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Restoration there were above twenty distinct societies, consisting of from two to five hundred members, chiefly planted and formed by his care and industry, in the principles of the Baptists."

66

THOMAS DE LAUNE, was a native of Ireland, the son of Roman Catholic parents. He received his education in his own country, under the patronage of the gentleman who owned the estate on which his parents lived. He was converted when a young man, and afterwards became a teacher of a grammar school in London, and the minister of a Baptist church. Dr. Calamy, one of the Chaplains to Charles II, having invited the non-conformists to bring forth their strong reasons that they might be fairly discussed, Mr. De Laune published his immortal " plea,” the best work in defence of non-conformity that was ever written. It passed through twenty editions, and Defoe, who wrote a preface to the eighth edition, says "the work is perfect of itself; never author left behind him a more finished piece; and I believe the dispute is entirely ended. If any man ask what we can say why the Dissenters differ from the church of England, and what they can plead for it, I can recommend no better reply than this; let them answer in short Thomas De Laune, and desire the querist to read the book." Great as were the merits of his work, it was the occasion of his being cast into Newgate prison, where he languished and died. As Defoe observes, "few clearer heads, greater scholars or masters of argument, ever graced the English nation."

In relation to JOHN BUNYAN, whose name is men. tioned in connexion with that of De Laune, it would be superfluous to say one word here, for the purpose of giving information respecting his life or character. But in view of a passage which occurs in Southey's Life of Bunyan, I cannot forbear observing in this place, how faint a glimpse the poet laureate seems to have had of the truth, that religious liberty is an element of the religious faith of the Baptists. Southey defends the prelates of Bunyan's day, against the charge of high-handed oppression in committing him to prison for preaching the gospel. He thinks that Bunyan should not have persisted in preaching with the spirit of a martyr, but should have considered, "that he was neither called upon to renounce any thing that he did believe, nor to profess any thing that he did not believe; that the congregation to which he belonged, held, at that time, their meetings unmolested; that he might have worshipped when he pleased, where he pleased, and how he pleased; that he was only required not to go about the country holding conventicles; and that the cause for that interdiction was, not that persons were admonished in such conventicles to labor for salvation, but that they were exhorted there to regard with abhorrence that Protestant Church which is essentially part of the constitution of this king. dom, from the doctrines of which church, except in the point of infant baptism, he did not differ a hair's breadth. This I am bound to observe," he says, "because Bunyan has been, and no doubt will continue to be, most wrongfully represented as having been the victim of intolerant laws, and prelatical oppression."

It would seem, to say the least, that Dr. Southey could not have seen all the points of the case when he penned this paragraph, since it is so evident that Bunyan considered the mere fact that a Protestant church should be essentially a part of the constitution of a kingdom, as a flagrant violation of the constitutional laws of christianity. He felt his own religious liberty-his liberty of preaching the gospel to be invaded, and he meant to maintain it, even unto death. At the same time, he meant to say nothing which should tend to disturb the public peace, or alienate men's hearts from the civil government. Southey's own account of Bunyan's interview with the Clerk of the Peace, shows this. After he had lain several months in prison, the clerk visited him, to persuade him to obedience. "But Bunyan insisted that the law, being intended against those who designed to do evil in their meetings, did not apply to him. He was told that he might exhort his neighbors in private discourse, if he did not call together an assembly of people; this he might do, and do much good thereby, without breaking the law. But, said Bunyan, if I may do good to one, why not to two? and if to two, why not to four, and so to eight, and so on? Aye, said the Clerk, and to a hundred, I warrant you! Yes, Bunyan answered, I think I should not be forbidden to do as much good as I can. They then began to discuss the question whether under pretence of doing good, harm might not be done, by seducing the people, and Bunyan allowed that there might be many who designed the destruction of the government: let them, he said, be punished, and let him be punished also should he do any thing not becoming a

man and a Christian; if error or heresy could be proved upon him, he would disown it, even in the market place; but to the truth, he would stand to the last drop of his blood. Bound in conscience he held himself, to obey all righteous laws, whether there were a king or not; and if he offended against them, patiently to bear the penalty. And to cut off all occasion of suspicion as touching the harmlessness of his doctrines, he would willingly give any one the notes of all his sermons, for he sincerely deeired to live in peace and to submit to the present authority. "But there are two ways of obeying," he observed; "the one to do that which I in my conscience do believe that I am bound to do, actively; and where I cannot obey actively, there I am willing to lie down, and to suffer what they shall do unto me." And here the interview ended, Bunyan thanking him for his "civil and meek discoursing," and breathing a wish that they might meet in Heaven."

Note C.-Page 62.

The following are Tyndal's words contained in the book referred to, and extracted by Ivimey. After reprobating severely the conduct of the Romish clergy for using a Latin form of words, he says, "The washynge without the word helpeth not; but thorow the word it purifyeth and clenseth us, as thou readest, Eph. 5. How Christe clenseth the congregation in the founteine of water thorow the word: the word is the promise which God hath made. Now as a preacher

in preaching the word of God saveth the hearers that beleve, so doeth the wasshinge in that it preacheth and representeth to us the promise that God hath made unto us in Christe, the wasshinge preacheth unto us that we are clensed wyth Christe's bloude shedynge which was an offering and a satisfaction for the synne of al that repent and beleve consentynge and submyttyne themselves unto the wyl of God. The plungyne into the water sygnyfyeth that we die and are burid with Chryste as cōserning ye old life of synne which is Adā. And the pulling out agayn sygnyfyeth that we ryse again with Christe in a new lyfe ful of the holye gooste which shal teach us, and gyde us, and work the wyll of God in us; as thou seest Rom. 6."

Note D.-Page 65.

PROFESSOR SEARS, of Newton Theological Institution, having once mentioned to the author in conversation, some remarks which he had heard from Dr. Neander, touching the case of Melancthon, in accordance with what is stated of him on page 65, in answer to a letter of inquiry for my own private information on that point, incidentally suggests the following additional facts. Planck, in his celebrated history of the Protestant Theology, in speaking of the divine manifestations to which some of the anabaptists laid claim, says, "though their revelations were not real, yet with such an honest enquirer after truth as Melancthon, it did not follow that all their doctrines were false. The former

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