divines; and, under his auspices, after a controversy of more than twenty years, to which the prelate's first see gave the name of the Bangorian controversy, the doctrines of the whig divines both on civil and religious liberty obtained a complete triumph :—the principle of the revolution was received by the protestant church, and its religious creed was reduced to two articles,-one, that a christian acknowledges no law but the scripture, no interpreter of it but his own conscience;-the other, that the magistrate should regulate the rest, and that confessions and formularies of faith should be considered as edicts of the state, not as articles of doctrine; and may be subscribed without assent or belief, as mere terms of civil concord*. Hence, though they signed the thirty-nine articles, they treated them very cavalierly. They "are not," says Dr. Balguy," exactly what we wish them : "some of them are expressed in doubtful terms; "others are inaccurate, perhaps unphilosophical; "others again may chance to mislead an igno"rant reader into some erroneous opinions." Dr. Sturges, the friend of Balguy, expresses as little admiration of them.

The triumph of Hoadley and his disciples over the antient principles of the established church may be assigned to the year 1720. In that year Hoadley

See Discourses on various subjects, by Thomas Balguy, archdeacon, prebendary of Winchester, &c. dedicated to the king, 1785; particularly Discourse VI.

+"Discourses," p. 293.

"Considerations on the Church Establishment," p. 27, 28.

The

preached his famous sermon "On the Nature " of the Kingdom or the Church of Christ:" he maintained that the clergy have no pretensions to any temporal jurisdiction, and that temporal princes have a right to govern in ecclesiastical politics. So great offence was taken by the clergy, at these doctrines, that it was resolved to proceed against him in convocation as soon as it should sit. lower house of convocation accordingly drew up their representation; but, before it could be brought into the upper house, the king prorogued the assembly by a special order, and the convocation never met afterwards. Hoadley always declared that this was done not only without his seeking, but without his knowledge or suspicion. He rejoiced however in it; as the debate was, by this means, taken from the bar of human authority, and brought to that of reason and the scripture. Removed from a trial by a majority of voices, (which, could not, he said, be a trial to be contended for either by truth or by the church of England), and brought to that of argument.

Some serious protestants, however, were alarmed at this scanty creed: they observed its discrepancy from the creeds of the first reformers, and trembled for the consequences.-The catholic smiled at the controversy, and claimed, for his church, that right of interpreting the scriptures, which each individual protestant claims for himself.

LXXI. 3.

Acts in favour of the Protestant Dissenters.

THE general rejection of the doctrine of passive obedience, was one of the greatest achievements of bishop Hoadley.

"Passive obedience," says Mr. Hume*, "is expressly and zealously inculcated in the homiliest, " composed and published by authority in the reign "of queen Elizabeth." The corporation act‡ prescribed, that all magistrates should testify both their belief that it was not lawful, upon any pretence whatever, to resist the king, and their abhorrence of the traiterous position of taking arms, by the king's authority, against his person, or against those who were commissioned by him.-The decree of the university of Oxford, passed in convocation, in 1683§, mentions the positions, that "all civil "authority is derived originally from the people;" —and that, "there is no obligation upon christians "to passive obedience, when the prince commands

66

any thing against the laws of our country," among-" damnable doctrines, destructive to the "sacred persons of princes, their state and govern"ment, and all human society." In a similar strain, the address of the university of Cambridge, presented, about the same time, to Charles the second, eclares, that "no earthly power, no means or

misery, should ever be able to make them re

* Hist. vol. viii. note (R.) p. 161.

13 Car. II.

+ Homil. x. 28.

Ib. 903.

§ Coll. Hist. vol. ii. 902.

"nounce or forget their duty; that they would still "believe and maintain, that our princes derive not "their title from the people, but from God; that "to him only, they are accountable; that it belongs "not to subjects either to create or censure, but to "honour and obey their sovereign, who comes to "be so, by a fundamental hereditary right of suc<< cession, which no religion, no law, no fault or "forfeiture can alter or diminish."

Counterpositions were maintained by Hoadley, and we have mentioned his triumph. In consequence of it, by an act of the 5th of George the first, the clause, in the corporation act, which asserts the doctrine of non-resistance, was repealed.

In 1736, an act of indemnity mitigated the effect of the test act, by giving time to persons to qualify themselves to hold offices under the provisions of that act, till the 1st of August in that year.-An indemnity act, passed in 1743, was more comprehensive, as it mitigated the effect both of the corporation and the test acts. From that period, to the present time, similar acts of indemnity have been passed annually as a matter of course, and they extend to both the restrictive acts.-By this annual act, after mentioning the corporation and test acts, it is provided, that persons, who, before the passing of it, have omitted to qualify themselves in the manner prescribed by those acts, shall, if they properly qualify themselves for them, before th 25th of the ensuing December, be indemnified against all penalties, forfeitures, incapacities and disabilities; and their elections and the acts done

by them are declared to be valid.-The act expresses nothing, which excludes roman-catholics from the benefit of its provisions.-Considering the annual indemnity act as a matter of course, which it evidently is, the protestant dissenters are thus virtually exempted from the corporation and test acts; and as they have no objection to the oath of supremacy, they are not affected by the act of the 1st of George the first, which requires, as we have mentioned, all persons, bearing offices civil or military, or holding command or place of trust, or receiving pay or wages under any patent or grant from his majesty, to take the oath of supremacy under a penalty of 500l. and under other penalties. But the conscientious scruples of catholics to take this oath, continued to subject them, though they are relieved by the annual act of indemnity from the corporation and test acts, to the act of George the first, and its disqualifications.

LXXI. 4.

Doctor Courayer.

SOON after the reformation was established in England by queen Elizabeth, a controversy arose on the validity of the ordinations of the clergy of the church of England, Dodd gives, in his Church History*, a full view of the principal facts and arguments produced by the writers on each side. The controversy was renewed by Mr. Thomas Vol. ii. p. 269, et seq.