hen first
collected together," in three volumes, at Glasgow. It is to be lamented
that he did not accompany it with a full biographical account of Mr.
Hales.

"His biographers," says Mr. Chalmers, "all allow that he may be classed
among those divines who were afterwards called Latitudinarians." May he
not be termed the founder of that splendid school? Perceiving that the
minds of men required to be more liberally enlightened, and their
affections to be more powerfully engaged on the side of religion than
was formerly thought necessary, they set themselves, to use the language
of Bishop Burnet, "to raise those who conversed with them to another
sort of thoughts, and to consider the Christian religion as a doctrine
sent from God, both to elevate and to sweeten human nature. With this
view, they laboured chiefly to take men from being in parties from
narrow notions, and from fierceness about opinions. They also continued
to keep a good correspondence with those who differed from them in
opinion and allowed a great freedom both in philosophy and divinity."
(Burnet's History of his own Times. Vol. I. p. 261-268, oct. edit.)
Hales, Chillingworth, Taylor, Cudworth, Wilkins, Tillotson,
Stillingfleet, and Patrick, were among their brightest ornaments. They
were in some respects hostile to the Roman Catholics: _in hoc non
laudo_.--See the Writer's History of the English, Irish, and Scottish
Catholics. Vol. III. c. lxviii. sect. 1. 3d edition.]

[Footnote 026: "King James," says Mr. James Nichols, in his Calvinism
and Arminianism compared, p. 242, "sent a deputation of respectable
British divines, for the double and undisguised purpose of condemning
the Remonstrants, but especially Vorstius, (whom his Majesty had long
before exposed to the world as an arch-heretic), and of assisting the
Prince of Orange in his design of usurping the liberties of the United
Provinces, and assuming the supreme authority. The Elector Palatine sent
his Heidelberg divines for the same family purpose; and the Duke of
Bouillon employed all his influence with the chief pastors among the
French reformed."]

[Footnote 027: The words of the former are remarkable: "The errors of
public actions, if they be not very gross, are with less inconvenience
tolerated than amended. For the danger of alteration, of disgracing and
disabling authority, makes that the fortune of such proceeding admits of
no redress; but being howsoever well or ill done, they must ever a