good works. And to enliven the devotion f his parishioners, he used to have the Deam read in his parish-church in Eng. h; which was afterwards urged in accuation against him. In the next year came out the act of the Six Articles; against which Ridley pore his teftimony in the pulpit; though otherwife he was in no danger from the penalties of the ftatute. The article of the corporal prefence was at that time an article of his creed. The marriage or uncleanness of priests affected not him, who never did act against the statute in the former inftance, and was never charged of doing fo in the latter. As to the article of auricular confeffion, he tells us, towards the clofe of his life, that he alwars thought confeffion to the minifter right do much good. But he made a ference betwixt what he thought an teful appointment in the church, and the preffing it on the confcience as a point necellary to falvation. This teftimony Occafioned him no fmall trouble. Mr Ridley had been two years at his parish of Herne, getting new lights himself, by a clofe application to his ftudies of the fcriptures and the fathers, and by friendly conference with his patron the Archhihop; and faithfully communicating to his people the word of God, "not after the Popish trade, but after Chrift's gofpel" as himself teftifies in his farewell: though as yet he acknowledges, that God had not revealed to him the doctrine of the Lord's fupper. His improvements in knowledge was with great injuftice charged upon him, as a fickle change of opiBS, and a fervile conformity to the tes: but there never appeared any faduating or fhifting backward and forward in his judgment, but a regular progretion and advancement in the difcovery of truth; diligently feeking it, and by God's grace gradually finding it, without ay worldly motives influencing his opi tions. While he was at Herne, he fo well dicharged his paftoral office, that he gain ed the general applaufe of the people in the neighbouring parishes, who, neglectg their own teachers, for many miles Wound would come to hear his fermons. This year, probably by the perfuafion of the Archbishop, who was now meditatag to bring his chaplain more into the ght, he repaired to Cambridge, and there took his doctor's degree in divinity. Asd, in the October following, the ma ftership of Pembroke Hall becoming vacant, the fellows, who well knew the learning, abilities, and good difpofitions, of their old collegiate, invited him back a gain to college, to take upon him the guardianship of their fociety. - About this time, according to the manuscript notes of Abp Tennifon in the library at Lambeth, Cranmer's recommendation was of its ufual weight with the King, who made Dr Ridley one of his chaplains; one in whom the Archbishop could place a fure confidence, however mistaken he might be in the other, [Thirlby]: for Ridley perfevered in the profellion of the trutha once difcovered, and in his friendship to his patron even to death; while Thirlby returned to his abjured errors, and, in commiffion with Bonner, degraded his good friend the Archbishop, in order to prepare him for the flames. -Soon after this, the cathedral church of Canterbury was made collegiate, with a dean, and twelve prebendaries, and fix preachers; which being Cranmer's own church, he found no difficulty in obtaining the fifth prebendal stall for the King's new chaplain, Dr Ridley. How honestly and prudently he beha ved himself, appears in good meafure from his endeavours, in the pulpit, to fet the abufes of Popery fo open before the people's eyes in his fermons, as to provoke the prebendaries and preachers of the old learning to exhibit articles against him, at the Archbishop's vifitation this year, for preaching contrary to the ftatute of the Six Articles. He feared not to bear his teftimony against any error he had difcovered; yet with respect to the authority by which the Six Articles were injɔined, delivering his opinion fo cautioufly, as that his accufers could prove nothing but the malice of their accufation. The fubjects he treated upon were, the neceflity of prayer in a known tongue, without which, he said, it were but babbling ; — that men ought not to build any fecurity upon mere ceremonies; and that auricular confeffion, though it might be useful, was not injoined by divine authority in the fcriptures; and therefore not neceflary to falvation. The manner in which he treat ed thefe fubjects we learn from the acknowledgment of Winchester, in a letter to Ridley in K. Edward's reign. He fays, "You declared yourfelf always defirous to fet forth the mere truth, with great defire of unity, as you profeffed; not extending any of your affeverations beyond your knowledge, knowledge, but always adding fuch like words, as far as you had read; and if any man could fhew you further, you would hear him; wherein you were much to be commended." Such was the meek and gentle fpirit, and at the fame time fteady and confiftent conduct of Ridley. But notwithstanding this, his malicious enemies, who fought his and the Archbishop's ruin, did prefent an information against him before the justices in Kent; the articles of which were, 1. That he preached at St Steven's in Rogation week, and faid, that auricular confeflion was but a mere pofitive law, and ordained as a godly mean for the finner to come to the priest for counfel; but he could not find it in fcripture. 