rant zeal will go a great way in it, where there is not so much malignity; as will appear in two instances I will present you with. The one is of Saul, Acts xxvi. 9, "I verily thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which things I also did at Jerusalem: many of the saints I shut up in prison, having authority from the chief priests: and when they were put to death I gave my voice against them; and I punished them in every Synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme: and being extremely MAD against them, I persecuted them to strange cities." He calls it MADNESS here, and imputes it to ignorance elsewhere, 1 Tim. i. 13, “I did it ignorantly-I was injurious, and a persecutor." Paul, the Christian, condemns what was done by Saul, the Jew, and owns it was injurious; notwithstanding he verily thought he ought to do many such things, and notwithstanding his authority from the high-priest. How far ignorance will excuse, and whether a man acts from ignorance or malignity, God is the judge. The other instance is Luther: in the days of his ignorance he owns himself a mad persecutor. In the preface to his works, he says, "Above all things I request the pious reader, and beseech him for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, that he read my books with judgment, and with much pity; and let him remember that I was once a Monk, and a mad Papist. And when I first undertook this cause, I was so drunk and drowned with the Popish doctrine, that I was ready, if I could, to have KILLED ALL MEN, or to have assisted others in doing so, who withdrew their obedience from the Pope but in one syllable."* Too much of the principles and spirit of persecution came over with the reformers themselves; nor could that leaven presently be worked out. Luther was against putting false teachers to death afterwards; but he was for almost all other punishments the magistrate could inflict. Calvin was a man of excellent learning, piety, and parts; the Reformation owed a great deal to his diligence, courage, and fine pen: but he wrote a treatise of the lawfulness of putting heretics to death; and made the best defence he could for the hand he had in an instance of that nature. Beza was a disciple of Calvin, and grew up to be as great a man. He wrote in defence of persecution, a treatise, which the Papists knew how to make their advantage of, to the running down of many a poor sufferer.† Henry the Eighth, who had so great a hand in shaking off the Roman yoke, pat men to death for opinions. Edward the Sixth was over-persuaded by Cranmer to commit some to the flames. It is pity such lovely names as Edward the Sixth, and Cranmer, should be mentioned to any disadvantage, in the same line with persecution and blood. The severities in Queen Elizabeth's reign, for the sake of Ante omnia oro pium lectorem, et oro propter ipsum Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, ut ista legat cum judicio, imo cum multa miseratione; et sciat me fuisse aliquando Monachum, et Papistum insanissimum; cum istam causam aggressus sum ita ebrium, imo submersum in dogmatibus Papæ, ut paratissimus fuerim, omnes, si potuissem, occidere, aut occidentibus co-operari et consentire, qui Papæ vel una syllaba obedientiam detractarent. Melchior Adam Vita Luth. + Inter Bezæ Tractat. Theolog. Impr. 1570. De Hereticis à magistratu puniendis. uniformity in service and sentiments, were a great blemish to the Protestant name. And if we trace this matter farther downwards, we shall find reason to own, that all parties and denominations, in their turn, have had a notion of serving God by doing mischief to men, men who did not know so much, or could not believe as they pleased, or would not lie, in professing to believe what they did not. The proceedings of the star-chamber, high-commission, and spiritual courts, do abundantly shew, that the spirit of the church, and the spirit of Christ, are not always the same. We hereby see the power of prepossession and rooted opinion, that with a Protestant people it should require almost 200 years to get rid of so wicked a principle and practice as that of persecution; which is here declared to proceed from ignorance of God and Christ, and elsewhere, from malignity and hatred of goodness; is made the mark of antichrist, or of a false church. The persecution and cruelty of this false church being my part to consider, I shall give you the notion of persecution in general; and make good the charge of it upon the Romish church, from their principles, practices, and spirit; and then close with some remarks. 1. I am to state the notion of persecution in general. My notion of persecution is this-When a man is hurt in any of his civil rights, without any civil forfeiture or crime, merely on account of the faith he believes, or the worship he practises; when that faith and worship have nothing in them inconsistent with the civil interests of the community, and the peace of the public; and the man is able and ready to give all legal security to the government for the public peace. The use of force, or of pains and penalties, against such persons, merely on account of their religious opinions, by which opinions the civil interests of the society are no ways affected, and the man in all other respects a good subject; this is persecution. And this is the case of poor Protestant sufferers, who have nothing in the principles of their religion that should hinder