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be in danger; not from her majesty's administration, but from Papists on the one hand, and Fanatics on the other; from these her professed enemies, and from False Brethren." It was owned, there were some warm expressions in the Sermon preached at St. Paul's:

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lation to it. What concerned both Houses of Parliament, was supposed to be the Vote passed four or five years before, about the Church being in danger: and as to that, it was affirmed, the Church was then in danger, was still in danger, and, it was to be feared, would always to civil liberty as tyranny itself. For civil liberty,rightly understood, consists in protecting the rights of individuals by the united force of society: society cannot be maintained, and of course can exert no protection, without obedience to some sovereign power: and obedience is an empty name, if every individual has agistrates are reputed God's vicegerents: On right to decide how far he himself shall obey." this principle it is, that their authority is deDr. Tucker, the celebrated dean of Glouces- subjects cannot even fear God, in the manner rived from him: And consequently that their ter, thus expresses himself in his Treatise con- they ought to do, without honouring his micerning Civil Government: nisters and representatives here on earth.

as the basis of his administration, the duty of obedience follows of course; and therefore the apostle adds in the very next verse: Wherefore we must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.'

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"Hooker certainly was no favourer of the debasing doctrine of absolute and unlimited passive obedience and non-resistance; and if that is sufficient to denominate a man a Lockian, I too, must humbly request to be inrolled among their number, for I maintain the right of resisting in certain cases of extreme necessity as warmly as any modern patriot whatever." And again: As to public grievances and well founded national complaints; what would have been the gospel doctrine concerning the extent of passive obedience, or that degree of patient submission, which ought to be paid to the higher powers, in case they were to be notoriously guilty in the abuse of their trust: this question was never started: Therefore the gospel of Christ is totally silent on that head. And perhaps it would always be the better, and the safer course, to leave these points, as the gospel has left them, totally undecided.—I say it would be the better and the safer course; because, as obedience is a general duty, and disobedience or resistance only an excepted case, on some extraordinary emergence, the natural sense and feelings of mankind are seldom or ever wanting to apprize them in any point, where a duty is to be relaxed. Nay, it is well if they are not too quick-sighted, and more officious than they ought to be in suggesting exceptions and dispensations.

"It is true, the precepts in Scripture, which require obedience to the higher powers, urge such motives, as by a natural construction may imply, that where such motives are wanting, there lies no obligation to obey. And I freely grant, that such an inference may be fairly made: But nevertheless the Scriptures are silent about it: They make no such inference, but leave the relaxation of this duty to those whom it may concern. Thus, for example, the reasons for obeying the civil magistrate, as alleged by St. Paul, are, Because he is a terror to evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well; because he is the minister of God for good, attending continually on this very thing; for which purpose he beareth not the sword in vain, being a revenger to execute wrath on them that do evil.” Now this being supposed

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"On this principle it is, that kings and ma

"But supposing that these vicegerents should act contrary to their commission: Supposing that they should no longer conduct themselves as the ministers of God for good. In such a case, what is to be done? I answer it is very apparent from the terms of their commission, that they are no longer entitled to the obedience of the subject, as a point of duty and conscience. But nothing farther can be inferred from the mere words of Scripture; all the rest being left to men's natural feelings and discretion, to do the best they can in such an unhappy situation: Only we should always bear in mind this necessary caution, that though we are free, we ought not to use our liberty as a cloak for maliciousness, but to behave as the servants of God.'

"And as the Holy Scriptures are thus averse to the giving any countenance to popular tumults and insurrections, it is very observable, that the English constitution acts with the like caution and reserve. For the boundary line between resistance and obedience is no more marked out by the laws of England, than it is in the gospel of Christ:-Cases and exceptions there undoubtedly are, in which it would be right not to obey, and even to repel force by force. But nevertheless the English constitution doth not point out those cases, for fear mankind should make a bad use of such an interpretation; for fear crafty and designing men should mislead the giddy populace, to deem that to be legal liberty, which in truth and reality is no better than a rampant licentiousness, and lawless anarchy; and which therefore must, in the course of things, end in the despotism and tyranny of some cunning bold usurper."

in a 30th of January Sermon, preached be [This last topic had been very well treated fore the House of Lords, by the admirable bishop Butler, to whom dean Tucker had been resistance, in vol. 8, p. 1016, vol. 11, p. chaplain.] See more as to the doctrine of Non1171, and the places there referred to.

