were no less than two hundred and seventy-seven persons; of whom were five bishops, twentyone clergymen, eight gentlemen, eighty-four tradesmen, one hun dred husbandmen, labourers, and were accordingly dug out of the grave, where they had lain undisturbed four-and-forty years. His bones were burnt, and the ashes cast into an adjoining brook. In the reign of Henry VIII, Bilney, Baynam, and many other reform-servants, fifty-five women, and ers, were burnt; but when queen Mary came to the throne, the most severe persecutions took place. Hooper and Rogers were burnt in a slow fire. Saunders was cruelly tormented a long time at the stake before he expired. Taylor was put into a barrel of pitch, and fire set to it. Eight illustrious persons, among whom was Ferrar, bishop of St. David's, were sought out, and burnt by the infamous Bonner in a few days. Sixty-seven persons were this year, A. D. 1555, burnt, amongst whom were the famous protestants Bradford, Ridley, Latimer, and Philpot. In the following year, 1556, eighty-five persons were burnt. Women suffered; and one, in the flames, which burst her womb, being near her time of delivery, a child fell from her into the fire, which being snatched out by some of the observers more human than the rest, the magistrates ordered the babe to be again thrown into the flames, and burnt. Thus even the unborn infant was burnt for heresy! O God, what is human nature when left to itself! Alas! dispositions ferocious as infernal then reigned and usurped the breast of man! The queen erected a commission court, which was followed by the destruction of near eighty more. Upon the whole, the number of those who suffered death for the reformed religion in this reign, four children. Besides these, there were fifty-four more under prosecution, seven of whom were whipped, and sixteen perished in prison. Nor was the reign of Elizabeth free from this persecuting spirit. If any one refused to conform to the least ceremony in worship, he was cast into prison, where many of the most excellent men in the land perished. Two Protestant Anabaptists were burnt, and many banished. She also, it is said, put two Brownists to death; and though her whole reign was distinguished for its political prosperity, yet it is evident that she did ot understand the rights of conscience; for it is said that more sanguinary laws were made in her reign than in any of her predeces sors, and her hands were stained both with the blood of Papists and Puritans. James I succeeded Elizabeth: he published a procla mation, commanding all Protestants to conform strictly and without any exception to all the rites and ceremonies of the church of England. Above five hundred clergy were immediately silenced, or degraded for not complying. Some were excommunicated, and some banished the country. The Dissenters were distressed, censured, and fined in the Star-chamber.Two persons were burnt for heresy, one at Smithfield, and the other at Litchfield. Worn out with endless vexa- to a fine not exceeding 50 pounds; tions and unceasing persecutions, and imprisonment for a year, for many retired into Holland, and the third offence, in using the from thence to America. It is wit-episcopal book of common prayer, nessed by a judicious historian, even in a private family. In the that, in this and some following following year the Presbyterians reigns, 22,000 persons were ba- applied to parliament, pressing nished from England by persecu- them to enforce uniformity in retion to America. In Charles the ligion, and to extirpate popery, First's time arose the persecuting prelacy, heresy, schism, &c., but Laud, who was the occasion of their petition was rejected; yet in distress to numbers. Dr. Leigh- 1648 the parliament, ruled by ton, for writing a book against the them, published an ordinance hierarchy, was fined ten thousand against heresy, and determined pounds, perpetual imprisonment, that any person who maintained, and whipping. He was whipped, published, or defended the followand then placed in the pillory; ing errors, should suffer death. one of his ears cut off; one side These errors were, 1. Denying the of his nose slit; branded on the being of a God.-2. Denying his cheek with a red hot iron, with omnipresence, omniscience, &c. the letters S. S.; whipped a se--3. Denying the Trinity in any cond time, and placed in the pil-way.-4. Denying that Christ had lory. A fortnight afterwards, his two natures.