published his " Relation historique et apologétique "des Sentimens et de la Conduite du père le Cou

rayer, chanoine regulier de Ste. Geneviève."-He afterwards published French translations, with notes, of" Father Paul's History of the Council o Trent," and Sleidan's "History of the Refor"mation." He died in 1776, at the advanced age of ninety-five, retaining to the last his menta faculties. He was well received at the court of George the second, and particularly noticed by queen Caroline and the princess Amelia. Having lived in intimacy with many persons of distinction, both in France and England, and being possessed of extensive literary information, his conversation was singularly pleasing and instructive. He always professed himself to be a sincere member of the roman-catholic religion, and attended mass regularly on Sundays and holydays when his health permitted, and an opportunity of doing it offered; but, when this was not the case, he attended the service of the parish church*.

After the decease of le Courayer, Dr. Bell, prebendary of Westminster, published his last sentiments, under the title of "Déclaration de mes "derniers Sentimens sur les différens Dogmes de la "Religion, par feu Pierre Francois le Courayer." The manuscript of it had been given by him to the

66

* On the controversy occasioned by doctor Courayer, a work published on the continent, "Commentatio HistoricoTheologica de Consecratione Anglorum Episcoporum, ab “Olao Kiorningio, Helmstadii, 1739, 4to.," may be usefully consulted.

princess Amelia about nine years before his death. He professes in it to die a member of the romancatholic church; but the contents of it make it evident that he could not be accounted a member of that, or any other established church. In 1814, a more full exposition of his religious sentiments, intituled, "Traité, où l'on expose ce que l'Ecriture nous apprend de la Divinité de Jésus Christ," was published by Dr. Bell. From these works, the general laxity of the opinions of père le Courayer on religious subjects clearly appears.

LXXI. 5.

Correspondence between archbishop Wake and Dr. Dupin, for the Re-union of the Church of Rome and the Church of England.

A VIEW of the fatal effects which this animosity has produced in the christian world, has often made wise and peaceful men endeavour to re-unite all denominations of christians in one religion. With this view, at an early period of the reformation, Melancthon formed his celebrated distinction of the points in dispute between roman-catholics and protestants, into the essential, the important, and the indifferent:-in a later period of the reformation, Grotius, the most learned man of his age, employed the last years of his life in projects of religious pacification: towards the end of the seventeenth century, a correspondence for the reunion of the roman-catholic and lutheran churches was carried on between Bossuet on one side, and

Leibniz and Molanus on the other; it may be seen in the Benedictine edition of the works of Bossuet, and Mr. Duten's edition of the works of Leibniz.

That such men as Melancthon, Grotius, Bossuet, Leibniz, and Molanus, should engage in the project of re-union, is a strong argument in favour of its practicability; that it failed in their hands, may show that it is more than an Herculean labour; but does not prove it utterly impracticable. It is evident, that, at one time more than another, the public mind may be disposed to peaceful councils, and to feel the advantage of carrying mutual concession, as far as the wise and good of each party wish them carried. Perhaps the time is now come: "The soul's dark cottage, batter'd and decay'd,

"Lets in new lights through chinks which time has made." WALLER.

Through the flaws and breaches, the yawning chasms, (as they are termed by Mr. Burke), which the events of the times have made in the civil and ecclesiastical institutions of almost every country, · a flood of light seems to break in, and to point out to all who invoke the name of Christ, the expediency of mutual forbearance, mutual good humour, and a general coalition in defence of their common christianity *.

All christians believe, 1st. That there is one

A short account of the epistolary correspondence between Bossuet and Leibniz, for the re-union of the roman-catholic and lutheran churches, is given in the author's life of Bossuet.— A very interesting account of the attempts which have been made to effect an union of the protestant churches among themselves, is given by Mosheim, cent. xvii. sec. ii. part ii. ch. i.

God; 2d. That he is a Being of infinite perfection; 3d. That he directs all things by his providence; 4th. That it is our duty to love him with all our hearts, and our neighbour as ourselves; 5th. That it is our duty to repent of the sins we commit; 6th. That God pardons the truly penitent; 7th. That there is a future state of rewards and punishments, when all mankind shall be judged according to their works; 8th. That God sent his Son into the world to be its Saviour,-the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him; 9th. That he is the true Messiah; 10th. That he taught, worked miracles, suffered, died, and rose again, as is related in the four gospels; 11th. That he will hereafter make a second appearance on the earth, raise all mankind from the dead, judge the world in righteousness, bestow eternal life on the virtuous, and punish the workers of iniquity.

In the belief of these articles, all christians, roman-catholics, lutherans, calvinists, socinians, and unitarians, are agreed. In addition to these, each division and subdivision of christians has its own tenets. Now, let each settle among its own members, what are the articles of belief peculiar to them, which, in their cool deliberate judgment, they consider as absolutely necessary that a person

* "The Creed of pope Pius the fourth," expresses the whole of the roman-catholic creed; we have therefore inserted it in the Appendix, Note II.

A more full statement of the points in controversy between catholics and protestants, is found in Bossuet's "Exposition. "de la Doctrine de l'Eglise catholique sur les matières de Con"troverse.". 12mo.

should believe, to be a member of the church of Christ:-let these articles be divested of all foreign matter, and expressed in perspicuous, exact, and unequivocal terms;-and, above all, let each distinction of christians earnestly wish to find an agreement between themselves and their fellow christians :-the result of a discussion, conducted on this plan, would most assuredly be, to convince all christians that the essential articles of religious credence, in which there is a real difference among christians, are not so numerous as the verbal disputes and extraneous matter, in which controversy is too often involved, make them generally thought.

Of all protestant churches, the national church of England most nearly resembles the church of Rome. It has retained much of the dogma, and much of the discipline of roman-catholics; it preserves down to the subdeacon, the whole of their hierarchy; and, like them, has its deans, rural deans, chapters, prebends, archdeacons, rectors and vicars; a liturgy, taken in a great measure from the roman-catholic liturgy; and composed, like that, of psalms, canticles, the three creeds, litanies, epistles, gospels, prayers and responses. Both churches have the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist, the absolution of the sick, the burial service, the sign of the cross in baptism, the reservation of confirmation and order to bishops, the difference of episcopal and sacerdotal dress, feasts and fasts. Without adopting all the general councils of the church of Rome, the church of England has adopted the