to have been little mindful of his worldly advantage; for by his departure from Oxford he sacrificed his fellowship there, and if, as some Jesuits concluded, a year's probation at Doway would have more than compensated him for his loss, this he did not allow time to verify. These changes of opinion, happily, produced those habits of mind, that did not permit him to adopt any faith of which he could not give a reason to all who might ask him; and his patrons, all connected with the established church. and solicitous for his preferment in it, sought in vain to bring Chillingworth to an acquiescence in its doctrines. His mind revolted against many of the articles as unscriptural, and against the imposition of articles altogether, as an act of little less than Romish tyranny over the conscience.* The reply of Dr. (afterwards Bishop) Sheldon, to the letter in which his scruples were stated, is not a little amusing; "that he would by no means persuade any body to act against his conscience, but did not put the title of conscience upon an humour of contradiction; and that, to deal plainly with him, he was afraid it would ruin him here and not advantage him at the last day." He was at length, however, reconciled to subscription to the articles, regarding them as articles of peace and union, and not of belief and assent. This mode of construction, which his biographer states to have originated with Chillingworth, many at this day will perhaps think not very justi fiable; and will be disposed to cast on him some of the criminality of that large proportion, probably, of the established clergy, who have since followed, and, it may be, have been influenced by his example.

This great man was treated with little real friendship or confidence in his own age by any class of believers; and Laud, who had over-persuaded him to submit his immortal work ("The religion of Protestants, a safe way to salvation,") prior to its publication, to the revision of three eminent divines of the Church; in a letter to one of them on this subject, says, "that he is very sorry the young man hath given cause why a more watchful eye should be kept over him and his writings."

* Chillingworth's most decided and strenuous opposition seems to have been to the Athanasian creed, especially to its damnatory clauses; that creed, concerning which Tillotson expressed the "wish, that the church were well rid of it ;" and of which Clarke informed Whiston, that he had read it but once, and then by a mistake as to the directions of the rubric. Of this well-known composition it has been remarked, "that in its primary principles it consists of two parts, of doctrines and of curses; the first are not intelligible, the last are: if it were the reverse," says Jortin, "it would have been more for the credit of the writer."

Disney's Memoirs of Jortin,

The production to which we refer equally vexed and dissatisfied at its appearance, the Establishment, the Puritans, and the Catholics; which no one will much wonder at, we suppose, when we say, that its writer, faithful to his professions, defended in it neither the communion of the church of England, nor of any other church, but the great and common principles of protestantism. Dr. John Prideaux, alluded to above as one of its censors, "would liken it only," says An- ̧ tony Wood, "to an unwholesome Lamprey, by having a poisonous sting of Socinianisme throughout it, and tending in some places to plain infidelity and Atheisme." Such was the first reception in the world, by ignorance and prejudice, of a work, to which Protestants now with common accord appeal, and the principles of which they could not indeed abandon, without the utter surrender of their cause. Of the incessant stigmas with which this book and its author were then loaded, we will give a curious specimen below. It is from Cheynel, a man of whom we are about to make some mention, and from another of whose tracts we shall give further extracts.

What Chillingworth's particular views of controverted doc-trines were, it may not be easy at this distance of time to discover, especially when we remember, that regard to his comfort and even safety must have necessarily made him very cautious and reserved on this subject. Various circumstances render probable what has been affirmed by respectable recent authorities, that after vacillating in his earlier life amid the distracting opinions of that time, he settled at its close in that simple form of Christianity, which is continually approving itself more and more to the understanding and the heart. of the opprobrious names, as they were meant to be, which were heaped upon him, might have therefore had some shew of truth; but he liberally shared them, even at that time, with the great Locke, of whom he was nearly a cotemporary; and both their names have come down to times, when almost all the enquiring and the eminent rejoice to claim kindred with them.

Some

*Master Chillingworth, to speak modestly, hath been too patient, being so deeply charged by Knott for his inclining towards some Socinian tenets: no man in St. Jerome's opinion ought to be patient in such a case, and sure no innocent man would be patient. The Protestants doe not own many of those principles which are scattered in Master Chillingworth's book, and Knott could observe that he proceeded in a destructive way just as the Socinians doe. The Reformed Churches abroad wonder that we could find no better champion among all our Worthies; they who travailed hither out of forrain parts, blessed themselves when they saw so much froath and grounds; so much Arminianisme and vanity in Master Chillingworth's admired piece. What doth it advantage the Protestant cause, if the Pope be deposed from his infallible chair, and Reason enthroned, that Socinianisme may be advanced?"

Chillingworth followed the fortunes of Charles when the civil war commenced, as an engineer; and was taken prisoner at the surrender of Arundel castle in Sussex. He was at this time very sick, and owed the peculiar indulgences which be obtained, to the good offices of Francis Cheynel, already mentioned, a republican and puritan, and equally zealous in the church and in the field. His respect for the great merits of his adversary, and even tenderness for his condition, make a somewhat ludicrous contrast with his abhorrence of his senti. ments, and that fanatical severity of character which often embarrassed him in the treatment of his prisoner. Chillingworth died at Chicester while a captive, in the beginning of the year 1644, at the premature age of forty-two years. Cheynel soon after published a tract, now very rare, entitled "The Sicknesse, Heresy, Death and Buriall of William Chillingworth, &c." We present to our readers some extracts from this, not only curious we think, but characteristic, in a measure, of the age, and very strikingly so, of this singular enthusiast. They are related by Des Maizeaux, the biographer of Chillingworth.

