and faithful both to their God and to their king!"

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| day in the new year-a year that may prove eventful to some individuals amongst us a year that may, peradventure, prove eventful to us all; and it is also a day on which many of our fellow-christians, with my brethren in the ministry, are celebrating the reformation. Near five hundred years are past since our countryman WICKLIFF, emerging from the darkness of the middle ages, raised aloft the blazing torch of revelation (he should have said REVOLUTION) amidst the people of this land; and three hundred years since LUTHER laid the foundation of the REFORMATION in Germany: so that we are now commencing a seventh jubilee from that time; and when it is felt, that at this day all the civil and religious liberties we enjoy result immediately from the reformation, it must be acknowledged that it is a day much to be re

How far the interests of the established church will be advanced by the voice of the preacher I shall not pretend to determine, but leave the decision to the unprejudiced reader, when he has seen the positions advanced by him in her favour; but one cannot help admiring the bold assurance of the writer, in proclaiming the vast blessings of the civil and religious privileges now enjoyed in this country, which he says every body knows," notwithstanding the civil liberties of the country were then suspended, under the plea of preserving the constitution from the innovations of protestant parliamentary reformers, who are incessantly petitioning for a redress of grievances, and complaining of the oppressive measures adopted by government to curtail their privileges; all which has been done since the pa-membered by us, and for which we pists have been out of power; and, ought to send forth unceasing praises on the other hand, one-fifth of the to God, giving thanks with our lips population of the empire (that is the to his name. The word (continues catholics) are annually supplicating the preacher) which I have chosen the senate to be released from civil for this year's motto is the ninth bondage in consequence of their verse of the hundredth and eleventh religious belief. Really a man must psalm, and it is "REDEMPTION.”— have a strange conception of the From this watch-word for the year situation of this kingdom, who could he attempted to prove, that his audi bazard such an assertion in a place tors, and, of course, protestants in consecrated to the worship of that general, had not only been "reomnipotent Being who is Verity deemed from Roman catholic bigotitself. But let us proceed onward ry, cruelty, and superstition;" but to the sermon, and examine the "to the enjoyment of civil and religicause of Truth, as founded on the ous liberty-things (he says) invaluReformation." In the outset of his ably precious to us as Englishmen discourse, he tells the audience that and as christians. What good (he it has long been the custom of the asks) would our lives do without minister of that church on New them? We should despise our exYear's day, or on the first Sunday in istence if deprived of the one, and the year, to choose a text that might we must sink under the loss of the serve as a motto for the year, and other; but thanks be to God for the that he should not like to be the first enjoyment of civil and religious lito discontinue this custom, because,berty." Of what materials the mind having arrived at a peculiar period, of the Rev. Issac Saunders is coma motto was wanted of a peculiar posed matters little; but this we character. "It is," said this reve- may be sure, that notwithstanding Fend master of arts, the first Sun- all the boastings and crowings of en

lightened protestants over priest- | as promoting "the interests of the

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church as by law established ?" We may naturally conclude that, in this case, he would decide in the negative, and as he would find his own interests involved in the question, should his parishioners prove obstinate, it is probable he would have recourse to the ecclesiastical tribunal of his bishop for protection. But then again, his tutelary saint declares, that the diocesans have but an ima

