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H

THE \ a.-*.

REFORMATION COMMEMORATED;

iMacourae

DELIVERED AT THE

/ MEETING-HOUSE,
ST. THOMAS'S SQUARE, HACKNEY,
December 28th, 1817,
BY ¦"*"

HENRY FORSTER BURDER, M. A.

XONDON:
SOLD BY WILLIAMS, STATIONERS' COURT.
PrtnMi. by T. Rutt & Son, Shadcleivell.
1818.
[Price Ottt: Shilling and Sixpence.]

TO THE

CHURCH AND CONGREGATION,

MEETING IN

ST. THOMAS'S SQUARE, HACKNEY,
THIS DISCOURSE,
Delivered on Occasion of
THE THIRD CENTENARY
OS THE
REFORMATION FROM POPERY,
AND PUBLISHED,
SOLELY IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SOLICITATIONS
OF MANY OF THEIR NUMBER,
IS RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED,
BY THEIR SINCERE FRIEND,
AND DEVOTED PASTOR,
HENRY FORSTER BURDER.
Hackney, 15. h Jan. 1818.

A SERMON.

»«®i^e>i*»»»-

2 Thess. ii. 8.

And then shall that Wicked (one) be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit
of his mouth, and shall destroy with the bright
ness of his coming.
_l HE prophecy of which these words form a
part describes, in terms peculiarly appropriate,
the growth and the destruction of the Anti-
christian church of Rome. A tendency to the
corruptions subsequently embodied in the Popish
hierarchy, the apostle could discover even in the
primitive age of Christianity. " The mystery of
iniquity," he observes, " doth already work ; only
he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken
out of the way." A restraint upon the insidious
operations of the "man of sin" was imposed by
the power of imperial Rome; but on the disso
lution "of the Roman empire, Antichrist advanced

with an unprecedented boldness of pretension,
and an uncontrolled rapidity of march, to the
very summit of Papal supremacy. T'hen was
fully revealed that " wicked one, who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God,
or that is worshipped; so that he, as God, sitteth
in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is
God." Even the prerogatives of Deity were un
blushingly claimed by the Pope, who, together
with the usurpation of secular empire, arrogated
to himself the spiritual authority which belongs
to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Vast, however,
and terrific as was at length theAntichristianpower,
yet, in the prophecy before us, " the man of sin"
is represented as "the son of perdition" — destined
to irretrievable ruin. This wicked one " the Lord
will consume by the breath of his mouth, and will
destroy by the brightness of his coming." If the
latter of these expressions refer to the future
coming of the Lord, to effect by tremendous
judgments the final subversion of Antichrist, the
former part of the prophecy may refer to the pro
gressive influence of the word of God, rendered
efficient by the agency of the Holy Spirit. To
trace that progress must ever be interesting to
the mind of a reflective Christian, and espe
cially at such a period as the present, reminded

as we are by the animating example of our Pro
testant brethren on the continent of Europe, that
three centuries have now elapsed since the com
mencement of the glorious Reformation from
Popery. With a view, my Christian friends, of aiding
your minds in the due commemoration of this
event, than which there is not one of higher
interest or importance in the annals of the
Christian church, I shall attempt concisely to
exhibit, I. The necessity of a Reformation from
Popery: II. The rise and progress of the Reforma
tion: and,
III. The sentiments with which the Reform
ation should be commemorated and improved
by us.
I. The necessity of a Reformation from
Popery: It was necessary,
1 . On account of the constitution and preten
sions of the Romish church.
In one of the articles of Pope Pius's Creed,
the Roman Catholic is directed to say, " I do
acknowledge the Holy Catholic and Apostolic
Roman Church to be the mother and mistress of

8
all churches; and I do promise and swear true
obedience to the Bishop of Rome, the successor
of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and
Vicar of Jesus Christ." Can you, my friends,
discover in the epistle of Paul to the Romans
any traces of such superiority on the part of
the church collected in the imperial city? If
precedence were due to any church, it would
be natural to concede that rank to the prior
claims of the church at Jerusalem.- But no
society of Christians has, by the laws of Christ,
a right of control over other congregations, or
a jurisdiction extending beyond the immediate
circle of its own members. In direct opposition
to the unscriptural assertions of those who have
assumed the name of successors of St. Peter, we
are prepared to maintain, that the apostle Peter
was never elevated to a rank above his brethren
in the apostolate ; that to the apostles there never
were appointed any successors in office ; and that
the great Head of the church never delegated his
authority to any earthly representative, but con
tinues to exercise his superintending care and to
afford his promised presence.
A Reformation was necessary,
2ndly, On account of the papal subversion of
the authority of scripture. As the Pharisees

