7^w 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Theological Seminary, 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 Case. >^ZD O^ w^ 
 <-'««->c^,....-^^. ^...^v^tion.. 
 
 Sheff, \^i;^J J 
 
 Book, y.v.w j.^1^, __ 
 
THE 
 
 Miscellaneous Works 
 
 O F 
 
 JOHN HILDROP, D.D. 
 
 RedorofWATH, in Yorkshire. 
 In TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 CONTAINING, 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 An Essay for the better Re- 
 gulation and Improvement 
 of Free-Thinking. 
 
 An Essay on Honour. 
 
 Free Thoughts upon the 
 Brute-Creation: In 
 two Letters to a Lady. 
 
 VOL. IL 
 
 AModeftApologyfortheAn- 
 tient and Honourable Fa- 
 milyoftheWRONGHEADs, 
 
 A Propofal for Revising, ^r. 
 the Ten Commandments. 
 
 Contempt of the Clergy. 
 
 Life of Simoi Shallo^v, Efq; 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed by Charles Rivington, 
 
 For John and James Rivington, z.t the Bible 
 
 and Croivn in St. Pmtfs Church-yard. 
 
 M Dec LIV. 
 
A 
 MODEST APOLOGY 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 Antient and Honourable Family 
 
 OF THE 
 
 WR ONGHEADS. 
 
 I N A 
 
 LETTER 
 
 TO THE 
 
 Right Honourable the E. of C- 
 
MODEST APOLOGY 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 Antient and Honourable Family 
 
 OF THE 
 
 WRONGHEADS. 
 
 M V L O R D) 
 
 HOUGH I have not the Honour to 
 be per/bnally known to your Lordfhip, 
 yet your univerfal Chara6ler, diitin- 
 guifhed as much by your Affability and 
 Politencfs, as by your Wit and Qua- 
 lity, has encouraged me to apply myfelf to you, upon 
 an Affair, in which my Honour and Intereff, as well 
 as that of my Family, are too neaiJy concerned to be 
 filent. — I have the Honour, my Lord, to be \QVf 
 nearly related to the Honourable Family, whofb 
 Apology I am writing ; my Mother being Sifter to 
 the celebrated Sir Francis, of inimortal Memory. 
 Vol. II. B As 
 
2 A Modcft Apology for the Antient and 
 
 As we are a very numerous Family, and well allied, 
 no Wonder that many of us are employed in eminent 
 Pofts of Honour and Profit j and fometimes, perhaps, 
 in the Management and Direction of Affairs of the 
 greateft Confequence, both in Church and State. 
 Now, as all of us happen to be in a different Way of 
 Thinking from your Lordfliip, all the World fees 
 you have contradled an incurable Averfion to the 
 whole Family. Whenever you take it in your Head 
 to be difplealed with the Management of public Af- 
 fairs, upon every Sufpicion of political Mifconduil, 
 the Cry is immediately raifed upon us all ; the Guilt 
 of every miniflerial Blunder is charged upon fome 
 or other of our Kindred ; though I will take upon 
 me, to anfwer for every individual Perlbn concerned 
 in fuch Counfels or TranfacStions, that they fhall fe- 
 parately and jointly depofe, upon their corporal Oath, 
 that they have no more Relation to the Family than 
 your Lordfhip.. This is very hard ! but what is ftill 
 harder, your Lordfhip is faid to take this Liberty in 
 the mofl augufl Aflembly in the World j where, it is 
 well known, we have not, at prefent, fo much as 
 one Friend or Relation to undertake our Caufc, or 
 {peak one Word in our Juflification. 
 
 As this muft be thought a great Hardship upon 
 fo many innocent Sufferers, I humbly intreat your 
 Lordfliip's Indulgence, wbilfl I am endeavouring to 
 do Juftice to the mofl numerous Family in the Uni- 
 verfe ; and which is, by Blood or Marriage, related 
 to the mofl illuflrious Houfes in Europe, 
 
 The Antiquity of our Family (an Article that has 
 given Diftinilion and Precedency to many a worth- 
 iefs Litter, who had no other Tingle good Quality ta 
 
 3 ^«' 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. 3 
 
 recommend them) may, I humbly prefume, with 
 more than equal Juftice, be pleaded by us, who have 
 been, in all Ages, diftinguifhed by the moft emi- 
 nent and meritorious Services, and been rewarded 
 accordingly. I know it has been fuggefted by our 
 Enemies, that we are but of Yefterday ; that wc 
 were the Aborigines of a certain neighbouring King- 
 <lom, tranfplanted into this and other Countries, all 
 over the Globe, by mere Neceflity, to pick up a 
 comfortable Subfiftence abroad, which we could not 
 find at home. This is fo grofs a Calumny as could 
 only proceed from downright Ignorance, or Malice, 
 or both J fince every one that has the leaft Acquaint- 
 ance with Hiftory, muft know the contrary. It ap- 
 pears, by the concurrent Teftimonies of the moft 
 antient and faithful Hiftorians, that we have made 
 fliining and illuftiious Figures in every Age and 
 Nation under Heaven j and even in our own, in 
 which we are more immediately concerned, we have 
 had Princes, Peers, Prelates, and Privy-Counfellors ; 
 not to mention Baronets, Simple Knights, 'Squires, 
 and Juftices of the Peace, innumerable. 
 
 We are informed by Hiftory, that one of our 
 Family was a Conjurer ^ (an Honour that many an 
 illuftrious Houfe cannot boaft of) with this particular 
 Circumftance, that his Name was Simon^ and he al- 
 ways went by the Name of Simon the Conjurer. But 
 as he feems to have been but a poor Performer, and 
 came to an untimely End, by an unfuccefsful Expe- 
 riment, even in his own Profeflion, we are not very 
 vain of our Relation ; and as he is faid to have lived 
 a great while ago, and there has not been one in 
 the Family ever fmce, we have taken a great deal of 
 B 2 Pains, 
 
4 A Modeft Apology for the Antlent and 
 
 Pains, both in Private and Public, to perfuadc the 
 World, that there never was any fuch Per/on. I 
 mean any fuch CharaSler ; and that all the Pretend- 
 ers to that Sort of Knowledge are ^tnch and Impof- 
 tors, and ought rather to be punifhed for Cheats, 
 than AfTociates with evil Spirits, who have fomething 
 elfe to do, than to be at the Call of every beggarly 
 Rafcal, or doating old Woman, that pleafes to em- 
 ploy them : Whereas, if they had Leifure or Incli- 
 nation to trouble themfelves with our dirty Affairs, 
 they might be admitted into Cabinets and Drawing- 
 rooms, might have a Seat in ***** *, or the 
 Diredlion of ***** ^^ upon giving proper Secu- 
 rity for their true and faithful Attachment, and 
 due Attention to the Interefts of their Patrons. But 
 to return. 
 
 Though at prefent we lie under great and popular 
 Difcouragements, by the unreafonable and ungrateful 
 Oppofition of fome that fhall be namelefs, who af- 
 fetl to forget that they owe their prefent Portion 
 of Wealth and Power to the fuperfine Policy of the 
 JVrongheads^ their Predeceflprs ; yet we are not with- 
 out reafonable Hopes of retrieving, one Day, the Ho- 
 nour and Figure of the Family, and contributing 
 as much to the Glor)' and Profperity of the prefent or 
 rifins: Generation, as our Predeceffors have done to 
 the paft. To enter into a Detail of the many Ser- 
 vices we have been doing to the Public, would be an 
 cndlefs and needlefs Tafic : I fhall rather choofe to 
 lay before your Lordfhip, a fhort View of feveral 
 wonderful Improvements and Refinements we have 
 made, in the three great Articles of Learnmg, Reli- 
 gmi, and Politics, by which we ftand eminently dif- 
 3 tinguiftied 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. 5 
 
 tinguiihed from the reft of Mankind ; and from 
 which we may one Day piomife ourfelves fuch a Su- 
 periority of Rank and Characfler, as is due to fuch 
 fuperior Merit, and the Services, we are every Day 
 doing to our native Country. 
 
 The Figure we made, and the Rank we fuftained, 
 in the learned World, for above a thoufand Years, 
 is too well known to admit of a Difpute ; our Ene- 
 mies themfelves confefs it, and, by a prepofterous 
 Kind of Vanity, upbraid us with it. It is well 
 known, that diuring that long Space of Time, we had 
 the intire Government and Direction of much the 
 greater Part of the Univerfities, Churches, Schools, 
 and learned Societies in Europe ; and filled moft of 
 the ProfefTors Chairs in every Faculty. This is fo 
 notorious, that we have ever fince, by ujiiverfal Con- 
 fent, obtained the diftinguifhing Title of the School- 
 men. And the Divinity and Philofophy of thofe Schools 
 of ours, were the Light and Glory of thofe happy 
 Ages. We were the fole Authors of thofe immenfe 
 Treafures of Learning, which, fince the Invention of 
 Printing, have made fuch a pompous and volumi- 
 nous Appearance in the Libraries of the Learned, 
 under the illuftrious Titles of Summa, Sententicv, 
 Loci Communes, Dlatrihee, Commentaria, Thefauri, 
 Colledanea, ^ejliones, &c. which, by the barbarous 
 Pride and Ignorance of the Moderns, are brought into 
 fo great Contempt, that nothing but public Libra- 
 ries, fecured by Locks, and Bolts, and Chains, can 
 preferve them from die worfe than Gothic Fuiy of 
 Paftry-cooks, Bandbox-makers, Grocers, and Chand- 
 lers. This was In a great meafure owing to the' 
 malicious Oppofition we met with, about two Centu- 
 
 B 3 iici 
 
6 A Modeft Apology for the Antient and 
 
 ries ago, from that bitter Enemy to all profound 
 Erudition, Erafmus ; who, with fome other evil- 
 minded Perfons in that and our own Country, raifed 
 fuch a Cry and Perfecution againft us, as had well 
 nigh ended in the Defl:ru(3:ion of our whole Fa- 
 mily; notwithftanding all which, though we were 
 often obliged to fliift our Quarters, in order to efcape 
 the Fury of our Perfecutors, we ftill continued to 
 hold up our Heads, and make a tolerable Figure in 
 fome Parts of the World or other j from whence 
 we have been able, from time to time, to fend Au- 
 thors and Profeffors to fome of the moft eminent 
 Societies in Europe. And thefe are they that have 
 enriched the learned World with many voluminous 
 Inquiries, acute Conje<5lures, and profound Difco- 
 veries, in every Branch of Science, and Article of 
 Learning. 
 
 Very few of us indeed have pretended to be Au- 
 thors of particular Syftems, founded upon Principles, 
 and regularly digefted into Conclufions ; yet have we 
 not been wanting in our beft Endeavours, to im- 
 prove and illuftrate feveral Articles of Knowledge, 
 which others have, through Pride or Ignorance, over- 
 looked or defpifed. How many curious and learned 
 DifTertations, for inflance, have we publifhed, De 
 Nummulis, Vejiibus, Vafthus^ FibuUs^ Cochkaribus, Sa- 
 Unisy Urnisy Balneis, Sepukhris, &c. Rojnams, to the 
 great Comfort and Edification of all true Lovers of 
 Antiquity, and the clearer Elucidation of the moft 
 valuable Writers of that Age and Nation ? and con- 
 vinced the learned World, that the yenerable Ruft of 
 one of thofe precious Relics was of more Value to 
 a true Virtuofoj than the moft exa(3: Knowledge of 
 
 the 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. 7 
 
 the Genius, Policy, and A6tions of that mighty Na- 
 tion. For how could we polTibly form an exa6l: 
 Notion (for inftance) of a Roman Feaft, and the lux- 
 urious Entertainments, fo frequently defcribed by the 
 Satirifts and Hiftorians of thofe Times, without 
 knowing the exa£l Form of the Tables, Difhes, 
 Spoons, Salts, Cookery, and Sauces, that were ufed 
 on thofe Occafions ? What Idea could we have of the 
 Beaux and Belles of antient Rome, when they made 
 their grand Appearance at a Ball, in the Theatre, 
 or at Court, unlefs we know exactly the Name, 
 Shape, and Matter of every Piece and Article of their 
 Drefs, without which, many a fine Pall'age in Pe- 
 ironius, Perfius, Juvenal^ and Horace, would be per- 
 fe<ftly unintelligible ? It was this Sort of Knowledge, 
 that enabled a certain great Genius of our own to 
 write fuch excellent Notes upon Atheritsus ; in order to 
 which, he fpared no Coft nor Pains to procure the 
 beft Light he could from the Writings of the Antients. 
 In the Courfe of his Inquiries, he had the good For- 
 tune to find an excellent Receipt for a Pudding, in 
 one of Ari/iophanes's Plays. He alfo difcovered the 
 true Way of making and frying the celebrated Jl- 
 phiton, or Barley-meal Pancake, of the Spartans, and 
 the black Broth of the Lacedamonians \ as alfo the 
 Matter and Form of the famous Thericlean Cups, 
 which were ufed in their moft magnificent Entertain- 
 .ments ; with many other important Diicoveries in the 
 Greek and Roman Cookery. By his profound and 
 exa6t Knowledge of the Roman Co'iffcure, he has given 
 abundant Lights to many obfcure Paflages in the Ro~ 
 man Satirifts ; particularly that in Juvenal, which has 
 fo much puzzled the iintient Schollafts Compagibus a/tis 
 B 4 (tdifcare 
 
S A Modeft Apology for the Antient and 
 etd'ificare caputs which in fhort was neither more nor 
 lefs than dreffing a Commode. ^^ thefe and other ufe- 
 ful Labours of this Sort, we have contributed not a little 
 to the Improvement of the Belles Lettres in all Parts of 
 Europe^ efpecially in Germany and Italy, as well as in 
 our own Country. How many learned Editors, 
 Tranflators, Commentators, Critics, and Gramma- 
 rians have v/e produced ? How many various Readings 
 even of various Readings, how many Notes upon 
 Annotations, Criticifms upon Critics, and Commen- 
 taries upon Commentators, have we publifhed ? How 
 many elaborate Treatifes have we compofed upon 
 fuch Subjects as never entered into any Heads, or em- 
 ployed any Pens but our own ? How many ufeful and 
 valuable IVcrds, Letters, Commas, Colons, and Semico-^ 
 Ions, and other Cements and Ornaments of good 
 Writing, which, by the barbarous Ignorance, or un- 
 pardoriable Negligence of Tranfcribers and Printers, 
 have been mutilated, defaced, mifplaced, or loft, 
 have we recovered and reftored to their proper Rank 
 and Dignity in the Republic of Learning ? 
 
 The Preference that has been given by a * Learn- 
 ed Writer to the Ger?nans and Italians, in thefe Im- 
 provements and Refinements of Learning, is, 'u\ my 
 Opinion, little lefs than a national Refle£lion upon 
 our own Countrymen ; and I verily believe was fo in^^ 
 tended. 
 
 The Germans (fays he, p. 199.) have lurote Genea- 
 logies innumerable, and ptibUJhed fo many Diplcmata, 
 A£is, Rules, and Ufages, not only of every State and Pro~ 
 mnce, but of every petty Seigniory, Dijlrid, Village, School^ 
 
 * J De/crJptsoK of Holhnd. London 1743- 
 
 Convent^ 
 
' Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. 9 
 
 Convent^ Un'werfity^ &c. enough^ colleSled together^ to 
 compofe a Body of ^ or boo Folio' s^ have, with infinite 
 Pains, PaJJion, and Prolixity, cleared up a remote Hint 
 of an antient Poet, about an old Medal, or the Situation 
 of a Lake, as Matters of infinitely more Importance than 
 to know the Hiflory of their Forefathers, and the Virtues 
 of thofe Waters, Plants, Food, Fruit, arid Air, fo ne- 
 ceffary to their Country and thcjnfelvcs. Which to be 
 fu re was. quite right. For, as for the Virtues of their 
 SoiJ, Waters, Plants, Food, Fruit, and Air, in which 
 the moft ilhterate Blocklieads in the Country, and the 
 Beafts themfelves, had as great an Interefl as the 
 mo{} learned Philofopher, they were proper Subjects 
 of Inquiry for Phyilcians, Gardeners, Dairy-men, 
 and Graziers ; but were unworthy the particular At- 
 tention of Men of Science and profound Erudition : 
 Whereas to a true Virtuofo, one Purfe of Brafs or 
 Silver Medals would be of more Value than ico 
 pf Portuguefe Gold ; and the recovering the Situation 
 of an old Luke, would be of more Confequence than 
 recovering a good old Manfion-Houfe and 5000 Acres 
 of dry Land to the Family. 
 
 He proceeds (^. 200.) The Learning and Inquines 
 of Italy have been very well employed during the three 
 laji Centuries. It is nctv found out, and demonjirated 
 beyond the Poffibility of Contradiolion, that the Corona 
 radialis had twelve Rays in it, and not fx or right, as 
 %vas fo7idly believed before: That Juno Sofpita'j Feet 
 %Vffre always bare, though the Generality of Antiquaries 
 and Sculptors have been fo ignorant as to tui'ap them up 
 in Bufkins or Stockings. It is alfo fidly made out, that 
 the Tibia or Flagelet had more Stops than it has hitherto 
 him defcribfd to have 3 and thisj the lajl Pope but one^ 
 
 who 
 
lo A Modeft Apology for the Ant tent and 
 
 who was a very profound Scholar, declared to be his 
 Opinion, though he would not take upon him to afcertain 
 their Number. Several other Virtuoji, of more Prefump- 
 iion, though perhaps not more Learning, have ventured t9 
 give their ConjeSiures upon this nice Point, in very CU' 
 rious arJ, elaborate Differtations. And for two hundred 
 and fifty Years paji, not only Italy, but the great eft Part 
 of Europe, have been in a very grofs Error, concerning 
 the particular Drefs of Priapus ; whereas now there is 
 nothing clearer, than that the aforefaid God had fever al 
 Dreffes, which feveral eminent Men are now employed 
 in inaking out. Pliny'j two floating I/lands are not 
 yet found out j but what has not been, may in Time 
 he effected. The learned Perfons who are at prefent 
 in Purfuit of them, conceive they have made a greater 
 Progrefs towards that Difcovery, than the mofl diligent of 
 their Predeceffors. 
 
 Whilft this ingenious Writer is doing Juftice to 
 thefe learned Foreigners, he cannot help difcovering 
 a manifeft Partiality and Prejudice to our own Coun- 
 trymen, and often infinuates, with a malicious Sneer, 
 their Ignorance or Negleil of thefe valuable Branches 
 of Learning. He profefles himfelf to be an EngUJh- 
 man, that has lived mofl: of his Time abroad, which 
 mufl: be allowed to be the befl: Apology for his Ig- 
 norance of the State of Learning among us. I myfelf 
 Am able to furnifh out a goodly Catalogue of very 
 learned and profound Inquiries, intirely of Britijh 
 Growth, no whit inferior either in Bulk or Utility ta 
 the mofl: elaborate Performances of other Nations. 
 Has he never read or heard of the many ufefU Dif- 
 coveries we have made in the feveral Branches of 
 Learning ? Has he never feen a learned Diflertation 
 
 upon 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. 1 1 
 
 upon the Antiquity and Ufes of IVeather-cocks ? 
 Where we have proved to a Demonftration, that 
 though they are much in modern Uie, they are by no 
 means a modern Invention, but were as antient as 
 the Argonautic Expedition, being invented by Zethys 
 and Calais, the Sons of Boreas, though greatly im- 
 proved fince their Time ; we have found out, and 
 proved beyond Contradiction, that the Sybarites were 
 the iirft that laid' Role-cakes and Lavender among 
 their Linen ; and that no lefs a Perfon than Sardana- 
 palus was the firft Inventor of Cuihions, and, by 
 confequence, of Squabs and Eafy-Chairs, to the great 
 Eafe and Refrefhment of the Learned and the Lazy, 
 to all fucceeding Generations ; but our moft valuable 
 Work is a MS. Treatife de Umbraculis, of the Nature 
 and Ufe of Screens, which, though a very antient 
 and ufeful Invention, and of a very fimple Nature, 
 has received fuch Improvements from the united 
 Studies and Encouragements of the greateft Men 
 among us, that it may juflly be efteemed one of the 
 moft valuable Utenfils, even in the greateft Families, 
 This ufeful Machine was not unknown to the 
 Greeks, who called it ''S.'sny.xXvixfxot. ; and by an Expref- 
 fion common among them K«>;wv lmy.ci^tyiA.cc E^l^ o TrAST®-, 
 one would be apt to conclude it was always made of 
 Gold or Silver. But the learned Scriblerus has found 
 out, from comparing antient Authorities, that the 
 true Reading is not wAaT®-, but Uhkrm j which, as it 
 cannot well be rendered into Englijh, I fhall leave to 
 the Confidcration of the Learned, though it feems 
 rather to exprefs the Name of the Inventor, than 
 the Materials of which it is made. Of thefe the 
 Public may foon expciil to fee a very ample and cur 
 
 rious 
 
12 A Modeft Apology for the Ant lent and 
 
 rious Specimen, being the Colledtion of my much ho- 
 noured Friend and Kinfman, Jeffery Piddle, Efq; 
 who has been many Years employed in picking up 
 whatever was curious and valuable in every Branch 
 of Literature. I fpeak with the more Confidence of 
 this ineftimable Work, becaufe one of the moft ex- 
 traordinary Pieces was cornmunicated to him through 
 my Hands ; of which I beg Leave to give your Lord- 
 Ihip a fhort Hiftor)\ 
 
 The learned and worthy Dr. Trimeter was a Pro- 
 feflbr, and Head of a learned Society ; from whom, 
 as a Friend and Relation, I had often received dif- 
 tinguilhing Marks of Afletilion and Efteem. In a 
 dangerous Illnefs, that he fent for me, and told me, 
 he had a Secret of great Importance to communicate 
 to me ; that he was in Pofleflion of a Piece of Learn- 
 ing, the Labour of fourteen Years, which, he mo- 
 defl-ly believed, no Man in Europe was Mafter of 
 but himfelf ; and that he had long determined to put 
 A into my Hands, that it might not die with him, 
 and be irrecoverably loft to Pofterity. The Know- 
 ledge I had of his great Abilities and ferious Turn of 
 Mind, and the great Gravity with which he ex- 
 prelTed himfelf, made me conceive, it was fome 
 Roficruc'ian Myjlery, in which Society he had been 
 initiated many Years ago. Sometimes I fancied, 
 he had difcovered the Grand Elixir, or fome other 
 Chymical Secret — But he delivered me a little Roll 
 of Paper, with this remarkable Speech. Coufin, (faid 
 he) yaii are now in Pojcjfion of a great Secret, which, 
 VJhen I am dead, you will pojjefs zvithout a Rival. It is 
 pot eafy to conceive the Gratitude and Tranfport 
 
 wit^ 
 
Hcnourahk Family of the Wrongheads. 1 5 
 
 with which I received this inejiimabk Defofttum. I 
 made all the Hafte I decently could, to my Study, 
 in order to examine^ the Contents. I double-locked 
 my Door, fhut up my Windows, lighted up two 
 Jarge Candles, wafhed my Hands, and compofed 
 myfelf with all the Gravity required of a Philofopher, 
 and a Student in the Occult Sciences, and then 
 opened my Packet ; and, to my unfpeakable Sur- 
 prize, found it to be nothing lefs than a Critic upoa 
 IVhfes Senarius, ihewing, to a Demonftration, that 
 that Great Man, who was in the higheft Reputation 
 for his critical Knowledge in the Metre of Pkutus 
 and Terence, had fallen into the common Miftakes of 
 vulgar Critics and Grammarians ; that he had fi-e- 
 quently confounded the Anapajius with the Tribrachui, 
 and in no lefs than five feveral Places, had miftaken 
 the Bacchius for the Antibacchius, with feveral other 
 unpardonable A4iftakes in the Rules of Scan/ton : 
 Shewing alfo, at the fame time, that the true Scan- 
 fan is the only infallible Way of afcertaining the true 
 Reading. — A noble Difcovery ! But as my Head was 
 not violently turned to this Sort of Erudition, and I 
 was unwilling that the Labour of fo many Years 
 fhould be loft to the learned World, by falling into 
 vulgar Hands, I made a Prefent of it to my learned 
 Kinfman, who will foon make a Prefent of it, and 
 fome other Rarities, to the Public, with the fame 
 Generofity, that I did to him. 
 
 The fame great Genius has compofed fe\'eral other 
 Pieces of equal Ufe and Value, which I hope to re- 
 cover, and convey to the Public by the fame Canal. 
 The firft was a little Treatife De Tripode, or. The 
 Vfes and Antiquity of three-legged Stools j fhcwing them 
 
 $0 
 
14 A Modeft Apology for the Antient and 
 
 to be much more ufeful and antient than the four- 
 legged or Joint-ftool, in which many curious Points 
 both in Hiftory and Philofbphy are occafionally dif- 
 cufTed. Another, De Mufcipulis ; or, J Diff'ertatlon 
 upon Moufe-Traps ; intended as a Kind of Critic upon 
 Mr. Hold/worth's celebrated Poem, fhewing the an- 
 tient Ufe of them among the Greeks and Romans ; 
 and that he was intirely miftaken as to the Occafion 
 and Manner of their Invention. — I have alfo (^tn two 
 Theological Dijfertations (as he calls them) ; I. Upon 
 Gehazi^s Leprofy. 2. Upon Judas' s Thirty Pieces of 
 Silver. In order to make the firft quite a complete 
 Work, he wrote to a Friend of his, who was tra- 
 velling in the Levant., to make all the Inquiry he 
 could, whether any Branch of Gehazi's leprous Fa- 
 mily were living ; and, if poflible, to procure a Twig 
 or two to be fent over at his Expence, which he in- 
 tended to make a Prefent of to the College of Phy- 
 ficians, to be fhewn among their exotic Curiofities 
 ivhilft living, and afterwards to be preferved in Spi- 
 rits of Wine, as a perpetual Argument againft Infide- 
 lity ; and a Standing Admonition to Minifters of all 
 Sorts, how they foul their Fingers with Gratuities, 
 Jobbs, and Perquifites, for doing nothing more than 
 the common Offices of Juftice and Humanity. As 
 he was one Day gravely reading his MS. to me, all 
 of a fudden he flopped fhort, and threw himfelf back 
 in his Chair ; and, after a long Paufe, he began as 
 follows : Coiifm^ (fays he) / have been confidering the 
 CharaSler of this farne Gehazi, and the Office he fuf- 
 tained under his Majicr. He feems to have been his 
 prime, if not his fole, Minifter ; for it does not appear^ 
 that he fuff'ered any body to Jhare zvith him in that pretty 
 
 Per- 
 
Honour able Family of the Wrongheads. 15 
 
 Perquifite he received from the generous Syrian, JVhy 
 then^ may not this whole Story be an Allegory^ after the 
 Eajiern Way of Writing ? Why may we not underjiand 
 by his Seed or Pojierity^ his SucceJJorSy in that or any 
 tther Family. For., from his confiant Attendance on his 
 Majier^ he mufl needs have been a Jingle Jldan^ and 
 therefore could hcroe no Seed or natural Pojicrity, to in- 
 herit either his Curfe or his Fortune ; and then by the 
 Leprofy, we may under /land an hereditary Itch in the 
 Fingersy or feme fcrophulous Diforder (only to be cured 
 by Touching). Tl:)e Thought is pretty. — fVhat think 
 you of it ? As I was ftudying for an Anfwer, after 
 another long Paufe, he recolledled himfelf in this 
 Manner : But upon fecond Thoughts, this will not do, 
 the Parallel ivill not hold y the Text tells us, that this 
 Gehazi luent out of his Office as white as Snow 5 
 whereas mojl of thofs that went out fmce, are faid to 
 
 have been of a quite different Complexion. The other 
 
 was an occafional Meditation upon Good- Friday, 
 Being hindered by a Cold from going to Church, I 
 went to vifit him after the Service was oven I 
 found him very bufy in Calculation ; he told me he 
 had been employing his Thoughts upon the Subjedt of 
 the Day, that he had computed the Sterling Value of 
 the Thirty Pieces, and what it would have amounted 
 to by this Time, Interefl: upon Intereft, at 5 per 
 Cent. Upon my Word, fays he, it would ha\'e been 
 a noble Sum , a fine Thing for his Family, believe 
 me, Coufm ; many a Great Man, whom I could 
 name, would have done the fame Thing for half the 
 Money. — I hope thefe invaluable Pieces may be re- 
 covered for the Good of the Public. 
 
 There 
 
1 6 A Modeft Apology for the Ant lent arid 
 
 There will be alfo in the fame CoUeflion fome 
 choice Anecdotes of a reverend Member of our Fa- 
 mily. As he is ffill living in a good Degree of Splen- 
 dor and R-cputation, I fhall conceal his Name, and 
 fave his Blufhes for the Honour I am doing him. 
 He was early diftinguifhed in the Ujiiverfity for 
 his fmgular Modefty, and invincible AfFeftion for 
 Solitude and Cuftard ; he walked much, faid little, 
 and read lefs j but, doubtlefs, paid it ofF with Think- 
 ing. His Tutor, a Stranger to the Genius of our 
 Family, imputed this Behaviour to Stupidity and 
 Idlenefs j and therefore, meeting him one Day in his 
 Walks, accoifed him as follows : T. iSir, I am for ry 
 to meet you fo often walking abroad, I wijh you would 
 keep at home, and fiudy. P. Study, Sir, why fo I do; 
 I, read the Clajftcs. T. Pray, which of them^ f P. / 
 r^tf^ Terence. T. How much have you read? P. / 
 have read fourteen Plays. The good Man lifted up 
 his Hands and Eyes with Admiration, and faid. Sir, 
 I would have you read Virgil. Jye, indeed, Virgil 
 (faid he) / know him too well. Too well ! (faid the 
 Tutor) Sir, what do you mean ? lVl)y, Sir, (faid he) 
 / know that he fiole the very firjl Verfe of his Book out 
 ef the Grammar. This furprizing Difcovery threw 
 the poor Gentleman into fuch immoderate Convul- 
 fions, as had like to have deftroyed all his retentive 
 Faculties at once -, but when he had a little reco- 
 vered himfelf, he confidered, that, as my good Cou- 
 fin certainly was an Original — an exalted Genius 
 far above Ordinances, and the vulgar Methods of 
 Education, he determined to leave him to his own 
 Inventions, in which he profited beyond meafure. 
 In /hort, he took his Degrees, entered into Orders, 
 
 and 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. i y 
 
 and is now a great Plurallft and a Dignitary. The 
 firft Account I had of this laft Promotion was at a 
 Coftee-houfe, where it was the SubjecSl of much Con- 
 verfation and Merriment among a Set of Gentlemen, 
 who Teemed to have no great Efteem or AfFe(5^ion for 
 our Family. Upon which one of them, faid, For my 
 part, I a?n tiot at all furprifed that a Man who hat been 
 for fo many Tearsamoff remarkable Blunder bufs^Jhould at 
 laji become a Canon. At which they all burft into a 
 moft incomprehenfible Laughter. This provoked me 
 not a little ; I looked fternly upon them, and, with 
 a grave Tone, replied. Gentlemen, you may be as merry 
 as you pleafe, but remember, there is a good old Proverb, 
 zuhichfays. Let him laugh that wins, I then looked at 
 my Watch, paid down my Penny, and left them to 
 finifh their Laugh by themfelves. How great foever 
 my Coufin's Preferment may be, I think he has rea- 
 fonable Expe<fl:ations of greater, having been more 
 than once employed by his Patrons to compofe fomc 
 fhining Pieces for the Gazetteer, in which he cut-did his 
 ufual Out- doings; and for which, in my poor Judgment, 
 he can never be fufficiently rewarded. — As hefometimes 
 does me the Honour to converfe with me upon Subjects 
 of Learning, I have made ample Difcoverles of the 
 Strength of his Genius, and the Profundity of his Un- 
 derftanding, and may venture to promife the Public 
 fomething very curious and entertaining, worthy fuch 
 a Genius and fuch a Pen. I happened one Day to 
 mention my great Efteem for the late Bijhop HooperV 
 Treatife of Weights and Meafures, he turned fhort upon 
 me, and, with a contemptuous Smile, told me. That 
 ThorndykeV jufi Weights and Meafures were worth a 
 thoufand of them. As I make it a Point of Duty, as 
 c Vol. IL C well 
 
1 8 Y^ Modeft Apology for the Antient and 
 well as good Manners, not to contradi£l a Dignitary, 
 I took care to be exceedingly aftonifhed at his judicious 
 Remark, and excufed myfelf, by confeffing my Want 
 of Capacity to make the Comparifon. 
 
 Another l^ime we w^re talking of the Reformation ; 
 and as I could not help mentioning the Part that Crc;w- 
 "well bore in that TranfaiSlion, he began to upbraid me 
 with my Ignorance in Hiftory and Chronology, and 
 undertook to demonftrate, that that Ufurper could not 
 poflibly have any Hand in that Affair, being not born 
 till near an hundred Years after. Finding; me quite 
 thunderftruck at this Difcovery, and utterly unable to 
 make any Reply, he dropped the Argument, and I 
 very refpe6tfully took my Leave. — But, meeting him 
 by chance fince, he told me, that he had taken the 
 Pains to procure a Certificate of CromtveWs Age from 
 the Parifli Regifter at Htmt'mgdon, where he was born, 
 from whence it appears that he was born in the Year 
 1599 J whereas the Reformation vi'as in the Beginning 
 of that Centuty. He concluded with fome very judi- 
 cious Remarks upon the Negligence and Temerity of 
 our Englijh Hiftorians, in falling into fo palpable an 
 Error, which he intended to confute upon a proper 
 Occafion. — Thefe two curious Subjedls the gentle 
 Reader may poflibly find largely and circumftantially 
 handled in the aforefaid Colledlion. 
 
 The Improvements in natural Knowledge that have 
 been made by feveral Virtuofo's of our Family, are 
 too confiderable to be overlooked or defpifed by equi- 
 table Judges and Lovers of Learning. How many 
 natural Curiofities have been negle6led, by the unphi- 
 lolbphical Herd, as Trifles not worth their Know- 
 ledge, had not we, by incredible Application and Suc-^. 
 
 .. 3 <=^^5* 
 
Monoiirahle Family of the Wrongheads. 1 9 
 
 cefs, refcued them from the Contempt of the Illiterate 
 and Ignorant, and thereby drawn the Attention ai\d 
 Admiration of the Learned both on them and our-* 
 felves ? Infers, Reptiles, Vermin, Animalcules of all 
 Sorts, Flowers, Plants, Minerals, Moffes, Shells, Peb^ 
 hies, &c. which had long been defpifed and trampled 
 on, by every illiterate Booby, as common Grafs or 
 Stones in the Highway, have been, by our united La- 
 bours, difcovered, difTedied, improved, and polifhed, 
 and recommended, in many ingenious DifTertations", 
 to the Notice and Efteem of all true Lovers of curious 
 Learning. Some very uncommon Difcoveries in the 
 Anatomy of Snails and Spiders, made by our late 
 learned Kinfman Sir Nicholas Gimcrack, Knt. and his 
 learned and worthy Affociate Dr. Johannes Elfcrikius, 
 will foon be publiflied in fome Form or other, being 
 of too much Confequence to be loft or negledled. 
 
