way without any prejudice whatever, and were by no means sufficient foundation for the charge of vacillation imputed to him. The Jesuit Knott, in a pamphlet written against him, rallied him on this openness to conviction, and it led probably to the infamous insinuation of a later writer, that he was "a deist in masquerade, and at best but a sceptic in religion;" but he himself gloried in the conscientious changes which he had made, and speaks of them as the most satisfactory actions to himself that ever he did, and the greatest victories that ever he obtained over himself, and his affections to those things which in this world are most precious, as wherein for God's sake, and (as he was verily persuaded) out of love to the truth, he went upon a certain expectation of those inconveniences which to ingenuous natures are of all the most terrible." So also in his reply to Knott he is not backward in declaring his readiness to have changed again, if he could have seen more forcible reasons for it :-" Had you represented to my understanding," he says, "such reasons of your doctrine, as being weighed in an even balance, held by an even hand, with those on the other side, would have turned the scale, and have made your religion more credible than the contrary; certainly I should have despised the shame of one more alteration, and with both mine arms, and all my heart, most readily have embraced it."

After his reconversion to the Church of England, he received an angry letter of expostulation from a clergyman of Essex, named Lewgar, with whom he had formerly been intimate, and who had been induced by his arguments to follow his example in adopting the Romish faith. A letter of this description from an old friend, gave him much pain. He answered it, however, with so much mildness and affection, ⚫ while, at the same time, he justified his freedom of inquiry, and asserted the falsehood of his enemies in accusing him of Socinianism, that Lewgar was quite disarmed of his resentment, and sought an opportunity of conferring with him. Chillingworth and himself met in the presence of Sheldon and Skinner, and discoursed together on the subject of religion. Afterwards, several papers passed between them concerning the assumed infallibility and catholicity of the Church of Rome; and an abstract of the dispute was drawn up by Chillingworth.

He continued now to be engaged in various controversies with several advocates of the Church of Rome, some of which are extant among his works: in particular, one with Knott the Jesuit, which had been commenced by Dr. Potter, Provost of Queen's College, Oxford.

Edward Knott, his trħe name was Matthias Wilson; he was born at Pegsworth, near Morpeth, in Northumberland, and was for several years Professor of Divinity at the English College in Rome; then Vice-Provincial; lastly, Provincial of all the English Jesuits. He died in London, January 4, 1655.

Letters to William Bulstrode, Esq. a member of the Church of England, by Dr. Wood, a Roman Catholic, and Physician to the Pretender in 1710, in which Chillingworth is falsely represented to have advised an inquirer after the true religion to "keep to the religion in which he was, (which was the Roman Catholic) for if there were any religion, that it was the right; and that if there were none, that the worst that could happen to him was but so much pains lost."

The Jesuit published a work in 1630, entitled, "Charity Mistaken with the want whereof Catholics are unjustly charged; for affirming, as they do with grief, that Protestancy unrepented destroyeth Salvation." Dr. Potter answered this work in 1633, and in the following year the Jesuit replied by another work. It was this reply that Chillingworth undertook to answer. The prosecution of his studies for this purpose, in 1635, occasioned frequent visits on his part to Lord Falkland, at Great Tew, in Oxfordshire, where he both had access to a curious library, and enjoyed the great benefit of that nobleman's learned and instructive conversation: Lord Falkland himself often pointing out to him passages in books which were pertinent to his design.

In the same year, some of his friends recommended him to Sir Thomas Coventry, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, for some preferment, and there was every readiness on the part of his Lordship to accede to the recommendation. Chillingworth's circumstances, at this time, were such as to have rendered preferment most welcome to him; but he had conscientious scruples with regard to subscription to the Articles, which prevented his availing himself of the provision so honourably intended for him. He felt scruples with regard to the damnatory clauses of the Athanasian Creed, which he considered as contrary to the word of God, and therefore such as could not be subscribed with a good conscience. Another difficulty occurred to him with respect to the fourth commandment, which seemed to him to be acknowledged as part of the Christian law, by the prayer which follows the declaration of it in the communion service. This he considered contrary to the doctrine of the Gospel by which the Jewish Sabbath is abolished, and to the sense of the Church of England. While he balanced in his mind the awful alternative of incurring the displeasure of God, by the solemn prevarication of a subscription to declarations which he did not believe, and a submission to practices which he never intended to follow, he recoiled with horror from the very thought of subscription. His heart was dilated with a secret joy and satisfaction at this triumph of conscience over the temptations of worldly advantage; and under these impressions he wrote to Sheldon, communicating to him the circumstance-detailing the misery which he had suffered whilst his mind was unsettled, and the real comfort which he felt at having preferred the love of God before worldly happiness.

