How far oppofition to religious innovations is juftifiable, is not our business to difcufs. But the experience of ages evinces the fact; and in diffimilar circumftances, Mr. Wesley has made the trial. In kingdoms, where, as in the Roman Pantheon, every divinity had its altars, fpeculative deviations from the religion estabiifhed by law, the fingularity of love-feafts and nocturnal meetings, fo unusual among the modern Chriftians of every denomination, roufed the vigilance of the magiftrate, and influenced the rage of the rabble. Now, that cuftom has rendered Mr. Wesley's meetinghouses and mode of worship familiar, and that all denominations enjoy a fhare of that religious liberty, whereof he would fain deprive his Roman Catholic neighbour, his matin hymns give no uneafinefs either to the magistrate, or his neighbours. But had Mr. Wefley raised his notes on the high key of civil difcordancehad he attempted by his fermons, his writings and exhortations, to deprive the bishops of the eftablished religion, of their croziers; kings of their thrones; and magiftrates of the fword of juftice; long ere now would his pious labours have been crowned with martyrdom, and his name registered in the kalendar of Fox's faints. Such, unfortunately, was the cafe of John Hufs. Not fatisfied with overthrowing what

was

was then the established religion, and levelling the fences of ecclefiaftical jurifdiction, he ftrikest

at the root of all temporal power, and civil authority. He boldly afferts that "Princes, ma"giftrates, &c. in the ftate of mortal fin, are

..

deprived ipfo facto of all power and jurif"diction."* In this doctrine was enveloped the feeds of anarchy and fedition, which fubfequent preachers unfolded to the destruction of peace and tranquillity, almost all over Europe; and which Sir William Blackftone describes as follows: "The dreadful effects of fuch a reli

tr

gious bigotry, when actuated by erroneous "principles, even of the Proteftant kind, are fufficiently evident from the history of the Anabaptifts in Germany, the Covenanters "in Scotland, and the deluge of fectaries in England,

66

* See the acts of the council of Conftance in L'Abbe's Collection of councils.

This is no imputation on the Anabaptifts of our days, who are as peaceable and good men as any others. Men's opinions change with the times, as in different ftages of life we change our thoughts, and settle at the age of forty the roving imagination of fixteen. Cuftom, and mutual intercourfe amongst fellow-fubjects of every denomination, would foon quench the remaining fparks of religious feuds, if diftin&tive laws were abolished. But, unfortunately for the fociety in which we live, the laws, whofe aim should be to unite the inhabitants, are calculated to divide them. My neighbour diftrufts me, because the penal laws held me

forth

"England, who murdered their fovereign, "overturned the church and monarchy, fhook

every pillar of law, juftice, and private pro. perty, and moft devoutly established a king"dom of faints in their ftead." *

John Hufs, then, after broaching the abovementioned doctrines, and making Bohemia the theatre of inteftine war, is fummoned to apHe obtains a fafepear before the council. conduct from the emperor Sigifmund, commanding governors of provinces, &c. not to moleft him on his journey to, or return from, Conftance, but to afford him every aid and

forth as a reprobate before I was born, and during my life encourage him to feize my horfe, or drag me before a magiftrate for faying my prayers; which reduces me to the fad neceffity of hating him, or confidering him as an enemy, if in the great ftruggle between nature and grace, religion does not triumph. Before Lewis the fourteenth and George the firft, repealed the laws againft witches, every disfigured old woman was in danger of her life, and confidered as a forcérefs. Since the witch-making laws have been repealed, there is not a witch in the land, and the dairy-maid is not under the neceffity of ufing counter charms to hinder the milk from being enchanted from her pail. Thus, if the penal laws, which by a kind of omnipotence create an original fin, making rogues of catholics before they reach their hands to the tempting fruit, were once repealed, they would be as honeft as their neighbours, and the objects of their love and confidence.

* Blackstone's Commentaries, vol. IV. chap. 8.

affiftance,

affistance. In all the provinces and cities through which he paffes, he gives public notice of his intention to appear before the council and stand his trial. But inftead of standing his trial, and retracting his errors, he attempts to make his escape, in order to diffeminate, and make them take deeper root. He is arrefted and confined, in order that he should take his trial, after having violated his promife, and abused a safe-conduct granted him for the purpose of exculpating himself, or retracting his errors, if proved against him before his competent judges. It is here to be remarked, that John Hufs was an ecclefiaftic; and that in fpiritual cafes the bishops were his only and competent judges. The boundaries of the two powers, I mean the church and state, being kept distinct, the cenfer left to the pontiff, and the sword to the magiftrate; the church confined to her spiritual weapons; privation of life and limb, and corporal punishments being quite of the province of the state; one fhould not interfere with the other. As the body of the criminal is under the controul of the magiftrate, too jealous of his privilege to permit the church to interfere with his power ;-fo, erroneous doctrines are under the controul of fpiritual judges, too jealous of their prerogatives, to permit the civil magiftrate to interfere with their rights. Hence, when the partizans

$

tizans of Hufs raised clamours about his con→ finement, and pleaded his fafe-conduct, the council published the famous decree which has given rise to so many cavils, for the space of four hundred years, though thousands of laws of a more important nature, and of which we now think but little, have been published since that time. The council declares, “That "That every "fafe-conduct granted by the emperor, kings,

and other temporal princes, to heretics, or "perfons accufed of herefy, ought not to be "of any prejudice to the Catholic faith, or to "the ecclefiaftical jurifdiction; nor to hinder "that fuch perfons may and ought to be exa"mined, judged, and punished, according as

juftice fhall require, if thofe heretics refuse "to revoke their errors: and the person who "shall have promised them fecurity, shall not, " in this case, be obliged to keep his promife, "by whatever tie he may be engaged, be"cause he has done all that is in his power "to do." I appeal to the impartial public, Whether that declaration of the council does not regard the peculiar cafe of Safe-conducts, granted by temporal princes, to perfons who are liable to be tried by competent and independent tribunals? And, Whether it be not an infult to candour and common fenfe, to give it fuch a latitude as to extend it to every lawful promife, contract or engagement between man

and