study of christian antiquity. This remark will be powerfully exemplified by the following beautiful passage from Milton's reply to Bishop Hale. We shall be pardoned for the introduction of it in this place, on account of its own excellence, but especially on account of the full elucidation it contains of that feature among the puritans to which we have been referring.

"If others may chance to spend more time with you in canvassing later antiquity, I suppose it is not for that they ground themselves thereon; but that they endeavour, by showing the corruptions, incertainties, and disagreements of those volumes, and the easiness of erring, or overslipping in such a boundless and vast search, if they may not convince those that are so strongly persuaded thereof; yet to free ingenuous minds from an over-awful esteem of those more ancient than trusty fathers, whose custom and fond opinion, weak principles, and the neglect of sounder and superior knowledge, hath exalted so high as to have gained them a blind reverence; whose books, in bigness and number so endless and immeasurable, I cannot think that either God or nature, either divine or human wisdom, did ever mean should be a rule or reliance to us in the decision of any weighty and positive doctrine for certainly every rule and instrument of necessary knowledge that God hath given us, ought to be so in proportion, as may be wielded and managed by the life of man, without penning him up from the duties of human society and such a rule and instrument of knowledge perfectly is the Holy Bible. But he that shall bind himself to maké antiquity his rule, if he read but part, besides the difficulty of choice, his rule is deficient, and utterly unsatisfying; for there may be other writers of another mind, which he

hath not seen; and if he undertake all, the length of man's life cannot extend to give him a full and requisite knowledge of what was done in antiquity. Why do we, therefore, stand worshipping and admiring this inactive and lifeless Colossus, that, like a carved giant, terribly menacing to children and weaklings, lifts up his club, but strikes not, and is subject to the muting of every sparrow? If you let him rest upon his basis, he may, perhaps, delight the eyes of some with his huge and mountainous bulk, and the quaint workmanship of his massy limbs, but if ye go about to take him in pieces, yemar him; and if you think, like pigmies, to turn and wind him whole as he is, besides your vain toil and sweat, he may chance to fall upon your own heads. Go, therefore, and use all your art, apply your sledges, your levers, and your iron crows, to heave and haule your mighty Polypheme of antiquity, to the delusion of novices and unexperienced Christians. We shall adhere close to the Scriptures of God, which he hath left us, as the just and adequate measure of truth, fitted and proportioned to the diligent study, memory, and use of every faithful man, whose every part consenting, and making up the harmonious symmetry of complete instruction, is able to set out to us a perfect man of God, or bishop, thoroughly furnished to all the good works of his charge: and with this weapon, without stepping a foot further, we shall not doubt to batter and throw down your Nebuchadnezzar's image, and crumble it like the chaff of the summer's threshing floor, as well the gold of those apostolic successors that you boast of as your Constantinian silver, together with the iron, the brass, and the clay of those muddy and strawy ages that follow,"Animad. on Remonstrant's Defence. It was from the line of study

here referred to, that the conformist divines drew much of their eloquence, and most of their arguments, and from which their writings derived an appearance of research and erudition peculiar to themselves. It was the school in which they had studied their theology, the medium through which they viewed the Scriptures, and the only arena on which, with any prospect of success, they could induce their adversaries to engage. Christian antiquity had been the strong hold of popery, and the half-reformed church wishing to retain its hold on the superstitious prejudices of the people, felt a powerful predilection, almost a religious veneration, for the authority of fathers and saints, and seemed disposed to rival in attachment and homage, the most devoted of their Catholic antagonists. This alone had proved the mighty and mysterious incantation by which the hierarchies of Christendom had spell-bound the understandings of mankind for ten centuries, and held together their own immense and heterogeneous masses. Most of the conformists venerated the authority of councils, and the customs of antiquity. They had been educated in schools, where fathers and saints held a sacred dominion over conscience and reason; and a large portion even of their most learned and eloquent divines, felt but half-weaned from a church in which they were canonized and worshipped. Much of the splendour, and all the secularity of the church had flowed in from this prolific, but poisonous fountain.

