Bible in one hand and the sword in the other, overwhelmed every institution, human and divine, within this unhappy land. It is really somewhat facetious in an advocate for Catholic Emanci pation acensing Charles the First of popery. We should hope, for the credit of our author, that be, no more than his vicar, had ever travelled beyond the few pages of Hume, which record the death of the king. Hume, an infidel as he was, dared not violate the sacred fortress of historical truth; he has left that task to the puritans and their admirers: and, in justice to his memory, it ought to be said, that throughout his minnte detail of the varied transactions of that long and tumultuous reign, he has never in one instance confounded the doctrines of true Christianity with the follies and excesses of puritanism; he has drawn the line of demarkation between them with an accuracy and a fidelity which it would well become those, who claim a higher portion of sanctity, to respect and to imitate.

When our author speaks of the dissolute men who surrounded the person of Charks, we are really at a loss to conceive to whom he alludes, except it be Land, Strafford, Montrose, or Ormond; but by the "good men who in the hour of his calamity dare not trust him," it is clear that he must designate the honour of the Vanes, the fidelity of the Scotch Covenanters, the loyalty and meekness of Ireton and Cromwell. To give him, however, his due, he reconciles all the strange contradictions, and sums up all varied features, in the character of the latter, under the emphatic and discriminating terms of "a bold, bad man."

We shall now accompany our ecclesiastical historian to the times of the Restoration, the divinity of which period is thus described.

“Henceforward, Sir, we heard little more of Christ, and faith, and conversion; for which words were substituted Socrates, reason, and moderation; as if sound doctrines were not the best security for good sense and sobriety. Such, however, was for a time the neglect of the fundamental principles of religion, that, I ana persuaded a good heathen, coming to church, might, except indeed on the festivals, have often concluded himself in his own temple. True docrine was out of fashion with the nation, and good morals unpalatable to the King."" P. 58.

This assertion is rather too plain to be misunderstood; to give it, however, its full force, we shall compare it with a passage which occurs in a subsequent part of the work.

"Socinianism or Arianism now it is to be feared, fills some of the pulpits once occupied by the Howes, Owens, or Baxters of better days. Could these holy men, and others of their company, return to earth, they would find their lamps burning, not alway

around

around those shrines where their hands had suspended them, but in the despised and deserted aisles of the establishment. The fastidious and innovating spirit of some of their followers soon spent itself. The fire burnt out, and often left behind it nothing but the ashes of infidelity. And the want of a fixed creed and articles renders any recovery of their original zeal and principles very difficult. Rarely do we hear of their dead in faith walking again. In our Church, on the contrary, and, in great part, by the influence of her formularies, the dead do walk. At the present moment, religion has, as it were, sprung up from the grave in which she was well nigh entombed at the Restoration, and walks abroad in many of the churches and colleges of the land." P. 82.

From the latter sentence of this extract, compared with what we have cited before, it will appear that our author means to assert, that from the times of the Restoration to the present day, the truths of Christianity have been entombed in our Church, and that the dogmas of heathenish philosophy have reigned in their place. In the first edition the passage stood as follows:

"Socinianism, or Arianism, now fills the pulpits once occupied by Howe, Owen, or Baxter. Could they return to earth, they would find their lamps burning, not in the once cherished meeting, but in the despised and deserted aisles of the Establishment. The over-anxious zeal of their followers soon spent itself; the volcano burnt out, and too often left behind it nothing but the ashes of infidelity. Who ever heard of a dissenting Society recovering itself, of their dead in faith walking again? But in our Church the dead do walk. At the present moment a flame of religion has sprung up from the grave, in which she was entombed at the Restoration, and walks abroad in many of the Churches and the Colleges of the land."

We shall not suppose that our author can intend to shelter himself under the paltry mental reservation of the qualifying well nigh" of his second edition. His meaning is too clear to be misunderstood, and his expressions, in this instance, too. unguarded to be explained away.

Does the author really imagine, that the memory of his readers is so deplorably fatuous, or that their intellect is so wretchedly contracted, as to acquiesce without opposition, or even examination, in so gross and so premeditated a calumny? We cannot conceive our author destitute of the commonest information, upon a subject so closely united with the avowed purpose and subject of his work? Would he have us suppose that he has never consulted an ecclesiastical historian, or entered a theological library? Should he there enquire who were those holy Fathers of our Church, to whom, since the Restoration,

was

Bible in one hand and the sword in the other, ov
every institution, human and divine, within this unh
is really somewhat facetious in an advocate for
pation acensing Charles the First of popery.
for the credit of our author, that be, no m
ever travelled beyond the few pages of Hur
death of the king. Hume, an infidel as he
the sacred fortress of historical truth
puritans and their admirers: and, in
ought to be said, that throughout hig
transactions of that long and tumul
one instance confounded the doct
the follies and excesses of purita
demarkation between them wit
it would well become those,
tity, to respect and to imitat
When our author speak
the person of Charks, we
he alludes, except it be
but by the "

good me

trust him," it is clea Vanes, the fidelity meekness of Irete: due, he reconcil varied features

and discrimin We shall times of th scribed.

and cr

son, ritr

J

The Velvet Cushion.

deserted aisles of the establishment. The fas rines where their hands had euspended them, but

d the want of a fixed creed and articles ren
tout, and often left behind it nothing but the
ing spirit of some of their followers soon spent
their dead in faith walking again. In
eir original zeal and principles very dif
and, in great part, by the influence
do walk. At the present moment,
up from the grave in which she
the land
estoration, and walks abroad in

