tically explained this doctrine of the Real Prefence ; fo now, without any fhadow of modification, he repeats the avowal, thus teftifying his matured conformity to that Catholic Truth-founded on the clear letter of Holy Scripture,—taught by the most ancient Liturgies, which we may believe to have accorded, in the main points, with the services of the Apoftolic age, unanimously held by the Primitive Fathers,— and expressed in the ritual of our own orthodox Church, in which he lived and died. It cannot be too often impressed on all enquirers after Truth, that in his last will Ken thus expreffed himself; "As for my Religion, I die in the Holy Catholic and Apoftolic Faith, professed by the whole Church before the difunion of Eaft and Weft: more particularly I die in the Communion of the Church of England, as it stands diftinguished from all Papal and Puritan innovations, and as it adheres to the Doctrine of the Cross.' "* * Hawkins's Life of Ken, p. 27. CHAPTER XIII. Measures of James II. for establishing Romanism—Ken's Paftoral Letter to his Clergy-His Sermon at Whitehall, upholding the Church of England-His boldness, and eloquence as a Preacher-The King's Declaration of Indulgence. UBLIC jealousy and discontent began now to forebode a coming ftorm, which called the Bishop from the Palace at Wells to a more stirring sphere of action. Notwithstanding the King's open profeffion of Romanifm, the people had been at first disposed to trust the promise of his coronation oath, that he would maintain the integrity of the Church of England. Nothing could be more explicit than that oath. The ceremony is thus described by Sandford; "Then the Petition or request of the Bishops to the King was read by the Bishop of Gloucester in a clear voice, in the name of the rest standing by, "Our Lord and King; we request you to pardon us and to grant and preserve unto us, and the churches committed to our charge, all canonical privileges, and due law and justice, and that you will protect and defend us, as every good King in his kingdom ought to be Protector, and Defender of the Bishops, and churches under their Government.' "The King answered, 'With a willing and devout heart I promise to grant you my pardon, and that I will preserve and maintain to you, and the churches committed to your charge, all canonical privileges, and due law and justice; and that I will be your Protector and Defender, to my power, by the affiftance of God, as every good King in his kingdom ought in right to protect and defend the Bishops, and churches under their government.' “Then the King rose from his chair, and being attended by the Lord Great Chamberlain, and fupported by the two Bishops (Ken and Crewe), and the fword of ftate carried before him, he went to the altar, and laying his hand upon the Evangelists, took the Oath following; The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God, and the contents of this Book.' And then he kiffed the Book."* His zeal, however, for the Romish Church foon prompted him to violate this pledge, and engaged him in an enterprize that could only fucceed by the proftration of the laws and liberties which he had fworn to maintain. The House of Commons, in the previous reign, had paffed refolutions to exclude him from the fucceffion on the ground of his avowed religion. This might have indicated to him the firm refolve of the people to maintain the Anglican faith. But he would risk all, rather than compromise his tenets by any difguife. No fooner was he feated on the throne than he bent his whole mind to the establishment of what he confidered to be the only true Church; doubtlefs from a vivid fenfe of refponfibilities, that lay beyond the "judgment of man's day." So far he challenges our refpect. At no period, before or after his dethronement, did he fwerve from this fixed principle. He ftaked his * King James's Coronation: by Francis Sandford, folio, 1587. crown in the cause of his religion; and fanatic though he might be, and tyrant as he was, his felf-facrifice was an act of perfonal devotion. In one of his letters, when Duke of York, he writes, "Pray, once for all, never fay any thing to me again of turning Proteftant: do not expect it, or flatter yourself that I shall ever be it. I never fhall; and if occafion were, I hope God would give me His grace to fuffer death for the true Catholic religion, as well as banishment. What I have done was not haftily, but upon mature confideration, and foreseeing all, and more than has yet happened to me."* James was not wanting in qualities, which in all ages have fitted men to bend others to their own will. He was of undoubted courage in the field, untiring in attention to business, frugal of his revenue, zealous even to hardihood in the pursuit of his ends, reckless of the means for their attainment, decifive, and tenaciously firm of purpose. But with these he had the correfponding faults; being felf-confident, regardless of counsel, and therefore precipitate, and forgetful of the leffons of experience. He knew not the art to govern men by their fympathies, their prejudices, and their interefts and he was fingularly unobfervant of the real character of those about him, confiding where he fhould have fufpected,-mistrustful where he might have repofed the fulleft confidence. : Either of his fondly cherished defigns would have demanded all the patience and skill of a confummate tactician;—the one being to make himself an absolute * Lord Dartmouth's MSS. notes on Burnet, vol. i. p. 358. King over a brave people, whose free institutions were endeared to them by chequered but fuccessful struggles; -the other, to re-establish, under the dominion of the Pope, a worship that had been rendered odious to them by cruel persecutions. The influence he had exercised in the foreign policy of his brother's reign tended to increase the public prejudice against him. Even his own naval battles were coldly thought of: it is true, they sustained the English character for undaunted bravery, but were directed rather to weaken their Proteftant allies, the Dutch, than to humble the pride of Louis. The nation, divided between attachment to the pure and primitive Church of England, and the stubborn spirit of Puritanism, concurred in a hearty repugnance to Romish doctrines and government. All were roused to a deeper averfion by the King's hafty introduction of foreign priests and Jesuits, and of pompous ceremonials, which both parties confidered to be an unreal mockery of worship. This was aggravated by a folemn but futile embaffy to the Pope, for the avowed purpose of reconciling the three kingdoms to the Roman fee. The King pursued his objects with infatuated zeal. He not only dispensed with the affiftance of Parliament, and raised a large standing army, but yielded himself to the guidance of a priestly junto, and the interested counsels of Louis, contrary to the advice of the Pope himself, who forefaw the fatal results of fo unequal a contest. The activity, and inceffant arts of the Jesuits, to diffeminate their publications among the people, are |