of this good man began to spread, the Coligui, admiral of France, was basely pope and his clergy joined all their forces murdered in his own house, and then to hinder their progress. A general thrown out of the window to gratify the council of the clergy was called: this malice of the duke of Guise: his head was the famous council of Trent, which was afterwards cut off, and sent to the was held for near eighteen successive king and queen-mother; and his body, years, for the purpose of establishing after a thousand indignities offered to it, popery in greater splendour, and pre hung by the feet on a gibbet. After venting the reformation. The friends to this the murderers ravaged the whole the reformation wereanathematized and city of Paris, and butchered in three excommunicated, and the life of Lu-days, above ten thousand lords, gentlether was often in danger, though at last men, presidents and people of all ranks. he died on the bed of peace. From time A horrible scene of things, says Thuato time innumerable schemes were sug-nus, when the very streets and pasgested to overthrow the reformed sengers resounded with the noise of church, and wars were set on foot for those that met together for murder and the same purpose. The invincible ar- plunder; the groans of those who were mada, as it was vainly called, had the dying, and the shrieks of such as were same end in view. The inquisition, just going to be butchered, were every which was established in the twelfth where heard; the bodies of the slain century against the Waldenses (See thrown out of the windows; the courts INQUISITION) was now more effectually and chambers of the houses filled with set to work. Terrible persecutions them; the dead bodies of others dragwere carried on in various parts of Ger-ged through the streets; their blood many, and even in Bohemia, which continued about thirty years, and the blood of the saints was said to flow like rivers of water. The countries of Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary, were in a similar manner deluged with Protestant blood. In HOLLAND, and in the other Low Countries, for many years the most amazing cruelties were exercised under the merciless and unrelenting hands of the Spaniards, to whom the inhabitants of that part of the world were then in subjection. Father Paul observes, that these Belgic martyrs were 50,000; but Grotius and others observe, that there were 100,000 who suffered by the hand of the executioner. Herein, however, Satan and his agents failed of their purpose; for in the issue great part of the Netherlands shook off the Spanish yoke, and erected themselves into a separate and independent state, which has ever since been considered as one of the principal Protestant countries of the universe. running through the channels in such plenty, that torrents seemed to empty themselves in the neighbouring river; in a word, an innumerable multitude of men, women with child, maidens, and children, were all involved in one common destruction; and the gates and entrances of the king's palace all besmeared with their blood. From the city of Paris the massacre spread throughout the whole kingdom. In the city of Meaux they threw above two hundred into gaol; and after they had ravished and killed a great number of women, and plundered the houses of the Protestants, they executed their fury on those they had imprisoned; and calling them one by one, they were killed, as Thuanus expresses, like sheep in a market. In Orleans they murdered above five hundred, men, women, and children, and enriched themselves with the spoil. The same cruelties were practised at Angers, Troyes, Bouges, La Charite, and especially at Lyons, where they inhumanly destroyed above eight hundred Protestants; children No country, perhaps, has ever pro- hanging on their parents' necks; parents duced more martyrs than this. After embracing their children; putting ropes many cruelties had been exercised about the necks of some, dragging them against the Protestants, there was a through the streets, and throwing them, most violent persecution of them in the mangled, torn, and half dead, into the year 1572, in the reign of Charles IX. river. According to Thuanus, above Many of the principal Protestants were 30.000 Protestants were destroyed in invited to Paris under a solemn oath of this massacre; or, as others affirm, safety, upon occasion of the marriage of above 100,000. But what aggravates the king of Navarre with the French these scenes with still greater wantonking's sister. The queen dowager of ness and cruelty, was, the manner in Navarre, a zealous Protestant, how-which the news was received at Rome. ever, was poisoned by a pair of gloves When the letters of the pope's legate before the marriage was solemnized. were read in the assembly of the car FRANCE. years old, who, with hands and eyes lifted up to heaven, cried out, "My