tions, which it shocked them to hear, not only were their opinions injuriously set forth as heretical, but their constancy in death was misrepresented, as the desperation of abandoned men. Ridley would have replied to the sermon, but his mouth was forcibly stopped, as he attempted to speak, by the Vice-Chancellor and Bailiffs. They would only suffer him to speak in case he would recant, saying, that then his life should be spared, but on no other terms. "Well then," said he, "so long as the breath is in my body, I will never deny my Lord Christ and his known truth. God's will be done in me." And with that he rose up and said, with a loud voice: "Well then, I commit my cause to Almighty God, who will judge all indifferently."

He then began to disrobe himself for the stake. Taking off his gown and tippet, he gave them to his brother Shipside. Some part of his apparel he gave to others, and some the Bailiffs took. He also gave away several small memorials of himself to the by-standers, who were many of them deeply affected and weeping. Some plucked the points of his hose. Each person accounted himself happy in getting ever so slight a token of him.

Being stripped to his shirt and truss, he would have been burned in these, but Shipside prevailed on him to pull off the latter, as it might increase his pain, and if preserved, might be serviceable to a poor man. Then, standing at the stake upon a stone, lifting up his hands, he prayed: "O heavenly Father, I give unto thee most hearty thanks, for that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee even unto death. I' beseech thee, Lord God, take mercy upon the realm of England, and deliver the same from all her enemies."

As they were securing the chain which bound the two Martyrs together to the stake, he shook it, and bade the smith "knock it in hard, for the flesh would have its course." Shipside then brought him some gunpowder in a bag, and was proceeding to tie it about his neck, when he asked what it was, and being informed, said: "I take it to be sent of God, therefore, I will receive it as sent by him. And have you any for my brother?" meaning Latimer. Being answered in the affirmative, he desired that some should be given to him also, lest it should be too late. He then addressed himself to Lord Williams, who was in attendance on the spot, by command of the Queen, to see the execution duly performed without tumult or interruption-repeating the same request as that contained in his supplication to the Queen, in behalf of his distressed relatives and others, who had been despoiled of their rights through the unfeeling avarice of Bonner*. So mindful was he even in his own most bitter extremity, of the wants and distresses of others.

* How does Ridley shine here in comparison with Bonner? When he succeeded Bonner in the diocese of London, he was careful to do his predecessor no harm, giving him liberty to remove all his property, and preserving for him whatever he left. He paid him for the lead which he had bought for the repairs of the house and church; and paid also fifty-three or fifty-five pounds remaining due to Bonner's servants. Towards Bonner's mother and sister he shewed peculiar consideration. That they might not feel their change of fortune, he always sent for them to dinner and supper, and placed Mrs. Bonner at the upper end of his table, even though any of the King's Council happened to dine with him; saying, “By your Lordship's favour, this place of right and custom is for my mother Bonner." VOL. VII. NO. I.

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And now ensued the last scene of this cruel tragedy. A faggot was, brought kindled, and laid at the feet of Ridley, whom his venerable fellow-martyr then addressed for the last time, bidding him take comfort and encouragement from the glorious effects which he trusted would follow the transaction of that day. As the flames advanced upon him, Ridley cried out with a loud voice: "Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. O Lord receive my spirit." While Latimer, on the other side, echoed these accents of devout resignation with the earnest prayer, "O Father of heaven, receive my soul."

But while the sufferings of Latimer were quickly terminated, Ridley's were more protracted. The fire on his side was so ill managed by piling too great a quantity of faggots over the furze, that it first burned beneath only. Perceiving this, he desired those about him "for Christ's sake to let the fire come to him." His brother, hearing his request, with an ill-judged kindness, in order to rid him more quickly of his pain, heaped on more faggots, so that the fire, still smouldering underneath with an intense heat, consumed the lower extremities of his body before it touched the upper. In the agony of his sufferings, he was seen leaping up and down under the faggots, and heard calling out, "I cannot burn, I cannot burn." Hence it was that after his legs were burned, the side towards the spectators appeared entirely untouched by the flame. Yet even in this torment, he ceased not to call upon God, intermingling cries of agony with ejaculations for mercy. Thus he continued crying out without relief, until one of the bystanders with his bill removed the pile of faggots, and the fire then flaming up, he wrested himself towards it. At last the flame having reached the gunpowder, he was seen to move no more, but burned on the other side; and either from the chain loosing, or by the overpoise. of his body, fell over the chain, down at Latimer's feet.

