which the Providence of God ever afforded to this land, in opening a way to the establishment of that happy state of liberty, which we at present enjoy.

Our lawyers fpeak of a spirit of liberty in herent in the conftitution. But the people did not know their own confequence. The spirit of exerting the liberty, which the laws gave them, flumbered; and they bore patiently whatever an arbitrary prince impofed.

Before the civil wars broke out, the government of this country tended certainly to defpotifm. The Tudors were tyrants; and if James the first was not equally tyrannical, it was not for want of inclination, but for want of thofe commanding talents, which his predeceffors poffeffed.

Charles the first, with all his amiable qualities, feems to have had no inclination to relax the regal authority and if he had been fuccessful in this ftruggle, it is probable, he might have continued in the arbitrary plan of his predeceffors. He was eafily impreffed by thofe about him; many of whom would have found it their intereft to rouse the prerogative. Even the noble hiftorian, who was one of the best of them, discovers feveral

fymptoms of his being enough inclined to stretch the regal power beyond its proper tone *.

The tyranny of Cromwell indeed fucceeded. Few men had the talents which he poffeffed of enforcing obedience. But his talents, great as they were, if he had lived much longer, must have given way. The people had now gained clear ideas of civil rights; and well understood the doctrine, that kings were made for the people; not the people for kings.

At the restoration the liberties of the kingdom should have been fettled; but the people were fo mad with joy at getting rid of tyranny, that nothing elfe could be attended to.

* In the beginning of his account of the treaty in the Isle of Wight, he speaks very freely. "The only hope left," he fays, was, that by this treaty, the king might be restored to "fuch a condition, that there might be those roots left in "the crown, from whence its former power and prerogative might sprout out hereafter, and flourish."-And yet his former power and prerogative were the very roots from which all the fucceeding mifchiefs originated.

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On the other hand, I fee not how we can allow the honours of patriotism to HAMPDEN. If like the excellent Lord FALKLAND, and fome others, he had only continued with the parliament, while they reformed the abuses of the times, he might have fhone among the first of English patriots: but by feconding, or propofing all their wild fchemes, he plainly thewed, that he meant not to restore, but to overturn the conftitution.

The

The two fucceeding princes began again to trespass on the liberties of the people; and to fhew the tyrannical principles of their predeceffors. But the spirit of liberty was now roufed: and the whole nation unanimoufly, without dividing into a civil war, took fuch fteps in the year 1688, as effectually fecured their liberties. From this time that happy form of government took place, which is perhaps as perfect as any human government can be. At least when we compare it with other governments, we fee great cause of thankfulness to God. At the fame time we must allow, that the events of those times feem to have been the great means under Providence to rouse the spirit of the nation, which might otherwise have dosed on under defpotism, like other nations on the continent. While therefore we deplore the catastrophe of this day, (tho' I fee no reason for fuppofing it will be vifited on us, or our pofterity,) let us thank God for turning those scenes of bloodshed, and murder into the happy establishment we now enjoy. We hear no more now of proclamations having the force of law-of forced loans-of the difufe of parliaments of raifing money without its confent -of fhip-money-overawing judges --star-cham

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ber-fines-high commiffion courts-and other grievances.

One thing more may be added. A strong fenfe of religion existed in the nation at large, through all these calamitous times. Disfigured indeed it often was with fanaticifm, and enthusiasm: yet ftill it had a strong hold upon the minds of men, and produced by degrees that fobriety of manners, which led at laft, under God, to a happy conclufion.

LX.

Which things we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth; but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.-i Cor. ii. 13.

HUMAN learning is commonly supposed to be friendly to religion; but here is an apparent diftinction pointed out between them; which feems to place the former in an unfavourable light. As we may suppose therefore, that in fome cafes they coincide; and in others are at variance, I fhall endeavour to point out their boundaries; and shew how far human learning is of advantage; and how far it may be of disadvantage to religion.

In the first place, many advantages accrue to religion from human learning. A ftate of learning has a general tendency to open the mind-to dispel prejudices-to enable men to distinguish between truth, and falfhood-to be convinced by the former-and to detect the abfurdities of the VOL. II. latter

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