48i1.] 
change resulted, either from ascensive 
or descensive opinion, the chance would 
be in fayor of increased harmony. Pro- 
bably not many congregations would un- 
dertake or undergo any alteration at all. 
The Enquirer, however, attaches little 
value to a conformity of opinion be- 
tween clergy and people. . In his idea 
the teachers ought to bea wiser order 
of men, and to hold a purer creed than 
the multitude, end to be at liberty 
to say so. Angels of heaven, they 
should be constanly lifting the .erring 
dupes of fanaticism out of the mire of 
superstition, and cleansing them for the 
serener region of truth. Be it left to 
sects to elect ministers down to. their 
own narrow bigotries, and credulous 
articles of faith; but let the magis- 
trate not impede the progress of in- 
Struction. 
The pursuers of uniformity, to have 
‘ADy prospect of success, must always 
prefer the average creed of the people 
to the creed of the enlightened class: 
Anowing a better, they must choose a 
worse, religion; and, perpetually fire 
from a double battery at superior illu- 
mination, and at groping blindness. 
Happily uniformity is as impracticable 
as it is unnatural; and, wherever there 
lis. tolerance, different sects are found 
to arise suited to the various shades of 
insight and hues of teinper prevalent 
‘among men, This is best for the 
public; the great awakener of intellect 
is controversy; where there is no dis- 
cord, no competition, the stimulus to 
acquire learning and to display elo- 
quence, is wanting. Spain, Portugal, 
Italy, bave sunken in the rank of li- 
terary nations, for no other reason than 
because an universal consentaneity of 
religious profession was exacted by the 
guardians of the press. Water, if stag- 
nant, putrifies; but, whether it ebbs’or 
flows, it diffuses lustre and fertility. 
It is so with the tide of opinion. 
The true interest of the magistrate 
“is to subdivide society into sects so nu- 
' merous, that no one of them shall in- 
clude a majority of the people, or be 
80 powerful as a coalition of the rest. 
‘Toleration is in that case the permanent 
interest cf all denominations of per- 
Suasion, and is likely to be inforced by 
the sovereign, with the concurrence of 
all religious parties. What method so 
conducive to this desirable multiplication 
of heresies, as a repeal of the Act of 
Uniformity ? ' 
| Monrury Mag, No, 213. 
to repeal the Act of Uniformity. 
495 
There is nothing in the historic ori- 
gin of this act to render its stability 
honourable. In the year 1662 a bill 
was brought into the house ‘of com. 
mons on the 14th of January, and carried 
by, a majority of 186 to 180, which 
provides ** that all and singular ministers 
shall be bound to say and use the morn- 
ing prayer, evening prayer, and all 
other common prayers, in such order 
and form as is mentioned in the Prayer- 
book; and that all such ministers as 
omit declaring on or before ‘the fol- 
lowing 24th August, being the feast of 
Saint Bartholomew, their ‘unfeigned as- 
sent and consent to’ all and every thing 
contained in and prescribed by the book 
shali, ipso facto, be deprived of all their 
spiritual promotions.” This law soon in- 
troduced a monotonous uniformity of 
worship threughout the parish churches 
of England. Seven months were found 
suficient for the conversion of nine= 
tenths of the clergy to the agreed’ for- 
mulas. About two thousand priests 
were ejected from their benefices by the 
regulation. ay 
The act of uniformity was ‘to have 
been a compromise between the epis- 
copalian and the presbyterian clergy, 
who professed to be willing to accom. 
modate one another, provided those in- 
tolerable sects, (as Baxter called them) 
the Papists and Socinians, could be ef- 
fectually excluded. The terms of com- 
prehension were for a long time dis- 
cussed ; but, as soon as the king had 
received his crown at the hands of the 
episcopalians, these conferences were 
closed. The king, in a declaration is- 
sued prior to his coronation, had ex 
pressly promised, that half of the chap- 
ter attached to each see, should be 
elected bythe Presbyterians; but. this 
introduction of the elective principle 
into the constitution of the legat hierar~ 
chy, which would have rendered thie 
church more independent, was never 
offered during the conferences at the 
Savoy. The Calvinists waved every 
frivolous difficulty: they agreed to ac- 
cept liturgic forms of worship; they 
agreed that, the ecclesiastic superinten- 
dents should be called bishops. But 
the Bucerists retracted the very pro-~ 
mises made under the signature of their 
king ; and scrupled notat having obtained 
the co-operation of a great party, by the 
offer and promise of concessions, no 
one of which was eventually to be 
realized, Preferment was offered with 
3i profuse 
