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-quantum vertice ad auras

Ætherias, tantum radice in Tartara tendit.

The French Hugonot churches were certainly the most pure of all the reformation. So far as their sainted relicts have come down to us, there seems to have been a larger portion of heart and soul in them, than in any other of the reformed communities. The spirit of dogmatism, wrath, faction, schism, does not appear ever to have prevailed in the reformed church of France, to the same degree as in all other churches. This peculiar character I am disposed to attribute to the circumstance, that the French reformed church was, in a great measure, left to herself; she was rather tolerated than patronised by the civil powers; and, therefore, arose to a pitch of purity, harmony, and dignity, which never was reached by any church, that has been reformed by the coarse and polluted hands of secular statesmen.

When Henry the fourth, who had been bred in the reformed doctrine by his mother the queen of Navarre, exchanged his religion for the throne of France, he compounded with his conscience, by securing the freedom of the protestant religion to the party which he had abandoned. But his descendant, Louis the fourteenth, a splendid monarch, though a mean politician, revoked the edict of Nantz, which he had three times sworn to maintain, and by a system of confiscation, massacre, banishment, and unparalleled tyranny, inflicted wounds on the reformed church of France from which she has never recovered, and from which the glory of the French nation has never recovered. The object of his policy was to rid himself of a religion, which he saw contained within itself the princi

ples of universal reformation. A free unshackled reforming religion never was acceptable to monarchs and statesmen. It is when they have corrupted the church, and rendered her like themselves unprincipled, dogmatical, and intolerant, that they begin to smile upon her, and to judge her worthy of patronage. Timeo Danaos etiam dona ferentes.

The next and last historical event which I shall mention, is that which has been called the reformation of religion in England. I do not know that history presents another occurrence of so anomalous a character. Henry the eighth, seems to have been placed on the throne of England by the Devil, on purpose to have a decisive tyrant in readiness to prevent the reformation from penetrating into that island; a tyrant, unchecked by principle, unawed by danger, and a perfect stranger to those kindly feelings, which in all men support the decisions of conscience, and in some, supply the want of it. Henry commenced opposition to the reformation with all vigour; being a theologian as well as a monarch, he wrote against Luther a book of the seven sacraments, for which, he was honoured by the pope with the far famed title, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH. Could this monarch and the pope have agreed in their politicks, the reformation could never have penetrated into England, and the monarch and statesmen of that island would, at this day be bidding their beads, and embroidering garments for the virgin Mary; which it must be confessed, would be quite as reputable employment as that which at present engages them. Happily for mankind, however, they sometimes find security from danger in the conflicting lusts of the same tyrant; and still more frequently in the opposing

politicks of different tyrants. Henry wished to divorce an aged queen, in order to wed one that was younger and fairer; and, according to the maxims of the day, applied to the pope for a dispensation to authorise the proceeding. The pope, though ready enough to gratify so able a partizan, was restrained from acting by the emperor of Germany. The king, whose passion brooked neither control nor delay, brought the question before several universities, both native and foreign; and finding, as a monarch might expect, their answers favourable; he proceeded to carry his purpose into effect. The pope's infallibility had to be denied of course; and next his right to interfere in the government of the church of England. Henry was too good a politician to rob the pope without enriching himself. He obtained from his parliament an act, proclaiming him the SUPREME HEAD ON EARTH of the church of England. In this memorable instrument, the parliament granted him power, or rather acknowledged his inherent power, "to visit and repress, reform, order, correct, restrain, or amend all errors, heresies, abuses, offences, contempts and enormities, which fell under the spiritual authority or jurisdiction." They also bestowed upon him all the annates, and tythes of benefices, which had formerly been paid to the court of Rome. So far, there was no reformation at all: to the extensive authority of a British monarch, Henry had added the supremacy formerly claimed by the pope: the religious liberty of the people had not advanced a step, but rather retrogaded; as it may well be supposed, that when all authority, spiritual and temporal, was lodged in the hands of a single man, and that man king Henry the

eighth, tyranny and oppression would be carried forward with greater system and severity, than could have been maintained when it was lodged in different hands, mutually checking and controlling each other. Henry's first measure was to break down the influence which the pope maintained in England, by means of the numerous religious establishments. He made sweeping work; he abolished six hundred and forty-five monasteries, ninety colleges, two thousand three hundred and seventy four chantries and free chapels, and a hundred and ten hospitals. The world neyer had seen such a reformation before. The spoils and plunder of religion, learning, and humanity, he divided liberally with his nobility, and the other minions of his rapacious tyranny; in order to create a general national interest in support of his measures. As to the reformation of religion, he cared nothing about it but as a measure of policy. Supporting himself, on the one hand, by the interested attachment of those whom he had gorged with the plunder of the church, he sought an additional succour in the zeal and co-operation of a rising sect; and encouraged the preaching of the reformed doctrines among his subjects. That the reformation in England was ill-timed and precipitate, appears from the fact, that the English church could not at that day, produce reformers from among her own sons; and archbishop Cranmer, who was the principal instrument in every measure of a meliorating tendency, was obliged to import reformers from the continent. The king, who was equally indifferent to the old religion and the new, persecuted with tyrannic impartiality the professors of both, whenever they dared to interfere with his prerogative; and burned at the same

stake those who maintained the pope's supremacy, and those who denied his own.

That Henry's object was not the reformation of religion, but the extension of his royal prerogative, is universally acknowledged; the same were the views of his famous daughter, queen Elizabeth, who was as dogmatical as any who had ever worn the triple crown; and who studiously rolled the wheels of reformation backwards towards popery. During the turbulent and stormy reigns of James and Charles the first, the avowed object of government was to resist the reformation, and to reduce things as nearly as possible to the state of ancient corruption, retaining only the royal supremacy. And on the restoration of Charles the second, government exerted all its energy, not only to restore the offensive doctrines and organization of the popish church, but to promote impiety, vice and debauchery among the people. The government thought that the reformation had advanced too far in every respect; and the whole of royal policy and royal power was exerted, to reduce mankind to that state of ignorance, sevility and viee, which is so favourable to the views of those who wish to govern society without any exercise of wisdom or virtue.

I have alluded to these few facts merely to satisfy you of the justness of the following assertion; that the civil powers of Europe, who assumed the character of patrons of the reformation, were from the first, and all along, its deadly enemies; they encouraged it merely as an instrument to break the fetters by which they were held in bondage to ecclesiastical domination; and in the result, universally usurped to themselves the same tyrannical powers, which they had wrested

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