It appears that several letters passed between Sheldon and himself on the subject--some of which, for the greater secrecy, were written in the third person. His biographer, however, says, he was unable to meet with even the answer to this letter; but he infers the continuance of the correspondence from a paper containing the heads of another answer from Sheldon. From this paper also it appears, that Chillingworth afterwards expressed his objections to other points in the articles, and to the articles on the whole, as an imposition on men's consciences, much like that authority which the Church of Rome assumes. Sheldon answered these various objections, and with some severity at last; but he did not influence Chillingworth to a change of purpose.

His reply to Knott still engaged his attention. But Knott, who had

heard of Chillingworth's intended reply, could not readily brook that a man who had once been a glorious acquisition to the Church of Rome, should now become the champion of Protestantism. He would not, therefore, wait for the appearance of the promised reply, but at once published a libellous pamphlet to prejudice the public mind against the book and its author. This sinister purpose he endeavoured to effect by throwing out a malignant charge of Socinianism against the author. In the mean time, Chillingworth offered, through a common acquaintance, to meet the Jesuit, and hold a conference with him on the points in dispute, challenging him "to choose out of his whole book, any one argument whereof he was most confident, and by which he would be content the rest should be judged of, and if he could make it appear that he had not, or could not answer it, that he would desist from the work which he had undertaken;"-but the Jesuit as constantly refused to meet him, answering, that he would have no conference with him but in print. The reply was very nearly finished by the beginning of the year 1637. Laud, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury, and Chancellor of Oxford, aware of the freedom with which Chillingworth was in the habit of expressing his sentiments, wrote to Prideaux *, the Divinity Professor, requesting that he would revise it, and that it might be published with his approbation annexed. It was revised accordingly by Prideaux, as also by Baylie, the Vice-Chancellor, and Fell, the Lady Margaret's Professor in Divinity, and soon after sent to the press at Oxford.

Knott was then in Oxford, and hearing that the work was in the press, contrived to obtain the sheets in succession as they were printed. The Archbishop being apprized of this underhand proceeding by Dr. Potter, wrote to the Vice-Chancellor, desiring him to be careful of that matter, and to inform the printer, that "if he found that Knott made a more speedy answer than was otherwise possible without such seeing of the sheets, he should take that for proof enough to proceed to discommission him, and to suppress his press."

When the impression of the book was nearly completed, as it only contained an answer to the first part of Knott's work, Chillingworth stated to the Vice-Chancellor his reasons for not proceeding to notice the second part, and these reasons were transmitted to Laud. Laud urged in reply, that they ought to be stated at the end of his present work, to acquaint the world that both parts were answered in onewhich suggestion was adopted: and the book then appeared at the latter end of the year 1637, with this title: "The Religion of Protestants a safe way to Salvation; or an answer to a Book entitled Mercy and Truth, or Charity maintained by Catholics,' which pretends to prove the contrary. By William Chillingworth, M.A. of the University of Oxford."

Chillingworth presented his book to the King, with a dedication remarkable for its spirit of freedom and modest piety. In the conclusion of it, he intimates that Potter's Vindication of the Protestant religion

* Afterwards Bishop of Worcester.

against Knott, was written by special order from the King, who had, in giving the order, some view of recovering Chillingworth himself from the errors into which he had fallen. Next to the dedication were inserted the formal approbation of the three Divines who had examined it; and who had made so severe a scrutiny of it, as to induce the author to say, that it had "passed a fiery trial."

The book was received with general applause, and though a controversial work of considerable bulk, it passed through two editions within less than five months. Its success called forth the renewed exertions of Knott, who finding his former imputation of Socinianism had not been able to counteract the favourable reception of the work, now attempted to shew that the principles of Chillingworth tended to overthrow the Christian religion, arguing, as he had in his former pamphlet, that "the infallible authority of the Church of Rome being denied, no one can be assured that any parcel of Scripture was written by divine inspiration;" and that "none can deny that infallible authority, but he must abandon all infused faith and true religion if he do but understand himself;" which, as Chillingworth observes, amounts to this, that "all Christians besides the Papists are open fools or concealed atheists." Knott also dedicated his reply to the King, which was an act of no light presumption, when the King's zeal for the Church of England was well known, as well as his admiration of the work of Chillingworth.