Bolingbroke, in his Letter to sir William Windham, speaks of what he calls the violent prosecution of Sacheverell,' as "one of the un

and no wonder that a true son of the Church of England should express himself with some warmth and vehemence against the liberties that were taken, and with impunity, to revile popular measures, which might create the occasion, and encourage the queen in the resolution, to change her parliament and ministry in 1710." Swift, vol. 5, p. 81. See also Swift, vol. 22, p. 62, vol. 23, p. 150.

I observe that after the period of Sacheverell's silence had expired, he preached before the House of Commons, on the 29th of May 1713, and on the next day he received the thanks of the House for his sermon, and was desired to print it.

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Of the Doctor's mathematical knowledge, the following proof is stated in the Encyclopædia Britannica, (art. Sorcery') to occur in one of his compositions. They concur like parallel lines meeting in one common centre." The same thing is related in Number 59, of the "Review of the State of the British Nation," for the year 1709, written I suppose by De Foe, and elsewhere in animadversions upon Sacheverell's conduct and his trial. In this work the blunder is exposed in the following epigram, such as it is:

As brother Creech hung in the sacred twine,
So may it please this reverend wise divine
To hang himself, 'twould make a parallel line.
Then my credit, and all but my soul, I would ven-
tare,

If the Scriptures are true, they will meet in the

centre:

the Church, her doctrines and ministers, to blaspheme the name of God, and to insult, and treat with contempt, every thing that is sacred. To this little was returned, besides bitter invecman, with a very small measure of religion, virtue, learning, or good sense, but he resolved to force himself into popularity and preferment, by the most petulant railings at Dissenters, and Low-Churchmen, in several Sermons and Libels, wrote without either chasteness of stile, or liveliness of expression: all was one unpractised strain of indecent and scurrilous language. When he had pursued this method for several years without effect, he was at last brought up by a popular election to a church in Southwark, where he began to make great reflections on the ministry, representing that the Church was in danger, being neglected by those who governed, while they favoured her most inveterate enemies. At the assizes in Derby (where he preached before the judges) and on the fifth of November (preaching at St. Paul's in London) he gave a full vent to his fury, in the most virulent declamation, that he could contrive, upon these words of St. Paul's, Perils from false brethren;' in which, after some short reflections upon Popery, he let himself loose into such indecencies, that both the man and the Sermon were universally condemned: he asserted the doctrine of Non-Resistance in the highest strain possible, and said, that to charge the Revolution with Resistance, was to cast black and odious imputations on it; pretending, that the late king had disowned it, and cited for the proof of that, some words in his Declaration, by which he vindicated himself from a design of conquest. He poured out much scorn and scurrility on the Dissenters, and reflected severely on the Toleration; and said the Church was violently attacked by her enemies, and loosely defended by her pretended friends: he animated the people to stand up for the

O how it would please our modern phanatics, To see high-church hanging in such mathematics." Of this Trial of Sacheverell, Swift in his "Enquiry into the Behaviour of the Queen's last Ministry," says, that "it was a general muster of both parties." And in his "Considerations upon the Death of the Queen," he says, that it drew the populace as one man into the party against the ministry and parlia-defence of the Church, for which he said he sounded the trumpet, and desired them to put on the whole armour of God. The court of

ment."

In Swift's Correspondence is a Letter from Sacheverell, dated January 31, 1712, by which it appears that Swift had been pleased to undertake the generous office of soliciting my good lord treasurer's favour" in Sacheverell's behalf. The writer also says, "I should be proud of an opportunity of expressing my gratitude to that eminent patriot" [Mr. Secretary St. John,]" for whom no one that wishes for the welfare of his church or country, can have too great a veneration."

The following is Burnet's account of the proceedings against Sacheverell:

"The great business of this session, that took up most of their time, and that had great effects in conclusion, related to Dr. Sacheverell: this being one of the most extraordinary transactions in my time, I will relate it very copiously. Dr. Sacheverell was a bold insolent

aldermen refused to desire him to print his Sermon ; but he did print it, pretending it was upon the desire of Garrard, then lord mayor, to whom he dedicated it, with an inflaming epistle at the head of it. The party, that opposed the ministry, did so magnify the Sermon, that, as was generally reckoned, about 40,000 of them were printed, and dispersed offended at it, and the ministry looked on it over the nation. The queen seemed highly as an attack made on them, that was not to be that it was next to the naming him, so a pardespised. The lord treasurer was so described, liamentary impeachment was resolved on; Eyre, then solicitor general, and others, thought the short way of burning the Sermon, and keeping him in prison during the session, was the better method; but the more solemn way was unhappily chosen.

