THE RELATIVES OF OUR LORD. IN the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius, Bishop of Cæsarea in the 4th century, there occurs a remarkable passage concerning the relatives of our Lord. The passage is remarkable, as showing that notwithstanding the influence which they might be expected to have from their relationship to the Saviour, they were only poor men, supporting themselves by the labour of their own hands. The passage is as follows: There were yet living of the family of our Lord the grandchildren of Jude, called the brother of our Lord according to the flesh. These were reported as being of the family of David, and were brought to Domitian by the evocatus. For this Emperor was as much alarmed at the appearance of Christ as Herod. He put the question whether they were of David's race; and they confessed that they were. He then asked them what property they had, or how much money they owned ? And both of them answered that they had between them only nine thousand denarii; ‡ and this they had not in silver, but in the value of a piece of land, containing only thirty-nine acres, from which they raised their taxes and supported themselves by their own labour. When asked also respecting Christ and His Kingdom, what was its nature, and when and where it was to appear? they replied, "That it was not a temporal nor an earthly kingdom, but celestial and angelic; that it would appear at the end of the world, when coming in glory He would judge the quick and the dead, and give to every one according to his works." Upon which Domitian, despising them, made no reply; but treating them with contempt as simpletons, commanded them to be dismissed, and by a decree ordered the persecution to cease. Thus delivered, they ruled the churches, both as witnesses and relatives of the Lord. When peace was established they continued living, even to the time of Trajan.'-Eusebius, chap. 22, book iii. SOME ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY. WILLIAM LAUD. ILLIAM LAUD'S father was a clothier at Reading, and in that town he was born, Oct. 7, 1573. He was a sickly child and often seriously unwell in after life, small in stature, forward and abrupt in manner, and frequently discourteous toward those with whom he did not agree. He distinguished himself greatly both at school and college (St. John's. Oxford), and soon became marked for his decided opposition to the Puritanism which then prevailed in that University. By pursuing this course in his own dogged way he became very unpopular; and gave his enemies yet more cause to revile him by illegally marrying he * Brother.' So he is called in Matt. xiii. 55. The evocati' were a body of young men of the equestrian order, appointed by Domitian to guard the imperial chambers. Denarius.' A silver coin, value 74d. § Domitian was emperor of Rome from A.D. 81 to 96. Some Archbishops of Canterbury. the Earl of Devonshire, whose chaplain he was, to a daughter of the Earl of Essex, who had been divorced. However, in spite of all, the able and industrious Fellow of St. John's continued to rise in the world. When a new President was required, Laud became a candidate; but his views were considered so dangerous, that Abbot, then Archbishop-elect, moved the King to interfere. A counter-move was made in Laud's favour by Bishop Neile, and he was elected; but even then the election was disputed, and the question had to be argued in the King's presence. Laud came off with flying colours, and James was so pleased with him that he made him one of his chaplains. Some time after he was promoted to the Deanery of Gloucester, where he found church matters in a very disorderly state. His endeavours to effect a reform so angered the Bishop, that he vowed he would never set foot again in the Cathedral; a vow he faithfully kept to the day of his death. The Bishop's chief grievance was, the removal of the Communion Table from the middle of the choir to the east end. This turning the Lord's Table into an altar,' as it was then called, created great excitement in Gloucester, and religious passions rose so high that some people were bound over to keep the peace. When King James visited Scotland, Laud accompanied the court as its chaplain. The King did not expect a very gracious reception, as he was resolved not to attend the national worship. The chapel of Holyrood was prepared for the royal visit, and duly fitted up for Anglican worship. The good people of Edinburgh, however, were very glad to see the representative of their ancient kings; and James was well pleased, upon the whole, with his visit. The office of Bishop had been restored in Scotland, but up to the present time no attempt had been made to introduce the Liturgy; nor did the people seem at all desirous of it. Many of the preachers fiercely denounced those rites and ceremonies of the English Church, which they knew James loved and wished them to love. As a first step towards the assimilation of the Churches, five articles were prepared and carried in an assembly at Perth, but the people would not receive them; and James, disheartened by his ill-success, resolved to meddle no more with Scottish religion. On his return from the North the King passed through Lancashire, and there he found the Roman Catholics drew people away from the Church by dancing and other popular pastimes, and the English Bishop had endeavoured to put a stop to these amusements because they emptied the places of worship. On the other hand, there were those who complained of the Bishop, who would deprive the poor man of innocent recreations on the only day he had for such necessary things. The King, having consulted with the Bishop, put forth a royal declaration, legalising certain manly exercises; which, however, were not to be carried on during the hours of * The 'Perth Articles' relate to (1.) Kneeling at the Holy Communion. (2.) Communion of the Sick. (3.) Private Baptism in cases of emergency. (5.) Confirmation. Some Archbishops of Canterbury worship. As Laud held the opinions of his royal master on this matter, he was accused of Sabbath-breaking among his other crimes. Not long after the visit to Scotland, Laud was nominated Bishop of St. David's. Thereupon he resigned the Presidentship of St. John's, and betook himself to the visitation of his extensive diocese; but he was too much of a courtier