 I had like to have forgot one Article, in which we 
 juftly glory, and defy the whole World to invalidate 
 our Title ; and that is, the great Number of very 
 pretty Poets we have produced in all Ages, more in Pro- 
 portion (I dare fay) than an hundred to one of any 
 other Family, whofe Names at leaft, if not their La- 
 bours, will, by the peculiai' Felicity of our Family, 
 be rendered immortal by thofe very Means by which 
 that Hypercritical Cenfor Pope endeavoured to fuppreft 
 and deftroy them. We had once a Thought of pub- 
 lifliing fome feledl Pieces in the above-mentioned Col- 
 leftion ; but as we find, among our Friends, a much 
 greater Number than was expelled, and alfo equally 
 valuable, that it is hard to know to which to give the 
 Preference, we are come to a Refolution to publifh 
 the Whole by Subfcription, in about thirty Pocket 
 C 2 > Volumes, 
 
20 A Modefl Apology for the Antient and 
 
 Volumes, under the Title of Minafculorum Poetarum 
 Opufcula, Latino ^ Anglica. By which many a won- 
 derful Performance will be preferved, that elfe had 
 never feen the Light ; and forafmuch as fome are fo 
 exceeding modeft, as not to have the Author's Name 
 prefixed, we fhall endeavour to aflign to every Pro- 
 duction the true Name of the Parent, and give them 
 the Honour due to their Labours. And, for the bet- 
 ter completing this Defign, we have employed feveral 
 of our Friends to make Colledlions of all the Lillipu- 
 iian Odes, Epigrams, Anagrams, and Pofeys for 
 SnufF-boxes and Wedding-rings, and all the Wit that 
 can be picked up at Bath, the Hot-wells, Tunbndge, 
 and Scarborough, and all the great Inns upon the Roads 
 leading to the great Metropolis, from the brilliant 
 Performances of fine Fingers, Diamond Rings, or 
 Pencils npon Glafs, to the fmutty Labours of Char- 
 coal and Black-lead upon the Walls of Ale-houfes, 
 -Tap-houfes, and Bog-houfes, and other Places of 
 public Refort, and eafy Converfation. And as we 
 are under great and fpecial Obligations to that worthy 
 iind excellent Perfon Mr. Edmund Curl, Citizen and 
 Bookfeller, for the many Years good and faithful Ser- 
 vices he has been doing to our Family, we have 
 agreed to give him all the Profits arifing from the faid 
 Subfcription, l^c. for the Term of feven Years, the 
 Property of the Copy being fecured in the Hands of 
 fuch Truftees as fhall referve the future Profits in 
 Bank, to be a perpetual Fund for the decayed Wits 
 and fuperannuated Poets of our Family. And as we 
 have Reafon to hope, from the Names and Interefts 
 of fome of the Authors, who are Perfons of polity 
 and DijVindliony that it will be one of the largeft Sub- 
 3 fcriptions 
 
Honour able Family of the Wrongheads. 2 r 
 
 fcriptions that has been fet on foot for fome Years 
 part : We propofe, if the Funds will anfwer, to ere£l 
 a commodious Building, either in Grub-Jlreet or Moor- 
 fields^ for their Reception ; where they may retire 
 from the Sneers andCenfures of an ill-judging World, 
 and fpend the Remainder of their Days in Peace and 
 Plenty. — So much for our Learning. 
 
 Give me leave now, my Lord, to come to the Ar- 
 ticle of Religion^ in which we have fome Merit to 
 plead, and fome Title to your Lordfhip's Encourage- 
 ment and Protection. We all agree that that Learning 
 "which does not terminate in a Religion of fome Sort 
 or other, is atbeft hnt z fplendid Ignorance -^ that no- 
 thing can make us truly wifer, that does not make 
 us really better ; and that the Peace and Intereft of 
 the Public, and the Qi.iiet and Profperity of Civil So- 
 ciety, is and ought to be the only End of all religious 
 Inftitutions. Now, as all Mankind have took it into 
 their Heads to have a Religion of one Sort or other, 
 fo it has been Matter of Grief and Complaint, that 
 the Difputes and Controverfies about it have oftert 
 produced very tragical Effcdls, not only to the Detri- 
 ment of private Perfons, but to the endangering the 
 Peace and Safety of Civil Societies. No Man that 
 has been ever fo little converfant in Hiftory, can 
 pretend to be ignorant how manyPerfecutioas, Maf- 
 llicres. Plots, Battles, and Aflaffinations he has read 
 of for the Sake (upon the Pretence at leaft) of Religion, 
 and an outra2;ious Zeal for fome diftinsuiftiin? Doc- 
 trines and Opinions, fome different Forms or Objedls 
 of Worfhip, which have produced tragical Effe«5ts in 
 all Ages and Nations, whether Gentile, Jeivijh, or 
 (thri/lian. Now whiit can be a greater Good to Man- 
 C 3 kind; 
 
22 A Modeft Apology for the Antient and 
 kind ; what can contribute more to the preferving the 
 Peace of Civil Society, than to fet Men right in thefe 
 Inquiries, to remove thefe Illufions, detedl thofe Im- 
 poftures, and correct thofe Errors that have fo long 
 been the Caufes of fo much DiiTention and Confufion 
 in the World. And this (I am bold to fay) is an 
 Honour referved for our Times, and for our Family, 
 which we claim to ourfelves againft all Competitors. 
 
 Miflake me not, my Lord, we do not pretend to 
 oppofe Religion in general ; that would be a fruitlefs 
 Attempt. The World is fo invincibly prejudiced in 
 Favour of an old Superftition, that much the Majority 
 will ftill profefs and defend it in fome fliape or other. 
 Our Bufmefs, therefore, is to fliew the good People 
 of Britain^ that provided they profefs fome Sort of 
 Religion, the particular Sort or Kind is a Matter of 
 very little or no Confequence, not worth contending 
 about to the Diflurbance of Civil Society, or the Pre- 
 judice of our own Intereft. They that will have a May-f 
 pole, Jhall have a May- pole ; and they that will not, 
 may let it alone. 
 
 A Religion (as I faid before) of fome Sort or other 
 has fo long been the Fafhion, that I imagine it cannot 
 eafily be rooted out, but will ftill continue to have a 
 ftrange Influence, upon the Belief at leaft, if not the 
 Pra<^ice, of the filly fuperftitious Vulgar, though 
 People of Senfe and Figure fhould all agree to -difbe- 
 lieve \i; but then we have contrived to take off the 
 Edge, to weaken the Influence, to abate the Terrors, 
 and prevent the ill Effeds of it, by reprefenting it in 
 its true Light as a Matter of mere IndifFerence or 
 Convenience, of which a Man may take juft as much 
 ashepleafes, and leave the reft j and fo many pro- 
 fefs 
 
' Honourable Family ^/-^'^Wrongheads. %^ 
 
 fefs and pradifc fo much as he fliall think fit and con- 
 venient for his temporal Intereft, and leave the reft of 
 the World at hberty to do the fame. And if it fhould 
 happen that the Government, under which he lives, 
 Ihould think it worth their while to interpofe in an 
 Affair of fo little Confequence, it would be a Point of 
 Prudence and Duty, as well as Intereft and good 
 Manners, to profefs fuch a Creed, and no other, as 
 they fhall think fit to eftablifh ; and to recommend or 
 oppofe, condemn or pradlife, whatever they fhall think 
 fit to condemn or approve under the Names of Vice 
 arid Virtue, Truth and Error ; which, let me tell 
 yoiir Lordfhip, will be an unfpcakable Eafe to weak 
 Heads, and tender Confcienccs, which, I humbly 
 prefume, are fometimes found in Courts, as well a$ 
 ©ther Places. 
 
 Now, as nothing has contributed more to the Sup- 
 port of this religious Phrenzy, than an Opinion of its 
 being founded on a Revelation from Heaven, which 
 has been the conftant Pretence of every Sort of Re- 
 ligion that ever appeared in the World ; fo we affure 
 ourfelves nothing can more efFeclualJy weaken its Aur 
 thority, than to deftroy or weaken that Pretence, by 
 Ihewing the weak and inconclullve Reafonings, the 
 irapoffible Fadis, the unintelligible Dodlrines, as they 
 appear to us, and the various Readings in thefe\'eral 
 Copies of that Book, on which we Chriftians (as a 
 Man may fay) pretend to found our Religion. — -This 
 is a Point that we have laboured with good Succefs. 
 And as the Religion of Nature, which we ha\'e fitbfti- 
 tuted in its room, is a Scheme much more palatable 
 to Flefh and Blood, as it takes off thofe unnatural Rc- 
 ftraints which the vulgar Notions of Religion haA'c 
 C 4 impofcd 
 
24 ^Modeft Apology /<?r the Antient and 
 
 impofed upon merry Hearts and fanguine Conftitu- 
 tions, and leaves Men at full liberty to follow their 
 own natural Inclinations, no wonder that we make 
 numberlefs Converts aipong the chearful, fenfible, - 
 brilliant Part of Mankind ; and, by their Influence and 
 Example, among all Ranks and Orders of their In- 
 feriors. — To all which I might add, that one of our 
 Family, fome Years ago, publifhed a very ufeful and 
 learned Treatife ; I have forgot the Title, but the 
 Defign of it was, to demonftrate the Proportion in 
 which the Evidence and Credibility of all Hiftories 
 and Traditions decreafes with the Length of their 
 Continuance, fo as at laft to be intirely loft. — The 
 Application is eafy, the Book was well received, and 
 the Author well rewarded ; being, for that and fome 
 other good Services to Religion and Learning, pro- 
 moted to a Dignity which had not been filled with one 
 of our Family for many Generations. 
 
 Yet, in fpite of our united Endeavours and great 
 Succefs, fo ftrong is the Force of religious Prejudice, 
 there are Numbers who ftill pertinacioufly adhere to 
 the old hum-drum Syftems of Faith and Manners ; 
 •we have, therefore, with good Succefs, employed 
 fome of our ableft Heads and beft Pens, to pull 
 ofF the myfterious Drefs, to reduce its affeded 
 Sublimities, bold Hyperboles, and ftrong Metaphors 
 to the fober Standard of plain Reafon, common 
 Senfe, and common Forms and Rules offpeaking upon the 
 Uke Occafions, — Every body knows what terrible Dif-» 
 putes and Contentions have reigned for many Ages 
 about what we call the Chrijiian Sacraments. How 
 many Volumes have been written. Battles fought, 
 and Lives loft, to decide a Queftion concerning the 
 Baptifm of Infants in one Sacrament, and the Mode 
 
 of 
 
'Honour able Family of the Wrongheads . 1 5 
 
 of the Divine Prefencc in the other ? How manyhar4 
 Words, fuch as Tranfuhjlantiation^ Confubjiantlaiion^ 
 &c. have been coined to explain a Dodixine which, 
 botli Sides, in their turn, have owned to be inexplica- 
 ble ? To put an End to thefe fatal Difputes, and to 
 deliver thinking Men from the Perplexities on both 
 Sides of thefe Queftions, we declare freely to thofe 
 who are inclined to receive it, that they are Quc/lions 
 pf no Moment, a mere Strife of Words, a Conten- 
 tion about nothing, in which neither our Duty nor 
 Happinefs are any way concerned. But if any Scruples 
 yet rejnain among the Ignorant and Superftitious, as 
 to the Neceifity of the Thing itfelf, as an Article of 
 Church Communion, we farther declare, that the 
 firft, that of Baptifm, (if it fhould be thought necef- 
 fary) may be adminiftered at any Age, or by any Per- 
 ion, as well by the Midwife or the Nurfe, as by the 
 Re<Stor or the Curate. — And as for the other, we de- 
 clare that the Difficulties are all of our own making, 
 by turning a plain Matter of Fa<Sl: into an unintelligible 
 Myftery. 
 
 THE PLAIN ACCOUNT is this: We 
 are told in the Bible, that fomething more than 1 703 
 Years ago, there lived, in Judea^ a very good Sort of 
 a Man, who fet himlelf to oppofe the Superftition of 
 the Country, and to introduce among them a new 
 Syilem of Religion or moral Virtue ; which, confider- 
 ing the Purity of its Do6lrines, and the Greatnefs of 
 its Rewards, is generally allowed to be the very beft 
 that ever appeared in the World, excepting fomc few 
 Vinreafonable Severities, and unnatural Prohibitiojis 
 and Reflraints, which People of Senfe and Breeding 
 Know how to difpenfe with on proper Occafions ; the 
 
 Freedom 
 
25 y/ Modeft Apology /<pr the Antient and 
 
 Freedom with which he reproved the Vices of all Pro- 
 feflions and Charafters, particularly the Pride and 
 Hypocrify of the Priefts, the Scribes, and Pharifees^ 
 provoked all their Rage and Indignation againft him, 
 infomuch that they were determined to get rid of him 
 at any rate. They firft accufed him of Blafphemy^ for 
 which, by their Law, he ought to die -, but, as they 
 had not the Power of Life and Death, they could 
 make nothing of it that way : They then came to a 
 Refolution to murder him ; but were afraid of the 
 People, who had a high Efteem and Reverence for 
 him, on Account of his Dodlrines, and the many 
 good Works he wrought among them ; at laft they 
 prevailed upon the ^owrt« Governor, partly by Threats, 
 and partly by Infmuations of treafonable Practices 
 againft the State, to condemn him to die, in fpite of 
 his own Conviction, and repeated Profeffions of his 
 Innocence. A little before his Execution he convened 
 his Difciples and Followers, and, in a very fenfible 
 and aft'e<5ting Speech, confirmed the Do6lrines that he 
 had taught them, and left it, as his dying Requeft, 
 that whenever they met together as a Society, they 
 would never fail to drink to the immortal Memory of 
 their Majier. Now this is the Short and Long of the 
 whole Matter} this is all there is in it. — But to make 
 k a neceffary Duty, or Part of religious Worlhip ; to 
 ■imagine that there is any Promife in Scripture, annexing 
 a Benefit to the Ufe of it, efpccially that of Remijfion 
 if Sins, has this peculiar Ahfurdity in it, that it defii'oys 
 the very Notion of Remembrance, which is the EJfence of 
 it ; to make it, therefore, the aSiual Partaking of any 
 l^enefits which vje were only commanded to remember, is 
 altering the Nat we of it; as much as aiiual parUtking ef 
 
 any 
 
IhnmraUe Family of the Wrohgheads. 27 
 
 any thing is different from remembering »'/.— Now this J 
 fake to be a veiy PLAIN ACCOUNT of the 
 ,A4atter, which plainly deftroys at once all the puzzling 
 ■Confequences arifmg from the vulgar Superftition 
 about it, which was certainly calculated for nothing 
 elfe but to ferve certain political Purpofes, for the 
 Supportof Orthodoxy, Uniformity, and Prieftcraft. As 
 it has long been ufed as a Teft for Admittance into 
 civil as well as facred Offices, and a neceflary QuaJifi- 
 cation for obtaining the higheft Pofts of Honour and 
 ^^' Profit both in Church and State, none could confiftent- 
 \y be admitted into them but ftaunch Orthodox Be- 
 lievers of the Myftery, or abfolute Atheifts. So long as 
 a Man could be perfuaded to believe that an unbeliev- 
 ing Impenitent was an unworthy Receiver^ and, a6 
 fuel), was eating and drinking his own Damnation (or 
 Condemnation) he might naturally be under fome 
 Terrors in performing an A6i:ion abfolutely neceflaiy 
 to his Advancement in the World : But when he is 
 told by thofe who may reafonably be fuppofed to urt- 
 derftand it, that there is nothing more in it than a 
 grateful Remembrance of a great and good Benefa<5lor, 
 who made it his dying Requeft to all his Friends an4 
 Difciples, any Man of common Senfe, Gratitude, and 
 Honour, may fafely and confiftently join in perform- 
 ing it, whatever his private Sentiments and Notions 
 of Religiozi may be on other Accounts. — ^Now this is 
 direcStly pulling down thofe unreafonable Fences, En- 
 clofures, and Partition-walls, which were intended 
 to engrofs the Bleflings of Wealth and Power in par- 
 ticular Hands, to confine them (;"> certain Opinions, 
 Ways of Thinking, and Manner of Living, which 
 jjre not in every body's Ppwer. People muft and will 
 
 believe 
 
'feS yf'Modeft Apology /<?r the A^itient and 
 
 telieve and pradife as they pleafe, in fpite of all your 
 Creeds and Commandments ; and, fo long as they 
 are willing and able to ferve themfelves and the Public, 
 they ought to meet with no Difficulties or Difcourage- 
 inents to deter them from it. — So much for this ufeful 
 and important Di/covery, which is intirely our own. 
 
 Thefe, we may venture to pronounce, were great 
 and uieful Improvements for the Peace and Benefit of 
 Mankind, and the Comforts of civil Society ; but we 
 had greater and more extenfive Defigns for the public 
 Grood, had the World been worthy of them, and 
 given the Authors proper Encouragement. There 
 Wdis a great and excellent Perfon of our Family, one 
 Mr. jygillt wdl known to the World by his political 
 Writings. O my Lord ' he was a fine Man, and an 
 excellent Scholar; he had, it feems, by much La- 
 bour and Study, found out an infallible Remedy ogainjl 
 Death. He himfelf was verily perfuaded and convinced 
 that though, for fo many Ages, People had got a 
 Trick of dying from Generation to Generation, yet 
 they might help it if they would. That it was intirely 
 owing to a vicious Imitation, a ridiculous Compliance 
 with a prevailing Fafhion, a falfe Modefty, or a Waiit 
 of Faith and Courage, that even People of Senfe 
 would fuffer themfelves to be teazed and perfecuted by 
 Phyficians, Apothecaries, Parfons, and old Women, 
 and at lail, to be delivered to Undertakers, to be 
 fhoved out of the Worivl with their Heels foremol}. 
 He at firft propofed to keep he Secret to himfelf, or at 
 leaft preferve it as a Fam','.; Nojirum^ dreading, no 
 doubt, the Contem.pt and Jok s of the deluded Mul- 
 titude, and the vigorous Oppoiition of the Do6tor and 
 the Parfon, who would not fail to. onpofe a Project, 
 . . ■ by 
 
Honourable Family of the Wtongheads. 29 
 
 by which they muft both expect to be Sufferers, as the 
 one would no longer be paid for killing, nor the other 
 for burying ; not to mention the Worjhipful Company 
 of Upholders, Parifli'^Clerks, Sextons, Grave-diggers, 
 and all the other numerous Retainers to thofe whim- 
 fical Solemnities j but as he had the Honour to be a 
 Member of the Englijh Houfe of Coinmons (for Brani- 
 her in SuJfeXy I think) an AfTembly famous all the 
 World over for unbialled Integrity, unblemifhed Ho- 
 nour, and public Spirit, he fcorned to be influenced 
 by any Confiderations of perfonal Intereft or Credit^ 
 but boldly determined to facrifice both to the Welfare 
 of Mankind, and the Good of his Country. In 
 Purfuance of tliis laudable and generous Refolution, 
 in the Year 1700, he publifhed his Scheme for the 
 Satisfaction of the Curious with this Title of 
 
 A N 
 
 ARGUMENT, 
 
 PROVING 
 
 That, according to the Covenant of eternal Life 
 revealed in the Scripture, Men may be tranf- 
 In ted from hence into that eternal Life, with- 
 out faffing through Death, &c. 
 
 He was fo fully convinced of the Truth and Utility 
 of his Scheme, that he difdained the popular Arts of 
 engaging the Attention, and captivating the Affedions 
 of his Readers, by an artful Addrefs to their Paffions, 
 
 or 
 
3© A Modefl Apology for the Antient and 
 
 or to decoy them by a plaufible Train of Reafoning 
 into an unexpefted Conclufion. No. — He opened 
 his Packet, and let them into the whole Secret at once, 
 that his Readers might know what they had to truft 
 to } that if a Man found in himfelf no Inclination to 
 die, he might be furniilied with fufficient Directions 
 how to avoid it ; but if any were fo cowardly, or fo 
 modeft, as to choofe rather to die, than break an old 
 Cuftom, or be out of the Fafhion, they might take 
 it for their Pains, and have no body to blame but 
 themfelves. — Thus he begins : 
 
 Ante obitum fcelix nemo fupremaque fata, is a 
 Fi5iion of the Poets, and that old Motto worn upon 
 Tomhjiones, Death is the Gate of Life, is a Lye, by 
 which Men decoy one another into Death, taking it to be 
 a Thoroughfare into eternal Life, whereas it is jii/l fo far 
 out of the Way. (p. lo.) I am not unaware that the 
 Cuftom of the World to die has gained fuch a Prevalency 
 over our Minds, by prepojeffing us of the Necejftty of 
 Death, that itjlands ready to fw allow my Argument whole 
 nviiboitt digejiing it ; therefore (p. 1 1.) Til offer an An- 
 fwer to the Cuftom of the World againjl me : Cujlom itfelf, 
 without a Reafon for it, is only an Argument to Fools. 
 Nor can the Life or Death of one Man be affigned as the 
 Caufe of the Life and Death of another Man, unlefs the 
 fa?ne Thing happen to them both. 
 
 Abraham is dead, and the Prophets are dead. — What 
 then ? Why Abraham died of Age (as the Folk call it) 
 and the Prophets were many of them blocked on the Head, 
 —Muji it therefore follow that either ofthefe Deaths ?nuft 
 happen to me, or, becaufe they died of one Death, I muft 
 die of another f — Suppofe my Mother died in Child-bed, 
 tnuji I therefore do fo too F or becaufe my Father was 
 
 hanged. 
 
Honour ahle Family of the Wrongheads. 31 
 
 hanged, tnuj} I therefore be drowned P — ^Abraham is 
 dead, mid the Prophets are dead-\ JVhat then? — Why 
 Abraham had a Son of his oiun begetting at one hundred 
 Tears old upon a Woman of ninety, had an Army of Men 
 born in his Houfe, Flocks and Herds without Number y 
 and a whole Country to feed theyn in. And the Prophets 
 vjere Favour it es of Heaven, coidd raife the Dead, and 
 kill the Living. Muji, therefore, any of thefe Gifts 
 happen to me P Why then, if I 7nuji not partake with 
 Abraham and the Prophets in their Blejftngs, zvhy muJi / 
 partake with them in their Deaths f Nir did Abraham 
 die, becaufe the Prophets died; ?ior did the Prophets die, 
 becaufe Abraham died. Then if their Deaths had no 
 EffeSl upon each other, wlyy Jhould they heme any Effeif 
 upon me F Therefore the Cujiom of the World io die, is 
 no Argument one %vay or other. — What a glorious Scheme 
 is this ! how clearly ftated ! how demonftratively 
 proved ! — What Reward could be too great for fuch an 
 inquifitive Genius, fuch a generous Heart ! — But fee 
 the Event. — No fooner did this curious, elaborate, 
 ufeful Work appear, but People of all Profeffions 
 took the Alarm \ the Clergy were angry, the Phyfi- 
 cians were merry, and the reft of the World Tided 
 with them ; infomuch that, in a fhort Time, he and 
 his Scheme became the Jeft and Abhorrence of all 
 Converfation. Tl)e Hoife of Commons, of which (as 
 I faid'before) he had the Honour to be a Member, 
 and who had, upon all proper Occafions, diftinguifhed 
 themfelves by their Attention to every ufeful Proje<£l, 
 and Indulgence to the Projector, quickly convinced 
 him of their Diflike, and that he had no more Favour 
 to expeft within-doors than he had found without ; io 
 that, inftead of receiving the Thanks of the Ho- 
 nourable 
 
^2 A Mbdefl Apology for the Antient and 
 aourable Houfe, or an Addrefs to the Throne for 
 fome gainful Office, or a good Penfion fot Life, or 
 fo much as a Patent to fecure to himfelf and his . 
 Friends all the Honour and Profit that might reafon- 
 ably be expe£led from fuch a public Service, he met 
 with no other Reward than Cenfure and Expulfion. — 
 The good old Man was fo thoroughly mortified by 
 this unworthy Treatment, that he could not over- 
 come it ; and though he had often declared to his 
 Friends in private, as well as publicly to the World, 
 that he never would die in Complaifance to any Cuftom, 
 Perfuafion, or Party whatfoever, and that if ever he 
 fhould be fo filly, that he died of no Religion, (p. 95.) . 
 yet at laft he gravely refolved to die, rather than live 
 any longer in fuch an ungrateful Nation ; and fo he 
 ji£lually did, without leaving his invaluable Secret be- 
 hind him, to the great Grief and Difappointment of 
 all ferious and thinking Men, and irreparable Lofs to 
 Pofterity — The barbarous Treatment of this ufeful. 
 public-fpirited Man has obliged us to keep our mofl 
 abfiriife Nojirums to ourfelves, and deal only in fuch 
 popular and obvious Notions as are level to the Ca- 
 pacity of the Bulk of Readers. Such as Superjlitiony 
 Enthuftafmy Creed-makers, Prief-craft^ Bigottry, Pious 
 Frauds, Oracles of Reafon, Natural Religion, &c. by 
 which we ftill keep up the Cry, and fupport our 
 Friends, who, in fpite of all Endeavours to conceal 
 it, are by much the Majority in all Societies. 
 
 The Difputes about the different Forms of Church 
 Gcvernment, Sacerdotal Powers, Ecclefiajiical Difciplincy 
 and twenty other appendant Articles, have been, for 
 above uvo hundred Years, the Subjedl of much Con- 
 tention, and the Occafions of much Confufion and 
 
 Mifchief. 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. 33 
 
 Mifchief. How much Blood has been fpilt, how 
 many Outrages committed even in this Nation upon 
 this unconcerning Queftion ? Upon this Head there- 
 fore we freely declare, that The Civil Magijlrate is the 
 fole Fountain of all Power ; that there is no Kind or 
 Branch of Power or Jurifdiction really diftindl from 
 it J and though in Compliance with Cuftom and anti- 
 ent Ufage we have agreed to diftinguifh betwixt Spiri- 
 tual and Fetnporal Power, and Ecclejiajiical and Civil 
 Authority; yet they rather take thefe Names from the 
 Perfons by whom they are exercifed, or the Subjects 
 on wjjich they are employed, than from the Fountain 
 from whence they are derived : That the three Or- 
 ders (as they are called) of Spiritual Magijlrates or 
 Governors of the Church, are in reality as much the 
 Creatures of the State^ as the Officers of the Fleet and 
 Armyy and as much determined by the Conditions and 
 Limitations of their Charter, z&'Tlje Lord- Mayor ^ Court 
 of Aldermen^ and Common Council. Now we reafonably 
 and confiftently conclude, that whoever commits a 
 Truft, beftows a CommilHon, or communicates a 
 Power, has an abfolute Right to determine the Ufes 
 of that Truft, the Services of that Commiffion, 
 and the Exercife of that Power, efpecialJy if thefe 
 Ufes and Services were exprefsly fpecified as the 
 abfolute Conditions of beftowing and receiving the 
 faid Truft, Offices, or Powers — This is the uni- 
 verfal Voice of Reafon and Nature, from the fupreme 
 Magiftrate to the loweft Operator in Wood or 
 Iron, Stone or Clay, who, if they purchafe Tools of 
 any Sort, raife Fabrics, ere6l Pofts or Pillars, cer- 
 tainly intend them for Ufe or Ornament, or both ; 
 and if from an unfkilful Choice of Materials, or the Ig- 
 norance of Artificers, they cannot be brought to an- 
 VoL. II. D iwer 
 
^4 ^ Modeft Apology for the Antient and 
 
 fwer the feveral Ufes and Purpofes for which thev^ 
 were intended, and cannot pofiibly be fo mended as 
 to become either ufeful or ornamental, they are either 
 pulled down, or left to ftand ufelefs and neglecfhed 
 Monuments of their own Perverfenefs, or the Build- 
 er's Folly. — Thus, for infi'ance, fuppofc a Man were 
 only to fet up a Weathercock, or build a Windmill, 
 which faid Weathercock, or Windmill, fliould be fo 
 injudicioufly fixed or put together as to grow fIriiF 
 or ruft}-, move heavily or not at all, or have an irre- 
 gular Motion of its own, quite oppofite to the Defign 
 of the Builder, there is no doubt to be made, that 
 they fhould undergo fuch Corrections and Amend- 
 ments from more fkilful Operators, as fhould effectu- 
 ally quicken, dire6l, and regulate, their Motions for 
 the future, or let them ftand ufelefs and immoveable 
 for ever. — The Application, in fhort, is no more than 
 this, that whofoever accepts any Truft, Office, or 
 Power, is bound by all the Lav/s of Juftice and 
 Prudence to exercife that Truft, and employ that 
 Power for the fole Ufe and Benefit, and by the fole 
 Direction of fuch Perfon or Perfons from whom he 
 acknowledges and profelTes, he received them ; which 
 muft necefTarily produce an Uniformity of Conduct 
 and abfolute Submiflion to their Patrons, Superiors, 
 and Directors, and prevent all that Oppofition and 
 Confufion that muft arife from adting without or againft 
 fuch Direction, upon the Prefumption of private 
 Judgment, Perfuauon, or any pretended Struples or 
 Principles whatfoever ; and that on uniform Submif- 
 fion and Obedience, and Unanimity of Condu6t, the 
 Peace and Harmony of Societies depend, v/ho can 
 deny ? This is therefore the fhorteft Way of folving 
 
 feveral Difficulties^ and reconciling feveral Contra- 
 
 diCtiojis, 
 
Honour ahk "Family of the Wrongheads. 3^ 
 
 cliftions, which can on no other Prnicipks be explain- 
 ed or underftood. 
 
 But our Abilities in Controverfy are never fo ef^ 
 fedluaily difplayed, as when the Debate lies intirely 
 between ourfelves. We give and take, and choofe to 
 allow any thing to fliortcn the Difpiite, and confent 
 fo cut the Knot, which cannot, vvithout Difficulty, 
 be untied. A remarkable Inftance of this I remem- 
 ber, upon a Queftion of the lad Confequence, be- 
 twixt an honeft North Briton^ a DoiSlor of Phyfic and 
 Profeflbr of Botany, and a 'Jew who taught Hebrew 
 in the fame Univerfity. They were a Couple of 
 merry Fellows, and dear Bottle-Companions. As 
 they were rejoicing one Niglit over a Bottle of old 
 Port, fays the Doctor, Dear Rabbi, thou art an 
 honejl Hearty I love thee dearly ; but 1 jhould love thee 
 better y if thou wert of my Religion. Why (quoth the 
 Rabbi) 1 fancy there is no great Difference betwixt thy 
 Religion and mine, if ive were to come to an Explana- 
 tion. JPlyy (fays the Doctor) thou art no Chrijlian. 
 No^ (faid he) but if you could give me a good Ksafoii 
 for my Converfton, you Jhall find me very ready to fubmit 
 to it. Upon which the Dbilor calls for a Bible, arid 
 reads him feveral PaiTages out of th^ New Tejla?nent. 
 But (fays the Rabbi) this is no Argument to us Jews, 
 who do not acknowledge your New Tefl-ament. Upon 
 which, the good Doctor, ftarting with Horror and 
 Surprize, cries, How f — IP^hat I dare you deny cur 
 New Teftament ! Tes, (fays the Jeju.) fVl:>y then, 
 
 (fays he, with a vehement Oath) b^ I deny y out 
 
 Old. It is all Lies and Nonfenfe. I have lately read 
 a Story there of Sampfon killing a thoufand Men with 
 the Jaw-bone of an Afs. — The Jaw-bone of a T ■ - - . 
 To be furcy if is as great a Lie as evef was told. 
 D 2 Their 
 
36 yf Modeft Apology for the Ant'ient and 
 
 Their Arguments were now at an End, they looked 
 gravely at each other for about a Minute, when the 
 Dodlor taking the Rabbi by the Hand, Coyne., (fays 
 he) we are both honejl Men and good Friends, JVIjat 
 fign'ifies d'lfputing ? Let lis have the other Bottle and to 
 pay. So faid, fo done. They drank off their Bottle, 
 parted good Friends, and never had the leaft Difpute 
 or Qiieftion about Religion ever after. See here a 
 Controverfy nhat had divided the World fo many 
 hundred Years, and produced fo many thoufand Vo- 
 lumes, compromifed at once with no other Confe- 
 quence than f other Bottle and' to pay. Could every 
 religious Difpute be fo eafily decided, we fhould 
 quickly be all of a Mind, and all the World of one 
 Religion. 
 
 Another Time I remember we were at a Family 
 Club, which was kept at the Bull-Head in the Bo- 
 rough, (which fome People of more Wit than Man- 
 ners, in Contempt of our Family, ufed to call the 
 Calves-Head-Club ;J one of tlie Company, who af- 
 fe6led to be thought wifer and better than the reft, 
 begun to talk about Religiony upon which his next 
 Neighbour interrupted him. Prithee, Peter, (fays he) 
 don^t thee pretend to talk about Religion, I am fure thou 
 knowejl nothing of the Afatter. J will lay thee a Guinea 
 thou canjl not fay the Lord's Prayer. Done ! fays 
 the other ; and up he gets, and with an audible Voice 
 repeats the Creed from the Beginning to the End, 
 without miffing a fingle Word. Upon which his 
 Adverfary, lifting up his Hands in great Surprize, 
 IVell, (faid he) I did not imagine he eould have done it, 
 but J fairly own I have loji my IVager, to which the 
 whole Company affented. Now, had this happened in 
 any other Company, ten to one but it had produced 
 
 another 
 
Honour aUe Family of the Wrongheads. 37 
 
 another Wager, or a Quarrel, or perhaps a Duel ; 
 but we put a Stop to any further Explanation, by de- 
 claring one and all, that as we met together purely 
 to be merry, Talking^ efpecially about Religion^ did but 
 fpoil Cofnpany. 
 
 If, on thefe Confiderations, we have any Merit to 
 plead, we have greater yet behind. Politics are our 
 Mafter-piece : And I will venture to affirm, that our 
 prefent Pofterity, Wealth, and Power, by which we 
 are enabled to hold the Balance, and dire£l the 
 Counfcls of Europe, have been intirely owing to the 
 exquifite Forefight, and dextrous Condu6l of our Fa- 
 mily. It is true, we have long been out of Play, 
 and are univerfally decried by the late and prefent 
 Poireflbrs of Power. But let me tell them, that had 
 vi^e not condudled public Meafures when we were in 
 Power, by a Set of Maxims, and Rules of Policy, 
 intirely our own, Great-Britain had never feen fo 
 many Glorious Treaties^ Congreffes, Conventiom, Nego- 
 tiations, Alliances, Secret Expeditioixs, Preventive Mea- 
 fures, Teynporary Expedients, JVays and Means, — 
 &c. — &c. — &c. as are the Glory of the prefent 
 Age, and will be the Wonder of the next \ the 
 blefled Effects of which are too well feen, felt, heard, 
 and underftood, to need any further Explanation* 
 I fliall only add, what I am able to prove by au- 
 thentic Evidence, that whatever Laurels have already 
 been, or fhall hereafter be, gathered by us or our 
 Pofterity, on any Part of the Continent, were planted 
 by the Hands of our Illujlrious PredeceJJ'ors. And as 
 it is an undeniable Truth, that he who planted the 
 Tree has more Merit than they that gather the Fruit ; 
 and they who fow the 'i>t^A, than they who reap the 
 D 3 Crop; 
 
3S ^Modefl Apology /(7r the Antient and 
 
 Crop ; To the certain Conclufion is this, that who- 
 ever wins, or wlioever lofes, the Merit and Glory 
 will be intirely our own, and that too with fome ad- 
 vantageous Circumftances, which could never have 
 happened in any Hands but ours. It is univcrfally 
 agreed, that the Honour of any A6lion rifes in Pro- 
 portion to the Difficulty or Danger that attends it j 
 and that a Contempt of Difficulties and l^angers is 
 an Argument of fuperior Courage, Conduct, or both. 
 He who, from a Contempt of his Enemy, and a juft 
 Senfe of his own Strength and Courage, gives him 
 unneceffary Advantages, departs from a good Situa- 
 tion, that the other may poflefs himfelf of it, fupplies 
 him with Money, Ammunition, and Provifions, and 
 makes him, in every Refpe<9:, as powerful and for- 
 midable as he can, only to have the Pleafure ^nd Ho- 
 nour of beating him under all the/e Difad vantages,' 
 fliews a Greatnefs of Soul, and Excefs of Courage, 
 feldom found but in our Family. I remember when 
 I was at School, there was nothing more common 
 than for a brave L:id to fight a contemptible Enemy 
 with one Hand tied behind him ; and I remember one 
 who carried the Point of Heroifm fo far as to chal- 
 lenge one of equal Strength with both his Hands tied 
 behind him j by which he got fo hearty a Drub- 
 bing, as I dave fay he will never forget, if he fhculd 
 live to the Age of Meihufeiah. — There is a Relation 
 of ours, a very honeft Fellow, one 'John Bull, Grand- 
 fon to the famous Man of that Name, whofe Memoir3 
 are written by one of the beft Pens in Europe. He 
 was bred a Clothier in the Weft of of England, was in 
 top Bufmefs, and might, if he pleafed, have purcha- 
 fcd the v/hole Country rpund him : But he had re- 
 ceived 
 
Honour able Family of the Wrongheads . 3^ 
 
 Ccivcd fuch a Tinilure of Heroifm from his Mother, 
 who was a Weljh Heirefs, that, like Hercules^ he dif- 
 covered an Inclination for kicking and cuffing even in 
 his Cradle. When he was at School, Cock-fighting 
 and Bull-baiting were his chief Delight; there v.-^s 
 hot a Wake or a Revel round the Country, whele 
 there was any Hope of getting a laced Hat or a broken 
 Head, but he was fure to be at it. If any of his 
 School-fellov/s had a Quarrel upon their Hands, 
 he always put in to be a Second.^ or rather than fail, 
 to be a Principal ; fo that for feven Years togetlier he 
 fcarce ever flept in a whole Skin, or ever made a pub- 
 lic Appearance without a black Eye, or a Plaifter Or 
 two upon his F'ace j and yet in all other Refpe6ts he 
 was as honeil:, a generous, compaffionate, good-na- 
 tured Fellow as ever trod on flioe of Leather. What 
 contributed a good deal to this military Turn, was the 
 Accounts that he had heard and read, and the Monu- 
 ments he had (cQn of the Heroes of his Family. 
 There v/cre, it feems, no lefs than three or four Do- 
 zen of laced Hats hung round the Hall which h.ad 
 been won at different Times at Back-Sword, Wreft- 
 ling, or Boxing by fome of his Anceftorsj and he 
 could not bear the Thoughts of disgracing his Kin- 
 dred, efpecially his treljh Relations, by being lefs 
 brave and intrepid than they. I cannot omit one mer- 
 ry Adv'cnture that befel yohn in ihs Beginnings of his 
 Knight-Erranty, which had like to have fpoiled him 
 for a Hero ever after : He had been out one Evening 
 a little Pct-valiant, and greatly wanted an Opportunity 
 of fhewing his Manhood, and exerting a little of his 
 military Fury upon fomebody or other j but as it Was 
 late, and the few People he met about the Streets feem- 
 
 D 4 ed 
 
40 A Modeft Apology for the Antimt and 
 
 ed more inclined to go to Bed than to Loggerheads, 
 he could find no room for Adventures ; at laft hap- 
 pening to fpy a Butcher's MafiifF lying fafl afleep at his 
 Mailer's Door, he kneels down, and taking one of his 
 Ears between his Teeth he gave him fuch a confoun- 
 ded Gripe, that throughly awaked the Dog, who re- 
 turned the Civility in his way fo heartily, that Poor 
 'John was obliged to cry out and alarm the Neighbour- 
 hood, who quickly ran to his Affiftance. The rueful 
 Figure he made, covered with Blood and Dirt, and the 
 unfavory Scent that proceeded from a certain Part of 
 his Perfon, produced as much Laughter in fome as 
 Pity in others 5 but the ftinking Hero, whofe Courage 
 was by this Time pretty well cooled, begins a pitiful 
 fnivelling Story of the Dog's falling upon him, as he 
 was pafling quietly through the Streets, and how 
 imjuftifiable a Thing it was that fuch a Dog fhould be 
 fufFered to run loofe about the Streets in the Night. 
 The fame Thing ( quoth fohn) might have happened to 
 any of you as well as to me. To which they all aflented, 
 and the poor Cur was immediately trufTed up for a 
 Breach of the Peace, whilft fohn fneaked Home to 
 get Plaifters and clean Linen. 
 
