Church." 
 
 Afterwards, p. 191, Birch says, that Nichols's account 
 was given him by Dr.Williams, at a later period bishop 
 of Chichester, and that the "original of the alterations, 
 suggested by these Commissioners upon their review of 
 the Liturgy, was in the hands of Abp. Tenison, who 
 was always cautious of trusting them out of his own 
 keeping ; alleging, that if they came to be pubHc, they 
 would give no satisfaction to either side, but be rather 
 a handle for mutual reproaches, as one side would 
 upbraid their brethren for having given up so much ; 
 while the other would justify their non-conformity, 
 because those concessions were too little, or however 
 
 l2 
 
148 
 
 not yet pass'd into a law." Birch then gives Calamy's 
 account of the proceedings in the Jerusalem Chamber, 
 and proceeds thus, p. 196 : 
 
 " Such were the proceedings of the Commissioners, 
 which had been protested against by their brethren, 
 who had left them immediately after their first meeting, 
 with a declaration, that they were against all alterations 
 whatsoever. They thought, that too much had been 
 already done for the Dissenters, in the toleration, which 
 w^as granted them ; and would do nothing to make them 
 still easier. They said farther, that the altering of the 
 customs and constitutions of our Church, to gratify a 
 peevish and obstinate party, w^as like to have no other 
 effect on them, but to make them more insolent; as if 
 the Church, by offering these alterations, seemed to 
 confess, that she had been hitherto in the wrong. 
 They were of opinion, that this attempt would divide 
 the Church, and make the people lose their esteem for 
 the Liturgy, if it appeared that it wanted correction. 
 They excepted also to the manner of preparing matters, 
 by a special Commission, as limiting the Convocation, 
 and imposing upon it; and to load this with a word of 
 an ill sound, they called this a new Ecclesiastical Com- 
 mission. But, in answer to all this it was said, that if, 
 by a few corrections and explanations, all just satisfac- 
 tion were ofFer'd to the chief objections of the Dissenters, 
 there was reason to hope, tliat this would bring over 
 many of them, at least of the people, if not of the 
 teachers among them: or, if the prejudices of education 
 wrought too strongly upon the present age, yet if some 
 more sensible objections were put out of the way, it 
 
149 
 
 might well be hop'd, that it would have a great effect 
 on the next generation. If these condescensions were 
 made so, as to own, in the way of offering them, that 
 the Non-conformists had been in tlie right, that might 
 turn to the reproach of the Church : but such offers 
 being made only in regard to their weakness, the re- 
 proach fell on them ; as the honour accrued to the 
 Church, who shewed herself a true mother by her care 
 to preserve her children. That it was not offer'd, that 
 the ordinary posture of receiving the sacrament kneel- 
 ing should be changed ; this being still to be the received 
 and favoured posture, but that only such, as declared, 
 that they could not overcome their scruples in that 
 matter, were to be admitted to it in another posture. 
 Ritual matters were of their own nature indifferent, and 
 had been always declared to be so ; and all the neces- 
 sity of them arose only from the authority in Church 
 and State, which had enacted them. It would there- 
 fore be an unreasonable stiffness to deny any abatement 
 or yielding, in such matters, in order to the healing of 
 the Church's wounds. Great alterations had been made 
 in such things in all ages of the Church. Even the 
 Church of Rome was still making some alterations in 
 her rituals. And changes had been made among our- 
 selves often since the Reformation, in the reigns of 
 King Edward, Queen Elizabeth, Kh)g James I, and 
 King Charles II. These were always made upon some 
 great turn, critical times being the most proper for 
 designs of that kind. The toleration, now granted, 
 seemed to render it more necessary than formerly to 
 make the terms of communion with the Church as large 
 
150 
 
 as might be, in order to draw over to it the greater num- 
 ber from those, who might now leave it more safely ; and 
 therefore the more care was to be used for the gaining 
 them. And with regard to the manner of preparing these 
 overtures, the King's supremacy signified little, if he 
 could not appoint a select number to consider of such 
 matters, as he might think fit to lay before the Convoca- 
 tion. This no way broke in upon their full freedom of 
 debate, it being free to them to reject, as well as to 
 accept, of the propositions, that should be offer 'd to 
 them." 
 
 When the Convocation did assemble, Nichols says it 
 " assembled all the clergy either avowedly or in their 
 minds highly approving or condemning what had been 
 done by the Commissioners with relation to the altera- 
 tions,'* in one word, being partizans : and the party that 
 preferred Jane to Tillotson, as Prolocutor, were suc- 
 cessful, p. 112. 
 
 ** After that, the King ordered the Convocation to 
 attend him, and declared his mind to them to this pur- 
 pose : * He gives them earnest assurances of his favour, 
 and tells them how much it was his desire that all his 
 subjects should live peaceably and lovingly one with 
 another, and unite in one manner of worship: that to 
 this end he had appointed Commissioners to prepare 
 and lay before the Convocation such things as they 
 thought fit should be altered : that he heartily wished 
 a good agreement among them, and that the points in 
 dispute might be handled with that mild and charitable 
 temper which become ministers of the Gospel.' 
 
 " But many of the Convocation men had entertained 
 
151 
 
 an opinion which was never to be eradicated out of 
 their minds, that by this device of alterations a design 
 was laid to undermine the Church." p. 113. Nichols 
 gives other feelings of theirs, and the opposite notions 
 of the other party. 
 
 The speech of Dr. Jane at the opening of the Convo- 
 cation will not bear much comment : although the im- 
 plication be inevitable, it is only right to observe, that 
 his partisans and himself might suspect that some part 
 of what was then understood to be expressed by the 
 term " Priesthood," was of man's making, and some part 
 of what was then considered the edifice of the Church was 
 of man's building. It was not therefore unnatural, if 
 the pride of the artificers were somewhat hurt, that they 
 should oppose all changes, and misconstrue them ; as 
 people now misconstrue the spirit of the Baron* reply 
 in the Statute at Merton. It is not difficult to account 
 for an exceeding anxiety to preserve the works of our 
 own hands. But whatever work will not stand the test 
 of the Gospel, and is on that account suspected, ought 
 not to be fenced about with artificial objections to its 
 being brought to that test, ought not to be intrenched 
 amid ceremonies which bring to one level all within 
 the enclosure among themselves, and all without the 
 enclosure among themselves ; but ought to be brought 
 to the test with a zeal, which those who disapprove 
 it will term pitiless, uncompromising, and fierce ; and 
 to abide the issue. The foundation being confessedly laid 
 aright, the superstructure ought to be examined with a 
 jealous eye : and the examination will be stricter and the 
 more jealous^ the more friendly that eye may be ; for 
 
152 
 
 greater affection is alive to smaller deformities. What- 
 ever changes seem advisable, should be made with a 
 lowly and willing heart, and without loss of time. If 
 any man build upon the Rock of Ages, the true founda- 
 tion, " gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, 
 every man's w ork shall be made manifest : for the day 
 shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire : and 
 the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. 
 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, 
 he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be 
 burned, he shall suffer loss : but he himself shall be 
 saved ; yet so as by fire." 1 Cor. iii. 
 
 Jewell, in his Apology, puts a question, which in cases 
 like the present is always pertinent. " Est Dei causa : 
 cur earn dubitant permittere verbo Dei ?" p. 16. Where 
 there is any suspicion of untruth, another observation 
 of Jewell's, in another place, p. 2, will supply a probable 
 answer. " Videt scilicet Diabolus veritate incolumi, se 
 incolumem esse et sua tueri non posse." 
 
 Birch says this Convocation was prorogued several 
 times, and ultimately dissolved with the Parliament, 
 p. 208 : and gives an account of some of the pamphlets 
 printed for and against the intended Comprehension, 
 p. 209. 
 
 "A conforming and beneficed Clergyman" pubhshed 
 four pleas for Non-conformity; the first in 1681, and the 
 fourth in 1683. The first plea, p. 15, cites Baxter's 
 Plea for Peace, p. 138 ; and Bp. Reynolds's Sermon, 
 Nov. 7, 1688 : and then the following words of Bramhall, 
 ^archbishop of Armagh : " We do not suffer any man to 
 reject the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England 
 
153 
 
 at his pleasure, yet neither do we look upon them as 
 essentials of saving faith, or legacies of Christ and his 
 Apostles, but in a mean as pious opinions, fitted for the 
 preservation of unity : neither do we believe any man 
 to believe them, but only not to contradict them." From 
 p. 22 to 28 is matter of some importance to the present 
 enquiry ; but it is not necessary to reprint those pages. 
 There follow some observations on the persons that 
 managed what should have been the Conference at the 
 Savoy, and the manner in which certain individuals 
 were made and other individuals prevented from being 
 made members of the Convocation at that time " by 
 very undue proceedings" which secured the result they 
 were intended to secure. The greatest argument is 
 said to have been about the age at which children should 
 be confirmed. On p. 50 is given Sir Matthew Hale's 
 opinion to Baxter, '' that the act of Uniformity will 
 never unite and heal us." 
 
 The second plea (pp. 10, 11, and 12, cited in the od 
 plea, p. 13) states that the difference between the Non- 
 conformists, commonly but unduly called Presbyterians 
 and the Conformists, is to be seen and gathered from 
 the King's own Declaration, Oct. 25, 1660, about Ec- 
 clesiastical affairs ; to which the Non-conformists would 
 have submitted, had it been reduced into an act of Par- 
 liament instead of the act of Uniformity. 
 
 Carr's " Serious Exhortation," and Tenison's " Ar- 
 gument for Union," appear to have been published in 
 1683. The '^Healing Attempt," pubhshed in 1689, 
 dwells much on the question, whether the office of a 
 presbyter and a bishop be the same according to Scrip- 
 
ture. In the " Proposals to both Houses of Parliament 
 for uniting the Protestant interest for the present and 
 preventing divisions for the future," published in 1689, 
 is given the draft of a bill for that purpose. 
 
 The press has not ever been long silent on the subject 
 of revising the Liturgy and establishing the distinction 
 between uniformity and unity ; nor is it improbable, that 
 if it should appear advisable hereafter, an abridgement 
 of the various tracts on the subject, and a reduction of 
 the arguments used, into one digest, may be attempted. 
 In the mean time, this short sketch and the catalogue of 
 the British Museum may point out to any enquirer au- 
 thorities enough for a revision of the Liturgy. 
 
 Abp. Tillotson died in November 1694, and was suc- 
 ceeded by Tenison : and under the advice of Abp. 
 Tenison, William issued, on the 15th February following, 
 his injunctions, without any further mention therein of 
 reforming the Liturgy. The disputes between Sherlock 
 and South, a year afterwards, drew from William other 
 directions, dated 3d February, w^hich were also silent 
 as to any changes in the Liturgy. The Commons pe- 
 titioned against profaneness, in Feb. 1697-8, and the 
 proclamation was issued soon afterwards. Kennet, in. 
 744-, 746, 775. The attention of men had been taken 
 away from the old subjects of interest : and in 1699 
 Kennet says the hapless distinction between High Church 
 and Low Church was prevailing, p. 777; and on p. 796, 
 be passes to the disputes in convocation about its own 
 powers. Tindal's Contin. in. 481. 
 
 The " Enquiry into the Constitution, Discipline, Unity 
 and Worship of the Primitive Church," and the " History 
 
155 
 
 of the Creed," both by Mr. King, afterwards Chief Jus- 
 tice and Lord Chancellor ; and Mr. Sclater's Reply, 
 called "The Original Draught of the Primitive Church ;" 
 were all three published in the 18th century. 
 
 During the Arian Controversy, in the 18th century, 
 Whiston published "The Liturgy of the Church of 
 England reduced nearer to the Primitive Standard, 
 humbly proposed to Publick Consideration." The second 
 and "corrected" edition is dated 1750. He sets forth 
 the Liturgy so altered throughout as appeared advisable 
 in his eyes. The Apostles' Creed may be used, and in 
 it the Descent into Hell, the Holy Catholic Church, and 
 the Communion of Saints, may be left out. The Atha- 
 nasian Creed is put out. The substance of the first four 
 clauses in the Litany is retained ; but the expressions 
 so changed, that Arians and Trinitarians may all agree 
 to use them. No part of the Communion Service is 
 read, where there is not a communion. 
 
 David Hughes is said to have been the author of the 
 " Scruples of a Country Curate ;" occasioned by the 
 Burial and Baptismal Services, and published in the 
 Gentleman's Magazine for January 1737. p. 21. In the 
 same number, p. 37, are some useful remarks upon the 
 translation of the Greek term into "church," rather 
 than into " congregation." See Canon 55, " The Hints 
 submitted to the serious attention of the Clergy, Nobility, 
 and Gentry, newly associated," are attributed to " a per- 
 son of great importance," and signed D.H., Kent, Sept. 
 20, 1736. There is a fourth edition of them in 1790. 
 
 John Jones, vicar of Alconbury, wrote out his " Free 
 and Candid Disquisitions," and lodged them in the 
 
150 
 
 hands of an eminent and worthy prelate in 1746, with 
 a request that the contents of the MSS. might be com- 
 municated to the Synod. Mr. Jones heard no more of 
 that copy, as is stated in the preface to the second edi- 
 tion of them. The first edition was printed in 1749 : 
 the second in 1750, and it contains 371 pages, and details 
 in most respectful language the changes proposed in 
 the Liturgy, and the reasons why they are proposed. 
 
 The Petition agreed upon at the Feathers' Tavern 
 was presented to Parliament on the 6th Feb. 1772. 
 Blackburne's Reflections on the fate of that Petition, 
 ahd his Observations on Dean Tucker's "Apology for 
 the Church," were first printed in 1774. Works, vol. vii. 
 p. 33. An Apology for the Liturgy and Clergy of the 
 Church of England, in answer to D. H.'s " Hints," was 
 published in 1790. And in the same year were also 
 published, by a " Consistent Protestant," his " Consi- 
 derations on the Expediency of revising the Liturgy 
 and Articles of the Church of England," in which 
 " notice is taken of the objections to that measure urged 
 in two late pamphlets." 
 
 Seeker's " Oratio Synodalis" was prepared for the 
 Convocation in 1761, but not delivered on account of 
 the archbishop's illness : it does not appear when it was 
 first printed. The passage, now to be quoted, is p. 517, 
 ■Works, vol. V. : and is followed, in the original, by a state- 
 ment of the reasons for which the archbishop held any 
 attempt at a new translation of the Bible unadvisable 
 at that particular time. The archbishop of Cashel, in 
 these times, has not made a revision of the translation 
 of the Old Testament appear unadvisable now, to all 
 
157 
 
 who are ignorant of Hebrew. And that the New Testa- 
 ment should now be revised, is almost universally ad- 
 mitted. And the Greek is in almost exclusive use, with 
 all that can read Greek; which supports the call for 
 such a revision : it cannot be altogether owing to the 
 greater clearness of the Greek text, which, in most edi- 
 tions, is not frittered away into verses : or to the Greek 
 language, as possessing participles and cases and genders 
 and better defined prepositions. Against these unques- 
 tionable advantages, if urged as accounting for the 
 general recurrence to the Greek, it may be fairly said 
 that a knowledge of the English translation in its own 
 words is indispensable, and most useful, in a profes- 
 sional view, and for every man's common use. 
 
 " Esto igitur, idoneos Articulos Fidei in auxilium 
 vocandos : at certe nostros recoquendos, et incudi red- 
 dendos, non pauci contendent. Nee diffitemur potuisse 
 quaedam aptius enunciari, et adversus tarn argutias quam 
 hallucinationes melius muniri. Sed praeclare,ut illis tem- 
 poribus, instructa et composita sunt omnia : egentque 
 hodie tantum explicatione commoda: non vafram et ve- 
 teratoriam inteUigo, sed artis grammatical criticaeque 
 regulis consonam. Nee leve est periculum, ne qui, inte- 
 gris manentibus articulis, nos ab eorum vera mente 
 descivisse jactitant, irspoho^laq crimen atrociori longe 
 clainore, tristiorique eventu impingant, si medicas iis 
 manus, tanquam malesanis, adhibeamus. Et haec eadem 
 velim sibi in memoriam revocent, qui Liturgiam item 
 recenseri reformarique flagitant. Ornatior quidem, ac- 
 curatior, plenior, brevior, et potest ea fieri et debet: 
 sed modesta tractatione, sed tranquillis hominum animis; 
 
158 
 
 non temerariis, qualia vidimus et videmus, ausis, non 
 inter media dissidia, mutuasque suspiciones. Verum 
 ut de his statuatur, novam saltem Scripturae versionem 
 desiderari, plurimis videtur : nempe ut populus Chris- 
 tianus ea luce fruatur, quae favente Numine oraculis 
 divinis per continuas virorum doctorum vigilias afFulsit, 
 hisce 150 annis proxime elapsis, ante quos confecta 
 est Anglica Vulgata : et quis refragetur honestissimae 
 petitioni ? " 
 
 And the granting of every such petition as may tend 
 to keep us all Christians in heart as well as in profes- 
 sion, may well be considered a national benefit. The 
 Church has on earth an arm of power and propor- 
 tionate usefulness, if men do not palsy its exertions. 
 When our Church is winning souls in bloodless peace, 
 England is most prospered. It has been well said by 
 one whose voice all must respect, that " the most solid 
 hopes for the well-being of our country depend not so 
 much on her fleets and armies, not so much on the 
 wisdom of her rulers or on the spirit of her people, as 
 on the persuasion that she still contains many who love 
 and obey the Gospel of Christ, that their intercession 
 may yet prevail ; that for the sake of these Heaven may 
 still look upon us with an eye of favour. It is to the 
 decline of religion and morality that our national diffi- 
 culties must be chiefly ascribed." And what promises 
 more effectual and speedier amendment under the good 
 hand of our God, than measures which win conformity 
 to that Gospel which kindles a bright and shining light 
 in the Church of England, and to that spirit which 
 flows through the veins of her Liturgy ? Perhaps, 
 
159 
 
 indeed, a nation may be an abstract thing in one sense : 
 but it is an aggregate of imperishable souls at any given 
 point of time, each of which souls, and so the whole 
 aggregate, is capable of punishment. A few righteous 
 men would have saved Sodom. The nations of Canaan 
 were not destroyed until the measure of their iniquity 
 was full. A capital punishment of idolatry would, 
 while enforced among the Jews, bar the sins which made 
 part of the worship of idols, and so became doubly a 
 snare to the sensual and superstitious, and rendered 
 it exceedingly difficult to keep up in the nation purity 
 of heart. The Lord himself hath said : " Behold, as 
 the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine 
 hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak 
 concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to 
 pluck up, and pull down, and to destroy it : if that 
 nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their 
 evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto 
 them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a 
 nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build, and to plant 
 it : if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, 
 then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would 
 benefit them. Now, therefore, go to, speak to the men 
 of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying. 
 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I frame evil against you, 
 and devise a device against you : return ye now every 
 one from his evil way, and make your ways and your 
 doings good." Jeremiah, xviii. 6 — 11. Let us not walk 
 after our own devices, and every one do the imagination 
 of his evil heart : let us not burn incense to .vanity, or 
 cause men to stumble in their ways. 
 
160 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 E^exreoi/ iorh iv to'l^ roiovTOiq rriv TroXvKoyia.v^ iva fxr^-no)^ jj rrj 
 f}fj.a)v dffdeveia Tt]<; (pvcrecoq to TtpoTaOlv ipfxrjvevaoct /j.i] ^vvtjdipTcov, rj 
 rr] Tcov (AKpofxTcov /3pahvTepqi (Tvviffei, -npoq axpijSrj tov pridivToq Karoi- 
 ?\.t]\l/iv ihOeiu fiij y^copriaovrcoVy i^ oirortpov tovtcov, r) j3Aaa(l)t]/iLiai, rj 
 (ry^iff/j.aToqy e/g oiva.yKr]v 6 hrjjuLoq TrepiffTatrj. 
 
