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the pope in England, could scarcely be called a Protestant. Nor had he the excuse, poor as it is, of being an honest. but misguided, persecutor. Whom he would, he slew; and whom he would, he kept alive; rather as unbridled passions or a sanguinary policy directed, than as guided by an erroneous religi. ous principle. His character is thus well drawn by Raleigh, in the Preface to his History of the World.

"If all the pictures and pat terns of a merciless prince were lost in the world, they might all again be painted to the life, out of the story of this king. For how many servants did he advance in haste, but for what virtue, no man could suspect, and, with the change of his fancy, ruin again, no man knowing for what offence? To how many others of more desert, gave he abundant flowers, from whence to gather honey, and, in the end of harvest, burnt them in the hive? How many wives did he cut off, and cast off, as his fancy and affection changed? How many princes of the blood, whereof some of them, for age could hardly crawl towards the block, with a world of others of all degrees, of whom our common chronicles have kept the account, did he execute? Yea, in his very death-bed, and, when he was at the point to have given his account to God, for the abun dance of blood already spilt, he imprisoned the Duke of Norfolk, the father, and executed the Earl of Surrey, the son: the one whose deservings he knew not how to value, having never omitted any thing that concerned his own honour and the king's service; the other never having committed any thing worthy of his least displea

sure: the one exceeding valiant and advised; the other no less valiant than learned, and of ex• cellent hope."

That such a" merciless prince" should have prepared the way, for the progress, now we trust accele rating, of Christian truth and charity, through this nation, must always be reckoned among the extraordinary works of ProvidenceFrom seeming evil, still educing good.. Thus, as it is well expressed, in the inscription on a column at Ampthill, where Henry's first injured Queen resided,

From Catharine's wrongs, a nation's bliss was spread ;

And Luther's light, from Henry's lawless bed.

Yet "Luther's light," or rather the light of scripture, was per mitted to be enjoyed only through lattices of a size and quality prescribed by the civil power. The Bible was regarded as a boon, graciously bestowed by the crown. From such premises, the conclu sion was obvious, that for the use of this boon, an account should be rendered to the royal donor. Thus came in that specious pretender, a Magistrate affecting the cure of souls; till persecution, with her furies, like Milton's Sin and Death, in the train of Satan,

Following his track, such was the will of heaven,

Pav d after him a broad and beaten way. - This enormity is adroitly compressed by Blackstone, into a short plausible sentence: Christianity is part of the laws of England. (B. iv. ch. 4.) The learned com. mentator knew, the ugh it did not suit him to admit, that, Jet Christian or anti-christian faith, be enacted in any country, while" many men have many minds," persecu

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tion must be the unavoidable omnes voluntates meas, Ac. xiii. consequence. [22.] to which answers that pro❤ Henry the Eighth had been en- ceeding from the king, Lucerna titled by the pope, Defender of pedibus meis verbum tuum, Psal. the Faith, a convertible term, cxix [105.] Underneath the Alwhich, as Lord Orford observed, mighty is the king again, reprehas equally suited a popish or sented, sitting in his throne, with protestant, an episcopalian, or even his arms before him at his feet, a presbyterian, prince. Henry now On his right hand stand two bishadded the title of Supreme Head ops bare-headed, and their mitres of the Church of England; and on the ground, in token, as it was complimented by the Reform. should seem of their acknowledge ers, as a man after God's own ment of the king's supremacy. heart, with gross flattery in a The king gives to the foremost a moral sense, however the ex- book shut, with these wards on pression may be providentially the cover, VERBUM DEI, and correct. I refer to a curious spe. these words on a label, going out cimen of picture-writing, on the of his mouth, Hac precipe et doce, frontispiece of Cranmer's Bible, Tit. ii. [15.] The Bishop receives 1539, a splendid copy of which it, bending his right knee. On is preserved in the British Museum. the king's left hand stand several An engraving of this frontispiece, of the Lords temporal, to one of is in Lewis's Complete History of whom he delivers a book clasped, English Translations of the Bible, with VERBUM DEI on the cover 1739; from whence I copy his of it, and the following words on description, as the book is not one label, A me constitutum est now common, and it may serve to et decretum ut in universo imperio exemplify our Reformers' courtly et regno meo tremiscant et pavenotion of the Bible, as a grant ant deum viventem, Daniel vi. from the crown to the people. [26.] and on another label this "On the top is a representa text, Quod justum est judicale, tion of the Almighty in the clouds ita parvum audietis ut magnum, of heaven, with both his hands Deut. primo. [17.] The nobleman stretched out, and two labels going receives the book, bending his left from his mouth. On that going knee. Underneath the bishops, towards his right hand, are the stands archbishop Cranmer, with following words, Verbum quod his mitre on his head, and habited egredietur de me, non revertetur ad in his rochet or stole over it. Beme vacuum, sed faciet quæcunque fore him is one kneeling with a zolui, Esa. ly. [11.] His left hand shaven crown, and habited in a points to the king, who is repre- surplice, to whom the Archbishop sented kneeling at some distance, delivers a book clasped, with the bare-headed, and his hands lifted words VERBUM DEI, on the cover up towards heaven, with his crown of it, and saying to him these on the ground before him, and a words, as they are in a label, comlabel going out of his mouth. On ing out of his mouth, Pascite quod the label which comes from the in vobis est gregem Christi, 1 Pet. Almighty, is this text, Inveni v. [2] Under the lord's temporal virum juxta cormeum, qui faciet stands Lord Cromwel, the king'

