church, Oxford, and vicar of Hagley; to which valuable living he was presented a few months since.

Reverend THEOPHILUS BUCKERIDGE, M.A. master of St. John's Hospital in that city, and rector of Mautby, Norfolk.

Dec. 23. At Lichfield, aged eighty, the

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

WE still doubt the suitableness of OBSERVATOR's narrative to our work.

In reply to TRINITAS; we know of no ground on which a Bishop or Presbyter of the Church of England, is justified in omitting the Athanasian Creed.

The friendly hints of CRITO shall be attended to. Before we received his letter, wè were led to suspect, that some mistakes nad crept into our review of Mr. Milner's History. We shall carefully revise the critique.

THE EDITOR OF THE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY may rely on our paying attention to his letter, and rendering him all the satisfaction which the case will admit. THE request of ZENAS will be taken into consideration. We are not prepared to answer his enquiry.

We acknowledge the force of some of MYTHOLOGUS's observations; but he assumes too much in supposing that our insertion without any comment of Mr. Faber's remarks, was an admission of their justice.

In reply to PHILARIO: HUME'S History of England is the most ably written; but it is disgraced by the author's insidious attempt to wound the cause of religion; and against these the reader must be on his guard: Rapin is a very impartial historian: he and Henry may be read with advantage.

We greatly commiserate the state of PENITENS's mind; but we think that he misapplies the texts to which he alludes in making them a ground for despairing of the mercy of God. Does PENITENS really repent of his sins? His letter seems to imply it. If he does, he will perceive that he cannot be in the number of those whom it is declared to be impossible to renew again unto repentance. Repentance is the gift of Godthe work of his spirit: let PENITENS receive it as a token of God's favour, and as an encouragement to apply to the Saviour of sinners. Let him not add to his other sins a distrust of the mercy and love of his Redeemer-and a refusal to obey the gracious invitation, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, &c." We beg him to consider with attention, 2 Sam. xii. 13. Luke xxii. 61. 2 Cor ii. 6, 7, &c. 1 John i. 7, 8, 9. and ii. 1, 2. We recommend to him also Scott's Essay on repentance. We shall be glad to hear from him again. H. T.'s paper on the Sabbath, we fear is too long for insertion.

We agree with a FRIEND TO MISSIONS.

The letters of PHILO ECCLESIE and AMICUS SANCTORUM, contain remarks of which we approve, but we have not determined the propriety of admitting them. · We have received MR. BENSON's two letters, and were we in love with the λoyquaya* we should have been abundantly gratified by their perusal. We wish we could praise their candour and ingenuousness, as much as we are disposed to praise the piety, zeal, and benevolence of their author.

D. L. A. A. M. will find a letter addressed to him at the publisher's:

C. L.; CLERICUS JUVENIS; H. T.'s paper respecting Barclay as well as his former one; T. S.; CHEIROTONETHEIS; P. CAVANAH; and N. G.; will appear the first convenient opportunity. M. D-G.; KRITIKOS; ADOLESCENS; the lines of T. S.; PRESBUTEROS EKKLESIAS; A RECTOR; TETAGEMENOS; PHILANTHROPOS; HALM; and @EANOPLIоIAO2; are come to hand.

M. R.; T. C. C.; J. L's Extracts; A SINCERE ENQUIRER; and D. W. E. H.; have been recently received, and are under consideration.

The extracts from Bishop Grosseterre's manuscripts, are also under consideration, but we wish they had been more legibly written.

We do not recollect having seen the pamphlet mentioned by B. V.

The request of A CONSTANT READER came too late for this Month.

*"Pugna quæ fit verbis, aut de verbis inanis rixa." Hedericus.

1

ACCOUNT OF THE EXECUTION OF ARTHUR LORD CAPEL, MARCH 9, 1649.

HE execution of the Duke of land having been performed, the Lord Capel was brought to the scaffold, and in the way he put off his hat to the people on both sides: and being come upon the scaffold, Lieutenantcolonel Beecher said to him, Is your chaplain here?

