fathers of the Christian church. It was considered in this light through the middle ages of Christianity, and in that sense it was considered at the reformation. And this leads us to consider the practice of the Sandemanians.

At noon, when divine service is over with those people, they have a feast in their meeting, On the On the Saturday before, the deacons go to a butcher's, and buy as much meat as they think will be necessary, and this is dressed in a kitchen adjoining to the meeting. In that kitchen they feast, or, in other words, have a plain dinner with small beer. The meat is purchased at the expence of the rich, and the poor dine gratis. As soon as dinner is over, the different members adjoin to public houses, where they call for what they please, and then return to the meeting. We shall make no further animadversions on this subject, than to declare that it is an idle unnecessary ceremony. Those ancient Christians were in a continual state of persecution, their love for the brethren was strong, and they did every thing they could to supply their wants.

On the other hand, the Sandemanians are not in such circumstances; they enjoy the blessings of a free government; and they are at liberty to go home to their own houses without molestations. And yet, notwithstanding their slavish attachments to a ridiculous, though temporary institution, has induced them in this, as in most other things, to make it as singular, by embracing the shadow, like the dog in the fable, when perhaps they lost the substance. Those who are fond of trifles in religion, seldom ever know any thing of the vital parts. The man who loves religion, pays little regard to the exteriors, while he finds that the heart is renewed and the conduct changed.

The Sandemanians are not numerous, either in England or Scotland, for they have so many ceremonies, that people are afraid to have any thing to do with them. To this may be added, that they fleece every rich member, in order to support the poor. The young man in the gospel, did not like to sell his possessions, and people, who are dealers in religion, are not willing to part with their money. When salvation can be obtained without money, there are generally a great number of religious people; but when money is required, they generally drop off. Strange that such circumstances should take place, but what can be strange in human nature? Nothing, indeed, to those who are acquainted with it.

These people, according to the primitive practice, celebrate the communion every Sunday, and it is done in a plain decent manner. We shall conclude our account of them, which has been delivered in a candid manner, by inserting the following hymn, drawn up in a few verses, written by one of their preachers on his death bed.

When to my sight thou God appears,
I'm filled with sudden fear,
Thy justice with uplifted arms,
O'erwhelms me with despair.
The formal signs of grace no more,
Relieve my troubled heart,
And past experiences of love,
Add torture to my smart.
What shall I say? My prayers and tears.
Are impious in thy sight!

I am remov'd as far from thee
As darkness from the light.
Is there no room for mercy left?
Is grace for ever gone?

I'll mind the years of thy right-hand,
And wonders thou hast done.
How to be one with sons of men,

Immanuel did not scorn;
And how from Mary's virgin womb,
The holy child was born.
I'll mind the greatness of that love,
Which in his breast did burn,
When all the wrath of God for sin,
Upon his soul did turn. `

And did the father's dearest son
Go mourning to the grave?
And did he die for sin, that grace
Might dying sinners save.
See from the grave the prince of peace,
In glory bright appears,

No further proof of hope I'll seck,
This quicts all my fears;
This beam of hope within the cloud,
Sure token is of grace;
Where wrath did frown, now mercy
In lovely Jesu's face:

This sign of grace relieves my heart,
"Tis ease for all my pain,

I will not blush to see my God,

Because the lamb was slain.

smiles

AN

IN

CX

N treating of the people called Dissenters in England, we are brought into a large wide tended field. We have prejudices to combat with, we have to do with men of opposite sentiments, and yet we think it is in our power to conduct the whole upon the principles of reason and religion. There are three objects which are to be in view, First, the reasons why the Dissenters left the established church.

Secondly, how far the dissenters continued in one body.

Lastly, What is the condition of the Dissenters at present.

These must be brought into one point of view, and they must be treated historically. For this purpose we shall begin with the history of these people; and the reader may be assured, that truth shall dictate what we say, and candour shall direct our

pen.