" made the word of God of 'none effect through
their tradition," so also do the Roman Catholics,
who class together, as of equal authority, the
scriptures of inspiration and the traditions of
their church. " The Papist," says one of their
modern advocates, " is. ready to receive and
believe all which the church has, together with
the Bible, delivered as the doctrine of Christ and
his apostles; and assents to it with divine faith;
just as he does to the Bible, and esteems any one
anathema, that shall preach otherwise than he has
thus received."*
The church of Rome denies the right of pri
vate judgment in the concerns of religion. " The
judge in controversies," says bishop Chaloner,
" is the church of God, from whose decisions no
appeal is allowed to the dead letter of scripture."
" The church," says bishop Hay, " is fully quali
fied to pronounce sentence upon every point of
revelation, clearly and distinctly, and with infal
lible certainty." With regard to the official
dignity in which Infallibility resides, Catholics
themselves are not fully agreed. It attaches,
according to the most modest opinion, to the
body of bishops, joined with their head; but by
* Gother's Papist truly represented.

10
many it is attributed, without limitation, to the
sovereign Pontiff.*
In perfect consistency with the principles
already stated, the church of Rome interdicts the
unrestricted circulation of the holy scriptures in
the vulgar tongue; and some of its most recent
advocates, even in our own country, have not
scrupled to avow their opinion, that the indis
criminate perusal of the Bible is to be deprecated

* Dr. Campbell, in his Lectures on Ecclesiastical History,
(Vol. II. Lect. 23.) gives some amusing illustrations of the
sense in which a Papist is instructed to receive that article of
the creed, " I believe in the holy Catholic church." " To
- believe implicitly," says Bona, " is to believe, in general,
universally all that holy mother church believes. And though
it be convenient for all, not only to believe all the articles
implicitly, but even some of them, since the coming of Christ,
explicitly ; yet it is not necessary for all, especially the common
people, to believe them all explicitly." Implicit faith has been
sometimes ludicrously styled fides carbonaria, from the noted
story of one who, examining an ignorant collier on his religious
principles, asked him what it was that he believed. He an
swered, " I believe what the church believes." The other
rejoined, " What then does the church believe?" He replied
readily, " The church believes what I believe." The other,
desirous, if possible, to bring him to particulars, once more
resumes his inquiry, " Tell me, then, I pray you, what it is
which you and the church both believe." The only answer
the collier could give, was, " Why, truly, sir, the church and
I both believe the same thing."

11
rather than desired, and is actually productive of
injury rather than advantage.
A Reformation was necessary,
3rdly, On account of the absurd and pernicious
errors of the church of Rome: of these I can
only submit to your notice a concise selection.
i. They maintain, that the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper, called the Mass, is actually a pro
pitiatory sacrifice, and the very same which was
offered on the cross. It was declared by the
Council of Trent, that, " by the consecration of
the bread and wine, there is effected a conversion
of the whole substance of the bread into the sub
stance of the body of Christ our Lord, and of
the whole substance of the wine into the sub
stance of his blood; and that, if any one shall
deny that in the Eucharist there are contained
truly, really, and substantially, the body and
blood, together with the soul and divinity of our
Lord Jesus Christ, he is accursed."
n. Catholics maintain, that there is a state of
Purgatory in which the soul may for a time be
detained and punished, and from which it may
be released by virtue of the prayers of the church
on earth.*
* The following is an extract from a paper, not long since
published in the city of Dublin.
Purgatorian SOCIETY, instituted July 1, 1813, and