ridden catholics, such assertions as I have here quoted would not go down with the latter, unsupported by facts, even in the darkness of the middle ages;" yet the besotted listeners to this philippick against popery appear not only to have given entire credence to it, but we have been told by the learned orator himself, that they considered it so calculated to promote "the interests of the church as by law esta-ginary jurisdiction over the rest of blished," as to induce him to send it the faithful; and if this declaration forth to the world. If they really is congenial to the gospel of Christ, have the good of the ecclesiastical how can the rector of Blackfriars establishment at heart; if they are act as a consistent character," by truly desirous of being "faithful flying in the face of the gospel and both to God and to their king," let doctrines of the pious John Wickme tell them they are under a cloud liff, whose memory and sound piety of delusion, and that the very prin- he so highly extols? Really, the ciples which they are called upon by learned master of arts would be their preacher to revere, are of the placed in a sad dilemma, were his most dangerous and destructive cast, parishioners to come to such a conboth to the church and state. In a clusion, and he would find, perhaps note on our reforming countryman, too late, that the interests of his Mr. Saunders says, "John Wick-church, instead of being advanced Jiff was a man of sound learning and by the doctrines he bas espoused, eminent piety, whose life and con- were, on the contrary, sapped to versation corresponded with the their very base. And are we sure doctrines he delivered; or, in other that such notions may not now be words, were such as became the gos- secretly spreading among the nupet of Christ." Well, if this be merous sects which overrun the the fact, if the doctrines of Wick country? Already is the subject of liff were the doctrines of the gospel, tithes before the legislature, in conthen his parishioners are bound to sequence of the complaints which believe in and act upon them. But have been presented to it of their as I have shewo, in my preceding burthensome tendency. We have number, that this pious and sound seen meetings held by the citizens reformer taught that tithes were not of London, for the purpose of obtainto be paid to any wicked incumbent, ing legislative relief from the tithing 1 should like to know what the rec- system; and publications are expostor of St. Andrew and St. Anned to sale, urging its abolition. would say to his flock, if, on sending the tithing man round for his dues, the most intelligent part of them were to refuse their contributions, on the ground of his having borne false witness against his neighbours, which is a breach of one the com-property and authority, and were mandments of God, and therefore a very wicked act. Would he consider this determination on their part

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And is this the time chosen by ministers of the established church to praise and celebrate the memory and doctrines of a man, whose writings and conversation aimed, at the total subversion of all ecclesiastical

nearly productive of the overthrow of the state? Surely these men are arrived at a stage of idiotism, or

THE PREACHER MAKES OUR SAVIOUR"
A FALSE PROPHET.

Having developed the direful consequences which the propagation of Wickliff's doctrines must produce to the established church, should they once more become fashionable in England, I shall now call the attention of my readers to Mr. Saunders's notions of the "Redemption" from Roman catholic bigotry, cruelty, and superstition, obtained by the reformation.

their own solutions on them, as in these days of scripture idiocy, be cause the thing was impossible, but to direct the instructors of the faithful in the way of the truth pro mised us by our Divine Redeemer. And hence St. Paul exhorts the Co

vessel of God, in his first epistle to Timothy, chapter iii, ver. 15, says, "the church of the living God is the pillar and ground of truth." But, if St. Paul be correct, our reverend master of arts must be a master of lies, because the pillar and ground of truth can never uphold error, nor rinthians not to associate with unbebecome tainted with corruption, su- lievers, and to beware of false aposperstition and idolatry. And Itles; blames the Galatians for sufthink it must be more reasonable to fering themselves to be imposed believe the great doctor of the gen- upon by new teachers; warns the tiles, when his testimony is grounded Phillippians against erroneous inon the words of Christ, than the structors; cautions the Colossians rector of St. Andrew and St. Ann, against the impostures of the philowhose declaration is at variance with sophers and the jewish teachers; with the word of the gospel. That and earnestly recommends Timothy, error assailed the church of God is whom he had invested with the dig evident from the epistles of the nity of episcopacy, to beware of the apostles that it crept into it is an danger and delusion of heretics, impious falsehood, and contradictory whose character he describes, and to to the divine attribute of Omnipo hold fast the sound doctrine of the tence, who has assured us that all the gospel. St. Peter also, as likewise malice of hell, displayed in the various St. John and St. Jude, touch on attempts of heresy shall never pre- the same dangers arising from heresy vail against her; but founded on a in their respective epistles; but if rock, and supported by the adaman- they or the churches they founded tine pillars of truth, neither the rav- were contaminated with error, how, ages of time nor the assaults of he- can their writings be deemed to be Tetics, shall cause the least spot or penned under the influence of the wrinkle in her beauteous fabrick.- Holy Spirit, and put into the hands Equally repugnant to the word of of the ignorant multitude, as conthe new testament is the reverend taining all things necessary for their gentleman's doctrine of "justifica salvation? Is it not rather a proof tion by faith," which he says "is the of the inconsistency of those who very standard of christianity," since deviate from the unerring way of St. Paul, in his first epistle to the truth.-A convincing instance of this Corinthians, chapter xiii. verse 2, is given by the learned gentleman assures us that if he should have all himself, who, to establish the necesfaith, so that he could reinove moun- sity of a reformation of popery, has tains, and had not charity, he would made the Divinity a falsifier of his be nothing; and St. James, chap- sacred promise, not only in the comter ir, verse 17, declares that faith,mencement of the foregoing pasif it has not good works, is dead in itself."I agree, however, with the preacher, that " men love darkness rather than light," and hence arose the necessity of the different epistles which the apostles wrote to the bishops and guardians of the new churches, not for the purpose of putting them indiscriminately into the hands of the people, to make

