Wickliffe's learning], they should forfeit land, cattle, life, and goods, from their heirs for ever; and so be condemned for heretics to God, enemies to the crown, and most arrant traitors to the land."

The Reformers on the continent, circulated copies of the Bible in Greek and Hebrew; and these are the terms employed by the monks of that period, in reference to this point:"A new language has been invented, which is called Greek; guard carefully against it, it is the mother of every species of heresy. I observe in the hands of a great many people, a book written in this language, which they call the New Testament; it is a book full of thorns and serpents. And with respect to Hebrew, it is certain, that all who learn it, are instantly converted into Jews!"

Such was the spirit of ignorance, prevalent at the era of the Reformation. Was it not high time that a reform should take place? It was maintained at a solemn sitting of the Parliament of Paris, by a large body of the clergy, that religion was undone, if the study of Greek and Hebrew was permitted. And, truly, the sooner a religion which could lead its votaries to utter the assertions just quoted, was undone, the better for the race of man. Had might overcome right at the Reformation, to what a state would mankind have been reduced-their birth-right, ignorance; their portion, superstition; their inheritance, slavery.

The sufficiency of the Scriptures, the right of individual judgment, and of fearless free inquiry, are, then, the principles, which are alone worthy to be denominated the doctrines of the Reformation. Those who carry on the views which animated the bosoms of their glorious forerunners, are worthy to bear the name of Christian Reformers. But if, instead of so doing, they bow down to doctrines similar in their nature to that of transubstantiation, such as that of the Trinity,-if they embrace opinions which, if practically acted up to, would lead to all the abominations of indulgences, such as that of vicarious sacrifice, and justification by faith only,-if, instead of exercising reason, they decry its use,-instead of searching the Scriptures, suffer their minds to be hoodwinked, they will be unworthy of the sacred name, and will prove that the generous fire which glowed in the hearts of their predecessors, has, in them, evaporated in creeds and articles of faith; they will disgrace their lineage, and manifest them

selves to be totally unfitted for the great work of human improvement. As Bishop Burnett long since said, "Certainly our Reformation was never perfected, neither can it be, until we all come openly to acknowledge it, and to act upon that principle which was the only ground upon which the Reformation did or could stand, viz. that the Scriptures are the only rule of faith to Christians; and that every Christian, as he is to answer to God for his own actions, and not others for him, so he is to judge for himself how he is to act in matters of religion, and not others to judge for him. Where this principle does not prevail, there Popery still remains, though it passeth under the name of Protestantism. And till this principle does prevail, we can expect no completion of that Reformation, which as yet can only be said to have been happily begun among us."

"THE general result," remarks the Lord Bishop of Jamaica, in his Report of the State of his Diocese, of his and his Archdeacon's observations, "is a hearty desire, on the part of the Proprietors and their representatives, cheerfully to promote, as far as their limited means will allow, any measures which I have thought it my duty to suggest, for the benefit of the Church. Public meetings have been called in many parishes, and private subscriptions entered into, to promote the same desirable object." "With respect to the instruction of the Negroes," he adds, "I have proposed, by way of experiment, that the children of three or four contiguous estates, should, with the consent of the Proprietors, be assembled twice in the week, to receive oral instruction from any clergyman or catechist, properly licensed. From the best consideration I can give the subject, and from experience, I know of no method in the present state of public opinion here, liable to so few objections."

From these extracts, one thing is very clear, that the Bishop of Jamaica, whatever may become of the interests of the Slave, has been chary enough of the interests of the Church, and of her sons. The Planters, it seems, will cheerfully promote any measures which the worthy Bishop pleases to recommend. Now this is the right spirit. For our parts, we admire thorough-going in all

cases; we are no friends to half-measures. What a Bishop recommends, must, of course, be good; and good, because he recommends it: and no honest and pious dealer in human flesh and blood, would ever dream of gainsaying his requirements! Nor have the Planters confined themselves to good intentions; the Bishop expresses great satisfaction (and we doubt not, he feels what he expresses), in being able to announce, that a Bill for placing fully and effectually in his hands, the ecclesiastical regimen over the Clergy, had passed into a law. And, moreover, by this Act, he adds, the Clergy are exempted from the interference of parish vestries, and the minimum of their salaries is raised to six hundred pounds per annum. Now these good people, the Planters, have blustered a great deal about the infringement of their rights by legislatorial acts of the British Parliament; and yet, here we find them yielding to the Clergy, in so great a degree, as to set them free from "the interference of parish vestries;" nor less faithful have they shown themselves to their pockets, when, at the very rumours of the extinction of slavery, they have clamoured for indemnification for the loss of that property, founded, as it originally was, in fraud and cruelty; yet, now we behold a wonderful conversion. So gracious are they to this Right Reverend Father in God, and to all those who have been duly anointed with his holy unction, that they cannot, for an instant, think of giving less than £600 per annum, to the least sacred of these important functionaries!

