CHAP.

XI.

peace, had fled there, from their iron arm of persecution in other places. It would be very disagreeable, unnecessary, and indeed endless to enumerate all the particular cruelties and unjust measures practised by the first reformers, and through their influence.*

34. If matters of fact can establish any certainty, then it is certain, that the two principal pillars of the reformation, Martin Luther and John Calvin, and their confederate reformers, were influenced by the selfsame spirit of cruelty and injustice, which had influenced the ecclesiastical tyrants of every age, from Diotrephes and the Alexandrian priesthood down to the same Luther and Calvin. It will be necessary

*We here present the reader with two extracts of letters written by Andrew Du | dith, of Poland, who had beerrexcommunicated from the Church of Rome for heresy. His sentiments favoured the Unitarian Baptists, a species of popular heretics who had fled into Poland for the enjoyment of that religious liberty which was denied them in other places. Dudith corresponded with many of the most noted reformers; and these extracts clearly discover the spirit by which they were actuated, and may serve to show the light in which that discerning man viewed the conduct of these persecuting Protestants.

"Tell me, (says he to Wolff my learned friend, now that the Calvinists have burnt Servetus, and beheaded Gentilis, and murdered many others, having banished Bernard Ochin with his wife and children from your city in the depth of a sharp winter; now that the Lutherans have expelled Lasco, with the congrega 'tion of foreigners that came out of England with him, in an extremely rigorous season of the year: having done a great many such exploits, all contrary to the genius of Christianity, how, I ask, how shall we meet the Papists? With what face can we tax then with cruelty? How dare we say, Our weapons are not car'nal How can we any longer urge, Let both grow together till the harvest ? Let us cease to boast, that faith cannot be compelled, and that conscience ought

4

to be free."

"You contend, (says he to Beza,) that scripture is a perfect rule of faith and 'practice. But you are all divided about the sense of scripture, and you have not settled who shall be judge. You say one thing, Stancarus another. You quete scripture, he quotes scripture. You reason, he reasons. You require me to be lieve you. I respect you: but why should I trust you rather than Stancarus ? You say, he is a heretic: but the papists say, you are both heretics. Shall I believe them? They quote historians and fathers; so do you. To whom de you address yourselves? Where is the judge? You say, the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets : but you say I am no prophet, and I say, you are not one. Who is to be judge? I love liberty as well as you. You have broken off your yoke, allow me to break mine. Having freed yourselves from the ty ranny of popish prelates, why do you turn ecclesiastical tyrants yourselves, and treat others with barbarity and cruelty for only doing what you set them an example to do? you contend, that your lay-hearers, the magistrates, and not you are to be blamed, for it is they who banish and burn for heresy. I know you make this excuse: but tell me, have not you instilled such principles into their ears? Have they done any thing more than put in practice the doctrine that you taught them? Have you not told them how glorious it was to defend the faith? Have you not been the constant panegyrists of such princes as have de populated whole districts for heresy? Do you not daily teach, that they who appeal from your confessions to scripture ought to be punished by the secular power? It is impossible for you to deny this. Does not all the world know that you are a set of demagogues, or (to speak more mildly) a sort of tribunes, and that the magistrates do nothing but exhibit in public what you teach them in 'private? You try to justi y the banishment of Ochin, and the execution of others, and you seem to wish Poland would follow your example. God forbid! When you talk of your Augsburg Confession, and your Helvetic Creed, and your une nimity, and you: fundamental truths, I keep thinking of the sixth command 'ment, Thou shalt not kill.”—Ecclesiastical Researches, p. 592, 593.

XI.

now, to take some notice of the same persecuting spir- CHAP. it in England and America.

Hume's

Hist. of
England,

Ch. 32.,

35. The whole life of HENRY VIII. one of the first reformers and the principal supporter of the reformation in England, was one continued scene of H. VIII. ambition and cruelty." The flattery of courtiers (says Hume,) had so inflamed his tyrannical arrogance, that he thought himself entitled to regulate, by his own particular standard, the religious faith of the whole nation."

36. There was one Lambert, a schoolmaster in London, who was committed to the flames, because he had dared to differ from the king in his religious opinions, and openly to propagate his doctrines.* "He was burned at a slow fire; his legs and thighs were consumed to the stumps; and when there appeared no end of his torments, some of the guards more merciful than the rest, lifted him on their halberts, and threw him into the flames, where he was consumed."

37. "Some few days before this execution, four Dutch Anabaptists, three men and a woman, had faggots tied to their backs at Paul's cross, and were burned in that manner. A man and a woman of the same sect and country, were burned at Smithfield.”

38. Under EDWARD VI. the son and successor of HENRY, heresy was still a capital crime by the common law, and subjected to the penalty of burning. "Though the Protestant divines (says Hume,) had ventured to renounce opinions deemed certain during many ages, they regarded, in their turn, the new system as so certain, that they would suffer no contradiction with regard to it; and they were ready to burn in the same flames, from which they themselves had so narrowly escaped, every one that had the assurance to differ from them."

39. "A commission by act of council was granted to the primate, [archbishop,] and some others, to examine and search after all Anabaptists, heretics,

* Lambert denied the real presence of Christ in the eucharist, which was a doctrine so strenuously maintained by Henry that he would suffer no contradio tion with respect to it. Dr. Barnes a Lutheran was the instigator of this pros ecution, who had Lambert summoned before Cranmer and Latimer. Lambert appealed to the king, who, after disputing with him upon his favorite doctrine, ordered him to be committed to the flames.

ibal. Ch. 34

CHAP.
XI.

or contemners of the book of common prayer." A woman called Joan Bocher, or Joan of Kent, accu* By Bp. sed of heresy, was committed to the flames.* AfCranmer terwards, a Dutchman, called Van Paris, accused of the heresy called Arianism, was condemned to the same punishment'

Short Ec. Hist.

view of

p. 273.