This particular study had, therefore, become an object both of policy and ambition. Nor must we omit to remark, that their favourite pursuit possessed the additional incentives of the most powerful literary fascination, as its objects existed in the only two languages, denominated by the common consent of the civilized world, the classical. To the classical scholar,

therefore, the writings of the fathers, on subjects more glorious, though in a style less clear and perfect than the true classics, constituted a sort of dying glow of both those languages, the feeble, but yet enchanting rays of their declining sun. These copious and precious relics of christian antiquity, so splendid in themselves, and so immediately associated with the foundation and defence of ecclesiastical establishments, constituted to every churchman, an object of literary gratification, of personal interest, and of religious awe. They were closely associated, and by early habit, with all he had been taught to admire as a scholar, and venerate as a christian.

The puritans, on the other hand, had perceived the depth and extent of the principles of protestantism, if not fully, yet more clearly. And, if they did not push those principles to their full and genuine results, they yet saw their bearing in this direction, as requiring an entire renunciation of the shackles of antiquity, and an unreserved, unambiguous deference to the authority of Scripture. This their opponents accounted not only a sort of gothic insensibility to the charms of genius and eloquence, but as a reprehensible defect of veneration for the martyrs and confessors of the church. Thus, it was often interpreted as a proof of bad taste, and of a rash and undisciplined understanding. There might be some truth in the fact alleged, but there was none in the way of accounting for it. The simplicity and unadornedness of truth, which had become the object of their eager pursuit, and the effort to present it to the minds of others free from all debasing mixture, and detached from all the splendid and imposing appendages with which it had been so long allied, might cast an air of baldness and ungracefulness over most of their writings, when viewed in competition with their polished and

eloquent rivals. Perhaps, too, the newly kindled passion for pure and simple truth, as it stood in the sacred record, had prostrated every inferior feeling, and had made them culpably negligent of inferior graces, or of the beauty and appropriateness of the garb in which truth was to show herself to the world. Perceiving the injury which had resulted to the cause of the Gospel, from its having become secularized, and made a mere matter of interest, or of display for the genius of worldly men; and having themselves but just emerged from the dark and ungenial atmosphere of the schools, they possibly went to an opposite extreme, and contracted a sort of stern disregard or contempt for the opinions of men, and a distaste for those graces and ornaments which others studied with so much care. They would acknowledge no authority in theological controversies, but the sacred Scriptures; and, however, this might expose them to scorn in a profligate and worldly age, it will remain an imperishable monument of the greatness and piety of their minds. Though it brought upon them in this world, the contemptuous epithet of puritans, it was the indication of a purity and a glory, which will outlast the world of which they were not worthy. But we fear our readers will charge us with having forgotten the work, whose title stands at the head of this article. We, therefore, turn at once to the subject of it. The exclusion of the non-conformists from the churches, led to the formation of their separate congregations. And after these had been established a few years, it was natural enough for ministers and people to begin to think, how the succession of pastors was to be sustained. Their youth were all excluded from public schools and universities, and their only résource was the establishment of private seminaries. Though these

were conducted in the most quiet and unostentatious manner, they could not escape the notice of that malicious jealousy, which would have denied to those excellent men, all the rights of humanity, and all the comforts of religion. They were represented, as promoting by these institutions, neither religion nor learning, but rebellion and immorality. In these base assaults, Mr. Wesley, a clergyman, who was an apostate from their principles, the infamous Sacheverel, and some unknown and very suspicious authority in the life of Mr. Bonnel, became the distinguished impugners of the dissenting academies. Mr. Palmer came forward in their defence, and wrote several pamphlets, in which he ably exposed the falsehood and intolerance of those, who would have prejudiced the government against them. The pamphlet now before us, is full of interesting information upon dissenting history, and contains some curious and valuable anecdotes. We can make room only for the two following sections.

""Tis known to all men, that have observed any thing of the past conduct of our adversaries toward us; that a part of the charge against us has been a defect of learning, and no man of reading can be ignorant, that it has been made use of as an argument against us. • That our ignorance led us first into a schism, and that, therefore, it was by no means adviseable for any persons to trust the conduct of their souls to such, who wanted learning and capacity sufficient to be their guide.' We knew these insinuations to be false, and had a sett of ministers, who have at all times discovered their value for learning, as a proper means to enable 'em to perform the duties of their sacred office, to religion, from a learned education, so And as they saw the use and advantage they endeavour'd to fix it upon posterity, as a matter of the highest consequence, that whoever undertook this great work, ought to have a liberal education, and in pursuance of this principle, those reverend men have admitted none to ordination, or incourag'd them to venture on the publick instructing of others, to sign and seal the covenant of God, and bless the people in his name, without a competent degree of all sorts of literature necessary to that sacred

character and office."--pp. 2, 3.