-5. Denying the resores being yet uncured, he had surrection, the atonement, the the other ear cut off, the other side scriptures. In Charles the Seof his nose slit, and the other cond's reign the act of uniformity cheek branded. He continued in passed, by which two thousand prison till the long parliament set clergymen were deprived of their him at liberty. About four years benifices. Then followed the conafterwards, William Prynn, a bar-venticle act, and the Oxford act, rister, for a book he wrote against the sports on the Lord's day, was deprived from practising at Lin-reduced to want, and many to the coln's Inn, degraded from his de- grave. In this reign, also, the gree at Oxford, set in the pillory, Quakers were much persecuted, had his ears cut off, imprisoned and numbers of them imprisoned. for life, and fined five thousand Thus we see how England has bled pounds. Nor were the Presbyte- under the hands of bigotry and rians, when their government came persecution; nor was toleration to be established in England, free enjoyed until William III came from the charge of persecution. to the throne, who shewed himIn 1645 an ordinance was pub-self a warm friend to the rights of lished, subjecting all who preach-conscience. The accession of the ed or wrote against the Presbyte-present royal family was auspicious rian directory for public worship to religious liberty; and, as their under which, it is said, eight thousand persons were imprisoned and majesties have always befriended || for many years together has been the toleration, the spirit of persecution has been long curbed.. IRELAND the scene of cruelty and bloodshed, till it was delivered by the monarch at the revolution. Spain, has likewise been drenched with Italy, and the valley of Piedmont, the blood of the Protestants, for- and other places, have been the ty or fifty thousand of whom were seats of much persecution. Pocruelly murdered in a few days, pery we see has had the greatest in different parts of the kingdom, hand in this mischievous work. It in the reign of Charles I. It be- has to answer, also, for the lives gan on the 23d of October, 1641. of millions of Jews, MohammeHaving secured the principal gen-dans and barbarians. When the tlemen, and seized their effects, Moors conquered Spain in the they murdered the common peo-eighth century, they allowed the ple in cold blood, forcing many Christians the free exercise of thousands to fly from their houses their religion; but in the fifteenth and settlements naked into the century, when the Moors were bogs and woods, where they pe- overcome, and Ferdinand subdued rished with hunger and cold. Some the Moriscoes, the descendants of they whipped to death, others the above Moors, many thousands they stript naked, and exposed were forced to be baptized, or to shame, and then drove them like burnt, massacred, or banished, and herds of swine to perish in the their children sold for slaves; bemountains many hundreds were sides innumerable Jews, who drowned in rivers, some had their shared the same cruelties, chiefly throats cut, others were dismem- by means of the infernal courts of bered. With some the execrable inquisition. A worse slaughter, if villains made themselves sport, possible, was made among the natrying who could hack the deepest tives of Spanish America, where into an Englishman's flesh; wives fifteen millions are said to have and young virgins abused in the been sacrificed to the genius of popresence of their nearest relations; pery in about forty years. It has nay, they taught their children to been computed that fifty millions strip and kill the children of the of Protestants have at different English, and dash out their brains times been the victims of the peragainst the stones. Thus many secutions of the Papists, and put to thousands were massacred in a death for their religious opinions. few days, without distinction of Well, therefore, might the inspirage, sex, or quality, before they ed penman say, that at mystic Basuspected their danger, or had bylon's destruction "was found in time to provide for their defence. her the blood of prophets, of SCOTLAND, SPAIN, &c. saints, and of all that was slain Besides the above-mentioned upon the earth," Rev. xviii, 24. persecutions, there have been several others carried on in different parts of the world. Scotland To conclude this article, Who can peruse the account here given without feeling the most painful ple finally to fall into perdition. This would be a reflection on his attributes, and argue him to be worse than a common father of his family. His love to his people is unchangeable, and therefore they cannot be the objects of it at one time and not at another, John xiii, 1. Zeph. iii, 17. Jer. xxxi, 3. His mise is not founded upon their merit, but his own will and goodness; this, therefore, cannot be emotions, and dropping a tear over || sessed of infinite love, faithfulness, the madness and depravity of man-wisdom, and power, can hardly be kind? Does it not shew us what supposed to suffer any of his peohuman beings are capable of when influenced by superstition, bigotry, and prejudice? Have not these baneful principles metamorphosed men into infernals; and entirely extinguished all the feelings of humanity, the dictates of conscience, and the voice of reason? Alas! what has sin done to make mankind