them from being good subjects, wherever their lot is cast. But can this be pleaded for Papists? those at least, of them, who avow the deposing power and persecuting principles; or refuse to renounce them; in such a manner as a Protestant state may depend on, if there be any such manner to be found out. The breach of the civil peace deserves the animadversion of the civil power, from whatsoever it proceeds. It is all one to the magistrate, whether such breach of the peace proceeds from a mistaken conscience, or from none at all. His business is to keep the peace, that under him we may live peaceable and quiet lives in all godliness; and consequently, he is to protect every man's liberty of conscience, among other parts of his office; and be a terror to those evil doers who would take away that liberty, where that liberty has no ill effect at all upon the public peace. A liberty, to which we have a natural right, as men, and reasonable creatures; a divine right, as Christians; and a civil right, as Englishmen; so long as none of these rights are forfeited by any opinions, or practises, inconsistent with the common enjoyment of the same rights. 2. I am to make good the charge of persecution upon the church of Rome. This may seem a very needless undertaking; as going about to prove what every body knows; what is hardly denied by Papists themselves; unless when they have a proselyte under management, who has more faith in the priests than in the history of all ages; then, the missionary may venture to say, that the stories of Popish cruelties are all Protestant lies. And yet, They know where to find those decrees of councils, those canons and constitutions of churches, that enjoiu upon princes the persecution of their Protestant subjects under the severest penalties. They know that to avoid these penalties, popish princes have, in all ages, exercised barbarous cruelties npon their Protestant subjects. They know that their bishops at their consecration are sworn, “that they will persecute heretics to the utmost of their power."* They know that if princes are remiss in the affairs of extirpating such as the church condemns, whether that remissness be from pity, or any remainders of humanity, not quite extinguished by that inhuman religion, they are to be excommunicated; and if they persist in their merciful disposition, they are to be deposed, and their subjects to be absolved from their oath of allegiance, and their dominious disposed of to others, more zealous and more deserving. Thus all possible ways are taken to engage all sorts of people into their persecuting measures; clergy, laity, princes and subjects; and therefore those bloody things that have been done by them are not so much the excesses of particular persons, or the sudden transports of provocation, nor the effect of oppression, that sometimes makes a wise man mad; but the natural effect of their established doctrines, the principles of their religion, and practice upon those principles: the spirit of Popery itself being cruelty and tyranny; of such a nature, and so circumstanced, that, as it is not mended yet, so I do not see how it ever can be. Of each of these a little, as our time will allow. § 1. Persecution of men whose conscience cannot comply with their doctrine and worship, let them be ever so good subjects in all other respects, is among the principles of their religion. It is not only permitted, as what may be done, but commanded, as what ought to be done. Not only commanded, but enforced by the severest penalties; and encouraged by the greatest privileges. It is a specimen only that I can lay before you,† and for a taste. fifth council of Toledo, Can. 3, the holy fathers say, In the "We, the holy council, promulge this sentence, or decree pleasing to God, that whosoever hereafter shall succeed to the kingdom, shall not mount the throne till he has sworn among other oaths, to permit no man to live in his kingdom who is not a Catholic. (NUL • Pontificale Roman, edit. Antwerp. A. D. 1626. One part of the oath is, "Hæreticos schismaticos aut rebelles eidem Domino nostro vel successoribus prædictis, pro posse persequar et impugnabo." They who have a mind, may see a large collection of decrees of councils, canons and constitutions of churches, royal edicts, imperial mandates, and Popes bails for the extirpating of heretics; in a book entitled, "A discourse concerning the laws, ecclesiastical and civil, made against heretics," &c. Re-printed in the year 1723. LUM NON CATHOLICUM.) And if after he has taken the reins of government, he shall violate this promise, let him be anathema maranatha in the sight of the eternal God, and become fuel of the eternal fire." (PABULUM IGNIS ÆTERNI.)* The council of Lateran, under Pope Innocent III. They say, "We excommunicate and anathematize all heresy, condemning all heretics, by what names soever they are called." And if that were all, those would not be much frighted, at being turned out of a wicked church, who see it their duty to "come out from amongst them." Rev. xviii. 4. But it follows-" These being condemned, must be left to the secular power to be punished.