12
in. Catholics maintain the importance and
efficacy of Penance ; and with a view to its regula
tion by the priest, auricular confession is peremp
torily enjoined, — a contrivance by which the minds
of millions have been subjugated to the domina
tion of an interested priesthood.
iv. Catholics maintain, that it is not only
lawful but advantageous, to invoke in the lan
guage of veneration and petition, holy angels,
held in St. James's Chapel, Dublin. " The members who
compose the Society of the Office for the Dead, wishing to
extend their charitable views beyond the grave, by relieving,
as far as in them lies, the suffering souls in purgatory, and
inviting all tender-hearted Christians, who have a feeling sen
sibility of the duty they owe their departed parents, relations,
and friends, who probably may stand more in need of their
commiseration at present, than at any period of their lifetime,
to assist in the charitable and pious purpose of shortening
the duration of their sufferings by the most easy means ima
ginable, have agreed to, and adopted, the following rules."
Then follow nine Rules, the second of which is, " That every
well disposed Catholic, wishing to contribute to the relief of
the suffering souls in purgatory, shall pay one penny per
week, which shall be appropriated to the procuring of masses
to be offered up for the repose of the souls of the deceased
parents, relations, and friends of all the subscribers to the
institution in particular, and the faithful departed in general."
See Lectures on the Principles and Institutions of the Roman
Catholic Religion, by my highly valued friend, the Rev. Joseph
Fletcher, p. 252, a work equally recommended by the can
dour of its statements, the soundness of its arguments, and
the eloquence of its appeals.

13
glorified saints, and above all the Blessed Virgin
Mary, whom, in many of their offices of devotion,
they address in terms most derogatory to the
honour of the adorable Redeemer.
v. Catholics maintain, that salvation is un
attainable except in the communion of the church
of Rome, and by virtue of the sacraments and
ritual services she enjoins. These she invests
with a character of sanctity and importance
not equally attached even to the fundamental
articles of the Christian faith, many of which she
grossly corrupts or obscures.
A Reformation was necessary,
4thly, On account of the spirit and influence of
the system of popery.
We are authorized, by the events connected
with its history, to affirm, that the tendency of
this system is to degrade and enslave the human
mind; to repress its energies; to consign it to
superstitious fears and inveterate prejudices; to
oppose the most formidable obstacles to the
progress of science and literature;* to promote
* In the sixteenth century, the Faculty of Theology at Paris
went so far as to declare, that " religion was undone if the
study of Greek and Hebrew was permitted." The language
of the mendicant monks was still more singular: Conrad of
Heresbacb, a grave author of that age, relates the following

14
every species of despotic tyranny; and, above all,
to instigate the most cruel persecution. Where,
in the history of heathen barbarians, can be found
a parallel to the refinements of fiend-like cruelty
practised in the courts and dungeons of the In
quisition, or to the inhuman ferocity of popish
massacres? Well may the mother of abomina
tions be said to be " drunken with the blood of
the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus." *
words from the mouth of a monk: " They have invented a
new language, which they call Greek : you must be carefully
on your guard against it ; it is the mother of all heresy. I
observe in the hands of many persons a book written in that
language, and which they call the New Testament. It is a
book full of daggers and poison. As to the Hebrew, my dear
brethren, it is certain that whoever learns it becomes imme
diately a Jew. Bower's Life of Luther, p. 12.
* In the French massacre of Bartholomew-day, in the year
1572, it is supposed 60,000 Protestants were barbarously mur
dered. The havoc was instigated by the duke of Guise, who,
in the king's name, commanded that all the race of serpents
should be exterminated. " At the palace windows appeared
the king himself, shooting at the fugitives, and calling out to
their pursuers, ' Kill them, kill them.' One wretch, named
Cruce, a goldsmith, shewing his arm naked and bloody, boasted
aloud, ' This arm has cut the throats of more than four hun
dred in a day ! ' The information of the massacre was received
at Rome, with the most lively demonstrations of joy ; the
cannon roared, bonfires blazed, solemn mass was performed,
at which the Pope assisted, and the courier who communicated
the welcome intelligence was handsomely rewarded. The

15
This rapid sketch of the prominent features of
popery may be sufficient to prove, that a Reform
ation was indispensably necessary. I proceed,
therefore, II. To exhibit a concise account of the -rise
and progress of the Reformation.
It is not a little difficult to fix on any precise
epoch from which its commencement may be satis
factorily dated. We are encouraged to cherish
the persuasion, that even during the darkest ages
of papal corruption, there were not wanting con
fessors and promoters of scriptural truth, who
maintained those very principles which the Re
formers subsequently imbibed.
As early as the commencement of the ninth
century, Claudius, bishop of Turin, endeavoured
both by his preaching and his writings to oppose
the progress of error. " To me," says the excel
lent Milner, " he seems to stand the first in the
name of this most holy father ought never to be forgotten —
it was Gregory XIIL" Historical View . of the Reformed
Church of France, by the Rev. Ingram Cobbin.
Not less atrocious, nor less destructive, was the Irish mas
sacre, in 1641, when neither age nor sex excited commisera
tion in the breasts of CathoUc assassins, who, in the very act
of imbruing their hands in the blood of their Protestant vic
tims, exclaimed, with exulting malignity, that their dying
agonies were but a prelude to torments infinite and eternal.