Capel. No, I have taken my leave of him. And perceiving some of his servants to weep, he said, Gentlemen, refrain yourselves, refrain yourselves. And turning to Colonel Beecher, he said, What! did the lords speak with their hats off, or no? →

Cot. Beecher. With their hats off. And then coming to the front of the scaffold, he said, I shall hardly be understood here, I think; and then began his speech as followeth :

"The conclusion that I made with those that sent me hither, and are the cause of this violent death of mine, shall be the beginning of what I shall say to you. When I made an address to them, (which was the last) I told them with much sincerity, that I would pray to the God of all mercies, that they might be partakers of his inestimable and boundless mercies in Jesus Christ; and truly I still pray that prayer; and I beseech the God of heaven forgive any injury they have done to me, from my soul I wish it: and this I tell you as a Christian, to let you see I am a Christian. But it is necessary I should tell you somewhat more, that I am a Protestant; and truly I am a Protestant, and very much in love with the profession of it, after the manner as it was established in England by the thirty-nine articles; a blessed way of profession, and such an one as truly I never knew any so good. I am so far from being a Papist, which somebody has very unworthily at some time charged me withal, that truly I profess to you, CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 26.

that though I love good works, and

they have nothing at all to do in the matter of salvation; my anchor-hold is this, That Christ loved me, and gave himself for me: this is that that I rest upon.

"And truly something I shall say to you as a citizen of the whole world, and in that consideration I am here condemned to die, contrary to the law that governs all the world, that is, the law of the sword; I had the protection of that for my life, and the honour of it; but I will not trouble you much with that, because in another place I have spoken very largely and liberally about it. I believe you will hear by other means what arguments I used in that case: but truly that which is stranger, you that are Englishmen, behold here an Englishman before you, and acknowledged a peer, not condemned to die by any law of England, not by any law of England; and, shall I tell you more? (which is strangest of all) contrary to all the laws of England that I know of. And truly I will tell you, in the matter of the civil part of my death, and the cause that I have maintained, I die (I take it) for maintaining the fifth commandment, enjoined by God himself, which enjoins reverence and obedience to parents. All divines on all hands, though they contradict one another in many several opinions, yet all divines on all hands do acknowledge, that here is intended magistracy and order; and certainly I have obeyed that magistracy and that order under which I have lived, which I was bound to obey; and truly, I can say it very confidently, that I do die here for keeping, for obeying that fifth commandment given by God himself, and written with his own finger: and now, Gentlemen, I will take this opportunity to tell you, that I cannot imitate a better nor a greater

K

that shall be his faithful subjects by the grace of Jesus Christ.

ingenuousness than his, that said of
himself, for suffering an unjust judg-
ment upon another, himself was
brought to suffer by an unjust judg-
ment. Truly, Gentlemen, that God
may be glorified, that all men that
are concerned in it may take the occa
sion of it, of humble repentance to
God Almighty for it: I do here pro-
fess to you, that I did give my vote to
that bill against the Earl of Strafford;
I doubt not but God Almighty hath
washed that away with a more preci-
ous blood, the blood of his own son,
and my dear Saviour Jesus Christ;
and I hope he will wash it away from
all those that are guilty of it. Truly,
this I may say, I had not the least
part nor degree of malice in doing of
it; but I must confess again to God's
glory, and the accusation of mine
own frailty, and the frailty of my na-
ture, that it was unworthy cowardice
not to resist so great a torrent as car-
ried that business at that time. And
truly, this, I think, I am most guilty
of, of not courage enough in it, but
malice I had none; but whatsoever it
was, God, I am sure, hath pardoned
it, hath given me the assurance of it,
that Christ Jesus his blood hath wash-
ed it away; and truly, I do from my
soul wish, that all men that have any
stain by it may seriously repent, and
receive a remission and pardon from
God for it. And now, Gentlemen,
we have an occasion from this intima-
tion to remember his Majesty our
king that last was; and I cannot
speak of him, nor think of it, but I
must needs say, that in my opinion,
who have had time to consider all the
images of the greatest and virtuousest
princes in the world; and, in my opi-
nion, there was not a more virtuous
and more sufficient prince known in
the world than our gracious King
Charles that died last: God Almighty
preserve our king that now is, his
son; God send him more fortune and
longer days; God Almighty so assist
him, that he may exceed both the
virtues and sufficiencies of his father.
I pray God restore him to this king-
dom, and unite the kingdoms one to
another, and send a great happiness
both to you and to him, that he
long live and reign among you, and
that that family may reign till thy
kingdom come, that is, while all tem-
poral power is consummated: I be-
seech God of his mercy give much
happiness to this your king, to you

Truly I like my beginning so well that I will make my conclusion with it; that is, that God Almighty would confer, of his infinite and inestimable grace and mercy, to those that are the cause of my coming hither, I pray God give them as much mercy as their hearts can wish; and for my part I will not accuse any one of them of malice, truly I will hot, nay, I will not think there was any malice in them. What other end there is, I know not, nor will I examine; but let it be what it will, from my very soul I forgive them every one. And so the Lord of heaven bless you all, God Almighty be infinite in goodness and mercy to you, and direct you in those ways of obedience to his commands, to his Majesty, that this kingdom may be an happy and glorious nation again, and that your king may be an happy king in so good and so obedient people: God Almighty keep you all; God Almighty preserve this kingdom; God Almighty preserve you all."