"When I found him pretty hearty one day," says Cheynel, "I desired him to tell me, whether he conceived that a man living and dying a Turk, Papist, or Socinian, could be saved? All the answer that I could gain from him was, that he did not absolve them, and would not condemn them." Mr. Chillingworth being tired of such captious questions, begged of Mr. Cheynel to spare him, but our zealot answered that request with a severe reprimand. "When Mr. Chillingworth saw himself entangled in disputes, he desired me that I would deal charitably with him, for, saith he, I was ever a charitable man: my answer was somewhat tart, and therefore the more charitable, considering his condition and the counsell of the Apostle, Titus i. 13. Rebuke them sharply, or (as Beza hath it) precisely, that they may be sound in the faith; and I desire not to conceal my tartnesse; it was to this effect: Sir, it is confessed that you have been very excessive in your charity; you have lavished out so much upon Turks, Socinians, Papists, that I am afraid you have very little to spare for a truly Reformed Protestant."......." I desired to know his opinion concerning that liturgy, which has been formerly so much extolled and even idolized among the people; but all the answer I could get was to this purpose; that there were some truths which the Ministers of the Gospel are not bound upon pain of damnation to publish to the people; and indeed he conceived it very unfit to publish any thing concerning the Common-prayer Book, or the book of ordination, &c. for feare of scandal." At the same

time Mr. Cheynel shewed his readiness to procure him all the relief and assistance possible.

"I commended," says he, "to the sympathy and prayers of the soldiers, the distressed estate of Mr. Chillingworth, a sick person in the city, a man very eminent for the strength of his parts, the excellency of his gifts, and the depth of his learning. I told them they were commanded to love their enemies, and therefore to pray for them. We prayed heartily that God would be pleased to bestow saving graces as well as excellent gifts upon him, that so all his gifts might be improved and sanctified; we desired that God would give him new light and new eyes, that he might see, acknowledge, and recant his errors, that he might deny his carnal reason and submit to faith, that God would bless all means which were used for his recovery, &c. I believe, none of his friends or my enemies can deny that we made a respectful and christian mention of him in our prayers."

The royal party, as Wood states, imputed to Chillingworth's being "troubled with the impertinent discourses and disputes of Cheynel, the shortning of his days." Cheynel seems on the other hand, to represent the depression of his mind in consequence of the delay of his friends to ransom him, as a main cause of his death. "I entreated him," he says, "to plucke up his spirits and not to yield to his disease; but I perceived that though Reason be stout when it encounters with faith, yet reason is not so valiant, when it is to encounter with affliction and I cannot but observe, that many a Parliamentsouldier hath been more cheerful in a prison, than this discoursing engineer and learned captive was in a palace: Believe it, Reader, believe it, that neither gifts, nor parts, nor profession, nor any thing else but faith, will sustain the spirit of a man in spirituall straights and worldly encombrances, when without there are fightings, and within there are fears."

:

The account of Chillingworth's burial is as curious as any part of the tract. With respect to this it would appear, that Cheynel had been charged with uncharitableness; but he thinks his statement will, on the contrary, rather subject him to the "censure of a little foolish pity on his part."

"First, there were all things which may any way appertaine to the civility of a funerall, though there was nothing which belongs to the superstition of a funerall; his body was decently laid in a convenient coffin, covered with a Mourning herse-cloth, more seemly, as I conceive, than the usual covering patched up out of the mouldy reliques of some moth-eaten copes :*

* A sacerdotal cloak probably.

bis friends were entertained according to their own desire with wine and cakes, though that is, in my conceit, a turning of the house of mourning into an house of banquetting. All that offered themselves to bear his corps out of pure devotion, because they were men of his perswasion, had every one of them (according to the custome of the countrey) a branch of Rose. mary, a mourning ribband, and a paire of gloves." He acknowledges, however, there were various opinions in regard to his burial, one of which, it is worthy of remark, was, "that he ought not to be buried like a Christian." One reason for this was, that he had "taken up arms against his countrey," and another," that he was an Heretic, and a member of no Reformed Church." It was at last determined, however, that he might, from mere humanity, be buried by the men of his own persuasion. "Now there was free liberty," says Cheynel, "granted to all the Malignants in the city, (meaning the Royalists and Prélatists) to attend the Herse, and interre his corps. Sure I am that if Mr. Chillingworth had been as orthodox and zealous a preacher as John the Baptist was, he might have had as honourable a burial; for all the honour that John had was to be buried by his owne Disciples, Matt. xiv. 12. If the doctrine of this eminent scholar was Heretical and his Disciples were Malignants, I am not guilty of that difference. As devout Stephen was carried to his grave by devout men, so it is just and equal that Malignants should carry Malignants to their grave." Cheynel confesses also his refusal to read, according to Chillingworth's request while living, part of the service of the Common-prayer at his grave; and he alleges his reasons. "Now I could not yield to this request of his, for many reasons which I need not specifie; yet shall I say enough to give satisfaction to reasonable and modest men. I conceive it absurd and sinful to use the same forme of words at the buriall of all manner of persons; namely to insinuate that they are all elected, that they all doe rest in Christ, that we have sure and certaine hope of their salvation; and all this, and a great deale more, was desired by Mr. Chillingworth: blame me not, if I did choose to satisfie my conscience rather than his desire."

The Reader will hardly imagine now that Mr. Cheynel should go and meet the Malignants as he is pleased to call them, at the grave. But he was resolved to give here a new and uncommon instance of his zeal and orthodoxy. For though he refused to bury Mr. Chillingworth's corps, he must needs bury his book. This theatrical performance he relates in the following manner. "When the Malignants brought his Herse to the buriall, I met them at the grave with Master Chillingworth's