to share with his clerical brethren their banishment. When he got back to London, he found the place all astir on account of the journey of Prince Charles and Buckingham to Spain. There is no doubt Laud himself was very deep in all Buckingham's secrets, being, as he says in his diary, C. to my Lord of Buckingham.' In his trial afterwards, it was said he was the Duke's Confessor. The friendship between the Bishop and Duke was so close that many of the nobles took offence. Abbot did not scruple to say, 'Laud sat with Buckingham whole hours, feeding him with malice;' a rather bitter thing for an Archbishop to say. But Laud was not a mere tool of the Duke's, for when the King, in distress for money, would have gobbled up the Charterhouse, and Buckingham would have helped him, Laud opposed the scheme (Abbot for once agreeing with him and assisting him), and so vigorous was the resistance made by the Bishops that the King had to give way. During the absence of Buckingham in Spain, Bishop Williams, the Lord Keeper, who hated the Duke because he favoured Laud, revenged himself by fomenting the popular discontent against the favourite, and this drew on Williams the Duke's wrath, and there was a violent quarrel, which ended in the removal of the great seal from the Lord Keeper's hands. Laud A great change was now at hand. One Sunday in Lent, in the year 1625, as Laud was preaching at Whitehall, he observed a sensation among the audience, and before he had finished his sermon some one whispered in his ear, The King is dead.' Buckingham sobbed aloud: grief sat on every face. James, who had been ill of ague, was not considered dangerously sick until that Sunday morning. ended his sermon abruptly, and came down to comfort the mourners; and his words were curiously mingled with the flourish of trumpets outside and the herald's voice proclaiming Charles the First. The young King took Laud into his confidence at once, and appointed him to preach at the opening of his first Parliament. When Laud visited the diocese of St. David's a second time he was in bad health, but he does not seem to have shirked his duty on that account. The Welsh roads were not so good as those at Westminster, and, now and then, over went coach, Bishop, and all. On his return Charles made him clerk of the closet, and appointed him to act as Dean at the ceremonial of the coronation, instead of Williams, who was out of favour. Laud prepared a service-book for the occasion, in which all the ancient customs were duly observed, except that of riding from the Tower through the City. The Queen was not present because she was a Roman Catholic, and under the thumb of a whole college of French ecclesiastics. Laud was accused afterwards of many things which he did at this coronation; especially that he brought forward from among the ancient regalia a large silver crucifix. This he denied, or at least said he did not remember it; and if the crucifix were there, the Archbishop ought to have made exception to it at the time. Some Archbishops of Canterbury. Soon after Charles's accession the favourite Duke was impeached by certain Members of Parliament as an incapable squanderer, a favourer of his own relatives, a heaper-up of offices, a patron of Papists. The Duke defended himself with considerable ability, and Laud was suspected of making his speeches; moreover, the King stood his friend, and when he found nothing could be done for peace he dissolved the Parliament. Soon after this Laud became Bishop of Bath and Wells, and rose yet higher in a political point of view. By royal order he drew up Instructions to the Clergy, in which he showed how the State, which had helped the Church, now required the Church's aid in turn. These Instructions caused much ferment, touching as they did the pocket; and indeed it may be said, in general, that the raising of money for the necessities of the Crown was ever foremost among the causes of the rebellion which hurled Charles off his throne. While Laud rose in the King's esteem he was disliked by the frivolous Queen, who, with her long train of Roman priests, expected the speedy perversion of all England. The King, finding these men mischievous, ordered them to leave England, and this brought a declaration of war from France. An expedition was sent out under the Duke of Buckingham, but though he had no lack of courage he was a poor commander, and his management of the affair brought discredit to the nation. The people of England were indignant, and a Parliament was summoned, at the opening of which Laud preached on the blessings of unity, and Charles, having admonished the members to give heed to the Bishop's advice, asked for supplies. Very soon after the Duke was assassinated at Portsmouth, and the popular feeling was shown in the blessings which the common people showered down on Felton, whom they regarded as a patriot and deliverer. Laud was engaged in the consecration of a Bishop of Chichester when the news of the murder reached him. It was a great blow to him. A prayer of his is extant, which speaks of the 'poor Duke of Buckingham,' and of the graceless plot that spilt his blood.' The Bishop seems to have stepped into the Duke's place as chief counsellor to the King-an unwise one, too; for he set his face like a flint against any reform which did not originate from the throne. But yet Laud's administration as a statesman was by no means without benefit to the country. Guizot has pointed this out in his interesting history of the English Revolution. In 1630 Laud became Chancellor of Oxford, after a closely-contested election, and the King, when he heard of his success, told him he knew no man more worthy of the honour. The new Chancellor soon applied himself with his wonted vigour to the restoration of University formalities, things which Laud dearly loved. Strangers,' said the Chancellor, when they come to Oxford, can hardly tell they are in a University. The heads of colleges were, therefore, to see things were done decently and in order. 6 In the Church, too, strangers could hardly tell they were in a well-ordered establishment. Many clergymen did what was right in their own eyes, snipping the liturgy at pleasure; and,i nstead of preaching Jesus Christ, they bewildered themselves and their congregations with the deep mysteries of Predestination. To remedy this the |