may

Then turning about, and looking for the executioner, (who was gone off the scaffold) he said, "Which is the gentleman? Which is the man?" Answer was made, he is coming: he then said, "Stay, I must pull off my doublet first, and my waistcoat." And. then the executioner being come upon the scaffold, the Lord Capel said,

O friend, prithee come hither." Then the executioner kneeling down, the Lord Capel said, "I forgive thee from my soul, and not only forgive thee, but I shall pray to God to give thee all grace for a better life. There. is five pounds for thee; and truly, for my clothes, and those things, if there be any thing due to you for it you shall be fully recompensed; but I desire my body may not be stripped here, and nobody to take notice of my body but my own servants. Look you, friend, this I shall desire of you, that when I lie down you would give me time for a particular short prayer."

L. Col. Beecher. Make your own sign, my lord.

66

Capel. Stay a little: which side do you stand upon ?" (speaking to the executioner.) Stay, I think I should lay my hands forward that way (pointing fore-right);" and answer being made, yes; he stood still a little while, and then said, "God

Almighty bless all this people; God Almighty stanch this blood; God Almighty stanch, stanch, starch this issue of blood. This will not do the business: God Almighty find out another way to do it." And then turning to one of his servants, he said, "Baldwin, I cannot see any thing that belongs to my wife; but I must desire thee and beseech her, to rest wholly upon Jesus Christ, to be contented, and fully satisfied." And then speaking to his servants, he said, "God keep you; and, Gentlemen, let me now do a business quickly, privately; and pray let me have your prayers at the moment of death, that God would receive my soul."

L. Col. Beecher. I wish it. Capel. "Pray, at the moment of striking, join your prayers, but make no noise (turning to his servants); it is inconvenient at this time."

Servant. My lord, put on your cap. Capel. Should I, what will that do me good? stay a little, it is well as it is now." (As he was putting up his hair.)

And then turning to the executioner, he said, "Honest man, I have forgiven thee, therefore strike boldly, from my soul I do it."

Then a gentleman speaking to him, he said,Nay, prithee be contented, be quieted, good Mr. quiet."

33

be

Then turning to the executioner, he said, "Well, you are ready when I am ready, are you not?" And stretching out his hands, he said, "Then pray stand off, Gentlemen." Then going to the front of the scaffold, he said to the people, "Gentlemen, though I doubt not of it, yet I think it convenient to ask it of you, that you would all join in prayers with me, that God would mercifully receive my soul, and that for his alone mercies in Christ Jesus. God Almighty keep you all."

Execut. My lord, shall I put up your

hair?

Capel. "Ay, ay, prithee do;" and then as he stood lifting up his hands and eyes, he said, "O God, I do with a perfect and a willing heart submit to thy will: O God, I do most willingly humble myself." And then kneeling down, said, "I will try first how I can lie;" and laying his head over the block, said, "Am I well now!"

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

I FEEL Some regret, that the question concerning the supposed speaker in the celebrated passage, Rom. vii. 14

25, has been started in your pages. Yet since it has been brought forward, I think it merits more attention than it has received from your correspondents.

You remark, at p. 94 of the second volume, that St. Augustine first introduced that intérpretation of the passage, which considers it as the Apostle's present experience at the time he wrote. If the father himself is to be believed, this assertion is un-" questionably erroneous; for he explicitly says, "I am neither the only one, nor the first, who has thus understood this passage of St. Paul." His words are, Non ego solus aut primus hunc locum Pauli ita intellexi; sed sic quoque intellexit Hilarius, Gregorius, Ambrosius, et cæteri Ecclesia sancti notique Doctores, qui et ipsum Apostotum adversus carnales concupiscentias, quas habere volebat et tamen habebat, strenuè conflixisse, eundumque conflictum suum illis suis verbis contestatum fuisse senserunt. Contra. Pelag. lib. vi. cap. 11. You have probably been led into this mistake by the following assertion, quoted from Vorstius by Pool: De non renatis locum accipiunt omnes veteres ante Augustinum; which, as we have seen, is flatly contradictory to St. Augustine's own declaration.

You, howeven, justly observe, that St. Augustine at first adopted the opinion that St. Paul, in this place, described neither his own existing state, nor that of a regenerate person; but that he afterwards retracted this sentiment. His latter interpretation was, therefore, the opinion of his maturer mind. As many of your readers may be disposed to attach a considerable And then, as he lay with both his degree of weight to his judgment, I

Execut. Yes.