such curses to one another?faithfulness to them and to his proMerciful God! by thy great power suppress this worst of all evils, and let truth and love, meekness and forbearance prevail. Lim-violated, Mal. iii, 6. Numb. xxiii, borch's Introduction to his History 19. His wisdom foresees every obof the Inquisition; Memoirs of the stacle in the way, and is capable Persecutions of the Protestants in of removing it, and directing them France, by Lewis De Enarolles; into the right path. It would be A. Robinson's History of Persecu- a reflection on his wisdom, after tion; Lockman's Hist. of Popish choosing a right end, not to choose Persec.; Clark's Looking Glass for right means in accomplishing the Persecutors; Doddridge's Ser. on same, Jer. x, 6, 7. His power is Persecution; Fortin's ditto, ser. 9, insuperable, and is absolutely and vol. iv; Bower's Lives of the Popes, perpetually displayed in their preFox's Martyrs; Woodrow's Histo-servation and protection, 1st Peter ry of the Sufferings of the Church, 5.-2. Another argument to of Scotland; Neal's Hist. of the Pu- prove this doctrine is their union ritans and of New England; His- to Christ, and what he has done tory of the Bohemian Persecutions. for them. They are said to be PERSEVERANCE is the con- chosen in him, Eph. i, 4. united tinuance in any design, state, opi-to him, Eph. i, 23. the purchase nion, or course of action. The perseverance of the saints is their continuance in a state of grace to a state of glory. This doctrine has afforded considerable matter for controversy between the Calvi-then this choice, this union, his nists and Arminians. We shall briefly here state the arguments and objections. And, first, the perfections of God are considered as strong arguments to prove this doctrine. God, as a Being pos of his death, Rom. viii, 34. Tit. ii, death, and intercession, may all be the Spirit, which is to communicate || xiii, 20, 21. To the first of these grace and strength equal to the passages it is answered, that their day, Phil. i, 6. 2d Cor. i, 21, 22. love might be said to wax cold If, indeed, Divine grace were de- without totally ceasing; or there pendent on the will of man, if by might have been an outward zeal his own power he had brought and shew of love where there nehimself into a state of grace, then ver was a true faith. To the seit might follow that he might re-cond it is answered, that persons lapse into an opposite state when may be said to be in Christ only that power at any time was weak-by an external profession, or ened; but as the perseverance of mere members of the visible the saints is not produced by any church, John xv, 2. Matt. xiii, native principles in themselves, 47, 48. As to Matthew, ch. xiii, but by the agency of the Holy Spi- v, 20, 21. it is replied, that this rit enlightening, confirming, and may refer to the joy with which establishing them, of course, they some may entertain the offers of must persevere, or otherwise it pardon, who never, after all, atwould be a reflection on this Di- tentively considered them.-3. vine Agent, Rom. viii, 9. 1st Cor. It is objected that many have in vi, 11. John iv, 14. John xvi, 14. fact fallen away, as David, Solo4. Lastly, the declarations and mon, Peter, Alexander, Hymepromises of scripture are very nu- nius, &c. To which it is answermerous in favour of this doctrine, ed, that David, Solomon, and PeJob xvii, 9. Psal. xciv, 14. Psal.ter's fall were not total; and as cxxv, Jer. xxxii, 40. John x, 28. to the others, there is no proof John xvii, 12. 1st Corinthians i, 8, of their ever being true Chris9. 1st Peter i, 5. Proverbs iv, 18. tians.-4. It is urged, that this all which could not be true if this doctrine supersedes the use of doctrine were false. There are ob-means, and renders exhortations jections, however, to this doc-unnecessary. To which it may trine, which we must state.-1. be answered, that perseverance There are various threatenings itself implies the use of means, denounced against those who apos- and that the means are equally tatize, Ezek. iii, 20. Heb. vi, 3, 6. appointed as well as the end: nor Psal. cxxxv, 3 to 5. Ezek. xviii.has it ever been found that true 24. To this it is answered, that Christians have rejected them. some of these texts do not so much They consider exhortations and as suppose the falling away of a admonitions to be some of the truly good man; and to all of them, means they are to attend to in it is said, that they only shew what order to promote their holiness: would be the consequence if such Christ and his apostles, though should fall away; but cannot prove they often asserted this doctrine, that it ever in fact happens.-2. yet reproved, exhorted, and made It is foretold as a future event that use of means. See EXHORTATION, some should fall away, Matthew MEANS.-5. Lastly, it is objectxxiv, 12, 13. John xv, 6. Matt.ed that this doctrine gives great |