 When he firft came into Trade, he had the faireft 
 Opportunity of making a great Fortune, and raifing 
 a great Eftatc, that any Man of his Circumftanccs 
 ever had : But his Neighbours, who envied his Pro- 
 fperity, and knew his blind Side, were perpetually 
 blowing up his natural Vanity, and flattering his mi- 
 litary Pride, in order to make their own Advantage, 
 by his neglecting the proper Bufmefs of his own Prd- 
 feflion ; which they effedually did, and have been 
 every Day iinproving, to the Ruin of h'n Fortune, 
 
 and 
 
Honourable Family <?//^'^ Wrongheads. 41 
 
 and the completing of their oivn. Within a few 
 Years, there was public Notice given in fome of the 
 News-Papers, of a great Trial at Bacic-fword for 
 fomething about the Value of ^ Crouin^ or fome fuch 
 Matter ; but it was in a ftrange Country, a great 
 Way off, where John had no more perfonal or fa- 
 mily Concern, than at Bagclat^ or 'Jerufalem. But 
 when Honour calls, even Love itfejf (much more the 
 paultry Articles of Trade and Intereji) muft give 
 way. He could not refift the Call ; he mortgaged 
 his Eftate, pulled down the greateft Part of his 
 Looms, and difcharged the greateft Part of his Work- 
 men, only leaving fome few to keep up the Face of 
 Bufinefs, and prevent any Sufpicions of his beino- 
 quite gone off, and away goes he. — He entered the 
 Ring among the reft ; and after many a fore Bang, 
 was fo lucky as to win the Prize ; which, with his 
 wonted Generofity, he beftowed upon one of the 
 Combatants, who pronounced him the braveft Lad 
 that ever appeared upon the Field, and made him 
 a Prefent of half a Dozen Silk Handkerchiefs ; 
 which, like the Standards in IVeJlminJler-Hall^ are 
 hung round his Bed-chamber, as the Monuments of 
 his tranfcendent Courage, 'Generofity, and Wifdom. 
 In his Abfence, you may imagine, all Things went 
 to wreck at home ; fome of his Labourers were 
 hanged, fome tranfported, and a great many taken 
 into the Service of his Neighbours, who had not neg- 
 lected fo fair an Opportunity of worming him almoft 
 out of every Branch of his Trade. Several of his 
 Tenants broke, and the Poor Rates, and other 
 Taxes, and the Intereft upon his Mortgage, eat out 
 the whole Income of his Eftate. In fpitc of all thefe 
 
 Dif. 
 
42 A Modeft Apology for the Antknt and 
 
 DiCcoirragemehts, he fuircred not his noble Courage t9 
 he cajl down^ but refolvcd to bufllc through it as well 
 as he could, and try to repair liis Lofles by ftriking 
 into fume new Branch of Trade, or recovering the 
 old. The Perfon, v/ho thought hiinfelf injured in 
 this Affair, bore yskn a fecret Grudge ever fince, 
 and did him many private ill Oiftces, which his ho- 
 jieft Heart could never believe to be iiUended, and 
 therefore ought not to be returned, whilft all the 
 Forms and ExpreiTions o^ Cordiality v/ere punctiiallv 
 kept up between theni. However, at laft he found 
 out that he had in many Inftanccs been very ill ufed 
 by his well-bred ceremonious Neighbour, and fent 
 him Word that he fliould take a proper Time and 
 Manner of fliewing his Refentmcnt of fuch treacherous 
 Conduct. — But being informed that the poor Devil 
 was half-flarved with Hunger and Cold, and not able 
 to make a manly Refiilancc, but mufl tamely and 
 cowardly be knocked o' the Head, if he were not in 
 better Plight before they cam.e to a Tryal of Skill ; 
 Honejl John^ who had the Heart of an Emperor, and 
 was not more flout than merciful, fcorned to take 
 9ny ungenerous Advantages even of an Enemy ; he 
 thought there was no Honour to be got by drawing 
 upon a naked Man, demolifning a Man of Clouts, 
 ex killing an Enemy that was already half-killed to 
 his Hands ; he therefore generoufly fent him as much 
 Wool as would cloath himfelf and his Family for a 
 Jiundred Generations ; and ibr fear he fliould not 
 jcnow what to do with it when he had got it, he fent 
 Jjjm fome of bis befl Workmen to manage it for him 
 to the befl: Advantage ; and at the fame time fent him 
 great Q^fantities of Provifions of all Sorts, fuch as 
 
 \\^heat. 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. 43 
 
 Wheat, Beef, Pork, Butter, tiff, to feed and fatten 
 him for the Slaughter, that he might be worth kill- 
 ing. At the fame time that this cunning artful Pcr- 
 foji was fo gcneroufly treated by his Adverdiry, he; 
 aftedled to be thought very fenfible of the Obligation, 
 which he endeavoured 10 acknowledge by makino- 
 fome Prefents in Return. But what were they ? 
 Why, truly, fome choice Liquors which vft!:Q to be 
 taken by Way of Drams, which he knew would 
 intoxicate and enervate him, in Proportion to his 
 own Increafe of Strength and Vigour 3 and fome 
 flimfy Pieces of Silk to make Cloaths and Pincufliions 
 for his Wife and Daughters, which he was fure 
 would turn their Heads by flattering their Vanity, 
 and put them out of Love with their own home-lpun 
 ]\Ianufa6lures, by Which they employed their poor 
 Neighbours, and inriched thcmfelves. — He reckons 
 that in a few Months Time, they fhall be pretty 
 equally matched ; and then he has given him to un- 
 derftand, he muft expe£l to hear from him in a 
 proper Manner. He propofes to give him at iirfl a 
 handfome Breathing, and a fair Opportunity of fhew- 
 ing his Dexterity and Courage to the beft Advan- 
 tage ; then, to fhew his Contempt of his Enemy, 
 and his own fuperior Strength and Cunning, he de- 
 figns to throw av/ay his Arms, and knock him dowi) 
 with his Fift, with as much Eafe, and in as fhort 3 
 Time, as a hungry Man could fA'allow a poached 
 Egg or an Oyller. So done, he will have him em- 
 bowelled and embalmed upon the Spot, and then 
 bring him home in Triumph, to be fliewn as a Sight, 
 whilft the Thing is a Novelty, and then to be fet 
 up like an Egyptian Mummy in a Glafs-cafe at the 
 
 upper 
 
44 ^ Modeil Apolog)'-/(?r the Antient and 
 
 tipper End of his Dining-room, to be a perpetual 
 Memorial of his Wifdom and Valour to all Gene- 
 rations. 
 
 His Friends, who know tlie honefl P'ellow's ro- 
 mantic Turn, advife him to ftick to his Bufmefs and 
 let him alone. But he, like a true Hero, juflly 
 and bravely replies. Shall it ever be faid, that the 
 Grandfon of the llliiftrions John Bull prefers the 
 ignominious Eafe and Indolence of Peace, before 
 the glorious Toils of War, and Trophies of Viilory ! 
 Is it riot the Voice of the whole Nation, that there Is 
 more real Glory in a laced Hat and Cockade, and a 
 Regimental Drefs, e\'en v/ith an Empty Pocket, than 
 in the plain homely Drefs of the richeft Clothier in the 
 Country ? Do not our wife and honourable Reprelen- 
 tatives in Parliament, do not i.ll the Ladies in Great- 
 Britain fay the fame ? What an infipid Creature is a 
 plain honeft Country Gentleman ? What an aukward 
 Figure does he cut in a Drawing Room, at a Ball, at 
 an AlTembly, when compared with the ere6l Gait, 
 the intrepid Front, the piercing Eye, the elevated 
 Cheft, the firm Step, the enchanting Air, the irrefiffi- 
 ble Drefs of a military Hero ? 0]i him fo terrible, 
 and yet lO amiable, every lovely Eye is fixed, for him 
 every gentle Fleart figh?, and fnowy Bofom heaves 
 with Rapture ; for him alo-ne the imexperienced Vir- 
 gins pine, and even amorous old Maids and Widov/s 
 languifh. Happy {\''i.t v/hom he deigns to diftinguifh 
 by a Side Glance ; happier fhe, wliom he furveys with 
 Attention, to v/hom he opens his bewitching Mouth 
 or Gold SnufF-Box ; but thrice happy flie, whom he 
 approaches with Reverence, whofe tender trembling 
 Hand he gently prefies, and leads her out tranfported 
 
 with 
 
^Honour aUe Family of the Wrongheads. 45 
 
 TA'ith Joy, and covered with Blufhes, to be the 
 Miftrels of his Charms for that Evening, and the Envy 
 of the whole Circle for that Seafon. Is not this true ? 
 (fays John.) I therefore declare^ that if I had ten thou- 
 fund Sons, I would breed thefn all to the Army j and 
 if I coidd not find Employment for them at hofne., I luoidd 
 lit than out to Hire a le mode de SuifTe, &c. Well 
 Ciid ! honeft John j well fare thy Heart. Thou wert 
 born a Hero, and art determined to die in thy Call- 
 ing. — I beg Pardon for dwelling fo long upon the Hi- 
 ftory of this honeft Fellow, but he is the Miniature of 
 the greateft Heroes of our Family ; for by the felf fame 
 generous, honourable, difmterefted Maxims are we all 
 tiiredted from the higheft to the loweft. 1 had ma- 
 ny curious and fecret hiftorical Remarks upon this 
 Head of political Condut^y which I intended to publiih, 
 but am happily prevented by the judicious Labour of the 
 learned Dr. Ilurnphreyfoiiber, who has compofed an ufe- 
 ful and excellent Treatife, which he calls Jn Anatomical 
 DiffeSlion of the Body Politic, in a Method intirely new, 
 Uluftrated with a great Variety of Copper-Plates : To 
 which will be added. An Appendix upon Political Ar~ 
 chite£1ure, where the Public m.ay expedl feveral enter- 
 taining and furprifing Difcoveries. I beg leave to 
 mention only one, the Root and Foundation of an in- 
 tire new Syftem. 
 
 Your Lordfhip cannot but know, that feveral con- 
 ceited fyftematical Writers have aflerted, that there is 
 a juft and proper Analogy betwixt the Body Natural 
 and the Body Politic ; that as the firm and regular 
 Structure and Di(pofition of the Stamina, the Strength 
 and Cleannefs of the VefTcls, the Purity and Tenuity 
 of the Fluids, their free and uninterrupted Circulation 
 
4^ A Modeft Apology for the Antlent and 
 
 a ftrong nervous Syftem, a due Conco£lion, Se- 
 cretion, and Diftribution of the nutritious Juices 
 into the Habit and Conftltution, are the Founda- 
 tion and Support of natural Health and Vigour j 
 fo fomething analogous to it would be the Health, 
 the Soundnefs, the Vigour, the Life of the Body 
 Politic. Now this ingenious Author has drfco- 
 vered this to be all a Miftake, that there is no 
 Kind of Analogy or Refemblancc whatfoever betwixt 
 the one and the other ; but, on the contrary, that 
 that v/hich would be the Life of the one, would be 
 the Deifrucftioa of the other ; that the Body Politic 
 could not poflibly fubfifl without certain periodical Pa- 
 roxyfms, or intermitting Fermentations, for which the 
 State-Phyficians have an infallible Specific, which ope- 
 rates in the Way of an Opiate or Anodyne Draught ; 
 that uncorrupt Juices would be the Death of the Pa- 
 tient ; that their eafy gentle.Motion through clear and 
 tinobftruckd Paifiiges, would certainly produce a Le- 
 thargy ; and that therefore it is abfolutely neceflary to 
 keep up a perpetual Ferment in the Blood, and Itch 
 in the Skin, in order to keep the Patient awake, by 
 giving him the perpetual Plcafuie of Scratching. For 
 ^e fame Reafon, fcorbutic Eruptions, ulcerous, and 
 efpecially fcrophuloiis Sores, Fradlures, and DiflocationS 
 are in fome criticiil Conjunclures abfolutely neceflary 
 both for the Patient and the Phyfician, as they are Trials 
 of the Goodnefs of his Temper, and the Strength of his 
 Conditution, and at tlie fame time give Employment 
 and Bread to numberlcfs Retainers to the Faculty, 
 who, in a State of abiolute Eafe and Tranquillity, 
 inufl be forced to take to the Highway, or feme fuch- 
 like honourable Employment to keep themfelves from 
 ftarving. 
 
 But 
 
Hottourahle Fawily of the Wrongheads. 47 
 But there is another Advantage of pclitical Corrup- 
 tion^ which deferves a very particular Confideration, 
 viz, That the Profperity and Increafe of the Body de- 
 pends upon it. It is a well-knov/n Maxim of Philo- 
 fophy, Tf)at the Corruption of one natural Body is the 
 Generation of a?iothcr; but, in the political World, the 
 Corruption of one is often the Ge7ieratio7i of Tlooifands. 
 How many 7iew Laius, nszv Potvcrs, new MagijirateSy 
 
 neT.v Officers.^ new are produced by every 
 
 mw Corruption ? Now as all Officers and Magiflrates, 
 all People of Authority, Rank, and Power in the po- 
 litical Body, are of infinitely more Confequence to 
 the Public than the common Herd^ the Beajis of the 
 People, fo it may, at an Average, be computed, that 
 every Officer, Commiffioner, or Magiftrate, efpe- 
 cially if he rides in his Coach, and has a Seat in Par- 
 liament, is more in Weight and Value tiian a thou- 
 fandy/j:7v^ Beggars, or Rabble of Mankind ; and if 
 any of thefe fhould, for their fpecial Services in after 
 Times (for I mean not the prefent Generation) be 
 called up to the other Houfe, and be created your 
 Lordfliip's Peers, they would be in the fame mille- 
 cuple Proportion greater, and wifer, and better thar* 
 they were before, or could any other ways have beenv 
 To this therefore it is intirely owing, that many have 
 been formerly, and will hereafter be, fliining \n 
 Courts, commanding in Armies, and haranguing or 
 voting at leaft in Senates, who, in an uncorrupt Gene- 
 ration, had lived and died in Obfcurity, ufelefs Mem- 
 bers of the Commonwealth, neither regarded whilft 
 living, nor lamented nor remembered when dead. — ' 
 But to proceed — An equal Diftribution of the nutri- 
 tious Juices, which is the Health and Life of the 
 I natural 
 
4S A Modeft Apology for the Antient and 
 
 natural Body, would, in the Body politic^ produce an 
 unnatural Equality among the iVlembers, and deftroy 
 that neceffary Subordination and Subjeclion, which, 
 the ignoble owe to their noble and honourable Supe- 
 riors. — But, the Difference is no-where more obferve- 
 able, than in the Cafe of a Plethora^ or loaded Habit. 
 This, in the Natural Body, is always attended by 
 Wearinefs, Oppreflion of Spirits, Want of Appetite, 
 and Inclination to vomit, and can only be cured by 
 Evacuations and Abftinence : But in the Political, the 
 Bafe is quite otherwife, the Symptoms are intirely dif- 
 ferent. It is obfervable that the Appetite always in- 
 creafes in Proportion ; tliat the Patient, inflead of be- 
 ing heavy, languid, and una6live, is ten times more 
 active, vigilant, meddling, and inquifitive, even to a 
 Degree of faucy Impertinence ; and that to evacuate or 
 refund would be next to immediate Death. Were a 
 Phyfician, or even a Committee of the College, but to 
 propofe fuch a Method of Cure, the very Mention 
 would infallibly throw the Patient into Convulfions, if 
 not a Deliquium or Diftradtion, cum multis aliis, i^c. 
 
 In the Appejidix upon political Architecture, there are 
 leveral very curious and ufeful Difcoveries, fome of 
 which I fhall briefly touch upon by way of Specimen. 
 In coiiumn ArchitcSlure, every body knows that deep 
 and folid Foundations are abfolutely neceffary for 
 eredling a fubftantial and durable Buildino;j that the 
 Materials fhould be the very bed in their Kind, and 
 the Workmen the veiy beft that could be procured 
 for Love or Moncv. Particularly in our own 
 Country we fhould (xk good ENGLISH OAK, 
 good FREE STONE, hewn, fquared, and 
 put together bv F R E Y. and ACCEPTED' 
 
 MASONS: 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. 49 
 
 M A S O N S i but, in political ArchitecSture, this wor- 
 thy Author has difcovered, that the beft and cheapeft 
 way is to lay the Foundation upon the Surface, that in 
 the Contignation (as the learned Do£lor calls it) there 
 is no manner of Occafion for Oak, or any fuch in-* 
 flexible fturdy Timber; that zxiy forry Sticks ofTVood^ 
 that are fit for nothing elfe, may ferve quite as 
 well, if they be but pliable, and admit of being bent 
 to any Form or Purpofe the Undertaker fhall require; 
 that in the Stone-work there is no manner of Occa- 
 fion for the Expence of Free-Stone, of hewing, or 
 Iquaring, or drefling ; any fort of Stone will do quite 
 as well 3 nor will any Obliquity of Shape, or Inequa- 
 lity of Surface, make them lefs ufeful; all will 
 depend upon their Pofition, and the Cement that 
 holds them together. He has, by long and repeated 
 Experiments, found out, that common Dirt^ duly pre- 
 pared, makes the beft Cement in the World, which 
 may be eafily tempered into a vifoous or glutinous 
 Confiftence ; that Stones of any Figure, globular or 
 angular, laid deep in fuch a Bed, fall of courfe into 
 their proper Places by a fort of magnetic Attra<Stion or 
 Gravitation j and after lying a proper Time in a very 
 Warm Sun-fliine, without being moved or diicom- 
 pofed by any officious Pretenders to Symmetry, Pro- 
 proportion, and Order, will form a Cruft or Stuke 
 like the Walls of Babylon.^ with a Surface as impene- 
 trable as a Crocodile's Skin, a Mifer's Heart, or a 
 Whore's Forehead. As therefore the whole Affair 
 lies in collecting and packing Sticks, and Stones, smd 
 Dirt together, and that FREE and ACCEPTED 
 MASONS fcorn (forfooth) to be employed in fuch 
 dirty Work, it has been found by Experience, that ths 
 Vol. IL E meancft 
 
^o A Modeft Apology for the Antient and 
 
 meaneft; and moft ignorant Labours, not only do it 
 
 quite as well, but a great deal better. Botb thefe 
 
 curious Pieces are intended to adorn the above-men- 
 tioned Colledlion. 
 
 I fear I have tired your Lordfhip's Patience by this 
 tedious Letter j but humbly beg leave, before I con- 
 clude, to do juftice to the Memory of my ever- 
 honoured Uncle Sir Francis, who has been publicly 
 expofed upon the Stage, as well as in print, to the 
 Laughter and Contempt of People not half fo wife 
 and honeft as himfelf ; and I can hardly forgive our 
 ungrateful Kinfman for fuch an unnatural Abufe of 
 his beft Friends, and neareft Relations : But, how- 
 
 ^ ever, as he has, on fomc other Accburtts, behaved pro- 
 perly, and done Honour to his Lineage, I fhall only 
 advife him to offend no more, nor crack any of his 
 unfeafonable Jokes upon thofe to whom he owes all 
 the Litereft and Credit he has in the World. I fhall 
 only endeavour to vindicate the illuftrious Chara<Ser 
 which he has abufed, and fhew that many of thofe 
 who pretend to make him and his Family the Subjedt 
 of their Mirth and Laughter, have ailed the very- 
 fame, and fome of them a more ridiculous Part than 
 he — The plain FacSl, in fhort, was this : As he was 
 a very good-natured honeft Gentleman, of a chearful 
 Difpofition, and fociable Temper, fo he afFeiled 
 above all things (as Mrs. Motherly tells him) to be 
 
 - populous in his Qoxxntry j and as he took particular 
 Care to have his Cellars well ftored, no Wonder that 
 Bumper-Hall was the conftant Refort of all the honeft 
 merry Fellows, efpecially of his own Kindred, who, 
 whilft they w;ere drinking his Liquor, had good Senfe 
 and good Manners enough to applaud his fuperior 
 I Under- 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads . 5 f 
 
 Underftanding, laugh at his Jokes, and bow low to 
 his Honour. And as People of his tranfcendent Ge- 
 nius and Quality are generally above the low mercan- 
 tile Tafte for Figures and Calculations, and the un- 
 popular Arts of economy and Frugality^ no Wonder 
 that he hurt his Fortune, and (as himfelf confefles) 
 run his Eftate a little owt at Elbows ; and in order to 
 mend his Affairs, got himfelf eleSied [returned I fhould 
 fay, but it is much the fame thing) to a Seat in Par- 
 liament, in hopes of retrieving his Eftate by fome 
 beneficial Place or Penfion, for which he was as well 
 qualified as many whom your Lordfhip remembers to 
 have played the fame Game with better Succefs. — 
 My Lady, good Woman, was in a difi^erent way of 
 thinking; Sots and Drunkards were her Averfion, 
 having always obferved that they were a muddy thick- 
 (kulled Generation, without Tafte or Appetite for 
 any earthly Thing befides. But happening to meet 
 the accomplifhed Count BaJJ'et at Tork Races, (he was 
 ftruck with Admiration at the Sight of a Perfon fo dif- 
 ferent from that Race of Animals (he.had ufed to con- 
 verfe with ; his graceful Perfon, his eafy Manner, his 
 familiar Addrefs, his flowing Eloquence, his polite 
 Expreilion infpired her with fomething more than 
 common Efteem for an illii/irious Stranger, who had 
 faid more fine Things to her in one Evening, than 
 her dear Sir Francis had faid in feven Years before, or 
 was like to fay in feven Years after. No Wonder> 
 therefore, that /he had a longing Defire to fee the 
 Place where fuchy?«^ Gentlemen were bred, and where 
 ihe had Hopes, at the fame Time, of repairing the 
 •Fortune, as well as mending the Manners, of the 
 'Family. Mils Jenny, who inherited her Mother's 
 E 7. Tafte, 
 
'52 A Modeft Apology for the AntUnt ani 
 
 Tafte, and was improving very faft uponi her Plan, 
 Example, and Inftrudlion, was overjoyed to think of 
 changing; her Situation, and removino; from the un- 
 "bred Converfation of Country 'Squires, who could 
 talk for Hours together of the Beauties and Excel- 
 lencies of a favourite Horfe or Dog, whilfl- they were 
 utterly infenfible of thofe growing Charms which her 
 faithful Glafs aflured her would, in a lefs barbarous 
 Country, quickly make her the Admiration of our 
 Sex, and the Envy of her own ; not to mention the 
 lively Hope Ihe entertained, that fome of thofe ten- 
 der Things, which the amorous Count was throw- 
 ing away upon her Mamma^ might, in a little time, 
 fall to her Share, who better deferved them, and had 
 a much better Reafon to expe6l them. — Whilfl the 
 hopeful 'Squire Richard, the Heir Apparent to the 
 Wifdom and Honours of the Family, came into the 
 Scheme purely /^r Fun, in hopes of feeing the Lions, 
 and the Monuments, and the fine LafTes, whom he 
 had fo often heard the well-bred Count toaft with 
 Rapture. — ^Now pray, my Lord, what was there in 
 this whole Condudl either criminal or ridiculous ? He 
 had as much Zeal and as much Merit as fome, whom 
 your Lordfhip remembers to have made no fmall 
 Figure in the World ; and if he could have been fb 
 happy as to do the fame, who could blame him ? 
 But if neither the DiftrefTes of his Family, his cla- 
 morous Debts, the Importunity of his afFedtionate 
 Spoufe, nor the better Education of his two lovely 
 hopeful Infants, could be thought a fufficient Juftifi- 
 cation of his Condu61:, what fliall be faid for thofe, 
 who with Fortunes intirely eafy and fufficient to an- 
 fwer all the rational Purpofes of Life, have quitted 
 . . 2 their 
 
Honour able Family of the Wrongheads. 53; 
 their paternal Seats and Eftates, where they might Hve 
 with Dignity and Eafe, to dangle for Years together 
 after a Court, doing the Drudgery, and licking the 
 Spittle of every Man in Power, in hopes of procuring 
 
 they knew not what they knew 
 
 not when ? Now, if fuch Condu£l as this muft be 
 ridiculed by an impertinent Play-Writer^ as the diftin- 
 guifhing Folly of our Family, he will find, to his 
 Confufion, that we are a more numerous Corps than 
 he imagined j and if we fhould all agree to defert the 
 Houfe every time his Nonfenfe is adled, I can aflure 
 him he would have but a thin Audience, and fcarce" 
 receive enough to pay for his Candles. We are (as 
 I faid before) not only a numerous Family, but well- 
 allied, and well-fupported, and particularly remark- 
 able for our inviolable Regard for the Family Intereft, 
 and infeparable Attachment to each other ; and who- 
 ever was fool-hardy enough to provoke us, was fel- 
 dom known to get much by the Bargain. Whoever 
 attempted to be arch and witty upon any one of the 
 Family, might as well have thruft his Head into a 
 Hornet's Neft ; he was fure to have us all about his 
 Ears, and to be worried out of his Fame and Patience, 
 if not out of Life. The Cry we were fure to raife 
 upon him, was as loud and extenfive as our united 
 Intereft could make it j and our Oppofition to all his 
 Schemes for Promotion and Advancement in the 
 World was feldom known to be unfuccefsful. Where- 
 ever we had any Degree of Intereft or Power, efpe- 
 cially the Direction of any Society Ecclefiajl'ical or 
 Civile we are fure to improve it, by admitting none 
 but Friends and Relations. Let a Man's Merit be eyer 
 E 3 fp 
 
'54 ^ Modeft Apology for the Antient and 
 
 fo great, his Charafter ever fo fhining in other Re- 
 fpedls, his Services, his Labours, his Zeal, his 
 Hardfhips, ever fo extraordinary, if he cannot 
 produce proper Credentials from fome of our 
 Friends, we are determined never to admit him, 
 left he fhould take it in his Head to interrupt the 
 Peace and Harmony of the Society, and create 
 Schifms and DifTentions among us, under the fpe- 
 cious Pretence of regulating Diforders, and . re- 
 forming Abufes J by which Means, I think, we 
 fiiall efFedlually exclude Interlopers and Innovators 
 of every Sort or Kind. However low our Intereft 
 may feem at prefent, yet fome we have, and per- 
 haps more than can eafily be imagined ; which, 
 by Unanimity and Patience, we hope to improve 
 daily. There was a Time, when we had the 
 Power intirely in our own Hands, if we could 
 ..but have kept it 3 But what has been, may be. 
 And as low as we feem to be, we may again 
 have it in our Power to turn the Tables and the 
 Laugh upon them, who at prefent raife it upon 
 us ; and if ever we fhould fee that happy Day, 
 ■we fliall be fure to take efFe6lual Care to reftrain 
 the Infolence, by flopping the Mouths and Pens of 
 all Oppofers. This alone will give us ample Satifr 
 fadlion for all the Indignities, we have fuiFered, as 
 it will effedually prevent your Lordfhip from /peak- 
 ing and publifhing, and our Enemies from hearing 
 pr reading, what they call The fneji Speeches in the 
 Englifh Tongue. 
 
 I hope your Lordihip will make a proper Ufe of 
 the Hint I have given you, and treat us for the 
 
 future 
 
Honourable Family of the Wrongheads. n,^ 
 
 future with fo much Indulgence at leaft, as may 
 give you a Title to our Favour, if you (hould live 
 to want it : With this Hope I beg leave to fub- 
 fcribe myfelf. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 Tour L o R D s H I p'i- 
 
 Moji Obedient Servant. 
 
 E4 
 
A 
 
 LETTER 
 
 T O A 
 
 Member of Parliament, 
 
 CONTAINING A 
 
 PROPOSAL 
 
 roR 
 
 Bringing in a BILL to Revife, Amend, 
 or Repeal certain 
 
 OBSOLETE STATUTES, 
 
 Commonly called 
 
 "The "Ten Commandments. 
 
[59 ] 
 
 #^k. .Jfe. ^k. -^ -^ -^ ^k -^ -^ ^fe ^^ -^ ^kr -^ '^ ^^ ^^ -^ ^^ ^fe 
 W ^ W ^ ^ W ^ ^ ^^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ W "^ 
 
 A 
 
 LETTER 
 
 T O A 
 
 Member of Parliament, &'c. 
 
 H E Friendfhip with which you honouir 
 me, and the ardent Zeal you have al- 
 ways exerted in the Caufe of Liberty, 
 in Oppofition to Prieftcraft and Super- 
 ftition, have determined me to lay be- 
 fore you my impartial Thoughts upon a Subjedl, 
 which has more than once been ftarted in the Courfe 
 of our Converfation. How often have I heard you 
 wifli that the abfurd Reftraints that are made ufe of 
 by cunning and defigning Men, to limit the Freedom 
 of our Actions, as well as our Faith and Judgment 
 in Religious Matters, were intirely refn5ved ; that 
 all our Creeds f Jrticles of Faith, moral Precepts, and 
 religious InJIitidions, were fairly and impartially ex-, 
 amined by Men of free and unprejudiced Underftand- 
 ings, and we were reftored to that unbounded Liberty 
 of a£ting as well as thinking, which Nature, Rea- 
 son, and common Senfe, alTurq us to be the imr 
 
 doubted 
 
6o A Proposal for Revifing, i£c. 
 
 doubted Birthright and natural Privilege of all Free 
 Jgents ! 
 
 This Liberty of thinking and judging, \n-Oppq- 
 fition to all Creeds and Creed-makers^ has been 
 (o fuccefsfully pradlifed and defended of late Years, 
 that I think it is now become almoft an univerfal 
 Principle ; that every Man's natural Reafon and 
 good Senfe is, and ought to be, the fole Rule, Mea- 
 fure, and Standard of his Faith, becaufe no Man can 
 reafonably be fuppof^d to believe what he does not 
 underftand : fo ; -at, by neceffary C- .ifequence, he 
 that has but little Knowledge cnn have but little Faith, 
 and he that underflands nothing at all, can believe 
 nothing at all. — 
 
 'i.o far is right, but not fufficient ; this is leaving 
 pff in the middle, and doing a good Thing but by 
 halves : If we are only at Liberty to think, and not 
 to ail, our Liberty is incomplete, we are ftill in a 
 Degree of Bondage. That cur Will is abfolutely 
 free, is agreed on all Hands, but to what Purpofe ? 
 What are we the better for that Freedom ; if, whilft 
 we are allowed the Liberty of Thought and Will, we 
 are ftlU debarred the Liberty oi .^tton ? If the fober 
 Pi£lates of Nature, Reafon, ar.d good Senfe, are 
 fufficient to regulate our Thoughts, why not our 
 Aifiions too ? 
 
 This then is the Point I am endeavouring to 
 clear ; and to fhew that the latter is quite as reafon- 
 able, if not mere fo, thaji the former. In order to 
 fet this Matter in the trueft Light, I fhall not meddle 
 with thofe general Principles which have been fo ad- 
 rurably flated and defended by the late Dr. Tindal, 
 pr, M — d — //V, and other ingenious Writers, as 
 
 beinp: 
 
the Ten Commandments.' ' 6i 
 
 being of (o abftra<£ted and delicate a Nature, that 
 they require more Genius and Application to appre- 
 hend and purfue them through their natural Confe- 
 quences, than can be expelled from common Read- 
 ers. My Bufinefs fhall be to enter into a more 
 particular Examination of that fwnniary Rule of our 
 moral and religious Condu<5l, commonly called The 
 Ten Commandments ; which, in their moft extended 
 Senfe, are generally fuppofed to be of moral, (nay 
 fome fay of natural) Obligation to all Chriftian Peo- 
 ple, even in reformed Proteftant Countries ; which 
 is a Point that well deferves our attentive Confidera' 
 tion. 
 
 That thefe Commandments were originally given 
 to the yews, is beyond all Difpute ; and as their 
 great Lawgiver himfelf declared, and their whole 
 Hiftory confirms, that they were a Jliff'-necked, -per- 
 verfe Generation : So it is more than probable that 
 thefe Commandments were folely intended to correcSi: 
 the Mifunderitandings, reftrain the ExcefTes, and 
 regulate the Conduit of i\i2A Jiubborny wrong-headed 
 People, who had not Reafon, nor Learning, nor Po- 
 litencfs enough to regulate their own moral Beha- 
 viour J but are no more binding to a fenfible, learnedy 
 juji, righteous, polite, free-thinking People, than the 
 Laws concerning Circumcifion and Sacrifices. And 
 as the happy Inhabitants of thefe reformed Nations 
 have long ago got rid of all the fuperftitious Impo- 
 fitions of Chriftian Prieftcraft, it is a Shame and Re- 
 proach to them to be ftill in Bondage to yeivijh Or- 
 dinances ; efpecially if it can be msJe appear, that 
 they are an intolerable Impofition upon a free People, 
 without having the leaft moral or natural Aptitude 
 
 to 
 
62 y^ Proposal /er Revifing, Off. 
 
 to promote the Welfare of Civil Society, and the 
 temporal Good and Benefit of Mankind, which are 
 now generally acknowledged to be the great End 
 and Foundation of all civil, moral, and religious In- 
 ftitution. 
 
 The Jir/i of thefe Commandments (I prefume my 
 Readers can remember it, without having it repeated) 
 is an arbitrary Impofition upon the Reafon and Li- 
 berty of Mankind. Every Man's Belief and Praftice 
 neceflarily follows the Kind and Degree of Evidence 
 he has for either : Now if a Man fees no more Evi- 
 dence for one, than he does for five hundred, it is 
 quite indifferent to him whether he have five hundred. 
 Or one, or none at all. 
 