Another pamphlet against him was also printed at St. Omer, in the same year (1638,) with this title "The Church Conquerant over human Wit, or the Church's Authority demonstrated by Mr. William Chillingworth (the Proctor for Wit against her) his perpetual Contradictions, in his book entitled 'The Religion of Protestants a safe way to Salvation."" The author was a Jesuit, named John Floyd, known also under the name of Daniel a Jesu. In this treatise, Chillingworth was reviled as a "defier and challenger of the Church of God." The same writer, in the following year, published an appendix to his treatise, which appeared under the title of "The total sum, or no danger of damnation unto Roman Catholics for any errors in Faith; nor any hope of Salvation for any Sectary whatever that doth knowingly oppose the doctrine of the Roman Church." He was attacked also by another Jesuit, William Lacy, in a pamphlet published the same year, entitled "The Judgment of an University-Man concerning Mr. William Chillingworth his late pamphlet, in answer to Charity maintained." This writer attempted to confute Chillingworth by ridicule and mere abusive declamation.

These were all the answers which appeared immediately on the publication of Chillingworth's book, and by their intemperate and sophistical character, they all bore testimony to the impregnable strength of the Protestant cause.

The Archbishop, and probably also the King, having read his book, it was considered but a proper reward for the services of the author, that some preferment should be bestowed on him. An opportunity was offered in the elevation of Dr. Brian Duppa, Chancellor of Salisbury, to the bishopric of that see; upon which the vacant Chancellorship was bestowed on Chillingworth, with the Prebend of Brixworth, in

Northamptonshire, annexed to it. He had now overcome the scruples, which three years before he had entertained with regard to subscribing the 39 articles. Indeed, in the course of his book, he had professed himself as now willing to subscribe. Accordingly, in order to his admission to the benefice, he complied with the usual requisition of subscription, as appears from the subscription-book of the church of Salisbury.

About the same time, he was appointed Master of Wygstan's Hospital, in Leicester.

In the year 1640, he was deputed by the Chapter of Salisbury, as their Proctor to the Convocation, which met with the Parliament, and was opened on the 14th of April. The Parliament being dissolved on the 5th of May, it was expected that the Convocation would also be dissolved; but they only adjourned for some days, and the King having granted them a new commission, dated May 12th, they continued their session until the 29th of the same month: during which time they despatched their remaining business. They granted the King a subsidy of four shillings in the pound for six years, under the name of a benevolence or contribution, to be levied upon the Clergy under the penalty of ecclesiastical censures; and enacted several constitutions and canons, which, being confirmed by the King under the Great Seal of England, were immediately printed.

These irregular proceedings of the Convocation were in the next Parliament declared, by the votes of both Houses, to be against the right of Parliament and the liberty of the subject. The Commons, indeed, passed a Bill for punishing and fining the members of the Convocation, amongst whom the Proctor for the Chapter of Salisbury was fined a thousand pounds; but this Bill was thrown out in the House of Lords.

Chillingworth was again deputed to the next Convocation, which met on the 4th of November. But there was no commission granted, and therefore no business proposed; and in consequence of the imprisonment of Archbishop Laud, the regular sessions were broken off, the Bishops discontinued their meeting, and the Lower House by degrees dwindled away.

Then began the encroachments of the Parliament upon the Royal prerogative-first in the Triennial Act-then in the Act which put it in the power of Parliament to be adjourned, prorogued or dissolved only by Act of Parliament.

The King soon felt the sad consequences of having thus suffered the landmarks of his sovereignty to be removed. He was obliged to retire to York, and the two Houses began to treat with him as a neighbouring discontented Prince. The result was, that the Parliament raised an army under the command of the Earl of Essex, and the King was compelled to erect his standard, at Nottingham, against his tyrantsubjects.

In 1642, Chillingworth was put on the roll, with some others, by the King, to be created Doctor of Divinity; but he did not go up to Oxford to take that degree, nor was he created by diploma.

Amongst the soldier-preachers who at this period distinguished them