h; and to this, Molanus's endeavours to reconcile
differences, were directed. Leibniz, whose principles in religion, were
much wider, than those of Molanus, seems to have wished, that the
negotiation should be placed, on a broader basis, and extended to a
reunion of the church of Rome, with every denomination of Christians.
This gave the negotiation a different direction, and in a great measure,
undid what had been, so happily begun. We have seen, that, to the very
last, Bossuet, called out for Molanus, and entertained great hopes,
that, if the matter were left to Molanus, and him, the noble Project of
Reunion, would be crowned with success. There is no part of Bossuet's
literary or active life, in which he appears to greater advantage, or in
a more amiable light, than on this occasion.

IV.

_Attempt in the reign of Lewis the XV. to effect an union between the
Church of Rome and the Church of England._

Of all Protestant churches, the national church of England most nearly
resembles the church of Rome. It has retained much of the dogma, and
much of the discipline of Roman Catholics. Down to the sub-deacon it has
retained the whole of their hierarchy; and, like them, has its deans,
rural deans, chapters, prebends, archdeacons, rectors, and vicars; a
liturgy, taken in a great measure, from the Roman Catholic liturgy; and
composed like that, of Psalms, Canticles, the three creeds, litanies,
epistles, gospels, prayers, and responses. Both churches have the
sacraments of baptism, and the eucharist, the absolution of the sick,
the burial service, the sign of the cross in baptism, the reservation of
confirmation, and order to bishops, the difference of episcopal, and
sacerdotal dress, feasts, and fasts. Without adopting all the general
councils of the church of Rome, the church of England has adopted the
first four of them; and, without acknowledging the authority of the
other councils, or the authority of the early fathers, the English
divines of the established church, allow them to be entitled, to a high
degree of respect.[089] On the important article of the eucharist, the
language, of the Thirty-nine Articles, sounds very like, the doctrine of
the church of Rome.

At the time, of which we are speaking, the doctrines of the high church,
which are generally considered to incline to those of the Roman
Catholics, more than the doctrines of the low church, were in their
zenith; and in France, where the ultra