God, help me!" and when they found the youthi resolved to die rather than renounce his religion, they snatched him from the fire burnt. In several places the soldiers applied red hot irons to the hands and feet of men, and the breasts of women. At Nantes, they hung up several women and maids by their feet, and others by their arm-pits, and thus exposed them to public view stark naked. They bound mothers, that gave suck, to posts, and let their sucking infants lie languishing in their sight for several days and nights, crying and gasping for life. Some they bound before a great fire, and, being half roasted, let them go; a punishment worse than death. Amidst a thousand hideous cries, they hung up men and women by the hair, and some by their feet, on hooks in chimneys, and smoked them with wisps of wet hay till they were suffocated. They tied some dinals, by which he assured the pope that all was transacted by the express will and command of the king, it was immediately decreed that the pope should march with his cardinals to the church of St. Mark, and in the most so-just as he was on the point of being lemn manner give thanks to God for so great a blessing conferred on the see of Rome and the Christian world; and that, on the Monday after, solemn mass should be celebrated in the church of Minerva, at which the pope, Gregory, XIII. and cardinals were present; and that a jubilee should be published throughout the whole Christian world, and the cause of it declared to be, to return thanks to God for the extirpation of the enemies of the truth and church in France. In the evening the cannon of St. Angelo were fired to testify the public joy; the whole city illuminated with bonfires; and no one sign of rejoicing omitted that was usually made for the greatest victories obtained in favour of the Roman church!!! But all these persecutions were, how-ander the arms with ropes, and plunged ever, far exceeded in cruelty by those which took place in the time of Louis XIV. It cannot be pleasant to any man's feelings, who has the least humanity, to recite these dreadful scenes of horror, cruelty, and devastation; but to show what superstition, bigotry, and fanaticism, are capable of producing, and for the purpose of holding up the spirit of persecution to contempt, we shall here give as concise a detail as possible. The troopers, soldiers, and dragoons, went into the Protestants' houses, where they marred and defaced their household stuff; broke their looking-glasses and other utensils; threw about their corn and wine; sold what they could not destroy; and thus, in four or five days, the Protestants were stripped of above a million of money. But this was not the worst: they turned the dining rooms of gentlemen into stables for horses, and treated the owners of the houses where they quartered with the greatest cruelty, lashing them about, not suffering them to eat or drink. When they saw the blood and sweat run down their faces, they sluiced them with water, and, putting over their heads kettle-drums turned upside down, they made a continual din upon them till these unhappy creatures lost their senses. At Negreplisse, a town near Montaubon, they hung up Isaac Favin, a Protestant citizen of that place, by his arm pits, and tormented him a whole night by pinching and tearing off his flesh with pincers. They made a great fire round about a boy, twelve them again and again into wells; they bound others,put them to the torture,and with a funnel filled them with wine till the fumes of it took away their reason, when they made them say they consented to be Catholics. They stripped them naked, and,after a thousand indignities, stuck them with pins and needles from head to foot. In some places they tied fathers and husbands to their bed-posts, and, before their eyes, ravished their wives and daughters with impunity They blew up men and women with bellows till they burst them. If any, to escape these barbarities, endeavoured to save themselves by flight, they pursued them into the fields and woods, where they shot at them, like wild beasts, and prohibited them from departing the kingdom (a cruelty never practised by Nero or Dioclesian,) upon pain of confiscation of effects, the galleys, the lash, and perpetual imprisonment. With these scenes of desolation and horror the popish clergy feasted their eyes, and made only matter of laughter and sport of them!!! ENGLAND has also been the seat of much persecution. Though Wickliffe, the first reformer, died peaceably in his bed, yet such was the malice and spirit of persecuting Rome, that his bones were ordered to be dug up, and cast upon a || dunghill. The remains of this excellent man were accordingly dug out of the grave, where they had lain undisturbed four-and-forty years. His bones were burnt, and the ashes cast into an ac joining brook. In the reign of Henry || without any exception, to all