 Constantiiie's Letter to Alexander and Ariiis. Euseb. ii. 69. 
 
 There is a Tract in the Harleian Miscellany, xii. 266. 
 entitled, " A Letter from a Country Clergyman," said 
 to have been Abp. Wake, touching some reproaches 
 cast upon the bishops, during the disputes between 
 them and the Lower House of Convocation ; in which it 
 is said, " One fault which is mightily laid to the charge 
 of our bishops, is their being of * latitudinarian ' prin- 
 ciples as they are called, that is, no hearty friends to 
 our Ecclesiastical constitution ; but are rather inclined 
 to the Dissenters' tenets and endeavour by all means 
 to bring the Church to the Conventicle level ; and that 
 it is in order to this end, they are so very fond of setting 
 a Comprehension on foot, thereby to destroy our pre- 
 sent Church Establishment and discipline, and set up 
 something else which hkes them better." The writer of 
 this tract has a different opinion from that of Abp. 
 Tenison, as to publishing the proceedings in the Je- 
 rusalem Chamber. After saying what their intention 
 
1()1 
 
 was in that conference, and how much it had been mis- 
 represented, he proceeds thus : " I could wish their 
 Lordships would be so just to themselves as to publish 
 the Resolutions of the Committee in the Jerusalem Cham- 
 ber : and then I am persuaded that we should all be of 
 opinion that their Lordships are so far from meriting 
 the reproach which is for that reason thrown upon 
 them, that they would appear to deserve the highest 
 commendation. And since people have grown cool 
 upon that matter, I can hardly find any sensible man 
 who pretends to find more fault now than ill-timing of 
 that design. But, by the way, is it not a little hard, 
 that we should bear a perpetual enmity to our bishops 
 for the ill-timing of an action ? Nay, this was no more 
 than what was before designed in the Comprehension 
 bill, in the Lords' House, which was liked well enough 
 by some of those persons who appeared so keenly 
 against the Commission, and the treating of that affair 
 in Convocation afterwards : though upon what reason 
 they changed their opinion, I pretend not to secret hi- 
 story enough to understand : unless they began to dislike 
 it, because some other persons besides themselves came 
 to take a part in the doing it." 
 
 These proceedings in the Jerusalem Chamber were 
 all recorded : and the original records may still be in 
 the library of the bishop of London, or at Lambeth. If 
 they were examined, it is likely they would furnish 
 most ample information, in respect to any present Com- 
 mission, and the proceedings thereunder. The use of 
 precedents, in such cases, amounts to a moral necessity. 
 The disregard of them argues more zeal than discretion : 
 
 M 
 
162 
 
 and would, as far as it is possible, bring the present 
 age down to the level of the past : and disfranchise the 
 pages of history, by confining them to the purposes which 
 a poem or romance would better effect, if well written. 
 It is not to be expected that any such precedents 
 could be found, as would not leave the task imposed 
 upon any present Commissioners exceedingly difficult 
 and laborious. In which quarter to begin, would be 
 determined by the Commission. The repeal of the 
 Test and Corporation acts will at once establish the 
 propriety of abstaining from excommunication, as a 
 punishment for any civil offence: but to any effectual 
 discipline in the Church there are at present opposed 
 many serious impediments. Parishes are too large, 
 and churches too small : and all pews are not un- 
 derstood as open to any parishioner when not occu- 
 pied at the moment service begins, as one plan of 
 making more easy the means of instruction. A faculty 
 or prescription should not close the door of a pew 
 only part filled ; or be in force, in the absence of those 
 for whose use it is granted, on any particular day. A 
 parish containing 80,000 inhabitants contradicts all 
 notion of a parish church : and while there is some evil 
 in chapels of ease, the good of them is not apparent : 
 and each of them might soon be made into a parish, 
 upon the principle admitted in 58 Geo. III. cap. 45. 
 sec. 17, 18, 19, 21, 24, and the acts amending it. Is 
 the original notion of a parish consistent with many 
 churches, and a consequent necessity for many minis- 
 ters ? And is it to be abandoned, because the division 
 into parishes has been made subservient to purposes 
 
\6S 
 
 with which tlie Church, as such, has not any thing to 
 do? Proprietary chapels have long been disapproved, 
 and are admitted only as the lesser evil of two. The new 
 act, 7 and 8 Geo. IV. cap. 72, is a great point gained; 
 and yet it can hardly be thought to go far enough for 
 every purpose it might have been made to answer: and 
 it is also said to be fettered by other restrictions and 
 bye-laws, as to the mode of application to the Com- 
 missioners resting upon some alleged analogy to the 
 5th Geo. IV. c. 103. sec. 5 & 9. The third section is 
 as follows : 
 
 '' And be it further enacted, That when any person 
 or persons shall, to the satisfaction of the Commis- 
 sioners, endow any chapel built or hereafter to be built 
 by such person or persons, with some permanent prov- 
 ision in land or moneys in the funds exclusively or 
 in addition to the pew-rents or other profits arising 
 from the said chapel, such endowment to be settled and 
 assured as the said Commissioners shall authorize and 
 direct, it shall be lawful for the said Commissioners to 
 declare that the right of nominating a Minister to the 
 said chapel shall for ever thereafter be in the person 
 or persons building and endowing the said chapel, his, 
 her, or their heirs and assigns, or in such person or 
 persons as he, she, or they shall appoint, and not- 
 withstanding no compensation or endowment may be 
 made to or for the benefit of the Minister of the church 
 of the parish within which such chapel may be built." 
 
 Before any particular changes are proposed in the 
 Liturgy, it is right to observe that the principal object 
 at present is to obtain such information as will point out 
 
 M 2 
 
161 
 
 exactly what changes might now be made with advan- 
 tage. And those changes which are proposed, are pro- 
 posed only for the purpose of making out a case for a 
 future inquiry : the result of which inquiry may be such 
 as to prove these pages altogether erroneous, and every 
 change proposed fraught with more danger than promise 
 of good. After a few general remarks, those passages 
 and services in the Prayer Book which have seemed 
 capable of improvement will be pointed out. To praise 
 the Prayer Book, is but a form of praising ourselves : 
 real excellence may be treated without suspicious words 
 of ceremony, because respect cannot be forgotten. 
 
 If a Commission could be obtained, then the Commis- 
 sioners would, in all probability, be all churchmen, and 
 many of them bishops, and empowered to call for re- 
 turns from each clergyman in every diocese in answer 
 to queries ; one of which queries should be in general 
 terms, and request the opinion of each individual on 
 the whole subject. Undoubtedly the clergy are good 
 judges of the effect of the Prayer Book. Any other 
 classes or individuals might be called up and examined 
 by the Commissioners. After these inquiries, a Report 
 should be drawn up, and a Prayer Book be printed ; 
 and both thrown into extensive circulation for a year or 
 more. If any alterations be recommended in the trans- 
 lation of the Bible, Bp. Marsh, App.4. every such altera- 
 tion should be printed and circulated in like manner, with 
 such reasons given for the alterations in the Prayer Book 
 and Bible as may seem expedient to the Commissioners. 
 
 At the end of this period, the Commissioners might 
 see grounds for changing their first scheme : and if so. 
 
165 
 
 the same process should again be gone through, until a 
 Prayer Book and Bible were ready to be recommended 
 to Parliament. And the recommendation might be, that 
 any creeds or prayers of the old Prayer Book that were 
 rejected entirely, should thenceforward be discontinued : 
 but as to any other changes, the old Prayer Book and 
 the old Translation of the Bible should be left in use, 
 and the new ones put in use, at the discretion of each 
 clergyman for such a period, and under such restrictions 
 as Parliament should think proper: until, at the end of 
 the period fixed, the new ones should peremptorily 
 supersede the old ones. The acts of Parliament to 
 authorize the new ones should be passed for the dura- 
 tion of each Parliament, and one year more : so that, 
 upon each succeeding enactment, any change which were 
 approved might easily be made. Due notice, and the 
 Report of a Committee previous to such change, would 
 of course be necessary. 
 
 There is not any doubt, but that if the bishops now 
 on the bench should think any change advisable in the 
 Liturgy, the new work will be well suited to the old. 
 They rank among their numbers men as pious and 
 learned as Cranmer, or any individual bishop since 
 Cranmer; and are far more competent to revise the 
 Liturgy than any of those who framed or revised it 
 heretofore. One hundred and fifty years ought not to 
 have elapsed without giving us some advantages over 
 our forefathers : and the bishops at this moment might 
 well be chosen to represent this age and its improved 
 character : they enjoy the respect, and have round 
 them the prayers of every member of the Church in 
 
166 
 
 which they preside. It has been said, by Doddridge, 
 that the difficulty, so far as he could make it out in re- 
 gard to changes in the Liturgy for the comprehension 
 of Dissenters, did not in his time at all rest with the 
 bishops, who all desired some changes therein, but with 
 the Privy Council. The passage in Doddridge was read 
 many years ago, and is now quoted from memory. 
 
 If the practice in regard to the communion be so far 
 changed as to make it a weekly service of necessity, 
 there will be some difficulties in determining when and 
 how that service is to be used on each Sunday. The 
 frequency of communion has not been found an easy 
 question ; and may well abide the discussion. It is now 
 assumed, that the present system will be continued ; and 
 on that notion, the only object will be to shorten the 
 service. It may hereafter appear advisable to divide 
 the present Morning Prayer into distinct services : and 
 for that purpose, the suggestions in J.Jones's " Free and 
 Candid Disquisitions," p. 60, are w^orthy much attention. 
 If more than two services on each Sunday be objectio- 
 nable, the Communion Service might only be read when 
 there w^as a communion. The Sermon might be dis- 
 pensed with on sacrament mornings. The Communion 
 Service, as now read, might be read in the afternoons of 
 those Sundays on which there were not any communi- 
 cants. The terms of the Commission might be general 
 enough to embrace all difficulties in respect to the 
 Church, and the Report would be so much the more 
 valuable. 
 
 Merely verbal alterations in the Prayer Book need not 
 be mentioned, as they are almost universally called for. 
 
167 
 
 The American Prayer Book changes "which," and other 
 such expressions, throughout; and indeed words hke 
 "prevent," "after," "let," "chances," &c. used against 
 the estabhshed choice and rule and right of speaking, tend 
 to mislead many. Nor will any thing be said about the 
 adoption of the Jewish Calendar, in respect to the eves 
 of holidays. If it be deemed inexpedient to revise now 
 the Translation of the Bible, there might be published 
 an accredited Comment, explaining the more difficult 
 passages, and showing the construction to be put on 
 many proceedings recorded in the Bible, which were 
 abused by the Puritans, and are still liable to be abused : 
 or, instead of such Comment, a full general warning, that 
 the conduct of the best Jew does not furnish any authori- 
 tative precedent for a Christian. It is not wise to reason 
 upon improbable cases ; to speculate upon what should 
 be done if an angel now came down from heaven to 
 command a Christian father at this time to offer up in 
 sacrifice his only son. But it is right to declare, that 
 any General who needlessly and for vengeance, which is 
 not his, puts to death unarmed prisoners of war, is now a 
 murderer, and should be treated as such, though he plead 
 the orders of an angel from heaven. 6 Horn. Rebel, p. 513. 
 If the Bible be put out of consideration, it might appear 
 wise to those who have power and authority to set forth, 
 as to such parts of it as are used in the Prayer Book, 
 a rubric explaining the restrictions under which the Old 
 Testament Lessons are to be applied for a rule of con- 
 duct among Christians in this age. It is evident the 
 Lessons at present read from the Old Testament are 
 such that some of them might be changed with great 
 
168 
 
 advantage : or if that be not approved, so much of the 
 act of Uniformity as renders a running comment illegal, 
 might be repealed. The Sermon is too late to answer 
 the same purpose. It would, however, be much better 
 to select some Sunday portions anew, even if the weekly 
 service proceed as usual. As a present expedient, au- 
 thorized Lectionaries, if such partial selections can be 
 authorized, with a comment, might have their use. It is 
 hardly possible to believe that, supposing a review of 
 the Liturgy was made from other causes, any one per- 
 son should think the present Sunday Lessons the best 
 that could be selected without a single exception. The 
 Sunday Lessons, either absolutely, or by reference to 
 other chapters which might be substituted for them, 
 have long been considered as more objectionably chosen 
 for a weekly service, than the Daily Lessons for a daily 
 service. 
 
 The most effectual plan of shortening the Communion 
 Service, and relieving the clergyman, would be to dis- 
 pense with the necessity for his delivering the bread and 
 wine to each individual communicant. In Luke xxii. 17, 
 where the cup is first mentioned, the words are, " Divide 
 it among yourselves." In St. Matthew xxvi. 27, " He 
 gave the cup to them, saying. Drink ye all of it." St. 
 Mark records much the same language, xiv. 22 — 24 : 
 and this language is applicable to many at a time. St. 
 Paul's statement, in 1 Cor, xi, implies that the prac- 
 tice then was for each communicant to take for himself 
 bread : and the abuse of the practice is censured, not 
 its use. From the rubric immediately preceding the Ex- 
 hortation, it may be collected that the compilers of our 
 
169 
 
 Prayer Book did not contemplate the distraction and 
 confusion now occasioned by approaching and leaving 
 the rails of the altar ; and did expect the whole number 
 of communicants to be at once " conveniently placed for 
 the receiving of the holy sacrament." 
 
 The first observation in Whiston's Liturgy is, that 
 the whole church, in every place, ought to be distin- 
 guished into the catechumens, the penitent, and the 
 faithful. If this were done, the general service might 
 be drawn up with greater allowances for Dissenters 
 than will be deemed practicable without some such a 
 distinction. For with it, all those points which are not 
 necessary to distinguish the Church of England, and 
 give offence to many persons, might be used in the 
 Communion Service, and there only. To what extent 
 this should be done, would be determined by the result 
 of the inquiries before the Commissioners : in all proba- 
 bility, the omission of the Athanasian Creed, and the 
 variation at the beginning of the liiturgy, would be 
 enough : and there is not any command that prayers 
 shall indirect terms be addressed to each Person. The 
 Trinity is the substance of the Protestant faith in a brief 
 expression, sounding nobly to the disciplined and under- 
 standing ear ; yet it may not be advisable, where many 
 need an interpreter. There is reason enough to suspect 
 that the Athanasian Creed has done more injury to the 
 real doctrine of the Trinity than good : for, instead of 
 this sound and wholesome doctrine, it has substituted a 
 questionable adherence to a series of sentences ; and a 
 formal subscription to them has been made, until many 
 think it enough of itself when made, and that it super- 
 
170 
 
 sedes all other acceptance of the doctrine. It is diffi- 
 cult to understand how Wheatly should have advised 
 him who scruples at the denying salvation to such as 
 do not believe the articles of the Athanasian Creed, to 
 remember that such as hold any fundamental heresy 
 thereby denounced are condemned in Scripture ; and 
 cite in support of his advice the following texts, and 
 not any other authority : " Who is a liar but he that 
 denieth that Jesus is the Christ ? He is antichrist, that 
 denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth 
 the Son, the same hath not the Father : [but] he that 
 acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." 1 John, ii. 
 22, 2S. " He that believeth on the Son of God hath 
 the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath 
 made him a liar ; because he believeth not the record 
 that God gave of his Son." 1 John, v. 10. " But there 
 were false prophets also among the people ; even as there 
 shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring 
 in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought 
 them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." 
 2 Pet. ii. 1. 
 
 In the whole of the Bible, a new division, and perhaps 
 a chronological one into chapters or sections, is ad- 
 visable. And it seems probable that these chapters or 
 sections would be divided into paragraphs where any 
 subdivisions were necessary, but never into verses. 
 Any division into verses tends to make our knowledge 
 of the Bible mechanical and unspiritual : and fritters 
 away into detached bits what should be a definite and 
 consistent whole ; and should, as a whole, supply the 
 rule of daily life from general principles to be applied 
 
171 
 
 in detail by each individual to his own circumstances 
 according to his own conscience. The recognition of 
 isolated verses as direct and conclusive authority, in all 
 cases without any discrimination, is a dangerous mis- 
 take : and yet it is one but too natural a consequence 
 of a division into verses, which is a severance of the con- 
 text. In cases where some violence must be done to 
 circumstances or language, our endeavour should always 
 be to bring the particular case about which we are in 
 doubt within the general rule, and not to establish it 
 as an exception from the rule. But the general rule is 
 lost to many from the pages of our Bibles, as now 
 broken up. Their minds suffer, even as their eyes, an 
 embarrassing number of little passages which they do 
 not put together and often do not acknowledge as 
 capable of being put together ; although it is only by 
 putting them together that the real meaning can be 
 ascertained. It has been said, as a sort of vaunt, that 
 no other book could sustain such a division : and if it 
 be truly said, the vaunt is fatal to the continuance of 
 that division. 
 
 Both the translations of the Psalms are held capable 
 of great amendments, which would take away some 
 part of the fierce and hard expressions now found in 
 them. Some of the psalms are liable to objections in 
 their present form ; and much misconstrued, and seldom 
 applied prophetically: the 109th for instance, or the 
 69th, one especially chosen for Good Friday, and the 
 application of which is so pointed out, verses 28 to 29. 
 Selections might be held advisable, and would not be 
 without precedent. Burnet, v. 241. 
 
172 
 
 The opinion of Baxter concerning the Catechism is 
 given in his exceptions against the Common Prayer, 
 drawn up at the time of the Savoy Conference, in the 
 following words, Silvester's Life, p. 314 : " In the Cate- 
 chism there are omitted some of the essential attributes 
 of God, without which he cannot be rightly known. 
 There is also omitted the doctrine of the law made to 
 Adam, and of man's fall ; and the doctrine of our misery 
 is insufficiently touched : the Person, office, and pro- 
 perties of the Redeemer are so insufficiently opened, 
 as we should think the essentials of Christianity are 
 omitted, were it not that they are, generally at least, 
 expressed in the Creed itself, which is more full than 
 the explication of it. There is no mention of the holy 
 scriptures in it: and the doctrine of the Covenant of 
 Grace is very defectively expressed ; and so is the doc- 
 trine of Sanctification, and other parts of the work of 
 the Holy Ghost : and the whole doctrine of God's 
 judgment and execution; and that of man's duty; 
 and even the nature and use of the Sacraments, in 
 which it is fullest : as will appear by a true comparing 
 it with what we offer." It has been said, that a second 
 and fuller Catechism was intended to succeed the pre- 
 sent elementary one ; and that Bp. Overall's additions 
 were not made with any view of preventing such second 
 and fuller Catechism. 
 
 In the exceptions delivered in to the bishops at the 
 Savoy, the principal objections to the Catechism were, 
 that the answer as to the sacraments might be *' two 
 only. Baptism and the Lord's Supper ;" and that the 
 entering infants into covenant with their Maker might 
 
173 
 
 be more warily expressed. In general, the Non-con- 
 formists observed, " That the doctrine of the sacraments, 
 which was added upon the Conference at Hampton 
 Court, is much more fully and particularly delivered 
 than the other parts of the Catechism, in short answers, 
 fitted to the memories of children : and thereupon we 
 offer it to be considered. First, Whether there should 
 not be a more distinct and full exphcation of the Creed, 
 the Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer : Secondly, 
 Whether it were not convenient to add, what seems to 
 be wanting, somewhat particularly concerning the na- 
 ture of faith, of repentance, the two covenants, of jus- 
 tification, sanctification, adoption, and regeneration." 
 