When the reformation took place in England, most of the Protestant divines were enemies to the ceremonies, and it was the wish of all sober serious persons that they should be abolished. However, the disposition of queen Elizabeth, was quite to the contrary. This created a great deal of disturbance; for those who did not approve of the established religion, became obnoxious to government. Those people, who opposed government, entered into cabals; they had private meetings together, and there were severe prohibitions issued out against them. Still, however, the contagion took deep root, and the more these people were oppressed, the more they encreased. They were called Puritans because they aimed at a purer reformation; but the worst of all was, they wanted to reform the church without reforming themselves.

They were great enemies to all public vices, but at the same time they sought to aggrandize their own power. They had little ceremony, but much cunning. They ingratiated themselves with the ladies, whose passions are easily played upon, and by a conduct of that nature they procured a sort of temporary subsistence. This was the time when lectureships were first established, and thus a set of men were allowed to preach in the churches, without being obliged to comply with the ceremonies.

Shocking that the church of England could not pro cure afternoon preachers, but the queen would never allow it.

It is in a manner impossible to describe what these people, who were in derision called Puritans, suffered. They were fined and imprisoned, and such as denied the queen's supremacy were executed as traitors. Grindall archbishop of Canterbury, was a man of great moderation, and did all he could to moderate the rigour of the act of uniformity, but she was inexorable. The queen inherited the obstinate spirit of her father, and therefore, when she once fixed her mind upon a thing, it was impossible to turn it.

Sandys, archbishop of York, and Horne, bishop of Winchester, were of the same moderate sentiments, and superior in moderation to all these was Jewel, bishop of Salisbury. These were men whose names will ever be revered, for their moderation. They had been sufferers during the reign of queen Mary, and for their own safety had fled to Switzerland. There they and many of their brethren were kindly entertained by the famous Bullinger, and they. kept up a correspondence with him as long as they. lived. In many of the letters that passed, they professed a dislike to the ceremonies and habits, and wished that they could be removed.

From these letters, of which Dr. Burnet has given. us some extracts, we learn, that many of the greatest men at the reformation were Puritans. That is, they did not think the church properly reformed, and as the queen had it in her power to call a new parliament to settle these disputes, so nothing was more reasonable than that she should have done it; but the queen dictated to all her parliaments.

About the year 1568, a society of people met to-gether at Rygate in Surry, and having a minister along with them, they formed themselves into a congregation, after the model of that at Geneva. They met privately, but Parker, who was archbishop of Canterbury before Grindal, and who had received many favours from the Protestants aboad, became a most violent persecutor. Strange, that a man who had been obliged to leave his native country on the score of religion should become a cruel persecutor of

Protestants,

Protestants, who only differed from him in a few trifling matters.

The truth is, to use the words of good Dr. Secker, our reformers, when they left popery, brought persecution along with them. They formed all their notions of church government on the theocracy of the Jews, and they vainly and ignorantly imagined, that all people should be of the same mind. Strange infatuation! but not more so than true.

Whitgift, who succeeded Grindal, was as violent a persecutor as Parker, and therefore there is no wonder that the Puritans encreased in number almost every day. By a prescriptive right, the university of Cambridge has authority to send out four preachers to any part of England, who may be chosen lecturers, and serve the duties of their office without a licence from the bishop. These men made many converts among the clergy, and before Whitgift died, two thirds of the people were Puritans. A severe act was made, enforcing the act of uniformity; prisons were filled with delinquents, and inany, families were ruined.

Aylmer, bishop of London, who had suffered under queen Mary, became a most violent persecutor of the Puritans, and it is amazing to think what numbers of pamphlets were written in ridicule of this persecuting bishop.. There is at present a large collection of them in the British Museum, and some of them have very laughable titles. We have really perused several of them, and one of the titles is, "Have you any more Work for the Cooper." Aylmer was the son of a cooper in Essex.

Another is entitled, "Foxes and Firebrands," in allusion to Sampson and the Foxes. In this pamphlet there is as in most of the others, something inflamatory indeed. It was written by one Bell or Beale (for he is called by both names) and the poignancy of the satire strikes to the heart. It was levelled against the bishops, particularly Whitgift and Aylmer; and Ward, the Papist, having laid hold of a copy of it, played away in his usual manner upon the Protestants.

