III. APPEND. an union between the English and Gallican churches, and observes, that the difference, in most points, between them was not so great as to render a reconciliation impracticable; and that it was his earnest wish, that all Christians were united in one sheepfold. His words are: Unum addam cum bona venia tua, me vehementer optare, ut unionis inter Ecclesias Anglicanum et Gallicanum ineunda via aliqua inveniri posset: non ita sumus ab invicem in plerisque dissiti, ut non possimus mutuo reconciliari. Atque utinam Christiani omnes essent unum ovile. The Archbishop wrote an answer to this letter, dated February 13-24, 1717-18, in which he asserts, at large, the purity of the church of England, in so many trophies gained from the enemies of the church. This supposition, however, is somewhat hasty. Could nothing but concessions from the Archbishop make the Court of Rome consider them in that light? Would they not think it a great triumph, that they had obliged Du PIN's party to give up the letters as a token of their submission, and defeated the Archbishop's design of engaging the Gallican church to assert its liberty, by throwing off the Papal yoke? If Dr WAKE made concessions, where are they? And if these were the trophies, why did not the partizans of Rome publish authentic copies of them to the world? Did the author of the Confessional ever hear of a victorious general, who carefully hid under ground the standards he had taken from the enemy ? This, indeed, is a new method of dealing with trophies. Our author, however, does not, as yet, quit his hold; he alleges, that the French divines could not have acknowledged the Catholic benevolence of the Archbishop, if he made no concessions to them. This reasoning would be plausible, if charity towards those that err consisted in embracing their errors; but this is a definition of charity, that, I fancy, the ingenious author will give up, upon second thoughts. Dr WAKE'S Catholic benevolence consisted in his esteem for the merit and learning of his correspondents, in his compassion for their servitude and their errors, in his desire of the reformation and liberty of their church, and his propensity to live in friendship and concord, as far as was possible, with all that bear the Christian name. And this disposition, so suitable to the benevolent genius of Christianity, will always reflect a true and solid glory upon his character as a Christian Bishop. III. faith, worship, government, and discipline, and Append. tells his correspondent, that he is persuaded that there are few things in the doctrine and constitution of that church, which even he himself (Du PIN) would desire to see changed; the original words are: Aut ego vehementer fallor, aut in ea pauca admodum sunt, quæ vel tu-immutanda velles; and again, sincere judica, quid in hac nostra Ecclesia invenias, quod juri damnari debeat, aut nos atra hereticorum, vel etiam schismaticorum nota inurere. The zeal of the venerable prelate goes still farther; and the moderate sentiments which he observed in Dr Du PIN's letter induced him to exhort the French to maintain, if not to enlarge, the rights and privileges of the Gallican church, for which the present disputes, about the constitution Unigenitus, furnish the most favourable occasion. He also expresses his readiness to concur in improving any opportunity, that might be offered by these debates, to form an union; that might be productive of a further reformation, in which not only the most rational Protestants, but also a considerable number of the Roman Catholic churches should join with the church of England; si exhinc (says the Archbishop, speaking concerning the commotions excited by the Constitution) aliquid amplius elici possit ad unionem nobiscum Ecclesiasticam ineundam ; unde forte nova quædam Reformatio exoriatur, in quam non solum ex Protestantibus optimi quique, verum etiam pars magna Ecclesiarum Communionis Romano Catholica una nobiscum conveniant. Hithertoo we see, that the expressions of the two learned doctors of the English and Gallican churches, relating to the union under consideration, are of a vague and general nature. When they were thus far advanced in their correspondence, an event happened, which rendered it more close, serious, and interesting, and even brought F 4 III. APPEND. brought on some particular mention of preliminary terms, and certain preparatives for a future negociation. The event I mean, was a discourse delivered, in an extraordinary meeting of the Sorbonne, March 17-28, 1717-18, by Dr PATRICK PIERS DE GIRARDIN, in which he exhorts the doctors of that society to proceed in their design of revising the doctrines and rules of the church, to separate things necessary from those which are not so, by which they will shew the church of England that they do not hold every decision of the Pope for an article of faith. The learned orator observes farther (upon what foundation it is