VIII. VIEW.

PRELACY hurts morality.-MORALITY is either supported by personal principles-BUT this system is formed for the destruction of principles-OR by imitation of bright examples-BUT alas! how few such have we ever heard of-AND how are prevarication HYPOCRISY FORMALITY -BIGOTRY,

&c. propagated by it..

Finish-BY placing prelates-AND people-BEFORE the judge of the whole earth at the last day. REPRESENT the glorious redeemer exhibiting his faithful servants-WHOм prelacy ruined for claiming their natural-AND religious rights—AND saying to these holy tyrants-THESE had meat-drink -and habitations--BUT ye reduced them to hunger-thirst-and banishment.-I gave them cloathing-BUT ye stripped them naked.—THEY had health-AND liberty from me-SICKNESS-AND imprisonment from you.-DEPART!

LECTURE IV.

The History of Puritanism during the reign of James I.

JAMES I. was weak in his intellects-PROFANE in his life--DESPOTICAL in his government.-HE pretended to learning AND religion-BUT was destitute of both-AND was an ignorant--CONTEMPTIBLE tyrant.-HE came bad out of Scotland-AND English bishops made him worse.-HE was the author of all the calamities of his son's reign-AND has been the scorn of every impartial writer since.

JAMES's bishops were fit tools for such a tyrant. -WHITGIFT was bad-BANCROFT worse-LAUD the worst of all.--THE less despotical were equally contemptible for countenancing their inhuman church-polity.PRELACY naturally friendly to popery and tyranny.

PURITANS were of four sorts.-1. DOCTRINAL -zealously attached to Calvinism.-2. PRACTICAL-of severe morals.-3. DISCIPLINARIANaiming to make scripture the rule of reformation. -4. POLITICAL-endeavouring to abridge prerogative, and extend popular liberty.

THE third sort of Puritans were divided into

Presbyterians-BROWNISTS-INDEPENDENTS— BAPTISTS, &c.-SOME had formed churches of their Own-OTHERS hoped for a comprehension in the episcopal church-AND employed all peaceableAND constitutional means of obtaining it.-ALL were persecuted for one--AND that the unpardon

able sin in the eyes of a despot, denying that the king's will was a nation's law.

THE Hampton-court conference was a ridiculous farce-A compound of king-craft and priestcraft.- -THE actors in it forgot nothing but their masks.THE puritans would not be gulled by it-BUT continued to dissent—AND they were right.

THINGS were in a state favourable to the increase of arbitrary church power, when the convocation that made the present body of canons, met. -COURTIERS and prelates of the most despotical principles were the king's favourites.THE parliament had just suffered him to pack a house of commons-THE see of Canterbury was vacant-THE way to it was by conducting court measures in convocation.-THE prelates played their parts so well that they made a code of episcopal church-lawCONSISTING OF 141 canons-ALL tending to establish absolute dominion over conscience-AND tó ruin all, who could not swear to a falshood--THAT is, that the episcopal corporation is a truly apostolical church-so perfect as to need no future revision.--THIS senseless cruel code of law was ratified by regal patent-NOT by parliament—and has been adjudged therefore to be binding on the episcopal clergy-BUT not on the rest of the nation.

THE king and the prelates more violent in posting to absolute monarchy than before-FOR this purpose they tried Calvinism at Dort—AND then introduced Arminianism - AND depraved the morals of the people by the book of sports-IN

IN

VENTED plots-AND then imposed oaths-OF allegiance-SUPREMACY- SUBSCRIPTION, &c. CREASED ecclesiastical commissions-AND exercised inquisitorial cruelty under them.

THE persecuted puritans fled to Holland-IRELAND AND America.-THE parliament petitioned James against prelatical tyranny-AND for the puritans.THEY saw popery-AND despotismSTRIDING apace over all the land.-JAMES is inflexible-HIS prelates worse than himself—THE puritans increase.THE tyrant was supposed to be poisoned-EXPIRES.

Finish-BY observing what episcopacy can do, when it has a head to its heart-AND by distinguishing between the interest of a church-AND of the church-AND the personal interests of ambitious men, who govern it.-A time-serving prelate is an object of pity-As well as blame-He buys his honours too dear.

LECTURE V.

The Constitution-officers-worship-and ceremonies of the Episcopal church.

INTRODUCTION.

A Religious society formed on principles of revelation-HAS no other rule of action than the express word of God-NATURAL worship resembles philosophical experiments-BUT revealed worship requires positive institute.-It is not enough that a thing is not forbidden-IT must be commanded. -CHRISTIAN faith is belief of a divine- revealed-truth-AND christian worship is obedience to a divine-written command.-St. Paul went on this ground, when he argued from the silence of scripture. Heb. vii. 14.--AND when he affirmed the perfection of revelation. 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.

REVELATION gives Christ an exclusive right of legislation-GOOD men entire liberty of conscience -AND all men the right of private judgment.— THE episcopal church transferred all these rights to Harry and Elizabeth.-It put them in the place of God AND all their successors in the condition of irrationals. It admitted that dangerous first principle-HUMAN authority in religion-AND erected Anglican episcopacy-ON what had alone supported popery-AND paganism.

THIS church is constituted of the whole nation -OF all ages Of both sexes-or all principlesor no principles of all practices-AND profes