 The Second^ depending on the Firp^ is but an Ab- 
 furdlty improved ; and if the Firft be a mere Matter 
 -of Indifference, the Second muft be much more fo, 
 and by Confequence, impertinent and unnecefTary^ 
 
 The Third, however vulgarly mifunderftood, is 
 capable of a rational and ufeful Meaning. It is ge- 
 rally fuppofed to forbid ufing the Divine Name with- 
 out a fuperftitious Reverence, fuch as the Jews are 
 known to pay to the Tetragrammaton, which plainly 
 Ihews that this Prohibition was intended principally, 
 if not intirely, for them ; which, to us Chriftians, 
 appears highly abfurd and unreafonable. For it is a 
 certain and infallible Rule, laid down by a certain ce- 
 lebrated Author, That no other Meaning or Interpreta- 
 tion is to be put upon the Words of Scripture, but what 
 is agreeable to the common Rules of fpeaking upon the like 
 Occafions. Now let any Man, that underftands the 
 Propriety of the Englijh Language, judge what is the 
 plain and obvious Senfe of faying or doing any thing 
 
 in 
 
the Ten Commandments. ^3 
 
 in vain ; it can only mean the doing a Thing to no 
 Purpofe or to no Advantage. Thus, we fay, when 
 a Man talks a whole Hour by the Clock, and makes 
 JK)thing of it, and gets nothing by it, that he ftretches 
 his Lungs and fpends his Breath in vain. If a Man 
 were to take a long Voyag^e, and return withotit any 
 Gain or Advaiitage to himfelf, he rnay be juftly faid 
 to have traveled fo far, and laboured fo much in vain. 
 This is too plain to need any further Proof or Expla- 
 nation, and gives us a rational and ufeful Senfe of 
 this Commandment, /. e. that we fhould never make 
 ufe of that Holy Name, but to anfwer fome Purpofe, 
 to ferve fome End, or procure fome Atlvantage, fuch 
 as the qualifying ourfelves for a good Employment, 
 fupplanting a Rival, amufing a fufpicious Friend, or 
 ruining a profefled Enemy, by folemn Declarations, 
 which we neither believe nor intend to perform, or 
 any fuch-like Cafe, which may poflibly happen in the 
 Courfe and Bufinefs of Life. 
 
 The Fourth is miferably perverted from its ori^nal 
 Defign, being generally fuppofed to be of univerlal 
 Obligation to all Jews and Chriftians to keep holy 
 one Day in feven. Whereas it appears at firft Sight 
 to be only a political, good-natured Contrivance in 
 Favour of the laborious Part of Mankind, People 
 of Quality and Fafhion have no Concern in it : It 
 was only intended for the Canaille^ for the Scrubs 
 and Drudges of Mankind, as appears from the very 
 Letter of the Commandment : Bix Days Jhalt thou la- 
 bour, and do all that thou hajl to do j hut the feventh Day^ 
 &c. You fee plainly the Command is direfted only to 
 thofe that labour fix Days in the Week ; for them 
 only is the feventh Day appointed to be kept holy, or 
 
^4- -^ Proposal for Revlfing, l£e. 
 
 a Day of Refl- from their Labours, which is determined 
 beyond all Contradiction by thefe Words, and do all 
 that thou hajl to do, which plainly reftrain it to thofe 
 only that hzve. fometh'mg to do j they therefore that have 
 nothing at all to do, are no ways concerned in the Com- 
 mandment. The Cafe is plainly this : They who arc 
 obliged to labour fix Days in the Week, and on each 
 of thefe Days hzve fomething to do, are indulged by this 
 Commandment in having the feventh Day allowed 
 them for a Day of Reft. They therefore whofe eafy 
 Circumftances exempt them from the Neceflity of any 
 kind of Labour, fo much as one Day in the Year, 
 who have nothing at all to do but to eat, drink, and 
 fleep, and divert themfelves, cannot fairly and confift- 
 cntly be fuppofed to have any Concern, or be under 
 any Obligation about it. This appears yet plainer 
 from the common and vulgar Prejudices about the 
 Manner of keeping holy this Sabbath-day or Day of 
 Reft J which is to go to Church to Jay their Prayers, to 
 read the Bible and other religious Books. But this would 
 be fb far from making it a Day of Reft and Refreihmcnt 
 to many People of Rank and Quality, that it would 
 rather be the fevereft Penance you could impofe upon 
 them. How barbarous and unreafonable would it be 
 to expedl to fee People of Fafhion and Diftindtion 
 take as much pains in drefling to appear at Church 
 among a Set of miferable Sinners, as in the beft Com- 
 pany at the Drawing-Room or the Opera j and all 
 this only to be told of their Faults, and put in mind 
 of their Duty ? What an Impofition would it be up- 
 on People of Figure and Pleafure to be fet to con over 
 a Set of old-faftiioned Prayers which they had learnt 
 in the Nurfery, and never thought of fince, or to fit 
 
 fpeHing, 
 
the Ten Commandments. 6*5 
 
 fpelling over the Bible or a Book of Devotion for an 
 Hour together, which they could better employ at 
 Hazard, Backgammon, or Quadrille, or in a Par- 
 ty of Gallantry and Pleafure. But to put this 
 Matter beyond all doubt : It is plain that this Com- 
 mandment v^as intended only for the labouring Part 
 of Mankind, becaufe you find that the Cattle are ins- 
 eluded in the Indulgence, as well as their Owners or 
 Drivers ; for if the Beafts of the Earth did not reft, 
 how fhould the Beafts of the People ? As the People 
 were commanded to reft, it was neceflary the Cattle 
 Jhould do fo too. If the Horfes muft be put to for 
 a Sundays Journey, John muft get up and drive, un- 
 lefs his Honour or his Worjhip will be fo humble and 
 fo good-natured as to drive himfelf one Day in the 
 Week, and let the Servants go to Church. But af- 
 ter all, there is nothing more enjoined or implied 
 in this Commandment, than what common Senle and 
 Neccflity could teach us : For neither Cattle nor Ser- 
 vants can work always, they muft of necefllty have 
 fome reft ; and therefore there feems to have been but 
 little Occafion for a Commandment from Heaven in 
 an Affair where common Senfe is a fufficient Guide. 
 Upon the whole, thefe four firft Commandments 
 feem to be of very little Confequence to Mankind j for 
 the Condudl of Men of Senfe and Tafte ever was, and 
 ever will be, the fame, as if thefe Commandments had 
 been never given. 
 
 The Fifth Co?nmandment feems as unneceflary as the 
 other four, and was plainly calculated for the Jews, 
 to ferve fome political Purpofes, as appears plainly 
 from the Promife of Length of Days, or long Enjoy- 
 
 VoL. II. F ment 
 
66 J "PHOTOS At for Revifing, tf^c. 
 
 ment of their new PofTcflions. Whereas, among us 
 it is generally a Rule, that Children of courfe will ho- 
 nour their Parents, if they think they deferve it ; that 
 is, if they provide for them according to fheir State 
 and Condition, if they indulge and gratify all their 
 juft and reafonable Defires and Inclinations, if they 
 lay no Reftraints upon them, nor teaze their tender 
 Ears with difagreeable Lectures about Religion, Tem- 
 perance, Sobernefs, and Chaftity, fuch Parents will be 
 fure to be honoured by fuch Children ; but thofe that 
 a£l: otherwife are not like to receive much Honour 
 from their Children in this polite, well-bred Genera- 
 tion though there were ten thoufand Command- 
 ments to enjoin it. 
 
 The Five hjl Commandments lie under a general 
 Prejudice, upon a Sufpicion of Corruption and Inter- 
 polation. It has been fufpe6ted by fome very fagacious 
 Critics, that the negative Particle [not) has by Ne- 
 gligence or Defign been inferted into each of them, 
 though no diredl Proof has been yet made of theFraud. 
 The firft Hint that was publicly given of this Kind 
 was in an accidental Converfation betwixt the Devil 
 and the late Dr. Tindaly as the Story is merrily told 
 by the Author of the Apparition. And a devilifh un- 
 lucky Difcovcry it would prove, if the Thing could be 
 fairly made out, and the Interpolation dired^y proved. 
 Though, to fay the Truth, the Sufpicion feems to have 
 been much antienter than the aforefaid Converfation j 
 for we are told, that in the Reign of King Charles the 
 Firft, fome bold Printer had the Courage to leave out 
 the fufpicious Particle only in one of the Command- 
 ments, to feel the Pulfe of the People, and fee whe- 
 3 ther 
 
the Ten Commandments. ^7 
 
 ther they were ripe for further Difcoveries, and a tho- 
 rough Reformation ] and that accordingly in a new 
 Edition of the Liturgy, the feventh Commandment 
 was printed thus, Thou /halt coimnit Adultery. But as 
 t^e poor Devil happened to live in evil Days of Big- 
 gotry and Superftition, under a grave formal Prince, 
 and an old, four, morofe Archbifliop, who had no 
 more Tafte of Gallantry than Criticifm, he vvas fevere- 
 ly fwinged, and the whole Imprellion called in, to 
 the great Difcouragement of all Attempts of that kind 
 for the future. Though in the merry Reign and 
 Court of his niojl religious and gracious Son, the cle- 
 ver polite People of both Sexes feemed fo well fatisfied 
 with the new Reading, that they thought it an excel- 
 lent Emendation, and diredled their Condudl accor- 
 dingly. And I cannot but hope that confidering the 
 great Encouragement that is now publicly given for 
 free Debate and Inquiry into thefe and fuch-like fu- 
 perftitious Frauds, we fhall foon fee this dark Affair 
 fet in a true Light, and perhaps it may be thought 
 worth while to give public Encouragement to the 
 Learned to bend their Thoughts this Way, by propo- 
 fing a competent Reward to any that fhall be able to 
 make and publifh a full Dlfcovery of this Corruption 
 and Interpolation, as it would contribute to the Quiet- 
 ing of many Confciences, and promoting and efta- 
 blifhing an unbounded Liberty in Thought, Word, 
 and Deed. However, till fuch Difcovery can be made, 
 let us fuppofe the prefent Reading to be genuine, and 
 then confider them in their natural Meaning, with- 
 out thofe unreafonable Interpretations which Prejudice 
 and Cuftom feem to have fixed upon them* 
 
 F 2 The 
 
6B A Proposal for Revifing^ (£c: 
 
 The Sixth Commandment could never be intended as 
 an abfolute Prohibition not to take away the Life of 
 another ; it only forbids that clumfy butcherly way of 
 Murdering, made ufe of by the vileft and meaneft 
 Part of Mankind : Whereas People of Rank and Di- 
 ftinilion, who kill in an honourable gentleman-like 
 way, are no ways concerned in this Commandment,, 
 or affedled by it. This is fo agreeable to the natural 
 ?)&nk of Mankind, that the very fame A6lion fhall be 
 criminal in one Man, and not in another. If one 
 Scoundrel happen to kill another, it is truly and pro- 
 perly called Murder ; but if a Man of Rank and 
 Figure happen to kill a Domeftic or Inferior, with or 
 without Provocation, or even an Equal, in an ho- 
 nourable way, it alters both the Name and Nature 
 of the Crime, and becomes no more than Man- 
 flaughter : And the Gentlemen of the Sword, who 
 happen to kill their Man in a genteel Way, are no 
 more guilty of Murder, than an honeft peaceable 
 Citizen, that kills a Fly or a Spider, or fwallows aa 
 Oyfter alive. 
 
 The Seventh Commandment is moft certainly to be 
 underftood with the fame Reftridlions and Limita- 
 tions as the Sixth, and could only be meant to re- 
 ftrain little People within fuch Bounds as are abfolute- 
 ly neceflary for their Rank and Station in Life. For 
 if Tradefmen, Artificers, and Labourers fliould take 
 it in their Heads to turn fine Gentlemen, and pre- 
 tend to mimic their Betters, fhould they negledl die 
 Care of their Shops and Employments in queft of 
 Gallantries, it muft end in an abfolute Decay of 
 Trade, Negled of Bufinefs, and the Ruin of many 
 poor Families, and bring an uiifupportable Burden 
 3 upon 
 
the Ten Commandments,' €g 
 
 fiipon the Public. Befides, as Affairs of this kind are 
 not to be tranfaded without very great Expence, Ad- 
 drcfs, and Application, it cannot be fuppofed that 
 People of mean Birth, low Education, and fmall 
 Fortunes, can ever manage them in fo polite and 
 genteel a way as to avoid Difcovery and Scandal, or 
 carry it ofF with that intrepid AfTurance as is abfolutely 
 neceflary for People in fuch delicate Circumftances. 
 But then this cannot be fuppofed to afFed People of 
 fuperior Fortune and Quality, who have fo much 
 Time and Money upon their Hands, that they fcarce 
 know how to employ it otherwife. Now if a Man 
 of Quality fhould condefcend fo low as to beftow the 
 Exuberancy of his Blood and Fortune in relieving the 
 Neceffities of fome pretty Neighbour ; fhould he be- 
 flow a Dafh of this noble Blood upon a deferving 
 plebean Family, and pay well into the Bargain, it 
 ought to be confidered as an Honour, as well as an 
 Advantage, to the above-faid Family, and as a way 
 of mending the Blood and Fortune, if not the Morals, 
 of the next Generation. And as People of Rank and 
 Condition are exempt from the Obligation of this 
 Precept, fo, by an Argument a fortiori^ are Legiflators 
 and Governors of every fort and kind, who are pre- 
 fumed of courfe to be the beft Judges of the Duty 
 and Neceflity of their Subjeds", and are accountable 
 to nobody but themfelves. 
 
 The Eighth Commandment is certainly to be under- 
 ftood with the fame Reftriilions and Limitations 
 which is direftly employed in the very Letter of the 
 Precept, Thou /halt notjleal. Stealing we all know is 
 the moft pitiful fcoundrel A6t of Injuftice ; it implies 
 a me^n, Ineakiiig, cowardly way of defrauding one's 
 F 3 Neigh-^ 
 
70 A Proposal for Revlfing, t^c 
 
 Neighbour. Every Seffions-paper fhews you wid^ 
 what Contempt and Deteftation thofe poor Dogs are 
 treated for ftealing three Silver Spoons, the Property- 
 of G. W. Inholder, Value one Pound ten Shillings j 
 a Pair of Breeches, and two Shirts, the Property of 
 L. C. Labourer, Value fix Shillings j four Sheep, the 
 Property of M. C. Efq; Value three Pounds fixteen 
 Shillings ; riot to mention the Heroes of this Clafe, 
 the Horfe-ftealers, v^^ho are tucked up every Aflizes 
 without Mercy or Pity. But this can by no means 
 be thought to extend to the numberlefs Arts and 
 Branches of Induftry and Policy, by which People of 
 Rank and Diftindion increafe their Fortunes, an4 
 fupport their State and Figure in the World ; this 
 would be an efFeilual way of cutting all the Nerves 
 of Induftry at one Stroke, a fatal Check to all the 
 Myfteries of Trade and Commerce, and an abfolute 
 Difcouragement to all forts of Jobbers, Gamefters, 
 Fortune-hunters, and Jockeys, who are the Diredlors 
 and Mana2;ers of all our Parties of Bufmefs and Dir 
 verfion j and would be an infufFerable Refle<5lion upon 
 the Memory of fome of the greateft Men in all Ages, 
 whofe Names are tranfmitted to Pofterity under the 
 glorious Titles of illuftrious Conquerors, able Mini- 
 fters, cunning Statefmen, and confummate Poli- 
 ticians. 
 
 The Ninth Coinmandment I think as little liable tq 
 Exception as any of them j but yet I cannot think 
 it amifs if it were a little qualified by two or three 
 Exceptions in favour of public Minifters, Courts of 
 Juftice, and Tea-tables. There are many weighty 
 and political Reafons for indulging public Minifters in 
 certain Deviations from Truth, which however cri- 
 minal 
 
th^ Ten Commandments. yi 
 
 minal they may appear in private Perfons, are, in 
 thofe public Stations, expedient and neceflary. Siir 
 Harry JVotton^ who was himfelf a foreign /ImbafTador, 
 has long ago declared, that lying dextroully and cun- 
 ningly, and with a good Intention, is the chief Bufi- 
 nefs of fuch Minifters : And therefore has given u5 
 the Definition of an AmbafTador in thefe Terms, 
 Legatus ejl vir lomiSy peregre tnijfus ad ment'tendum rei- 
 piiblicce caufiiy i. e. Jn AtnbaJJhdor is an honeji Many 
 fent to lye abroad for the Good of his Country. And what- 
 ever Reafons can be offered in Vindication of Ambaf- 
 fadors for lying abroad, may, with equal Juftice, bp 
 pleaded for thofe Minifters who are lying at home for 
 the fame good and laudable Purpofes. 
 
 So alfo the tedious Delays of Juftice, efpecially in 
 Chancery Suits, are fo notorious to the whole Nation, 
 that it has often been found, that, by the long Con- 
 tinuance of the Suit, he that gets a Decree in his Fa- 
 vour, is often undone before he can obtain it. Now 
 where would be the Hurt, if fome good-natured Per- 
 fon, in mere Compaflxon to both the Suitors, Ihould, 
 by an officious Falfhood, determine the IfTue of the 
 Caufe, and fliorten the Suit, to the manifeft Advan^ 
 tage of them both ? Never tell me that the Adlion is 
 in itfelf unjuft and fuiful. I deny it. The A(5lion is 
 not malum in fe\ any more than giving a Coup de grace 
 to a dying Criminal, which puts him out of his Pain. 
 And though the giving fuch a mortal Stroke to an in- 
 nocent uncondcmned Perfon would be highly cruel, 
 barbarous, and wicked ; yet it is an hdi. of Mercy and 
 * Charity to the expiring Malefactor. 
 
 And as to our Tea-tables, it is well known that 
 
 ^iandalf which is one Species of falfe Witnefs, is the 
 
 F 4 Life 
 
72 A Proposal for Reviling, t^c. 
 
 Life of thofe little polite Aflemblies ; and if they were 
 confined to utter nothing but ftridl Truth, there 
 would be an End of all Converfation, and the prettieft 
 Orators in the Circle would grow as dull as a Watch- 
 Light, and as infipid as an old Almanack j and, after 
 all, where is the Hurt of making an ingenious Story, 
 or an embroidering and embellifhing a real Fa6t, 
 where the Defign is only to divert and inftrufl the 
 Company ? Inventers of Fables have always been ranked 
 among the wife Men and Philofophers of antient 
 Times, nor has it ever been objefted to any of the 
 wife Antients or Moderns, that they have made Beafts 
 and Birds, Trees and Flowers, talk like Men of 
 Senfe, for the Correction and Inftrudlion of their 
 Betters. 
 
 The Tenth Comtnandment^ after all that has been 
 faid about the reft, feems perfectly needlefs and fuper- 
 fluous, and commands dire6t Impoflibllities. For 
 fhew me the Man that is tied for Life to an ill-natured, 
 four, proud, difagreeable Rib, who would not wifh 
 to make an Exchange for the chearful, good-natured, 
 agreeable Spoufe of his Neighbour ? Who would not 
 wifh to change his own old, inconvenient, ruinous 
 Houfe, for a new and convenient one of his Neigh- 
 bour's ? So that a Prohibition of this kind is a direft 
 Contradiction to the very Law and Light of Nature, 
 which muft, in all Cafes, be confulted and obeyed, 
 as the infallible Rule of our moral and religious 
 Conduct. 
 
 The Premifes tenderly confidered, we cannot but 
 hope that care will be taken fo to explain, amend, or 
 repeal thefe obfolete Statutes, that they may no 
 longer give Offence to People of Rank, DiftinCtion, 
 
 an4 
 
the Ten Commandments. 73 
 
 and Figure, in Purfuit of their Intereft or Pleafures. 
 But if it fliall be thought fit, by the Wifdom of our 
 Superiors, to continue them ftill in Force, it may be 
 with fuch Reftridions and Limitations, as not to ex- 
 tend to any but the low uneducated Part of Man- 
 kind, who have neither Senfe, nor Reafon, nor Po- 
 litenefs enough to govern and condudl themfelves. 
 And, if I may be allowed the further Liberty of giv- 
 ing my Opinion and Advice in the prefent Cafe, I 
 beg leave to propofe certain Heads of a Bill to be of- 
 fered to the Houfc upon a proper Occafion, as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 'T^HAT whereas a certain immemorial fuperftitious 
 Practice has prevailed in thefe Nations, for cer- 
 tain old Women of both Sexes, fuch as Grand- 
 mothers, Nurfes, Maiden Aunts, School-dames, and 
 Parfons, to teach and inflruil the Children even of 
 Proteftant Parents in certain antient Jewijh Laws, 
 commonly called The Ten Commandtnents ; which faid 
 fuperftitious Praflice, notwithftanding the many At- 
 tempts which, from time to time, have been made by 
 certain judicious and well-meaning Perfons towards a 
 thorough Reformation, ftill fubfifts among us, in De- 
 fiance of all the natural and religious Rights and Pri- 
 vileges of a free Proteftant People ; it has been long 
 thought, by all true Lgvers of Liberty, to be almoft 
 an infupportable Burden, who therefore wjfh and 
 hope to be relieved from it by a proper Authoritj-. 
 But whereas the faid 'Jevuijh Laws and Precepts have 
 been, by the Ignorance and Superftition of our Forcr 
 fathers, unhappily incorporated in the Laws of our 
 Jpountry, and made a Part of our legal Conftitution, 
 
 and 
 
74 yf Proposal /?r Revifing, Gfc. 
 
 and cannot, without the Appearance of Difficulty and 
 Danger, be intirely repealed ; it is therefore thought 
 proper fo to limit and explain their Meaning and 
 Obligation, as in a great meafure to prevent the fe- 
 veral Hard/hips and Inconveniences arifing from the 
 miftaken Notions and Prejudices about them. And 
 whereas it is now univerfally agreed and confefled, that 
 the Good of Society, and the civil Interefts of Man- 
 kind, are the fole Foundation, Rule, and Meafure 
 of all religious Inflitutions, and that nothing ought 
 to be deemed to be of religious Obligation, but fo far 
 as it contributes to that important End. And whereas 
 it appears from the concurrent Teftimony of all Ages, 
 that there have been great Princes, mighty Con- 
 querors, able Minifters, cunning Politicians, gallant 
 Commanders, eminent Lawyers, wife Magiftrates, 
 flcilful Phyficians, and eloquent Preachers, who had 
 either never received, or utterly renounced, thefe po- 
 pular Superftitions, and ailed with an apparent Con- 
 tempt of all Obligations vulgarly fuppofed to arife 
 from them ; we are thence induced to believe, that 
 the following Explanation and Limitations of the faid 
 Precepts will be of fmgular Ufe and Benefit to the 
 Subjects of this Realm, the Eafe of tender Confciences, 
 and the natural and religious Liberties of all his Ma- 
 jefty's loving Subjedts. 
 
 3"he Fir/i Connnandment is a manifeft Impofition 
 upon the natural Rights and Liberties of Mankind. 
 It is confefled on all hands, that every true free-born 
 Proteftant has a Right to judge freely of all Articles 
 of Religion that fhall be propofed for his Belief or 
 Pradlice, and to determine according to the Kind or 
 Degree of Evidence that fhall be offered him ; but if 
 
 a Man 
 
the Ten Commandments. y^ 
 
 z Man fhall fee no more Evidence for one than for 
 five hundred, or none at all, it will be an extreme 
 Hardfhip to require of him any Belief or Pradlice, 
 which he, upon the beft Evidence, lliall judge un- 
 reafonable. 
 
 The Second is quite an unneceflary Commandment ; 
 for if a Man fees no Evidence of a Subftance, he will 
 be little concerned about the Shadow: And for a. 
 Man of Senfe to be folicitous about the Pitfture, Image, 
 or Statue of a Perfon in nubihus, which be has no 
 Reafon to believe ever did or could exifl; in rerum nck~ 
 tura, is a Suppofition too grofs to be admitted.-— 
 
 Be it therefore enabled, &c. That, from and after 
 the Day of next enfuing, no Per- 
 
 fon or Perfons fhall prefume to declare, affirm, or 
 teach, by Word, or Writing, that thefe two Com- 
 mandments are, in their own Nature, of univerfal 
 Obligation to all Sorts of People ; but fhall fireely 
 own, teach, and declare, that they are Points of mere 
 Speculation, of an indifferent Nature, of which every 
 true Protefl-ant has Liberty to judge, pronounce, and 
 practife according to the bcfl I^ight and Evidence that 
 Jie or fhe fhall have, and no otherwife. 
 
 The Third Commandment^ however intended for the 
 Good and Benefit of Society, in which the Good and 
 Benefit of every particular Member of the faid So- 
 ciety is necefTarily included, has been perverted to 
 certain fuperftitious Ufes and Purpofes, as if there 
 were an inherent Holinefs in the Sound of that Name^ 
 and the very Letters that compofe it ; fo as that it 
 ought never to be mentioned but on certain folemn 
 and figpificant Occafions, fuch as Prayers, Benedic- 
 tions, iJc, and with certain Marks and Tokens of 
 ^ Reverence 
 
"jS A Proposal for Revifing, ^c. 
 
 Reverence and Devotion, which are no ways ex-« 
 prefTed or impUed in the Letter of the faid Command- 
 ment, as interpreted by the beft Critics and Conv- 
 mentators. One of thefe, a celebrated Writer, a 
 great Critic, and an excellent Cafuift, has laid down 
 an infallible Rule of Interpretation in his matchlefs 
 Book called, A plain Account of the Sacrament of tJ?e 
 Lor^s Supper *, That no other JUeaning or Interpreta- 
 tion is to he put upon the Words of Scripture, but fuch as 
 is agreeahle to the common Rules of Speaking upon the 
 like Occafions. Now the Expreflion of faying or do- 
 ing a thing in vain, is fo plain and obvious, that no 
 Man, even of common Senfe, can miftake it. It 
 always does, and can, fignify no more nor no lefs, 
 than the do'mg or faying a thing to no Purpofe, to no 
 Advantage, to ferve no Intereft, or procure no Good 
 to the Perfon that does or fays it, or to his Family, 
 Friends, and Dependents ; and can never include 
 thofe who never ufe that Name, but with fome direct 
 Pfofpe6l of Intereft and Advantage to themfelves, 
 which (according to the fundam.ental Rule before laid 
 down) is necefTarily included in the Intereft of the 
 Public, and confequently infeparable from it. So then 
 he cannot be faid to take that Name in vain, who 
 makes ufe of it by way of Oath, Promife, Affirma- 
 tion, Negation, Declaration, or AfTertioji of any fort 
 or kind, as a Qualification or iVIeans of obtaining any 
 honourable or gainful Poft, Office, or Employment, 
 Ecclefiaftical, Military, or Civil ; or who makes ufe 
 of it to fupplant a Rival, amufe a fu/picious Friend^ 
 or ruin a profefled Enemy. — - 
 
 Be it therefore enadled, that if there be any Perfon 
 or Perfons fo weak and fuperftitious, as to underftand 
 
 an4 
 * Preface vi.j 
 
the Ten Commandments. 77 
 
 and praftife this Commandment according to the 
 vulgar Prejudices, it fhall be lawful for him or her to 
 think and a6l accordingly, without any Let, Hindrance, 
 or Moleftation from any Perfon orPerfons whatfoever; 
 but that the true and [genuine Senfe and Meaning of 
 the faid Commandment be declared to be as is above 
 fully recited and explained. 
 
 The Fourth Commandment^ however particularly 
 calculated and intended for the Eafe and Benefit of the 
 lower Part of Mankind, has been notorioufly per- 
 verted and abufed, to the great Detriment and Annoy- 
 ance of feveral excellent and well-difpofed Perfons, 
 who have, by certain weak and fuperftitious Prejudices, 
 been diverted from attending to the neceflary Calls of 
 Bufinefs and Pleafure, and I'uffered themfelves to be 
 crouded up for feveral Hours together in the Heat of 
 Summer in a greazy Congregation of miferable Sin- 
 ners, which they could have fpent more agreeably 
 with a Set of felect Friends in a fhady Garden, or a 
 cool Arbour j and to fit ftarving and freezing in the 
 midft of Winter, when a good Fire, or a warm Bed> 
 would have done them quite as much Good, and 
 been much more agreeable. Whereas the Letter 
 of the Commandment fhews it plainly to be intended 
 only for the Eafe and Benefit of the laborious Part of 
 Mankind, who are obliged to labour fix Days in the 
 Week, and do all that they have to do ; which plainly 
 fhews, that they who never labour, and have nothing 
 at all to do, are no way concerned in this Command- 
 ment. — 
 
 Be it therefore enafted, That from and after 
 the Day of no Perfon or Perfons 
 
 ihall prefume to teach or declare, either by Word or 
 
 Writing, 
 
78 A Proposal for Revifing," i£c. 
 
 Writing, that this fourth Commandment is equally 
 and indifferently binding and obliging to all forts of 
 Perfons, of what Rank or Quality foever, but to fuch, 
 and fuch only, as are herein after (pecified, declaredj 
 and expreffed; that is to fay, all Day-labourers, 
 Farmers and their Servants, Artificers and Tradefmen^ 
 who being neceffarily obliged to attend the Bufmefs of 
 their feveral Profeflions fix Days in the Week, ought 
 to reft from their feveral Labours on the feventh Day j 
 but that the Obligation does not extend to People of 
 the higheft Rank and Condition, nor to any Gentle- 
 tnan who can fupport the Dignity of his Perfon and 
 Family without any Labour or Bufinefs whatfoever^ 
 ib as to make it necefi^ary for him to come to Churchy 
 or fpend the Day in Prayer and Devotion with his Fa- 
 mily at home ; except where the great Men of the 
 Parifh happens to be the Impropriator of the Re61:ory, 
 and enjoys the Whole, or any Part of the great 
 Tythes ^ for it is hereby exprefsly provided, that every 
 fuch Impropriator fhall be bound to attend the Service 
 of the Church, with as many of his Family as can 
 be fpared, every firft Sunday in the Month, as an Ac- 
 knowledgment that they hold and enjoy the faid 
 Tythes, by a fort of religious Tenure, as a kind of 
 Ecclefiaftical Fee ; and that upon Default by Non- 
 attendance, the faid great Tythes fhall immediately 
 revert to the Church, and be annexed to the Vicarage 
 for ever. And whereas it may poflibly happen, that 
 certain Ecclefiaftical Perfons may imagine themfelves 
 intitled to the Benefit of this Adl, as Perfons that are 
 obliged to no fort of Labour, that have no manner or 
 kind of thing to do for the above-faid fix Days of the 
 Week i it is hereby exprefsly provided and declared. 
 
 That 
 
the Ten Commandments. 79 
 
 That they fhall attend at leafl, if not perform, the 
 Service of the Church, every Sunday Morning ; un- 
 lefs prevented by any neceflary and allowable Impedi- 
 ment, of which themfelves fhall be the fole Judges. 
 And whereas a further Doubt may hereafter arife, how 
 far the Domeftics of noble Families, and others ex- 
 cepted out of this Aifl:, may be affecfled by it, it is 
 hereby exprefsly declared and provided,That the Chap- 
 lain (if there be any) and all the other Servants out of 
 Livery, with my Lady's Woman, and her Gentle- 
 women Fellow-Servants, are to be confidered in a 
 diftinG Capacity, being a fort of Mixta Perfona^ as 
 People not quite idle, nor quite employed, as People 
 that may be faid to have forne fort of Labour, though 
 not to take much Pains j who may be faid to have 
 fomething to do, though not a great deal, nor to any 
 great Purpofe. The Chaplain, therefore, if it appears 
 that he performs no Ecclefiaftical Office, fach as read- 
 ing Prayers, or faying Grace in the Family, fliall be 
 obliged to attend the Service of the Parifii-Church 
 every Sunday Morning, with as many of the better 
 Sort of Servants as can be fpared from the Service of 
 the Family ; but that the Mafters and Heads of thefe 
 Families, and all other Perfons above-mentioned and 
 qualified as this A6t diredls, are, and fhall be, at full 
 Liberty to fpend that Day in Traveling, Parties of 
 Pleafure, Smoking, Drinking, Gaming, Walking, 
 or Sleeping, as he or {he fhall think fit, without be- 
 ing accountable to any Perfon or Perfons whatfoever 
 for fo doing ; which we cannot help thinking to be a 
 jufl and reafonable Indulgence to People of Rank and 
 Figure, that they may be diftinguifhed from their In- 
 feriors, who are defigned for nothing higher than the 
 Service of God, and their Superiors. 
 
 Ihe 
 
So A Proposal for Revifmg, iSc. 
 
 The Fifth Commandment feems to be a Precept of d 
 very indifferent Nature \ for as it is certain that no 
 Children of tolerable Senfe or good Manners, would 
 refufe to pay due Honour and Re<pe6l to iuch Parents 
 as fhall appear to deferve it ; fo it is as certain that 
 they neither will nor can to thofe that do not. Which 
 necefTarily implies a Duty in all Parents fo to behave 
 towards their Children, as to deferve that Honour 
 from them, which this Commandment obliges them 
 to pay; and what are the Terms of this mutual Obli- 
 gation, Nature itfelf feems to determine. The State 
 and Condition of young People requires that they 
 ihould drefs, converfe, and behave in fuch a manner, 
 as to fhine in all public AfTemblies, and diffinguifh 
 themfelves by an apparent Superiority of Figure, 
 Drefs, and Equipage, agreeable to the Superiority of 
 their Birth, Fortune, or Expedation : On the other 
 hand, the State and Condition of Parents, /. e. of 
 Old Men and oldlVomen^ require nothing but the mere 
 wholfome and cleanly Neceflaries of Life ; that 
 they, who are, or ought to be, of courfe excluded 
 from the gay Meetings and polite AfTemblies of the 
 Fair, the Witty, and the Young, where they only 
 ferve to fpoil Sport, to damp the Mirth, and lay a Re- 
 ftraint upon the Frolics of the good Company, have 
 really no Occafion for any thing, but warm Cloathing 
 and comfortable nourifliing Food, Soups, Broths, 
 and Jellies, good Fires, warm Beds, and a ie.^^ Reli- 
 gious Books ; Nature itfelf dictates that they fhould 
 betimes refurn to the Heirs of their Bodies thofe Super- 
 fluities of Fortune, which they neither want, nor 
 know how to enjoy with Relilh or Decency. — 
 
 Be 
 
the Ten Commandments.^ 8f 
 
 Be It therefore enaded — , That if any Father or 
 Mother are blefled with any Iflue Male or Female, 
 who are arrived at the proper Age of Defire and Dif- 
 cretion, Avarm Indinations and good Underftandings, 
 who are too big to be corrected, and too wife to be 
 tautrlit, that is to fay. Sons that have attained to the 
 full Age of feventeen or eighteen at the moft, and 
 Daughters to the Age of Thirteen or Fourteen at the 
 moft; That the faid Fathers and Mothers of fuch 
 Children (hall forthwith refign to the faid Heirs of 
 their Bodies, all that Superfluity of Fortune, which 
 their faid Heirs Ihall judge reafonable and convenient 
 for themfelves, and unnecefTary and burdenfome to 
 their faid Parents. Which reafonable Condition, if 
 their faid Parents fhall refufe to comply with, they 
 fhall be taught by their fiiid Children, who are reafon- 
 ably prefumed to be better Judges than themfelves, 
 the Abfurdity and Injuftice of fuch their Conduct and 
 Behaviour toward their own Offspring, by that negli- 
 gent and contemptuous Treatment as fuch Parents 
 may be reafonably prefumed to deferve from any fen- 
 fible, polite, well-bred Children. But if any Parents 
 fhall be found fo difcreet and indulgent as freely and 
 chearfully to refign all fuch unnecefTary Superfluity of 
 Eflates, Jointures, Settlements, Penfions, or Pay- 
 ments whatfoever, for the Behoof and Benefit of their 
 faid hopeful Progeny, that they fhall from thenceforth 
 be intitled to all that Honour, Refpe61:, and Efteem, 
 which they may be juflly and reafonably prefumed to 
 deferve, according to the full Intent and Meaning of 
 this Commandment, 
 
 The Sixth Commandment^ though capable of a very 
 fober and rational Meaning, has been, like the refl. 
 
 Vol. II, G miferably 
 
Si A Proposal for Revlfing, t3c. 
 
 miferably perverted by a Set of cowardly low-fpirlfed 
 faperftitlous Expofitors, who make it criminal even 
 in Men of Spirit and Quality to do Juftice to them- 
 felves and their Characters, by punifhing the ill Man- 
 ners of any little dirty Poltron that fhall prefume to 
 affront them, by running Jiim through the Bod}', 
 beating out his Brains, or any other fuch Ways and 
 Means as have in all Ages been thought reafonable 
 and reputable, to fccure the Regard due to their 
 Rank and Fortune, and chaftife the Infolence of 
 their Inferiors. Whereas it is generally prefumed, 
 that this Commandment was only intended to teach the 
 lower and uneducated Part of Mankind to be quiet and 
 peaceable in their Behaviour,' not to be quarrelfome in 
 their Cups, not to offer any outragious Adls of Vio- 
 lence to the Difturbance of their Betters in any polite 
 Allembly, where the Little Vulgar are too apt to min- 
 gle with the Great; as at Horfe-Races, Bull-baitings, 
 Country Fairs, Wakes, Fealls, and Revels, by kil- 
 ling or murdering one another, in a rude, clumfy, 
 
 paflionate, butcherly Way. 
 