2. That he said, that there was no meeter term to be given to the ceremonies of the church, than to call them beggarly ceremo nies. 3. That Te Deum had been fung commonly in English at Herne, where the faid Master Doctor is Vicar. By the addrefs of the Archbishop, and the diligence of his friends, the malevolence of the profecution was discovered, and the intention of it prevented, not without fome difa. greeable confequences to the authors and promoters of it. The greatest part of the year 1645, Dr Ridley spent in retirement at his vicarage of Herne. He had hitherto been an unfuspecting believer of tranfubftantiation. The generally received doctrine, the decrees of popes, and the decifions of councils, had implanted this faith in him; the rhetorical expreffions of the fathers, and the letter of fcripture, had confirmed him in this opinion. The blafphemies of the Anabaptifts, who were at firft the principal impugners of this doctrine, and the irreverence and indecency of fome other Sacramentaries, barred for a long time the way to his free inquiries, and better information. In the year 1544, Luther had written with great warmth against the doctrines of the Zurickers, upon this fubject, declaring them heretics. The Zurickers replied in the beginning of the following year, when they publifhed their Apology; in which they explained their doctrine and faith, purged themfelves of the guilt of herefy, and stated Luther's and their doctrines fo that the world might judge where the truth lay. The coincidence of time renders it probable, that Ridley meeting with this book, which we are told was greedily read at that time by all parties, carried it with him to employ his retirement at Herne this fummer; and was inclined by it to give the question a fair examination. Sc he certainly did, by whatever means in duced; and procured likewife a little trea tife, written 700 years before, by Ratra mus, or Bertram, a monk of Corbery, a the request of the Emperor Charles th Bald, about the year 840; which ha been publifhed at Cologue in 1532, an then fent by the Zurickers to Albert Var quis of Brandenburg, to vindicate thei doctrines from the charge of novelty. From this book Ridley learned, that the deter mination of the church for tranfubstan tiation had not been fo early and gene ral as he had before fuppofed; for tha Bertram, a catholic doctor, fo late as 84 held contrary to the prefent decrees; an that the faithful at that time, without ei ther of them being condemned as heretic were divided in their opinions on this fut ject. This at once razed that foundatio of authority on which Ridley had fo conf dently built, and left him more open t confider the reasonings of his author, whic were very fenfible and pertinent: his eye were opened, and he determined to fearc the fcriptures upon this article more at curately, and the doctrine of the primitiv fathers who lived before the time of Be tram's controverfy. And how zealous fo ever Cranmer might be for tranfubftar tiation, and how dangerous foever it wa to doubt of that article, yet Ridley ver honeftly communicated his discoveries an fcruples to his good friend and patron th Archbishop; who knowing the fincerity o the man, and his cool judgment, was pre vailed upon to examine the fubject wit the utmost care. The event was the con viction of both of them. But however in ftrumental Ridley might have been in leading the Archbishop into this inquiry he always difclaimed the honour of being Cranmer's inftructor, profeffing to be "but the young fcholar to the master in com parifon of him:" always with an exceed. ing modefty refufing the due praifes which even his adverfaries gave him; not affu ming to himself the glory of his own improvements, but gratefully referring them to the means and opportunities of acquiring them; and therefore acknowledges himself a debtor to his vicarage of Herne for the doctrine of the Lord's fupper; "which at that time, (fays he), was not revealed unto me." And before the commilioners, he gives the following account of Bertram and his book: "Bertram, a man