rector of Bury, preached a sermon in the Collegiate Church of Manchester, against corrupting the word of God, which he afterwards published. This was suggested in animadversion of certain translations of the holy writ by dissenters. An answer was written to it, which caused two rejoinders.-The discussion is scarcely worth notice.

At the end of the seventeenth, or beginning of the eighteenth century, the Presbyterians of Lancashire dwindled in number. It was, for instance, made the subject of complaint, that in the north of the county, so great was the profaneness of Popery, Presbyterian ministers had not a subsistence. Another cause was the great exertions made by the zealous clergy of the Church of England to regain their flocks, which was particularly conspicuous in Manchester, then the head-quarters of Presbyterianism. The eloquent pleading of Dr Wroe, for example, that the Church of England was the most undefiled church in Christendom, and his frequent admonitions to his parishioners, that they would preserve themselves free from the errors and contaminations of other sects, were successful. Owing to these various circumstances, Presbyterianism languished; the last provincial meeting taking place on the 13th of August 1700. From this time, therefore, no class of dissenters was strictly Presbyterian. Every dissenting chapel becoming necessarily governed by its own proper officers, the Presbyterians of Lancashire were thus led to adopt the principles of their old, and hitherto irreconcileable, opponents, the Independents; and being, consequently, no longer under the constraint of their old jealous discipline, which had assuredly preserved them sound in the original articles of their faith, they from this time broached very miscellaneous doctrines; adopting opinions which variously led to Calvinism and Anabaptism, Arianism and Unitarianism. '

с

There was again a third religious party which is entitled to some little notice in the annals of this period. After the memorable trial in Manchester of the Lancashire jacobites, which was considered in its result as a triumph to the accused, the numerous Roman Catholic priests and jesuits in the county did not hesitate to attach to the whigs and Presbyterians the infamy due to perjured witnesses,

The late Presbyterians of Manchester have for the last century rather verged towards arianism and unitarianism than Calvinism. For in a controversial pamphlet written in the year 1748, by Mr Owen, a dissenting minister in the neighbourhood, the charge of their being Calvinists is disclaimed in the following notice: "As to Calvinistic dissenters," it is replied, " 'tis presumed there are not many in Manchester; perhaps none that affect to distinguish themselves by that name."

and were induced to urge more openly the superiority of their own ecclesiastical tenets, with the view of winning over to their communion such of the Protestant tories as had joined them in the cause of James. This was no sooner noticed by the whigs, than they promptly forwarded a petition to Parliament, with bitter complaints of the insolence and attempts of Popish priests. A bill was in consequence brought in, decreeing a further reward to such persons as should discover and convict Popish priests and jesuits, and perpetual imprisonment for any who might be convicted on the oath of one or more witnesses. It also enacted, that no person being a Papist, born after the 21st day of March ensuing, should be capable of inheriting any title of honour or estate within the kingdom of England, dominion of Wales, or town of Berwick-upon-Tweed; and that no Papist should be capable of purchasing any lands, tenements, or hereditaments either in his own. name, or in the name of other persons in trust for him. After some alterations this bill was sent up to the Lords, and obtained the royal assent. It was, however, very happily deficient in certain necessary clauses to enforce execution, so that in the sequel it was little regarded. It caused, nevertheless, in Lancashire, so hot a pursuit after Roman Catholic priests and teachers, that an individual of this body, supposed to have been a missionary from St Omers, in order the more easily to elude detection, assumed the character of a non-conformist preacher, and actually hired himself out as an assistant to Mr Chorlton, the minister of the dissenting congregation at Manchester. He was detected and fled. "

d

8. Dr Wroe's Sermon on the Accession to the Throne of Queen Anne. In the month of March 1702, William the Third, who had survived his

queen

d This information is contained in the following extract of a letter from a zealous and excellent antiquary, the Reverend James Hunter of Bath, addressed to Thomas Heywood, Esq. of Swinton:-" About the year 1699, there is an entry in Oliver Heywood's diary to the following effect: Strange news of Mr Chorlton's assistant's running away.' This assistant appears to have been a very extraordinary man. In his flight he went to Hull, and there, under another name and character, he made the acquaintance of Abraham De la Pryme, then lecturer at the great church of that town.* De la Pryme, like Oliver Heywood, kept his diary, which is now in my custody, in which we have much respecting this person, whose previous history, De la Pryme, who was a bitter enemy of non-conformity, afterwards learned. He disappeared from Hull, and De la Pryme, whom he had quite astonished by his eloquence and his various, and, as he thought, profound learning, came to the conclusion, that he was a Catholic missionary from St Omers, and not a Jesuit.