 It might be thought necessary to make some changes 
 in the Catechism, if infants were allowed to be baptized 
 without sponsors, or if the parents were allowed to stand 
 as sponsors themselves, or if the form of answering for 
 the infants, when baptized, were changed. In answer to 
 the last question but two in the Catechism, the Ameri- 
 cans have put "spiritually" for " verily and indeed." The 
 article should be left out before " the bread and wine ;" 
 as our bodies are not strengthened, and our hunger is 
 not intended to be satisfied, by such bread and wine as 
 are administered in church. If the words of the Lord's 
 Prayer be held too dear, and too much consecrated by 
 long usage, to admit any change for such a trifling ad- 
 vantage, the Catechism might be made to supply the 
 same good which any such change might have supplied. 
 If the present answer concerning the Lord's Prayer 
 were reduced into shorter and more answers, the ad- 
 ditional questions and answers might easily be drawn up. 
 
174 
 
 The two words used in the Greek, and translated in 
 our Prayer Book "trespasses," are b(p£iXr]fjia7a. and d^apriaq, 
 and translated in the New Testament "debts" and "sins." 
 Both these words appear more significant than " tres- 
 passes." We may take " debts " in the strongest con- 
 struction, and then they will mean that which we ought 
 to have done and have not done, and so are held liable 
 for ; and " sins" mean sins of omission as well as com- 
 mission : and the next line in St. Luke uses the word 
 " indebted ;" so as to keep up the notion of what we 
 have neglected to do. xi. 4. What in the Greek seems 
 a similitude, or a way of shewing the suppliant's own 
 knowledge of his duty, in the hope of being enabled to 
 perform it, or a thankful recognition of our high calling on 
 earth, looks in the English like a meritorious condition. 
 " Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," 
 is a sentence which admits an useful reference to the 
 prayer in the 17th chapter of St. John, which is, not that 
 Christians should be taken out of the world, but that 
 they should be kept from the evil. 
 
 Upon creeds and heresy to be obviated by them, it 
 w^ill be right to quote the highest authority from the 
 17th chapter of St. John : " This is life eternal, to know^ 
 the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent." 
 In the 24th chapter of Acts, St. Paul uses the following 
 words : " After the way which they call heresy, so wor- 
 ship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which 
 are written in the law and in the prophets : and have 
 hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that 
 there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the 
 just and the unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to 
 
175 
 
 have always a conscience void of offence toward God 
 and toward men." 
 
 The purposes of the Church and the purposes of the 
 State, when the word * purpose ' is not used to insinuate 
 what the writer shrinks from stating openly, neither 
 ought to be separated nor can be separated. If the 
 "powers that be" are a King, an absolute or a consti- 
 tutional king, they who are not religious cannot really 
 be loyal ; and they who are not loyal cannot really be 
 religious : and if any doubts and troubles arose, this 
 truth would not be at all in dispute ; but the dispute 
 would be, in one case, who was the rightful King ; and 
 in the other, about the epithet " constitutional." And 
 these purposes of Church and State might perhaps be 
 answered without so many creeds and articles and 
 oaths. The declaration upon entering, for instance, 
 at an English University the name of a student was 
 proposed in the following words by a notice dated 8th 
 January 1773, signed " Thomas Fothergill, V. C." for a 
 Convocation to be holden Feb. 4 : " I do declare that I 
 am a member of the Church of England, and that I will 
 conform to the worship and Liturgy of the same as it is 
 by law established." 
 
 It has long been held enough to require professed 
 Dissenters to take the oaths of allegiance and supre- 
 macy under 1st William III. ; and to make the following 
 declaration : 
 
 " I do solemnly declare, in the presence of Almighty 
 God, that I am a Christian and a Protestant, and, as 
 such, that I believe that the Scriptures of the Old and 
 New Testament, as commonly received among Protes- 
 
176 
 
 tant Churches, do contain the revealed will of God ; 
 and that I do receive the same as the rule of my doc- 
 trine and practice." 19 Geo. III. c. 44. 
 
 Why should professed friends to the Church be re- 
 quired to say more ? Upon oaths, as distinct from de- 
 clarations, it has been urged, that oaths do not afford 
 any greater security than declarations to the party who 
 requires them for security's sake, and yet he thinks they 
 increase the guilt of him who breaks them. In charity, 
 therefore, ought they to be discontinued, as offering in any 
 case but a semblance of security, and in some cases a 
 certainty of greater guilt. In every practical sense, each 
 assertion we make is an oath, and in the presence of Him 
 to whom each idle word or thought is known. An as- 
 sertion of the omnipresence of God, made by those who 
 administer any declaration, would serve all the purposes 
 an oath can really serve, and do away all indirect sanction 
 of a simple untruth. At the best, oaths, as compared 
 with declarations, only give the thoughtless an ad- 
 vantage over the thoughtful, and widen breaches that 
 should be closing together, by preventing such a silent 
 and conventional approximation of both parties as 
 might tend to save each that imputation of error 
 which, in the weakness of human nature, each dreads 
 beyond common endurance. The requisition of an 
 oath involves suspicions of such a nature, that they 
 imply their own truth : at the least, it puts upon com- 
 pulsion that which, after all, can only be given by willing 
 hearts. A thousand oaths could not bind, in any such 
 sense as would benefit his soul, any man that would 
 break his word. 
 
177 
 
 If, however, a creed is to be, why should not the 
 Apostles' Creed be deemed satisfactory ? That it does 
 not contain all the substance of our faith, is an objection 
 equally valid against every creed. The Athanasian 
 Creed has not in it any recognition of the Bible, which 
 yet is the foundation of all religion. It cannot be 
 contended that " Christian verity" or " Catholick Reli- 
 gion" mean the Bible: if they do, the expressions should 
 be changed. Waterland considers the earliest recep- 
 tion of the Athanasian Creed into the Public Offices of 
 any Church was in France, and at least as early as the 
 year 670. p. 220. In England, he thinks about the 
 year 800 ; and proves it about the year 930. p. 225. 
 
 Among the Tracts in the Harleian Miscellany, re- 
 printed in 1811, is one, in the 12th vol. p. 130, entitled, 
 " Brief Notes on the Creed of St. Athanasius," which 
 "appeals to all men that have any freedom of judg- 
 ment remaining, w^hether the creed is fit to be retained 
 in any Christian Church." It considers the creed 
 " levelled not only against the true faith, but also de- 
 structive of that love and charity which is the spirit and 
 life of Christianity ;" and to have been the cause of 
 many controversies and bitter animosities among Chris- 
 tians, until, at the end, the more fierce and violent 
 " attained a tyrannical domination over their opposers, 
 and introduced and settled a Christianity or a super- 
 stition or a polity quite contrary to the doctrine and 
 practice of our blessed Lord and His Apostles." This 
 may be the same pamphlet which is alluded to by Bp. 
 Van Mildert, in his Life of Waterland, p. 41 ; and 
 which is there said to consist chiefly of metaphysical 
 
 N 
 
178 
 
 objections to the doctrines of the Athanasian Creed. 
 The first sentence of it is, " A good Ufe is of absolute 
 necessity to salvation;" a position which requires as 
 much allowance for its expression as the creed in 
 question : *^ but a right belief in those points that have 
 been always controverted in the Churches of God is in 
 no degree necessary, much less necessary before all 
 things." Whether metaphysical or not, it refuses the 
 phraseology, and misconstrues the purpose of the 
 creed, which seems to be declaratory, not explanatory ; 
 and then founds upon such misconstruction a self- 
 convicting and intemperate attack upon the Athanasian 
 Creed. It is very probable this creed owes much more 
 to its enemies than to its friends : at least it has been 
 long retained without many professed friends, and long 
 the point of such attacks as did not argue the best 
 spirit in its assailants. It cannot be retained as declar- 
 ing the faith of the whole Church, in whatever sense 
 " Catholic " was intended to be taken. It is confidently 
 said, that " Athanasius against all the world, and all the 
 world against Athanasius," was almost a proverb in the 
 times of him whose opinions are, in the creed, identi- 
 fied with those of the whole Church. 
 
 If the Athanasian Creed be given up as it stands by 
 itself, but by a common policy retained in the service, 
 to receive, and by its own material substance and 
 resistance exhaust, the attacks which, were it not 
 there, would be made upon some other point of greater 
 value, the substance of a satisfactory reply will be 
 found in the rule, that we are not to do evil in order 
 that good may result : and then the question becomes 
 
179 
 
 again the direct and absolute character of the Atha- 
 nasian Creed. 
 
 When the Emperor Constantine heard of the disputes 
 in the Church at Alexandria, he is represented by 
 Eusebius as sending thither a tried and illustrious 
 Christian, and giving him a letter for Alexander arid 
 Arius, in the hope of putting an end to those disputes. 
 The letter is given at the end of the second book of 
 the Life of Constantine, and contains much excellent 
 advice. Of such questions as were then debated, 
 " foolish and unlearned questions," the Emperor says : 
 " Such of them as are not enjoined by the necessity of 
 any law, but brought forward by the petulant contenti- 
 ousness incident to those who have nothing to do, yet 
 will not turn their leisure to good account, if indeed 
 for the sake of exercising the genius they be per- 
 mitted, ought nevertheless to be shut up within our 
 ovvn intellect, and not to be entrusted imprudently to 
 any public audience." Who can fully understand or 
 explain such questions ? or, if there be such an one, 
 how few will be the fit audience : nor can the investi- 
 gator himself maintain his footing on such slippery 
 ground, without great danger of falling : and the con- 
 clusion is given in the words standing at the head of 
 this chapter ; cap. 69. book 2, Euseb. 
 
 Until the beginning of the sixth century, the early 
 Christians are said to have recited their creeds only at 
 Easter and Whitsuntide, the solemn times of Baptism. 
 If the original use of a creed, as a creed, be any autho- 
 rity, Lord Chancellor King and others seem to have 
 
 K 2 
 
180 
 
 proved that, in the early centuries, a creed and conse- 
 quent admission into the assemblies of Christians was 
 derived from, and corresponded with the secret sign or 
 conventional sentence and consequent partaking of the 
 heathen mysteries. Even the expression " A form of 
 sound words" may not mean any creed beyond the de- 
 claration of the character and office of the Messiah : 
 and meaning that only, or more than that, might be ne- 
 cessary, when spies and persecution were dreaded : and 
 not necessary, when spies, without persecution attendant 
 upon their representations, might enter into the as- 
 semblies of Christians, and perhaps be converted. At 
 all events, the Scriptures themselves do not give any 
 other creeds than such as are limited to the decla- 
 ration of the character and office of the Messiah in a 
 few words. And in the succeeding years, according to 
 Lord Chancellor King, History of the Creed, 258. and 
 Enquiry, part ii. chap. 3. the creeds may be conjec- 
 tured to have remained such short declarations, varying 
 in various Churches without any breach of unity. Such 
 declarations were at once the plainest and the deepest : 
 capable of disproof, as being rested upon facts compa- 
 ratively recent; and full of hope, when the consequences 
 of the Crucifixion were opened to willing hearts. The 
 call of the Gospel is still, " Believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and thou shalt be saved :" and the glad tidings 
 are still, " God so loved the world, that He gave His 
 only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 
 should not perish, but have everlasting life." 
 
 Extreme care must be taken, once more be it said, in 
 
181 
 
 what sense any formula of words is admitted to be a 
 confession of faith. If our lips confess the Lord Jesus, 
 our conduct must prove or disprove such a confession. 
 With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. Our 
 seamen are not required to subscribe a confession of 
 courage. The test of faith is holiness of life ; and 
 the confession of faith is holiness of life. " Faith is the 
 substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things 
 not seen :" and the faithful are not those who profess 
 any given creed, but those who so live as if the things 
 they yet can only hope for, and yet cannot see, were 
 substantially present, and no longer expectant only; and 
 proved to be real, and not imaginary, by the strongest 
 possible demonstration. Any apprehension of what is 
 called false religion, so far as the words can stand toge- 
 ther and convey any meaning, is not to be soothed by a 
 creed. And it has been already observed, that the 
 Authorities of earth have not any thing to do with false 
 religion : their commission is " the punishment of evit 
 doers, and the praise of those that do well." 1 Pet. ii. 14* 
 The mind is of necessity free always, and every where: 
 and, as in more glaring instances, men have abused this 
 freedom to their own great detriment ; and have neglected 
 to govern the course of their own thoughts, and so become 
 slaves, instead of using their excellent privileges aright. 
 The conduct is not ever free any where, but has its 
 limits prescribed by human laws, beyond which every 
 trespass is punished : whilst the divine law keeps men 
 far from that debateable land that immediately joins up 
 to those limits. In ancient times the distinction between 
 sins and crimes was not definite enough : and the laws 
 
182 
 
 were so nearly the whole code of morality, that when 
 they changed, the boundaries of right and wrong were 
 unsettled. Although every human law were changing 
 round a Christian, his practice would not be affected. 
 In this light Christianity severs Church and State : and 
 shedding upon its disciples the love of their God and 
 their neighbour, leaves the purest human laws at an 
 infinite distance beneath its own exacting and increas- 
 ing holiness. 
 
 There does not appear any sufficient reason for re- 
 taining any creed as part of the daily service in church. 
 If any one be retained for Sundays or Holidays, or the 
 Communion Service, the Apostles' Creed would gene- 
 rally be preferred. And then its phrases and articles 
 might perhaps be reviewed with advantage. The be- 
 lieving might be expressed as the doctrine of the Church 
 of England. The preposition "in" seems an imperfect 
 expression, and requires much filling up. Pearson says, 
 " To believe in God, is to believe that God is:" p. 42. 
 All the observations of Pearson do not bring a matter 
 of common history within the received meaning of a 
 creed: so that it should be necessary now to ascertain 
 time by mentioning Pontius Pilate. And it seems 
 better to say, with the Nicene Creed, " suffered for us," 
 or, with the Athanasian Creed, " suffered for our sal- 
 vation." " Catholic" should be rendered " universal." 
 The *' communion of saints" needs explanation, and 
 suits ill with any excluding creeds. Although the 
 word "hell," when properly understood, be an exact 
 statement of the truth, the word is too liable to be mis- 
 understood, eh T« x«Ta>T«r« occurs in the Psalter of 
 
183 
 
 Pope Gregory. Usher, de Rom. Eccles. Symbolo Apo- 
 stolico, &c. Oxon. 1660. p. 9. '' To the parts below the 
 earth," not " to the earth described as being the lower 
 parts," ek ra KaTaxOovia, occurs in other ancient creeds. 
 King, 258. The " descent into hell " and the *' commu- 
 nion of saints " were articles not at first in the creed. 
 Pearson, Art. 5. note on the word " creed," p. 371 ; and 
 Art. 0. note on the word " rest," p. 564. 
 
 It cannot be urged as an objection to our Liturgy, 
 that it is drawn up for a community of Christians far 
 more advanced towards the perfectness of Christianity 
 than we now are in England ; but it may be urged as a 
 reason why some of the words and parts of the services 
 should be modified, at least until the clear boundaries 
 of Ecclesiastical discipline be laid down. And these 
 changes, as they would be made for the relief of the 
 clergyman's conscience, so should they be left to his 
 discretion in the first instance. Infant Baptism and the 
 Burial Service almost require the full character of Chris- 
 tianity: but now, they who shamelessly do those things 
 which are of evil report, which should not even be 
 named among Christians, cannot be told they are known 
 to be offending, and so put out of communion until 
 amendment of life. 
 
 The Prayer Book has been altered many times ; and 
 the present inquiry does not advocate a new proceeding, 
 but the resumption of an old one. And, beyond all 
 question, a Committee of Religion in the House of 
 Commons is a Constitutional proceeding, if any fear a 
 Commission or a Synod. And a Petition for the prose- 
 cution of any one of the three methods would not lack 
 
18i 
 
 subscribers, although the Commission would in all 
 probability be preferred to a Synod or the House of 
 Commons, as a proper preparative for such further 
 measures as might be shewn practicable in a Synod 
 or the House of Commons. 
 
 Some power to shorten and vary the services on week- 
 days, if not on Sundays, might well be vested in each 
 parish priest : and, while such precautions are taken to 
 prevent the incompetent from taking upon themselves 
 holy Orders, more discretion might be vested in those 
 who have been found competent, and therefore ordained. 
 If this liberty were abused, individuals who abused it 
 might be restrained by their Ordinary from like miscon- 
 duct in future. Much discretion was originally left in 
 the parish priests : and those who mean to argue from its 
 having been taken away, must prove why it was taken 
 away ; and cannot assume it was found inexpedient, in 
 order to prove it is inexpedient. The Lessons were 
 not even prescribed in some of the early Prayer Books : 
 Jones, p. 196. And a choice of Lessons, since taken 
 away, is given the minister at the end of the first book 
 of Homilies: Strype's Life of Abp. Parker, i. 167. old 
 paging 84. The alternatives in our present Prayer 
 Book admit the principle. Responsibility may be said 
 in one sense to be the means of obtaining mental 
 strength, as exercise is of bodily strength, for those 
 upon whom it once rested, up to the required pitch. 
 That strength will be granted those who are duly called 
 to higher stations, according to the duties of those 
 stations, will account for the variations of rank in the 
 Church to those who do not admit them on higher 
 
1B5 
 
 grounds ; and who will so consider a bishop above a 
 priest, because he has not only holy Orders, but a church, 
 and not only a church, but a diocese. 
 
 In the Marriage Service many things require adap- 
 tation to present notions. The word " worship," when 
 understood to mean " make worshipful," instead of 
 humbling the wife and taking away the respect due to 
 her, is perhaps the best that could be used ; but, like 
 other words, must be given up when misunderstood so 
 generally. Should the binding part of marriage remain 
 an Ecclesiastical ceremony, the clauses that press upon 
 Dissenters, and are not in the very words of Scripture, 
 should be left out, and others put in their stead. Every 
 event, every instant of our lives, is religious in one sense : 
 and the more important events are, in that sense the 
 more religious in proportion to their importance. And 
 yet, of whatever importance Marriage may be in its 
 direct and indirect responsibilities, it is not a religious 
 contract in the sense that renders a service and cere- 
 mony in church necessary. There is not in it any thing 
 like what there is in Baptism or the Lord's Supper. 
 When it was held a sacrament, then a service and cere- 
 mony in church were of necessity. The probability is, 
 that the present service, at the first institution of it, was 
 a wise modification of what could not then be dispensed 
 with altogether. And in confirmation of this it may be 
 observed, that the early Prayer Books required the 
 newly-married couple to receive the sacrament at the 
 time of their marriage : and the present Rubric was one 
 result of the Savoy Conference. Wheatly, 434. 
 
 However idle some of the changes in the Liturgy 
 
186 
 
 proposed by the Puritans may have been, however idle 
 any changes that may be proposed by any modern Dis- 
 senters may appear, it will be well to take one general 
 lesson for the government of religious controversies — 
 use not any ridicule : it does not and cannot ever con- 
 vince, and is generally meant to silence an adversary : 
 the advocate who uses it with success, is more to be 
 pitied than his shrinking opponent: and from their 
 personal feelings, the goodness or badness of either 
 cause is put out of the question. 
 
 If it should not appear advisable to retain any one 
 of the political forms of prayer, instead of them we 
 might have some additions to our Prayer for the King, 
 insisting upon the connexion of loyalty and religion, 
 and made a part of every Sunday's service. And yet 
 the repetition of such a prayer would not offer any 
 security for loyalty, any more than the present political 
 forms can offer such security. Such prayers and forms 
 are powerless in that point of view ; but may tend to 
 shape and obtain the gift of an obedient heart. Our 
 religion is not in the Temple, as was the Jews' religion ; 
 is not in the State, as many admirers of Warburton 
 imply, but is in our hearts ; and there requires obedience 
 to Pagan rulers, if so it happened, on the same grounds 
 that it requires obedience to a Christian monarch. 
 
