CHAPTER XVII.

Ken's Sermon in the Abbey Church of Bath-The King touches for the Evil in the Abbey — Ken's conduct on the occafion — His letters to Archbishop Sancroft.

HE Bishop, having preached his Lent Sermon at Whitehall, returned as usual to his Diocese: we find him on the following Afcenfion day (5th May, 1687) in the Abbey Church of Bath, where he preached on Pfalm xlvii. 5. "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet." The Sermon itself is not extant: but we gather fome of its principal points from a scarce tract, published at the time by an Irish Jefuit. The author had been induced by fome high praises of the Bishop's eloquence to attend, for the first time in his life, the service of the Reformed Church, being "no lefs curious than defirous to hear him."

The tract is entitled, " ANIMADVERSIONS, by way of answer to a Sermon, preached by Dr. Thomas Kenne, Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, in the Cathedral Church of Bath, on Afcention-day laft, being the 5th of May, 1687:" It is dedicated to the King, and published " with allowance." It begins, "I was honoured, My Lord, with being one of your Auditors laft Afcention-day, in the afternoon, at the cathedral church of Bath. Your Lordship does not, I own,

want the parts of an Orator, and of an Evangelical one too, had you but fuck'd your doctrine (as St. John hath done) ' de facro Dominici pectoris fonte,' that is to fay within the Bofom of his only true Spouse on Earth, the Roman Catholic Church, Mother and Mistress of all visible churches."

The writer" was much astonished at the odd fight of a preacher beginning a Sermon without making the fign of the cross." He informs us that the Bishop "was a full hour and a half in chair." "I took notice that your Lordship gave a fling at the Pope's Supremacy, to which you show'd all averfion imaginable, and that because he is call'd Supream Spiritual Head of Chrift's Church on Earth. We call His Holiness, it is true, Supream Spiritual and Visible Head, Vicar of Jefus Chrift, and fucceffor to St. Peter, the first visible Head our Saviour hath ordained in his Church. I remember you faid that Jefus Chrift was, and is, the only Spiritual Head of His Church. You must needs know I admir'd* much your vehemency in protesting against that Church, which allows of Visible Spiritual Head: you flew to fuch eagerness of contradiction against this Spiritual Supremacy, that I thought you had fome folid authority to disprove the pretended abuse, till at laft I found you had no fuch proof in nature."_

any

"Let us now come to the controverfie of the last part, which was with much vehemency against the Real Prefence. I did no fooner hear your folemn proteftation against this Holy Sacrament, than imme

* i. e. was much astonished at.

C

diately I fuppofed you were an abjurator, ready to fwear point blank that Christ's most facred Humanity is not really and fubftantially on our altars in virtue of the facramental words: for I faw you exhorted with paffion your People not to be tottered by every blast of wind, that shall say Christ is on this altar, or Christ is on that altar, for Chrift is actually in Heaven, and shall continue there till He comes to judge at the end of the world.' In fine, I remember your Lordship protested mightily against Roman Catholics for coining and forgeing new Articles of Faith, as well in relation to Transubstantiation, as the Spiritual Supremacy, &c.' This is the substance, my Lord, of all the controvertible points I took notice of in your last Afcention Sermon."

On the subject of the Real Prefence, he fancies that he has made a discovery of the Bishop's contradicting his previous writings. "You are not conftant to yourself: for now you receive Chrift's Flesh and Blood virtually, now figuratively, another time spiritually by Faith, and in the Expofition of your Catechifm you contradict all. Your words, my Lord, are Catholick enough on paper, but quite contrary to what you teach in the Pulpit; for there you say that the Body and Blood of Christ is verily and indeed taken by the Faithful, and here you fay not at all: fometimes one way, and fometimes another, fpiritually to-day by Faith. only, and virtually to-morrow, and in your Catechifm you write indeed and verily.''

The Jefuit makes another fancied difcovery, and therein pays a tribute to the Bishop's holy life at the expense of his candour: "unless I be much mistaken, that day's controverfie was in order to take away all

fufpicion of your being Roman Catholickly inclined: for your Lordship living (as Seneca faith) fine impedimento, that is to fay, without a wife, and having the reputation of one that lives morally well, which is enough for the Rabble* to say you are Popishly affected, you undertook that day's work to take away the scandal, which had no other ground than your good works: thank then, my Lord, your own Church for this abuse, which proceeds from that unhappy Merit-killing doctrine, which drives out of your schools all good Works, and meritorious actions."

It appears the Jesuit could not resist his curiosity to hear once more the eloquent Bishop; for he went the next Friday to hear him preach again; he bestows only a short notice of reprobation on that fermon: "To this purpose (of meritorious actions) I remember the Friday following your Lordflip used all the means in your Instruction of Faith to perfuade your auditors that Abraham's juftification was for his faith, and not for his good works: all your proof was, because Abraham believed before he was circumcifed," &c. " I think I cannot deal fairer with your Lordship than remit you to the western window of that cathedral, wherein I heard you preach, and there you will find in capital letters your own judgment,† drawn out of the 2nd chapter of St. James v. 26. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so Faith without good Works is Dead alfo.""

<

* Wood fays of this tract, "never was fo much ignorance and impudence in so small a Pamphlet expreffed, as the true sons of the Church of England usually said." † i. e. refutation.

It is difficult to fay who was the author of this Tract. He published only his initials F. I. R., defignating himself "a moft loyal Irish fubject, of the Company of Jefuits." No doubt he was an attendant of the Queen, who was at this time drinking the Bath waters. He could not perform a more dutiful service to royalty than to attack fo eminent a Bishop in his paftoral chair he "confecrates himself, and this little paper, together with all the faculties of his foul and body, to His most facred Majefty's spiritual and temporal service;" and prays that "your Majefty and your Royal Confort may be fettled on a Throne of Glory in Heaven, after living a full century of years in all profperity on earth, to the perfect converfion of all your fubjects."

We shall fee how effectually James thwarted the latter part part of this good wifh. His object now was to perfuade the Parliament to confirm by statute his Declaration of Indulgence. But the Members remained ftedfaft: he mifcalculated the English character in fuppofing that they would barter their deareft rights for the empty condefcenfions of the royal interviews, which served rather to confirm their fenfe of the public danger, than to win their concurrence. If the only high way to his favour lay through Rome, they were not prepared for fuch a journey. "Moft of the Parliament men were spoken to in His Mjty's closet, and such as refused, if in any place or office of trust, civil or military, were put out of their employments. This was a time of great trial, but hardly one of them asfented, which put the Popish intereft much backward.”*

Evelyn's Diary, vol. i. p. 636.