'Tis unjust to debar us of a private education, because 'tis the Church of England's own fault, that we stand excluded from the publick schools. 'Tis our desire to draw from these noble fountains, but if we are unreasonably bar'd from 'em, can it be our reproach, that we have such an ardour for learning as to pursue her by all the best methods that we can! And 'tis so easie to cure this part of the schism, that we cannot account for it, that the universities shou'd not desire it; 'twou'd be a thing so much to the honour of that body, and such an addition to her interest, that it must needs be some-what uncommon that prevents our incouragement there, and that forces us either upon an obscure and private, or else a foreign education. "Tis our ardent desire to spend our fortunes at home, and in community with our brethren, rather than abroad, and why it shou'd not be the church's inclination, that we shou'd, is a mystery! For what shou'd hinder our admission, who have the same faith, doctrines, and essence of worship, who have the same interest and concern to support both the Protestant reli

gion and the government? who have given the same securities, and are yet ready to give greater, if the wisdom of our superiors shall require it? And are ready to submit to any thing that may not violate our consciences in the very points in which we differ.

"Thus we have long since express'd our desire to be content with some of the more inferior colleges or halls, under the prudent regulation of the law, any civil or moral test, and inspection of the ViceChancellors and others. But if this be thought too much, I hope 'tis not unreasonable to ask, why are oaths impos'd upon youth, even at twelve or fourteen years of age? Why must our children be sworn to conform before they can possibly understand what conformity is? And, therefore, we wou'd presume to ask, 1. That we might not be oblig'd to swear, that we will conform. 2. That the laws and statutes of the university may be explain'd and ascertain'd, which are in force and which are not That we may know what we do in a promissory oath."--pp. 11, 12.

CUMBERLAND.

(Continued from p. 166.) BROUGHTON (Baptist). It is believed that the small Baptist church at Broughton has existed ever since the time of the Commonwealth, when the Gospel was introduced there by the preaching of an officer of dragoons in Oliver Cromwell's army, then besieging Cockermouth Castle. However this may have been, it is certain that the present meeting-house was built a few years after the restoration, but, about twenty years ago, underwent considerable repairs. The names of the ministers here are, as far as our means of information extend, JOHN WILKINSON, JOHN WARE, SAMUEL BLENKINSOP, RALPH RUSTON, THOS. PALMer, Jacob HULTON, DAWSON, SAMUEL RUS TON. From the ancient "Register of the church gathered in and about Cockermouth," mostly written by that excellent man, Mr. GEORGE LARKHAM, who was ejected from that place in 1662, we learn the following particulars: "The twentyeighth day of January (or rather of the eleventh month), 1651, the church,

thinking of branching (or rather swarming) foorth into two congregations, one of the one side of the water of Derwen, and the other of the other side, they thought it meet to make choice of another deacon who might be ordained; accordingly John Bowman, of Broughton, was unanimously elected. The sixteenth of July, in the yeare of 1652, there was a solemne meeting of both the churches, (viz. this of Cockermouth, and another, called the church of Broughton,) in the publicke meeting-place at Brigham, where they jointly humbly sought the Lord in praier to unite their spirits in love, they differing in judgment in the point of Paedobaptisme.---Which church then (1654) began to be generally shaken, most of them inclining to Quakerisme; as by their long letter to us (kept among other letters by us,) may and doth appear.-The sixteenth day of the fourth month (1654) that deluge of errors that had overflown the country, and had quite shattered to pieces the other congregation about Broughton ---only some few pieces of the people have come to land, and keep together in communion. --- JOHN