VOL. VII.

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and low, great and little, had, and their thankfulness to the king, for his granting them this privilege of having and reading the holy

vicegerent. His lordship is represented with his cap on, and a roll of paper in his right hand, and in his left, a book clasped, with VERBUM DEI on the cover of scriptures, in their mother-tongue. it, which he delivers to a noble- On the left side, are represented man, who receives it of him bare. prisoners looking out of the prison headed, with these words, on a grates, and partaking of this great label going out of his mouth, Di- and common joy."- Complete verte a malo et fac bonum, inquire Hist. 2d Ed. pp. 122-124. I have not been able to transpacem et sequere cam, Psalmo xxxiiii. [14.] At the bottom, on cribe this passage, without recol. the right hand, is represented a lecting a remark, by Mrs. Macaupriest, with his square cap on, in a lay, on a later period of our his. pulpit, preaching to a pretty large tory, that "priests were instructed auditory of persons of all ranks to teach speculative despotism, and qualities, orders, sexes and and graft on religious affections, ages, men, women, children, systems of civil tyranny." This nobles, priests, soldiers, trades. pretended mediator between God men and countrymen, who are re. and the people, was yet caprici. presented, some standing, and ous as a Moorish Emperor, and others sitting on forms, and ex- would have burned translators and pressing themselves very thankful. readers of the Bible, or enjoined Out of the preacher's mouth goes its perusal, just according to the a label with these words, Obsecro humour of the moment. I exigitur primum omnium fieri ob- cuse myself from following Henry secrationes orationes, postulationes, through the bloody eccentricities gratiarum actiones pro omnibus of his latter years. The Protestant hominibus, pro regibus, &c. 1 Tim. sufferers being orthodox, have had ii. [1. 2.] On the right side of the justice done to their memories by pulpit are the words VIVAT REX, their pious and learned martyrand in labels coming from the ologist; and, indeed, the proper people's and children's mouths, æra of English Protestant perseVIVAT REX, GOD SAVE THE Cution, scarcely commences till KING, to express the great and the infantile reign of Edward, universal joy and satisfaction which shall be the subject of my which all the king's subjects, high next letter

1

R. G. S.

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No. CVI.
Conventicle.

Conventicle means a meeting. house, and is so used by Blackstone; but it signifies as much a meeting-house for Church-men as title to one of his sermons before for Dissenters. Latimer, in the King Edward, calls the ChapelRoyal" a meeting-place."