How Whitgift's hamper'd by a fell,
Hot-headed Puritan, call'd Bell;
How he and bishops, nine or ten,
Their grievances tell to the queen ;*
She kindly promises redress,

But first comes death to summons Bess.
In the other world she meets with dad,
Eager to know what news she had;
After some thund'ring discourses,
Both vanish in a cloud of curses.
No. 30.

Thus from these lines we may find what pleasure it gives to the Roman Catholics to see Proteftants destroy each other; what Protestants can condemn the Romish Inquisition, while he sets up one himself. It is certainly true, that a little before the queen died she had formed a scheme to putevery Puritan in the nation to death. She was then in her dotage, and the state of her mind on her death-bed was such as the most miserable creature in this world would not wish for.

In the year 1603, James VI. king of Scotland ascended the throne of England by succession, being the great grandson of Henry VII. by his eldest daugh ter the princess Margaret married in 1503 to James IV. of Scotland.

In our account of the church of Scotland, we have already taken notice of the numerous provocations which James VI. received from the Presbyterians, and he left his native country with a fixed hatred against them. With this circumstance, however, the English Puritans seem to have been unacquainted, for they had great hopes of James, and the king willing to shew his moderation, as well as to display his parts in theology, having ordered a conference to be held at Hampton Court 1604, Reynolds, a man of sense, with four other divines, attended for the Puritans; but these were to be opposed by all the bishops. It must be acknowledged that it was indecent in the king's being present because it took away the freedom of debate, and his majesty himself browbeated the Puritans.

Indeed, this was only a mock assembly, for what could the poor Puritans do when they were browbeaten by their sovereign, who ought to have been absent. The Puritans had no more notion of a toleration than the churchmen, but they wanted a dispensation from the use of the habits and cere monics. This, however, the king would not comply with; for so grossly had he been insulted by the Scottish Presbyterian ministers, that he thought there could be no loyalty where there was no bishops. "No bishop, no king," was a common expression with James.

The Puritans having lost all hopes of success, had recourse to methods so artful, that we may conclude, that there are not a more dangerous set of men in the world than clerical combinations, who are longing for those emoluments which their factious dispo sitions deprive them of, and to which they have no title by merit.

Their first scheme was to ingratiate themselves with the ladies, and it is well known what powerful influence a popular preacher can, at any time, have upon female minds. They were readily admitted

8 P

into

5

into the houses of the nobility and gentry, and however strange it may appear, yet nothing is more true than that poor obscure preachers actually influenced the elections for members of parliament. To use the old saying, "They moved heaven and earth to get Puritans returned to serve in parliament," and as they were employed to instruct the young noblemen and gentlemen, so they broughr them up in principles of rebellion, which at last overturned the constitution both in church and state.

From the Hampton Court conference, till the year 1640, there was not a single election for a member of parliament, but what was influenced by the Puritan ministers. They took a severe revenge on James, for not complying with their request; for they got their 'pupils to oppose all his measures in parliament, to distract his councils, and render him odious to his subjects.

They had studied that sort of eloquence which is calculated to rouse and inflame the passions; but when we peruse one of their sermons, we find them to be very poor compositions. There is a critical review of some of their works written by the late

Dr. Doddridge, in manuscript, which the author of this Work has perused, but where it is now he cannot say, though perhaps it may be in the Dissenter's library.

At last, the long wished for period arrived, when. those those Puritans were to come out of their places of concealment, to strip of the borrowed mask, and appear in their real colours. Their brethren in Scotland had set them the example, and they joined cordially together, till they oveturned episcopacy in Scotland as well as in England, and on the ruins of the former established the Presbyterian religion, on the ruins of the latter nothing at all; so from the year 1640 till 1660, it may be justly said, that England contained almost all the religions in the world.

Having thus brought the history of the Puritans down to their splitting into parties, and sharing the church livings among them we shall now treat of every denomination separately, that the reader may be able to form a proper notion of them. And we shall begin with that sect which is not the most numerous, yet looks upon itself as the most re-spectable.

The Calvinists among the English Presbyterians,have, properly speaking, no discipline at all. They. have no Presbyteries, no synods, but only meetings of their ministers, when and where they please. When a minister dies, they send an invitation either to a young student, or to one who is settled in a smaller charge, and if they approve of him, they elect him as their pastor. Every member of the congregation has a vote, but still there is as little freedom in these elections, as there is for membersof parliament; for the rich order the poor to vote in whatever manner they please.