WILKINSON, the pastor of that church departed with the most of that people to the Quakers, to his great shame and infamy. The Lord, at last, convince him of his sinne. Amen, Amen, Amen!" William Penn, in alluding to this circumstance, calls him, "John Wilkinson, of Cockermouth, formerly a very zealous and able Independent minister."--- Penn's Preface to Barks's works, in Clarkson's Mem. vol. ii. p. 305. The Register continues--- In 1670, Aprill the 26th, the church mett with the people about Broughton at the house of John Thompson, in Great Broughton, where the pastour spake from Heb. xi. 13. After that discourse, there was consultation with reference to the way how the worke of God should be carried on. It was agreed that our meetings for the present should not be so popular and publike, because of that act of parliament lately made." The next name that occurs in the list of ministers is Mr. WARE; a man much esteemed for his work's sake. He was, according to the report of those who knew him, a very pious man, and a very acceptable preacher. Little of his personal history is known; it is not even certain whether he continued till his decease at Broughton, or removed; but the former opinion is the most probable. Mr. SAMUEL BLENKINSOP, or BLENKINSHIP, is the next minister of whom we have any certain account; from an old manuscript, we find that he was pastor of the church at this place in the year 1715. He died in 1734, as appears from the memorial on his grave-stone, which is yet extant in the meeting-house burial yard. Our correspondent states," Some of the old people aliye when I was a boy, had known him, and spoke highly of him, as an upright conscientious Christian." He was succeeded by Mr. RALPH RUSTON, from Bridlington; he died in 1762, aged 78. Some years before his death, he became superannuated, when the church invited Mr. THOMAS PALMER, of Hull. The time of his arrival at Broughton is not certain, but he was at Hull in 1747. Mr. PALMER was a native of Broughton, and descended from an ancient and respectable family. He had received his education at one of the Scotch universities, and was reputed a good classical scholar. He wrote his sermons in shorthand at full length, and read them with great solemnity and affection. Of these manuscript sermons he left behind him many volumes, but it is not known that he published any works, except a small treatise, entitled "An Address to Unbaptized Believers." He died in 1773, aged 55, and left behind him an excellent character. On his death, Mr. JACOB HUTTON, from Tottlebach, accepted the charge of the church, in which situation

he remained till the commencement of the American war, when he emigrated to that country. On his departure, Mr. DAWSON Supplied for about twelve months, but not proving acceptable, the congregation was destitute of a settled minister for about two years, when Mr. HUTTON returned from America, and re-assumed the pastoral charge till the year 1818, when he again crossed the Atlantic, at the age of seventy-six years. He was a man of very moderate education, by no means of popular abilities, and, till very shortly before his final departure, professed high Calvinistic doctrines. Before Mr. HUTTON's departure, the church was greatly reduced, the old members having gradually died away, and few rising up to occupy their stations, not above twenty members remained. Mr. SAMUEL RUSTON, (a native of this village, and grandson of RALPH RUSTON,) then took the pastoral charge. He had received his preparatory education for the ministry from Mr. Charles Whitefield, of Hamstedley, in Durham. A Sabbath school is taught in the meeting-house or the Lord's-day evening, consisting of about one hundred and forty scholars, and twenty teachers of different religious denominations.

CARLISLE.---The earliest intimation of non-conformity in Carlisle is given by Mr. Brook; (Lives of Puritans, vol. iii. p. 505,) who says, that---“ Mr. LowTH was some time minister at Carlisle, but in 1574, was prosecuted in the high commission of York for non-conformity. Having compared the severe proceedings of Archbishop Grindal, and other commissioners to the Spanish Inquisition, he was charged with slander. But the principal crime alleged against him was, that, though he had laboured in the ministry about 16 years, he had never been ordained according to the practice of the Church of England. After receiving the ecclesiastical censure, he made suit to the Queen, and the Archbishop of Canterbury for pardon; which, said Grindal, was intolerant. Grindal, therefore, wrote to his brother of Canterbury, and prayed him, if it were in his power, to stay Mr. Lowth's pardon. This, as might be expected, Archbishop Parker promised to do with all faithfulness."---COMFORT STAR, M.A. is reported (Palmer, vol. i. p. 378) to have been the only ejected minister of this city in 1662. His name occurs in the list of fellows of Harvard College, New England, in 1647, (Mather's Magnalia Christi.) We have no certain intelligence of a non-conformist congregation being immediately collected after that event. This was done, however, at no distant period, as there is satisfactory evidence of DANIEL JACKSON being the minister in 1692. The follow