16
order of time among the Reformers. In his Com
mentary on the Epistle to the Galatians he
asserts the equality of.vall the apostles with St.
Peter. He declares Jesus Christ to be the only
proper head of the church. He is severe against
the doctrine of human merits, and of the exalta
tion of traditions to ' a height of credibility equal
to that of the divine word. He maintains that
we are to be saved by faith alone, holds the falli
bility of the church,- exposes the futility of praying
for the dead, and the sinfulness of the idolatrous
practices then supported by the Roman See."*
Peter Waldo, in the twelfth century, zealously
endeavoured to diffuse the light of divine truth.
" To him," affirms Milner, " it is certain that the
Christian world, in the west, was indebted for the
first translation of the Bible into a modern tongue,
since the time that the Latin had ceased to be a
living language."'^" And *n tne valleys of Pied
mont we have reason to believe that there existed,
before the time of Waldo, churches emulating
and approaching the purity of apostolic faith and
discipline. In the fourteenth century appeared John Wick-
liff, the glory of our country, and the morning
* Milner's Church History, vol. 3. p. 213.
t Vol. 3. p. 441.

17
star, as he has been designated, of the Reforma
tion. Elected to the office of Divinity Pro
fessor in the university of Oxford, he assiduously
embraced the opportunities afforded of exposing
the corruptions of Popery. He inveighed against
the invocation of saints, the multiplication of
superstitious ceremonies, the prevailing modes of
confession and absolution, the grant of indul
gences for sin, the scandalous lives of the mo
nastic clergy, and the ambitious usurpations of
the Pope, to whom he appears first to have given
the appellation of Antichrist. Persuaded that
the awful prevalence of errors and corruptions
might be traced to the iniquitous policy of with
holding the Bible from the mass of the population,
he published a treatise on the necessity of a trans
lation, and had himself the signal honour of being
the first translator of the whole Bible into the lan
guage of our country.* For his bold attacks on the
* Knighton, a canon of Leicester, and a contemporary
with Wickliff, has left us upon record the language of the
times. " Christ entrusted his gospel," says that ecclesiastic,
" to the clergy and doctors of the church, to minister it to
the laity and weaker sort, according to their exigencies and
several occasions. But this master John Wickliff, by trans
lating it, has made it vulgar, and has laid it more open to the
laity, and even to women, who can read, than it used to
be to the most learned of the clergy, and those of the best
B

18
prevailing errors he was more than once cited to
appear at St. Paul's cathedral, before his epis
copal persecutors, and in various ways was
harassed by their malignity; but after a life of
energetic and successful hostility to the church
of Rome, he was permitted to die in peace, on
the last day of the year, 1387.
Before the death of Wickliff, John Huss, of
Bohemia, embraced his opinions, in consequence
of the study of his writings, and with a spirit of
fervent zeal and daring intrepidity, exposed the
corruptions of Popery, till, in violation of the
most solemn pledges given by the emperor
Sigismund, he was siezed at Constance, con
demned by the council, and sentenced to the
flames.* It might have been supposed, that the spirit
of inquiry now excited in different parts of

understanding; and thus the gospel jewel, the evangelical
pearl, is thrown about, and trodden under foot of swine."
Life of John Wickliff, by Gilpin.
* Having stripped him of his vestments, uttering a curse
on each, his persecutors put a paper coronet on his head,
on which they had painted three devils, with this inscrip
tion, akch-heretic ; and said, "We devote thy soul to
the infernal devils." " I am glad," said the martyr, " to wear
this crown of ignominy for the love of Him who wore a crown
of thorns."

19
Europe, and the exposure of prevailing corrup
tions, would at least have taught the pontiffs and
their advisers the necessity of imposing some
restraint on the grossness of superstition; and
had they adopted the principles of sound policy,
they might probably have retarded the progress
of Reformation. But, as if impelled by a spirit
of infatuation, papal arrogance, clerical pro
fligacy, and the " lying wonders" of priestcraft,
were displayed with a boldness of exhibition
which set at defiance every species of decorum.
In the mean time the revival of literature, and
the invention of printing were preparing facilities
of incalculable value for carrying forwards the
work of Reformation.
In the commencement of the sixteenth century,
Romish corruption had reached the utmost extent
which the human intellect, however degraded,
was able to tolerate. Leo X. was elected to the
see of Rome, which, under his pontificate, assumed
such a parade of magnificence, and exhibited such
a scene of luxurious dissipation, as to demand
some very productive measures for increasing his
revenue. To provide for his profuse expendi
ture, he had recourse to the sale of indulgences
for sin, the monastic venders of which had the
hardihood to assert, that the moment the pur-
b2