P.82.

act, compared with what ration to the present

Our author means to

el entombed in our

Fassage stood

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118

Tillotson followed at an

Master. To whom sterly elucidation and a e, which as Christians we and to Waterland? If doubt the mind of the scholar or the ald we refer him for full satisfaction leading doctrines of the Gospel, but to rstanding, and to the argumentative eloquence Was not Clarke, that divine, whose discourses on his death bed requested his friend to read; beLe expressed it, he was fullest upon the propitiatory sa would we convert the disciple even of Hume himself Knowledge of the Lord, to what work could we better under the blessing of the Almighty, for such a reformathan to the Analogy of Butler. If Atterbury and Secker, Ogden and Horne, if Warburton and Balguy, if Jones and Skelton, preached not Christ, whom did they preach? If from ecclesiastics we turn our eyes to the laymen who since the Restoration have stood forward as the pillars of Christianity in these dominions, who, let us enquire, more distinctly drew the line and marked out the boundaries between reason and faith, than that master of the human mind Locke? The powerful understanding of Johnson, and the stupendous learning of Bryant were never employed by these great professors with more holy joy, than in the service of their Redeemer. The works of Nelson still remain a monument of strong and judicious piety;

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por

The Velvet Cushion.

517

nes where their hands had enspended them, but deserted aisles of the establishment. The tasand often left behind it nothing but the virit of some of their followers soon spent

at of a five lerved and articles ren

votional fire of that holy anchorite W. Law, yet blivion. These are but a few among the leaders d, who were the witnesses of the Gospel their eloquence, their learning, and their Master: these were they, who in their and the shining lights of our Aposv departed to the resting place to talk of these great and holy deed, that we can recall our s, to any thing so low as of the Velvet Cushion. the restoration," these ese and thousands of nich she lay entranced. that man, who professing

ch glories in these her brightest eir names in silence and oblivion? verence," as our author terms it, of that which for a century and a half, religion

..if the charge be just there must be some

y wrong, or fatally deficient in her construction. arge, as common seuse must shew, is utterly devoid dation. What then shall be thought of the sincerity of man's professions, who in the face of all these great witnesses, shall prefer such a charge against our Church, and at the same time declare "his filial reverence" towards it. If the charge be true, the Church of England deserves his attachment no more. than the Church of Rome, if it be false, what can we think of his principle or of his design?-Is he imposed upon by his own ignorance, or is it the ignorance of his indiscriminating admirers upon which he would impose?

66

The written sermons of this century and a half have often been before us, but we have not been enabled to discover any peculiar appropriation of the terms Socrates, reason, and moderation," we do not remember where the morality of the philosopher* is opposed to the propitiation of the Saviour, where reason is preferred to faith, or moderation to the humility of Christian zeal. When the author will have the goodness to give quotations or references, instead of making assertions; some of his readers will be better pleased. By the way, when he shall please to give us a few examples of his "Socrates, reason,

assertion.

We are bound in justice to say that we have seen the writings of Socrates, quoted both by Pearson and Bull, which, may perhaps in the eyes of many of his learned friends, justify the author's

and

was entrusted the sacred charge of propagating the doctrines, administering the consolations, and defending the evidences of our faith; should he there demande monuments of their labour, the testimonies of their zeal, and the criterions of their doctrine and belief, we could only exclaim,

"Monumenta si quæris circumspice."

If ever there was a man at the thunder of whose eloquence the Caprea of the court trembled to its very foundation, it was South. With a sarcastic wit, at which even Rochester himself would stand abashed, he drove infidelity from its last resource of low buffoonery, and by the strength of his reasoning, he placed the high and holy doctrines of our Christian Church upon a rock, agains which the waves of heresy may foam and beat in vain. Would the Christian see the consolations of the Gospel beaming in all their unsullied lustre, and breathing all their native sweetness, let his days and nights be given to that great master of affection and pathos, Jer. Taylor. What doctrine is there which our Redeemer preached, in which Tillotson and Barrow, those giants in theology, have not followed at an humble distance the footsteps of their heavenly Master. To whom should we refer the student for a masterly elucidation and a scriptural exposition of every article, which as Christians we believe; but to Pearson, Bull, and to Waterland? If doubt or hesitation should arise in the mind of the scholar or the philosopher, to what should we refer him for full satisfaction upon all the grand and leading doctrines of the Gospel, but to the masculine understanding, and to the argumentative eloquence of Sherlock? Was not Clarke, that divine, whose discourses Johnson upon his death bed requested his friend to read; because, as he expressed it, he was fullest upon the propitiatory sacrifice? would we convert the disciple even of Hume himself to the knowledge of the Lord, to what work could we better trust, under the blessing of the Almighty, for such a reformation, than to the Analogy of Butler. If Atterbury and Secker, if Ogden and Horne, if Warburton and Balguy, if Jones and Skelton, preached not Christ, whom did they preach? If from ecclesiastics we turn our eyes to the laymen who since the Restoration have stood forward as the pillars of Christianity in these dominions, who, let us enquire, more distinctly drew the line and marked out the boundaries between reason and faith, than that master of the human mind Locke? The powerful understanding of Johnson, and the stupendous learning of Bryant were never employed by these great professors with more holy joy, than in the service of their Redeemer. The works of Nelson still remain a monument of strong and judicious piety;

nor