learned, of found and upright judg ment ment, and ever counted a Catholic for thele 700 years, until our age: his treatile, whoever fhall read and weigh, conEdering the time of the writer, his learning, godliness of life, the allegations of ancient fathers, and his mani'est and most grounded arguments, I cannot (doubt lek) but much marvel, if he have any fear of God at all, how he can with good confcience speak against him in this matter of the facrament. This Bertram was the Erft that pulled me by the ear, and that brought me from the common error of the Romish church, and caufed me to fearch more diligently and exactly both the fcriptures, and the writings of the old ecclefaftic fathers, in this matter." This change of opinion happened to Ridley in 1545; in the clofe of which year his patron procured for him the eighth Hall in the church of Westminster. Immediately upon the accellion of the young King to the throne, we find Dr Ridley much celebrated as a preacher. Being appointed to preach at court on Al-Wednesday, after having confuted the Bhop of Rome's pretended authority in government and ufurped power, and in pardons, he took occafion to difcourfe touching the abuses of images in churches, and ceremonies, and efpecially holy water for the driving away devils. Amongst his auditors was Gardiner, Bishop of Winchefter; who not altogether relishing his doctrine, wrote him a letter inclofed in one to the Protector; who answered, in fome fuch manner as this, "That, if the mireprefentation of the best book in the world, the Bible, had been reafon futficient for taking it away from the people, which had been done by the Popifh bihops, the grofs abufe of images was as jaftifiable a refon for taking them away from the people." About this time the fellows of Pemuke ball prefented Dr Ridley to the thurch of Saham in the diocefe of NorWich; which prefentation being difputed by the Bihop, the Doctor was admitted. to that living by a command of the King, en the 4th of May. Three days after a commithon was granted to the Archbishop, the Bishops of Durham and Rochester, Dr Ridley, and fix others, to examine a caufe of the Earl of Northampton, whofe Count els had been guilty of adultery. The Canon law granted a feparation, but not the liberty of marrying again: the Pope deed diffented in thefe cafes. Thefe commiffioners were appointed to examine VOL. XXVI what was to be done upon the authority of the fcriptures, and judgment of the pris mitive Christians. They were unwilling to be hafty and precipitate in a point of this confequence; and took more time than agreed with the Earl's impatience for a fecond marriage. He therefore ventured to take another wife before his caufe was determined. His rafhnels and precipitancy gave offence: the council feparated him from his new wife, and defi vering her to the care of the Queen-dowager, ebliged the Earl to wait the fentence of the commiffioners; who at length, though not till the beginning of the next year, diffolved the former marriage entirely, and gave the liberty to both of contracting again elfewhere. On the 7th of May in this year, Langland the Bishop of Lincoln died; Holbeach the Bishop of Rochefter fucceeded him, and was confirmed the 20th of Auguft. Immediately after this Dr Ridley was pron oted to the fee of Rochefter, and was confecrated 25th September, in the chapel belonging to Dr May, Dean of St Paul's, in fuch form. nd n anner as was at that time ufual in the church of England, by chrifm, or holy unction, and impofition of hands, after an oath, renouncing the ufurped jus rildiction of the Roman Pontiff; vetted according to ancient rites, with the robes and infignia belonging to his dignity. The reafon of mentioning thele circun fiances thus particularly is, that D Brooks, in the fubfequent reign, would not allow Ridley to have been a bishop, and only degraded him from his prieft's orders; which it is not ealy to account for if it be faid, that his at juring the Rem..n Pontiff invalidated his confecration, it would in like manner have unbifhoped Bonner, and every prelate ater Lim; who had all, not ex epting Tonftal and Gardiner, done the fan e. For The fame day that Ridley was corfecrated, the councient Bp Gardmer to the Fleet for having froken and written in prejudice and conten pt of the King's vifitation, and for refufing to fet forth the homilies and injunction. A few days afte, the new Bishop of Rochefter was taken by the Archbishop, with the Bithup of Lincoln, Dr Cox, and tome others, to confer with Gardiner at Dr May' boule : they fent for bin thither, and endeavoured to perfuade him to comply with the injunctions which. recommended Erafmus's paraphrafe of the Golpels, and the new cok of homilies. He evaded all ther