"There had been, ever since the queen

tives against the Sermons; and particularly against the doctrines of Passive Obedience and Non-Resistance.

December 14.

The House being informed, that Dr. Henry Sacheverell and Henry Clements attended, accame to the crown, an open revival of the doctrine of Passive-Obedience and Non-Resistance, by one Lesley, who was the first man that began the war in Ireland; saying, in a speech solemnly made, that king James, by declaring himself a papist, could no longer be our king, since he could not be the Defender of our Faith, nor the head of our church, dignities so inherent in the crown, that he who was incapable of these, could not hold it: a copy of which speech, the present archbishop of Dublin told me he had, under his own hand. As he animated the people with this speech, so some actions followed under his conduct, in which several men were killed; yet this man changed sides quickly, and be came the violentest Jacobite in the nation, and was engaged in many plots, and in writing many books against the Revolution, and the present government. Soon after the queen was on the throne, be, or his son as some said, published a series of weekly papers under the title of the Rehearsal, pursuing a thread of arguments in them all, against the lawfulness of Resistance, in any case whatsoever; deriving government wholly from God, denying all right in the people, either to confer, or to coerce it: the ministers connived at this, with what intention God knows.

cording to order; Dr. Sacheverell was called in, and, at the bar, was examined touching the two Sermons yesterday complained of to the House: where he owned the preaching, the directing of the printing and publishing the Sermon, preached the 5th of November, 1709, at the cathedral church of St. Paul, and the When it was moved to impeach him, the lord mayor of London, being a member of the House of Commons, was examined to this point, whether the Sermon was printed at his desire or order; upon his owning it, he would have been expelled the House; but he denied he had given any such order, though Sacheverell affirmed it, and brought witnesses to prove it: yet the House would not enter upon that examination; but it was thought more decent to seem to give credit to their own member, though indeed few believed him." [But as to this see in the text the account of what passed in the House of Commons.]

"Some opposition was made to the motion for impeaching Sacheverell, but it was carried by a great majority: the proceedings were slow; so those, who intended to inflame the city and the nation upon that occasion, had time sufficient given them, for laying their designs: they gave it out boldly, and in all places, that a design was formed by the Whigs, to pull down the Church, and that this prosecution was only set on foot to try their strength; and that, upon their success in it, they would proceed more openly. Though this was all falsehood and forgery, yet it was propagated with so much application and zeal, and the tools employed in it, were so well supplied with money (from whom was not then known) that it is scarce credible how generally it was believed.

"Whilst these seditious papers had a free course for many years, and were much spread and magnified; one Hoadly, a pious and judicious divine, being called to preach before the "Some things concurred to put the vulgar lord mayor, chose for his text the first verses in ill humour; it was a time of dearth and of the 13th chapter to the Romans, and fairly scarcity, so that the poor were much pinched: explained the words there, that they were to the summer before, ten or twelve thousand be understood only against resisting good go- poor people of the Palatinate, who were revernors, upon the Jewish principles; but, that duced to great misery, came into England; those words had no relation to bad and cruel they were well received and supplied, both governors: and he asserted, that it was not by the queen, and by the voluntary charities only lawful, but a duty incumbent on all men, of good people: this filled our own poor with to resist such; concluding all with a vindi- great indignation; who thought those charities, cation of the_Revolution, and the present go-to which they had a better right, were thus invernment. Upon this, a great outcry was raised, as if he had preached up rebellion; several books were wrote against him, and he justified himself, with a visible superiority of argument, to them all, and did so solidly overthrow the conceit of one Filmer, now espoused by Lesley (that government was derived by primogeniture from the first patriarchs) that for some time, be silenced his adversaries: but it was an easier thing to keep up a clamour, than to write a solid answer. Sacheverell did, with great virulence, reflect on him, and on me, and several other bishops, carrying his venom as far back as to archbishop Grindal, whom, for his moderation, he called a perfidious prelate, and a false son of the church.

tercepted by strangers; and all who were ill affected, studied to heighten these their resentments. The clergy did generally espouse Sacheverell, as their champion, who had stood in the breach; and so they reckoned his cause was their own. Many Sermons were preached, both in London and in other places, to provoke the people, in which they succeeded beyond expectation. Some accidents concurred to delay the proceedings; much time was spent in preparing the Articles of Impeachment: and the Answer was, by many shifts, long delayed: it was bold, without either submission or common respect; he justified every thing in his Sermon, in a very haughty and assuming stile. In conclusion, the Lords ordered

Dedication of it; and also, that the Epistle Dedicatory to the Sermon, preached at the Assizes at Derby, the 15th of August, 1709, was agreeable to that which he put to the impresthe Trial to be at the bar of their House; but those who found, that by gaining more time, the people were still more inflamed, moved that the Trial might be public in Westminsterhall; where the whole House of Commons might be present: this took so with unthinking people, that it could not be withstood, though the effects it would have, were well foreseen the preparing Westminster-hall was a work of some weeks.