We have long since learned, that there is no effect without a cause; and this conduct of the Planters does not form, we imagine, any exception to the rule. Much, we see, has been done for the Bishop and his associates, present and to come; but what done, what devised, for the poor Slave, for him whose interests these men are specially bound to watch, both by the spirit of that Religion which they profess, and the spirit of that Constitution and that Administration under which they were appointed? What have these lovers of the Church and of themselves done for him? Nothing, literally nothing. But they have proposed, and modest enough is the proposal! Speak no more of clerical domination; was ever plan issued from Right Reverend hands, more humble? It is proposed, that some few children should meet twice a-week, to receive instruction, and this only by way of experiment.

Here are contingences enough,-proposal, experiment, "with the consent of the Proprietors." And all for what? Why, lauded be said Bishop's goodness, to impart oral instruction. Ay, that is well. Close the eye of the mindexclude the press-bar access to all free inquiry,—men may know too much for Right Reverend Bishops and Clergy, Planters and Slave-drivers. Teach only orallyonly what your own mouths have sanctified; and teach by these, too, exclusively; for, it seems the lips of none but "properly licensed” catechists are "proposed" instructors.

Here, then, we conceive, is the secret cause unfolded, of the complaisance of the Planters; they elevate the Bishop and his holy brethren, in the hope that their Reverences will truckle to them. May they be disappointed. But we cannot forbear asking, how long will it be before even the proposal respecting oral instruction will be carried into effect? Is this modest proposition, any thing more than to amuse the government at home, to delude the people, and to gain time for evading the measures which threaten the destruction of the horrid traffic in human flesh? What is to become of the present generation of slaves? Where is the plan for their improvement? Are they to perish in vice and slavery, that my Lord Bishop and their Reverences, and those who support them, slave-dealers and slave-drivers, may fatten on the spoils?

In a letter dated Oct. 17, 1825, the Bishop tells Lord Bathurst, that "he feels convinced, that the erection of additional places of worship, must precede every other method of instruction." "Schools will naturally follow in the train of churches, and the prejudices against education must be gradually removed, by the effects of regular attendance on the house of God." Not to admire how learnedly a Bishop can write, when he talks of erection of churches as a mode of instruction, we would remark, that in this paragraph, penned subsequently to the first, the good Bishop seems to fear that he has gone too far, wishes to retract his modest proposal, and now is convinced that even oral instruction cannot precede the erection of new churches. Can such evasion be outdone? Before these erections be completed, the rising generation will have grown to man's estate, and slavery's worst condition; and then, doubtless, if the people of Britain express not their indignant feelings at such turpitude, and denounce the

traffic in human blood, with words not to be mistaken or evaded" IT SHALL NO LONGER BE,"-unless this takes place, a new track will be devised to prolong the day of account and the day of liberation. But let not the Bishops and their advocates, the dealers in human blood, take the flattering unction to their souls. This cannot be. Slavery is doomed to destruction. If, in no other way it can be destroyed, let them be assured, the light of knowledge will be converted into the lightning of Heaven, and blast every device against the welfare and emancipation of the aggrieved African.

Sketch of the Rise and Progress of Christian Unitarianism in England.

REGINALD PEACOCK, Bishop of St. Asaph, and afterwards of Chicester, a zealous advocate for a purer system of faith and morals, appears to have entertained objections not only to the deity of Christ, but also to the narrative of his miraculous birth. He was deprived of his Bishopric: nor did his consistency and firmness, avail to save him from the ruin which his love of truth had provoked. This was about the middle of the 15th century.

Henry VIII. was the unworthy instrument, and his licentious amours the impure source, of the change in the English Church. Its separation from the Papal See, the work of violence, rather than the result of conviction, was, consequently, less complete and effectual than in other Protestant countries. While the Hierarchy, during the reigns of Henry VIII. Edward VI. and Elizabeth, was moulding into its present form, many atoned with their lives, for their rejection of the Trinity; and the names of others are recorded, who, conscientiously adoring_the Father only, perished at the stake. The fate of Joan Bocher, is remarkable: the warrant of her death was extorted from Edward VI. by Cranmer, who, for his zeal in promoting the Reformation, himself fell a sacrifice to the same spirit of intolerance. The amiable Prince, moved to tears, is said to have exclaimed to the Archbishop, "I resign myself wholly to your judgment in this matter; it is for you to justify the deed in the sight of God." Joan Bocher was led to embrace the doctrine of the strict Unity of God, by reading the Scriptures alone, then lately translated into English.