 Any remarks upon the Ordination Services are at pre- 
 sent unnecessary. If any alteration were made in the 
 sixth Article, it would be advisable that the deacon should 
 express his belief in the Canon of Scripture in terms 
 borrowed from the bishop's second question to the 
 priests. The obedience promised to Ecclesiastical supe- 
 
187 
 
 riors is understood to be, and might therefore be de- 
 clared to be, Hmited to things lawful and expedient. In 
 the preface to the Ordination Service, the Deacon is 
 required to be learned in Latin, in such terms as seem 
 to preclude the ordination of those who are not learned 
 in Latin. The second question put to the priests in the 
 American Prayer Book varies in the first sentence, and 
 there only from ours, and is as follows : " Are you per- 
 suaded that the Holy Scriptures contain all doctrine 
 required as necessary for eternal salvation through faith 
 in Jesus Christ." The Americans retain our words of 
 Ordination, but allow the bishop to use the following 
 form : " Take thou authority to execute the office of a 
 priest in the church of God now committed to thee by 
 the imposition of our hands : and be thou a faithful 
 dispenser of the word of God, and of his holy Sacra- 
 ments : in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 It is not necessary to say much about the Canons, as 
 it is allowed on all hands how much they need a re- 
 vision. The 40th, against Simony ; the 1 1 2th, that Non- 
 communicants at Easter are to be presented ; and the 
 lS9th, that the National Synod is the Church repre- 
 sentative, may be named as instances. By Tyndal, the 
 word "Church" is mostly rendered "Congregation:" 
 and beneficed clergymen returned to the Synod those 
 members which were not chosen in a manner still less 
 likely to render that Synod "the Church representa- 
 tive." 
 
188 
 
 CHAP. xiir. 
 
 Id verb interea, quod parvas Anglicus hospes 
 Dilectis olim titulis signaverit urbes, 
 Ne vanum reputa : quoniam ssepe ilia tuenti 
 Moenia continuo veteris praedulce recursat 
 Hinc desideriiim patriae, et divinitus orta 
 JVInemosyne solitos animo revocabit amores. 
 
 Oxon. 1812. Hen. Latham, e Coll. JEn. Nas. 
 
 The following short account of the American Church 
 will not be deemed foreign to the principal object of 
 these pages. 
 
 A general Convention of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church in the United States of America was held in 
 the city of Philadelphia, from May 17 to May ^4, 1814: 
 and one of their Resolutions was, " That the Journals 
 of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church in the United States of America, from the com- 
 mencement of the said Convention, together with an 
 Appendix containing the Constitution and Canons of 
 the Church, be published, under the superintendance of 
 the bishop of this Church in Pennsylvania." 
 
 The publication was made under the superintendance 
 of Bp. White ; and the edition from "vvhich the following 
 particulars are taken, is in 8vo. pp.381, Phil. 1817, 
 The Conventions since that period have also published 
 their proceedings. That of 1817, in 60 pp. 2d edition, 
 Phil. 1820: that of 1820, in 96 pp. Phil. 1820. The 
 Special Convention in 1821 fills 55 pp. Phil. 1821. The 
 
189 
 
 Convention of \82S fills 115 pp. New York 1823. It 
 has not been practicable to get a copy of the proceedings 
 of the last Convention held at Philadelphia in Nov. 1826. 
 
 From the preface to the volume of 1817, the follow- 
 ing passage is extracted : 
 
 " In pursuance of preceding correspondence, there 
 assembled some of the clergy of New York, of New 
 Jersey, and of Pennsylvania, in the city of New Bruns- 
 wick, New Jersey, in May 1784: and there being a 
 few respectable lay members of the Church attending 
 on pubhc business in the same city, their presence was 
 desired. The immediate object of the meeting, was the 
 revival of a charitable corporation, which had existed 
 before the Revolution, clothed with corporate powers, 
 under the government of each of the said three pro- 
 vinces. The opportunity was improved by the clergy 
 from Pennsylvania, of communicating certain measures 
 recently adopted in that State, tending to the organizing 
 of the Church throughout the union. The result was, 
 the inviting of a more general meeting in the ensuing 
 October, at the city of New York : that being the time 
 and place, wherein, according to the charter of the above 
 mentioned corporation, their next meeting should be 
 held. It was accordingly held, for the revival of the 
 corporation : and there appeared deputies, not only from 
 the said three States, but also from others : with the 
 view of consulting on the existing exigency of the 
 Church. The greater number of these deputies were 
 not vested with powers for the binding of their consti- 
 tuents : and therefore, although they called themselves 
 a Convention, in the lax sense in which the word had 
 
190 
 
 been before used, yet they were not an organized body. 
 
 They did not consider themselves as such : and their 
 
 only act, was the issuing of a recommendation to the 
 
 Churches in the several States, to unite under a few 
 
 Articles to be considered as fundamental. These are the 
 
 Articles referred to, but not printed in the first Journal ; 
 
 and therefore are now inserted, in a note to this preface.* 
 
 " Wm. White, 
 
 *' Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 
 
 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." 
 
 " * The Articles referred to are as follow : 
 
 " 1. That there shall be a General Convention of the 
 Episcopal Church in the United States of America, 
 
 " 2. That the Episcopal Church in each State, send 
 deputies to the Convention, consisting of clergy and laity. 
 
 " 3. That associated congregations, in two or more 
 States, may send deputies jointly. 
 
 " 4. That the said Church shall maintain the doc- 
 trines of the Gospel, as now held by the Church of 
 England; and shall adhere to the Liturgy of the said 
 Church, as far as shall be consistent with the American 
 Revolution, and the constitutions of the respective States. 
 
 *' 5. That in every State, where there shall be a bishop 
 duly consecrated and settled, he shall be considered as 
 a Member of the Convention ex officio. 
 
 '' 6. That the clergy and laity, assembled in Conven- 
 tion, shall deliberate in one body, but shall vote sepa- 
 rately : and the concurrence of both shall be necessary 
 to give validity to every measure. 
 
 ^' 7. That the first meeting of the Convention shall 
 
191 
 
 be at Philadelphia, the Tuesday before the Feast of St. 
 Michael next : to which it is hoped and earnestly de- 
 sired, that the Episcopal churches in the respective 
 States will send their clerical and lay deputies ; duly in- 
 structed and authorized to proceed on the necessary 
 business herein proposed for their deliberation." 
 
 That first Convention met on the 27th Sept. 1785; 
 and, among other things, agreed to the " General Con- 
 stitution of their Church then set out." 
 
 The Prayer Book was duly prepared and approved 
 by this Convention ; and used by the members, on Friday, 
 Oct. 7, the day they adjourned the Convention. 
 
 The second Convention was in June 178G ; and took 
 into consideration the reply to their application to the 
 English bishops, which was signed by the archbishops 
 of Canterbury and York, and seventeen other bishops, 
 and dated Feb. 24, 1786. 
 
 The general Constitution of the Church was debated 
 and varied, and passed as there set out. 
 
 The answer of the Americans to our bishops was as 
 follows : — 
 
 " Most Worthy and Venerable Prelates — 
 
 " We, the Clerical and Lay Deputies of the Protestant 
 Episcopal Church m the States of New York, New 
 Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and 
 South Carolina, have received the friendly and affec- 
 tionate letter which your Lordships did us the honour 
 to write on the 24th day of February, and for which we 
 request you to accept our sincere and grateful acknow- 
 ledgments. 
 
192 
 
 *' It gives us pleasure to be assured, that the success 
 of our application will probably meet with no greater 
 obstacles than what have arisen from doubts respecting 
 the extent of the alterations we have made and proposed : 
 and we are happy to learn, that as no political impedi- 
 ments oppose us here, those which at present exist in 
 England may be removed. 
 
 ** While doubts remain of our continuing to hold the 
 same essential articles of faith and discipline with the 
 Church of England, we acknowledge the propriety of 
 suspending a compliance with our request. 
 
 " We are unanimous and explicit in assuring your 
 Lordships, that we neither have departed nor propose 
 to depart from the doctrines of your Church. We have 
 retained the same discipline and forms of worship, as 
 far as was consistent with our civil constitutions : and 
 we have made no alterations or omissions in the Book 
 of Common Prayer, but such as that consideration pre- 
 scribed, and such as were calculated to remove objec- 
 tions, which it appeared to us more conducive to union 
 and general content to obviate, than to dispute. It is 
 well known, that many great and pious men of the 
 Church of England have long wished for a revision of 
 the Liturgy, which it was deemed imprudent to hazard, 
 lest it might become a precedent for repeated and im- 
 proper alterations. This is with us the proper season 
 ^or such a revision. We are now settling and ordering 
 the affairs of our Church ; and if wisely done, we shall 
 have reason to promise ourselves all the advantages 
 that can result from stability and union. 
 
 ** We are anxious to complete our Episcopal system, 
 
198 
 
 by means of the Church of England. We esteem and 
 prefer it, and with gratitude acknowledge the patronage 
 and favours for which, while connected, we have con- 
 stantly been indebted to that Church. These consi- 
 derations, added to that of agreement in faith and wor- 
 ship, press us to repeat our former request, and to 
 endeavour to remove your present hesitation, by sending 
 you our proposed Ecclesiastical Constitution and Book 
 of Common Prayer. 
 
 " These documents, we trust, will afford a full answer 
 to every question that can arise on the subject. We 
 consider your Lordships' letter as very candid and kind ; 
 we repose full confidence in the assurances it gives : 
 and that confidence, together with the liberality and 
 Catholicism of your venerable body, lead us to flatter 
 ourselves, that you will not disclaim a branch of your 
 Church merely for having been, in your Lordships' opi- 
 nion, if that should be the case, pruned rather more 
 closely that its separation made absolutely necessary. 
 
 " We have only to add, that as our Church in sundry 
 of these States have already proceeded to the election 
 of persons to be sent for consecration, and others may 
 soon proceed to the same, we pray to be favoured with 
 as speedy an answer to this our second address, as in 
 your great goodness you were pleased to give to our 
 former one. 
 
 " We are, with great and sincere respect, 
 " Most worthy and venerable Prelates, 
 
 ** Your obedient and very humble servants." 
 " In Convention, 
 " Christ Church, Philadelphia, June 26, 1786." 
 
194 
 
 An adjourned Convention (p. 33) met a second time 
 in Oct. 1786, and received and recorded the following 
 Letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York: — 
 
 " Influenced by the same sentiments of fraternal re- 
 gard, expressed by the archbishops and bishops in their 
 answer to your address, we desire you to be persuaded, 
 that if we have not yet been able to comply with your 
 request, the delay has proceeded from no tardiness on 
 our part. The only cause of it has been the uncer- 
 tainty in which we were left by receiving your address 
 unaccompanied by those communications with regard 
 to your Liturgy, Articles, and Ecclesiastical Constitu- 
 tion, without the knowledge of which we could not 
 presume to apply to the Legislature, for such powers 
 as were necessary to the completion of your wishes. 
 The Journal of the Convention, and the first part of your 
 Liturgy, did not reach us till more than two months 
 after our receipt of your address ; and we were not in 
 possession of the remaining part of it and of your 
 Articles, till the last day of April. The whole of your 
 communications was then, with as little delay as pos- 
 sible, taken into consideration at a meeting of the arch- 
 bishops and fifteen of the bishops, being all who were 
 then in London and able to attend; and it was im- 
 possible not to observe with concern, that if the essential 
 doctrines of our common faith were retained, less re- 
 spect however was paid to our Liturgy than its own 
 excellence, and your declared attachment to it, had led 
 us to expect : not to mention a variety of verbal alte- 
 rations, of the necessity or propriety of which we are by 
 no means satisfied: we saw with grief, that two of the 
 
195 
 
 confessions of our Christian faith, respectable for their 
 antiquity, have been entirely laid aside; and that even 
 in that which is called the Apostles' Creed, an article is 
 omitted, which was thought necessary to be inserted, 
 with a view to a particular heresy, in a very early age 
 of the Church, and has ever since had the venerable 
 sanction of universal reception. Nevertheless, as a 
 proof of the sincere desire which we feel to continue in 
 spiritual communion with the members of your Church 
 in America, and to complete the orders of your mini- 
 stry, and trusting that the communications which we 
 shall make to you, on the subject of these and some 
 other alterations, will have their desired effect, we have, 
 even under these circumstances, prepared a bill for 
 conveying to us the powers necessary for this purpose. 
 It will in a few days be presented to Parhament, and we 
 have the best reasons to hope that it will receive the 
 assent of the Legislature. This bill will enable the 
 archbishops and bishops to give episcopal consecration 
 to the persons who shall be recommended, without re- 
 quiring from them any oaths or subscriptions incon- 
 sistent with the situation in which the late Revolution 
 has placed them ; upon condition that the full satisfac- 
 tion of the sufficiency of the persons recommended, 
 which you offer to us in your address, be given to the 
 archbishops and bishops. You will doubtless receive 
 it as a mark both of our friendly disposition toward you, 
 and of our desire to avoid all delay on this occasion, 
 that we have taken this earliest opportunity of conveying 
 to you this inteUigence, and that we proceed (as sup- 
 posing ourselves invested with that power which for 
 
 o 2 
 
196 
 
 your sakes we have requested) to state to you particu- 
 larly the several heads, upon which that satisfaction 
 which you offer will be accepted, and the mode in 
 which it may be given. The anxiety which is shewn 
 by the Church of England to prevent the intrusion of 
 unqualified persons into even the inferior offices of our 
 ministry, confirms our own sentiments, and points it out 
 to be our duty very earnestly to require the most deci- 
 sive proofs of the qualifications of those who may be 
 offered for admission to that order, to which the super- 
 intendence of those offices is committed. At our several 
 ordinations of a deacon and a priest, the candidate sub- 
 mits himself to the examination of the bishop as to his 
 proficiency in learning ; he gives the proper security of 
 his soundness in the Faith by the subscriptions which 
 are made previously necessary ; he is required to bring 
 testimonials of his virtuous conversation during the three 
 preceding years ; and that no mode of inquiry may be 
 omitted, public notice of his offering himself to be 
 ordained is given in the parish church where he resides 
 or ministers, and the people are solemnly called upon to 
 declare if they know any impediment for which he 
 ought not to be admitted. At the time of ordination, 
 too, the same solemn call is made on the congregation 
 then present. 
 
 *' Examination, subscription, and testimonials are not 
 indeed repeated at the consecration of an English 
 bishop ; because the person to be consecrated has added 
 to the securities given at his former ordinations, that 
 sanction which arises from his having constantly lived 
 and exercised his ministry under the eyes and observa- 
 
197 
 
 tion of his country. But the objects of our present 
 consideration are very differently circumstanced; their 
 sufficiency in learning, the soundness of their faith, and 
 the purity of their manners, are not matters of notoriety 
 here : means therefore must be found to satisfy the 
 archbishop who consecrates, and the bishops who pre- 
 sent them, that, in the words of our Church, ' They 
 be apt and meet for their learning and godly conversa- 
 tion, to exercise their ministry duly to the honour of 
 God and the edifying of his Church, and to be whole- 
 some examples and patterns to the flock of Christ.' 
 
 " With regard to the first quahfication, sufficiency in 
 good learning, we apprehend that the subjecting a per- 
 son, who is to be admitted to the office of a Bishop in 
 the Church, to that examination which is required pre- 
 vious to the ordination of priests and deacons, might 
 lessen that reverend estimation which ought never to be 
 separated from the episcopal character : we therefore 
 do not require any farther satisfaction on this point, 
 than will be given to us by the forms of testimonials in 
 the annexed paper ; fully trusting that those who sign 
 them will be well aware, how greatly incompetence in 
 this respect must lessen the weight and authority of the 
 bishop and affect the credit of the Episcopal Church. 
 
 *' Under the second head, that of Subscription, our 
 desire is to require that subscription only to be repeated, 
 which you have already been called upon to make by the 
 tenth article of your Ecclesiastical Constitution : but we 
 should forget the duty which we owe to our own Church, 
 and act inconsistently with that sincere regard which we 
 bear to yours, if w^e were not explicit in declaring, that. 
 
198 
 
 after the disposition we have shewn to comply with the 
 prayer of your address, we think it now incumbent upon 
 you to use your utmost exertions also for the removal 
 of any stumbling-block of oiFence, which may possibly 
 prove an obstacle to the success of it. We therefore 
 most earnestly exhort you, that previously to the time 
 of your making such subscription, you restore to its 
 integrity the Apostles' Creed, in which you have omitted 
 an article, merely, as it seems, from misapprehension of 
 the sense in which it is understood by our Church : nor 
 can we help adding, that we hope you will think it but 
 a decent proof of the attachment which you profess to 
 the services of your Liturgy, to give to the other two 
 creeds a place in your Book of Common Prayer, even 
 though the use of them should be left discretional. We 
 should be inexcusable too, if at the time when you are 
 requesting the establishment of bishops in your Church, 
 we did not strongly represent to you that the eighth 
 article of your Ecclesiastical Constitution appears to us 
 to be a degradation of the clerical, and still more of the 
 episcopal character. We persuade ourselves, that in 
 your ensuing Convention some alteration will be thought 
 necessary in this article, before this reaches you ; or, if 
 not, that due attention will be given to it in consequence 
 of our representation. 
 
 " On tlie third and last head, which respects purity 
 of manners, the reputation of the Church, both in Eng- 
 land and America, and the interest of our common 
 Christianity, are so deeply concerned in it, that we feel 
 it our indispensable duty to provide, on this subject, the 
 most effectual securities. It is presumed, that the same 
 
199 
 
 previous public notice of the intention of the person to 
 be consecrated will be given in the Church w^here he 
 resides in America, for the same reasons, and therefore 
 nearly in the same form, with that used in England 
 before our ordinations. The call upon the persons pre- 
 sent at the time of consecration must be deemed of 
 little use before a congregation composed of those to 
 whom the person to be consecrated is unknown. The 
 testimonials signed by persons living in England admit 
 of reference and examination; and the characters of 
 those who give them are subject to scrutiny, and, in 
 cases of criminal deceit, to punishment. In proportion 
 as these circumstances are less applicable to testimonials 
 from America, those testimonials must be more explicit, 
 and supported by a greater number of signatures. We 
 therefore think it necessary that the several persons, 
 candidates for episcopal consecration, should bring to 
 us both a testimonial from the General Convention of 
 the Episcopal Church, with as many signatures as can 
 be obtained, and a more particular one from the re- 
 spective Conventions in those States which recommend 
 them. It will appear from the tenor of the letters-tes- 
 timonial used in England, a form of which is annexed, 
 that the ministers who sign them bear testimony to the 
 qualifications of the candidates on their own personal 
 knowledge. Such a testimony is not to be expected 
 from the members of the General Convention of the 
 Episcopal Church in America on this occasion. We 
 think it sufficient therefore, that they declare they know 
 no impediment, but believe the person to be consecrated 
 is of a virtuous life and sound faith. We have sent you 
 such a form as appears to us proper to be used for that 
 
200 
 
 purpose. More specific declarations must be made by 
 the members of the Convention in each State from which 
 the persons offered for consecration are respectively re- 
 commended : their personal knowledge of them there 
 can be no doubt of: we trust therefore they will have 
 no objection to the adoption of the form of a testimonial 
 which is annexed and drawn up on the same principles, 
 and containing the same attestations of personal know- 
 ledge with that above mentioned, as required previously 
 to our ordinations : we trust we shall receive these tes- 
 timonials signed by such a majority in each Convention 
 that recommend, as to leave no doubt of the fitness of 
 the candidates upon the minds of those whose con- 
 sciences are concerned in the consecration of them. 
 
 " Thus much we have thought it right to communicate 
 to you without reserve at present, intending to give you 
 farther information as soon as we are able : in the mean 
 time, we pray God to direct your counsels in this very 
 weighty matter, and are, Mr. President and Gentlemen, 
 " Your affectionate Brethren, 
 
 " J. Cantuar, 
 " W. Ebor." 
 