the rites VIII. Bilney, Bayman, and many other and ceremonies of the church of Eng. reformers were burnt; but when queen land. Above five hundred c'ergy were Mary came to the throne, the most se- immediately silenced, or degraded, for vere persecutions took place. Hooper not complying. Some were excommuand Rogers were burnt in a slow fire. nicated, and some banished the country. Saunders was cruelly tormented a long The Dissenters were distressed, centime at the stake before he expired. sured, and fined, in the Star-chamber. Taylor was put into a barrel of pitch, Two persons were burnt for heresy, one and fire set to it. Eight illustrious per- at Smithfield, and the other at Litchsons, among whom was Ferrar, bishop field. Worn cut with endless vexations, of St. David's, were sought out, and burnt and unceasing persecutions, many reby the infamous Bonner in a few days. tired into Holland, and from thence to Sixty-seven persons were this year, America. It is witnessed by a judicious A. D. 1555, burnt, amongst whom were historian, that, in this and some followthe famous Protestants, Bradford, Riding reigns, 22,000 persons were banishley, Latimer, and Philpot. In the following year, 1556, eighty-five persons were burnt. Women suffered; and one, in the flames, which burst her womb, being near her time of delivery, a child fell from her into the fire, which being snatched out by some of the observers more humane than the rest, the magistrate ordered the babe to be again thrown into the fire, and burnt. Thus even the unborn child was. burnt for heresy! O God, what is huiman nature when left to itself! Alas! dispositions ferocious as infernal then reign and usurp the heart of man! The queen erected a commission court, which was followed by the destruction of near eighty more. Upon the whole, the number of those who suffered death for the reformed religion in this reign, were no less than two hundred and Seventy-seven persons; of whom were five bishops, twenty-one clergymen, eight gentlemen, eighty-four trades. men, one hundred husbandmen, labourers, and servants, fifty-five women, and four children. Besides these, there were fifty-four more under prosecution, seven of whom were whipped, and sixteen perished in prison. Nor was the reign of Elizabeth free from this persecuting spirit. If any one refused to consent to the least ceremony in worship, he was cast into prison, where many of the most excellent men in the land perished. Two Protestant Anabaptists were burnt, and many banished. She also, it is said, put two Brownists to death; and though her whole reign was distinguished for its political prosperity, yet it is evident that she did not understand the rights of conscience; for it is said that more sanguinary laws were made in her reign than in any of her predeces sors, and her hands were stained with the blood both of Papists and Puritans. James I. succeeded Elizabeth: he published a proclamation, commanding all Protestants to conform strictly, and ed from England by persecution to America. In Charles the First's time arose the persecuting Laud, who was the occasion of distress to numbers. Dr. Leighton, for writing a book against the hierarchy, was fined ten thousand pounds, perpetual imprisonment, and whipping. He was whipped, and then placed in the pillory; one of his ears cut off, one side of his ncse slit ; branded on the cheek with a red bot iron, with the letters S S. whipped a second time, and placed in the pillory. A fortnight afterwards, his sores being yet uncured, he had the other ear cut off, the other side of his nose slit, and the other cheek branded. He continued in prison till the long parliament set him at liberty. About four years afterwards, William Prynn, a barrister, for a book he wrote against the sports on the Lord's day, was deprived from practising at Lincon's Inn, degraded from his degree at Oxford, set in the pillory, had his ears cut off, imprisoned for life, and fined five thousand pounds. Nor were the Presbyterians, when their government came to be established in England, free from the charge of persecution. In 1645 an ordinance was published, subjecting all who preached or wrote against the Presbyterian directory for public worship to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds; and imprisonment for a year, for the third offence, in using the episcopal book of common prayer, even in a private family. In the following year the Presbyterians applied to Parliament, pressing them to enforce uniförmity in religion, and to extirpate popery, prelacy, heresy, schism, &c, but their petition was rejected; yet in 1648 the parliament, ruled by them, published an ordinance against heresy, and determined that any person who maintained, published, or defended the following errors, should suffer death. These errors were. 1. Denying the being of a God-2. Denying his omni. présence, omniscience, &c.