20
chase of an indulgence was completed by the
payment of the specified sum, the forgiveness of
sins was obtained, or the sufferings of purgatory
terminated.* By the palpable absurdity of these pretensions,
and the shameless effrontery with which they
were made, was first roused the spirit of Martin
Luther. This illustrious Reformer was in early
life an Augustinian monk. At the age of
twenty-five years, he was appointed Professor of
Logic in the university of Wittemberg, where
his transcendent talents soon attracted attention
and respect. Enlightened by the study of the
scriptures, a copy of which he had accidentally
obtained, after much serious reflection he pub
lished, Oct. 31, 1517, his ninety-five proposi
tions, in which he discussed the doctrines of in
dulgences, penance, and purgatory. For a con
siderable time the court of Rome refrained from
attempting any strong measures against this
formidable adversary; at length the thunders of
* Of these, John Tetzel was the most distinguished by
boldness and insolence. This " frontless monk," as he is
called by Mosheim, boasted that he had saved more souls
from hell by these indulgences, than St. Peter had converted
by his preaching. With regard to purgatorial torments, he is
reported to have said, " The moment the money tinkles in
the chest, your father's soul mounts up out of purgatory."

21
the Vatican were hurled ; and on the 15th of
June, 1520, Leo issued his damnatory bull
against Luther and his writings. Instead of
trembling with alarm, Luther treated it with the
utmost contempt; and before the close of the
year, in the presence of the members of the
university of Wittemberg, he committed it to the
flames, bidding defiance to all the anathemas of
Antichrist. In the year 1529 was convened the
Diet of the Germanic Empire at the city of
Spires, when, by a profession of appeal to a ge
neral council, the enemies of Reform carried a
resolution to postpone all measures which migh
be considered as innovations. Against this de
cree a solemn Protest was made by six princes of
the empire and fourteen of the principal cities ;
and in this Protest originated the term Protestant,
which has ever since designated the opponents of
Popery. About this period the impulse of the Reforma
tion began to be sensibly felt in England. In
the year 1534, Henry VIII. (not indeed from
any regard to the honour of Christ) renounced
the supremacy of the Pope, while he retained in
great measure the errors of the Romish church.
The cause of the Reformation, however, received-
a most valuable accession of strength, by the

22
translation of the Bible, effected by the admirable
exertions of Tyndale and Coverdale.
During the short reign of the pious Edward,
the Reformation made rapid progress; but on
the accession of his sister Mary, all the cor
ruptions of Popery were restored, and several
hundreds of the excellent of the earth, of the
lights of the world, were condemned to the suf
ferings of martyrdom.
With the accession of Elizabeth the Reforma
tion revived; but although this illustrious queen
was a decided enemy of Popery, it was not her
wish that the Reformers should proceed beyond
a certain limit. Many of the excellent men who
in the preceding reign had obtained an asylum at
Frankfort and Geneva, understood well the prin
ciples of the continental Reformers, and earnestly
wished that those principles might be fairly car
ried out to their legitimate extent. It was their
ardent desire that the church might be purified
from all superstitious usages and antichristian
errors; and that not only its doctrine, but its
discipline, might be regulated by the authority of
the New Testament. The party, however, in
favour of a partial Reformation prevailed, and
the advocates for greater purity were stigmatized
by the name of Puritans, and subjected to a bitter
and disgraceful persecution.

23
King James I. was an avowed enemy of the
Puritans, and declared that he would allow no in
dulgence to their tender consciences, not hesitat
ing to acknowledge the Romish church to be the
mother-church, although defiled with some cor
ruptions. During the reign of Charles I, the courts of
Star-chamber and High-commission were engines
employed with fearful effect against the oppressed
Puritans. Early in the reign of Charles II, was passed
that iniquitous Act of Uniformity, by which was
required an unqualified assent to every thing con
tained in the Book of Common Prayer, and to all
the rites and ceremonies of the Church. This act
took place on the 24th of August, 1662 — the me
morable Bartholomew day ; and in consequence
of its enforcement, nearly 2500 faithful ministers
were ejected from the pulpits of the Establish
ment. It has been affirmed that, upon a mode-
*** rate calculation, to this enactment may be ascribed
the untimely death, in various ways, of three
thousand Nonconformists, and the ruin of sixty
thousand families! *
* Mather's History of New England, quoted by, Mr.
Brook in his Lives of the Puritans, a Work highly deserving
of attentive perusal.