reafonings U reafonings and perfuafions, with that ar tifice and cunning he was fo much ma er of; obftinately refufed to comply, and was fent back to the Fleet; where he was deained, till the parliament, then going to fit, broke up; which was cenfured as an invafion of liberty. This year Cranmer communicated to Latimer those truths with regard to the Lord's furper, with which Ridley had brought him acquainted the year before. The idolatrous veneration of that sacrament in the church of Rome, in worfhipping the elements, as converted in the very, fubftan. tial, and natural body and blood of Chrift; and the extreme reverence paid to them by the Lutherans, as comprehending in them the same substantial and natural body and blood, were now openly oppofed: but the Anabaptifts, who fled from Germany hi ther; the extravagant among ourselves, who leap from one extreme, over the truth, to the other; and fome Proteftants, who confounded truth and error by their fcurrility, carried this oppofition fo far, as to bring this facrament into great contempt. Railing bills against it were fixed upon the doors of St Paul's cathedral, and other places, terming it, Jack in a box, The facrament of the halter, Round Robin, and fuch like irreverent terms. The Bishop of Rochester, who was as far removed from profaneness as fuperftition, fet his face ftrenuoufly against this impiety, and publicly rebuked it in his fermon at St Paul's Crofs; with great earneftness aflerting the dignity of the facrament, and the prefence of Chrift's body there; reproving with great freedom thofe who did irreverently behave them felves with regard to it; bidding them to depart, as unworthy to hear the mystery; as the Pœnitentes, Audientes, Catechumeni, and Energumeni, in the primitive times, were not admitted when the facrament was adminiftred. But to the receivers, the Sanchi, he fo explained the prefence, that he afferted, that the material fubftance of the bread did still remain, and that Chrift called it his body, meat, and flesh, giving it the properties of the thing of which it beareth the name: where, fays our hiftorian, we find the fame lines of his character continue in the preacher, which were obferved before in the difputant, modeft in propofing his opinions to perfons whofe judgments only were mistaken, meekly inStrutting thofe who were in error. but earnest and fevere where-ever he discovered a fault in the will, boldly rebuking vice. Yet notwithstanding all his care and cau. tion, this fermon was afterwards very un truly and unjustly reprefented, as he himfelf complained, as if he had afferted it in the prefence of Chrift's natural body.— We would not willingly pass a fevere judg ment here, but certainly the Bishop might have expreffed himself more clearly; the ambiguity of the fentence above left an opening for fuch reprefentation. The parliament, which fat this winter, added its authority to the Bishop's reproofs, and punified by imprisonment, fine, and ranfom at the King's pleasure, all irreverent defpifers and revilers of this facred rite. The next thing of importance we find Dr Ridley concerned in, was the reformation of the Common Prayer in the year 1548; of which our author has given us a full and particular account, but too long to be introduced in this work. In 1549, the Bishop of Rochester, with the Archbishop, and feveral others, were put into commillion to search after all Ana baptifts, heretics, and contemners of the Common Prayer. For complaint had been brought to the council, that with the ftrangers who were come into England, fome Anabaptifts were mingled, who were diffeminating their errors, and making profelytes. Among thefe people was one Joan Bocher, commonly called Joan of Kent. She appearing before the commif fioners, behaved with great obftinacy there, perfifting in the maintenance of her error, namely, that the Son of God penetrated through the Virgin Mary as through a glafs, taking no fubftance of her; as Latimer reports, who fat in the commiffion. Her own words diftinguish ing betwixt Chrift and the Word, and be twixt the outward and inward man of the Virgin; allowing the Word to have taken flesh by the confent of the Virgin's inward man, but denying that Chrift took flesh of her outward man, because it was fin ful, are not very intelligible. She treat ed with fcorn all the means made ufe of to recover her to a better mind: and fentence paffed upon her, pronouncing her an heretic, and delivering her over to the fecular arm. It is remarkable that Ridley's name is not in the fentence, but on ly the names of the Archbishop, Sir John Smith, William Cook, dean of the arches, Eugh Latimer, and Richard Lyell, L. L. D. The King was hardly prevailed upon by Cranmer to fign