-3. Denying | narch at the revolution. Spain, Italy, the Trinity in any way.-4. Denying and the valley of piedmont, and other that Christ had two natures.-5. Deny- places, have been the seats of much ing the resurrection, the atonement, the persecution. Popery, we see has had Scriptures. In Charles the Second's the greatest hand in this mischievous reign the act of uniformity passed, by work. It has to answer, also, for the which two thousand clergymen were lives of millions of Jews, Mahometans, deprived of their benefices. Then fol- and barbarians. When the Moors conlowed the conventicle act, and the Ox-quered Spain, in the Eighth century, ford act, under which, it is said, eight they allowed the Christians the free exthousand persons were imprisoned and|ercise of their religion; but in the fifreduced to want, and many to the grave. teenth century, when the Moors were In this reign also, the Quakers were overcome, and Ferdinand subdued the much persecuted, and numbers of them Moriscoes, the descendants of the above imprisoned. Thus we see how England Moors, many thousands were forced to has bled under the hand of bigotry and be baptized, or burnt, massacred, or persecution; nor was toleration enjoy-banished, and the children sold for ed until William III. came to the throne, who showed himself a warm friend to the rights of conscience. The accession of the present royal family was auspicious to religious liberty; and as their majesties have always befriended the toleration, the spirit of persecu tion has been long curbed. IRELAND. slaves; besides innumerable Jews, who shared the same cruelties, chiefly by means of the infernal courts of inquisition. A worse slaughter, if possible, was made among the natives of Spanish America, where fifteen millions are said to have been sacrificed to the genius of popery in about forty years. It has been computed that fifty millions of has likewise been drenched with the Protestants have at different times been blood of the Protestants, forty or fifty the victims of the persecutions of the thousand of whom were cruelly mur-Papists, and put to death for their redered in a few days, in different parts ligious opinions. Well, therefore, might of the kingdom, in the reign of Charles the inspired penman say, that at mystic I. It began on the 23d of October,|| Babylon's destruction,' was found in her 1641. Having secured the principal the blood of prophets, of saints, and of gentlemen, and seized their effects, they all that was slain upon the earth,' Rev. murdered the common people in cold xviii. 24. blood, forcing many thousands to fly To conclude this article, Who can from their houses and settlements na- peruse the account here given without ked into the bogs and woods, where they feeling the most painful emotions, and perished with hunger and cold. Some dropping a tear over the madness and they whipped to death, others they depravity of mankind? Does it not show stripped naked, and exposed to shame, us what human beings are capable of and then drove them like herds of when influenced by superstition, biswine to perish in the mountains: many gotry, and prejudice? Have not these hundreds were drowned in rivers, some baneful principles metamorphosed men had their throats cut, others were dis-into infernals; and entirely extinguishmembered. With some the execrable villains made themselves sport, trying who could hack the deepest into an En glish man's flesh: wives and young virgins abused in the presence of their nearest relations; nay, they taught their children to strip and kill the children of the English, and dash out their brains against the stones. Thus many thousands were massacred in a few days,|| without distinction of age,sex,or quality, before they suspected their danger, or had time to provide for their defence. ed all the feelings of humanity, the dictates of conscience, and the voice of reason? Alas! what has sin done to make mankind such curses to one another? Merciful God! by thy great power suppress this worst of all evils, and let truth and love, meekness and forbearance universally prevail! Limborch's Introduction to his History of the Inquisition ; Memoirs of the Perse. cutions of the Protestants in France by Lewis De Enarolles; Comber's History of the Parisian Massacre of St. BarSCOTLAND, SPAIN, &c. tholomew; A. Robinson's History of Besides the above-mentioned perse- Persecution; Lockman's History of cutions, there have been several others || Popish Persec. Clark's Looking-Glass carried on in different parts of the for Persecutors; Doddridge's Sermon world. Scotland for many years together on Persecution; Jortin's ditto,ser. 9. vol. has been the scene of cruelty and blood-iv. Bower's Lives of the Popes; Fox's shed, till it was delivered by the mo- Martyre; Woodrow's History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland; verance of the saints is not produced by any native principles in themselves, but by the agency of the Holy Spirit, enlightening, confirming, and establishing PERSEVERANCE is the contin- them, of course, they must persevere, uance in any design, state, opinion, or or otherwise it would be a reflection on course of action. The perseverance of this Divine agent, Rom. viii. 9. 