"De la Pryme," says Mr Hunter, "took a great interest in the business of the Surrey Demoniac, and prepared a learned treatise upon it with the intention of publishing."

eight years, died, and was succeeded by Anne, daughter of James the Second by his first wife, who was married to Prince George of Denmark.

f

The accession of this Protestant princess to the throne, which seemed acceptable to all parties, was particularly grateful to Dr Wroe. He had witnessed, with unbounded satisfaction, some of the first acts of the Queen, one of which was out of the royal share of the tithes, to increase the value of vicarages for the benefit of the poorer clergy, which generous provision acquired ever afterwards the name of Queen Anne's Bounty. The other was for putting in increased force a project of the former reign, which was to extend the blessings of the Gospel to distant colonies. " These beneficent provisions were so gratifying to Dr Wroe, that his first care was to enforce the duty of the subject's obedience to good governors. This exhortation he eloquently urged in the sermon which he delivered on the 8th of March 1704, being the day of the Queen's accession to the throne. Perhaps, however, it may be objected to this discourse, that Dr Wroe resorted to too cautious reasoning in the very difficult attempt to reconcile the two great parties of his congregation. But, in the case of a pious clergyman, who looked less to the progress of political contentions than to the ultimate good of his church, this conciliatory mode of arguing will find a ready excuse. He admitted with the tories, that God, who governs the world by his Providence, dispensed it by inferior powers, setting up magistrates as his deputies and vicegerents, and, through their influence over

The following account of Queen Anne's Bounty is extracted from an ecclesiastical writer : "A. D. 1704, on February 7th, the Queen ordered Secretary Hodges to tell the House of Commons, that she had remitted the arrears of the tenths to the poor clergy: that she would grant her whole revenue, arising out of the first fruits and tenths, as far as it should become free from incumbrance, as an augmentation of their maintenance: and that, if the House of Commons could find any method by which her intention to the poor clergy might be made more effectual, it would be an advantage to the public, and acceptable to her majesty. The commons immediately brought in a bill, enabling her to alienate this branch of the revenue, and to create a corporation by charter, to direct the application of it to the uses proposed. They likewise repealed the statute of mortmain, so far as to allow all men to bequeath by will, or grant by deed, any sum they should think fit to give towards the augmentation of benefices. Addresses of thanks from all the clergy of England were presented to her majesty for her gracious bounty ;-but very little regard was paid to Gilbert Burnet, Bishop of Sarum, although the Queen declared that prelate author of the project."-History of Religion by an Impartial Hand.

f I find it noticed, that, about the year 1693, Dr Thomas Bray, an active divine, formed a plan for propagating the Gospel in foreign countries; and that missionaries, catechisms, liturgies, and other books for the instruction of ignorant people, were sent to the English colonies in America.

the affairs of men, distributing the greatest blessings of this world. But he avoided discussing the question, whether bad magistrates might be lawfully deposed by the people for a breach of their divine trust; remarking, that such were the virtues of the present queen, that the grievances of the people under an evil reign needed this day no discussion, and contenting himself with the words of the text which he had judiciously selected: "WHEN THE RIGHTEOUS ARE IN AUTHORITY, THE PEOPLE REJOICE; BUT WHEN THE WICKED BEARETH RULE, THE PEOPLE MOURN." This part of Dr Wroe's sermon may merit quotation.