 Be it therefore cnadlcd. That if any Perfon, be- 
 low the Degree of a Ge^it. bearing Coat-Armour for 
 three Defcents, of which undoubted Proof fhall be 
 produced out of the Heralds Office, under the Seal 
 
 and Sign-Manual of King at Arms, fhall 
 
 prefume to kill or dcmolifli any of his Fellow-Sub- 
 jecls, upon any Sort or K ind of Provocation whatfo- 
 ever, it fhall be deemed a Violation of this Co?n- 
 tnandment^ and he fhall be effeemed guilty of Murder. , 
 But if any Nobleman or Gentleman, qualified as 
 above directed, fliall exercife the fame Ait of Vio- 
 lence upon any Equal or Inferior,, upon any jufl. 
 
 and 
 
the Ten Commandments." 8j 
 
 and reafonable Provocation, of which he himfelflhall 
 be the proper Judge, it fhall be confidered only as 
 Mart/laughter ; and that it be an InftrucStion to all 
 Coroners, to give it in Charge to their feveral Inquefts 
 to bring in their Verdi(5ls accordingly — With a fav- 
 iflg Claufe, in Favour of all Officers of the Army, 
 who, being by their Profeffion, Gentlemen of Blood, 
 fhall not be obliged to produce fuch Certificates from 
 the Heralds Office, as are above mentioned and re- 
 quired ; but that a Regimental Coat, and a laced 
 Hat and Cockade, fliall be to all Intents and Pur- 
 pofes, equivalent to fuch Certificates and Teftimo- 
 nials required to be produced by others. Always 
 provided, that this Claufe, in Favour of the military 
 Gentlemen (hall, by no means, be extended to the 
 Officers of the Militia, who being a Kind of Mixta 
 Perfones, half civil and half military, are not obliged 
 to look fierce, or appear terrible, to their peaceable 
 Neighbours, but upon the Field of Mufter, or on a 
 Day of Engagement in Tothill- fields^ or any adjacent 
 Plain or Field of Battle, or upon being interrupted 
 in their March through the narrow Streets and Lanes 
 of this City, by faucy Draymen, Hackney-Coach- 
 men, or fuch like Impediments : If, on the Over- 
 flowings of their martial Fury, on fuch Provocations, 
 they fhall take it in their Heads to kill either Man or 
 Beaft, they fhall, fo foon as they are divefled of their 
 regimental Terrors and Accoutrements, and fettled 
 in their civil State of Trade and Tranquillity, be 
 liable to the fame Sentence of Guilt and Punifhment, 
 as any other of their civil and peaceable Fellow- 
 Subjedls. 
 
 G 2 The 
 
§4 ^ Proposal for Revlfing, {sfc. 
 
 The Seventh Commandment, like the reft, could 
 be only intended to fecure and promote the Good of 
 the Public, by preferving the Order of Society, and 
 difcouraging Luxury and Idlenefs amon? the lower 
 Part of the People, who alone need or require fuch 
 Reftraijits to be laid upon them, as not having Senfe, 
 Tafte, or Politencfs enough, to dire6l and govern 
 themfelves. Should fuch People as thefe, give thcm- 
 felves up to Intrigues and Gallantries, the necef- 
 fary Expence, Application, and Addrefs, that fuch 
 Affairs require, would have as fatal an Influence upon 
 the Welfiirc of the Nation, as fuffering unqualified 
 Perfons to poach and deftroy the Game. And, in- 
 deed, to fay the Truth, it is the Opinion of my wor- 
 thy Friend, Mr. Serjeant Fribble, that this Cafe comes 
 directly within the Gajne-A^. He aflerts, that all 
 thefe TFhot cV ye call "" cms, are certainly y^r^ 77,?/?/r^, 
 however tame and tra6lable they may, on proper Oc- 
 calions, appear to their Keepers. And fliould the in- 
 duilrious and laborious Part of the People be per- 
 mitted to interfere with their Betters in thefe Diver- 
 veiiions, it would tend to impoverifli the induftrious 
 and laborious Part of their People, by diverting theiik 
 from their proper Employments, would be greatly 
 detrimental to our Trade and Manufacture, ruin 
 many Families, and increafe the Number of our 
 Poor, fo as t* be an infupportable Burden to the 
 Landed Intereft of this Nation. But this ought, by 
 I'lO Means, to be extended to People of Figure and 
 Fortune, whofe Exuberancy of Blood and Riches may 
 require fuch Expedients to reduce them to a fober 
 Degree of Mediocrity and Coolnefs ; much lefs can 
 it be fuppofed to affe<5t our Governors and Superiors 
 
 in 
 
 mmm 
 
the Ten Commandments. 85 
 
 in Church or State, who, by the Nature of their fe>- 
 veral Offices, are prefumed to be the proper Judges 
 of their own or their People's Necefiities, and are 
 obliged to provide for both. 
 
 Be it therefore enaded, ^c. That if, from and 
 after the Day of next enfuing, any 
 
 Labourer, Servant, Artificer, or Tradefman, or any 
 Perfon under the Degree of a Gentleman, qualified 
 as above dire6led, fhall v/antonly and unadvifedly 
 fo far negledt the proper Bufinefs of his Profeflion, 
 and the Care of his Family, as to enter into any In- 
 trigues or Familiarities with any other Woman, than 
 Law and Cuftom fhall allow ; that is to fay, any 
 married Man with any Woman, except his own 
 lawful Wife ; or any unmarried Man, with the 
 lawful Wife of any other Man \ he fhall be deemed 
 guilty of the Breach of this CoTmnandnunt . But it is 
 hereby declared, that this Cotnmandmcnt does, by no 
 means, extend to People of Fortune, Rank, and 
 Qiiality, who may condefcend fo low as to beftow 
 the Redundancy of their Blood and P'ortune to the 
 ennobling the Breed, relieving the Neceffities, and 
 raifmg the Fortune, of a clever, deferving, plebean 
 Family, or the giving and receiving mutual Marks of 
 warm Benevolence and AfF^dlion to their Equals 
 or Superiors ; efpecially if, by fuch Engraftment or 
 Inoculation, the Breed fhould happen to be mended, 
 and a booby Family, that have been Blockheads ever 
 fince the Conquefl, fbould vifibly and apparently im- 
 prove into a Race of Wits, Smarts, and clever Fel* 
 bws ; but more efpecially, if Matters can be fo 
 managed, that the Hufband 'can, upon a valuable 
 Confidcration, be brought to confent to this Method 
 '' G 3 of 
 
86 !/^ Proposal for Revifing, ^c. 
 
 q£ improving the Genius and Fortune of his Family, 
 it being a Maxim of Law and common Senfe, that 
 Volenti non Jit injuria. 
 
 The Eighth Commandrtient appears plainly, by the 
 very Letter of it, to be intended purely to difcourage 
 thofe mean, pitiful, fniveling Rogues, that, in a fe-« 
 cret cowardly Way, cheat and defraud their Neigh' 
 hours ; fuch as Robbers of Hen-roofts aiid Orchards, 
 Sheep-ftealers, Horfe-ftealers, Shop-lifters, and Pick- 
 pockets J but can, by no means, be fuppofed to 
 aft'eiSl: the open, generous, undifguifed Methods, by 
 which Men of Genius and Penetration increafe their 
 Fortunes, and fupport their Rank and Figure in 
 the World ; it could never be intended for Men 
 of Parts and Induftry, who are the great Supports of — ' 
 Civil Society ; it could never be fuppofed to condemn 
 the improving thofe Advantages, which Men of fu- 
 perior Abilities in the feveral States and Profeffions of 
 Life, have always thought themfelves intitled to, 
 from the lazy, indolent, undifcerning, booby Part of 
 Mankind, who want Talents to preferve or enjoy 
 thofe Superfluities of Fortune, wliich Men of fuperior 
 Genius want and deferve. Much lefs can it be fup- 
 pofed to afredl thofe who ha\'e the good Fortune to 
 'be the Direilors and Governors of great Families, 
 Provinces, or Kingdoms, who have an undoubted 
 Right to all fuch Emoluments, Profits, and Ad- 
 vantages which they fhall think fit and reafonable, to 
 reward the Labour, Attention, and Time, which 
 they are forced to employ in the Difcharge of their 
 feveral Offices and Employments, for the Good of the 
 Public. 
 
 Be 
 
the Ten Commandments. 87 
 
 Be it therefore enaited, l^c. That if from and 
 after the Day of next enfuing, any 
 
 little pitiful Rogue fhall be found filching, ftcaling, or 
 felonioufly purloining any Sum or Sums of Money, 
 any Piece or Parcel of Goods, either dead or alive, 
 whether Apples, Pears, Eggs, Poultry, Meat, 
 Drink, or Wearing Apparel, Linen or Woollen 
 Cloth, Sheep, Horfes, or Oxen, Fans, Gloves, 
 Ribbons, or Pins, or any Piece or Parcel of Goods 
 whatfocver, not exceeding the Value of ten Pounds : 
 Every fuch little Rafcal fo deteiSled fhall be deemed 
 guilty of the Breach of this Co?t2tnandment. But it is 
 at the fame time exprefsly provided and declared. 
 That this fhall not be conftrued to extend to People 
 of higher Stations of Life, nor to thofe greater Arti- 
 cles of Lofs or Gain which may chance to be in dif- 
 pute between them, efpecially to the feveral Ranks 
 and Degrees of illuflrious Perfons commonly called, 
 and known in all polite Aflcmbles, by the honour- 
 able Title of The Knights of the Indujhy. Nor fhall 
 , it extend to thofe whole fuperio-r Skill in the 
 Myfterics of the Law, Trade, Commerce, or 
 'Change- Alley ^ fhall enable them to raife Eftates out of 
 the Follies and Superfluities of their Clients, Dealers, 
 Friends, or Correfpondents, becaufe they are thereby 
 ferving and promoting the Good of Society, by tranf- 
 ferring a Property in Lands, Goods, or Chattels from 
 the lazy, flupid, worthlefs Part of Mankind, who 
 know not how to ufe, preferv^e, and enjoy them, 
 and making them circulate for fome time, till at lafl 
 they fettle in the PofTeffion of fome notable clever 
 Fellow, whofe Poflerity may come to be the Orna- 
 meiits and Supports of their Coiuitry! Much lefs 
 G 4 ought 
 
88 A Proposal for Revifing, i^c. 
 
 ought it to extend to thofe, who having the feeret 
 Management and Direction of any Great Family, 
 Company, Society, Afl'embly, Poft, Office or Offices 
 within thefe Realms, fhall fecure to themfelves fuch 
 Emoluments, Salaries, Grants, Penfions, Profits, 
 and Advantages, as have been always deemed the juft 
 and reafonable Perquifites of their feveral Pofts and 
 Offices, and which the fenfible and judicious Part of 
 Mankind, who have been in the Secret of their Affairs 
 can fcarce think to be a proper and fufficient Reward 
 for all the Labour, the Vigilance, the Attention, 
 the Application, and Integrity they have exerted in thp 
 Courfe of a long Adminiftration, 
 
 The Ninth Commandment feems, upon a general 
 View, to be a very juft and reafonable Injundlion, 
 for fecuring the Credit, Reputation, Peace, and 
 Welfare of private Perfons, Families, and Societies, 
 by difcouraging and forbidding all falfe Evidence, 
 malicious Lyes, abufive Stories, and injurious Fic- 
 tions, that may tend to the Obftruclion of Juftice, 
 the Prejudice of any Man's Fortune, the Ruin of his 
 Credit, and the Lofs of his Charafter ; but it is 
 thought reafonable and advifable to qualify this gene- 
 ral Prohibition by three Salvo's or Exceptions in Fa- 
 vour of public Minifters, Courts of Juftice, and Tea-- 
 tables. 
 
 Be it therefore enabled, That from and after 
 the Day of next enfuing, no Per- 
 
 fon or Perfons fhall prefume to bear falfe Wimefs, 
 or give falfe Evidence, before any of his Majefty's 
 Juftices of the Peace, either in their Petty, or Quar- 
 ter-Seffions, in any Caufe or Matter whatfoever, to 
 the Obftrudion or Delay of Juftice, to the Prejudice 
 
 of 
 
the Ten Commandments. 89 
 
 of any Party, to the feveral Suits that may, from 
 time to time, be brought before them. Nor fhall it 
 be lawful for any Perfon or Perfons to contrive, utter, 
 or pubHfh malicious Lyes, officious Falfhoods, or 
 unjuft Reflexions, upon any Perfon or Perfons, to 
 the Prejudice, of their Credit, the Lofs of their Cha- 
 racters, the Grief and Difquiet of their Minds, or 
 any other Kind or Degree of Lofs or Suffering what- 
 focver, faving and excepting fuch Perfons and Cafes 
 as are herein after excepted. That is to fay, 
 
 I. That this Command {hall not be deemed to 
 extend to Court-Favourites, Royal Minions, Firft 
 Minifters, Secretaries of State, Privy-Counfellors, 
 Decypherers, Spies, Pimps, and Liformers ; nor to 
 their feveral Officers, Servants, and Domeftlcs, who, 
 by their Places and Stations, may reafonably be pre- 
 fumed to be in the Intereft and Secrets of their refpec- 
 tive Mafters and Superiors ; who could not duly dif- 
 charge the Duties of their feveral Stations, if they 
 were to be confined to the ftri^left Rules of Truth 
 and Sincerity : On the other hand, it appeai^s, that 
 political Falfhoods have in all Ages been found to be 
 of fuigular Ufe and Benefit to Kings and Princes, as 
 well as to their Countries and Subjects j fuch as the 
 difgracing and removing corrupt Miniflers, and get- 
 ting the Adminiftration into cleaner Hands, keeping 
 out of the Royal Prcfence and Favour fuch Perfons 
 as would certainly make a corrupt Ufe of it ; the fup- 
 planting Rivals and Competitors for Pofts of Honour 
 and Truft about their Royal Mafter j the attainting 
 and demolifhing a dangerous over-grown Subjeil:, in 
 order to prevent his doing Mifchief, and getting his 
 great Eilates and Riches divided amoneft a Number 
 " ' " of 
 
go A Proposal for Reviling, i^c. 
 
 of hoiieft G.eiidemen, who fpend their whole Time, 
 and exert all their Faculties, in the Service of their 
 King and Country. Now, as all thefe Fiillons, 
 Inventions, and Falllioods, were intirely calculated 
 for the Benefit and Good of Society, they have not 
 the Form aiid EfTence of Lying, but are to be confi- 
 dered under the Notions of Feints and Stratagems 
 in War : Dolus an virtus qu'is in hojie rcquirit ? 
 Laftly, it appears plainly from Hiftoiy, that they 
 have more than once been of excellent Ufe in pro- 
 moting and procuring the unfpeakable Blefling of 
 glorious and happy Revolutions in many Kingdoms 
 and Countries \ befides many other excellent and 
 ufeful Furpofes, too long and too many to be particu- 
 larly enumerated. 
 
 2. That this fliall not extend to any of his Ma- 
 jefty's Courts in WeJhninJhr-HaU \ where an Evi- 
 dence, literally and materially falfe, may yet be in- 
 tentionally and formally good, and anfv^^er all the 
 Ufes and Furpofes of Jufticc, Truth, and Cha- 
 lity, by determining and finifhing a tedious, ex- 
 penfive Suit, that would otherwife infallibly termi- 
 nate in the Ruin of both Parties ; and, notwithftand- 
 ing all Appearance of Injuftice and Cruelty, may be 
 in its Confequenccs as great an Acl of Mercy, as 
 giving a Coup de Grace to a dying Malefaclor, which 
 lliortens his Agonies, and at once puts him out of 
 his Pain. 
 
 3. This (hall not be extended in its extreme Rigour 
 to thcfe little polite AlTembiies, called Tea-tables ; be- 
 caufe, if they were ftri«£i:ly confined to the Words of 
 Truth and Sobernefs, and forbid thofe little Flights, 
 Excurfjons, and Deviations from Truth, which ge- 
 
 I nerally 
 
the Ten Commandments. 91 
 
 nerally enliven and brighten the Audience, the Con- 
 verfation would quickly grow flat and infipid, and the 
 prettieft Orators in the Circle would be infenfibly de- 
 prived of the Benefit and Freedom of Speech. And 
 as it is univerfally known and acknowledged, that the 
 dear Angels have no Gall nor Malice at Heart, no 
 Spleen, Jealoufies, Emulations, Competitions, or 
 Envy againft the reft of their Sex \ but only utter the 
 Overflowings of their good Senfe, good Nature, and 
 Zeal for Virtue ; therefore, if any very pretty Crea- 
 ture fhould, whilft fhe is cooling her Difli, or doub- 
 ling her Bread and Butter, let fall any Word or Ex- 
 preffion that has the Appearance of Inventive or Satire, 
 any Fling, Flirt, Hint, or Inuendo, that may feem to 
 expofe or ridicule the Shape, Air, Mien, Complexion, 
 Drefs, good Senfe, or Condudl of any of her pretty 
 Fellow- creatures ; in all fuch Cafes, they muft, and 
 oupht, and fhall be indulged in fuch innocent Liber- 
 ties, which are apparently intended only to divert and 
 inftru(5t the Company, and difplay their own good 
 Tafte, Wit, and Eloquence, in Oppofition to the 
 falfe Tafte, the ill Manners, the Follies and Vices 
 of the reft of their Sex. 
 
 The Tenth Commandment appears to be quite unrca- 
 fonablc, if not abfolutely impracticable, being a di- 
 redl " Contradiction to the great and fundamental Ar- 
 " tide of natural Religion, which is TO FOL- 
 " LOW NATURE, /. e. thofe Inclinations, Pro- 
 *' penfions, and Defires, which the Author of our 
 ♦' Nature has implanted in us, in order to determine 
 *' our Conduct and Behaviour; for to be fure he 
 *' would never have planted thofe Inclinations in us, 
 " if he had not defigned we ihould gratify them ; it 
 
 " being 
 
gz A Proposal for Revifing, i^c. 
 
 " being utterly iiiconfiflent with bis Wiiclom and 
 *' Goodnsfs to give us Appetites and Defires, for no 
 *' other End but that we fliould check and reftrain 
 <' them *." Now let us put the Cafe, that a Man 
 has no Wife of his own, and can find no agreeable 
 Female that he could hkc to make his Companion for 
 Life, or fuppofe him to be already yoked to a four, 
 difagrecable, ill-nature Creature, that has extin- 
 guiihed the very Sparks of conjugal Affedtion ; and 
 that he fees his Friend or his Neighbour happy in the 
 E-njoyment of a beautiful, tender, fenfible, good- 
 natured Spoufe, is it not natural for fuch a Perfon to 
 ■wifh at leaft that he could make an Exchange, orlhare 
 in the Happinefs of his Neighbour ? Is it not natural 
 for him to wifli himfelf in his Neighbour's Condition ? 
 Is any thing more common, or more natural than to 
 hear People wiHiing they had fuch a charming Wo- 
 man, fuch a fine Houfe, fuch a pretty Eftate, fuch 
 a beautiful Horfe, or Set of Horfes, Plate, or China, 
 fo thai nobody luere the worfe for it. This is a righteous 
 faving Claufe, and takes away all the Iniquity and In- 
 juftice that can be fuppofed in the A61 of coveting or 
 defiring any kind or manner of Thing, that is the 
 Fofi*effion or Property of another. No manner of 
 Queftion can be made, that, if I like any ether Man's 
 Eftate, Floufe, Goods, or Chattels, and he confent 
 to part with them for a valuable Confideration ; it is 
 confident with the mofi: rigid Notions of commutative 
 Jufiice, that I have a legal Intereft, Right, and Title 
 to the faid Eftate, Houfe, Goods, and Chattels, fo 
 conveyed to rnc by their true and lawful Owner. But 
 in the Cafe of a Wife, the Right is ftill clearer, and 
 
 * Principles of Deifm fet in a true Light, p. 44. 
 y the 
 
the Ten Commandments. 9^ 
 
 the Title more unexceptionable ; for if any one Mail 
 take it in his Head to covet or be in love with an- 
 other Man's Wife, and the Hufband of the faid Wife 
 think it reafonable, for certain valuable Confidcra- 
 tions, to transfer the Ufe at leaft, if not the Proper- 
 ty, of his faid Wife, to the Perfon fo bargaining, co- 
 venanting, and purchafmg the faine j and if the faid 
 VVife be confidered as a Party willing and confenting 
 to the faid Deed of Bargain, Sale, Loan, Gift, or 
 Exchange, you have then clearly three Parties to the 
 Deed ; whereas, in the other Cafes above-mentioned, 
 you could have but two. Upon thefe Confiderations, 
 
 Be it therefore enabled. That from and after the 
 Day of next enfuing, no Perfon or Perfons, of 
 
 what Rank, Quality, or l^cgree foever, fhall prefume 
 to attempt, by Fraud or Violence, to take, hold, or 
 enjoy any Man's Wife, Houfe, Servants, Cattle, or 
 any manner or kind of Property whatfoever, unlefs by 
 mutual Contract, Agreement, Bargain, or Sale, the 
 Ufe or Properry of the faid valuable Goods, Chattels, 
 Eftates, or Commodities be fairly transferred from 
 the one to the other ; and that upon fuch Contradl^ 
 fairly and legally made and executed, a Man fhall be 
 deemed to have the fame Right and Title to the Ufe, 
 Occupation, Enjoyment, or Pofleflion of the faid va- 
 luable Goods, Eilates, and Commodities as the former 
 Owner or PoiTefTor was ever conceived to have, or 
 could poflibly convey to another. 
 
 And for the better and more effectual Publication 
 and Obfervance of the feveral Articles and Matters en- 
 joined and commanded by this A61, it is hereby fur- 
 ther provided and enaded. That from and after the 
 Day of next enfuing, This A(5t 
 
 {hall 
 
94" yf Proposal /^r Revifing, (^c. 
 
 fliall l>e confidered and regarded as a legal and parlia- 
 mentary Expofition of the laid Ten Commandments ; 
 and that all Parfons, Vicars, and Curates, in their 
 Expofition of the Church Catechifm, commonly fo 
 Called, do, on every fuch Occafion, make the afore- 
 faid Declaration with a diftin<n: and audible Voice, re- 
 peating the fame three feveral times. And forafmuch 
 as People of Rank and Figure, who, by the Indul- 
 gence of this ASt^ are excufed from attending the Ser- 
 vice of the Church, may poflibly, through Forgetful- 
 nefs, or Prejudices of Education, relapfe into the old 
 Superftition, it is further provided, that it be an In- 
 ftru6lion to the feveral Clerks of the Peace in every 
 County in Great-Britain^ that this Adt be read by the 
 Cryer of the Court at every Qiiarter-Seflions, that all 
 Gentlemen there prefent may be duly apprifed of the 
 many Privileges and Exemptions to which they are in- 
 titled by the Benefit of this Acl. 
 
 And, for the. further Security and Enforcement of 
 the feveral Articles and Matters contained in this Adt, 
 it is further provided and enjoined, That from and 
 after the Day and Month above-faid, no Prirrter, Pub- 
 liflier, Bookfeller, Pamphletfeller, Hawker, or Pedlar, 
 or any other Perfon or Perfons whatfoever, fhall pre-i 
 fume to print, publifli, vend, fell, or fet to fale any 
 Edition of the faid Ten Conifnandments, in any Volume^ 
 Form, Shape, or Manner vrhatfoever, without hav- 
 ijig this A€t printed, and bound up together with 
 them, under the Penalty of five Pounds for every fuch 
 Oifence. 
 
 You fee, by tins rough Draught, the Nature and 
 Defi^n of this Propofal, in v,'hich, if our Reprefen- 
 tatives fhall difcorcr nothing';, but what is highly rea- 
 
 fonable 
 
the Ten Commandments. 95 
 
 Tonable and expedient for the Welfare of the Public, 
 I cannot but hope for their favourable Attention ; and 
 I cannot doubt but that there will be found proper 
 Perfons enough, who fhall be both willing and able 
 to prepare and bring in the faid Bill. 
 
 Your faithful humble Servant, 
 
 THE 
 
THE 
 
 CONTEMPT 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 CLERGY 
 
 CONSIDERED. 
 
 I N A 
 
 LETTER to a FRIEND. 
 
 Vol. II. 
 
 H 
 
C 99 1 
 
 
 THE 
 
 Contempt of the Clergy 
 
 CONSIDERED. 
 
 Dear SIR, 
 
 [UR late Converfation at — — has made 
 a ftrong Impreflion upon me ever fince. 
 As my natural Taciturnity inclined me 
 rather to hear than to talk, I was the 
 more attentive to what pafled, and am 
 more aisle to recoUeil the many juft and fprightly 
 Things that were faid by others. And as I have no 
 Averfion to Religion in geiieral, nor to any particular 
 Order or Body of Men, I may perhaps be able to 
 judge more impartially of the Subject before us than 
 fome of the Company, who feemed rather to exprefs 
 their Prejudice and Refentment than their cool impar- 
 tial Sentiment of Men and Things. 
 
 You could not (I dare fay) help obferving Sir Har- 
 rys Behaviour on the Occafion j he declaimed with- 
 out Mercy ; he libelled and aggravated like a Bill in 
 Chancery, in fuch a Manner, and in fuch Laneuage, 
 as I could never have expefted from his natural Can- 
 dor and good Underftanding ; but I fmcc underltand, 
 he has been foiled in his late Ruffle with the Doftor > 
 H 2 and 
 
lOo "^he Contempt of 
 
 and that the Bifhop of has raifed his Fine in 
 
 the laft Renewal of his great Leafe. Hinc ilia la- 
 chryma ! And when a Man's Paflions have been raifed 
 by Self-intereft and Vanity, no Wonder they are 
 not to be compofed by Reafon and Juftice. For my 
 own part, though I am not fo (launch a Believer, nor 
 fo good a Chriftian, as perhaps I ought to be j yet I 
 believe in God, and endeavour to ferve him to the 
 beft of my Knowledge : I have an intire and cordial 
 Benevolence for all my Fellow-creatures, efpecially 
 my own Species, which obliges me to perform all the 
 Duties of a good Citizen, a good Neighbour, and a 
 good Friend. I confider all Mankind as my Bre- 
 thren 3 I would never negle61: or forfake a Friend, nor- 
 injure or opprefs an Enemy. Homo fum^ & nihil hu~ 
 mani a me alienum puto. And have always made it the 
 inviolable Rule of my Condu6l, to do to every Man 
 as I could wifh they fhould do unto me : And, there- 
 fore, though a Lay-man and a Freethinker, I have no 
 more Averfion to a black Coat, than I have to a red 
 one, and think a Rofe Hatband as inofFenfive to a 
 Man of Senfe as a Cockade. — And to deal plainly 
 with you, I did not think the accufed Party had fair 
 Play among us ; they were accufed without legal Evi- 
 dence, and condemned without legal Proof. Not a 
 Man in the Company dared to fpeak in their Behalf, 
 much lefs to appear as an Advocate for them, to tra- 
 verfe the Indictment, to crofs-examine the Witnefles, 
 to put the moft candid and equitable Conftrudlion 
 upon fufpicious Appearances. A Privilege which the 
 Law allows to the vilefi: Criminals. So that we 
 were, in fliort, more like a Court of Inquifition, than 
 an impartial Court of Juftice ^ we were Parties 
 3 and 
 
the Clergy Conjtdered. loi 
 
 and Judges at the fame time. I could not help think- 
 ing this a very unreafonable way of proceeding, and 
 therefore refolved, at my Leifure, to give the Caufe a 
 Rehearing in my own Court of Confcience, and com- 
 municate my Thoughts to you, whom I know to be, 
 as well as myfelf, a Friend to Truth and Juftice, and 
 a Lover of Mankind. 
 
 I fmile to myfelf to think what a hearty Laugh you 
 and your merry Neighbour will have, upon perufing 
 this Epiftle, and how many fcurvy Jokes will be 
 cracked over this poor Head of mine, that I of all 
 Men living fhould at this time of Day turn Advocate 
 for the Clergy, whofe Degeneracy and Corruptions 
 you have fo often heard me condemn. But pray. Gen- 
 tlemen, compofe your Mufcles, and be ferious for 
 half an Hour. Remember I take no Fee. We pro- 
 ceed in forma pauperis ; I undertake the Caufe with the 
 fame Difintereft as fome of our Brethren did poor 
 lVoolJion\ Cafe, who was perfecuted almoft to Death 
 for nothing at all but a little Blafphemy, as the Be- 
 lievers call it. I pretend to no more than to open 
 the Caufe as a Puifne Cozmcil, which perhaps may be 
 feconded and fupported by fome Perfon of greater 
 Abilities. 
 
 In manao;in<y this Debate, I fhall conflder the 
 Church of England only as a human legal Eftabliih- 
 ment, and the Clergy as a Society or Body incorporate 
 by a Royal Charter, endowed with certain Privileges 
 and Immunities, as the South-Sea and /WA? Companies, 
 or the Bank of England. Their Pretenfions to a more 
 ancient Eftablifhment, founded on a Charter from 
 Heaven, is an Article that does not come {o properly 
 before us 5 I fhall therefore leave it to be defended by 
 H 3 them- 
 
loz ^he Contempt 0/ 
 
 thcmfelves, before more competent Judges. Confider 
 them only as a Society incorporate by Charter, they 
 have certainly a legal Right to all the Privileges con- 
 veyed by that Charter, till it be recalled by a compe- 
 tent Authority, which in Equity and good Policy ought 
 not to be, till it either appear to be inconfiftent with 
 the public Good, or that, by Male-pra6lice, they 
 have forfeited their Title to thofe Privileges, the Fa- 
 vour of their Prince, and the Protedlion of the Law. 
 
 The Being of a God, and the Neceflity of Religion 
 and religious Worfliip under fome Form or other, has 
 been the univerfal Believe of all Ages and all Nations, 
 which neceflarily implies a Separation of certain 
 Times, Places, Things, and Perlbns from common 
 Ufe, to be devoted and appropriated to that Ser- 
 vice. On which Account, in the mofl- early Re- 
 cords, we meet with Temples, Sacrifices, Altars, Fejii- 
 vols, Priejis, Sec. dedicated to the Service of their 
 refpedtive Deities. To offer at a particular and di- 
 flind Proof of this evident Truth, would be an Af- 
 front to a Perfonof your Learning and good Senfe, and 
 to the Credit of univerfal Hiftory and Tradition. 
 The abfurd Cavils that have been made againfl it are 
 too trifling to deferve a ferious Anfwer. Whether this 
 univerfal Agreement of Mankind were owing to a ge- 
 neral or particular Revelation from Heaven, or from 
 the apparent Ufefulnefs of Religion to promote the 
 Welfare of Mankind, and the Ends of civil Govern- 
 ment, has been difputed. But to me there feems to - 
 be a ftrong Prefumption that it was owing to both, and 
 that the one was the Confequence of the other. Now 
 if the Inftitution of Religion be owing to fo divine an 
 Original, and if Reafon and Experience fhew it to 
 3 be 
 
the Clergy Cenfider^d. 103 
 
 be of fuch real Advantage to Mankind, no Wonder 
 it has ever been regarded by wife and good Governors, 
 as the great Bleffing and Support of Government, and 
 been defended and prote6ted accordingly. And this 
 could never be done but by making it a national Efta- 
 bliftiment, and guarding it by proper Law^s and 
 Sanations from the Invafions and Contempt of the 
 Profligate and Profane : And that this was the Cafe 
 in fa6l, we affirm, and humbly prefume cannot eaiily 
 be difproved. 
 
 We come now, in the firft Place, to a diftin<£l Ex- 
 amination of the general Charge brought againft the 
 Clergy, and the particular Allegations brought to fup- 
 port it. 
 
 Secondly, to confider what may and ought to be 
 fairly produced, to remove or extenuate the Guilt 
 with which they are charged, and to fix it with all its 
 infamous Coniequences where it ought to reft. 
 
 The gloomy Mr. JV- — , whom you know to be a 
 great Dealer in Sufpicions, fccret Hiftory, and fly 
 Inuendo's, begun with feveral unlucky Quotations 
 from Tacitus and Salhtjf, which he imagined every 
 body knew how to apply to Parallels among ourfelves. 
 He grumbled much about Sacerdotia Venalioy and told 
 us how often the Pligh-Priefthood among xh&yeun 
 had been bought and fold to the beft Bidder. He 
 might have added too, that the Roman Empire itfelf 
 had been fet to fale, as other States and Kingdoms 
 have been lince. But what is all this to the Purpofe ? 
 This proves nothing ; this is only fupppfing and in- 
 H 4 finuating 
 
104 '^^^ Contempt of' 
 
 finuating Crimes too grofs to be believed, too danger- 
 ous to be diredtly charged without Proof, and impof- 
 fible to be proved. Nor, indeed, was there any Oc- 
 cafion for Sufpidons and Inuendo's ; there were too 
 many Articles direiSlly charged, and fome of them too 
 plainly proved to be defended or excufed, but not 
 enough to fupport fo general an Accufation as is 
 brought againft the whole Order. Some of thefe Ar- 
 ticles more immediately concerned the fuperior Orders, 
 the Prelates, and Dignitaries. Others, the parochial 
 Clergy, Re£lors, Vicars, and Curates. Thofe againft 
 the Superior, were, 
 
 I. Ambition and Avarice. 
 
 II. Their fervile Application and Attachment to 
 Men in Power, 
 
 III. The corrupt Ufe they make of their Revenues, 
 their mifapplying the Patrimony of the Church, which 
 was deligned for the Support of Charity and Hofpitality, 
 to Luxury and Vanity ; and filling the moft valuable 
 Preferments with their own Children, Relations, and 
 Sycophants, without any Refpe6l fo much as to a 
 Ceteris Paribus. 
 
 IV. Their Non-Refidence, Pluralities, and Com- 
 mendams. 
 
 ^^ 
 Thofe againft the Inferior were general, indefinite, 
 random Accufations, fuch as Pride, Pedantry, Ill- 
 manners, Hypocrify, Negleil of their Cures, and a 
 long — long — &c. 
 
 Sir 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. 105 
 
 Sir Harry^ whofe long Attendance on Parliament, 
 and thorough Knowledge of Affairs in high Life, made 
 him better able to judge of Perfons and Fa£ls than the 
 reft of the Company, undertook to prove the feveral 
 Articles, by a long Induction of particular Inftances, 
 many of which it muft be owned were too notorious 
 and fcandalous to be denied or defended. But thefe 
 were all particular Gafes, perfonal Crimes, which 
 juftly confign the Guilty to Shame and Repentance ; 
 but do by no means atFedt the whole Body or Society, 
 or the Charter by which they are fuppofcd to fublift ; 
 It would be thougJit, in all other Cafes, a very un- 
 reafonable way of proceeding, to charge the Faults of 
 a few unworthy Members upon the whole Society. 
 Nay farther, if a corrupt wicked Majority fhould be 
 thought a fuificientReafon for deftroying any corporate 
 Body, Society, Order, or Profeflion of Men, fome 
 of our Acquaintance ought to look to themfelves, and 
 be at leaft as fagacious as Rats to fly from a falling 
 Houle. It would be endlefs to reviev/ and examine 
 the feveral Fadls charged againft particular Perfons, 
 fome of which, I fear, nay, I know, to be too true ; I 
 fhall only confidcr the general Charge againft the 
 whole Body, and fee hov/ far they may and ought to 
 be defended, and how little Ground there is for the 
 Clamours raifed againft them. 
 