A secondary sense of Conventi

judicatory, (which admits not the mention of any thing that is new in any other science as well as divinity, nor the natural doubts or discourses which cannot but arise amongst learned men,) the acute. ness and vigour of that nation is so totally decayed and their spirits broken, and inclinations diverted to more pernicious licences, that too many of that class of men, who should preserve and improve Literally, a Conventicle is a knowledge, are upon the matter small meeting of persons; in which become illiterate; and the spirit sense, how many parish churches and courage, which was natural may bear the denomination! To the assembled thousands of the to that people, and made them as Tabernacle, Tottenham-Courteminent for many noble attempts and atchievements as any other Chapel, Spa Fields, Zion Chapel nation of the world, is much de. and Surry Chapel, it cannot be generated and broken. It is very applied, except by ignorance and probable, however, that since their folly. pristine appetite of honour and glory is not like to be extinguished, cle is an unlawful meeting, in which they will at some time, when it shall sense, a meeting of Peers for the please God to give them an active sake of influencing a County election is a Conventicle; a meeting and enterprizing King, shake off their modern sloth and luxury, of Country Justices for the sake of and those shackles with which the suppressing an opposition newsfaculties of their mind are re, paper is a Conventicle; a meeting of Staff Officers to address complistrained and imprisoned, as well as their bodies in perpetual danger ments to a Commander in Chief, and captivity: and they will then degraded by the Legislature, is a discern that the true safety and Conventicle; a meeting of Rural security of a Church and State Esquires for deep gambling, ́is a consists in the wisdom, knowledge Conventicle: but a meeting of Protestant Disssenters in a building and virtue of a people, that can discern and distinguish between registered according to law, to hear a minister pray and preach, truth and error, and suppress the one, or at least expel the poison of who is qualified according to law, is not a Conventicle, but an Esit, by the power of the other; suptablished Church. To such a ported by laws constituted upon the foundation of prudence and justice, meeting the term is never applied, more than by a stupid resignation heart, though, thank God! not in but by such as have it in their of the understanding to old dic. tates, and by a sottish affectation of their power, to disperse it. The ignorance in those things which use of it is verbal intolerance, linare the proper objects for the dis quisition of the soul of man." Religion and Policy, 8vo. 1811. i. 373-374.

gual but, happily, toothless persecution; barking where the Law prevents biting.

So late as the 4th century, Am=

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pendence, he thus answers an ob. jector to his scheme of democratic government.

mianus Marcellinus, a pagan wri-
ter, calls a Christian Church at
Cologne, a Conventicle (conventi
culum ritus Christiani). Protes-
tant Dissenters need not therefore
to refuse this vulgar reproach;
their enemies may, if they please,
enjoy the reputation of a Heathen fective even in earthly honours,
spirit.

"But where, say some, is the King of America? I'll tell you, Friend, he reigns above. Yet that we may not appear to be de

let a day be solemnly set apart for proclaiming the charter; let it be brought forth placed on the divine No. CVII. "Mahumetan Story." law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which "The Mahumetans," says the world may know that so far Bolde, (Pref. to Meditations con- we approve of monarchy, that in cerning Death,) "have a story which America the law is king. For as Christians may make a good use in absolute governments the king of, viz. That in the days or Jesus, is law, so in free countries the three men in a Journey happened law ought to be king;--But to find a treasure, but being very lest any ill use should afterwards hungry, sent one of the number to buy provision; he consulted how to get the treasure to himself, and determined to poison the meat: the other two agreed to share the treasure between them, and to kill the third man as soon as he returned: this they did, and presently after they died of the poisoned meat. Jesus, passing by with his disciples, said, This is the condition of this world-See what the love of it hath brought these men to! Wo be to him that looks for any other usage from it."

" Plain

arise, let the crown, at the conclu. sion of the ceremony, be demolished, and scattered among the people whose right it is." "Com. Sense." Lond. 1776. p. 28.

"Common Sense," was answered in America by "Plain Truth," which was republished with it here, and contains the strength of the arguments against Independence. “Plain Truth," concludes with the following political prediction, which an age of freedom and na tional improvement has bappily falsified.

"Volumes were insufficient to describe the horror, misery and No. CVIII. desolation awaiting the people at "Common Sense" and large, in the syren form of Ameri Truth." can Independence. In short, I Thomas Paine, who in his " Age affirm that it would be the most of Reason," has ridiculed the de- excellent policy in those who wish scription of the Bible as the Word for true liberty, to submit, by an of God, appears to have had other advantageous reconciliation, to sentiments, twenty years before. the authority of Great Britain.— In his "Common Sense," pub- Independence and slavery are sy lished at Philadelphia in 1776, and 66 nonymous terms." Plain Truth." which greatly contributed to the p. 36. declaration of American Inde

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