24
On this subject I cannot refrain from earnestly
recommending, especially to the perusal of my
young friends, the admirable History of the Pu
ritans, by Mr. Daniel Neal, and also that va
luable Memorial of the Nonconformists, for
which the christian world is indebted to the late
revered pastor of this church, which, I doubt not,
will transmit with honour the name of the Rev.
Samuel Palmer to a remote posterity.
It now remains for us to consider,
III. The sentiments with which the Reform
ation should be commemorated and improved
by us.
1. We should cherish the most lively gratitude
to God for providing instruments so admirably
qualified, as were many of the early Reformers,
for effecting the arduous enterprise.
To minds of only ordinary vigour and resources,
the work of reformation from popery must have
seemed a hopeless undertaking, and a scheme
completely visionary. What formidable impedi
ments threatened to obstruct its progress ' The
superstitious notions imbibed in early youth were
strengthened in the schools of learning, and were
associated with every aspect under which Chris-

25
tianity presented itself to the imagination. The
blind deference to ecclesiastical authority, the do
mination of interested priests and confessors over
the conscience, the solemn pomp and impos
ing splendour of the rites of worship, the dread of
being cited as a heretic before the misnamed Holy
Tribunal, and the connection between the hierar
chy of Rome and the government of every ca
tholic country, — all conspired to forbid every effort
at innovation. To attempt in any way, and es
pecially to attempt with any prospect of success,
an alteration in the prevailing opinions and usages
of Roman Catholics, demanded a combination of
qualities not often to be found in the character of
the same individuals. Such, however, were the
qualifications of the most eminent among the Re
formers. The vigorous understanding, the un
daunted boldness, and the scholastic learning of
Luther ; the prudential caution, the conciliatory
temper, and the elegant literature of Melancthon;
the inflexible firmness of Knox ; the profound dis
cernment, the commanding genius, the flowing
eloquence of Calvin, were specimens of the qua
lifications by which the Reformers were prepared
to carry forwards their noble enterprise, and to
produce upon Europe and upon the world so un
precedented an impression. Whence did they de-

26
rive these endowments but from that divine source
from which the renowned lawgiver of Israel, and
the intrepid Reformer in the days of idolatrous
Ahab derived their extraordinary qualifications for
extraordinary service; and from which also the
church of the New Testament has received its
apostles, its prophets, and its evangelists, and
still receives its pastors and teachers, " for the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the mi
nistry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
To whom then is our gratitude unquestionably
due, but to Him who, " when- he ascended up on
high, gave gifts unto men ; and ascended up far
above all heavens, that he might fill all things."
2. We ought to be unfeignedly thaifldul for
those high privileges which we enjoy as the result
of the glorious Reformation.
We have the Bible in our own language, -. with
every encouragement and every facility for giving
it universal circulation: we are at liberty to adopt,
to avow, and to defend those sentiments in re
ligion which we regard as correct : we enjoy unre
stricted opportunities of assembling together for
the worship of God in the way which conscience
dictates, and the Scriptures recommend. What
v-alue would have been attached to such exalted
privileges by the venerable Puritans, and by their

27
successors, the conscientious Nonconformists!
In their courageous struggle for these privileges,
they nobly hazarded and often sacrificed property,
liberty and even life. These privileges were not
fully secured even in the infancy of our own in
dividual society. The first pastor of the church,
now assembling within these walls, was the de
servedly eminent Dr. William Bates, who, al
though not so great a sufferer from persecution as
many of his nonconforming brethren, yet, long
after his ejectment from the established church
and the commencement of his pastoral labours
here, was deprived of his goods by seizure and
confiscation.* With how deep a sense of gra-

* It is supposed that Dr. Bates commenced his ministry
at Hackney about the year 1672, when the severity of per
secution was for a time relaxed, and' licences were granted
for opening places of worship. Dr. Bates died in the year
1699, aged 74 years. He was succeeded in the pastoral
charge by Mr. Robert Billio, who was removed by the small
pox in the year 1710. Repeated invitations were now given
with great importunity to the excellent Mr. Matthew Henry
of Chester, who at length acceded to the wishes of the
church, and entered on his pastoral charge, May 18, 1712.
Short, however, was the remaining term of his most indefati
gable and useful labours. In consequence of a fall from his
horse, and a state of health previously impaired, he died on
a journey, June 22, 1714. After a short interval, he was
succeeded by Mr. John Barker, who resigned his charge in