 The Forms and Act of Parliament were duly forwarded 
 to America. Upon the report of a Committee, the 
 question was put, Whether the " He descended into 
 hell" should or should not be restored; and it was 
 restored. Three out of the five States, then represented 
 in Convention, divided, so as not to give a vote either 
 way; and two voted for its restoration. All five States 
 voted unanimously for the restoration of the Nicene 
 Creed. 
 
201 
 
 Upon the Atbanasian Creed, two of the States were 
 divided, so as not to give any vote ; and the three other 
 States voted against its restoration unanimously. Twen- 
 ty individuals altogether voted : seventeen against the 
 creed, and three for it. pp. 41, 42. 
 
 And an answer was sent to the archbishops. 
 
 The Convocation met next in July 1789 : and then two 
 American bishops (White and Provoost) had been conse- 
 crated in England, and one (Bp. Seabury) in Scotland. 
 The Convention adjourned; and met again in Septem- 
 ber 1789. 
 
 The Convention was now divided into two Houses : 
 and from this time the Journals of both Houses are kept 
 separate. The Canons and Constitutions of the Church 
 were accordingly varied. 
 
 The Convention met again in September 1792, being 
 the sixth in number ; and passed the following Resolu- 
 tion, p. 131 — 
 
 " Resolved, That a Committee be appointed by the 
 General Convention for the purpose of publishing the 
 Book of Common Prayer, and securing the copy-right 
 to them and their assigns, in trust for the Convention ; 
 and that this Committee be empowered and directed to 
 convey a right to print the book to any printer or 
 printers in any of the States, who may be recommended 
 for that purpose by the State Convention, or their 
 standing Committee, free from any premium for copy- 
 right ; such State Convention or standing Committee to 
 superintend, and correct the press according to the 
 standard book." 
 
 At the seventh Convention, June 1799, in the House 
 
202 
 
 of Clerical and Lay Deputies, the chairman of a Com- 
 mittee reported, June 14, " That the articles of our 
 faith and religion, as founded on the holy scriptures of 
 the Old and New Testaments, are sufficiently declared 
 in our creeds and hturgy, as set forth in the Book of 
 Common Prayer estabhshed for the use of this Church ; 
 and that further articles do not appear necessary." 
 " This Resolution was disagreed to by the House." 
 On the 15th June, a Resolution was proposed, p. 165, 
 " That the Convention now proceed to the framing of 
 articles of religion for this Church. 
 
 " The question was taken by Yeas and Nays, as 
 follows : 
 
 CLERGY. LAITY. 
 
 Massachusetts — No. Connecticut— Yea. 
 
 Connecticut — Yea. New Jersey — Yea. 
 
 Rhode Island — Yea. Pennsylvania — Yea. 
 
 New York — Yea. Virginia — No. 
 
 New Jersey — Yea. 
 Pennsylvania — No. 
 Delaware — Yea. 
 Virginia — No. 
 " So it was carried in the affirmative." 
 
 The proposed Articles of Religion are given on p. 168, 
 as entered in the Journals of the Lower House. 
 
 In the Appendix to the Convention of 1801, the ninth 
 Convention in number, is given the following — 
 
 *' Resolution of the Bishops, the Clergy, and Laity of 
 the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United 
 States of America, in Convention, in the City of 
 
203 
 
 Trenton, the ISth day of September, in the year 
 of our Lord 1801, respecting Articles of Religion. 
 
 ** The Articles of Religion are hereby ordered to be 
 set forth, with the following directions to be observed in 
 all future editions of the same ; that is to say — 
 
 " The following to be the title ; viz. 
 
 " * Articles of Rehgion, as established by the Bishops, 
 the Clergy, and the Laity of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church in the United States of America, in Convention, 
 on the 12th day of September, in the year of our Lord 
 1801.' 
 
 " The Articles to stand as in the Book of Common 
 Prayer of the Church of England, with the following 
 alterations and omissions; viz. 
 
 *•' In the 8th article, the word * three ' in the title, 
 and the words ' three — Athanasius's Creed,' in the arti- 
 cle, to be omitted ; and the article to read thus : 
 "Art. 8. Of the Creeds. 
 
 " ^ The Nicene Creed, and that which is commonly 
 called the Apostles' Creed, ought thoroughly to be re- 
 ceived and believed ; for they may be proved by most 
 certain warrants of holy scripture.' 
 
 " Under the title, * Article 21,' the following note to 
 be inserted ; viz. 
 
 " * The 21st of the former articles is omitted, because 
 it is partly of a local and civil nature, and is provided 
 for, as to the remaining parts of it, in other articles.' 
 
 " The 35th article to be inserted, with the following- 
 note ; viz. 
 
 " * This article is received in this Church, so far as 
 it declares the books of Homilies to be an explication of 
 
204 
 
 Christian doctrine, and instructive in piety and morals. 
 But all references to the Constitution and laws of Eng- 
 land are considered as inapplicable to the circumstances 
 of this Church ; which also suspends the order for the 
 reading of said homilies in churches, until a revision of 
 them may conveniently be made, for the clearing of 
 them, as well from obsolete words and phrases, as from 
 the local references.' 
 
 " The 36th article, entitled, * Of Consecration of Bi- 
 shops and Ministers,' to read thus : 
 
 " * The Book of Consecration of Bishops, and Order- 
 ing of Priests and Deacons, as set forth by the General 
 Convention of this Church in 1792, doth contain all 
 things necessary to such consecration and ordering ; 
 neither hath it any thing that, of itself, is superstitious 
 and ungodly : and, therefore, whosoever are consecrated 
 or ordered according to said form, we decree all such to be 
 rightly, orderly, and lawfully consecrated and ordered.' 
 
 " The 37th article to be omitted, and the following 
 substituted in its place : 
 
 " ' Of the Power of the Civil Magistrate. 
 
 " * The power of the civil magistrate extendeth to all 
 men, as well clergy as laity, in all things temporal, but 
 hath no authority in things purely spiritual. And we 
 hold it to be the duty of all men who are professors of 
 the Gospel, to pay respectful obedience to the civil 
 authority, regularly and legitimately constituted.' 
 
 " Adopted by the House of Bishops. 
 
 " William White, D.D. Presiding Bishop. 
 
 " Adopted by the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies. 
 " Abraham Beach, D.D. President." 
 
205 
 
 The eleventh Convention, held in May 1808, passed 
 two Resolutions, in these words : p. 25i. 
 
 " 1. Resolved, That the ministers of this Church ought 
 not to perform the Funeral Service, in the case of any 
 person who shall give or accept a challenge to a duel. 
 
 " 2. Resolved, That it is the sense of this Church, that 
 it is inconsistent with a law of God, and the ministers 
 of this Church therefore shall not unite in matrimony 
 any person who is divorced, unless it be on account of 
 the other party having been guilty of adultery." 
 
 The thirteenth Convention, held in 1814, printed, at 
 the end of its proceedings, the then 
 
 CONSTITUTION AND CANONS OF THE CHURCH : 
 
 "Art. 1. There shall be a General Convention of the 
 Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of 
 America on the third Tuesday in May, in the year of 
 our Lord 1808, and on the third Tuesday in May in 
 every third year afterwards, in such place as shall be 
 determined by the Convention; and special meetings 
 may be called at other times, in the manner hereafter to 
 be provided for : and this Church, in a majority of the 
 States which shall have adopted this Constitution, shall 
 be represented, before they shall proceed to business ; 
 except that the representation from two States shall be 
 sufficient to adjourn; and in all business of the Con- 
 vention, freedom of debate shall be allowed. 
 
 " Art. 2. The Church in each State shall be entitled to 
 a representation of both the clergy and the laity ; which 
 representation shall consist of one or more deputies, not 
 exceeding four of each order, chosen by the Convention 
 of the State ; and in all questions, when required by the 
 
206 
 
 Clerical and Lay Representation from any State, each 
 order shall have one vote ; and the majority of suffrages 
 by States shall be conclusive in each order, provided 
 such majority comprehend a majority of the States re- 
 presented in that order : The concurrence of both 
 orders shall be necessary to constitute a vote of the 
 Convention. If the Convention of any State should 
 neglect or decline to appoint clerical deputies, or if they 
 should neglect or decline to appoint lay deputies ; or if 
 any of those of either order appointed should neglect to 
 attend, or be prevented by sickness or any other accident, 
 such State shall, nevertheless, be considered as duly 
 represented by such deputy or deputies as may attend, 
 whether lay or clerical. And if, through the neglect 
 of the Convention of any of the Churches which shall 
 have adopted or may hereafter adopt this Constitu- 
 tion, no deputies, either lay or clerical, should attend 
 at any General Convention, the Church in such State 
 shall, nevertheless, be bound by the acts of such Con- 
 vention. 
 
 " Art. S. The bishops of this Church, when there 
 shall be three or more, shall, whenever General Conven- 
 tions are held, form a separate House, with a right to 
 originate and propose acts, for the concurrence of the 
 House of Deputies, composed of clergy and laity : and 
 when any proposed act shall have passed the House of 
 Deputies, the same shall be transmitted to the House of 
 Bishops, who shall have a negative thereupon ; and all 
 acts of the Convention shall be authenticated by both 
 Houses. And, in all cases, the House of Bishops shall 
 signify to the Convention their approbation or disap- 
 
207 
 
 probation (the latter, with their reasons in writing) 
 within three days after the proposed act shall have been 
 reported to them for concurrence; and, in failure thereof, 
 it shall have the operation of a law. But until there 
 shall be three or more bishops, as aforesaid, any bishop 
 attending a General Convention shall be a member ex 
 officio, and shall vote with the clerical deputies of the 
 State to which he belongs; and a bishop shall then 
 preside. 
 
 " Art. 4. The bishop or oi shops in every State shall 
 be chosen agreeably to such rules as shall be fixed by 
 the Convention of that State : and every bishop of this 
 Church shall confine the exercise of his episcopal office 
 to his proper diocese or district; unless requested to 
 ordain, or confirm, or perform any other act of the epi- 
 scopal office, by any Church destitute of a bishop. 
 
 " Art. 5. A Protestant Episcopal Church in any of 
 the United States, not now represented, may, at any 
 time hereafter, be admitted, on acceding to this Con- 
 stitution. 
 
 " Art.6. In every State, the mode of trying clergymen 
 shall be instituted by the Convention of the Church 
 therein. At every trial of a bishop, there shall be one 
 or more of the Episcopal order present ; and none but a 
 bishop shall pronounce sentence of deposition or degra- 
 dation from the ministry, on any clergyman, whether 
 bishop, or presbyter, or deacon. 
 
 " Art. 7. No person shall be admitted to holy Orders 
 until he shall have been examined by the bishop and by 
 two presbyters, and shall have exhibited such testimo- 
 nials, and other requisites, as the Canons in that case 
 
208 
 
 provided may direct : nor shall any person be ordained, 
 until he shall have subscribed the following declaration : 
 * I do believe the holy scriptures of the Old and New 
 Testament to be the word of God, and to contain all 
 things necessary to salvation : And I do solemnly en- 
 gage to conform to the doctrines and worship of the 
 Protestant Episcopal Church in these United States.' 
 No person ordained by a foreign bishop shall be per- 
 mitted to officiate as a minister of this Church, until he 
 shall have complied with the Canon or Canons in that 
 case provided, and have also subscribed the aforesaid 
 declaration. 
 
 " Art. 8. A Book of Common Prayer, administration 
 of the sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies of 
 the Church, articles of religion, and a form and manner 
 of making, ordaining and consecrating bishops, priests, 
 and deacons, when established by this or a future Gene- 
 ral Convention, shall be used in the Protestant Epi- 
 scopal Church in those States which shall have adopted 
 this Constitution. 
 
 *^ No alteration or addition shall be made in the 
 Book of Common Prayer, or other Offices in the Church, 
 unless the same shall be proposed in one General Con- 
 vention, and by a resolve thereof made known to the 
 Convention of every Diocese or State, and adopted at 
 the subsequent General Convention. 
 
 " Art. 9. This Constitution shall be unalterable, un- 
 less in General Convention, by the Church, in a majority 
 of the States which may have adopted the same; and 
 all alterations shall be first proposed in one General 
 Convention, and made known to the several State 
 
209 
 
 Conventions, before they shall be finally agreed to, or 
 ratified, in the ensuing General Convention. 
 
 " Done in the General Convention of the Bishops, Clergy, 
 
 and Laity of the Church, the second day of October 1789- 
 
 " The 1st article was amended in General Conven- 
 tion, 1804. 
 
 " The 3d article was amended in General Conven- 
 tion, 1808. 
 
 " The second paragraph of the 8th article was added 
 in General Convention, 1811." 
 
 And of the Canons, the following is a Table : 
 " CANONS OF 1808. 
 ** 1 . Of the Orders of Ministers in this Church. 
 " 2. Of the Election of Bishops. 
 " o. Certificates to be produced on the part of Bishops 
 
 elect. 
 " 4. Of Standing Committees. 
 " 5. Of the Consecration of Bishops in the Recess of the 
 
 General Convention. 
 " 6. Of the Age of those who are to be ordained or 
 
 consecrated. 
 " 7. Of Candidates for Orders. 
 
 " 8. Of the Conduct required in Candidates for Orders. 
 " 9. Of the Learning of those who are to be ordained. 
 " 10. Of the Preparatory Exercises of a Candidate for 
 
 Deacon's Orders. 
 ** 11. Of the Preparatory Exercises of a Candidate for 
 
 Priest's Orders. 
 " 12, Of the Testimonials to be produced on the part of 
 
 those who are to be ordained. 
 " IS. Of the. Titles of those who are to be ordained. 
 
 p 
 
210 
 
 " 14. Of Candidates coming from Places within the 
 United States in which the Constitution of this 
 Church has not been acceded to. 
 
 " 15. Of the Times of Ordination. 
 
 " 16. Of Candidates who may be refused Orders. 
 
 " 17. Of those who have officiated as Ministers among 
 other Denominations of Christians, and apply for 
 Orders in this Church. 
 
 " 18. Of Clergymen ordained for Foreign Parts. 
 
 "19. Respecting Candidates for Orders who are Lay 
 Readers. 
 
 " 20. Of Episcopal Visitation. 
 
 " 21. Of the Duty of Ministers in regard to Episcopal 
 Visitations. 
 
 " 22. Of Parochial Instruction. 
 
 " 23, Of Episcopal Charges and Pastoral Letters. 
 
 " 24. Of a Council of Advice. 
 
 " 25. Notorious Crimes and Scandals to be censured. 
 
 ** 26. Sober Conversation required in Ministers. 
 
 " 27. Of publishing the Sentence of Degradation against 
 a Clergyman. 
 
 " 28. Of a Clergyman in any Diocese chargeable with 
 Misdemeanor in any other. 
 
 " 29. Concerning the Election and Institution of Mini- 
 sters into Parishes or Churches. 
 
 " 30. Respecting the Dissolution of all Pastoral Connec- 
 tion between Ministers and their Congregations. 
 
 "31. Concerning Ministers removing from one Diocese 
 or State to another. 
 
 "32. Respecting Differences between Ministers and 
 their Congregations. 
 
211 
 
 " 33, Of the officiating of Ministers of this Church, in 
 
 the Churches, or within the Parochial Cures of 
 
 other Clergymen. 
 '' 34. Of the Use of the Book of Common Prayer. 
 " 35. Of the officiating of Persons not Ministers of this 
 
 Church. 
 " 36. Of Clergymen ordained by Foreign Bishops, and 
 
 desirous of officiating or settling in this Church. 
 " 37. To prevent a Congregation in any Diocese or State 
 
 from uniting with a Church in any other Diocese 
 
 or State. 
 " 38. To empower the Bishop in each Diocese or District 
 
 to compose Forms of Prayer or Thanksgiving for 
 
 Extraordinary Occasions. 
 " 39. Of the due Celebration of Sundays. 
 " 40. Ministers to keep a Register. 
 "41. A List to be made, and published, of the Ministers 
 
 of this Church. 
 " 42. Of the Mode of calling Special Meetings of the 
 
 General Convention. 
 *' 43. Prescribing the Mode of publishing Authorised 
 
 Editions of the Book of Common Prayer, &c. 
 " 44. Concerning the Mode of transmitting Notice of all 
 
 Matters submitted by the General Convention 
 
 to the Consideration of the State or Diocesan 
 
 Conventions. 
 " 45. Providing for an accurate View of the State of the 
 
 Church from time to time. 
 " 46. Providing for making known the Constitution and 
 
 Canons of the Church. 
 
 f2 
 
2\2 
 
 "canon of 1811. 
 " Canon repealing the 46tb Canon of 1808. 
 
 " CANONS OF 1814. 
 " I. Concerning the Alms and Contributions at the 
 
 Holy Communion. 
 " 2. Altering and explaining the 29th Canon, concern- 
 ing the Election and Institution of Ministers. 
 '' a Repealing part of the 45th Canon of 1808." 
 
 There had been made a proposal to take into consi- 
 deration the propriety of a standard edition of the Bible, 
 in consequence of some editions having corruptly ren- 
 dered Acts vi. 3. in such a way as tended to sustain a 
 species of Ordination unknown in Scripture : p. 53. 
 Journal of 1820: but any English Bible printed under 
 the King's Patent was held trustworthy. Afterwards 
 Eyre and Strahan's edition of 1812, dated 1813 on the 
 title, was chosen, Journal of 1823, p. 54, and Appendix 
 No. V. p. 101 ; and a Canon was at the same time passed 
 prescribing the mode of publication : p. 67 : also a Canon 
 was passed in 1821, p. 54 Journal, for establishing a 
 standard book of the Common Prayer: Journal for 
 1821, p. 16, and Report, p. 39. At the close of the Con- 
 vention in 1821, after prayers, Bp. White, the presiding 
 bishop, addressed the members in the following words : 
 " Brethren of this Convention, 
 
 " I take the liberty of giving vent to the feeling which 
 possesses me, at the conclusion of our session. 
 
 " I have attended all the meetings of the General Con- 
 ventions, from the beginning of our organization. On 
 some of those occasions, we assembled with apprehen- 
 
213 
 
 sions in the minds of many judicious men who had the 
 interests of the Church at heart, that the deUberations 
 would be disturbed by angry passions, and end in dis- 
 union. In every instance, the reverse was the issue ; 
 which led me to hope, that there was in this matter a 
 verifying of the promise of the great Head of the 
 Church, of being with her to the end of the world. 
 
 " The reason of this call of your attention to the fact 
 stated, is the harmony with which we are concluding 
 the present session ; after having met with diversity of 
 sentiment on some important points ; on which, in con- 
 sequence of mutual concession, and the merging of local 
 attachments in the great object of general good, we are 
 now separating with confirmed zeal for the great cause 
 in which we are engaged ; to be followed, it is to be 
 hoped, by renewed endeavours for its advancement, each 
 of us in his proper sphere. 
 
 " With this prospect before me, I invite you to lift 
 your hearts and your voices, in singing to the praise 
 and glory of God, a psalm appropriate to the occasion. 
 
 " The members of both Houses then united in sinefinir 
 the 133d Psalm: after which, the benediction was pro- 
 nounced, and the house adjourned." p. 18. 
 
 The remainder of this Chapter will state all the va- 
 riations from our own Prayer Book that have been noticed 
 in the American Prayer, upon reading it carefully ; with 
 some of the other changes that have been suggested as 
 likely to reconcile many to our Service, and bring them 
 into their parish churches. The present purpose is, to 
 supply for consideration some matters which may tend 
 
2U 
 
 to determine whether any Commission of Inquiry be or 
 be not now desirable with respect to the Prayer Book : 
 and, if it be, to shew some of the particulars which might 
 form a part of the inquiry before the Commissioners. 
 