 The Jtnbition and Avarice of the Clergy has, at all 
 times, been the Cry of thofe that hate them, and wifh 
 the DeftrutSlion of their Order. The Authors and 
 Promoters of the Charge of Ambition feem little to 
 underftand the Meaning of the Word, or the Nature 
 of the Crime with which they charge them. The 
 Wojds Ambircy Ambitus^ and Ambitioy in Claflic 
 
 "Writers, 
 
io6 ^i>e Contempt of 
 
 Writers, are Well known to expre/s a very diiferent 
 kind of Guilt than can with Juftice be charged upon 
 our Qergy. They were rather intended to cxpreft 
 the undue and illegal Ufe great Men and overgrown 
 Subjects made of their Wealth and Power, to influence 
 their Inferiors and Dependents in Prejudice to the 
 Freedom of Eleilions, and the Liberties of the People, 
 who (efpecially in the Times of the Roman CommL.n- 
 wealth) had the Power of beftowing the great Offices 
 of the State, by a Majority of Votes, on their moft 
 deferving Fellow-citizens, of whofe Merit they were 
 fuppofed to be the proper Judges, in the Difcharge of 
 which Truft they were to regard nothing but the real 
 Merit of the fcvcral Competitors. Whofoever, there- 
 fore, made ufe of his Intereft or Power to create De- 
 pendencies, or corrupt Influences to prejudice the In- 
 tegrity of the Electors, and the Freedom of Elections, 
 was faid J?nbire ; and the Nature of his Crime was 
 expreiTed by the Word Jjnbltus, againft which many 
 Laws were made, with the fame good Intention, and 
 the fame good Succefs, as our Ails of Parliament to 
 prevent Bribery and Corruption. But can the very Ap- 
 pearance of fjch a Crime as this be charged upon our 
 Clergy ? — ^Are our Bifhops chofen by the Votes of the 
 Majority ? Every body knows the contrary : If not, 
 what ground, what room is there for fuch an Accu- 
 sation ? 
 
 Well ! but (fay their Enemies) if they are not 
 guilty of the Crime in this particular limited Senfe 
 here explained; yet (which is quite the fame thing) 
 they are always coveting and aiming at the great 
 Pofls, and honourable Offices in the Church, watch- 
 ing every Opportunity, and employing all their In- 
 tereft 
 
the Clergy Cofijidered. 107 
 
 tereft and Abilities to obtain them. Be it fo. — Muil 
 this be imputed to them as a Crime ? Is not this as 
 great an Objeftion to every other Order and Society 
 of Men as againft the Clergy ? Let us look into the 
 Army, the Fleet, the Courts of Juftice, the City, 
 the corporate Companies, and every petty Country 
 Corporation in Great-Britain, you will find juft the 
 fame Emulation, the fame Competitions, the fame 
 Thirft of Glory, the fame Defire of Pre-eminence, as 
 among the Clergy ; only with this Difference, that to 
 them it is never imputed as a Crime, and to the 
 Clergy always. 
 
 Let us now confider the Equity of this Cenfure, and 
 fee why the fame equitable Allowances fhould not 
 be made for all alike. It is plain, that there are, 
 there muft be, in every regular Societ}', different 
 Offices and Stations adapted to the different Talents- 
 and Capacities of their Members. A State of dire<St 
 Parity and abfolute Equality cannot be a State of Na- 
 ture and Order, and can never fubfilt but in weak 
 Heads and ftrong Imaginations. A Society without 
 fome fort of Goverrrinent is a mere Ens ratisnis. 
 Government without Laws, and Laws without a legiila- 
 tive and executive Power is dire<Sl Abfurdity and Con* 
 tradition. Some mufi: govern, and others be governed : 
 Some muft command, and others obey : Some muft 
 direct, and others fubmit to Direction. This is the very 
 Voice and Order of Nature. Now then, if in every 
 regular Society there muft be Offices of Eminence 
 and Diftinclion, to be filled by the moft deferving 
 Members, for the Benefit and Support of the Whole ; 
 can it be a Crime in any Individual Member to endea- 
 vour to qualify himfelf, by fuperior jVlerit, for thofe 
 
 faperior 
 
io8 The Contempt of 
 
 fuperior Stations ? and thereby recommend himfelf* 
 to the Notice and Efteem of thofe who are able to ad- 
 vance him ? Surely no. This is a laudable Emu- 
 tion, or Jmbition if you pleafe, infeparable from great 
 and ingenuous Minds. This is the great Spur to In- 
 duftry, the great Incentive to generous and arduous 
 Defigns. Without this, Arts and Sciences, Manufac- 
 tures and Trades, Navigation and Commerce, and 
 every Branch of focial and public Virtue mufl lan- 
 
 guifli and decay. The raw Apprentice fupports, 
 
 with Chearfulnefs, a feven Years Servitude and Sub- 
 je6lion, with the Hopes of being at laft his own 
 Mafter, and of receiving the fame Honour and Service 
 from his Juniors as he has paid to his Seniors. He 
 fometimes fancies himfelf Warden, and then Mafter 
 of his Company ; and at lafl Sheriff or Lord-Mayor 
 of the City. The young Cadet who lifts himfelf in 
 the Fleet or Army without Pay, and feems to have 
 nothing at heart but Glory and Drubbing, has no 
 inward Affedlion for Wounds, and Scars, and wood- 
 en Legs ; has no violent Paflion for Hunger and 
 Thirft, Heat and Cold, long Marches, inhofpitable 
 Quarters, bloody Battles, and defperate Sieges ; but 
 per Ardua is the Path to Glory and Preferment, a 
 Regiment and a Truncheon, if not a Star and Gar- 
 ter, are the ultimate Objecfls he has in view, which 
 fweetens every Labour and Danger of that difficult 
 and defperate Service. The young Student at the 
 Inns of Court, that has the leafl Grain of Spirit and 
 Genius, cannot help fancying himfelf capable of ob- 
 taining the higheft Pofts in the Law, and therefore 
 hopes and endeavours to deferve and obtain them. His 
 Spirits rife, and Heart glows with a generous Ardor at 
 
 thofe 
 
the Clergy Conftdered, 109 
 
 thofe Enfigns of Dignity and Grandeur, which at-, 
 tend the Lord High Chancellor o( Great-Britain ; and 
 not one in a thoufand is humble enough to fancy hira- 
 fclf uncapable of deferving and obtaining them. In 
 fhort, this innocent Vanity, this generous Emulation 
 is the natural Root, the real Ground of all political 
 Virtue and public Spirit. It is this, and this only, 
 that diftinguifhes the Generous and the Brave, the 
 Learned and the Worthy, from the ignorant, the 
 Lazy, the Indolent, and Undeferving in all Ranks, 
 Orders, and Profeflions of Men. And muft: that ge- 
 nerous Emulation, which is the Glory and Support 
 of every other Order and Profcflion of Men, be 
 thought criminal only in the Clergy ! Muft they only 
 be afraid to excel ! Does either Law or Gofpel oblige 
 them to renounce the great and honourable Offices 
 peculiar to their Order ! The Apoftle tell us, 1 Tim. 
 iii. I. This is a true Saying that if any Ma7i defire the 
 Office of a Bijhop, he dcfircth a good IVork. And there- 
 fore the Deiire of fuch an Office muft be a good and 
 laudable Defire. He proceeds to fhew what are the 
 proper Qualifications requifite for that high Office ; 
 and furely it can be no Offence againft Modefty and 
 Decency, for worthy Men fo qualified to endeavour 
 by worthy R4eans to obtain the honourable Rewards 
 of diftinguifhed Merit, fuperior Learning, Greatnefs 
 of Mind, Probity of Manners, and Sandtity of Life. 
 It was long ago obferved by Sallit/i *, That the Defire 
 of Honour, and Glory, and Power was natural, and 
 
 * Nam gloriam, honorem, imperium bonus & igna- 
 vus aeque fibi exoptant ; fed Ille vera via nititur, huic 
 qviia bona; defunt artcs, dolis atque fallacia contendit. 
 Sail, 
 
 therefore 
 
no '^he Contempt of 
 
 therefore innocent. The Virtuous and the Vicious, the 
 Coward and the Brave, aim at the fame Thing ; the 
 Difference lies only in the different Ways and Means 
 ufed to procure them. The Virtuous and the Brave 
 expect and defire them only as the Rewards of fupe- 
 rior Merit j whilft the Wicked and the Worthlefs 
 attempt to obtain them by iniquitous Schemes, and 
 villainous Pradlices. Now if the Enemies of the 
 Clergy can charge them with any fuch corrupt Me- 
 thods of obtaining Preferments, if it could be proved 
 that any Man among them had forfaken the plain di- 
 re6l Path of Religion, Virtue, Decency, and Honour, 
 in Purfuit of Preferment, if any could be thought 
 wicked enough to obtain, or attempt to obtain, the Fa- 
 vour of the Great, by unworthy Proflitutions, bafe 
 Compliances, infamous Jobbs, and dirty Services, let 
 the Infamy and the Shame be all their own. But let 
 not the Innocent be condemned for the Faults of the 
 Guilty ; fuch a Perfon (if fuch could be found) would, 
 I dare fay, appear as defpicable and contemptible to 
 the reft of his Order, as he juflily does to the Enemies 
 of Religion. 
 
 Let us now confider the Charge of Covetoufnefsy 
 which the Enemies of the Clergy generally fix upon 
 them, which (according to the beft Obfervations I 
 could ever make) has but two flender Topics to fup- 
 port it. 
 
 1. Their ftrid: Demand and Exa<SlIon of their 
 legal Dues. 
 
 2. Their Endeavours to improve the Revenue of 
 the Church, by railing their Fines upon Renewal 
 of Ecclefiaflical Leafes. 
 
 Thefe 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. m 
 
 Thefe are fUch poor Pretences to fupport fuch a 
 general Infamy, that they fcarce delerve an Anfwer. 
 As to the firft Article ; the ligid Exailion of their 
 Dues is fo far from being a juil Ground of Reproach, 
 tlut it is the dire<St contrary. They are bound by 
 the fl:ri£left Obligation of Confcience and Duty, 
 more than by Intereft, to fupport their Title to tJie 
 fmaliefi: Dues j tliey would be Traitors to the Com- 
 munity, unjuft to their Families, but moft of all ta 
 their SuccefTors, if they did not. The Clergy are not 
 ProprUtors j they are no more than Stezvardsy Guar^ 
 diarn, or Vfufruiluanes of their Revenues i, and as 
 they have no Right or Power to alienate or fell their 
 Endowments, fo they are under the ftrongefl Obliga- 
 tions to maintain and defend, and (by all juil and 
 honourable Means) to improve and Licreafe them. 
 The Lay-Proprietors of Eftates are at liberty to 
 make what Abatements they pleafe to their Tenants, 
 and are accountable to no body : Yet £hev/ me the 
 Man that does not rigidly exa(3; their Dues. Hoy? 
 rigoroufly do they demand of their pooreft Tenants^ 
 the fmalleft Quit-rents, which a generous compaf- 
 fionate Man could hardly have the Heart to receive .? 
 How punctual and exa(51: is your opulent Neighbour, 
 in demanding his Groats and old Hens of his poor 
 Tenants, who want almoft the Crumbs that fall 
 from his Table ! How unraeKciful a. Cuftom. does it 
 i^cv^ for a Lord of a Manor, i^on the Death of <fc 
 poor Tenant, to take frora the difconiblate Widow 
 and Orphans the befl: live Goods by way of Herriot v 
 when, Inftead of adding to their Afflidlion, tliey 
 ihould rather be contriving Ways and Means to 
 cbmfort and fupport them ? Yet fliew me one Man 
 
 in 
 
112 ^he Contempt 0/ 
 
 in a thoufand that neglefts to take the Advantage, 
 and make a Seizure accordingly. To this it is an- 
 fwered, and very juftly, it is an Aft of Royalty, 
 annexed to his Manor ; and he fhould be unjuft to 
 himfelf and Family, and his moft remote Pofterity, 
 if he fhould lofe fo valuable a Right for want of 
 demanding it. Very right ! — And now, pray fhew 
 me a Reafon, if you can, why the fame Plea fhould 
 not have the fame Force in Defence of the Clergy, 
 as it has for the Laity. In my Opinion, it ought to 
 have much more : The Lay-Proprietors leave their 
 Inheritance to their Children j and though they 
 fhould drop fome fm.all Demands, it would fcarce be 
 felt by the Heirs that inherit their Lands : But the 
 Clergy have nothing but the Ufe, and in many Places 
 the Revenue arifes chiefly from fmall Dues. And, 
 as the Son of Sirach * fays. He that defpifes (thefe) 
 fmall Things^ Jhall fall by little and little into great Po- 
 verty and Contempt. And when they die, the Pof- 
 fcHion !s intirely transferred from the furviving Family, ■ 
 who, perhaps, have nothing to fubfifl- them but the 
 careful Gleanings of thefe fviall Things made by the 
 departed Hufhand or Father. 
 
 The fecond Pretence is, that the Clergy are fevere 
 upon their Tenants, in raifing their Fines upon re- 
 newing of Church- Leafes. Sir Harry flourifhed 
 much upon this Topic : He cannot digefl his laft 
 Fine ; the Spirit of Grumbling is flrong upon him ; 
 and will not fuiFer him to think, or talk, or hearken 
 to Reafon. This (he fays) was fuch a Piece of Op- 
 
 * Ecclus. xix. I. 
 
 preflion, 
 
the Clergy CoM/id<ered. 113 
 
 prcffion in the Bifhop, as he can never forgive j 
 though we all know it is no more than he does to all 
 his own Tenants, whenever they want to renew.— 
 So abfurd and inconfiftent are Men, even Pvlen of 
 Senfc, when blinded by Prejudice and Vanity ; they 
 condemn thofe Things in others, which they think 
 cxcufable and commendable in themfelves. I remeni' 
 ber the Time., (fays Sir Harry) when Bijhops and Chap-' 
 ter Leafes were ahnojl as good as Free-Land j then the 
 tenants of the Church profpercd, and had an AffcSiion 
 and Efteem for their Landlords : But now they rack us 
 up to the lajl Shilling. Hold, Sir Harry — not fo faft. 
 They muft, I believe, for very obvious Reafons, be 
 ftill the beft Landlords ; and if they could live upon 
 good Words and fair Speeches, and the Affections of 
 their Tenants, without taking any Fines, they would 
 be much better ; and if they would take nothing at 
 all, they would be better ftill. — Pray, give me leave 
 to afk a ferious Queftion : If a Clerg)^man were to 
 come to you to take a Leafe for three Lives of his 
 Children, and the Widowhood of his Wife j How 
 would you behave ? in what manner would you treat 
 with him ? Would you have any Regard for the per- 
 gonal Merit of the Purchafer ? Would you make him 
 any Abatement in his Fine, upon the Account of hi^ 
 fuperior Learning or exemplary Piety, or would you 
 indulge him in two or three advantageous Articles in 
 his Leafe, purely for being a Believer and Defender of 
 all the Articles of the Chriftian Faith ? Would you re- 
 gard any thing but the real Value of the Eftate ? And 
 would you part with it without a valuable Confidera- 
 tion ? Afk yourfelf, and anfwer yourfelf. — And give 
 me a Reafon, if you can, why the Clergy ought to 
 Vol. it. I deal 
 
114 '^^^ Contempt of 
 
 deal better by you than you would do by them; 
 efpecially, when you confider, that all the Intereft to 
 the Family of the Poffcfror muft arife from fuch Con- 
 tingencies as thefe during his Life-time. And that 
 Clergyman, who, in the Decline of his Life, and 
 perhaps ftrait Circumftances, fhall refufe to accept 
 of an unworthy Confideration to fill up a Leafe to 
 the Prejudice of his Succeflbrs, deferves to have 
 his Statue ere6led, and his Family maintained, at 
 the Expence cf the Corporation of the Sons of thi 
 Clergy. 
 
 The next Accufation agalnft them, is their fervile 
 Application and Attachment to Men in Power. 
 
 A fervile Application, and corrupt Attachment to 
 Men in Power, is a Reproach to any Man of an in- 
 genuous Spirit and liberal Education ; but efpecially 
 to a Clergyman, whofe ProfefTion ought to make hira 
 as incapable of exerting a corrupt Influence on any 
 Perfon, or any Occafion, as of fubmitting to it from 
 others ; But a decent Reverence and proper Regard 
 for their Superiors, who are prefumed to be the beft 
 Judges of Merit, and beft able to encourage and re- 
 ward it, is not only an A<5t of Juftice, but of good 
 Policy and found Prudence. Do not Men in all 
 Profeifions of Life do the fame ? Every Man that 
 is blefled with fuperior Talents, and is not de- 
 prefled by Want or Modefty, cannot help exerting 
 that Superiority upon proper Occafions : And where 
 can he fo properly or fo prudently do it, as under the 
 -Infpedlion of thofe, who are moft likely to obferve, 
 diftinguifh, and reward it ? If there be really any 
 Patron fo wicked, as to infifl upon difhonourable 
 
 Terma 
 
tht Clergy Confidered. 115 
 
 ^erms to engage his Favour, and obtain Prefer- 
 ment : If there be any Clergyman fo abjeil and cor* 
 rupt, as to comply with fuch Terilis, let their Names 
 be produced, let their Guilt be plainly proved, and 
 let them be branded vi'ith all the Marks of Infamy 
 and Di/grace, which fuch Crimes deferve. But let 
 not the whole Order fufFer for mere Sufpicions of 
 Guilt charged only upon a few, and detefted by a 
 great Majority of the beft and moft valuable Men 
 of their Order. — It muft be confefled, that Men of 
 weak Heads, and corrupt Hearts, have too often 
 miftaken the true Nature of Gratitude, and have ex- 
 tended it far beyond the Bounds of Reafon, Juffice, 
 and Truth, who think themfelves bound to facnfice 
 every Principle of Virtue and Honour, and every 
 Convidlion of Confcience, to thofe who have been, 
 or promifed to be, the Authors or Inftruments of 
 their Promotion ; who think themfelves oi)liged to 
 Sacrifice their Souls to them that y^ave them Bread ; 
 to follow their Leaders ; to obey every Word of 
 Command j and M'ho, upon Non-compliance, are 
 under the fame Terrors with tlie Gentlemen of the 
 Army for Mutiny and Defertion. If any fuch are 
 now in Being, we give them up, we have nothing to 
 plead in their Excufe. — They are dcteltcd (as 1 faid 
 before) by a great Majority of their own Order; 
 defpifed as infamous Tools, by thofe who employ 
 them ; and condemned by the impartial Judgment of 
 their own Confciences, to whofe terrible Difcipline 
 and Corredion we le.we them. 
 
 Let us turn our Eyes to a more agreeable Pro- 
 
 <pe£l. — To Numbers of honeft, generous Hearts, 
 
 who fcorn fuch abject Compliances \ who would 
 
 I 2 prefer 
 
ii6, T^he Contempt of 
 
 prefer honeft Poverty to difhonourable Promotion, 
 and would fooner fubmit to a Livery and Shoul- 
 der-knot, than to an infamous Proftitution of Cha- 
 racter. 
 
 It is reported of Dr. Kidder, who was made 
 Bifliop of Bath and JVelh, upon the Deprivation of 
 Bifliop Kenyi, that he had once the Honour to be 
 entertained in a Great Man's Clofet, who propofed 
 a Piece of Service to him, which threw him into 
 
 great Perplexity and Confufion \ but after fome 
 
 Recollection he begged to be excufed ; being prefled 
 over and over, he at laft abfolutely refufed. How, 
 my Lord ! (faid the Great Man, in a great Paffion) 
 do you refufe me ? Don't you confider that you 
 eat the K — g's Bread ? No, my Lord, (replied the 
 Bifhop) I eat no Man's Bread but good Bifhop 
 Kenns ; and if he v/ill but confent to eat his Bread 
 himfelf, I will freely give it up to him this Mo- 
 ment. 
 
 The third Article of the Charge againft them is, 
 their mifapplying the Revenues of the Church, and 
 filling up their beft Preferments with their own 
 Children, Relations, and Sycophants, without any 
 Regard to real Merit. 
 
 This is a loofe, general Accufation, and requires 
 more particular evident Proofs to fupport it, than 
 (we humbly conceive) can ever be produced. But, 
 fuppofing it in a great meafure true j can a Chriftian 
 Bifhop give a better Proof of his reverend Efteem and 
 Afte<5lion for the Church, than by devoting his own 
 Children to that Service ? Is it not more for their 
 Honour and Chriftian Reputation, than to raife 
 
 ' Eftates 
 
the Clergy Confidered, iiy 
 
 Eftates for them by Parfiniony and Opprcfllon, in 
 order to fupport them in Ignorance and Luxury ? 
 And ought it to be objeilcd to them as a Crime, 
 that they beftow their bcft Preferments (fuppofing the 
 Fa£t could be proved) upon their own Children 
 and neareft Friends ? Do not Nature and common 
 Prudence demand it ? And ought any Man to be 
 called partial and unjufl-, for preferring his own de- 
 ferving Children and Friends before Strangers, though 
 apparently of equal Merit ? — But it is infmuated. 
 That real Merit is no Part of the Confideration j 
 That though they might, and perhaps ought to be, 
 preferred before Strangers, (catais paribus,) yet they 
 prefer People of no Merit at all, purely for the Sake 
 of Relation j whilfl others of real Merit and Charac- 
 ter are neglected and difcouraged. This ObjecSlion 
 fecms to be the Language of Di (appointment and Re- 
 fcntment. It is more than probable, that when 
 a good Preferment was vacant, there were more tlian 
 one or two who thought it very convenient for 
 them J that they had Merit enough to defcr\'e it, and 
 therefore Confidence enough to expe<5l it ; who, 
 upon being difappointed, would naturally think L \n- 
 felves injured, and exprefled their Reientnients by de- 
 preciating other Mens Chara^Slcrs, and exalting ilieir 
 own. The Bifhop has, however, in this Refpc^f>, 
 one certain Advantage, that he cannot eafily be de- 
 ceived in the Charader of his Clerk; wliofe TiJents, 
 Education, Principles, and Manner of Life, he muft 
 be better able to judge of than of Strangers, whofe 
 Merit muft depend chiefly on the Teftimonies of 
 others ; and how unfairly fuch Teftimonials are too 
 • often procured, need not to be mentioned in this 
 Place. 
 
 I3 1 
 
1 1 8' 'The Contempt ef 
 
 I come now to the foiu'th Article, of Pluralities^ 
 Non-Rejidence, and Cammendains : And, indeed — — 
 
 upon this Head I muft needs fay, with the fage 
 
 Sir Roger de Ccverley *, Much ?nay be faid on both 
 Sides. Thty cannot be intirely defended, nor muft 
 they be abfokitely condemned. They are in fome 
 Cafes, not only lawful and expedient, but neceflary j 
 and in others fcandalous and abominable. Where 
 the Revenues of one Benefice are not fufficient to 
 fupport the Dignity of the Office to which it is an- 
 nexed, there it is highly juft and reafonable that a 
 proper Addition fhould be made to fupply the Defi- 
 ciency. This is particularly the Cafe of our fmalleft 
 Bifhoprics j they are not fufficient to fupport that 
 Hofpitality, expenfive Attendance on Parliament, 
 and decent Figure in Life, which are neceflary for 
 Men in fuch exalted Stations j and have therefore ge- 
 nerally the comfortable Addition of fome Dignity or 
 Benefice, which are held in Commendam. So far is 
 jufl: and right. But to fee JVIen without any laudable 
 Difi:in6lion of Charafter or Station, groaning under a 
 Load of Preferments, which they neither deferve nor 
 become, is fcandalous and fhameful. — We fhall leave 
 this Article to the ferious Confideration of thofe v/h© 
 are chiefly concerned, who enjoy this invidious Accu- 
 mulation of Honours and Preferments : We beg them 
 ferioufly to examine their own Hearts, with what 
 Views, and on what Pretenfions, they firfl: fought 
 them i by what Methods they obtained them, and 
 what Ufe they make of them. If, in this Inquiry, 
 their Hearts condemn them not, neither do we con- 
 
 * Spe£lator 122. 
 
 dcin,n 
 
the Clergy Conjtdered. 119 
 
 ^emn them : If they employ their large Revenues to 
 the Glory of God, the Encouragement of Piety and 
 Learning, the Relief of the Needy, and the Afliftance 
 of the Helplefs ; the Teftimony of their Confciences, 
 and the Approbation and Applaufes of good Men, 
 will be an Overbalance againft all the malicious Cen- 
 fures of thofe that envy their Profperity, and hate their 
 Order. But if their own Hearts condemn them j if 
 they and the World about them know that they fpend 
 their large Revenues (which are committed to them 
 as a facred Truft) in Luxury and Vanity ; if they 
 are intirely diredled hy fecular Views and worldly 
 Interefts ; if their Hearts are fet upon Equipage and 
 Show, making a Figure, and inriching a P'amily ; 
 let fuch know they are unworthy of fuch Diftindtions, 
 and deferve all that Contempt which is juftly poured 
 upon them, by the beft Friends as well as Enemies 
 of their Order. But the general Charge againft the 
 whole Body of the Clergy, is fo far from being true, 
 that it is the diredl contrary. And we dare affirm, 
 that of the great Number of religious and learned 
 Foundations, Schools, Colleges, Churches, and Hof- 
 pitals, which are the Glory of our Nation, much the 
 greater Pai;t are owing to the Generosity and Munifi- 
 cence of the Clergy, which appears from the Records 
 oi their refpexSive Foundations, 
 
 I proceed now to confider the general Charge 
 againft the inferior Clergy, viz. Pride^ Pedantry^ 
 ,Jll-manners, Idlenefs, and NegUSi of their Cures, 
 
 &c. &c. I, who have pafled through many 
 
 Scenes of Life as a filent and impartial Spedatar, 
 
 have made it a general Remark, that Pride, Pedan- 
 
 I 4 try, 
 
tio T^ Contempt of 
 
 iry^ Sec. are moft commonly charged by their Ene- 
 mies upon the moft deferving ; and that Idlenefs and 
 Neg]e£l of their Cures are always charged by their 
 Friends on the moft worthlefs Part of their Order. 
 There are, without doubt, too many among them that 
 too well deferve thefe Imputations ; but muft all 
 fuffer for their Sakes ? Becaufe 'Jujlice^ Wrcathock, and 
 Carr^ were Villains, muft all the Lawyers be Tent to 
 Tyburn., or the Plantations ! Becaufe there have been 
 Murderers and Ravifhers among the Gentlemen of 
 the Army, muft we therefore diftjand them, and fend 
 them all to the D — 1 ! No ; let the Guilty only be 
 condemned, let the rotten offenfive Member be cut 
 ofF, that the whole Body perifli not. But let us 
 come to a more particular Examination of this accu- 
 mulated Charge, which the Enemies of the Clergy 
 frequently alledge to juftify their contemptuous Beha- 
 viour towards them. It muft be owned, that the Clergy 
 in and about Town, have no Reafon to complain of 
 Contempt, they have their full Portion of Refpecl 
 and Efteem ; and in other Cities and great Towns in 
 proportion. Whether it be that the better Sort of 
 Clergy are ufually fixed in thofe large confpicuous 
 Cures y or whether they are more careful to fupport 
 their Characters, where they know themfelves to be 
 under the Obfervation and Cenfures of Men of Tafte 
 and Figure, but fo it is — and the further you remove 
 from thofe Places, you gradually decline to Barbarifm 
 and Obfcurity. There are, to my particular Know- 
 ledge, in many Country Villages, Clergymen of di- 
 ftinguiftied Learning and Piety, who are, as it were, 
 buried alive among the Vicious and the Ignorant, 
 and in a manner excluded from all the Comforts of 
 
 focial 
 
the Clergy Confidered. tit 
 
 fecial Life. And how fhould it be otherwife, except 
 .where the 'Squire or Great Men of the Parifh or 
 -Neighbourhood be Judges and Lovers of real Merit, 
 And how often that is the Cafe, I leave you to judge. 
 If the 'Squire happen to be wrong-headed, iUiterate, 
 fottifh, or profane, what can the poor Parfon do ? 
 Can there be any Agreement between Senfe and Non- 
 fenfe, any Concord betwixt Virtue and Vice, any 
 Communion betwixt Light and Darknefs ? If they 
 Ihould ever defcend fo low, as to invite the poor 
 Vicar from his SoHtudc, Soup Malgre, and Watch- 
 light, to make one in a Party of Frolic and Madnels, 
 and he fhould refufe the Invitation, or come auk- 
 wardly into it ; if he fhould refufe to go to the utmofi 
 Stretch of Intemperance i or difrelifh the many un- 
 gracious Jokes which are always Vr^cked over the 
 Doftor ; it gives a Sort of Check to the Merriment, 
 and throws a Damp upon the Spirits of the good 
 Company j they immediately treat him with that 
 Indifference and Contempt (if not with Rudenefs and 
 Ill-manners) as may fufficiently difcourage him from 
 ever venturing among them again. From that Mo- 
 ment he has a Mark of Contempt fixed upon him, as 
 a fou}-, morofe, ill-natured Fellow. If he fhould ever 
 take a decent Opportunity of fhewing thefe Gentle- 
 men their true Ciiaratflcrs, and attempt to convince 
 them of their abfurd, irregular, licentious, hopelefs 
 Way of Life, though they fliould feem to hear it with 
 Patience, yet they nc\er heartily forgive the Imperti- 
 nence of the officious Reprover ; that Refentment 
 feldom fails to produce Rancour and Averfion > and 
 from that Moment every thing takes a wrong Turn : 
 The mofl innocent Wordy and Adlions are mifrepre- 
 
 feiited J 
 
122 ^'he Contempt of 
 
 fented ; and the moft general Refledlions upon any 
 one Vice, even in the Pulpit, are interpreted as a Sa- 
 tire or Libel upon the 'Squire and his Friends, who 
 return him the Compliment of an un?nanne) ly^ ill-bred 
 Coxcomb. If, at any time, he Ihould have the Cou- 
 rage to interrupt a profane levied Converfation, and 
 with a decent AlTurance rally and expofe their Igno- 
 rance, which is the real Root of Infidelity, if he at- 
 tempt to reduce them from Rattle and Tumult, 
 from lewd Jokes and loud Laughter, to cool and im- 
 partial Reafoning, to which they are abfolute Stran- 
 gers, they cover their Confufion as well as they can, 
 with an affefted Superiority of Tafte or Quality, of 
 Front or Fortune, and ever after condemn and avoid 
 the impertinent Reformer, for an infolent infupportable 
 Pedant. 
 
 When I was at Bath laft Year, I was invited by a 
 Gentleman who lodged in the fame Houfe, to go and 
 fpend a month with him at his Seat in Somerfetjhire. \ 
 readily accepted his Invitation, and went with him. 
 We came thither on a Friday Night, and on the Sun- 
 day Morning I was preparing to go to Church, which 
 I always look upon as a decent Compliment to my Su- 
 periors, who have been pleafed to make the Chriftian 
 Religion a national Eftablifnment j but my Friend 
 took me out to walk in his Park, and fhew me the 
 Beauties of his Situation. The next Sunday he con- 
 trived fome other Amufement to hinder our going to 
 Church. There was indeed a Clergyman in the 
 Houfe, who had quite laid afide his facerdotal Cha- 
 radler, but a6led in feveral Lay-capacities, as Valet- 
 de-Chambre, Butler, Game-keeper, Pot-companion, 
 Butt, and Buffoon, who never read Prayers, or fo 
 
 much 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 123 
 
 much as faid Grace in the Family whilft I was in it. 
 Nay don't laugh, whatever my own Sentiments or 
 PratSlice may be, yet you muft ov/n my Charrfter is 
 confiftent ; I an all of a piece ; my fentiments and 
 Pradice agree, and I have a much better Opinion of 
 a Man that pretends to no Sort of religious Principles, 
 than I can have of one whofe Practice is a direil 
 Contradiction to his Profeflion. This by the way. 
 — ^Upon my afking the Character of the Vicar, whofe 
 Face I had never feen, or fcarce heard his Name 
 mentioned, he was reprefented as a proiid^ unman- 
 nerly^ four Pedant ; who could never be an agreeable 
 Companion to People of Tafte and Politenefs. The 
 next Sunday my Curiofity led me to Church, whilft 
 my Friend flaid at home to fettle an Account with his 
 BailifFj where I had the Plcafure of hearing a very- 
 plain, rational Difcourfe, delivered with a decent 
 Warmth, and a manly Authority. After Service, 
 feeing me to be a Stranger, he prefled me in a very 
 obliging Manner to dine with him, which I excufed, 
 hut took half an Hour's Walk with him in his Gar- 
 den before Dinner, and quickly found him to be a 
 very learned, well-bred, religious Man ; but one that 
 was refolved to fupport his facrcd Chara(5ler, and not 
 proftitute the Dignity of his Fundlion, nor his fupe- 
 rior Underflanding, to the Vanity and Contempt of 
 Ignorance and Folly. This was fufficient to exclude 
 him from all the focial Comforts of good Neighbour- 
 hood ; whilft a dirty Wretch, who feemed to li\'e in 
 Defiance of Virtue, Decency, good Manners, and" 
 clean Linen, was in a good meafure the firft Minifter 
 and Director of the Family j always mentioned with 
 
 the 
 
124 5"/^^ Contempt of 
 
 the familiar Appellation of honeji Harry .^ a meny good- 
 natured Fellow as ever broke Bread. 
 
 And that this is the Cafe of Numbers befides, I 
 am convinced by my owii Experience and Obfervation 
 of Mankind. A due Regard to a Man's Chara6ter, 
 and the natural Obligations that arife from it, is called 
 Pride. A decent Reproof of the Wealthy and Proud, 
 is called Ill-manners; A juft Cenfure of the Diflblute 
 and Licentious, is called Ill-nature : And talking the 
 Language of Scripture, natural Religion, Reafon, 
 and Philofophy, is called Impert'imnce and Pedantry. 
 