Bitter indeed was the ordeal through which this holy man of God was ordained to pass to his eternal recompence; but an end, sanctified as his was by such meek and fervent piety, and so correspondent with the previous course of a life consecrated to the service of his Lord, may be justly regarded as a mark of the distinguished favour of God, who chastens those whom he loves, and proportions his trials to the ability of his servants to bear them.

Worthy was he to suffer with Latimer, as Latimer was to suffer with him. They were united in their zeal and their labours for the Gospel, and it was meet, therefore, that they should not be divided in the last triumphant scene of their faith-as valiant veterans, buckling on each others armour for the conflict, and animating each other both by word and example. If Latimer, by a just appellation, was termed "the Apostle of the English," in reference to the bold simplicity of his character, Ridley, perhaps, without derogating from the honour of Cranmer, may not unaptly be designated as the Father of the English Reformation. Without the active guidance and co-operation of Cranmer, who brought the practical wisdom of the Statesman to the administration of the affairs of religion, the work of the Reformation certainly would not have made that progress which it did in the short space, from its early and imperfect beginnings in the reign of Henry VIII. to its fuller developement at the death of Edward VI. But the learning

and the piety of Ridley first shook the foundation of that formidable barrier to the truth which the doctrine of transubstantiation presented, and thus purified the reformed religion, according to that standard of Scriptural orthodoxy, which has now for nearly three centuries stood the test of jealous and impartial examination, and bids fair, (only may we, and our children after us, have the wisdom to know its value) to render the Church of England the depository and safeguard of the faith, against the encroachments of antichristian heresy, from whatever quarter they may threaten, to the end of the world.

SERMON ON REDEMPTION BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.

COLOSS. i. 19, 20.

For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell; and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself.

THE sublime and glorious doctrine of Redemption by the blood of Christ, has too often been regarded by the children of this world as a matter of obscurity and doubt. It was in the first instance rejected with scorn by the philosophical Gentile and the stubborn Jew; and in subsequent times it has either been admitted in a qualified sense, or utterly renounced by those rash interpreters of Scripture, who consider their own fallible understandings as the measure of Divine truth. The true Christian, however, who has been accustomed from his infancy to "receive with meekness the engrafted word;" embraces the doctrine of Christ crucified with implicit faith, as the vital principle of all religion, and the foundation of every hope. He discovers many traces of it in the earliest parts of the Sacred Volume, and sees it more clearly developed in the writings of the Prophets. In the Gospel the Redeemer is emphatically described, as the "Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world ;" and in the Apostolical Epistles the same truth is inculcated in terms so clear and unequivocal, that none who are free from prejudice can fail to understand them in their plain and literal sense. This doctrine is expressed with peculiar force in the chapter from which my text is taken. The Apostle having saluted the Colossian Church in his usual manner, proceeds to expatiate on the office and supereminent dignity of our Saviour Christ," in whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of our sins. Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature. For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth; visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the Church: who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell: and, having

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made peace through the blood of his cross, by Him to reconcile all things to himself."

Whatever difficulty may here occur in the precise interpretation of particular expressions, the general spirit of the passage is too clear to be mistaken. The Apostle affirms, that we have redemption through the blood of Christ-that He is the image of the invisible God—that He created all things in heaven and in earth-that he is the Head of the Church-that he is the person who first destroyed the power of death by rising from the grave;-and that he has the pre-eminence in all things. "For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell." These words must be referred to Christ in his capacity of Redeemer of the world. His Godhead had been sufficiently established in the preceding verses, where He is said to be the Creator and Preserver of all things in heaven and in earth-of the spiritual and material world-of human and angelic beings-of thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. Now He who created all things must Himself be uncreated; but Christ, according to the Apostle did create all things, and is consequently true and eternal God," King of kings and Lord of lords."