 The Psalms might be revised : and a metrical version 
 of some parts of them might be published by Authority, 
 for singing. The American Church has set out Ten Se- 
 lections from the Psalms, with a Rubric, that, instead 
 of reading from the Psalter, divided like our own into 
 thirty-one days, the portion for any one day, the Mi- 
 nister may read on that day any one of the selections 
 there set out. The first of these selections contains the 
 19th and 24 th and 103d psalms. The second selection 
 contains the 139th psalm, leaving out verses 19 to 22-^ 
 and the 145th psalm. The third contains the 51st 
 psalm, leaving out the 18th and 19th verses; and the 
 42d psalm, leaving out the 8th, 9th, and 12th verses. 
 The fourth contains the 37th psalm. The fifth con- 
 tains the 1st psalm, the 15th psalm, and the 91st psalm. 
 The sixth selection contains the 32d psalm, leaving 
 out the 3d, 4th, and 10th verses ; the 130th psalm, and 
 the 121st psalm. The seventh selection contains the 
 2Sd psalm, the 34th psalm, and the 65th psalm. The 
 eighth selection contains the 84th psalm, leaving out 
 the 9th verse ; the 85th psalm, the 93d psalm, and 
 the 97th psalm. The ninth selection contains the 8th 
 psalm ; the 33d psalm, leaving out verses 10 to 21 ; the 
 147th psalm, leaving out the 10th verse ; and the 
 57th psalm, leaving out verses 1 to 7. The tenth 
 selection contains the 9Gth psalm, leaving out verses 5 
 to 13; the 148th psalm; the 1 19lh psalm, leaving out 
 
2ij 
 
 verses 5 to 9 ; and the 150th psalm. There are also 
 appointed portions of Psalms for Christmas Day, Ash 
 Wednesday, Good Friday, Ascension Day, and Whit 
 Sunday, for Morning Prayer, instead of the * Venite 
 Exultemus': and any of the foregoing selections may 
 be used for those days, instead of the Proper Psalms ap- 
 pointed for them. The Proper Psalms for Good Friday 
 Evening are the 64th and 88th : for Ascension Day, in 
 the evening, the 103d is substituted for the 108th : in 
 other respects, the Psalms for the five days mentioned 
 above, and for Easter Day, are the same as our own. 
 
 The American Prayer adds to the Sentences at the 
 beginning of Morning Prayer, Hab. ii. 20. Mai. i. 1 1. and 
 Ps. xix. 14. 
 
 The American Prayer styles the 'Absolution' "The 
 Declaration of Absolution, or Remission of Sins^ to be 
 made &c." ; and changes here, as elsewhere, " them " and 
 " which" into " those" and "who ;" and the first sentence 
 leaves out the word "and," after "live." This * Absolu- 
 tion' might perhaps be changed more into the form of a 
 prayer : and apparently under this notion the American 
 Prayer subjoins to the 'Absolution' the Absolution from 
 the Communion Service, either of which may be used at 
 the will of the Minister, and are read by him " alone." 
 
 Instead of the last four verses of the 9oth psalm, the 
 American Prayer Book substitutes two others. 
 
 The 'Gloria Patri' may be said, as in our Service ; but 
 either it or the ' Gloria in Excelsis ' must be said at the 
 end of the whole quantity of psalms read. 
 
 The American Prayer does not strike out the ' Bene- 
 dicite ;' but does strike out all after the fourth verse from 
 
216 
 
 the ' Benedictus/ and all the 100th psalm. It would be 
 a great relief to clergymen, and a great addition to the 
 Service, if there were more congregational singing. A 
 Selection of Psalms and Hymns might now easily be 
 made : one of those hymns, instead of * Te Deum' as 
 now sung, or a metrical version of the * Te Deum,' 
 might be sung, at the discretion of the Minister offici- 
 ating ; and the same choice might be given before the 
 First Lesson as to the 95th psalm, and after the Second 
 Lesson as to the 100th psalm, and in the Afternoon 
 Service. 
 
 The next rubric is, " Then shall be said the Apostles' 
 Creed, by the Minister and the people, standing : and 
 any churches may omit the words, ' He descended into 
 Hell ;' or may, instead of them, use the words, * He 
 went into the place of departed spirits,' which are con- 
 sidered- as words of the same meaning in the Creed :" 
 or the Nicene Creed. The Creed is immediately fol- 
 lowed by the following sentences, and not any more : 
 
 " MiN. The Lord be with you ; 
 
 "Ans. And with thy Spirit. 
 " MiN. Let us pray. 
 
 " O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us ; ^ 
 
 " Ans. And grant us thy salvation. 
 
 " MiN. O God, make clean our hearts within us ; 
 
 " Ans. And take not thy Holy Spirit from us." 
 
 Then follow the Collect for the Day, when the Com- 
 munion Service is not read ; the "Collect for Peace ;" the 
 " Collect for Grace," somewhat altered ; and " a Prayer 
 for the President of the United States," as such, with- 
 out naming the individual. Then comes this rubric : 
 
217 
 
 " The following Prayers are to be omitted here, when 
 the Litany is to be read." The first of these prayers is, 
 the 'Prayer for the Clergy ;' " who alone worketh great 
 marvels " being changed into " from whom cometh every 
 good and perfect gift." The second is the * Prayer for 
 all conditions of men ;' changing " the good estate of the 
 Catholic Church" into "Thy holy Church universal." 
 The * General Thanksgiving,' the * Prayer of St. Chry- 
 sostom,' and the Apostolical Benediction, conclude the 
 Morning Service. 
 
 The Evening Prayer is changed according to the 
 Morning Prayer. The * Magnificat ' and * Nunc Dimittis ' 
 are left out ; and the first four and last three verses of 
 the 108d psalm are put together, to be sung instead of 
 the 67th psalm, at the will of the Minister. The be- 
 ginning of the third Collect is made into " O Lord, our 
 heavenly Father, by whose Almighty power we have 
 been preserved this day." The Prayers * for the Presi- 
 dent,' the * Clergy, and People,' and ' All conditions of 
 men,' the * General Thanksgiving,' St. Chrysostom,' and 
 the Benediction, conclude the Service. 
 
 The Athanasian Creed is *' that we worship one God 
 in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity ... so that in all things, 
 the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be 
 worshipped." If such a question may be permitted, 
 ought not this statement to be reduced into clearer lan- 
 guage ? as, now, it seems to prohibit the worship of any 
 one of the three Persons, as distinct from the other two : 
 yet this is prescribed by our Liturgy, in more instances 
 than at the commencement of the Litany. The Creed 
 appears to mean, that in praying to One, we pray to all 
 
218 
 
 Three ; and in praying to Three, we pray to One. That 
 it is not quite as clear as it might be, seems deducible 
 from a variation in the Doxology, very observable in 
 some of our prelates. There are those who say, " Now 
 to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," in strict ac- 
 cordance with the Creed ; and those who say, " Now to 
 God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost." 
 That is not an argument, but a sophism, which is ad- 
 dressed to the modesty of those who propose the disuse 
 of this creed, and deceitfully tries to bring that modesty 
 into culpable action: and the very fact of our being 
 baptized into the Apostles' Creed denies any necessity 
 for the Athanasian Creed, except as part of our Esta- 
 blished Service. But is there any spiritual meaning or 
 force about the word ^ Estabhshment'? In England, 
 at all events, it cannot mean more than what the Bible 
 says, or what men do towards enforcing and explaining 
 the Bible. This creed may therefore be disused, as 
 only part of what men do for a given purpose, when 
 that purpose is not either answered or answerable. 
 
 It has been proposed to displace, by one general peti- 
 tion, the first four clauses in our Litany. The American 
 Litany differs from ours in the particulars now noticed. 
 The eighth clause begins *'From all inordinate and sinful 
 affections ;" a change for which it is not easy to find any 
 other reason than a questionable delicacy. All sin is 
 deadly, in the same sense in which fornication is deadly : 
 'other' must not be misconstrued: the connexion dis- 
 proves the charge which has been brought against the 
 epithet " deadly." After *' sudden death," in the ninth 
 clause, might be added, " in presumptuous sin." 
 
219 
 
 If the form of Adjuration be retained, it should 
 rather be by our own helpless state : and the substance 
 of the 11th and 12th clauses might be wrought out into 
 eight clauses or more, each of them pressing the strong 
 application to our own hearts of the truth which it con- 
 tained : e. g. The coming in the flesh, as connected with 
 the admission of prophecy ; and the Influence of the 
 Holy Ghost : the Nativity, as humility : the Circum- 
 cision, as compliance with the Law : the Temptation, as 
 warnings against the sources from which Satan is daily 
 seducing the souls of men. In the American Prayer, 
 the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 20th clauses are left out: 
 in the 13th clause, " prosperity" is put for " wealth." 
 The 21st clause is extended to " all Christian rulers 
 and magistrates:" in the 21st clause " fear" is put for 
 " dread:" in the 29th clause " labouring of child" is 
 reduced to " in the perils of child-birth." The Ame- 
 ricans, in the two sentences after tlie Lord's Prayer, put 
 " according" for " after :" and " punish" might be better 
 than "reward." 
 
 In the next prayer, the Americans read, "... worketh 
 against us may, by Thy good providence, be brought to 
 nought ; that we, Thy servants," &c. 
 
 In the next sentences, the Americans read " with 
 pity" for " pitifully;" and in the next prayer, "justly" 
 for " righteously." Then comes the * General Thanks- 
 giving ;' and the Litany concludes with ' St. Chrysostom ' 
 and the Benediction. 
 
 In the Prayers and Thanksgivings, the Americans 
 begin with a ' Prayer for Congress,' substantially the 
 same as ours * for Parliament :' then the prayer ' for Rain.' 
 
220 
 
 The third prayer, * for Fair Weather/ is changed; and 
 the fourth prayer, ' In Time of Dearth and Famine,' is 
 also somewhat changed for the better : our second 
 prayer ' In Time of Dearth and Famine ' is left out. The 
 Americans then give the prayer * In Time of War and 
 Tumults,' leaving out " King of all kings," and putting, 
 instead, " supreme :" then the two prayers for those 
 *who are to be admitted into holy Orders.' Our prayer 
 * in Plague or Sickness' is put out, and another put in 
 its stead. Then come prayers ' for a Sick Person;' * for 
 a Sick Child;' *for Persons going to Sea;' * for Persons 
 under Affliction;' and * for Malefactors after Condemna- 
 tion.' The Thanksgivings are, the last in our * Church- 
 ing of Women;' * for Rain;' ' for Fair Weather,' substi- 
 tuting "visitation" for " plague;" ' for Plenty,' leaving 
 out " cheapness;" 'for Peace and Deliverance;' * for 
 Restoring Peace ;' our first * for Deliverance from Sick- 
 ness;' * for a Recovery from Sickness;' and ' for a Safe 
 Return from Sea.' 
 
 The Collects, Epistles, and Gospels, in the American 
 Prayer, are the same as ours; except that, in addition to 
 the Collect on Ash Wednesday, the three last prayers 
 in our Commination Service are then read ; and the 
 Commination Service put out of the book. In the se- 
 cond prayer, the word " hatest" is retained ; and in the 
 third, the sentence " who turn to Thee in weeping, 
 fasting, and praying." The Americans have put all the 
 Holidays together, after all the Sundays. 
 
 With regard to the Epistles and Gospels, it has 
 often been observed what excellent passages of Scrip- 
 ture they enforce upon the congregation ; and it has 
 
•2-21 
 
 also been said, they might be better distributed. Any 
 changes in the Lessons, and some changes in the Com- 
 munion Service, would require changes here. It will 
 have been seen that the Collects were much considered 
 and altered, and many new ones made in the Jerusalem 
 Chamber : and it is not here necessary to dwell much 
 upon them. 
 
 In general, it shovdd always be declared, with indis- 
 putable clearness, what each Collect means : every 
 prayer should be unambiguous : and the form of ad- 
 dress and preface at the beginning should in some 
 degree be fitted to the substance of the request. A 
 short Collect need not be made up of decidedly distinct 
 petitions for distinct graces. 
 
 As an instance, once for all, that some change should 
 be made, and that such change would often be useful 
 to the mass of every congregation, it seems right to ha- 
 zard a few remarks concerning the * Collect for Peace.' 
 
 The Collect for feace, in Morning Prayer, might 
 be so entitled as to express inward peace, peace of 
 heart, as opposed to the <l>p6vtifjLa a-apKo^. After the words 
 " perfect freedom," a definite petition for such peace, 
 even if really negative, and justly considered as being 
 so, might be introduced ; and, if advisable, a definite 
 petition for peace, as opposed to bloodshed and wars, 
 might be added. 
 
 In support of this suggestion, the following observa- 
 tions and comment are submitted to the reader with 
 unfeigned diffidence, as being called for in absolute 
 fairness from those who venture to propose any change. 
 
 The Notes in Bp. Mant's edition of the Prayer Book 
 
222 
 
 do not contain any definite declaration about the peace 
 here prayed for. As there cited, Dean Comber seems 
 to think it outward peace : Bp. Sparrow is doubtful : 
 and Abp. Seeker appears to consider the sentence in 
 the preface as alluding to inward peace, and yet that 
 the prayer is against outward enemies. It cannot be 
 thought inapplicable to quote from Baxter the excep- 
 tions he drew up against this Collect. Silvester, p. 308. 
 No. 9. " The second Collect is entitled, * for Peace,' 
 and hath not a word in it of petition for peace ; but 
 only for defence in assaults of enemies, and that we 
 may not fear their power : and the prefaces, ' in know- 
 ledge of whom standeth our eternal life, and in whose 
 service is perfect freedom,' have no more evident re- 
 spect to a petition for peace than to any other. And 
 the prayer itself comes in disorderly; while many 
 prayers or petitions are omitted, which, according both 
 to the method of the Lord's Prayer and the nature of 
 the things, should go before." 
 
 By comparing this Collect with the second Collect at 
 Evening Prayer, it would seem that this Morning Col- 
 lect was intended for peace of heart. Christian obe- 
 dience, and resignation, " that peace which the world 
 cannot give," a peace which is not consistent with unholy 
 desires and evil counsels, which can only be found in 
 what are termed, with strict propriety, but not in com- 
 mon language, "just works." The American Prayer 
 Book leaves out the word " both ;" and reads, " that our 
 hearts may be set to obey thy commandments ; and also 
 that by Thee, we, being defended from the fear of our 
 enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness." 
 
223 
 
 In the Morning Collect the same prevailing tone 
 appears distinguishable. The God of love is undoubt- 
 edly the Author of peace, as opposed to war; but is 
 more especially the Author of peace, as opposed to those 
 inward fightings and distractions which are inseparable 
 from the unregenerate heart, and divide it against itself 
 and its neighbour, and fill it with an almost proverbial 
 discontent and caprice. It is the Author of peace that 
 can alone make men of one mind in a house ; so that 
 "the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, 
 but the rich in that he is made low." The sole Author 
 of peace can indeed make men of one heart and of one 
 soul, all " brethren, baptized by one Spirit into one 
 body," "one in Christ Jesus," "kept and perfected in one, 
 even as the Father and Son are one." And this concord 
 is produced when men die unto sin, and live by a new 
 Spirit out of themselves, and make their own the will of 
 Heaven, and so renounce their own will, and endeavour 
 earnestly to bring nigh the Kingdom of Heaven. Such 
 a concord our God is said to love : and it betokens 
 happiness to His creatures, and brings them more and 
 more to the knowledge of Him, " Whom to know is 
 eternal life." One sign of this concord in individuals, 
 one beginning of it, is peace of heart on earth ; a peace 
 which cannot be had until the Spirit of God has wrought 
 in us a belief in the goodness and mercy of God, and 
 broken the chains of sin, and made us a new nature, 
 in which men rejoice to serve Him who was tempted as 
 we are, yet sinned not ; who can see us sunk in sin, and 
 yet love and pity us ; who could for our sake become 
 flesh, and in the form of a servant obedient even unto 
 
S24 
 
 the death of the cross ; who would now fit each of us 
 for His glad service, so we quench not His spirit. In 
 such service is " perfect freedom," and in none other. In 
 that service we know what enemies will assault us : and 
 it is written for our learning, how the word of God 
 pulled down the strong holds of the great Enemy, in 
 the wilderness, on the high mountain, and on the pin- 
 nacle of the Temple. As temptations will come upon 
 us, in order that our peace be not destroyed by such 
 temptations, we pray to the Author of peace for de- 
 fence ; and that our trust may be in His daily grant of 
 our daily help, in that defence which He vouchsafes his 
 people, not in our own wisdom and prudence, not in 
 the strength of our hands or in our valour, not in the 
 multitude of our chariots, not in any arm of flesh. It 
 is only so that men are and can be freed from the fear 
 of all adversaries; as well knowing that He who is 
 with them, is greater than he who is in the world against 
 them. 
 
 If the first of these constructions be true, the other 
 is mistaken in considering the Collect as praying for 
 inward peace only : if the second of these constructions 
 be admitted, they are mistaken who apply it to outward 
 peace only. The Compilers of our Liturgy might be 
 looking to both kinds of peace. In Poetry, such bring- 
 ing up of many ideas by a hint, each crowd of ideas 
 marshalled on its own ground, is excellent ; but ought 
 not in Prayers to be carried so far as to leave any ambi- 
 guity. The burning sparks that are shivered off, hot 
 and fast and bright, may light up a thousand well- 
 remembered scenes, as the honest speaker presses on 
 
225 
 
 each momentary illumination may turn towards that 
 goal wanderers, who would not have been guided by a 
 dimmer, yet a. constant and truly borrowed light : but 
 the danger is always great ; and the notion altogether 
 inconsistent with Prayer. The similar notes in one tune 
 that accidentally recall the memory of another, are too 
 often destructive of the present melody, distract the 
 attention, and ultimately carry it away with them. 
 
 In the Communion Service, the Americans leave out 
 our first rubric, and change the expressions in the 
 second, third, and fourth. It may be well to consider 
 how far the Commandments should be preceded by 
 some declaration, in the words of Deut. vi., when and 
 how and to whom they were given. Edward the Sixth's 
 Catechism furnishes other useful matter for this declara- 
 tion, and concludes its summary with the texts which the 
 American Prayer Book has introduced after the Com- 
 mandments : " Then the Minister may say. Hear also 
 what our Lord Jesus Christ saith : Thou shalt love the 
 Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, 
 and with all thy mind. This is the first and great 
 commandment. And the second is like unto it : Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two com- 
 mandments hang all the law and the prophets." St. 
 Matthew xxii. 37 — 40. The last response in our Prayer 
 Book might here be sung, and the previous responses be 
 left out. 
 
 The Americans next give the prayer, second, in our 
 Prayer Book, among the Collects after the Offertory : 
 and direct the Apostles' or Nicene Creed to be read, un- 
 less one of them have been read before, in the Morning 
 
 Q 
 
226 
 
 Service. This rubric seems to imply that some such 
 a practice as the early Communion Service still retained 
 in some London churches exists in America ; but the 
 implication is contradicted in the Journal of the Con- 
 vention 1821, p. 49. 
 