 I often think, if the Apoftle of the Gentiles w^erc 
 to come amongft us once more, without the Power 
 of working Miracles, what a poor Figure he would 
 make ! He could never expe6t any thing better than a 
 petty School, or a poor Curacy in the Countiy j and 
 it would be well for him, if he could long have a 
 peaceable Poficilion of that. His bodily Prefence ( he 
 himfelf owns) was tveai, and his Speech contemptible. 
 And I can aiTure him, that would go a great way to- 
 wards fpoiling his Fortune. Thofe that can judge of 
 nothing elfc, can diftinguifh an agreeable comely 
 Perfon 3 and a good jolly Outfide has recommended 
 many a worthlefs Fellow to the Notice and Favour of 
 his Superiors. Nor was this the worft : But the Tem- 
 per and Behaviour were (by his own Confefllon) as 
 forbidding and difagreeable as his Perfon. He every 
 where defcribes himfelf with all the Types of a proud 
 unmannerly Pedant. In all his Epiftles he gives him- 
 felf violent Airs of Authority, which he pretended 
 he had received from Heaven, by which he prefumed 
 CO ^end People to the D — 1 for not doing as they 
 I oua-ht 
 
the Clergy Confidered. ii^ 
 
 ought to do, and to give them AfTu ranee of Pardon 
 upon their Repentance. At one time he a flumes an 
 Equality with the chiefefl of the Apoftles; at other 
 times he exalts himfelf above them all, and took upon 
 him to conefl one of them that happened to differ 
 with him, with very fharp Language, even to his 
 Face. This Ill-manners appeared in his Behaviour to 
 his Betters upon all Occaflons, when he ftood before 
 Felix and Dntjilla ; though he knew his I^ife was in 
 Danger, he could not forbear throwing out feveral un- 
 mannerly Reflections upon them both, for their Man- 
 ner of Living ; which was no other than has been fre- 
 quently pradiifed among People of Fafhion in thofe 
 Days, as well as fince. The Truth of the Cafe was 
 this, as it is related by yofephtis * : Felix was much a 
 fine Gentleman, addi(5led to Gallantry and expenfive 
 Pleafures, and by Confequence a little covetous of 
 Money, in order to fupport them ; and being a Man 
 of Spirit and Genius, he was above thofe fuperftitious 
 Regards to Confcience, and I know not what, which 
 are ufually met with among Men of low Birth and 
 mean Education. Drufilla was a Lady of great Beauty 
 and Quality, Sifter to King Agrippa^ and married to 
 Azizasy King of the Emefeniam, who had confented 
 to be circumcifed in order to obtain her. But Felix 
 happening to fee her, fell paflionately in love with 
 her, and being a Man of irrefiftible Addrefs, he never 
 left till he had put her quite out of Conceit with an 
 infipid, formal Tool of a Hufband, and perfuaded 
 her to furrender up all her Charms to himfelf^ to 
 which the compaflionate Lady, in mere Pity to a lan- 
 
 * Ant. Lib. 20. c, 5. 
 
 guifhing 
 
126 The Contempt of 
 
 guifhing Lover, — unwillingly confented. Well ! an4 
 what of all this ! Hov/ was the Apoflle concerned in 
 this Aftair? Could not he have pleaded his own 
 Caufe, and told his own Story, without reflecting 
 upon his Betters ! — Muft People of their Diftindion 
 be accountable to any body for a few Gallantries 
 among themfelves ? — He did not indeed dire6tly charge 
 tliem with the Crimes mentioned. No j he was too 
 cunning for that. It was all by Inuendo'sy which has 
 always been thought a fafe way of abufing one's Bet- 
 ters. What elfe had he to do, to talk about Righteouf- 
 tiefs, Tetnpo'ance^ and a 'Judgment to come! but flily 
 to reproach them with the Want of thofe Virtues he 
 was recommending, with an Inuendo that they would, 
 without Repentance and Amendment, be infallibly 
 damned in the next World, for their Gallantries in 
 this ; and that in fuch rough and uncourtly Language, 
 that frighted the Governor into a Fit of Trembling ; 
 and, no doubt, threw the poor Lady into Vapours 
 and Palpitations. Had he or any body elfe took fuch 
 iiiberties in any Congregation in this City, efpecially 
 at the polite End of the Town, I queftion whether 
 he would not provoke fome of the beft Men in the 
 Parifh, and dellroy all his Hopes of Preferment. 
 He was, upon another Occafion, as faucy to the 
 High-Prieft as he was to the Governor, calling him 
 whited Wall, a proverbial Expreflion for an Hypocrite, 
 and threatening him with God's Judgments for his 
 notorious Partiality and Injuftice. God Jhall finite thee, 
 thou whtted J Vail -y for fittejl thou to judge me according 
 to the Law, and commandejl ?ne to be fmitten, contrary to 
 the Law F — Now can any Man fay that this was a de- 
 cent way of treating bis Betters? The well-bred 
 
 Preachers 
 
the Clergy Conftderei. 127 
 
 Preachers among us are afhamed of thefe indecent Li- 
 berties ; they confider the Quality and Tafte of the 
 Audience, and maice ufe of fuch Topics and fuch 
 Language as are leaft apt to give Offence, and moft 
 likely to gain their Attention. With this a judicious 
 polite Preacher might infpire the beft Part of his Au- 
 dience with an Averfion and Abhorrence of almoft 
 every Vice, by Ihevi'ing them how deftruilive they 
 are to their Health, their Reputation, or their For- 
 tunes J and recommend every Virtue as a genteel Ac- 
 complifhment, and an effential Part of good Breed- 
 ing. Would it not, think you, be a fufficient Re- 
 commendation of the Virtues of Meeknefs, Tem- 
 perance, and Chaftity to every fenfible Lady in Great- 
 Britain, to flaew them how much they contribute to 
 prefcrve their Health, their Shapes, and Com- 
 plexions ! — But to talk oi He'll, Dajunation, thf Devil, 
 Fire and Brimjlone (Words only fit for the Mouth of 
 an Incendiary or a Highwayman) is indecent and 
 fhocking to a polite Audience, and enough to throw 
 the moft brilliant Part of the Congregation into Fits.— 
 So much for his Ill-manners, and his Pedantry was 
 equal to it. A Pedatity we all know, is a mere any- 
 thing : A tnere Scholar, a mere Soldier, a mere Tar, a 
 mere Fox-hunter j one that knows nothing, and can 
 talk of nothing but his own Profeflion and way of 
 Life. — This particular Abfurdity runs through all his 
 Writings. His Education, his Converfion, his Com- 
 miflion, his Authority, his Faith, his Hope, his Cha- 
 rity, and I know not what, are the great Topics in 
 all his Epiftles. Nor was this owing to mere Infirmity 
 or Forgetfulnefs ; but it appears to have been his fixt 
 Rcfolution to perfift in it ; / determined (fays he) to 
 
 know 
 
t28 V^he Contempt of 
 
 know nothing among yoii fave Jefus Chrift, and him cru- 
 cified. — Poor Man ! if he were to fet out among us 
 with this Refolution, and nothing elfe to recommend 
 him, I could venture to aflure him, it would do him 
 but very little Service. If he underfiood ^ladrille^ were 
 a keen Sportfrnan, a good Bottle-Companion^ a notable 
 M-anager of an EleSlion, or thoroughly acquainted with 
 the Myjieries of Stocks and Funds, it would contribute 
 much more to his Credit among the Polite, and his 
 Fortune among the difcerning Part of Mankind. 
 
 This brings to my Mind a Converfation to which I 
 was a Witnefs Tome Years ago, betwixt two learned 
 Divines, upon the Merits of a Book then lately pub* 
 liflied, to juftrfy the Rcfifiance of Subjects, Sec. When 
 they had fufficiently puzzled the Caufe, and each 
 other, with Arguments taken from the Nature of our 
 Conftitution, Magna Charta, and the Laws of the 
 Land j the Advocate for Paffive Obedience refolved 
 to make fhort Work with tlie Controverfy, by quoting 
 the 13th Chapter to the i?5?«(7«y. Upon which, his 
 Adverfary burft into a loud Laugh, and began to 
 triumph without Mercy. I allow you, indeed, faid 
 he, that St. Paul was a very honefl, well-meaning 
 Man, to the beft of his Knowledge j but he could 
 not pofTibly know any thing of the Laws of England, 
 being an intire Stranger to our Conftitution. This 
 was a decifive Anfwer, which dumfounded Paflive 
 Obedience, and put an End to the Debate, to the 
 great Edification of all the Company. — But to re- 
 turn. 
 
 The lail general Charge againft the Ijifcrior Clergy 
 is Idknefs, and the Negletl of their Cures, — tfi-.— ~ 
 
 To 
 
the Clergy Conftdered, iigf 
 
 To this Part of the Accufation, I fear, there are 
 to6 many that muft plead guilty. It is often acknow- 
 ledged and lamented by the beft Men and beft Friends 
 of their Order j but comes aukwardly and infmcerely 
 from the Mouth of an Enemy. The Lazy and the 
 Vicious are their Delight : It is their Pleafure to fee 
 a Clergyman live in Defiance of his Duty, and expofe 
 himfelf to the Scorn and Contempt of lead and riotous 
 Company. They love a Man that will facrifice his 
 Duty and Confcience to a Merry-meeting i that will 
 be as leud and profane as the reft of the Company 
 over his Bottle, and even blafpheme for a good Din- 
 ner. Such as thefe are the Difgrace of their Order, 
 and are, for that very Reafon, the Friends and Fa- 
 vourites of the Ignorant and Profane. The honejl 
 Doiiovy that will talk leudly and profanely, and never 
 baulk his Glafs, is fure to give no Interruption to the 
 Mirth of the Company ; he can never have the Con- 
 fidence to rebuke the Vices in others, which he en- 
 courages by his own Example. Nor is this all. — It is 
 a great Confolation to their Spirits to find the Parfon 
 as wicked as themfelves. The moft fanguine Atheift 
 has fome Doubts that difquiet him : The merrieft Sinner 
 has fome uneafy Moments, fome Mifgivings of Con- 
 fcience, fome Sufplcions of Danger, which he knows 
 not how to conquer ; but, when he fees the Reverend 
 Doiior^ (whofe Profeffion is to know, to teach, and 
 to pra6life better) give into all the fhocking Liberties 
 of a wicked Converfation, it gives him a fort of Hope, 
 that he himfelf does not really believe the Do(5i:rine he 
 preaches to others ; and though he may, on a Sunday, 
 talk the Language of a Chriftian Believer j yet it is 
 only for Form's fake, being a necelfary Service to fe- 
 
 VoL. II, K cure 
 
f^6 Tbe Contempt of 
 
 cure his Tenure and his Maintenance. And this is 
 the true Reafon why too many, who, in other refpci^, 
 judge and a6l like Men of Senfe and Honour in their 
 Treatment of the Clergy, feem to bid Defiance to 
 both. Reafon and good Senfe diredl us to judge of 
 Men and Things by their internal Excellency and 
 Ufefulnefs to Mankind ; whatever tends to promote 
 the moft excellent Ends by the moft eafy and agree- 
 able Means, are the moft eminently efteemed and va- 
 lued by Men of Senfe and Underftanding. Now can 
 any End be more excellent than that which Religion 
 propofes ? Can there be a more valuable Intereft than 
 the eternal Happinefs of all Mankind ? Nay, do not 
 think I am going beyond the Articles of ray own 
 Creed. Upon the ftrongeft Convictions of fober Rea- 
 Ibn, I believe there is a God 3 and that he is a Re- 
 warder of them that endeavour to ferve and pleafe him 
 to the beft of their Knowledge and Power : The fame 
 unprejudiced Reafon aflures me, that the human Soul 
 is immortal J which all the Free-Thinkers of the Hea- 
 then World belie^'ed as well as I : And therefore I 
 conclude, that the Rewards of Virtue and Piety will 
 be eternal in the World to come. Well then, is not 
 everlafting Happinefs to be preferred to everlafting 
 Mifery ? Is not a quiet Confcience better than a 
 guilty one ? Is it not the higheft Prudence to fecure 
 even a probable Reverfion of everlafting Happine/s, 
 and prevent even a PofTibility of being miferable for 
 ever ? Thefe are the Ends which evenNatural Religion 
 propofes, of which no Man of common Senfe can en- 
 tertain a ferious Doubt. Nor are die Means lefs ex- 
 cellent and reafonable than the End. The Means are 
 the Exercife of every moral Virtue. Now will any 
 
 Man 
 
the Clercv Confidered. 131 
 
 Man in his Senfes fay, that the Pradice of every Vir- 
 tiire is not more excellent than the Pradice of every 
 Vice ? Is not the Charafter of a juft and upright 
 Man better than that of a Rogue and a Villaiai? 
 Is not a fober temperate Man more valuable than a 
 Sot or a Rake ? Is it not much more excellent to be 
 merciful, bountiful, and charitable, than to be a co- 
 vetous, hard-hearted Oppreflbr ? Is it not more rea- 
 fonable and excellent to ferve and worfhip God to 
 the beft of our. Knowledge and Power, and do 
 Good to Mankind, than it is neither to fear God, nor 
 regard Man ? It is an Affront to common Senfe to 
 make fo abfurd a Suppofition as this Queftion implies : 
 I fay then, that thofe, whofe Bufmefs it is to promote 
 thefe glorious Ends, who labour in it with Integrity, 
 Prudence, and Courage, and live agreeably to their 
 Preaching, deferve to be confidered as PViends and 
 Benefactors to Mankind, and the mofl ufeful Sup- 
 ports of civil Government and Order in the World. 
 
 It is allowed on all Hands to be a Point of Equity 
 and natural Juflice to judge impartially of the moral 
 Charadlers of Men, and to fix Marks of Infamy or 
 Honour in Proportion to their different Degrees of Me- 
 rit or Demerit, in their different Stations of Life. Now 
 confider how valuable, to every Man of Senfe and Ho- 
 nour, is the Character of a generous obliging Neigh- 
 bour, a finccre Friend, a jufl Servant, and a faith- 
 ful Steward ? Every Man, at firfl hearing, has a fecret 
 Eftcem and Affedlion for thefe Characters : And why 
 fo? but becaufe they a6l juflly and honourably in 
 their different Stations of Life. So again, for the 
 fame Reafon, every Man of Senfe and Honour efleems 
 an upright Ikilful Lawyer, a learned careful Phyfi- 
 K 2 cian. 
 
!32 The Contempt of 
 
 clan, a vigilant and active Magiftrate, an uncorrupt 
 Judge, an honeft bold Commander by Sea or Land. 
 Is not then a fmcerely good and virtuous Man ; is 
 not a ferious, learned, confcientious Clergyman, iix- 
 titled to the fame Proportion of Efteem and Honour ? 
 Surely he ought to be ; and that for the very fame 
 Reafon, becaufe he faithfully executes the Truft conv- 
 mitted to him, and a6ls agreeably to his Chara<3;er. 
 Confider again, on the other hand, howr deteftaWe 
 to every Man of Ho-nour is the treacherous Neigh- 
 bour, the falfe Friend, the unfaithful Servant, the 
 unjuft Steward, the corrupt Lawyer, the ignorant or 
 negligent Phyfician, the wicked Judge, the cowardly 
 treacherous Commander, and all for the lame Rea- 
 fon, becaufe they a61: unworthily and difagreeably to 
 their Charadlers, and betray the feveral Trufts re- 
 pofed in them. And now tell me, is not every wicked 
 immoral Man, particularly every fcandalous immoral 
 Clergyman, equally deteftable ! Are they not under 
 higher, or at leaft equal Obligations to a£l agreeably 
 to their Charailers, and faithfully to execute the fe- 
 veral Duties of their Office, to live exeinplary and 
 fober Lives, to encourage the Virtues, and rebuke the 
 Vices, of others ; and promote, ta the utmoft of 
 their Power, the Intcrefts of Truth and Virtue, the 
 temporal Happinefs and Peace of Mankind, and the 
 Salvation of their Souls hereafter ? Surely this is their 
 indifpenfible'Duty. And whofoever ads otherwife. 
 Is a Traitor to his Truft, an Enemy to God and his 
 own Soul. Every Man of Senfe and Honour muft 
 acknowledge this to be the true State of the Cafe : 
 Yet, in fpite of this ftrong Conviction, this undeniable 
 Conclufion, we fee daily Men who value themfelves 
 3 upon 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. 135 
 
 upon their fuperior good Senfe, and nice Honour, who 
 would think it a Reproach to their Underftandings 
 to be miftalcen in their Judgments about a Horfe or a 
 Dog ; and would blufh to be told they had not Senfe 
 enough to diftinguifh a good one from a bad one, yet 
 have a fecret Pride and Pleafure in diftinguifliing and 
 carefling a vicious unworthy Clergyman purely for be- 
 i-ug fuch ; and defpifing and affronting the Virtuous 
 and the Good, purely for doing their Duty, and ail- 
 ing agreeably to their Charadler and Profeflion. — 
 Shame and Repentance be the Portion of thofe who 
 either give or receive this unworthy Preference. But 
 let not the Learned, the Diligent, the Faithful, and 
 the Virtuous fulFer Reproach for the Vices of their 
 unworthy Brethren, which their Enemies openly ap- 
 prove and encourage, and their beft Friends condemn 
 and lament, but can neither prevent nor cure. 
 
 Thus far we have confidered the general Charge 
 againft the whole Body of the Clergy, and what may 
 and ought to be produced in their Defence, though 
 we pretend not to juftify the intire Condudl of every 
 individual Charafter. Our Acquaintance among the 
 Clergy (efpecially of the higher Order) is not fuffi- 
 cient to enable us to judge, whether there be, as Sir 
 Harry boldly affirms upon his own Knowledge,, any 
 immoral, ignorant, /making Time-fervirs, &c.-^among 
 them. If there be, we give them up, and have no- 
 thing to plead in their Behalf. But ftill, my Friend, 
 let us judge fairly and impartially, and lay the Blame 
 where it ought to be laid. If there be fuch, they 
 could neither ordain nor prefer themfelves ; they, 
 therefore, that ordained or preferred fuch unworthy 
 P.erfonsj have the greater Sin, It is a popular Saying, 
 K 3 That 
 
1 34 ^^^ Contempt of 
 
 That the Corruption of the Laity is owing to the Cor- 
 ruption of the Clergy ; but impartial Reafon and daily 
 Experience evinces the contrary, and afTures us, that 
 the Ignorance, Immorality, and Corruption charged 
 upon the Clergy, are owing to the Ignorance or Ini- 
 quity of thofe Patrons that preferred them. The Pa- 
 tronage of Ecclefiaftical Benefices is a very facred and 
 important Truft, which fhould be executed with the 
 greatefl Impartiality, Tendernefs, and Caution. The 
 Original of which was this : The firft Founders of 
 the Churches always articled with the Bifhop of the 
 Diocefe, that they {hould have the Privilege of pre- 
 fenting fit Clerks to fupply their Churches, and receive 
 the Profits of their Endowments, than which nothing 
 could be more reafonable ; for as it was certain that 
 nothing but a devout Senfe of Religion, and a due 
 Regard to the Glory of God, and the Good of Mens 
 Souls, could ever induce Men to difpofe of their 
 Eftates for fuch pious Ufes j fo it was as certain, that 
 they would employ none to officiate in thofe Churches, 
 and have the Care of Souls, but fuch as they knew to 
 be rightly qualified, and duly difpofed to execute fo 
 facred a Commiffion, and anfwer the pious Intentions 
 of the Founders : Which right is juftly continued to 
 their Pofterity, and thofe that have purchafed from 
 them. And great Pity it is, that the Piety of the 
 firft Founders had not always defcended to their Pofte- 
 rity with their Inheritance, which would have been 
 under Providence) the beft Security the Church could 
 poffibly have for a conftant Succeffion of worthy 
 Clergymen. 
 
 The Patron of a Church, who has the Right of 
 
 Prefentation to a Cure of Souls, is in the Nature of 
 
 ^ a 
 
the Clergy Confidtred, 1 35 
 
 a Guardian or Truftee for thofe Souls, and has much 
 to axifwer foF* if he commit the Care of them to an 
 unworthy Perfon. 
 
 The Scriptures, — (nay, don't laugh, for I afllirc 
 you I read them, as the beft Syftem of JVlorality that 
 ever appeared in the World : ) The Scriptures, I fay, 
 defcribe the Office and Duty of a good Clergy, by a 
 great Variety of ftrong and fignificant Metaphors j 
 fuch as follow, 
 
 1. Lights of the JVorld. Matt. v. 14 Phil. ii. 15. 
 
 2. Examples to the FIocL 1 Pet. v. 3. 
 
 3. Good Shepherds. John x. 14. 
 
 4. Phyjicians of Souls. Matt. ix. 12. 
 
 5. Watchmen. Ezek. xxxiii. 7. 
 
 6. Spiritual Guides. Ads viii. 31. Rom. ii. 19. 
 Heb. xiii. 17. 
 
 7. J/nbaffadors. 2 Cor. v. 20. Eph. vi. 20. 
 
 8. Stewards of the Myfleries of God. I Cor. iv. I. 
 
 All expreffing the great End and Defign of their 
 Office, and the neceflary Qualifications for it. The 
 Duty and Bufinefs of a Patron is to choofc fuch a Per- 
 fon to take care of thofe Souls as may faithfully and 
 confcientioufly difcharge the feveraJ Duties of his Of- 
 fice implied under thefe different Charadlers. And he 
 who, upon bafe Confiderations, knowingly commits 
 the Care of Souls to an ignorant and unbelieving, a 
 negligent and immoral wicked Man, betrays the great 
 and facred Truft committed to him, involves himfelf 
 in all the Guilt of his Clerk^ and will have a fad Ac- 
 count to give for the Lofs of thofe Souls that fhall 
 perifli through his Fault. 
 
 K 4 Let 
 
1^6 The Contempt of 
 
 Let us take a nearer and clofer View of the Folly 
 and Iniquity of fuch a corrupt Patron, by confidering 
 the feveral Characters of good Clergymen above- 
 mentioned, which ought to direct and determine his 
 Choice of proper Perfons for that facred and impor- 
 tant Office, 
 
 They are, Firft, To be the Lights of their Cure ; 
 to enlighten the Darknefs, and inflru6l the Ig- 
 norance of thofe committed to their Charge. They 
 are to fhew them the Error of their Ways, and 
 lead them out of Darknefs into Light, that they may 
 fee the Things that make for their Peace, and be 
 conducted by that Light into the Path of everlafting 
 Life. Now if a corrupt or negligent Patron, inftead 
 of fetting up a burning and (hining Lights fhould take 
 it in his head to prefer an ignorant injudicious Tool 
 to the Cure of a Multitude of Souls, it would be juft 
 as wife and equitable a Piece of Conduct, as if the 
 chief Magiftrate fhould command a Rufli-light, or a 
 Farthing-Candle, to be fet up in every Light-houfe 
 upon the Coafts of Great-Britain^ with the gracious 
 Addition of a Brace or two of Glow-worms, for the 
 Improvement of Light, and Security of Navigation, 
 
 They are. Secondly, to be Examples to the Flock j 
 to be Patterns of their ConduCt, that they fhould 
 learn to a£t and walk as they fee their Teachers do. 
 But to fet up a leud Rake, or a profligate Libertine, 
 to be an Example to his Flock, would be juft as ri- 
 diculous as if a Painter -fhould advife his Scholars to 
 copy Therfitesy or Dicky Scarborough, as Models of 
 an exact Shape, or a Cbimney-fweeper for a fine Com-. 
 plexien. 
 
 They 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. 137 
 
 They are. Thirdly, to be good Shepherds j to feed 
 and defend the Flocks committed to their Charge*, 
 to feek that which was loji^ and bring again that which 
 was driven away j to hind up that which was broken^ and 
 to Jirengthen that which was ftck. He, therefore, that 
 commits the Care of Souls to a worldly, covetous, 
 negligent, or cruel Man, who fhall regard nothing 
 but t to feed himfelf with the Fat, and to cloathe Inmfelf 
 with the JVool'y kill them that are fed, andnegle£l to feed 
 the refl ; ads as wifely and as rationally, as he that 
 ihould commit the Care of his Flock to the Butcher, 
 or leave them to the Mercy of the Wolf. 
 
 They are, Fourthly, Phyficians of Souls ; from whom 
 fo much greater Skill, Experience, Afliduity, and 
 Compaflion is expedled, than from the Phyficians of 
 our Bodies : As the former are infinitely more valuable 
 than the latter, their Diftempers more difficult to be 
 cured, and a Mjfcarriage irrecoverably fatal ; with this 
 regard a Patron may be confidered as a Governor ia 
 any of our Hofpitah. Suppofe now that the Governors 
 in any of our great Hofpitals fhould come to a Refo- 
 lution to choofe neither Phyfician nor Surgeon but of 
 fuch a particular Size, Complexion, or Family, who, 
 befides all that, could produce undoubted Teftimonies 
 that he could, upon proper Occafions, jump nine 
 times forward and backward over a Stick without 
 boggling J and make no more Difficulty of fwallow- 
 ing a Piece of a Mill-ftone at the Word of Com- 
 mand, than a Piece of a Cuftard, or a Glafs of 
 
 * %z^k. xxxiv. 16. t 3. 
 
 Wine, 
 
r^8 The Contempt of 
 
 Wine, without any Regard at all to their Knowledge 
 and Abilities in their refpeftive Profeffions : To whofe 
 Account would you charge the many Lives that 
 would infallibly be loft, for want of able Phyficians 
 and fkilful Surgeons to attend the poor Patients ! — A 
 Queftion not fit to be afked, to which every Fool can 
 give an Anfw^r. 
 
 They are. Fifthly, IVatchmen; who, in antient 
 Times, were placed upon Watch-towers, Pofts of 
 Eminence and Elevation, from whence they might 
 have more extenfive Views than the World below 
 them, that they might more eafily forefee diftant 
 Dangers, fuch as the breaking out of a Fire, or In- 
 undation, or the Invafion of an Enemy, and give 
 timely Warning to thofe below, to prevent or flee 
 from the approaching Danger. The Virtues proper 
 for fuch an Officer were, i. Vigilance. 2. Atten- 
 tion. 3. Integrity. 4. Courage. If a Watchtnan 
 trere to take the Advantage of his exalted Station, 
 where no body could overlook him, to fleep more 
 fecurely and comfortably than his Neighbours below 
 him, what would he not deferve ? — Nay, fuppofe 
 him to be wide awake, he may happen to be no be- 
 ter employed than if he were faft afleep : He may be 
 paring his Nails, or mending his Stockings, reading 
 theHiftory of Robin Hood^ or Tom Thumb, without any 
 Regard to the Nature of his Office, the Welfare of 
 his Neighbours, or the Defign of his Elevation. Let 
 us, however, fuppofe him really attentive to the Du- 
 ties of his Office, and that he keeps a Jieady Look- 
 out on every Side ; yet, if he be not an honeji Man, he 
 may be juft as ufelefs, though not (o innocent^ a» if 
 
 he 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 159 
 
 he were faft afleep. He may poffibly fee an Houfe on 
 fire, and give no Alarm, becaufe he fees fome <rf his 
 Comrades below watching for an Opportunity of 
 Plunder,of which he is fure to come in for his Share, 
 as the Reward of his Si lence. Or fuppofe him to be 
 as honeft as a Man of a little Heart and narrow Soul 
 can poffibly be, and that he were refolved to do his 
 Duty, if it could be done with Security to himfelf ; 
 yet it may fo happen, that a juft Difcharge of his 
 Duty may expofe him to the Refentmcnt of his Bet- 
 ters, who would neither want Will nor Power to di- 
 ftrefs him, to ftop his Salary, to remove him from 
 his Poft, and, perhaps, render him uncapable of ever 
 recovering it again. A Confideration -^— that has 
 frighted many an honeft weak Man out of his Senfes, 
 and made him as uncapable of feeing, hearing, or 
 fpeaking, as if he had been abfoluteJy born deaf, 
 dumb, and blind. Now let me afk you, — ^If you, or 
 any Friend of yours, fhould have the Misfortune to 
 be ruined by the Negligence, the Treachery, or Cow- 
 ardice of fuch a Watchman, what would you not 
 think, what would you not fay, of him ? Could you 
 forbear loading him with Reproach, at lead, if not 
 with Curfes i* — Which, were I to hear, and be con- 
 fcious of to myfelf, that I had been the fole Author 
 of putting fuch a worthlefs Fellow into his Employ- 
 ment, I fhould blufh to myfelf, and think every Re- 
 proach and Curfe difcharged at his Head, were di- 
 rc<3:ly, and defervedly, levelled at mine. The Cafe, 
 in fhort, is finely reprefented in the Scripture * : Ify 
 in Time of IVar, the People of the Land take a Man of 
 
 * Hzck. xxxiii. 2, 3, 4, 5,6. 
 
 their 
 
I40 ^he Contempt cf 
 
 their Coaji, nndfet him for their Watchman : If when 
 he feeth tlje Sword come upon their Land, he blow the 
 Trumpet, and warn the People ; then whoever heareth the 
 Sound of the Trumpet, and taketh not Warning ; if the 
 Sword come and take him away, his Blood Jhall he upon 
 his own Head. He heard the Sound of the Trumpet, and 
 took not Warning, his Blood Jhall he upon him ; but he 
 that taketh Warning Jhall deliver his own Soul. But if 
 iJje Watchman fee the Sword come, and blow not the Trum- 
 pet, and the People be not warned, if the Sword come and 
 take away any P erf on from among them, he is taken away 
 in his Iniquity, but his Blood Jhall be required at the 
 Watchman's Hand. And if I had the making of fuch 
 a Watchman, I fhould have great Reafon to fear, 
 that both his Blood and theirs too would finally be re^ 
 quired at mine. 
 
 They are. Sixthly, Spiritual Guides. Now the 
 Jeaft that could be expecSted from a Guide would be, 
 that he fhould have Eyes to fee, and Experience to 
 know and choofe his Way, and Honefty enough not 
 to miflead thofe who were committed to his Direction. 
 If he were abfolutely blind, he would be abfolutely 
 uncapable of doing his Duty ; if he had his Eye-fight, 
 but were utterly a Stranger to the Road, he would be 
 almoft as uncapable of guiding them, as if he were 
 quite blind ; but if he could be fuppofed fo ignorant 
 and fo wicked as to perfuade himfelf that there was 
 really no fuch City as that to which they were travel- 
 ing, and to which he pretended to guide them, and 
 yet would undertake the Office, purely for the fake of 
 the Reward, he would either lead them at random 
 till he could fairly leave them to fliift for themfelves, 
 
 or 
 
the Clergy Conjiderect. 141 
 
 or betray them into the Hands of Banditti and Rob- 
 bers, who would join with them in the Plunder and 
 Murder of the unhappy Travelers. Could any Punifh- 
 ment equal the Guilt of fuch a treacherous Guide ? 
 If the Blind lead the Blind, the Confequence is obvi- 
 ous and certain ; if the Ignorant lead the Ignorant, 
 the Cafe is much the fame ; but if Robbers and Mur- 
 derers undertake to guide the ignorant and credulous 
 Traveler, nothing but Ruin and Deftrudion can 
 enfue : And the Guilt will certainly reft upon thofe 
 who had Authority to compel the poor Travelers to 
 accept of fuch a Guide as they fhould appoint, and 
 would refufe to allow them a better. 
 
 They are. Seventhly, Amhajfadors ; an Office of 
 great Dignity and Truft, that requires great Abilities 
 to difcharge it worthily, to the Honour of his Prince, 
 and the Importance of his Commiffion. Now if fuch 
 an Honour were unhappily conferred upon an unwor- 
 thy Creature, without common Abilities and com- 
 mon Honefty, judge you what a contemptible, deteft- 
 able Figure he muft make. See him adorned with 
 all the Enfigns of Honour requifite to give him Cre- 
 dit and fupport his Cliaradter among Foreigners, a 
 Royal Appointment for his Attendance and his Table, 
 and whatever may contribute to fupport and adorn 
 his Title and Commiffion : Should you fee this poor 
 Wretch, when he comes into the Country to which 
 he is fent, intirely negle£l the Bufmefs of his Em- 
 ployment, flutter about with his Equipage and At- 
 tendance, and fpend his Salary in unworthy Company 
 and Diverfions, what would you think of him? Or 
 fhould he have Honefty and Senfe enough to go to 
 
 Court, 
 
142 'J'he Contempt of 
 
 Court, deliver his Credentials, and take upon hini 
 the Exercife of his Office ; which he had not Ability, 
 or Integrity enough, to execute : Should he, through 
 Ignorance or Cowardice, fo far proftitute the Dig- 
 nity of his Character, as to difhonour his Prince, 
 and facrifice the real Intereft of his Country ; what 
 Contempt, what Punifhment would he not deferve ? 
 -'■■ ■ ■ But fhould he be yet more wicked, and excufe 
 his Negligence to his intimate Friends and Bottle- 
 Companions, by afluring them. That all this So- 
 lemnity of Title and Figure were nothing but grave 
 Farce and Banter ; that he had really no fuch 
 Mafter, nor had received any fuch Commiffion, but 
 was only adling a gainful PArt for the Intereft, and 
 by the Diredlion of wifcr Heads than his own, for 
 certain political Purpofes, whicli were not proper for 
 
 him to own. A Suppofition fo monftrous can 
 
 ordy be exceeded by the Wickednefs and Folly of an 
 impious, unbelieving Clergyman, who pretends a 
 Commiffion from God, whom in his Heart he denies, 
 and difbelieves that whole Revelation, which the 
 Devils believe and tremble at. 
 
 They are, laftl}', Steivards of the Myjieries of God. 
 And we know that it is required of all Stewards, that 
 they be fkilful and faithful in the Difcharge of their 
 OfEce. Let not the Word Myjieries move your 
 Spleen. Whatever you and I may think of it, it is, 
 however, a good Argument, ad hominem. For furely 
 it ought, in common Juftice, to be prefumed, that 
 every Chriftian Clergyman believes them j or if he 
 does not, that he would have Honour enough fairly 
 to own it, to quit his Preferment and difclaim his 
 
 Charader, 
 
Z/?'^ Clergy Confidertd, 14 j 
 
 Character, and deal as honeftly with the World as 
 you and I do. By this Defignation of their Office, 
 they are obliged to ftudy, and be able and ready to 
 defend thefe facred Myfteries (as tliey fuppofe them) 
 againft all Oppofers. They are to convince the fober 
 and rational Inquirer, of the Ground and Neceffity 
 of this Belief, and the neceflary Connection there 
 is betwixt orthodox Faith, unprejudiced Reafon, 
 and found Morality, in promoting all the Purpofes 
 of true Religion here, and everlafting Happinefs here- 
 after. Now, if an unbelieving Patron were to dif- 
 pofe of a good Benefice, he would undoubtedly beftow 
 it upon one of his own Way of Thinking, who be- 
 lieved as little of thefe myfterious Articles as himfelf. 
 Well ! how (think you ?) would fuch a Man behave 
 in the Care of his Flock ? To be fure, he would 
 never take Pains to preach fuch Do6lrines, or prefs 
 the Neceffity of fuch Articles as he did not believe 
 himfelf. He might be too politic, perhaps, diredlly 
 to deny or oppofe them ; for Negatives are untrada- 
 ble Things j and till the Boundaries and Fences of 
 Orthodoxy be abfolutely deftroyed, and Chriftianity 
 ceafe to be the Religion of the State, there might be 
 fome Appearance of Danger ; becaufe the Creeds 
 and Liturgy of the Church are made by Acft of Par- 
 liament, Part of the Law of the Land : His Bufinefs 
 therefore would be either never to trouble himfelf or 
 his Hearers about fuch intiicate Points ; or if he did, 
 to mention them with a philofophical LidiiFerence, 
 as Matters of doubtful Difputation, and to lay all the 
 Strefs of their Duty upon thofe plain and obvious 
 Duties of Morality ; upon which, tlie Sober and the 
 Learned, in all Ages and all Nations, have been 
 
 agreed. 
 
144 ^^^ C6ntempT(j/ 
 
 agreed, That an upright, fober, polite Morality is 
 ahfolutely ncceflary to make us acceptable to God and 
 Man.*— But if, after all, it fhould appear (perhaps too 
 late) that the Myjieries of Revealed Religion ftand 
 upon an eternal, unfhaken Foundation ; that without 
 fuch a Faith it is impoflible to pleafe God \ that the 
 reverent Ufe of the two Sacraments, which depend 
 ahfolutely upon that Faith, is necefl'ary to Salvation ; 
 which has been ftrongly and rationally debated by 
 Men of great Learning and fine Underftanding ; to 
 whom, I muft- confefs, I have never yet feen a fatif- 
 faftory Anfwer : If, I fay, this fhould at laft prove 
 to be the Cafe, how fad will the Condition of thofe 
 Men be, who have bad fuch a Teacher j and what a 
 faithlefs Steward of the Myjieries of God will he be 
 found, who has all along difowned his having any 
 fuch Things committed to his Charge ? And how far 
 the Patron will be involved in the fame Guilt, I leave 
 them to judge. 
 
 Let us now confider the prefent State of Patron- 
 age i efpecially in this Part of our Ifland, which is 
 under Epifcopal Government. 
 
 The great Patrons of all Ecclefuftical Dignities, 
 are, 
 
 I. The King. 
 
 1. The Lord High Chancellor. 
 
 3, The Archbiftiops and Bifhops. 
 
