fubftantiation."* They require them to receive confecration at their hands; and as to their propofal for the adoption of the Liturgy of King Edward VI., they reply,

"The Oriental orthodox Church acknowledges but one Liturgy, the fame which was delivered down by the Apostles, but written by the first Bishop of Jerufalem, James, the brother of God, and afterwards abbreviated, upon account of its length, by the great Father, Bafil, and afterwards again epitomized by John, the golden-tongued Patriarch of Constantinople, which from the times of Bafil, and Chrysostom, until now, the Oriental orthodox Church receives, and uses every where, and by them [meaning the three verfions of St. James's Liturgy] administers the Unbloody Sacrifice in every Church of the orthodox. It is proper therefore that they who are called the remnant of primitive piety,' should, when they are united to us, make use of those, that in this point also there may be no difcord between us; but that they, as well as we, fhould on proper days officiate by the Liturgy of St. Bafil, and daily by that of St. Chryfoftom.”+

The Non-jurors objected to Transubstantiation, to the Seven Sacraments, to the Invocation of the Virgin, Saints, and Angels, and to receiving the Seven General Councils as of equal authority with the Scriptures, "for they could not believe the Fathers of thofe Councils were affifted by an equal degree of inspiration with the Prophets, Evangelifts, and Apostles. And as to the Seventh General Council, assembled at Nice, they thought themselves obliged to declare that they could not affent to the giving even

* Lathbury's History of the Non-jurors, p. 325.

+ Ibid. p. 322.

the worship Dulia to Angels or departed Saints." The Patriarchs replied to the Non-jurors, that these disagreements were not to be wondered at, for, being born and educated in the principles of the Lutheran Calvinists, and poffeffed with their prejudices, they tenaciously adhere to them, like ivy to a tree, and are hardly drawn off.” *

At length, in 1723, after a long and interrupted correspondence, the Patriarchs fent their ultimatum, as the result of a Synod of the Greek Church. They ftate that "their doctrines had been decided upon, and that it is neither lawful to add anything to them, nor take anything from them: those who are difpofed to agree with us in the divine doctrines of the orthodox faith muft neceffarily follow, and fubmit to, what has been defined, and determined by ancient Fathers, and Ecumenical Synods, from the time of the Apostles, and their holy Succeffors, the Fathers of our Church, to this time. We fay, they must submit to them with fincerity and obedience, and without any scruple or difpute. And this is a fufficient answer to what you have written." The letter was figned by the four Patriarchs, and feveral Archbishops and Bishops, dated September, 1723; and, that there might be no mistake as to what "the Catholic Remnant of Great Britain" were to adopt, they enclosed an Expofition of the Orthodox Faith of the Eastern Church, agreed upon in a Synod, called the Synod of Jerufalem in 1672.† So ended the

* Lathbury's History of the Non-jurors, p. 324.

† Ibid. p. 350. In the course of this correfpondence the Patriarchs

propofal. It seems strange that so very small a number of English Divines, having no jurisdiction in any portion of the Church Catholic, fhould for a moment entertain the project of binding to their own views the Patriarchs, Archbishops, and Bishops of "all the Oriental Churches of the orthodox Greeks, Ruffians, Iberians, Arabians, and many other orthodox nations." But they had worked themselves, step by step, to the full perfuafion that theirs was the true ftandard of the orthodox, and Catholic Faith. And though that standard had but lately been adopted by themselves, they now felt it neceffary that all other minds fhould follow the fame track, to the fame point, and no further.

However mistaken might be this remnant of the party, it is impoffible not to reverence the Nonjurors, as a class. They do honour to the English character: they endured the lofs of all temporal benefits in the cause of, what seemed to them, to be neceffary truth;-their fervent piety, unbending courage, and felf-facrifice, fhed a luftre on their names. In the spirit of the primitive Christians they

of the East are not sparing in their cenfures of the "Pope of Rome;" they describe him to be "deceived by the devil, and falling into strange novel doctrines, as revolted from the unity of the holy Church, and cut off, toffed at a distance with constant waves and tempest, till he return to our Catholic, Oriental, immaculate faith, and be reinstated from whence he was broken off." They declare "the Purgatorial fire to have been invented by the Papifts to command the purfe of the ignorant, and we will by no means hear of it. For it is a fiction, and a doting fable, invented for lucre, and to deceive the fimple, and, in a word, has no existence but in the imagination. There is no appearance or mention of it in the Holy Scriptures, or Fathers, whatsoever the authors or abettors of it may clamour to the contrary."

were prepared to fuffer all extremities in defence of Catholic principles: and this in an ultra-Protestant age, when a falfe liberalism seemed to claim for each man the right of shaping immutable truth according to his own conceptions. But there has never been a clafs of men more zealous in defence of the Church of England against the errors of Rome, which they combated with an array of learning far beyond that of after times.

The History of the early Martyrs, and Confeffors, comes down to us, hallowed by the remoteness of their age seen through the long vista of centuries, they are grand and venerable in our eyes. Yet they were feeble, and poor, and of mean appearance: it was that within which ennobled them;-their difregard of self, their immoveable ftedfaftness of purpose, their bright vifions of faith, that led them to dare all for the love of God. It was their sense of the dignity of things fpiritual, as a depofit in their hands, more precious than the wealth of kingdoms, which makes them illuftrious. Thus it was, in their very humble sphere, with the defpifed company of Nonjurors, who will be cheering lights, and guiding beacons to all lovers of the Church of England, who are ever called upon to fuffer for the cause of Truth.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Ken's laft Sickness-Death-and Burial. Conclufion.

HE Non-jurors continued to debate on Ken's last public act. Some thought his refignation "a ftrange humour," a compromife, the abandonment of a noble pre-eminence, as the fole remaining canonical Bishop in England. They would have him declare against the whole national Church, as in a state of feceffion from the true Catholic faith. By others he was more than ever revered, for he had enabled them confcientiously to attend the public ordinances, without fear of Schifm. He himself, meanwhile, was agonized with conftant paroxyfms of pain, which "was his familiar grown," haunting him day and night." Death had marked him for his own or, to speak more truly, God was gracioufly pleased to intimate to him that he should be gathered into His kingdom, and reft with the elect. We could not bear to dwell on this laft fuffering year of his eventful life, but that we have a full record from himself of the confolations which were vouchfafed to him:

**

"In Heav'n accounts of fighs are kept,

Of ev'ry tear that's wept;

Ken's Poems, vol. iii. p. 457.