 Upon the use of creeds a little more must here be 
 said. When creeds become defences and vindications 
 of the orthodox faith, Bp. Gastrell explains bow they 
 also produce more heresies. A great and perhaps the 
 principal use of what are called creeds is, that, like 
 anchors, they strengthen and establish the position of any 
 particular Church, and its relative bearing upon other 
 Churches : without being moored in some such way, the 
 vessel might imperceptibly swing round with the shift- 
 ing tides of error ; and they who believed themselves 
 Presbyterians might suddenly find themselves open to 
 the charge of Socinianism. As far as the Public Ser- 
 vice goes, either the Nicene Creed or the Apostles' 
 Creed would be enough to maintain the professed belief 
 of the Church of England. We need not drop a longer 
 line than will shew water enough to prevent the vessel 
 striking any suspected rock ; and the reading of some 
 formula for this purpose may well seem to many so 
 highly advisable as to overrule the admitted objections 
 to reading it, although those objections are of such a 
 nature that they cannot be reduced to a common deno- 
 mination and actually measured one against another. 
 The utility of a professed formula is evident, from the 
 present state of Unitarian congregations : and the ques- 
 tion may so become, when and how the form of w^ords 
 adopted as expressing the doctrine of any Church 
 
227 
 
 slioukl be used. The epithet " Catholic" is rendered 
 '' Universal" in the Apostles' Creed, as cited in Ed- 
 ward the Sixth's Catechism; and the explanation of the 
 Holy Universal Church, p. .^o, as there given, is ad- 
 mirable, and in the spirit of that excellent Prayer " for 
 Unity," upon the anniversary of the King's Accession. 
 Using the words "of faith" in their common acceptation, 
 it appears to many that all creeds and articles of faith are 
 mistaken in their principle, and would work much more 
 evil than they do, but that, among other reasons, they 
 are in practice corrected by that common sense which is 
 the perfection of human understanding. If articles of 
 faith ought to be retained as distinct from articles of 
 peace, might not something be taken from our Articles 
 of Faith, now so called, and added to articles to be called 
 and admitted as Articles of Peace? It is too true, that the 
 Lower House of Convocation in 1701 censured Bp. Bur- 
 net's Exposition, because it allowed a diversity of opi- 
 nion, Tindal's Contin. iii. 319; but it may now appear 
 the general belief, that acts of Parliament cannot create 
 identity of opinion; that the Bible itself does not and 
 was not intended to obviate all diversity of opinion ; 
 and that whatever be the definite good resulting from 
 any Articles of Faith, commonly so called, there is one 
 undeniable evil in every case : even where such articles 
 are as few and material as possible, they lay a dangerous 
 snare for human weakness. 
 
 The Prayer ^ for the King' is displaced by a general 
 Prayer * for all Christian Rulers.' In the first warning, 
 part or all of which may be used at the discretion of 
 the minister, "condemnation" is put for " damnation;" 
 
 q2 
 
228 
 
 and the second clause ends with " or else come not to 
 that holy table ;" and the third, after " open his grief," 
 leaves out the mention of ^' absolution." In the second 
 warning, "injury ye do" is changed into "is your in- 
 gratitude." The exhortation in the second sentence 
 runs thus : " For as the benefit is great, if with a true 
 penitent heart and lively faith we receive that holy sa- 
 crament ; so is the danger great, if we receive the same 
 unworthily. Judge therefore yourselves, brethren," &c. 
 The prayer of ' Consecration' varies at the beginning in 
 its expressions, and passes from " His coming again" to 
 " In the night in which he was betrayed ;" and then 
 gives a new prayer^ incorporating our prayer after the 
 Lord's Prayer : then the Americans direct a hymn to be 
 sung, and the bread and wine administered. The re- 
 mainder of the Service is like our own : and there is not 
 any thing in it more than in our own, to render the 
 notion of the sacrament more correspondent with the 
 admitted necessity for regular and suitable food. 
 
 The Americans give, in the Public Baptism of Infants, 
 for their first rubric, the first and last sentences in our 
 rubric. Their second rubric is, " There shall be for 
 every male child to be baptized, when they can be had, 
 two godfathers and one godmother ; and for every fe- 
 male, one godfather and two godmothers : and parents 
 shall be admitted as sponsors, if it be desired." The 
 Americans give our first and second prayers, and direct 
 the Minister to use either of them ; and then give the 
 following rubric : " Then the Minister shall say as fol- 
 lows : or else shall pass on to the questions addressed to 
 the sponsors ; and from thence to the prayer immediately 
 
229 
 
 before the immersion, or the pouring of water on the in- 
 fant. But note, that, in every church, the intermediate 
 parts of the service shall be used, once at least in every 
 month (if there be a baptism), for tlie better instructing 
 of the people in the grounds of Infant Baptism." The 
 Americans do not repeat the creed in the question, but 
 ask, "Dost thou believe all the articles in the Christian 
 faith contained in the Apostles' Creed ?" To the an- 
 swer, " I will," the Americans add, " By God's help." 
 It may be remarked here, that it is a question, whether, 
 in any case, the sponsors should be any thing more than 
 witnesses : and among Baxter's Exceptions, as well as 
 among the Exceptions actually delivered in at the Savoy, 
 was a remonstrance against baptizing the infant children 
 of atheists and notorious sinners until repentance ; see 
 Bp. Heber's opinion, 2. Jour. 2S8. ; and it was de- 
 sired that the first two interrogatories should be put 
 to the parents, to be answered in their own names ; 
 and that the third should be, " Will you have this 
 child to be baptized into this faith?" In his second 
 Apology, Justin Martyr, when he is relating the manner 
 of baptism, appears to use language applicable to adults 
 only, not to infants : and if so, cannot fairly be quoted 
 as negative authority against our custom of having spon- 
 sors for infants, p. 94. 
 
 In the Private Baptism, the Americans prescribe this 
 declaration : " I certify you, that in this case all is well 
 done, and according unto due order, concerning the 
 baptizing of this child ; who is now by baptism incorpo- 
 rated into the Christian Church : for our Lord Jesus 
 Christ doth not deny His grace and mercy unto such 
 
230 
 
 infants ; but most lovingly doth call them unto Him, as 
 the Holy Gospel doth witness to our comfort on this 
 wise." St. Mark X. 13. 
 
 The remainder of the service is not materially dif- 
 ferent from our own; except that it leaves out the prayer 
 immediately following the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 The Public Baptism of those of Riper Years, in an- 
 swer to the first question, directs, " I renounce them all, 
 and by God's help will endeavour not to follow nor be 
 led by them." 
 
 In the American Catechism, " sponsors" is used in- 
 stead of " godfathers and godmothers ;" and instead of 
 ** verily and indeed taken and received," is put "spiritually 
 taken and received." The Confirmation is like our own. 
 It is said that the Catechism of Justus Jonas, who died 
 in October 1555, (Cox's Melancthon, p. 520,) was the 
 original from which our present Catechism was taken; 
 and that a copy of the first, or some very early edition 
 of it, has lately come into the possession of the bishop 
 of Oxford. This may be the book alluded to by Bp. 
 Ridley, p. 154, note s, in Archdeacon Churton's Life 
 of Dean Nov/ell. The archdeacon, sec. 7, implies, 
 that the Catechism now printed in our Prayer Books 
 was an abridgement of a larger one, and that from the 
 same larger one Bp. Overall derived the substance of 
 his additions concerning the sacraments. 186. The ex- 
 cellent Catechism of Edward the Sixth, (Strype's Life 
 of Cranmer, Book 2. c. 34) printed in the " Enchiridion 
 Theolo^icum," and Dean Nowell's Catechisms and the 
 Formularies of Faith lately republished by the bishop 
 of Oxford, are surely conclusive arguments for the set- 
 
231 
 
 ting forth by Authority some fuller " Institution of a 
 Cln-istian man" than our present Catechism. 
 
 An Edition of the American Prayer Book, on stereo- 
 type plates, from their standard Edition, one set of 
 which was sent out to America, will soon be published 
 in England. In the mean time the following service 
 for the Solemnization of Marriage is printed in full. 
 
 " Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in 
 the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to 
 join together this man and this woman in holy matri- 
 mony ; which is commended of St. Paul to be honourable 
 among all men; and therefore is not by any to be 
 entered into unadvisedly or lightly ; but reverently, 
 discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. 
 Into this holy estate, these two persons present come 
 now to be joined. If any man can shew just cause, why 
 they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now 
 speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace. 
 " iVnd also speaking unto the persons who are to be 
 married, he shall say, 
 " I require and charge you both (as ye will answer at 
 the dreadful day of judgment, when the secrets of all 
 hearts shall be disclosed) that if either of you know any 
 impediment why ye may not be lawfully joined toge- 
 ther in matrimony, ye do now confess it : for be ye well 
 assured, that if any persons are joined together other- 
 wise than as God's word doth allow, their marriage is 
 not lawful. 
 
 '* The Minister, if he shall have reason to doubt of the 
 lawfulness of the proposed marriage, may demand 
 sufficient surety for his indemnification; but if no 
 
232 
 
 impediment shall be alleged, or suspected, the Mi- 
 nister shall say to the man, 
 " M. Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded 
 wife, to hve together after God's ordinance in the holy 
 estate of matrimony ? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, 
 honour, and keep her, in sickness and in health ; and, 
 forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as 
 ye both shall live ? 
 *' The man shall answer, ' I will.' 
 " Then shall the Minister say unto the woman, 
 
 *^ N. Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded hus- 
 band, to live together after God's ordinance, in the 
 holy estate of matrimony ? Wilt thou obey him, and 
 serve him, love, honour, and keep him, in sickness and 
 in health ; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only 
 unto him, so long as ye both shall live ? 
 *' The woman shall answer, * I will.' 
 *' Then shall the Minister say, 
 
 " Who givetli this woman to be married to this 
 man? 
 *' Then shall they give their troth to each other, in this 
 
 manner : 
 " The Minister receiving the woman at her father's or 
 friend's hands, shall cause the man with his right 
 hand to take the woman by her right hand, and to 
 say after him as folio we th : 
 " I M. take thee N. to my wedded wife, to have and 
 to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for 
 richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and 
 to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's 
 holy ordinance ; and thereto I plight thee my troth. 
 
283 
 
 " Then shall they loose their hands ; and the woman, 
 
 with her right hand taking the man by his right 
 
 hand, shall likewise say after the Minister, 
 
 '* I N. take thee M. to my wedded husband, to have 
 
 and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, 
 
 for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, 
 
 cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according 
 
 to God's holy ordinance ; and therefore I give thee my 
 
 troth. 
 
 " Then shall they again loose their hands; and the man 
 shall give unto the woman a ring. And the Mi- 
 nister taking the ring, shall deliver it unto the man, 
 to put it upon the fourth finger of the woman's left 
 hand. And the man holding the ring there, and 
 taught by the Minister, shall say, 
 '^ With this ring I thee wed, and with all my worldly 
 goods I thee endows : in the name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 " Then the man leaving the ring upon the fourth finger 
 of the woman's left hand, the Minister shall say, 
 " Let us pray. 
 " Our Father w^ho art in heaven, hallowed be thy 
 name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, 
 as it is in heaven ; give us this day our daily bread ; 
 and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who 
 trespass against us ; and lead us not into temptation ; 
 but deliver us from evil. Amen. 
 
 *' O Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all man- 
 kind, giver of all spiritual grace, the author of everlast- 
 ing life ; send thy blessing upon these thy servants, this 
 man and this woman, whom we bless in thy name ; that 
 
231 
 
 as Isaac and Rebecca lived faithfully together, so these 
 persons may surely perform and keep the vow and 
 covenant betwixt them made (whereof this ring given 
 and received is a token and pledge), and may ever 
 remain in perfect love and peace together, and live 
 according to thy laws, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 " Then shall the Minister join their right hands toge- 
 ther, and say, 
 
 **' Those whom God hath joined together, let no man 
 put asunder. 
 ** Then shall the Minister speak unto the company : 
 
 " Forasmuch as M. and N. have consented together 
 in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before 
 God and this company, and thereto have given and 
 pledged their troth, each to the other, and have de- 
 clared the same by giving and receiving a ring, and by 
 joining hands ; I pronounce, that they are man and wife; 
 in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 " And the Minister shall add this blessing : 
 
 " God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy 
 Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you : the Lord merci- 
 fully with his favour look upon you, and fill you with 
 all spiritual benediction and grace ; that ye may so live 
 together in this hfe, that in the world to come ye have 
 life everlasting. Amen," 
 
 If the two passages naming the Three Persons dis- 
 tinctly were so far varied as to name them collectively, 
 and the fmal blcssinsr were borrowed from that of the 
 
235 
 
 people of Israel which concludes the Visitation of the 
 Sick, none would be losers, and many would be saved 
 what they deem a painful compromise. 
 
 In the Visitation of the Sick, the 130th Psalm is put 
 instead of the 71st Psalm: and the 'Absolution' is en- 
 tirely left out. ** 
 
 In the Burial Service, the Americans use an anthem, 
 taken from the 89th and 90th Psalms, instead of the 
 whole of those psalms. " To take out of this world" 
 is used instead of *' To take unto himself." " Look- 
 ing for the general resurrection in the last day" is 
 substituted for " in sure and certain hope of the re- 
 surrection to eternal hfe." In the last prayer, the Ame- 
 ricans leave out " As our hope is this our brother doth ;" 
 and for the last prayer but one, have substituted another, 
 and direct the Minister to say one or both of these 
 prayers at his discretion. This new prayer is the same as 
 ours, at the beginning; but, after " felicity," runs thus : 
 " We give thee hearty thanks for the good examples of all 
 those thy servants, who, having finished their course in 
 faith, do now rest from their labours. And we beseech 
 Thee, that we, with all those who are departed in tlie 
 true faith of thy holy name, may have our perfect con- 
 summation and bliss, both in body and soul, in thy 
 eternal and everlasting glory, through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord." 
 
 The first American rubric for the Churching of Wo- 
 men gives tlie choice of that service, or the concluding 
 prayer only, as it stands among the Occasional Prayers. 
 The Commi nation is left out entirely. Much might 
 be said about this service. It is often true that men dare 
 
236 
 
 not look upon sin in its proper sliape, because their con- 
 sciences are thereby stricken. How many of the worst 
 acts which we ought to censure are palliated because we 
 have ourselves " committed them in our hearts!" We 
 dare not, for instance, assign to a fair duellist his proper 
 name, because we ourselves, in other cases, burn incense 
 to his idol. Much of this proceeds from trusting in our- 
 selves; and the exceeding purity of the Gospel, well set 
 forth in some such a service as this Commination, would 
 surely tend to convince us of our own helplessness, and 
 turn us to Him who is strong to save. And such a Com- 
 mination Service would be well supported by some public 
 profession of faith in church, at or consequent upon tlie 
 baptism or confirmation of children by themselves or 
 their sponsors : for the length of the present service, or 
 some other reason, is now permitted to render nugatory 
 the directions in the first rubric. And yet the baptism of 
 an infant is indeed a solemn ceremony, full of meaning, 
 every point of which might be made useful in putting 
 each Christian in remembrance of his own profession. 
 A kindlier appeal to the heart, a more wholesome cor- 
 rective of worldly-mindedness, could not easily be found, 
 than the presenting or otherwise commemorating in 
 church all the children baptized in the preceding week. 
 
 Whatever strength the objections usually made to 
 the Commination Service may have in themselves, such 
 objections are not rested on exactly the same grounds 
 as those which have been urged against the Athanasian 
 Creed. It is indeed too often the truth, that this ser- 
 vice, in the present state of morals, is turned to mischief. 
 But our elders have thought such a service might 
 
237 
 
 amend our manners : and reasons which will not hold 
 when pushed to extremes, may yet be good to a great 
 extent. Augustin has said, " Meliores sunt quos dirigit 
 amor; plures sunt quos corrigit timor." Supposing fear 
 be not an advisable motive in itself, yet a fear of things 
 that ought to be feared may hope to end in the love of 
 things that ought to be loved. As every passion of our 
 nature is capable of being abused, it is also capable of 
 being used. It is the admission of an indefinite will to 
 shape ourselves after some better and higher model 
 that is prospered into continual and increasing assimila- 
 tion to that model. If we were not to say or do any 
 thing which we knew w^as better than suited our cha- 
 racter, if we were not in one sense to act a part, hushing 
 those remonstrances of conscience, which make a pride 
 of sin and one strong hold of iniquity, we could not be 
 improved; for the character of Christian excellence is 
 not passive, but active : we could not even pray ; for our 
 real prayers take and give the stamp of our hves. 
 
 In the Forms of Prayer at Sea, '' direct" is used for 
 "prevent:" and there are added to the book, "Forms 
 of Prayer for the Visitation of Prisoners," and " Thanks- 
 giving for the Fruits of the Earth ;" and also two excel- 
 lent Forms for Morning and Evening Prayer for Families, 
 in the same manner as was observed in our early Prayer 
 Books : see Barker's edition, printed before the Savoy 
 Conference. Strype's Life of Abp. Parker, i. 1G9. 
 
 There are fifty-seven Hymns added to the American 
 Prayer Book, as set forth by authority for Church use. 
 
 The Church in America necessarily drew a line be- 
 tween Spiritual and temporal authority, ante, p. ,^04 : 
 and it miglit be well considered, how far there might 
 
238 
 
 here be adopted some clause, in the spirit of this sepa- 
 ration between temporal and Spiritual authority, re- 
 quiring all Protestants and Papists who take office in 
 England to pledge their personal service and their 
 money to their native land, and to declare that they will 
 not lend any aid in mind or body or pay any money ta 
 any foreign Power when forbidden to do so by the 
 Powers that be at home, in order to supersede many 
 penal enactments, and yet form a sufficient bulwark for 
 the Church and State of England. 
 
 Many bishops and other high authorities have de- 
 clared their belief, that a revision of the Bible, as now 
 translated, with a view to give it more and more the 
 purport and effect of the original languages, is expedient. 
 See Bp. Marsh's Lectures, edition of 1828, pp. 298, 320. 
 and Appen. p. 4. 
 
 Since the reign of James the First, whose wise and 
 guarded rules may yield an useful precedent, many new 
 sources of profitable information have been opened, 
 and many have drunk at them deeply. The fact of 
 inspiration in each Apostle at once substantiates the 
 necessity for every use of every means of increasing 
 useful learning for the criticism and interpretation of 
 the Scriptures. 
 
 Concerning the division of the Bible into verses, 
 Lewis (Complete History of the Translations of the 
 Bible into English, third edition, p. 210) has recorded 
 the opinion of Isaac Casaubon, that " although he did 
 not disapprove it, yet he doubted not but there might 
 be another distinction of them far more commodious, 
 if some great divine would undertake the restoring it; 
 viz. that of the ancients, who so divided the several 
 
239 
 
 books into titles, and those titles into their heads or 
 chapters, that the division much helped or assisted the 
 readers." Mills says, Proleg. 1^7, that Robert Stephens' 
 4th edition of the Greek Testament in 1551 was the 
 first in which the text was numbered into those verses 
 now in use. Stephens was then living in Geneva: and 
 it is said that Bp. Coverdale and his friends published 
 there an Enghsh translation in 1557, not only numbered 
 hito verses, but also distinctly divided into verses, and 
 that there is a copy of this edition so divided in the 
 Library at Lambeth. Matthew's Bible 1 537, and another 
 edition in 1539, divide into verses the Psalms only. 
 Grafton's Bible in 1541 does not divide all the Psalms. 
 Tyndale's Bible in 1549 is not divided into verses : nor 
 is Jhon Day's in 155 1. Jhon Cawoode's, a small quarto 
 in 1561, divides the Psalms, and also the tenth and all 
 subsequent chapters of Proverbs. Abp. Parker's and 
 Jugge's Bibles, in 1568 and 1569, and 1572, are all di- 
 vided into verses. Jugge's Bible of 1568 marks with 
 " semicircles" the parts to be left " unread in the pub- 
 lique reading to the people, in order that more edifying 
 chapters may come in their roomes." Coldock's Bible 
 in 1575 and Barker's in 1578 are divided into verses. 
 Strype says that in Abp. Parker's Bible, 8vo. 1569, 
 I. 541, old paging 273, the " chapters are divided into 
 verses, but no break in a chapter 'till the end thereof, 
 and thinks this was the first Enghsh Bible printed with 
 distinction of verses." And yet Strype says, u. 221, old 
 paging 403, that Abp. Parker's Bible of 1512 "seemed 
 to him to be the first edition of the English Bible di- 
 vided into verses, excepting perhaps that of Geneva." 
 