difficult to guess), that the English church may be more easily reconciled than the Greek was; and that the disputes between the Gallican church and the court of Rome, removing the apprehensions of Papal tyranny, which terrified the English from the Catholic communion, will lead them back into the bosom of the church, with greater celerity than they formerly fled from it: Facient (says he) profecto offensiones, quæ vos inter & Senatum Capitolinum videntur intervenisse, ut Angli deposito servitutis metu, in Ecclesiæ gremium revolent alacrius, quam olim inde, quorumdam exosi tyrannidem, avolarunt. Meministis ortas inter Paulum & Barnabam dissentiones animorum tandem eo recidisse, ut singuli propagandæ in diversis regionibus Fidie felicius insudaverunt sigillatim, quam junctis viribusfortasse insudassent. This last sentence (in which Dr GIRARDIN observes, that PAUL and BARNABAS probably made more converts in consequence of their separation, than they would have done had they travelled together, and acted in concert,) is not a little remarkable; and, indeed, the whole passage discovers rather a desire of making proselytes, than an inclination to form a coalition founded upon concessions and some reformation on the side of Popery. It may, perhaps, be alleged, III, leged, in opposition to this remark, that prudence APPEND. required a language of this kind, in the infancy of a project of union, whatever concessions might be offered afterwards to bring about its execution. And this may be true. After the delivery of this discourse in the Sorbonne, Dr Du PIN shewed to GIRARDIN Archbishop WAKE's letter, which was also communicated to Cardinal DE NOAILLES, who admired it greatly, as appears by a letter of Dr PIERS DE GIRARDIN to Dr WAKE, written, I believe, April 18-29, 1718. Before the arrival of this letter, the Archbishop had received a second from Dr DU PIN, and also a copy of GIRARDIN's discourse. But he does not seem to have entertained any notion, in consequence of all this, that the projected union would go on smoothly. On the contrary, he no sooner received these letters, than he wrote to Mr BEAUVOIR (April 15. 1718), that it was his opinion, that neither the Regent nor the Cardinal would ever come to a rupture with the court of Rome; and that nothing could be done, in point of doctrine, until this rupture was brought about. He added, that Fundamentals should be distinguished from matters of lesser moment, in which differences or errors might be tolerated. He expresses a curiosity to know the reception which his former letter to Du PIN had met with; and he wrote again to that ecclesiastic, and also to GIRARDIN, May 1. 1718, and sent both his letters towards the end of that month. The doctors of the Sorbonne, whether they were set in motion by the real desire of an union with the English church, or only intended to make use of this union as a means of intimidating the court of Rome, began to form a plan of reconciliation, and to specify the terms upon which they were willing to bring it into execution. Mr BEAUVOIR acquaints the Archbishop, July 16, (proba bly APPEND. bly N. S.) 1718, that Dr Du PIN had made III. a rough draught of an essay towards an union, which Cardinal DE NOAILLES desired to peruse before it was sent to his Grace; and that both DU PIN and GIRARDIN were highly pleased with his Grace's letters to them. These letters, however, were written with a truly Protestant spirit; the Archbishop insisted, in them, upon the truth and orthodoxy of the articles of the church of England, and did not make any concession, which supposed the least approximation to the peculiar doctrines, or the smallest approbation of the ambitious pretensions, of the church of Rome; he observed, on the contrary, that it was now the time for Dr Du PIN, and his brethren of the Sorbonne, to declare openly their true sentiments with respect to the superstition and tyranny of that church; that it was the interest of all Christians to unmask that court, and to reduce its authority to its primitive limits; and that, according to the fundamental principle of the Reformation in general, and of the church of England in particular, JESUS CHRIST is the only founder, source, and head of the church. Accordingly, when Mr BEAUVOIR had acquainted the Archbishop with Du PIN's having formed a plan of union, his Grace answered in a manner which shewed that he looked upon the removal of the Gallican church from the jurisdiction of Rome as an essential preliminary article, without which no negotiation could even be commenced. "To speak freely (says the prelate, in his letter of the 11th "of August to Mr BEAUVOIR), I do not think "the Regent (the Duke of ORLEANS) yet strong "enough in his interest, to adventure at a sepa"ration from the court of Rome. Could the Re"gent openly appear in this, the divines would "follow, and a scheme might fairly be offered for “ such an union, as alone is requisite, between the |