sage, but also in the finishing sentence of it, where he insinuates that the defection of some members of the church have destroyed the arch of truth, and converted the whole fabrick, with all its grandeur and beauty, into a heap of ruins, although it is expressly affirmed by its Divine Founder that not all the powers of earth and hell shall ever

be able to polute or demolish his sacred edifice.-This staunch protestant divine, I will venture to say, was shocked at the impiety of poor Hone's parodies, and was one of those who approved of the triple or deal to convict him of blasphemy; but I am sure, disgusting as these parodies must be to every religious mind, they fall far short of the blas phemous tendency of the reverend Isaac Sanders's definition of the church of Christ. But let us see how he attempts to establish his positions.

"that they might, lord it over "God's heritage,' instead of being

ensamples to the flock.' The "Roman catholics held the doctrine "of the Trinity, but at the same "time exalted angels and men to an

" to insult the majesty of Heaven, "with the opinion that man's good" ness was requisite to make Christ's "merits effectual, as if Jesus had "not righteousness enough, they "broached the doctrine of supererogation, as if man had more than

equality with God. They pro"fessed to rest on the merits of Christ, and yet added the merits "of man, as an appendage essen"tial to the completion of themyea, they transferred the glory "that was due to him to the very "6 cross on which he was crucified, "and rested more on a pilgrimage "The truth of these observations "to mount Calvary than on his aton"is abundantly confirmed in the his-" ing blood; and it being too little "tory of the church at the period of "Constantine. The word of God "had been, doubtless, much cor66 rupted before his time; but the ten persecutions under the Roman emperors served to purify it of much dross, and to bring forward men who were valiant for the enough. They received the scrip“truth. And it will be generally "tures as a divine revelation, but "observed, that those visitations "added their own notes to explain "which separate the precious from "them away: they shut up the "the vile,' produce that great effect," bible from the common people, "not less in respect of the doctrines" and made the word of God of no "of the gospel than in the professors "effect to those who read it, by their "of it. Constantine, however, em- "traditions: in a word, they extend"braced the christian faith, and "ed the sceptre of absolute domi" evinced his sincerity, by loading "nion, and shook the rod of intoler "the church with wordly riches and "able tyranny over the minds and 66 power. Hence, wicked and design-consciences of men. And to what "ing men arose, who turned these "did these things lead? To the sale

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of indulgences! It was by this "craft they gained their wealth: "pardon might be purchased for every crime, and a right to commit every act of wickedness: for gold they might cancel faith; for gold "they might betray. Thus did the

circumstances to their own "count, and made God's house a "den of thieves. Then they set up 'the man of sin, who exalted "himself above all that is called "God, and that is worshipped; " then they impiously gave to the bishop of Rome, the title of Our pope and the priesthood hoodwink "Holy Lord God, the Pope,' and "the world during the dark ages, "opened their mouths to speak "till they had swept all the trea"blasphemous words against the "sures of Christendom into their "most high. They polluted the own bosoms. But at length the "fountain of truth, and corrupted" spell was broken, the garment of "all the streams. They falsified "hypocrisy was torn from them, "the doctrine and made innovations "and they were exposed to the "on the discipline, of the church," world their day of visitation was