† And those who are only suspected of heresy, if they purge not themselves in the appointed way, are to be excommunicated; and if within a year satisfaction is not given, they are to be condemned as heretics." By the same council it is ordained, that the secular powers shall be admonished, and induced, and if need be shall be compelled, by church censures, let them be of what office soever (cujuscunque officii,) as they would be counted believers, so for the defence of the faith, they must take this oath-" that they will endeavour, bona fide, and with all their might, to exterminate from every part of their dominions all heretical subjects, universally, that are marked out to them by the church. So that from this time forward, when any one is promoted to any power, spiritual or temporal, he shall be obliged to confirm this. But if any temporal lord, being required and admonished by the church, shall neglect to purge his land from this heretical filthiness, he shall be tied up in the band of excommunication by the Metropolitan and his comprovincial bishops. And if he should neglect to make satisfaction within a year, it should be signified to the Pope, that he might from that time pronounce the subjects absolved from allegiance to him, and expose his territories to be seized on by Catholics, who, expelling heretics, shall possess them without contradiction."+ You see the penalties for not persecuting Protestents when it is in their power; deposition, and loss of their territories, in this life; and hell-fire in the next. Let us now take notice of the privileges granted to those who do labour in this blessed work of extirpation. In the same chapter it is added: "But Catholics, who having taken the badge of the cross, shall set themselves to extirpate heretics, shall enjoy the same indul * Caranza Sum. Conciliorum, p. 404. + Cap. 3. De hæreticis, Caranza, p. 602. Anathematis gladio feriantur, et usque ad satisfactionem condignam ab omnibus evitentur. Cap. 3. Moneantur autem et inducantur, et si necesse fuerit compellantur, sæculares potestates, cujuscunque officii; etiam sicut reputari cupiunt et haberi fideles-subjectos universos hæreticos ab ecclesia denotatos, bona fide, pro viribus exterminare studeant. Si vero dominus temporalis requisitus, et monitus ab ecclesia, terram suam purgare neglexerit ab hac hæretica fœditate, per metropolitanum et comprovinciales episcopos excommunicationis vinculo innodetur. Et si satisfacere contempserit infia annum, signifecetur hoc summo pontifici, ut ex tunc ipse vasallos ab ejus fidelitate denunciet absolutos, et terram exponat catholicis occupandum, qui eam, exterminatis hæreticis, sine ulla contradictione possideant. gence, and be fortified with the same privilege, as is granted to those who go to the recovery of the Holy Land.” And elsewhere I find a release from penances promised, and a greater degree of everlasting happiness than others may expect. Such penalties upon the neglect of exterminating heretics, and such rewards promised for doing it! Is there a religion under the cope of heaven so calculated for spoil and ruin, and general destruction of "peace on earth, and good-will to men,' as this? Since it appears to be a principle of the Romish church, that heretics are to be destroyed, it is time to inquire who are heretics in their account. I have inquired-and find, that all they who neglect the authority of the church, meaning their own church for ever; t all who obstinately defend wicked opinions; of which they will be the only judges; all who refuse to clear themselves, upon oath, in answer to all questions; all who think otherwise of the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, or of any other sacrament, or of any other article of faith, than their church thinks; all who believe not as the church of Rome believes; whosoever shall not obey the Pope's statutes, is an heretic; every one who denies the authority of a general council to be derived from Christ, and that all are to obey it; every one that thinks a general council can err in matters that belong to faith and good manners, is to be accounted an heretic.§ And, finally, to make sure work of it, all those are heretics who are not of their communion: so that it is in effect to say-that all the world must be destroyed but themselves, to make way for them to possess the earth alone; and truly they went a great way to make this remark literally true with regard to the new world, when first found out; for, according to the account of one of their own bishops, in the space of forty years they destroyed fifty millions of people. Agreeable to Dr. Geddes's notion of popery, as a "political combination, managed by falshood and cruelty, to establish a temporal empire in the person of the Popes: ¶ and I add-under the pretence of another world, to engross this world to themselves. Coucil. Lateran. c. 3. De privilegiis concessis catholicis qui hæreticorum exterminio insistunt. N.B. This Lateran council was fully established by that of Trent, and the de crees of it are now in full force at Rome. Dr. BROUGHTON, in his Great Apostacy, published in the year 1717. + Catechis. ad Parochos ex Decret. Concil. Trident. et Pii V. Pont. Max. Lugd. 1676. Concil. Const. Sess. 45. Binn. Tom. 8. p. 128. Bishop of Chiapa's Account of the cruelty of the Spaniards in America. 1 Burnet's Hist. Ref. Vol. 3. p. 176. (To be concluded in the next.) OBSERVATIONS ON THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. To the Editor of the Methodist Magazine. DEAR SIR, CONSIDERING the great publicity that the memorable Battle of Waterloo, or La belle Alliance, fought on the 18th of June, has obtained, and the interesting and accurate descriptions which have been |