: If these positions have been established, then is our Church in danger of being defeated on those two great principles for which she so contended during the era of the Reformation; and which are the foundations of her existence. Illuminated by divine grace, she first restored to the Crown that just dominion of which it had been plundered by the Papists; the Crown in return rendered homage to the Gospel of Christ, to which it had become so deeply indebted, and by the strong arm of power kept back the Pope next, when the spiritual democratic element began to struggle for ascendancy, it acknowledged and cherished that spiritual power which the Church had divinely inherited. But now the reverse is the case; the revolution has been complete: the State now tramples the spiritual powers of our Communion beneath her feet; and most effectually upholds the spiritual pretensions of Antichrist: at present, she leads in the predicted conflict:-" And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army." (Rev. xix. 19.) The Dissenter may conscientiously allow this antagonism to take its course; he does not recognise the notion of a national Church: but on our Communion protest is incumbent by her very being and constitution as the National Church; and on the clergy it is even more imperative by reason of their subscriptions and oaths. The first bounden steps in respect of the oath have already been stated in the natural course of the earlier argument: with regard to the question of jurisdiction, whatever the Elizabethan prelates conceded, and they yielded much, they never dreamed of abandoning this; and some of the present prelates have ventured on a measure of resistance. We are not under obligation to attempt the resuscitation of the Constitution of 1688-to become politicians; but we are bound to offer the State the option of retracing her steps; and much more to prefer obedience to, and to honour, our Lord Jesus Christ. A crisis has been reached, if ever such a juncture can exist, at which, according to the principles recognised by our Reformers and embodied in their ecclesiastical constitution, our Church has to remember the apostolic canon :"We ought to obey God rather than men"; and, with all the weight and solemnity of corporate action, to propose to the State the alternative which her policy has necessitated--Re-action or Separation. APPENDIX. "COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH-THURSDAY. (Sittings in Banco, before LORD CAMPBELL and Justices WIGHTMAN and ERLE.) 66 SWEARING IN OF A MAHOMEDAN AS AN ATTORNEY. "THIS morning Comrooden Tyabjee, a native of India and a Mahomedan, who has served his articles to an attorney in London, and passed his examination, appeared before the Court to be sworn in. A question had arisen with reference to the oath to be taken. "Lord Campbell said—A question has arisen with respect to the oath to be taken by a Mahomedan gentleman, who has qualified himself to be admitted an attorney, but who cannot conscientiously take the new oath required to be taken upon certain occasions upon the true faith of a Christian.' The question is whether it is necessary the oath should be taken by him. My learned brethren and myself have considered the question, and we are of opinion it is not necessary; because, before the last Oaths' Act, passed during the last session of Parliament, it was not necessary, on being admitted an attorney, that a gentleman should take the oath of abjuration, but only the oath of allegiance and the attorney's oath, that he would properly demean himself as an attorney, &c.; and we think the new oath, combining the oaths of allegiance, supremacy, and abjuration, need not be taken by those who were not bound before the passing of the late Act to take the oath of abjuration. It was not before required to be taken by an attorney, and we do not suppose it is the intention of the legislature by this Act of Parliament to inflict disabilities that any of her Majesty's subjects were not before subjected to. This gentleman may be admitted on his taking the oath of allegiance and the oath that he will properly demean himself, &c., as an attorney of this Court. "The oaths were then administered by the Master, Mr. Comrooden Tyabjee holding the Koran between his hands, the right hand uppermost, and without his glove, and, after repeating the words of the oaths, he lifted the book to his forehead, and then to his lips, and kissed the back part, and not the side, as adopted in this country. "Mr. Comrooden Tyabjee having subscribed the roll, "Lord Campbell said I wish you success in your profession, Sir. "Mr. Comrooden Tyabjee said-I am obliged to you, my lord. "He then retired, bowing to the Court."-The Standard, Nov. 26, 1858, page 6, col. 3. INDEX. . 1 THE ARGUMENT STATED PART I. THE TRUE SENSE OF THE NON-SUPREMACY CLAUSE OF THE The only enacted explanation of the Oath repealed The Debate of March 22, 1858 ECCLESIASTICAL STATUTES AND HISTORY MUST DETERMINE THE Mr. Napier's appeal. Lord Lyndhurst's The line of proof THIS WAS NOT AN OATH OF MERE CIVIL ALLEGIANCE. 11-12 The illustration of the sense of the Oath will consist 18 19 20 21-28 21 Prohibitions Præmunire These conceded the Pope's spiritual claims THE POPE'S KINGDOM IN ENGLAND FROM 1509 to 1533 22 They enforce the Pope's dogmas HENRY EXTIRPATES THE POPE'S JURISDICTION Difference between Præmunire and rejection of the Cromwell and Cranmer originate the latter 25 26 28 29 The Pope's supremacy renounced with a saving clause 30 Henry publishes a Treatise against the Pope The Judgment of the Prior and Chapter of Worcester 38 Submission of the Abbot of Betlesden Hume's evidence A Letter against the Pope's Authority A Proclamation A Protest of Convocation The second Submission of the Prior of Worcester 28 Hen. VIII., c. 10 All the Bishops sign against the Pope Proclamation against Becket The Oath of Dr. Edmund Bonner 35 Hen. VIII., c. 1 . Cranmer's Interpretation of the above Statutes, &c. 52 He effected his grand object 60 61 Henry was ever a devoted Roman Catholic EDWARD VITH CONTINUES HENRY'S ANTI-PAPAL POLICY Secs. VI. and VII. of 1 Edw. VI., c. 12 Injunctions, 1547 HOOPER, BRADFORD, RIDLEY, CRANMER, AND DID NOT LIMIT THEIR ABJURATIONS TO THE MERE DENIAL OF LEGAL AUTHORITY . 76 77 79 Cranmer's ELIZABETH REVIVES THE ANTI-PAPAL POLICY OF HENRY VIII. AND EDWARD VI. 36 81-94 97 98 His Articles of Inquiry for Recusants Details of Capital Punishment ELIZABETH WOULD NOT TOLERATE ROMAN CATHOLICS Blackstone's explanation of her non-toleration JAMES I. CONSOLIDATES THE POLICY OF NON-TOLERA- |