Having enforced this doctrine, as a fundamental article of Christian belief, the Apostle proceeds to describe the everlasting God in his assumed character of Mediator and Redeemer. "It pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell." The fulness of power, glory, and wisdom, dwelt in Christ from all eternity, as constituent parts of his Divine nature. When at length the redemption of mankind was ordained, it seemed fit to Almighty wisdom, that the person who was to accomplish this mighty work, should possess every high and glorious attribute in full perfection. This was essential to the designs of Providence. "No man," says the Psalmist, "may redeem his brother, nor make agreement unto God for him; for it cost more to redeem their souls." To offer an effectual atonement for sin-to break the barriers of the grave—and to make intercession for a fallen world before the throne of God, was a work beyond the reach of men or angels. "It pleased the Father," therefore it was decreed in his wise and righteous counsels, that "all fulness"-the plenitude of wisdom and of grace, of sanctity and power, should be seated in Him who was appointed Saviour of the world. And further, it pleased the Father, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself. Here we are plainly taught that we are not saved by the mere promulgation of the Gospel, nor by the simple acknowledgment of religious truth, but by the blood of Christ. Had nothing more been requisite for our salvation, than instruction and example, there would have been no necessity for the incarnation and the sacrifice of God's own Son. But the case was otherwise. Man had fallen from his innocence, and had incurred the wrath of God. An atonement was required both for original and actual sin, before he could be restored to his Creator's favour. "Without shedding of blood," says the Apostle, "there is no remission." Such was the ordinance of God; and it ill becomes us to institute a presumptuous inquiry into the wisdom and propriety of this awful dispensation. Whether our sins could have been forgiven if Christ had not died upon

the cross, is a question which can never be determined by human reasoning. It is our duty, therefore, to abstain from such idle speculations; and steadily to fix our minds on those truths which are explicitly revealed. The Scriptures plainly teach us that the blood of Christ was the appointed instrument of expiation. Our blessed Lord declared that he would give his flesh for the life of the world; and that "his blood was shed for many for the remission of sins." No man who considers these expressions with an impartial mind, and is competent to form a judgment of their sense, can question the efficacy of our Saviour's passion in expiating the sins of mankind; nor will he cease to adore and glorify that gracious Being who was content to bleed upon the cross that we might be rescued from everlasting misery.

It may, however, be thought that the language of my text requires some further explanation-"having made peace by the blood of his cross by Him to reconcile all things to Himself." The peace here spoken of, is evidently the peace between God and man. In another place St. Paul describes all mankind before our Saviour's death as "enemies" to God; and again, speaking of our Lord's passion, he says, "having slain the enmity thereby "-i. e. the enmity which subsisted between God and man. Now the guilt which had caused this enmity must be ascribed exclusively to man. God continued, as he ever was, "merciful, and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth;" but man had departed so far from original righteousness, as to be regarded in the light of an enemy even by his compassionate Creator. In this state of things, God is said in my text, and in other passages of Scripture, to have reconciled the world to Himself by the blood of his Son. The ordinary meaning of the word reconcile is either to render propitious, or to restore to favour. It is used with the same latitude in Scripture. "If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." Here the person offending is described as the party to be reconciled to him who had been offended-" first be reconciled to thy brother "-be restored to amity with him, by making such concessions, and agreeing to such terms, as he may require. In the same sense St. Paul uses the word. "When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God:" although he was justly offended at our iniquities, we were restored to his favour by the death of his Son. In another passage the same Apostle has said, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself." The Godhead dwelt in the person of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of rendering Himself propitious to a sinful world. A similar application of the word occurs in my text. It is clear, then, that both in the common and the scriptural sense of the expression, to reconcile man to God, and to reconcile God to man, amounts to the same thing t. It signifies to make

* αποκαταλλάσσω - διαλλασσω-and καταλλάσσω are used almost indiscriminately by the writers of the New Testament.—aπокαTа\\arow. Ephes. ii. 6.Colos. i. 20, 21.—diaMaσow. Matt. v. 24.-кaraλaσow. Rom. v. 10.-1 Cor. vii. 11.-2 Cor. v. 18, 19, 20.-Heb. ii. 17.

Pearson, 364, 365. Magee. Vol. i. 25, 26, 27, and No. xxii. p. 202, 3.