40. Under Queen ELIZABETH, whom the Protestants call That bright occidental star; but "the most wicked (says a late writer) that ever was known in any reign."t "It was decreed that whosoever, in any way, reconciled any one to the church of Rome, or was himself reconciled, was declared to be guilty of treason.To say mass was subjected to the penHalty of a year's imprisonment, and a fine of two hunEngland, dred marks. The being present at mass was punishEccl. His able by a year's imprisonment, and a fine of one huntory, vol. dred marks-A fine of twenty pounds for being abiv. p. 382. Note [p] sent from church a month.--A severe law was also

Ch. 41. &

enacted against jesuits and popish priests.-Some, even of those who defend the queen's measures, allow that in ten years fifty priests were executed, and fifty-five banished."

41. But the most powerful instrument of persecution, as well as the most perfect substitute of Papal cruelty, during this reign, was, the Ecclesiastical Court of High Commission, established by John Whitgift, the queen's primate, in the year 1584. Whitgift was archbishop of Canterbury.

42. HUME says, " He appointed forty-four commissioners, twelve of whom were ecclesiastics-To visit and reform all errors, heresies, schisms, &c.-to regulate all opinions to punish all breach of uniformity in the exercise of public worship-to make enquiry, not only by legal methods of juries and witnes ses, but by any other means which they could devise -by rack-by torture-by inquisition-by imprisonment, &c."

43. "When they found reason to suspect any person, they might administer to him an oath called ex officio, by which he was bound to answer all questions, and might thereby be obliged to accuse himself or his most intimate friend. The fines which they levied were discretionary, and often occasioned

XI.

the total ruin of the offender, contrary to the estab- CHAP. lished laws of the kingdom."

44. The imprisonments to which they condemned any delinquent, was limited by no rule but their own pleasure.-These Ecclesiastical Commissioners were liable to no controul.-In a word, this court was a real Inquisition, attended with all the iniquities as well as cruelties inseparable from that tribunal."

Hume's

dix to Ja.

45. The spirit of this bloody inquisition continued. through the reign of king JAMES VI. who is canon- Hist. of England, ized, as the Most High, in that translation of the bi- Appenble which he established." Under this reign, (says I Hume,) no toleration for the different sects.-Two Arians, under the title of heretics, were punished by fire; and no one reign since the Reformation had been free from like barbarities." And so they proceed.

46. A specimen of the barbarous decrees and tyrannical laws, established in those times, down to the reign of king CHARLES II. may be seen in the Westminster Confession of Faith, and National Covenant. "The sixty-ninth article, Parl. 6. of king JAMES VI. declares, that there is no other face of kirk, nor other face of religion, than was presently at that ⚫ time established within this realm: Which therefore ' is ever styled God's true religion-and a perfect religion; which by manifold acts of parliament, all within this realm are bound to profess, to subscribe the articles thereof, the confession of faith, to re'cant all doctrine and errors repugnant to any of the said articles."

47. "And all magistrates, &c. on the one part, are ordained to search, apprehend, and punish all con'traveners. That all kings and princes, at their cor'onation, shall make their solemn oath in the pres"ence of the eternal God,-that they shall be careful to root out of their empire all heretics, &c."*

Could the decrees of that horrible court of the

In the National Covenant. which was subscribed by king Charles II in the year 1650, and 1651, and which all within the realm were bound by an ordinance of council to subscribe, it is written. "We promise and swear by the • Great name of the Lord our God, to continue in the profession of the aforesaid ♦ religion-and resist all contrary errors-all the days of our life. And in like manner we promise and swear, that we shall to the utmost of our power, with ⚫our means and lives, stand to the defence of our dread sovereign, the king's majesty, his person and authority, in the defence and preservation of the aforesaid true religion,”

XII.

CHAP. Papal Inquisition be more manifestly contrary to the spirit and precepts of the gospel?

48. Such were the dire decrees and bloody resolutions by which they rooted out every appearance of true light, and in their rage for orthodoxy, went on butchering one another, until the testimony of George Fox furnished a common object of persecuting cru elty.

Sewel's

History, p. 25.

Eccl. His tory, vol. Y. p. 451.

THE

CHAPTER XII.

The Subject continued.

HE same year in which the National Covenant of persecuting venom was subscribed by CHARLES, and the defenders of his sovereignty, George Fox, and those who embraced his testimony, received the name of Quakers, from GERVAS BENNET, a persecu ting magistrate, on account of George Fox's bidding him and those about him, tremble at the word of the Lord.

2. Mosheim says, "It is not at all surprising that 'the secular arm was at length raised against these 'pernicious fanatics, for they would never give to 'magistrates those titles of honour and pre-eminence 'that are designed to mark the respect due to their authority; they also refused obstinately to take the oath of allegiance to their sovereign, and to pay 'tithes to the clergy; hence they were looked upon as rebellious subjects, and, on that account, were frequently punished [persecuted] with great sever"ity."

3. The unreasonable fines, imprisonments, banishments, and other acts of cruelty which they suffered, under the united rage of Protestant priests and poli ticians, may be seen at large in Sewel's History of the people called Quakers; a few particulars of which we shall notice.

4. After relating many scenes of cruelty, which terminated in the death of the sufferers, the historian