the warrant for her burning: but the Archbishop diftin guished guished betwixt errors in other points, and the open, fcornful, rejecting an exprefs article of the creed, Born of the Vir gin Mary; thinking that these latter, always esteemed heretics from the first establishment of Christianity, deferved not the lenity with which others might be treated: and represented, that it betrayed an indifference toward religion, to neglect putting in execution the laws established for maintaining God's honour, while they were diligent in thofe that were enacted to maintain the King's honour, and the peace or property of the fubject. However, the Archbishop was not fo earnest to get the warrant executed as figned. He laboured much to convince her, and fave her from the fire. In which charitable office, Ridley, when be came to London, joined. They both of them vifited her; they feverally took her home with them to their own houfes, and earneftly endeavoured to recover her from her errors: but the refifted, with great ftubbornness and indecency, all their kind pains to recover her. After their unfuccefsful attempts for a whole year, the was at last burned, May 2. 1550, perfifting obftinately in her opinion, and behaving with great infolence to the laft. The like fentence was executed upon George Van Parre, a Dutchman, for denying the divinity of our Saviour; which is mentioned here, though it happened not till the 25th of April 1551; on the 6th of which month, Ridley, who was a commiffioner, figned the fentence of excommunication. Mild and gentle, fays our author, as his nature was to every modeft inquirer, though in error, he would not break the laws in being, in indulgence to obftinate blafphemers. We cannot, however, help thinking it extremely wrong, and likely to have a very ill effect upon the intereft of religious liberty, an interest which will ever be valued by wife and honeft men, to endeavour to palliate fuch actions as thefe, [The burning of Van Parre and Joan Bocher], and to glofs them over by artificial colourings, when it is well known they are not to be juftified, and are totally inconfiftent with the pirit and principles of Proteftantifm, as well as Christianity. How much better would it be, how much more agreeable to the character of a Proteftant clergyman, - ingenuously to acknowledge, that the principles of liberty, and the rights of Chriftians, were not understood in their All extent in the beginning of the Refor mation; and that though they did glorious fervice to the common cause of true religion, the very best of our reformers did not always act in perfect consistency with themselves? In writing the lives of men, even the best of men, we are writing the lives of fallible and imperfect beings; and though it be decent and right, in fpeaking of the failings of worthy and excellent characters, to treat them with great foftnefs and tenderness; yet it may upon the whole perhaps be as ufeful, fometimes to acknowledge their failings, as to celebrate their excellencies: the one are recorded for our imitation, the other for our admonition, and neither will be omitted by the faithful historian. our author does more than palliate: by the ufe he has made of the terms blafphemy, obftinate, &c. he seems to justify a practice which all good men abhor. He doubtlefs knows, as well as ourselves, that under the same pretence was Ridley himself at last brought to death. [To be continued.] LONDON. DIVINITY. But ' A fhort difcourfe on the study of the scriptures. By Francis Blackburne, M. A. 6d. Hinxman. Paleographia facra; or, Difcourfes on facred fubjects. By William Stukeley, M. D. 75. Baillie. Obfervations on the four gofpels; tending chiefly to afcertain the times of their publica tion, and to illustrate the form and manner of their compofition. By Henry Owen, D. D. 2 s. Payne. The Hebrew text of the parallel prophecies of Jacob and Mofes, relating to the twelve tribes; with a tranflation and notes; and the various lections of near forty MSS. By D. Durell, B. D. principal of Hertford college. 10 s. 6d. fewed. Rivington. Paradife restored; or, A teftimony to the doctrine of the bleffed millennium. By Thomas Hartley, A. M. 5s. Richardson. The expedience and neceflity of national eftablishments in religion. A vifitation-fermon, July 14. 1763. By William Faswell, M. A. 6d. Fletcher. Serious reflections on ditto. 9 d. Withers. The truth of the gospel-history. By James Macknight, D. D. 17 S. Millar. the Rev. John Young, D. D. à voll. 8o Sermons on various practical subjects. By 6S Becket and De Hondt. A form of prayer, and a new collection of pfalms, for the ufe of a congregation of Proteftant Diffenters in Liverpool. 3 s. 6 d. fewed. Henderfon. Contains nothing but U 2 what |