28
titude ought our hearts to be affected towards the
Father of mercies, to whose gracious providence
we owe our present immunities and privileges !
Nor can we ever cease to cherish the warmest at
tachment to the constitution and government of
our country, by which these sacred rights are gua
ranteed, or the most loyal sentiments of veneration
and affection for the illustrious House of Bruns
wick, and especially for the person of our beloved
Sovereign, who has ever gloried in maintaining
inviolate the principles of religious liberty.
3. We should strenuously and consistentlymain-
tain the grand principles of the Reformation.
The characteristic principles of the Reform
ation may be exhibited in few words; they are
simply these — A supreme regard to the authority
of our Lord Jesus Christ as the sole head of the
church, and a uniform appeal to the bible alone
as the standard of faith and the rule of discipline.

the year 1738, and was afterwards minister at Salter's Hall.
In 1729, Mr. Philip Gibbs was chosen co-pastor with Mr.
Barker, and was succeeded by Mr. Wilham Hunt, a few
months before Mr. Barker's Tesignation. Mr. Hunt then be
came sole pastor, and continued so till, on account of the
infirmities of age, he received the assistance of the Rev.
Samuel Palmer, who commenced his ministry at Hackney, at
Midsummer, 1762, and became co-pastor in 1764. * Mr.
Hunt died, aged 73, May 20, 1770.

29
These are the grand principles for which the
Reformers contended, and these are, permit me
to say, the grand principles of Protestant Dis
senters. On these principles the Church of Eng
land dissents from the Church of Rome, and
precisely on these principles we dissent from the
Church of England ; nor would we wish our se
cession to conduct us, even in the slightest degree,
beyond that point to which the force of these prin
ciples compels us to proceed. We wish only to
carry forward the principles of the Reformation
to their scriptural and legitimate extent. We only
wish the reformation from popery to be complete ;
and in this wish we find ourselves associated in
sentiment with many of the Reformers themselves.
They had accomplished much, but much remained
to be accomplished, and still remains. Had the
life of King Edward the Sixth been protracted, how
much further progress would probably have been
made in the purification of the English church
from her remaining conformity in many points,
especially of constitution and of ceremony, to
the Church of Rome. With that church she
still holds communion, but with no Protestant
church upon earth, and she maintains the validity
of Popish ordination, although the ordination of
Protestant Dissenters, of every class, she virtually

30
invalidates. We rejoice most sincerely in the in
creasing number of genuine christians, and of en
lightened ministers, within the pale of the Esta
blishment ; we cherish towards them the warmest
sentiments of brotherly love, and joyfully do we
co-operate with them in every measure for the ad
vancement of the common cause of our divine
Redeemer ; but it is impossible not to " lament
that her constitution involves a denial, virtually
at least, of the great principles of Protestantism:,
and that she is so tied and bound with the iron
fetters of a merciless uniformity, imposed by the
most profligate prince of the arbitrary house of
Stuart, — so tied and bound with those heavy chains,
that improvement and melioration are doleful and
forbidden sounds to her ! Our being Dissenters,
then, is nothing but the result of our consistency
as Protestants."*

* See a very valuable sermon by Dr. J. P. Smith, on the
Reasons of the Protestant Religion, in which, in connection
with the above quotation, he also gives the following extract
from the Speech of his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex
in the House of Peers, April 12, 1812.
" The greatest part of the tenets, and most of the cere
monies of both churches, (of Rome and of England) are so
nearly allied, as to be considered, by other Protestant sects,
as sisters of the same family,' and ought therefore to be in
constant harmony with each other. Though we have not the