240 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 X«/jOa> /uev opojv rrjv v/uerepav o/mriyvptv. 
 
 Constan. to the Nic. Council. Euseb. hi. i1. 
 
 There is an old low, shabby wall which runs off 
 from the south side of the great west door-way into 
 Westminster Abbey. This wall is only broken by one 
 long wired window; and tlie whole appearance of the 
 wall and window is so dull and dirty, that many strangers 
 and inhabitants may well have wondered why they were 
 allowed to encumber and deform this magnificent front. 
 But that wall is the wall of the Jerusalem Chamber, and 
 that guarded window is its principal light. The cham- 
 ber itself appears about forty feet long and twenty feet 
 wide, and was built in the reigns of Edward III. and 
 Richard II. At this time, it is here that the Upper 
 House of Convocation assemble each Parliament. In a 
 sort of anti-room to it assemble the Lower House of 
 Convocation, which anti-room is now called the Organ 
 Room ; because some time ago there was an organ in 
 it, by which the choristers were accustomed to practise. 
 The other side of the north wall of this room is " the 
 Spiritual Court," under the south tower of the western 
 front of the Abbey. To the west of the cloister, and to 
 the south of the wall by which you enter into Poets' 
 
241 
 
 Corner, is the Chapter House, where the Commons of 
 England sat before the grant of St. Stephen's Chapel, 
 m 1547; a proximity not without meaning. 
 
 In this Jerusalem Chamber any new Commissioners 
 might sit, and acknowledge the genius of the place. 
 Who would not rejoice to know that here or elsewhere 
 were assembled kindly spirits, whose endeavours to 
 amend our Liturgy might also bring back to the fold 
 such wanderers as may yet have the inclination to join 
 our Estabhshment? How much they would have to do 
 with many parts of it before mentioned, with the Burial 
 or Baptismal Services, the Canons or the Courts Chris- 
 tian, each reader may have formed his own opinion. It 
 may be permitted us all to express our conviction, that 
 if there would be much to be done, there would as- 
 suredly be fitting hands to do it all. 
 
 In the preceding pages, it has been my endeavour to 
 avoid obtruding myself and my own opinion upon any one 
 who might be reading them on account of the great in- 
 terest of their subject matter. The v/ish to state all facts 
 fixirly, and conduct all arguments impartially, does not, 
 however, secure its own accomplishment; and the attempt 
 to discover truth does not imply success : any reader 
 who may observe errors, and mis-statements, and undue 
 partialities in this volume, may believe they would have 
 been corrected had they been known to myself. Upon 
 some parts of such a subject as the present, upon the 
 Athanasian Creed and the question of Church Govern- 
 ment in particular, it might be misconstrued, if all 
 opinions were stated as those of some third person, 
 and my own kept altogether out of view. And it is 
 
242 
 
 entirely from this feeling, and not from any presump- 
 tuous over-valuation of the principles here now ap- 
 proved and adopted, that the following short statement 
 is made as to these two principal points, which will ex- 
 plain, on most others mentioned in this volume, my 
 own wishes and belief; and perhaps so tend to account 
 for the shading and keeping of all previous sketches. It 
 is most painful to find our notions so much better than 
 our practice : and yet so it must be, when they are 
 taken from the Bible. Nor can any writer pledge him- 
 self beyond the present time and conviction : whatever 
 opinions he may have published may become suspicious 
 to himself, and therefore be re-considered and so be 
 found more or less erroneous, and abandoned accord- 
 ingly. When men support an opinion upon any other 
 ground than its own intrinsic worth, they become parti- 
 sans ; and must then be contented to derive from the 
 staff of the few bruised reeds, with whom they may be 
 associated in hollow uniformity for different purposes, 
 the semblance of that support and strength, the reality 
 of which can only be known to a free spirit and con- 
 scious honesty. The inquirers press on to their point : 
 the partisan avoids discussion, and shrinks from com- 
 mitting himself; and insists upon the observance of every 
 tedious form, the use of every conventional phrase. In 
 process of time, his thoughts are put off and on, like 
 the clothes of a fashionist ; and his whole existence is in 
 the observances to which he has enslaved himself. In 
 such an uniform, all distinction of person and feature is 
 lost: and great as this evil must be in every nation, it is 
 exceedingly great in what should be a free nation. The 
 
243 
 
 leagues of earthy when not cemented by the Word of 
 God, are almost always against the Majesty of heaven. 
 The purpose of one is resistance : the wisdom of the 
 other inculcates submission : one says, " Be proud :" 
 the other, " Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of 
 heart." All party-spirit, properly so called, presup- 
 poses error on one side or ill-will on the other ; and is 
 incapable of defence until it is changed in character. 
 Submission to the Powers that be, as such, until con- 
 science refuse submission, cannot be party spirit; and 
 has a high warrant, which cannot be claimed for oppo- 
 sition to the Powers that be, except where conscience 
 may compel a reluctant acquiescence. Power may have 
 a tendency to corrupt its possessors : but this does not 
 justify the maintenance and organization of a systematic 
 and wilful opposition. 
 
 The fear of lawful rulers is wholesome, and leads to 
 free and reasonable service : and this service will be 
 yielded in a cheerful and a devoted spirit, not grudgingly 
 by every Christian, up to the pitch at which obedience 
 to man is held inconsistent with obedience to God : and 
 the ascertaining this pitch tends to draw each individual 
 from his neighbour's mode of reasoning, and so far to 
 isolate him, and deprive his cause of a method of support 
 which has often given the worse cause a triumpli. Jf a 
 man can once get hold of the chain that connects him, 
 as an individual sinner, with his Creator, his Redeemer, 
 and his Sanctifier, it does not appear probable that he 
 would then look in the first instance to his brethren for 
 aid. His fellow creatures would, indeed, have a stamp 
 on their foreheads, which he would with a thankful 
 heart instantly recognise as giving to each of them a 
 
 R 2 
 
2U 
 
 share in his God, a value beyond all valuation : but it is 
 not in them that he lives and moves and has his being ; 
 but in Him who is with His own Church on earth, while 
 earth shall last; who became as one of us, and knew and 
 knows what is in man : He is the sole friend that cannot 
 fail in time of need, although such help as man may give 
 and receive is always full of delight to both parties, 
 and the secret of this help cannot but rest with them 
 that fear the Lord. It may be from the weakness of hu- 
 man nature that the pious Christian has often pushed too 
 far this direct holding of heaven every thought, word, 
 and deed ; and so strained the relationship between 
 himself and his fellow creatures on earth, which although 
 only collateral, is yet near, and should be dear. And 
 allowance must therefore be made for the ancient Pres- 
 byterians and Non-conformists, who could not see their 
 own want of that charity towards others which they 
 claimed from others towards themselves. They could not 
 see, for instance, how wisely, in every sense of the word, 
 our early Reformers retained some ceremonies and ser- 
 vices of popery, from a fear of offending the weaker bre- 
 thren, who held and hold them sacred up to the extreme 
 point of conscience. Bp. Ridley's Life, ^46. The Non- 
 conformists thought, that doing a great deal at once was 
 liberal, and proved a comprehensive spirit: but the 
 churchmen wisely refrained from interference where it 
 was not absolutely necessary ; deeming " liberal " and 
 *' comprehensive" most suspicious and dangerous words. 
 It were better to legislate bit by bit^ than to stretch the 
 pendulum at once to the opposite height, and so leave 
 it to swing from one extreme to the other, until it settle 
 down, sooner or later, to its proper vibration. The Prcs- 
 
245 
 
 byterian party would not advance the few paces they 
 might have gained, because they were prudently for- 
 bidden to take possession at once of the desired fortress. 
 They would not among themselves agree to concert, in 
 such a manner as is advisable for obtaining a well-meant 
 end, their measures for obtaining that end, lest they 
 should be suspected of an improper party spirit. Al- 
 though embarked in one boat, they would not pull to- 
 gether; and seem to have pushed off from the shore 
 without a steersman, without even a determinate point to 
 steer to. They did indeed omit the tide ; and so the 
 voyage of their life was bound in shallows and miseries. 
 As individuals, and as a body, they appear to have been 
 little fitted for business ; and to have imagined that their 
 admitted sincerity was an admitted title to every con- 
 cession they thought it required, and to have forgotten 
 that there might be equal sincerity on the side of those 
 who disputed the concessions. They who are well 
 used to business, when they know their cause, and think 
 themselves able to demonstrate its justice, are mostly 
 willing to wave all collateral questions, and presume 
 among their opponents a sincerity and a piety at least 
 equal to their own. The Presbyterians and Non-con- 
 formists appear to have lost their cause, by advocating it 
 as if other men had their consciences ; and their oppo- 
 nents set down to the cause the fault of its advocates. 
 If any Commission were now granted, the Commissioners 
 would meet under a deep sense that there may be weak- 
 ness and prejudice on every side : and their Commission 
 might be in the most general terms held prudent; and be 
 so much more than the one which convened theCommis- 
 
246 
 
 sioners in the Jerusalem Chamber, as may enable them 
 to report what changes in the laws affecting the church 
 and clergy, more especially what method of abrogating 
 the present canons they have calculated upon, in recom- 
 mending such changes in the Liturgy as they may agree 
 to recommend. It is so, that their report may best 
 form a consistent whole, and provide a satisfactory basis 
 for further proceedings in Parliament; or before the 
 Privy Council, as preparatory to discussion in Parlia- 
 ment. 
 
 If strong language be here desired, let each reader 
 use what seems to him the strongest that may be re- 
 spectful, for expressing my own wish to discard the 
 Creed of St. Athanasius from our public service to the 
 best of my knowledge. If, before those Commissioners, 
 better reasons be shewn, in their judgment, for retaining 
 the creed than shall be shewn for discarding it, let it be 
 retained. The principal and immediate objection is to 
 the damnatory clauses, which, however limited and con- 
 strued, pronounce sentence against themselves, by re- 
 quiring so much limitation and construction. It seems 
 to me an awful presumption to go so far beyond our 
 province, as to dictate and legislate in some matters set 
 forth in the Athanasian Creed ; which, because they are 
 revealed, might well be allowed, in these times, to rest 
 on the letter of Revelation, according to the judgment of 
 each reader. Men may think they somewhat under- 
 stand how a child might obtain some notion of what was 
 going on, if he could be so placed as to see at work 
 the machinery of some gifted mind. Excepting only the 
 principle of life, men may in part comprehend the frame- 
 
247 
 
 work of the thousand insects that people a drop of water. 
 In such instances, all can acknowledge the same Provi- 
 dence that rings the planets and measures out the ex- 
 istence of numberless systems, and by the same process 
 of thought : but to dogmatize about the irreversible 
 sentence which shall be pronounced against erroneous 
 opinions, on the supposition that they contravene the 
 word of God, or must lead to erroneous practice in 
 despite of man's inconsistencies ; and to reason upon 
 the things of Almighty God, which He hath not re- 
 ferred to us to state them, and draw conclusions from 
 such statement; is most dangerous in every way; and 
 more dangerous in the degree in which the mind, so 
 exercised, may be stronger than others. It is at least 
 suspicious, when what should be more and more pro- 
 ductive of increasing good is rendered more and more 
 absolutely mischievous. We should not insist overmuch 
 upon mere words, however useful, as exact and studied 
 compendiums of truth. Undoubtedly, the more remote 
 from other use, the more exclusive and artificial these 
 compendiums may be, the more will they be exact, and 
 deserving of general acce^itation. Be it granted that the 
 wit of man cannot better express the truth, as it appears 
 to our church, in fewer words than by saying, " The Ca- 
 tholic faith is this. That we worship one God in Trinity, 
 and Trinity in Unity." Yet many Christians object to 
 the sign, while they believe the Gospel to be in substance 
 what that exclusive and arbitrary sign has been adopted 
 to express : and the substance is God's ; the sign is the 
 invention of man. Now, the substance in this case is not 
 so inseparable from the sign, that he who disclaims the 
 
2iS 
 
 sign must thereby be taken to disclaim also the thing 
 signified. Human temper and intellect must indeed be 
 purified and amended, before such an inference can be 
 drawn justly. While on earth, we shall always have to 
 bear with one another's infirmities. Our Bibles tell us 
 who may be saved ; and press home to our hearts the 
 free promise of salvation, and the effects of its accept- 
 ance. The word that God hath spoken, the same sliall 
 judge every man in the last day. It is our business to 
 proclaim the glad tidings of great joy to all that name 
 the name of Jesus, and live according to His word ; and 
 to warn evil-doers of their folly ; to endeavour, with all 
 singleness of heart, that the will of God may be done in 
 earth as it is in heaven. When He who had and has 
 all power in earth and heaven was asked, " Are there 
 few that be saved ?" He replied, " Strive to enter in at 
 the strait gate :" and shall man not only answer in direct 
 terms the question put, but also make narrower that 
 gate to weak understandings ? 
 
 " Merciful Heaven ! 
 Thou rather, with thy sharp and sulphurous bolt, 
 Splittest the unwedgeable and gnarled oak, 
 •Than the soft myrtle. O but man, proud man, 
 Drest in a little brief authority, 
 Most ignorant of what he's most assured," 
 " Plays such fantastick tricks before high Heaven, 
 As make the Angels weep." 
 
 This contrast of the oak and myrtle does indeed 
 involve a serious error in the imputation of human pride 
 to the great God : but, under such circumstances, who 
 w^ould throw the first stone? A straining heart may 
 haplessly fail to bring every pulse into subjection ; 
 
249 
 
 cannot always measure its comparisons ; so that not only 
 shall their principal purpose be answered, but every 
 collateral intendment also be true. On the Poet who, 
 for dramatic effect, has given this burst of passion such 
 glorious existence, and so recorded an implication that 
 our God may be even such an one as ourselves, let 
 each reader individually pronounce sentence ; and then 
 let him imagine an extreme case, in whicli men are de- 
 sirous to command fire to come down from heaven and 
 consume those who will not receive the Lord Jesus. In 
 such an extreme case the answer is given : " Ye know 
 not what manner of spirit ye are of." And what then 
 are the reasons for which any Church, when the case is 
 not and cannot be so extreme as that of the Samaritan 
 Villagers, a Church which believes that the Powers 
 of hell shall not be allowed to prevail against it, whicli 
 is not required to publish any sentence against opi- 
 nions, which is required to set life and death before 
 evil-doers, should so ^^ command fire from" heaven, that 
 it may probably strike the shrinking and softened peni- 
 tent, the friend and half proselyte to the Athanasian 
 Creed, and by its menaces almost certainly deprive him 
 of the fittest shelter in the pelting and pitiless storm ; 
 while the bolts blaze idly round the heads of the 
 gnarled and the unwedgeable opponents of that same 
 Athanasian Creed. 
 
 Upon the question of Church Govermnent, it is not 
 probable any great difficulties would arise. If personal 
 responsibility be imposed upon the bishop and his arch- 
 bishop, a commensurate power should be vested in them. 
 It is agreed on ail hands, that, in the main, Englishmen 
 now have reason to be thankful fyr their present Church 
 
250 
 
 government, although tlie detail might be improved. 
 A religion separate from an Establishment and due sub- 
 ordination of rank is unintelligible, when more than one 
 person is to profess that religion ; for the same reason 
 that an individual's religion can only be collected from 
 liis conduct. The sea itself has its shores. Of the 
 Church on earth we cannot talk practically, but must 
 refer to some branch of it established in definite form 
 and rendered part of the visible Church : and the 
 Church of England appears to me the best form, on 
 religious and also on political grounds. 
 
 On religious grounds, because it appears entirely con- 
 sistent with Scripture, so far as Scripture provides a 
 model; and when and where Scripture fails us from its 
 generality, consistent with the good -and ancient rules 
 and models of primitive Christianity; while, when freed 
 from certain incumbrances and spots, it would be " fair 
 to look upon : " its " tents were goodly," and it would 
 do its work on earth effectually. 
 
 On political grounds, because it tends directly to ho- 
 nour the King, and maintain unimpaired his powers and 
 prerogative. The prerogative of the King ought to be 
 guarded, for his own honour; and also for the advantage 
 of his people, to whom it is of more service than it can 
 be rendered to himself. There is much to fear from 
 the insubordination of the people, and the ignorance or 
 selfishness of their advisers; and little to fear from the 
 probabilities of a tyranny. Under the good blessing of 
 our God, England may well be likened to a pyramid : 
 he who strikes at the head of it, because the weight is 
 on the lower ranks, evidently knows how to begin the 
 work of demolition. Any, the lightest want of respect 
 
251 
 
 due to the King and those in authority under him, is to 
 me a departure from the lessons inculcated by the King 
 of kings. And if there be any who will misconstrue 
 such a declaration, and suspect the professions of sincere 
 regard for the people founded thereupon, it cannot be 
 proved with what degree of truth any individuals may 
 be making such a declaration and such professions, or 
 disclaiming them ; it may not be known in this world 
 which of these differing individuals are the true hearts 
 on earth, wliicli are the real friends of the people ; but 
 it is certain, that both sides may mean to be so; and that 
 which were so, must in a few short years be known, when 
 earth itself shall have passed away, audits myriads hear 
 the last trumpet, and be ranging themselves on the right 
 hand or on the left hand of the Son of God. 
 
 The differences among men on earth, in regard to 
 their religion, appear indeed most important, and of a 
 most dangerous magnitude : and yet this may be the 
 result of our own ignorance and littleness : and will not 
 justify so direct an appeal to the power of Heaven, as 
 that which we are apt to make in almost childish impo- 
 tence. The false colouring on many a scene is altoge- 
 ther in the mind of the spectator ; and the dispropor- 
 tionate size of many an object is only the result of a 
 diseased vision. The souls that shall be preparing 
 to meet their Judge, will rejoice to find that all the 
 jarring inconsistencies and inexplicable contradictions 
 which harass them are daily clearing up in a greater 
 or less degree. They will not seek occasion to utter 
 unkindly disapproval of their erring brethren, or to 
 enforce such distinctions as mar the Church on earth. 
 For others, as well as for themselves, they will pray 
 
252 
 
 that each expression of every thought may be correct, 
 and correctly taken ; and that the veil may be removed 
 from every mind and every heart: every notion on all 
 sides should be full of love and truth among those vv^ho 
 seek admittance into the Communion of Saints, made 
 perfect, and though now they see through a glass 
 darkly, yet hope to be made like unto God, and see Him 
 as He is. The substantial end to which the Church on 
 earth addresses itself, is, ^' glory to God in the highest; 
 and on earth, peace, good will towards men :" the ob- 
 ject of its institutions and ceremonies is, that all things 
 be done decently and in order. And to this end and 
 this object the seasonable means are to be used, as con- 
 ducive thereto. To value means more than the end, 
 to prize expressions of faith and forms of worship, 
 more than the worship itself and its essential bless- 
 ings, were to contravene the spirit of the second com- 
 mandment. And it is most observable, that one of the 
 most affectionate books in the whole Bible is wound up 
 with a solemn warning against idolatry. Let us then 
 keep ourselves from every idol, and listen thankfully to 
 the aged Apostle whom the Lord Jesus loved. We 
 do not indeed change the glory of the incorruptible 
 God into an image made like to corruptible man : we 
 do not directly bow down to such an idol, and worship 
 it : but let us take good heed unto ourselves, that we 
 do not, in other instances, less flagrant perhaps, and 
 yet not less sinful in this our day, depart from the living 
 God, and "change His truth into a lie, and worship 
 and serve the creature more than the Creator, who is 
 blessed for ever. Amen."