When the day is fixed for the ordination, a great number of people assemble, and the ceremony is begun with prayer. After that some suitable chapters of scripture are read. This is followed by a general prayer for the state of the world, and the nations. A psalm is then sung, and the sermon follows. The sermon is always on the nature of

the

the clerical office, its origin, necessity and utility. The presiding minister after another psalm has been sung, mounts the pulpit and delivers a discourse, which generally turns upon the nature of the pastoral office, but more particularly on the then state of the church, the time when it was first established, its succession of ministers, the character of the last, and the success that attended him in the discharge of his duty. All this is done in order to stimulate the other, to abide in the practice of his duty, and the people to revere their pastor.

The candidate then delivers his confession of faith, but he is not obliged to subscribe to any articles whatever. This is exactly the primitive custom, and that is the reason why we have so many Greeds, their being at least four hundred extant in the writings of the fathers.

As these young men, who are to be ordained, are in sentiment Calvinists, so their confessions are consistent therewith.

After his confession is read and approved of by the ministers and people, he kneels down and is ordained by imposition of hands. A psalm is then sung, and then all the ministers present give him the right hand of fellowship. One of the ministers then goes up into the pulpit, and delivers a charge both to the newly ordained minister and the people; and this much in the same manner as in the church of Scotland, only that the English charges are seldom so much to the purpose.

When they admit a member, they are very different from the Sandemanians, and much more so from Christ and his apostles. Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; and the Sandemanians do not chuse, if they can avoid it, to admit any into their communions, but such as are of the most abandoned characters. Christ came with offers of salvation to a sinful world; but it is probable, that the Sandemanians look out for immoral people, that they may have an opportunity of shewing their power in excommunicating them as soon as possible.

The Calvinist Presbyterians, however, admit none but righteous people among them. Sinners may come and hear, but none but saints can go to the communion. The candidate is examined privately by the minister and elders, of whom they have generally two or three, and next Sunday after sermon, the minister tells the congregation, that such a person has been examined as to his knowledge in the sacred scriptures, and the Christian religion; that they have enquired into his moral character, and that they now propose to the church, whether

he should not be admitted a member. This is put to the vote and generally carried.

These people must have a high notion of church fellowship, to put themselves to all this trouble for almost nothing. There is no new privilege they' can obtain, but that of going to the communion.They are not like the primitive Christians, who considered each other as brethren; and they are not like the Friends, vulgarly called Quakers, who never suffer their poor to want. But the Calvinistical Presbyterians, act with their poor as the university did with Dean Swift, that is, Spiralia Gratia, or special grace. It is true, money is collected for the poor, or at least under that pretence; but the sole distribution of it is left to the discretion of the minister, and he gives to whom he pleases. This is not church fellowship; for in all congregations, there should not be one person in want, while the rest of the members are enjoying affluence.

This is one of the greatest dishonours to religion that ever yet took place in the world. It makes the poor really to doubt the truth of the sacred scriptures, and it brings the rich under the demonination. of those against whom Christ promised a woe, because of their manifold offences. This is a melancholy consideration, but we may see instances of it every day; and we know that human bodies, endowed with rational souls, are such compositions, that no advices, no instructions, no exhortations, will have any force, if charity and compassion to the poor are neglected.

They seldom ever proceed against delinquents, unless their crimes are of a glaring nature, and then they excommunicate them; but not as the Seceders or the Sandemanians do, for they send them a summons to attend no some weekly meeting, where they tell them the nature of their guilt, and if they promise repentance, or profess it, they are forgiven. But if they remain obstinate, they give them a writ ten paper, signed by the minister and elders, intimating, that he is no longer a member. If the offending brother refuses to come to the meeting, they send him notice by a post letter.· ́

In their worship, they are not much unlike the primitive Christians. They begin with a short prayer, after which, one or more chapters are read, but they make no remarks on them, as they do in Scotland, so that their people are but very little acquainted with religion. The reading being over, they sing a psalm, which is followed by the general prayer, and that by another plasm.

Then follows the sermon, which is read out of a manuscript, which they put within the leaves of their