oured to reopen the controversial question
between the Churches once more, and to recall Esmond to that religion in
which, in his infancy, he had been baptized. Holtz was a casuist, both
dexterous and learned, and presented the case between the English Church
and his own in such a way that those who granted his premisses ought
certainly to allow his conclusions. He touched on Esmond's delicate state
of health, chance of dissolution, and so forth; and enlarged upon the
immense benefits that the sick man was likely to forgo--benefits which the
Church of England did not deny to those of the Roman communion, as how
should she, being derived from that Church, and only an offshoot from it.
But Mr. Esmond said that his Church was the church of his country, and to
that he chose to remain faithful: other people were welcome to worship and
to subscribe any other set of articles, whether at Rome or at Augsburg.
But if the good father meant that Esmond should join the Roman communion
for fear of consequences, and that all England ran the risk of being
damned for heresy, Esmond, for one, was perfectly willing to take his
chance of the penalty along with the countless millions of his fellow
countrymen, who were bred in the same faith, and along with some of the
noblest, the truest, the purest, the wisest, the most pious and learned
men and women in the world.
As for the political question, in that Mr. Esmond could agree with the
father much more readily, and had come to the same conclusion, though,
perhaps, by a different way. The right-divine, about which Dr. Sacheverel
and the High Church party in England were just now making a bother, they
were welcome to hold as they chose. If Henry Cromwell and his father
before him, had been crowned and anointed (and bishops enough would have
been found to do it), it seemed to Mr. Esmond that they would have had the
right-divine just as much as any Plantagenet, or Tudor, or Stuart. But the
desire of the country being unquestionably for an hereditary monarchy,
Esmond thought an English king out of St. Germains was better and fitter
than a German prince from Herrenhausen, and that if he failed to satisfy
the nation, some other Englishman might be found to take his place; and
so, though with no frantic enthusiasm, or worship of that monstrous
pedigree which the Tories chose to consider divine, he was ready to say,
"God save King James!" when Queen Anne went the way of kings and
commoners.
"I fe
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