31
4. We should be concerned individually to em
brace, and practically to exemplify, those leading
truths which the gospel reveals, and for which the
Reformers contended.
The ultimate design of all the dispensations of
divine truth, and of all the institutions of Chris
tianity, is to make us " wise unto salvation," and
to lead us to the exercise of genuine faith, un
feigned love, and universal holiness . If these ends
be not secured, the more clear our light, the more
distinguished our privileges, the more accurate
our speculative opinions, the more aggravated
must be our future condemnation ! How import
ant then is it for each of us, my brethren, to en
quire, Do we belong by personal and vital reli-

same number of sacraments, yet, except one, we observe the
forms of all the others ; and although auricular confession is
not enjoined, it is strongly recommended. And even in our
service of the Visitation of the Sick, the complete absolution
of the catholic priests, copied word for word from their
ritual, is to be found. This same remark holds equally good
with the greatest part of our Liturgy. Their canon law is
still, in a. great measure, the rule of our judications. We
have our spiritual consistorial courts, decrees, and ceremonies
from them. We have our subordinate church-governments,
our primates, prelates, archbishops, bishops, deans, pre
bendaries, canons, and other dignities ; provinces, dioceses,
parishes ; cathedrals and common churches ; benefices,
tythes, perquisites, Easter-dues, and free-will offerings."

32
gion and by genuine faith in the Redeemer, to
the true and invisible church, and have we a scrip
tural hope that we shall be eternally associated in
communion with "the general assembly and church
of the first born which are written in heaven?"
Let us not forget that it was to a church apostoli-
cally constituted, and in the very first age of Chris
tianity, that the omniscient Redeemer addressed
these searching words — " I know thy works, that
thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which re
main, that are ready to die : for I have not found
thy works perfect before God. Remember there
fore how thou hast received and heard, and hold
fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not
watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou
shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.*
Finally. Let us zealously endeavour to diffuse
through the world that light which, by the glorious
Reformation, has been restored.
How affecting to the heart is the reflection, that
at this day on which we are celebrating the third
Centenary of the Reformation, so many coun
tries, and some of them not unconnected with
* Rev. iii. 1 — 3.

33
our own, are still overspread with popish dark
ness, so many with Mahometan delusion, so many
with the diversified and debasing idolatries of Pa
ganism! Had the zeal of the first Reformers
continued to animate the Protestant churches
to the present day, a very different scene would
now have been exhibited to the eye of the
christian traveller. Papists have indeed been
active in the propagation of their tenets, whilst
Protestants have been, in many instances, supine.
" The principles of the Roman Catholic religion,
have become widely circulated in every part of
our country. In particular districts, the num
bers of those who profess them, have greatly in
creased ; and in some of our larger towns, their
places of worship are distinguished by a splendour
and magnificence which render them almost equal
to the churches of our national establishment, and
exhibit visible proofs of the opulence and advance
ment of their communion. Their publications
are numerous ; their clergy are highly respectable
in character and talents ; and their exertions in
support of their own principles are zealous and
incessant."* Does it become us, then, to be less

* Preface to Lectures on the Roman Catholic religion, by
the Rev. Joseph Fletcher.

34
assiduous in endeavouring to diffuse the light of a
purer system, and to oppose the most' effectual
barrier against the progress of error? Far be it,
indeed, from us to imbibe the popish spirit of
persecution ; we would not wish to interdict even
Roman Catholics from the open dissemination
of their principles, nor would we wish that they
should be subjected to any unnecessary disabilities.
As Protectants, we contend " that all secular in
terference on account of religion, is irrational,
impolitic, and unscriptural." But let us assidu
ously employ every legitimate method of promot
ing the interests of pure and undefiled religion.
By the circulation of the bible, by schools for the
instruction of the ignorant, and by sending chris
tian missionaries into heathen and into, popish
countries, let us oppose the most effectual resist
ance to the powers of darkness. Oh that our own
country had improved to the best advantage the
opportunities recently afforded by its preeminence
among the European states, for, the protection of
our Protestant brethren, and the advancement of
the cause of the Reformation, instead of laying
itself open to the charge of contributing to re
store the fallen greatness of the Papacy, and to
invest again with splendour the throne of the
Vatican ! May the pure, the enlightened, the

35
benevolent spirit of Protestantism animate the
churches and pervade the population of Britain !
May patriotism combine with Christianity to call
forth a due regard to the loud and pressing claims
of our sister island ! May the powerful appeals
of the Hibernian and Irish Evangelical societies
reach the hearts of thousands of our countrymen,
and secure their liberal co-operation ! May Bri
tain long be distinguished by the prosperity of its
institutions for the advancement of the kingdom
of Immanuel, that the altars of paganism may
throughout the world be demolished, and popish
antichrist completely destroyed ! Already has
the God of hosts afforded us a pledge, in the re
sults of the glorious Reformation, of the utter
destruction of the man of sin, whcm the Lord
shall assuredly " consume with the spirit of his
mouth and destroy with the -brightness of his
coining."

FINIS.

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