finitely-benevolent Father of the universe,

tested against it, as destructive of the Church of England as now established. When the bill was sent back to the commons, they desired a conference; which was yielded to by the lords. The commons vehemently declared against the amendments and alterations of the lords, and the additional clause: and it was openly declared, by one of the managers on the part of the commons, That what was sent down to them, touching this bill, had neither justice nor prudence in it. When the conference was over, the lords voted an agreement with the commons, and dropped the additional clause before recited." This, I believe, is pretty exact. For, on turuing to the journals of the house of commons, I find, that, on July 18th, 1663, "an engrossed bill for relief of such as by sickness, or other impediments, were disabled from subscribing the declaration in the act of uniformity, and for explanation of part of the said act, was read: and, with some amendments, it was resolved, should pass." From the same authority it appears, "that on the 25th of the said month, the lords returned the said bill, with some amendments and alterations, to which they desired the concurrence of that house; who, not thinking fit to comply, desired a conference with the lords." Whether the conference was held, or not, cannot be determined from the journals. But on the next day we find a message from the lords, to acquaint them, "that they have agreed with the house in their amendments to the said bill." This put an end to the affair.-To go on. Be all this as it may-certain it is, that 'uni

a Remarks on Dr. Powell's Sermon on Subscriptions, p. 17. 8vo. Lond.

was attempted to be established !——In

formity of public prayers, and administration of the sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies, was aimed at; though, as time has shewn, to very little purpose. "I have observed," says a very worthy dignitary of the church, "some worshippers in this church, and I have heard of more, who, the moment the minister begins the Athanasian Creed, shut their books and sit down till it is finished. Others there are, who signify, by their behaviour, their dissent to the use of certain imprecations in the Psalms, as highly improper in a Christian assembly, whether they who repeat them have any particular application for them, or not. There -are still more, who express their embarrassment and dissatisfaction with other parts of the liturgy, and make no scruple to declare they never join in ita.? Where there is no such dissatisfaction at any parts of the public offices, it is probably owing to very different causes than reason and consideration.- "Repair," says a spirited writer, "but to the next scene of religious worship, and contemplate there in your mind what passes in your view, and the nature of the proceedings: a numerous congregation, the votaries of an extensive district, and their strict concurrence to the nicest punctilio in all the doctrinal points there uttered, and bring me ingenuously your true judgment upon the matter. Is it possible that you will assert, that . this harmonious flock are thus altogether really giving a rational assent to all these curious articles, and profound theorems, when your experience, in the mean time, assures you, that the generality of these unani

3

a Remarks on Dr. Powell's Sermon on Subscriptions, p. 26. 8vo. Lond.

consequence of this, great numbers of ec

mous confessors have never, in their whole lives, bestowed one single thought, in a speculative way, upon the truth or falsehood of that long train of propositions they so liberally avow? You must needs readily grant the contrary, and fall of course into my easy account of this strange proceeding, owning that it can only be the effect of the same spirit, that from the lips of them all contrives to speak the same thing; that, by this means, though men cannot be all of one opinion, they may of one faith; which they hold, not in unity of understanding, but, as our liturgy well expresses it, in the bond of peace, and unity of spirit. A distinction that can alone justify the consistency of the practice, which must be otherwise unavoidably liable to reproach for its absurdity, and render its abettors very deservedly obnoxious to the apostle's censure of rearing altars to an unknown God."In the preamble to the Act of Uniformity, complaint is made, " that, by the neglect of using the Liturgy, great mischiefs and inconveniences have arisen, and many people have been led into factions and schisms, to the great decay and scandal of the reformed religion of the Church of England, and to the hazard of many souls." And the same language has been used, from time to time, by men quite unacquainted with the nature of true reli gion, though they have talked and written much about it." But they who talk so much of sects and divisions," says Mr. Locke, "would do well to consider too, whether those are not most authors and promoters of sects and divisions, who impose creeds, ceremonies, and articles, of mens making; and make things, not

* Christianity not founded on Argument, p. 73. 8vo. Lond. 1745.

clesiastics were ejected from their livings.

necessary to salvation, the necessary terms of communion; excluding and driving from them such as out of conscience and perswasion cannot assent and submit to them; and treating them as if they were utter aliens from the church of God, and such as were deservedly shut out as unfit to be members of it: who narrow Christianity within bounds of their own making, and which the gospel knows nothing of; and often for things by themselves confessed indifferent, thrust men out of their communion, and then punish them for not being of it. Who sees not but the bond of unity might be preserved, in the different perswasions of men concerning things not necessary to salvation, if they were not made necessary to church-communion? What two thinking men of the Church of England are there, who differ not one from the other in several material points of religion? who, nevertheless, are members of the same church, and in unity one with another. Make but one of those points the Shibboleth of a party, and erect it into an article of the national church, and they are presently divided; and he, of the two, whose judgment happens not to agree with national orthodoxy, is immediately cut off from communion. Who I beseech you is it, in this case, that makes the sect? Is it not those who contract the church of Christ within limits of their own contrivance? who, by articles and ceremonies of their own forming, separate from their communion all that have not perswasions which just jump in with their model! "Tis frivolous here to pretend authority. No man has, or can have, authority to shut any one out of the church of Christ, for that which Christ himself will not shut him out of heaven. Whosoever does so, is truly

-But, as many of them, through con

the author and promoter of schism and division; sets up a sect, and tears in pieces the church of Christ; of which every one, who believes and practises what is necessary to salvation, is a part and member; and cannot, without the guilt of schism, be separated from or kept out of its external communion. In this lording it over the heritage of God, and thus overseeing by imposition on the unwilling, and not consenting, which seems to be the meaning of St. Peter, most of the lasting sects, which so mangle Christianity, had their original, and continue to have their support: and were it not for these established sects under the specious names of national churches, which, by their contracted and arbitrary limits of communion, justify against themselves the separation and like narrowness of others, the difference of opinions, which do not so much be gin to be, as to appear and be owned under toleration, would either make no sect or division; or else, if they were so extravagant as to be opposite to what is necessary to salvation, and so necessitate a separation; the clear light of the gospel, joined with strict discipline of manners, would quickly chase them out of the world. But whilst needless impositions, and most points in divinity, are established by the penal laws of kingdoms and the specious pretences of authority; what hopes are there, that there should be such a union amongst Christians, any where, as might invite a rational Turk or infidel to embrace a religion, whereof he is told they have a revelation from God, which yet in some places he is not suffered to read, and in no place shall be permitted to understand for himself, or to follow according to the best of his understanding, when it shall at all thwart (though in things confessed not