Page:History of the Nonjurors.djvu/388

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370
History of the Nonjurors.

wine can now be interpreted to exclude the mixture, when in King Edward's first Liturgy it undeniably expressed it. And yet this mixture is the only thing that looks like an alteration: so that the great stir made in the representation about giving up the Church of England, has something in it ridiculous as well as intemperate.

"The country Layman reflected on in the representation, is Mr. Smith of Durham, an excellent man, and what his learning is, his notes upon Bede's Ecclesiastical History sufficiently shew. Endeavours were made to get the Presbyters to recede from this representation, and there were hopes of succeeding, when Mr. B. sent the inclosed letter to Mr. Gandy, and therein quoted a passage, which he says was written by our master's direction. This knocked all on the head again. Now I can hardly think that our master ever gave such directions; or if he did, the affair must have been strangely misrepresented to him. I could wish, therefore, it was stated to him in its true light, for then I am persuaded he would give his approbation of it, and if he did, and that was once signified here, the union would be brought about, and executed here without any difficulty. This is therefore a very material point, and I should be very glad to have the matter cleared up, this pretence of his being averse to it being the main obstacle to so desirable an union. I sent you the terms before, so that I need not repeat them, only I shall mention one alteration I proposed, to get over Mr. Blackburn's objection: it was to be declared that the words in the Prayers for the Church Militant, "that we with them may be partakers" should be understood in the same sense as those in the Burial Office. Mr. B. saying he did not