in a fair light, and to vindicate that liberty of conscience, which God had given to all mankind.

met.

Thefe letters of the Affembly not producing fuch effects as the prelates hoped, they procured an order for the notification of them to all the protestants in the kingdom. The Intendant of each province had orders to convene the proteftant confiftories, to take with him the bishop's vicar, and fome other attendants, and to go in perfon and read the circular letter to each confiftory. All the reformed churches fixed their eyes on Charenton, and determined to act in this new and difficult cafe as Mr. Claude should fet them an example. Happily, Charenton was the first confiftory fummoned, and Mr. Claude was chofen to anfwer. The confiftory Claude was in the chair. Monfieur the Intendant entered with his train, and read the letter. Mr. Claude replied in a few words, well chofen and full of fenfe.-He owned the auguft character, with which Monfieur, the Intendant, was vefted -he declared, that he and his church had a profound respect for civil magiftracy-that, as a proof of their fubmiffion to it, they had affembled to hear him read a letter, which contained nothing but affliction for all the reformed-that my Lords the prelates challenged their refpect on account of the rank, which his Majefty had thought proper to give them-but that, if they pretended in these letters to speak to them as from an ecclefiaftical tribunal, he was bound in confcience to declare, that neither he nor his church did at all acknowledge their authority. This judicious answer was inftantly printed, and it ferved for a model to all the other confiftories through the kingdom.

Mr. Claude neglected no opportunity of doing good:

good but employed the little remaining breathing time in writing and publishing a small practical book on preparation for the Lord's fupper, from 1 Cor. xi. 28. In this admired piece the author develops the human heart, follows the finner through all his windings, takes off his mask, fhews his misery, and conducts him to our Lord Jefus Chrift as his fovereign good. This book had a moft rapid fale. The people would have exploded tranfubftantiation, had not the king and the prelates forbidden them. About this time, the univerfity of Groningen invited Mr. Claude to accept of a profefforfhip of divinity there. The offer was made with all the due forms, and with all the inducements, that could be defired: but neither could the church at Charenton endure the thought of parting with their paftor, nor could the paftor bear to leave his flock at the approach of the heaviest ftorm, that had ever fallen on them. He therefore returned a handsome answer to the univerfity: but begged leave to decline the honour intended him. I he diftinterested shepherd of the flock at Charenton faw the thief and the wolf coming to fteal, and to kill, and to deftroy: but, not being a hireling, he determined not to flee, but to abide, and to lay down, if it fhould be neceffary, his life for the fheep.

The calamities of the proteftants increased every day, and the established clergy seemed to fingle out Claude in all their publications as the ringleader of the herefy. He, all placid and ferene in his confcience, answered what wanted answering, and despised the reft. Aware of the worth of every moment, he became more indefatigable than ever. He preached very often, and very frankly; he advifed and affifted other churches; he opened his

hand

1685.

hand liberally to all his brethren's neceffities; and preffed home practical religion in private more than ever. His church was now a noble fight; the countenances and the tears of his crouded auditories produced tenderness and zeal in occasional preachers, and excited the idea of a fhipwrecked people climbing up a rock of hope. Sleep, and whispering, and compliments, and all the difgraces of christian worship were banished thefe affemblies, while all acts of piety and benevolence fupplied their place.

At length the fatal year arrived, in which the long-laid plot of extirpating protestantism, begun and conducted by those infernal inftruments of defpotifm called BISHOPS of France, was to be exeMay. cuted. In May the clergy held an Affembly at Verfailles. Their deputies, as ufual, harangued BAJAZET, (3) congratulated him for the fuccefs of his defign to extirpate herefy, extolled the glory he had acquired by oppreffing the reformed, above all the victories that he had ever obtained. In defiance of all the blood flowing in the Cevennes, and in all the diftant provinces, and in fpite of all the groans, that iffued from gallies, banishments and dungeons, they affured the tyrant, he had raised

the

(3) I allude to Mr. Rowe's Tragedy of Tamerlane. Dr. Welwood fays, In this play he aimed at a parallel between William III. and Tamerlane, and Bajazet and Lewis XIV. And, he adds, fince nothing could be more calculated for raifing in the minds of the audience a true paffion for liberty, and a juft abhorrence of flavery, he wonders how this play came to be difcouraged next to a prohibition in the latter end of Q. Ann's reign. The Dr. did not think proper to aflige the reafon; indeed it was unneceffary, all the world knew i

the church to the highest pitch of glory, and filled it with joy because he had done the great work without fire or fword. However, to make neat fashionable work they added eight and twenty little articles more, all defpotick and penal, which were yet to be done to finish off the exploit. This kind of orators have a patent for lying, and death and the devil have a commiffion, the first from Lewis, and the laft from the pope, to filence all, who dare contradict them,

Luke ii.

The old Chancellor, Father Le Tellier, perceiving he should die before the feffion of parliament, obtained of the king by frequent importunities, that the grand affair, THE REVOCATION OF THE EDICT OF NANTZ, fhould be put off no longer; but that he might have the honour to put the feal to it before he expired. He was indulged, the edict was prepared, the feal was put to it Oct. 18th, October. and four days after it was registered in the chamber of vacations. This fuperannuated old finner was fo infatuated as to adopt Simeon's words, when he fealed the inftrument. It was the laft act of his 29, 30. chancellorship, and he died foon after with thefe words in his mouth, I will fing of the mercies of the Lord for ever. His panegyrift fays, "be went on finging the rest of the pfalm when he got to heaven." I am not fure of that. I only know, all the bishops attended his funeral in their habits, and Archbishop. Flechier, a very good man, when he was not ordered to be wicked, preached the funeral-oration, faid all the fine things he could invènt, and declared that to be a PIOUS edict, a triumph of RELIGION, a moft glorious monument of the PIETY of the king, (4) that edict, I fay, which condemned two mil

lions

(4) Ce pieux edit. Triomphe de la foi. La piste du Roi. Flech. Orais. fun. pour Le Tellier.

lions of rational beings to ruin for exercising their own reafon in matters of religion, and did fo in direct violation of oaths, and publick inftruments, and all the ties, that ufually bind mankind.

The edict was not yet published under the seal, and the church at Charenton obtained an order of council for the continuance of their publick worfhip, till it fhould be fo. They obtained the favour, and spent their time in fafting, praying, preaching, fettling their affairs, as well as they could, and deliberating whither to flee, and what to do. What oceans of forrow for Claude at Paris, while Le Tellier was finging the eighty-ninth pfalm in heaven! The merciless bifhops, loth to do the devil's work by halves, artfully fet one fnare more for Mr. Claude. They procured a publication of the December. edict under the feal on Thursday Dec. 18th, and they took care to give the confiftory at Charenton legal notice of it. They knew the edict could not be registered in parliament till the next week, and they hoped the proteftants would meet on the in. tervening Lord's day for publick worship. In fuch a cafe, they intended to come into the church, fpeak to the people, and embroil them with the civil powers. Between the king and the parliament, prerogative and law, they intended, as between two milftones, to grind the reformed to powder. The better to fucceed, they concealed their treachery; and, as they took no steps on the publication of the edict toward feizing the church, the good people fuppofed, compaffion had for once entered the heart of a bishop, and that the fmall confolation of one, laft, farewell Lord's-day worfhip, was a favour intended them. Mr. Claude

knew