:

"At last, on the 27th of February, the Trial begun. Sacheverell was lodged in the Temple, and came every day with great solemnity in a coach to the Hall; great crowds ran about his coach, with many shouts, expressing their concern for him in a very rude and tumultuous manner. The Trial lasted three weeks, in which all other business was at a stand; for this took up all mens thoughts: the Managers for the Commons opened the matter very solemnly their performances were much and justly commended: Jekyll, Eyre, Stanhope, King, but above all Parker, distinguished themselves in a very particular manner: they did copiously justify both the Revolution, and the present administration. There was no need of witnesses; for the Sermon being owned by him, all the Evidence was brought from it, by laying his words together, and by shewing his intent and meaning in them, which appeared from comparing one place with another. When his counsel, sir Simon Harcourt, Dodd, Phipps, and two others, came to plead for him, they very freely acknowledged the lawfulness of Resistance in extreme cases, and plainly justified the Revolution, and our deliverance by king William: but they said, it was not fit, in a sermon, to name such an exception; that the duties of morality ought to be delivered in their full extent, without supposing an extraordinary case: and therefore Sacheverell had followed precedents, set by our greatest divines, ever since the Reformation, and ever since the Revolution. Upon this they opened a great field; they began with the declarations made in king Henry the 8th's time; they insisted next upon the Homilies, and from thence instanced in a large series of bishops and divines, who had preached the duty of submission and Non-Resistance, in very full terms, without supposing any exception; some excluding all exceptions, in as positive a manner as he had done: they explained the word Revolution, as belonging to the new settlement upon king James's withdrawing; though in the common acceptation, it was understood of the whole transaction, from the lauding of the Dutch army, till the settlement made by the Convention. So they understanding the Revolution in that sense, there was indeed no Resistance there: if the passage quoted from the Declaration, given

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sion of that Sermon, which he directed to be printed and published, And being withdrawn, and a question being proposed, That the said Dr. Henry Sacheverell be impeached of High out by the late king, while he was Prince of Orange, did not come up to that, for which be quoted it; he ought not to be censured because his quotation did not fully prove his point. As for his invective against the Dissenters and the Toleration, they laboured to turn that off, by saying, he did not reflect on what was allowed by law, but on the permission of, or the not punishing many, who published impious and blasphemous books; and a collection was made, of passages in books, full of crude impiety and of bold opinions. This gave great offence to many, who thought that this was a solemn publishing of so much impiety to the nation, by which more mischief would be done, than by the books themselves; for most of them had been neglected, and known only to a small number, of those who encouraged them: and the authors of many of these books had been prosecuted and punished for them. As to those parts of the Sermon, that set out the danger the Church was in, though both Houses had some years ago voted it a great offence, to say it was in danger, they said it might have been in none four years ago, when these votes passed, and yet be now in danger: the greatest of all dangers was to be apprehended, from the wrath of God for such impieties. They said, the reflections on the administration were not meant of those, imployed immediately by the queen, but of men in inferior posts: if his words seemed capable of a bad sense, they were also capable of a more innocent one; and every man was allowed to put any construction on his words, that they could bear. When the counsel had ended their Defence, Sacheverell concluded it with a speech, which he read with much bold heat; in which, with many solemn asseverations, he justified his intentions towards the queen and her government; he spoke with respect, both of the Revolution and the Protestant Succession; he insisted most on condemning all Resistance, under any pretence whatsoever, without mentioning the exception of extreme necessity, as his counsel had done: he said it was the doctrine of the Church, in which he was bred up; and added many pathetical expressions, to move the audience to compassion. This had a great effect on the weaker sort, while it possessed those, who knew the man and his ordinary discourses, with horror, when they heard him affirm so many falsehoods with such solemn appeals to God. It was very plain the speech was made for him by others; for the stile was correct, and far different from his own.

"During the Trial, the multitudes that followed him, all the way as he came, and as he went back, shewed a great concern for him, pressing about him, and striving to kiss his hand: money was thrown among them; and

And after being heard, he was directed to withdraw.