1 Cor. the saints is their continuance in a state vi. 11. John, iv. 14. John, xvi. 14.-4. of grace to a state of glory. This doc- Lastly, the declarations and promises of trine has afforded considerable matter Scripture are very numerous in favour for controversy between the Calvinists of this doctrine, Job, xvii. 9. Psal. xciv. and Arminians. We shall briefly here 14. Psal. cxxv. Jer. xxxii. 40. John, x. state the arguments and objections. 28. John, xvii. 12. 1 Cor. i. 8, 9. 1 Pet. And, first, the perfections of God are i. 5. Prov. iv. 18. all which could not considered as strong arguments to prove be true, if this doctrine were false. this doctrine. God, as a Being possess - There are objections, however, to this ed of infinite love, faithfulness, wisdom, doctrine, which we must state.-1. and power, can hardly be supposed to There are various threatenings desuffer any of his people finally to fall nounced against those who apostatize, into perdition. This would be a re- Ezek. iii. 20. Heb. vi. 3, 6. Psal. cxxxv. flection on his attributes, and argue him 3.-5. Ezek. xviii. 24. To this it is anto be worse than a common father of swered, that some of these texts do not his family. His love to his people is so much as suppose the falling away of unchangeable, and therefore they can- a truly good man; and to all of them, it not be the objects of it at one time and is said, that they only show what would not at another, John, xiii. 1. Zeph. iii. be the consequence if such should fall 17. Jer. xxxi. 3. His faithfulness to away; but cannot prove that it ever in them and to his promise is not founded fact happens.-2. It is foretold as a fu upon their merit, but his own will and ture event that some should fall away, goodness: this, therefore, cannot be vio Matt. xxiv. 12, 13. John, xv. 6. Matt. lated, Mal. iii. 6. Numb. xxiii. 19. His xiii. 20, 21. To the first of these paswisdom foresees every obstacle in the sages it is answered, that their love way, and is capable of removing it, and might be said to wax cold without todirecting them into the right path. It tally ceasing; or there might have been would be a reflection on his wisdom, af- an outward zeal and show of love where ter choosing a right end, not to choose there never was a true faith. To the right means in accomplishing the same, second it is answered, that persons may Jer. x, 6, 7. His tower is insuperable, be said to be in Christ only by an exterand is absolutely and perpetually dis- nal profession, or mere members of the played in their preservation and pro- visible church, John, xv. 2. Matt. xiii. tection, 1 Peter, i. 5.-2. Another argu- 47, 48. As to Matthew, ch. xiii. v. 20, ment to prove this doctrine is their union 21. it is replied, that this may refer to to Christ, and what he has done for the joy with which some may entertain them. They are said to be chosen in the offers of pardon, who, never, afhim, Eph. i. 4. united to him, Eph. i. 23, || ter all, attentively considered them.—3. the purchase of his death, Rom. viii. 34. It is objected that many have in fact Tit. ii. 14; the objects of his interces- fallen away, as David, Solomon, Peter, sion, Rom. v. 10. Rom. viii. 34. 1 John, Alexander, Hymeneus, &c. To which ii. 1, 2. Now if there be a possibility of it is answered, that David, Solomon,and their finally falling, then this choice, Peter's fall, were not total; and as to this union, his death and intercession, the others, there is no proof of their may all be in vain, and rendered abor-ever being true Christians-4. It is tive; an idea as derogatory to the di. vine glory, and as dishonourable to Jesus Christ, as possibly can be -3. It is argued, from the work of the Spirit, which is to communicate grace and strength equal to the day, Phil. i. 6. 2 Cor. i. 21, 22. If, indeed, divine grace were dependent on the will of man, if by his own power he had brought him. self into a state of grace, then it might follow that he might relapse into an opposite state when that power at any time was weakened; but as the perse urged, that this doctrine supersedes the use of means, and renders exhortations unnecessary To which it may be answered, that perseverance itself implies the use of means, and that the means are equally appointed as well as the end: nor has it ever been found that true Christians have rejected them. They consider exhortations and admonitions to be some of the means they are to attend to in order to promote their holiness: Christ and his apostles, though they often asserted this doctrine, yet re |