66

Mankind," said the warden, "being a compound nature, made up of two different parts, spirit and body, has relation to several states; that which is present, and that which is to come. Happiness is the common centre of both; and the happiness of a future state depends upon man's behaviour in this, suitable to the principles of his nature and constitution. And man being a reasonable, and withal a sociable creature, made for society and converse, God has prescribed him certain rules and laws, as well to direct his own actions, as to regulate his conversation to others, that he may share the common benefits of society and communion. God governs the world by his providence, but dispenses it by inferior powers, and sets up magistrates as his deputies and vicegerents, and through their influence over the affairs of mankind, we derive the greatest blessings of this world, as peace and property, plenty and security, and whatever else tends to make our lives easy and comfortable.-And did men rightly understand the benefits and advantages of government, and the blessing of good governors, they would value it as the gift of God, and the favoured indulgence of Heaven, and bless God for it, and rejoice under the shadow of it. Doubtless all good men do so, and so ought all men to do, not only to reckon it their privilege to enjoy it, but to rejoice in it. And we shall easily see what reason they have for their exultation from the import of these words, WHEN THE RIGHTEOUS ARE IN AUTHORITY, THE PEOPLE REJOICE; BUT WHEN THE WICKED BEARETH RULE, THE PEOPLE MOURN.

The

"The words,” continued the warden, "imply two things; first, The basis of a lasting government, or the true foundation of a people's happiness, which consists in righteous rulers,—when the RIGHTEOUS ARE IN AUTHORITY: Secondly, The subjects' sense of their happiness, and satisfaction in it; THE PEOPLE REJOICE. other part of the verse gives the reverse of the scene, and represents the danger and discontents of the people under wicked and licentious governors; WHEN THE WICKED BEARETH RULE, THE PEOPLE MOURN. But we have not this day, and I hope never shall, have occasion to unfold this melancholy scene, and expose the mis

chiefs of an evil reign, and the grievances of a people under it: And it is a pity to sully the lustre of the day with the sables of sadness and mourning."

Dr Wroe then proceeded to pay a tribute of gratitude to Queen Anne for her generous bounty to the poorer clergy. "The generous gift of the first fruits and tenths to the augmentation of poor vicarages, and the better support and maintenance of the indigent clergy, is such a noble piece of bounty and charity, as is fit only for a princess, and becoming a religious queen. And her desire, that it may be made a perpetual fund by authority of Parliament, will perpetuate her memory, and record her bounty to succeeding ages, and engage their hearty prayers for her long life and prosperity, who are fed by her bounty and charity. -May her pious example be imitated by others, that the poverty of the Church may not occasion the contempt of the clergy, nor the meanness of her revenues be any longer a disgrace to religion, and the scandal of the nation!"

Lastly, Dr Wroe commended, after the following manner, the great interest manifested by the Queen in the extension of the Gospel to distant colonies. "Her Majesty's care of the church is also extended as far as her authority over it, and reaches foreign ports and plantations, and endeavours the propagation of it abroad, as well as the reformation of it at home;-a thing not yet so well known as it should be, nor so much valued as it ought to be: I mean the society for propagating the Gospel, and planting the true religion of it in our plantations, and other foreign parts;-a design formed indeed near the end of the last reign, but encouraged and assisted by our gracious Queen, and carried on by an illustrious body, or society of men incorporated for that end, and cheerfully contributing both their endeavours and purses to promote so good a work; which is the settling and maintaining ministers in all our factories, and furnishing them with books and other helps, as well for the instruction and edification of their flocks, as the conversion of infidels,—an attempt truly great and noble, and which ought to be as general, as its influence is likely to be universal. I wish all good men were better acquainted with it, as I believe they would heartily concur in it, and cheerfully contribute to it; especially, since it removes that scandal objected to us by the Papists, that we never had any such society, nor attempted any conversions of infidels and unbelievers, but have carried on our trade in foreign parts, to the ends of gain, but without any concern for the honour of God and religion. Blessed be God that the reproach is wiped away, and the design carried on under the umbrage and protection of a religious Queen, through whose encouragement we hope for the blessing of God, and success!" g

8 This sermon, which was afterwards published at the request of Dr Wroe's hearers, is entitled