Crimes and Misdemeanours; he was called in again, and asked, If he had any thing to offer to the House? When he spoke to this effect: "Mr. Speaker; I am very sorry I am fallen under the displeasure of this House; I did not imagine any expressions in my Sermons were liable to such a censure as you have passed upon them. If you had been pleased to have favoured me so far, as to have heard me before you passed it, I hope I should have explained myself so as to have prevented it."

Then the question was insisted on, for impeaching the Doctor of High Crimes and Misdemeanours. And several gentlemen spoke against it, desiring he might rather be prosecuted by the attorney general; and if the Sermons were seditious, if they did reflect on her majesty and government, the happy Revolution, and the Protestant Succession as by law established, the Doctor would be convicted, and

the House of Commons, were named to be managers, and they spoke very zealously for public liberty, justifying the Revolution. Holt, the lord chief justice of the King's-bench, died during the trial: he was very learned in the law, and had upon great occasions shewed an intrepid zeal in asserting its authority; for he ventured on the indignation of both Houses of Parliament by turns, when he thought the law was with him: he was a man of good judgment and great integrity, and set himself with great application to the functions of that important post. Immediately upon his death Parker was made lord chief justice: this great promotion seemed an evident demonstration of the queen's approving the prosecution; for none of the managers had treated Sacheverell so severely as he had done; yet secret whispers were very confidently set about, that though the queen's affairs put her on acting the part of one, that was pleased with this scene, yet she disliked it all, and would take the first occasion to shew it.

they were animated to such a pitch of fury, that they went to pull down some Meetinghouses, which was executed on five of them, as far as burning all the pews in them. This was directed by some of better fashion, who followed the mob in hackney coaches, and were seen sending messages to them: the word, upon which all shouted, was "The Church and Sacheverell:" and such, as joined not in the shout, were insulted and knocked down: before my own door, one, with a spade, cleft the skull of another, who would not shout as they did. There happened to be a meeting-house Bear me, out of which they drew every thing that was in it, and burned it before the door of the house. They threatened to do the like execution on my house; but the noise of the riot coming to court, orders were sent to the guards to go about, and disperse the multitudes, and secure the public peace. As the guards advanced the people ran away; some few were only taken; these were afterwards prosecuted; but the party shewed a violent concern for them; two of them were condemned as guilty "After the trial was ended, the debate was of high-treason; small fines were set on the taken up in the House of Lords: it stuck long rest; but no execution followed; and after on the first article; none pretended to justify the some months, they were pardoned and indeed Sermon, or to assert absolute non-resistance: this remissness, in punishing so great a disor- all who favoured him, went upon this, that the der, was looked on as the preparing and encou-duty of obedience ought to be delivered in full raging men to new tumults. There was a secret management in this matter, that amazed all people: for though the queen, upon an address made to her by the House of Commons, set out a Proclamation, in which this riot was, with severe words, laid upon Papists and Nonjurors, who were certainly the chief promoters of it; yet the proceedings afterwards did not answer the threatenings of the Proclamation.

and general words, without putting odd exceptions, or supposing odious cases: this had been the method of all our divines. Pains were also taken to shew, that his Sermon did not reflect on the Revolution: on the other hand, it was said that since the Revolution had happened so lately, and was made still the subject of much controversy, those absolute expressions did plainly condemn it. The Revolution was the "When Sacheverell had ended his Defence, whole progress of the turn, from the prince the Managers for the House of Commons re- of Orange's landing, till the act of settlement plied, and shewed very evidently that the words passed. The act of parliament expressed, what of his Sermon could not reasonably bear any was meant, by the abdication and the vacancy of other sense, but that for which they had charg- the throne; that it did not only relate to king ed him; this was an easy performance, and James's withdrawing himself, but to his ceasthey managed it with great life: but the hu- ing to govern according to our constitution and mour of the town was turned against them, and laws, setting up his mere will and pleasure as all the clergy appeared for Sacheverell. Many the measure of his government: this was made of the queen's chaplains stood about him, en-plainer, by another clause in the acts then couraging and magnifying him; and it was given out, that the queen herself favoured him; though, upon my first coming to town, which was after the Impeachment was brought up to the Lords, she said to me, that it was a bad Sermon, and that he deserved well to be pu nished for it. All her ministers, who were in

passed, which provided, that if any of our princes should become Papists, or marry Papists, the subjects were, in those cases, declared to be free from their allegiance."

There is a curious passage about Sacheverell in Harris's James 2nd, p. 184.

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