 I. The King is the fole Fountain of Honour and 
 Dignity, in all Cafes, and to all Perfons, as well 
 
 Ecckfiailical 
 
//?>^ Clergy ConJicUred. 145 
 
 Ecclefiaftlcal as Civil. For the Lord Chancellor, 
 and their Lordftiips the Bifhops, being made folely 
 by the King, may be confidered only as the King's 
 Agents, or Deputies in Ecclefiaftical Promotions ; 
 they being as {o many Pipes and Channels to convey 
 the Royal Favour to thole, who are too far removed 
 from the Royal Prefence, to receive any immediate 
 Comfort or Bleffing from it j and who will be fare 
 never to beftow it, but on thofe whom they know to 
 be worthy. In this Refpedl, happy^ thrice happy is 
 the Church of England, under the Patronage and 
 Protedlion of a mojl Religious and Gracious King j 
 whofe moft illuftrious Title is that of fupreme Go- 
 vernor of the Church, and Defender of the Faith ; 
 and who, confidered under either of thefe Characters, 
 neither will, nor can do, any thing to the Prejudice 
 of the eftablifhed Church. He cannot be infenfible, 
 that that would be not only acting in Contradiction to 
 his Character, as Head of the Church and Defender 
 of the Faith, and to all the Engagements of his 
 Coronation-Oath ; but fapping his own Authority', 
 and deftroying the beft and trueft Support of his Au- 
 thority and Government. I mean Confdence and a 
 juji Senfe of Religion. Now that can only be fup- 
 ported among the People, by the Influence and Ex- 
 ample of their fpiritual Guides. When they fee them 
 living and ading, as well as talking like Chriftians ; 
 when they ihall fee them zealous of good Works, 
 jealous for the Glory of God, and Interefts of true 
 Religion ; not influenced by fecular Views of worldly 
 Interefl: or Power j but delpifing and oppofmg every 
 Temptation that may be thrown in their Way, to 
 dcfert or betray the Truft: committed to their Charge : 
 Vol. II. L Such 
 
^4<J 1'he Contempt of 
 
 Such as thefe will fliine as Lights in the iVorld-y the 
 People that fee them will reverence and efteem them, 
 will gladly fubmit to their Dire6lions, and follow 
 their Examples, and acknowledge that God is in them 
 of a Truth, when they fee them live agreeably to 
 their Characters, and believe' and praClife themfelves 
 what they preach to others. But if a Prince fhould 
 ever be fo unhappy as -to promote a Set of covetous, 
 ambitious, time-ferving Seekers, only to be the Tools 
 of Power J the Influence of fuch Examples on the 
 Minds of the People, muft be prodigioufly evil, and 
 the Credit of Religion muft fink to the fame Level 
 with the Credit of its Teachers. Experience, there- 
 fore, has fliewn, that it has never been good Policyj 
 efpecially in England^ to reduce the Credit of the 
 Clergy ; and by confequence of Religion, too low in 
 jthe Opinion of the People. Certain it is, no Laws 
 can be framed, no human Authority can be fufficient 
 to reftrain ambitious, turbulent, and feditious Spirits. 
 There is no Security like Confcience. When Peo- 
 ple are convinced that Rebellion and Refiftance of 
 the fupreme Power is a damnable Sin, they will then 
 be fubje£l not Only for Wrath, but alfo for Confcience 
 fake ; which the Clergy cannot inculcate with any 
 Hopes of Succefs, further than their Credit with the 
 Laity can engage their Attention and Regard. But if 
 ever they fhould fee the higheft Dignities of the 
 Church, conferred as a Reward for the moft obfe- 
 quious Compliances with the Court, it will naturally 
 weaken and abate that Reverence that is due to their 
 Ecclefiaftical Superiors, they will be tempted to ima- 
 gine, that every thing they fay to them is the Lan- 
 guage of the Court, rather than eithei: Law or Go- 
 3 fpel i 
 
the Clergy Conftdered, 147 
 
 fpel J and therefore pay no more Regard to it, than 
 they do to the Charge of a Judge at the Affizes, who 
 has received his Inftrudions beforehand from the 
 Court ; and is particularly directed what to tell the 
 Country. This infenfibly draws the freethinking and 
 unthinking Majority into a Difefteem and Sufpicion of 
 the Truth of Religion in general ; whofe Founda- 
 tion they can never think to be divine, when they fee 
 it intirely played as an Engine of State, and directed 
 by the moft corrupt Maxims of State-Policy. Hence 
 they are perfuaded by Atheifts and Deifts to refolve 
 all into Prieftcraft, directed by a fuperior State-Craft. 
 This gives the full Reins to all Lewdnefs, Immora- 
 lity, and Rebellion, where there is the leaft Profpeit 
 of Succefs or Impunity. But even here, the State 
 will find themfelves much miftaken in their Politics ; 
 and that all their Schemes of Security from fuch a 
 State of Things will end in Difappointment and Con- 
 fufion. For, if Religion were a State-Craft, it 
 would anfwer no political Purpofes, unlefs the People 
 were taught to believe the diredl contrary, that the 
 whole was a Divine Injlkution j and that the Clergy 
 adled by virtue of a Divine Co?nniiJJiony which they 
 never will, nor can believe, whilft they fee the Go- 
 vernors of the Church exercifing almoft no Ecclefi- 
 aftical Power, but in Dependence and by Dire6lion 
 of the State. No fenfible Man will call any thing 
 * Religiouy but what he thinks to be divine ; that is, 
 commanded immediately by God : And that whatfo- 
 ever is fo, is wholly independent and unalterable 
 by any human Power whatfoever. And, to fay the 
 plain Truth, this is it which has made fo many 
 Dcifls among the Gentry, and fo many Diflenters 
 L 2 among 
 
148' ^Ij^ Contempt of 
 
 amang the common People of England. The Dif- 
 fenters, one and all, pretend to divine Commilfion, 
 independent of all the Powers upon Earth ; there- 
 fore the common People flock to them, and look 
 upon the Church of England as a State-Religion, 
 or a parliamentary Eftablifliment, And the Dei/is, 
 whilft they obfcrve the Conduit of their Superiors, 
 and the political Direction and Reflraints of Eccle- 
 fiaftical Power and Difcipline, if they Ihould ever 
 find themfelves fitting in Committees of Religion^ they 
 can never think there is any Thing more divine 
 ia a controverted Point of Religion, than in a 
 controverted Eledlion j hnce both are to be deter- 
 mined by the Votes of the Majority. Upon thefe 
 Confiderations we are morally certain, that a wife: 
 and religious Prince will never do any thing to the 
 Prejudice and Difcredit of Religion, and by confe- 
 quence will never fill the highefl: Offices .of the 
 Church with Men of fuch Inability or ill Principles, 
 as may difgrace their Order, and make Religion it- 
 felf contemptible. 
 
 But fhould wc, or our Pofterit)', be ever fo un- 
 happy as to fee a Papifl, a Prefbyterian, an Heretic, 
 or an Infidel, on the Throne of thefe Kingdoms j 
 which God forbid I But it is, by no means, an im- 
 poflible Suppofition, for what has been may be ; and 
 no human Prudence can forefee or prevent fuch a 
 dreadful Contingency : In fuch a Cafe there is no 
 Doubt to be made, but each would prefer Men of 
 their own Principles and Complexions j Men that 
 would ient their Lufls, and gratify their Ambition ; 
 or at leaft fijch as would comply with every thing, 
 and not dare to reprove their Faults, or tell them 
 3 their 
 
the Clergy Conftdcred. 149 
 
 their Duty. By this means it would be in the Power 
 of the vileft f'avourites and Inftruments in Iniquity, 
 to fell the beft Preferments in the Church to the bcft 
 Bidder j though he had no other Kind of Merit, but 
 that of giving a valuable Confideration. This muft 
 neceflarily tend to make Religion appear to the undif- 
 cerning, the illiterate, and injudicious, which are 
 much the greater Part of Mankind, to be not only 
 an empty Name, but a Cheat and Impofition upon 
 Mankind, when they fee it fo proftituted to the 
 vileft Purpofes of Lewdnefs, Ambition, and Cove- 
 toufnefs. 
 
 There is one Difficulty yet behind : It may fo 
 happen that a well-difpofed Prince, of a moft gra- 
 cious Difpofition, and upright Intention, may yet be 
 betrayed through an exceffive Eafinefs and Credulity, 
 into an improper and unhappy Choice of Minifters, 
 both in Church and State. A Prince that is re- 
 folved to fee with his own Eyes, and hear with his 
 own Ears, cannot eafily be deceived in the Choice 
 of proper Perfons to fill the higheft Stations in both. 
 But if, through Diffidence or Indolence, he dele- 
 gates his whole Authority to a favourite IVIinifter, and 
 refigns himfelf abfolutely to his Dire6tion, he thereby 
 makes him not oiily his Premier in l^mporals, but 
 his Vicegerent in Spirituals, with Confequences no 
 lefs dangerous to his own Royal Pcrfon and Au- 
 thority, than to the Intereft and Security of Church 
 and State. In a Nation divided into Fa6>ions and 
 Parties, which is too often the Cafe of all Nations, 
 more or lefs, there will be perpetual Struggles for 
 Povi^er and Eftablifliment ; and out of whichever 
 Party the Miniftcr is chofen, he will naturally con- 
 L 3 fider 
 
1 50 ^he C O N T E xM P T of 
 
 fider himfelf as the Head and Reprefentative of 
 that Party, whom he muft fupport and ftrengthen, 
 that they may be able to fupport him ; which can 
 only be done by Power, and keeping up a good 
 Majority in both Houfes of Parliament. And as the 
 Bifhops are known to have great Weight in the 
 Upper Houfe, it is natural for him to prefer none but 
 fuch as give him full Security for their intire At- 
 tachment to his Perfon and Intereft. If, in full 
 Confidence of his Integrity, upright Intentions, and 
 public Spirit, he fhould determine to prefer none 
 but Men of diftinguifhed Learning, Piety, and Cou- 
 rage, he need never be at a lofs to find out proper 
 Perfons fo qualified : But if he want a Set of Tho- 
 roughers (as Sir Hu7nphrey Polefworthj of immortal 
 Memory, ufed to call them), fuch are always to 
 be found in the Purlieus of a Court, waiting for 
 Vacancies, and ready to accept them upon the Terms 
 of their Patron. The Confequence of this muft 
 quickly be, a Contempt of public Spirit and political 
 Virtue, of good Learning, found Morals, and true 
 Religion, as Things of no Ufe or Confideration to- 
 wards procuring Preferment, which they fee folely 
 befrowed upon political Confiderations. The Prin- 
 ciples of the MiniiTer and his Party are digefted into a 
 Kind of political Creed ; which is as abfolutely necef- 
 fary for obtaining Preferment, as the Articles of the 
 Chriftian Faith are' for obtaining Salvation. I re- 
 member I once faw the Form of fuch a Creed, drawn 
 up in a late Reign, by a very merry Writer, to this 
 Effect : / believe my Lord * * * to be the be/l and 
 ivijeji Man in England, the King only excepted; that 
 all he fays is true, and all he does is jufl and right > 
 
 and 
 
the Clergy Confidered. i ^i 
 
 end whoever thinks othenvifc^ is either a Knave or a 
 Fool, an Enemy to his Country and his own hiterejl, and 
 dcferves never to he admitted to any Office or Trujiy 
 Eccleftajiicali Afditary, or Civil, from this Titnc forth 
 
 for evermore. Amen. Very concife ; but very 
 
 comprehenfive j including every thing that is neceflary 
 to be believed by any Man that intends to rife by 
 the Intereft of a Party. I would not be thought 
 to mean any particular Minifter or Party. Parties 
 confidered as Parties are all alike : They differ only 
 as a Black Bull may do from a IVlnte one in Size, 
 and Strength, and Colour. The ftrongcft is alv^^ays 
 in the Right, and the weakeft always in the Wrong. 
 The firft refolved, at all Adventures, to fupport it- 
 i^i \ the other watching all Advantages to perplex 
 their Counfcls, to diflrefs their Admi nitration, and 
 fet their whole Conduit in the moft odious Lights, 
 in Hopes of procuring a Change, and getting the 
 Reins into their own Hands. Upon the whole, 
 we may venture to pronounce, that a wife and 
 good Prince will never knowingly prefer an un- 
 worthy Man to any of thofc eminent Stations ii^ 
 the Church j and that a weak or irreligious Prince, 
 or cunning Minifter, will never but by Chance prefer 
 a good one. A projecting Head, a voluble Tongue, 
 and a fupple Confcience, will be a more fuccefsful 
 Recommendation than the Knowledge of an An- 
 gel, the Piety of a Saint, or the Courage of a 
 Martyr. 
 
 The next great Lay-Patron is the Lord High Chan- 
 cellor, who has a Right of prefenting to every Bene- 
 fice belonging to the Crown, under the Value of 
 L 4 20/. 
 
152 'The Contempt of 
 
 20 /. per ann. in the King's Books. The Reafon of 
 this is generally faid to be, that he had formerly fe- 
 veral Clergymen conflantly attending him in the Ex- 
 ecution of his Office, who were a Sort of Afleflbrs or 
 Affiftants upon fome particular Occafions, as parti- 
 cularly in Caufes of a religious Nature ; where, as 
 Keeper of the King's Confcience, he was to determine, 
 rather by the Laws of God and Revealed Religion, or 
 Canon Law, (which, at that time, was efteemed a: 
 neceflary Branch of Learning for every Clergyman) 
 rather than by the Forms of Civil or Common 
 Law. On which Account, it has been generally 
 thought, the Kings of England formerly ufed to 
 prefer fome Bifhop of eminent Sandlity and Learn- 
 ing to that high Office. Thefe Clergymen always 
 attended the Lord Chancellor, as thofe now do, 
 who are called Clerks in Chancery^ and who were 
 not permitted to marry, till a Statute was made on 
 Purpofe to enable thern, in the Reign oi Henry VIH. 
 And that the Lord Chancellor might be enabled 
 to gratify thefe Clerks, he had the Privilege of be- 
 ftowing thofe Benefices given him by the Crown. 
 And a very great Privilege it is, as he prefents 
 not only to feveral very valuable parochial Cures, 
 but to feveral Dignities in Cathedral Churches, as 
 Rochejier.) Gloucefler^ BriJIol, &c. which Preferments, 
 as they were intended to be the diftinguifhing Re- 
 wards of diftinguifhed Merit, were certainly never 
 lodged in better Hands than they are at prefent. If 
 univerfal Knowledge, confummate Prudence and Ex- 
 perience, and unatFe(51:ed Piety and Zeal for Religion, 
 can give ys any Security, we are morally certain that 
 his Lordlhip can never prefer an ill Man, nor dif- 
 
 countenance 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 153 
 
 countenance a good one. I have been credibly in- 
 fonncd, that when the Lord Chancellor FiNCH was 
 firft promoted to the Scab, he ufed often to fay. 
 That the Patronage of Ecclefiaftical Preferments was 
 the createfl Burden annexed to his Office : and that 
 after many ferious and pious Refledlions upon it, he 
 one Day addrelTed himfelf to his Chaplain, Dr. Sharp, 
 aftci-wards Lord Archbifhop of York, (whom he loved 
 - and trufted as a Friend, and honoured as his Con- 
 feflbr and fpiritual Guide) to this EfFe<5l : TJie grcatejl 
 Difficulty^ 1 apprehend, in the Execution of my Office, is 
 the Patronage of Ecclefinffical Preferments. God is my 
 TVitnefs, that I would not knowingly prefer an umvorthy 
 Perfon j but as my Courfe of Life and Studies has lain 
 another way, I cannot think jnyfelffo good a fudge of the 
 Merits of fuch Suitors as you are ; / therefore charge it 
 upon your Confcience, as you ivill anfwer it to Almighty 
 God, that upon every fuch Occafion, you make the befl 
 Inquiry, and give 7ne the hfl Advice you can, that 
 I may never be/low any Favour upon an iindeferving 
 Man J which if you neglc^ to do, the Guilt will he in- 
 tirely yours, and I Jhall deliver my own Soul. 
 
 The next great Patrons are the moft Reverend the 
 Archbifliops and Bifhops. And methinks there is at 
 fird: Sight fuch an apparent Congruity betwixt Eccle- 
 fiaftical JurifdicSlion and Patronage, that I am often 
 tempted to wifh, they had more Intereft and Power 
 in this rerpe«5l, than at prefent they feem to have; 
 that they had as much Power in the Government of 
 the Church, as the Lords Commiffioners of the A.d- 
 miralty, and the Commiffioners of Trade and Planta- 
 tions have in their refpedtive Provinces : Or, which is 
 
 yet 
 
.154 ^'^^ Contempt of 
 
 yet more to the Purpofe and comes nearer to the Cafe, 
 as much as the feveral great Companies of this City 
 enjoy by virtue of their refpedlive Charters : At leaft, 
 that they had as much under Chriftian Kings, as they 
 enjoyed under heathen Emperors. Every thing that 
 is venerable and facred is impUed in the Office and 
 Chara£ler of a Bifhop : Their Education, Courfe of 
 Studies and Employment, fhould make them better 
 Judges of the Merit and Qiialifications of Clergymen, 
 than Lay-Patrons can generally be fuppofed to be. 
 Which gives us the higheft Security, that the Power 
 of eledling proper Perfons to fupply the feveral Vacan- 
 cies in their own Epifcopal Colleges, and providing 
 for the NeceiTities of the Church upon all emergent 
 Occafions, can never be depofited in fafer Hands than 
 their own. You cannot but remember, v/hen I juft 
 mentioaed this in the Company, Sir Harry loft all 
 Patience, and affirmed that they made as many un- 
 vvorthy Promotions as any Lay-man of them all. He 
 declared upon his own Knowledge, that one of them 
 had preferred three fuch good-for-nothing Fellows in 
 one Neighbourhood, that a Man of Probity and Cha- 
 ra£ler would be afhamed to be i^tn in their Company. 
 If the Fa6l be true, for which we have no other Evi- 
 dence but the Word and Honour of a very angry Man ; 
 this is a ilrong Argument on my Side of the Queftion, 
 and charges the whole Guilt imputed to the Bifhop 
 upon thofe who preferred fuch an unworthy Perfon 
 to the Epifcopal Dignity : Had the filling that vacant 
 See been left to the reft of the Comprovincials, ac- 
 cording to the moft primitive Ufage, I dare fay they 
 would have fhewn fo much Regard to the Good of 
 the Church, the Litereft of Religion, the Dignity of 
 
 their 
 
the Clergy Con/tdered. 155 
 
 their Office, and the Credit of their Order, as to 
 provide a more proper Perfon than (it feems by this 
 Account) has been provided for them. 
 
 But the greateft Part of the parochial Cures are in 
 the Gift of the two Univerfities, the Nobility, and 
 Gently of the Kingdom . The Univerfities are un- 
 der fuch Regulations that they are feldom or never 
 known to prefer an unworthy Perfon, and it is a foul 
 Reproach upon the Nobihty and Gentry of England to 
 fuppofe them fo deftitute of Honour and Confcience, 
 as to alnife fo facred a Truft, as is that of Ecclefiafti- 
 cal Patronage, by preferring fuch Numbers of unwor- 
 thy Clergymen as the Enemies of their Order would 
 feem to infuiuate. From whence we humbly pre- 
 fume, that the Charge is falfe, and cannot be fup- 
 ported ; not that we pretend to fay, there is no 
 Ground at all for the Accufation ; in fuch a numerous 
 Body as the Clergy of Englayid, there are, no doubt, 
 too many irregular, undeferving Members j and 
 confidering the prefent State of Things, it is morally 
 impoflible it ftiould be otherwife. The many indi- 
 reft Influences to which they {land expofed j the poor 
 Endowments of too many parochial Cures, and the 
 prefent, general, and unavoidable Relaxation of 
 Church-Difcipline, cannot fail to produce feveral Irre- 
 gularities, which the wifeft and beft of their Order 
 condemn and lament, but can neither prevent nor 
 cure. 
 
 Well I (fay you) what then muft be done ? Good 
 faith (my PViend) you aflc me a very hard Queftion ; 
 I cannot tell what ?nujl be done. But I can tell what 
 moy be done ) and what perhaps in Confcience and 
 
 good 
 
156^ 1'^s Contempt <?/ 
 
 good Policy ought to be done. • • Date Cafart, 
 
 qua Cafarh funt \ Deo, quce funt Dei. What (hould 
 hinder the reftoring the Government and Difcipline 
 of the Church to its primitive Inftitution ? What 
 poflible Danger can there be in reftoring to the 
 Epifcopal College, who are the Governors and Re- 
 prefentatives of the Church, thofe original, inherent 
 Rights and Immunities, which are eflential to her as 
 a Society, and which every incorporate Body of Men 
 claim as eflential to their very Being, and abfolutely 
 neceflary for their Prefen^ation. I mean the Power 
 of eleSiing their own Governors and enacting Laws for 
 the better Government of its Members ; fo that they 
 be not inconfiftent with the Laws of the Land. I am 
 fangiiine enough to imagine, that the State would find 
 their Account in it, upon a political View, as well as 
 the Church, if there were no other Rcafon to per- 
 fuade or hope for fuch a Change. On which Account, 
 I have often wondered that fo many learned and re- 
 ligious Prelates, who have fo near Accefs to the 
 Throne, have fo long negle<3:ed to reprefent this 
 Grievance, in the moft dutiful and aftedling Man- 
 ner, to thofe who have it in their Power to redrefs it, 
 and who cannot be fuppofcd to want Inclination to do 
 what Religion, Juftice, Policy, and Intereft recom- 
 mend to their Attention and Regard. 
 
 In order to fet this Matter in a clearer Light, let 
 \is look back to the original Inftitution of the Church, 
 as a Society intirely diftindt from the Civil Govern- 
 ment, and in the Excercife of its fpiritual Powers 
 wholly independent upon it. In the Beginning of this 
 Letter I propofed to take no notice of the PretenfioJis 
 of the Clergy to a Divine Eftablifhment, antecedent 
 
 to 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 157 
 
 to any human Charters or Conftitutions. But as it is 
 beyond Difpute, that the Church has been from the 
 Beginning in Pofl'effion of fuch a Claim, which they 
 profefs themfelves ready to make good againft all 
 Oppofers ; fo it is amply recognized by the Law of 
 the Land; of which our Liturgy, Canons, and 
 Book of Homilies are a Part, in which the indepen- 
 dent Power of the Church (in Matters purely fpiritu- 
 al) is fully and plainly acknowledged. It will be necef- 
 iary to look back to that original Charter, by which 
 thefe divine and fpiritual Powers have been conveyed 
 
 to them. 1 fee you begin to look arch 
 
 upon my ferious Apology for fpiritual Power ; but 
 confider I fpeak the Language of my Clients, as any 
 unbelieving Counfel would do, if he were retained 
 by a good Fee to plead on this Side of the Qiieftion. 
 And if it be thought no Abfurdity for the greateft In- 
 fidel to fwear upon the four Gofpels, in Confirmation 
 of the Evidence he fhall give upon any Matter in 
 queftion, before a Court of Judicature ; I hope it will 
 not be thought unreafonable in us to infift upon their 
 Authority, and appeal to them as authentic Records 
 and proper Evidence in the Cafe before us j which will 
 diredtly admit of no other, however it may be 
 corroborated by the concurrent Teftimonies and uni- 
 form Pradice of the Church even from the apoftolical 
 Times. 
 
 The Gofpels then pofitively and plainly aflert. 
 That there is A GOVERNMENT in the 
 Church, and ONE SUPREME GOVER- 
 NOR, even JESUS CHRIST; whom all 
 that profefs to believe in him acknowledge to be the 
 
 S U- 
 
158 ^he Contempt of 
 
 SUPREME LORD*, who died for us ell, that 
 they which live jhould not hencefoyth live unto them- 
 felveSy but unto him that died for them, and rofe again. 
 The Church therefore f ^vhich he hath purchafed by his 
 Bloody is hereby made fubjed unto him ; and he Is 
 the Head or chief Ruler of it. X ^^^ Lord hath given 
 unto him the Throne of his Father David ; he jhall 
 reign over the Houfe of Jacob for ever ; and of his 
 Kingdom there Jhall be no End. || God hath put all 
 Things under his Feet, and given lyim to he the HEAD 
 ever all Things to the Church. § All Power is given to 
 him both in Heavai and Earth. This Power, before 
 his Afcenfion into Heaven, he delegated to certain 
 Perfons, whom he fent into the World, with the 
 fame extenfive Commifiion which he himfelf had re- 
 ceived from his Father. ** As my Father fent me, even 
 fo fend I you. This Authority and Commiffion the 
 Apoftle Paul frequently infifts upon in his Epiftles ; 
 And calls it the Authority ff which the Lord had given 
 him, and the refl of the Apoflles. So he tells the 
 Corinthians, that they were not to account of him and 
 the other Paflors of the Church as their Minifters 
 Or Servants, but Xt ^^ ^^^ Minijlers of God, and 
 Stewards of the Myjleries ofChriJl. And declares that 
 both he and they were || || Ajnhaffadors for Chriji ; 
 intimating that they had received a full and ample 
 Commifiion immediately from the Fountain of all 
 PowCT, Jefus Chriji himfelf, in the fame Extent and 
 to the fame Purpofes that he himfelf had received it 
 
 * 2 Cor. V. 15. t Adls XX. 28. X Luke i. 32, 33. 
 il Eph. i. 22. § Matt, xxviii. 18. ** John xx. 21, 
 ft 3 Cor. X. 8. XX I Cor. iv. i. |||| 2 Cor. v. 20. 
 
 from 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 159 
 
 from the Father. This divine Commiflion, by which 
 they reprefented the Perfon of their Mafter, intltled 
 them to a great Degree of Refpecl and Obedience 
 from their fpiritual Subjedls and Inferiors. On which 
 Account the Apoflle to the Hebrnus commands 
 them * to obey them that had the Rule over them, and 
 fubmt them/elves. And that the Obedience required 
 in this Place is not meant to temporal but fpiritual 
 Governors, is evident from the following Words : 
 * For they watch for your Souls, as they that muji givt 
 Account. By virtue of this divine Commiflion, they 
 colledled, • fettled, and governed the (everal Churches^ 
 which, by their Preaching and Miracles, they had 
 converted to the Faith ; and for three hundred Years 
 together, vigoroufly and gloriouHy fupported the Apo- 
 ftolical Authority, where the civil Government was 
 fo far from lending the leaft Afliflance or Prote(51:io% 
 that they employed all their Rage and Power to per- 
 fecute and fupprefs it. And though they were per- 
 fedlly obedient in civil Matters to the temporal 
 Powers, to whom they preached up Obedience in all 
 Things lawful, under the Penalty of Damnation; 
 yet when they were oppofed by the Rulers in the Ex- 
 ecution of their Office, and forbid to preach the 
 Gofpel to the People, they did by no means think 
 themfelves bound to obey, becaufe they wifely judged 
 t // to be more right to hearken to God, rather than to 
 Man. Therefore, notwithftanding all the Oppofitioft 
 they met with, and all the Perfecution they fufFered, 
 from the temporal Powers, in the Execution of theii- 
 Commiffion ; they ceafed not to exercife the Autho- 
 
 * Heb. xiii. 17. f Adsiv. '9. 
 
 rity 
 
i6o The Contempt of 
 
 rity committed to them by Chrift, and to fulfil ths 
 Will of him that fent them. They preached the 
 Gofpel ; they gathered and fettled Churches among 
 the People, whom by their Preaching they had con- 
 verted, performing all the Duties and Functions of 
 Ecclefiaftical Governors. And God himfelf teftified 
 his Approbation of their Proceedings in this Affair, 
 by the wonderful Gifts and Graces he beflov/ed 
 upon them, and the miraculous Works he enabled 
 them to perform. The Church therefore, and the 
 Governors of it, depend immediately upon Chrift, 
 receiving all their Power and Authority from him 
 only. 
 
 The FIRST BISHOP in the Chriftian 
 Church was JESUS CHRIST himfelf; called 
 therefore by Peter * the Shepherd and BISHOP 
 of our Souls. His twelve Apoftles were his Prefby- 
 ters, his feventy Difciples were as it were his Deacons. 
 Whilft he lived upon Earth, he governed his Church 
 in his Perfon ; his Apoftles had Authority to preach 
 and baptize, and to pronounce Remiflion of Sins, 
 which is the Prieft's Office now ; yet could they not 
 perform that Office, peculiarly Epifcopal, of giving 
 others a Commiffion to acl with Authority in the 
 Government and DireClion of the Church. Bat 
 when Chrift was rifen from the Dead, and ready to 
 afcend into Heaven, then he enlarged the apoftolical 
 Power, and gave them Authority to colle<Sl and fettle 
 Churches ; and give Commiffion to others, as he 
 himfelf had given to them, f As ?ny Father hath fent 
 me, even fo fend I ycu. % -^^^ when he had faid this, 
 
 * I Pet. ii. 25. t John XX. 21. % Jghnxx. 22. 
 
 he 
 
the Clergy ConfiderU' i6^i 
 
 hi breathed on theniy andfaid. Receive ye the Holy Ghoji. 
 Signifying to them, by this Emblem of breathing on 
 them, that they fhould, in a fhort time, be * bap- 
 tized with the Holy GhoJi, and be endued with Power 
 from above after that the Holy Ghojl was come upon them. 
 And therefore when they had received the Holy 
 Ghoft upon the Day of Penticojl, they began to col- 
 le6l and fettle the Church, and govern it by thofe 
 Rules which they had received from their Mafters 
 and Founder. The ApofHes had hereby an additional 
 Power to their firft Commiflion. Their Mafter had 
 fent them out to preach and to baptize in his own 
 Life-time ; but now he fends them, even as he him- 
 k\i had been fertt by the Father. It is certain they 
 could not be fent as Mediators and Redeemers as he' 
 was. t For there is but one Mediator between God and 
 Many the Man Chriji JefuSi This new Commiffion, 
 therefore, muft be underftood only of the Authority 
 of Government, Jurifdidlion, and Difcipline in the 
 Church, which Chrift himfelf had received of the 
 Father ; and of ordaining others to the fame OificCj 
 by virtue of their firft Ordination. Whilft Chrift 
 continued with them In the Flefh, they had a Com- 
 miffion to preach the Gofpel j but by this laft, when 
 they were to fupply the Place of their abfent Mafter, 
 they themfelves alfo communicated to others, that 
 Epifcopal Authority which themfelves had received 
 from the Chief Bijhop^ that there might be a continual 
 uninterrupted Succeffion of Ecclefiaftical Governors 
 to the End of the World. At the granting of which 
 Commiffion, their Mafter gave them a folemn Pro- 
 
 * Afts i. 5, 8. t I Tim, ii. 5, 
 Vol., II. M miffi 
 
1 62 ^he Contempt of 
 
 mife of his fpecial BlefTing, Protection, and Afliftance 
 for the due Difcharge and Execution of it through all 
 Ages of the World, * And lo I am with you always to 
 the End of the World -y which as it could not be meant 
 of his bodily Prefence, who was then about to be 
 taken up into Heaven, muft necelTarily be underftood 
 of his fpiritual Prefence, Authority, and Protedtion 
 over thofe, who fhould from thenceforth duly receive 
 and worthily execute this divine Commiffion to the 
 End of the World. 
 
 Pardon me, I fee you begin to yavm at this folemr* 
 Account of Spiritual Power and Ecclefiaftical Autho- 
 rity ; but we cannot help it ; it is neceflary to clear 
 the Foundation of our Claim, which can no other- 
 wife be done than by appealing to our Charter, which,, 
 however it has been difputed, bantered, and ridiculed 
 by the Enemies of the Clergy, ftill fubfifts without 
 Corruption or Mutilation j it is in every body's Hands, 
 and by good Fortune has from time to time been ac- 
 knowledged as an authentic Record by the Laws of 
 the Land. It may perhaps appear but a dry Story to 
 an unconcerned By-ftander. But to us, who are Par- 
 ties deeply interefted in the IlTue of this Affair, it ap- 
 - pears in a very diiferent Light ; and what may feen* 
 to be wanting in fine Thoughts and elegant Language,^ 
 is abundantly made up to us by ftrong and unqueftion- 
 able Evidence on our Side of the Queftion. The Ex- 
 amination of Charters and old Records has nothing 
 very entertaining to a Man of a lively Fancy and fine 
 Imagination like your own; but it gives a noble and 
 rational Pleafure to tlie Counfel, as well as to the 
 
 f Matth. xxviii. 20. 
 
 Client^ 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 163 
 
 Client, when they find there any thing that may de- 
 termine a Difpute, by fecuring a Right or Property 
 in Pofleflion, or i-ecovering a loft one. A Man ill 
 found Health, high Spirits, and an eafy Fortune^ 
 would find but little Entertainment in reading one of 
 FreincTs or Ratcliffe's Prefcriptions, or perufing a long 
 Bill in Chancery ; but a Man under a decaying Con- 
 ftitution, a difputed Title, and an empty Pocket, 
 would find more Beauties in the Prefcription of an 
 able Phyfician, the Opinion of a fkilful Lawyer, ot 
 a Bank-bill of looo/. than in locoo the fineft 
 Lines that could be found in Homer or Firgil,'— This 
 by the bye — 
 
 Here then you fee the Plan of a Divine Charter, 
 a fpiritual Commiffion conveying fuch Privileges, 
 guarded by fuch Lnmunities and Sanctions, as all die 
 Powers upon Earth can neither give, nor alter, nor 
 take away ; a Commiffion not confined to this World, 
 not limited to any particular Period of Time, but ex- 
 tended even to the next World, and the Interefts of 
 Eternity, intirely dlftindl from every Branch of civil 
 and temporal Authority, and independent of it.— - 
 Miftake me not, I neither fay nor mean that the Cler- 
 gy, as Delegates and Deputies under Chrift, and_^Go-» 
 vernors of his Church, are exempt from the Power 
 of temporal Princes, and the Jurifdiftion of fecular 
 Authority. By no means ! — As Subjects, they owe 
 the fame Obedience to the civil Power that all other 
 Subjects do, and under the fame Penalty of Damna- 
 tion if they refift j for the Power of the Church is 
 merely fpiritual. Chrift himfelf would never exercife 
 any temporal Authority, neither gave he any fuch to 
 his Apoftlcs, or their Succeffors j but the Power 
 M. 2 which 
 
1^4 ^^s Contempt of 
 
 which he himfelf exercifed upon Earth, and at his 
 Aflenfion into Heaven, gave to his Apoflles, and their 
 Succeflbrs, was fuch a Power as the civil Magiftrate 
 never had, and which could make no Encroachment 
 on the temporal Prerogative. The temporal Power 
 extends only to the Bodies and Goods of theSubjeftsi 
 but the fpiritual afFe£ts neither of thefe, but the Soul 
 only. The Power then of the Church and the State 
 are intirely different from each other upon all Ac- 
 counts : The firfl is purely fpiritual, and exercifed 
 only in fpiritual Matters, which are no Part of the 
 civil Magiftrate's Office, fuch as preaching the Word 
 of God, adniiniflering the Sacraments to fuch as are 
 worthy, and fufpending and depriving of Communion 
 the obflinately impenitent, abfolving penitent Sinners, 
 and ordaining proper Perfons for the Execution of 
 thofe fpiritual A6ts of Jurifdidion. But the civil 
 Magiftrate a6ls in a quite different Sphere, and in a 
 cjulte different Manner. He ufes the Sword, and 
 punifhes the Breach of temporal Laws with temporal 
 Penalties, fuch as Fines, Confifcations, Imprifonment, 
 Banifhment, and Death. He may juflly punifh even 
 penitent Sinners, whom the Church, upon their true 
 Repentance, has abfolved from fpiritual Cenfures; 
 and he may remit the temporal Punifhments due to 
 impenitent Offenders, whilfl they lie under the jult 
 Cenfure of their fpiritual Superiors. The civil ^as well 
 as fpiritual Superiors may punifh for the fame Offences, 
 but not in the fame Way : The former infliiSl tem- 
 poral Punifliments, the other fpiritual : The former 
 have the Power of the Sword, the latter of the Keys. 
 In a Word, thefe two Powers are co-ordinate, per- 
 fc^ly diflindl, and may very well fubfift the one wit^o- 
 
 out 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 165 
 
 out the other. There have been, in all Ages, States 
 and Kingdoms wifely governed, where there was no 
 fpiritual Power, nor Society at all; and it is well 
 known that the Chriftian Church, for full three hun- 
 dred Years together, flood and profpered in the full 
 Exercife of her whole Ecclefiaftical Authority, under 
 the moft violent Oppofition, and cruel Perfecutions 
 from the civil Power. 
 
 But you will fay, perhaps, this is an indire(5l Way 
 of denying or queftioning the King's Supremacy, 
 which both the Scriptures and the Lav/s of the Land 
 have declared, and which all Ecclefiaftical Perfons are 
 bound folemnly to recognize, and acknowledge him 
 to be in all Cattfes, and over all Perfons, as well Eccle- 
 fiajiical as Crdil, in all his Dominions and Countries fu' 
 preme. — By no means. We confefs and acknowledge, 
 that all Perfons, of what Rank or Condition, State or 
 Quality foever, are fubjecSl to the temporal Go- 
 yprnment under which they liye ; and that the Clergy 
 bwe the fame Allegiance to the fupreme Power under 
 whofe Prote<5tion they live, as the Laity do. The 
 Apoftle's Command is general and abfolute, * Let 
 every Soul be fubjeSi to the higher Power's, without any 
 Exception or Limitation. Nor does this Power de- 
 pend upon the Religion of the Prince ; for this Pre- 
 cept was given when the chief Magiflrate was a Hea- 
 then and a Perfccutor. Nero and Dioclefian were as 
 much intitled to it as Conjlantiiie or Theodofms. Jefus 
 Chrift himfelf, whilft on Earth, acknowledged and 
 fubmltted to the Roman Governor of Judea, ajid paid 
 Tribute f when demanded of hirn, as well as the reft 
 
 f Rom, xiii. 1, t Matt. xvii. 27. 
 
 U 3 of 
 
i66 The Contempt of 
 
 of his Countrymen, When he flood before Pontius 
 Pilate^ he did not demur tothe Jurifdidtion of the Court, 
 nor the Authority of the Governor; but freely con- 
 felTed it, and that he had received it from God*. His 
 Apoftles, and all his faithful Servants followed his 
 Example in this Particular. Paul^ when he flood 
 before Fejius^ to anfwer the feveral Articles exhibited 
 againfl him by the feivs, declares f he Jiood before 
 Cefar'j 'Judgment-Seat^ where he ought to be judged-^ 
 and therefore pleads, J that neither againjl the Law of 
 the Jews, neither againji the Temple, nor yet againjl Ce^ 
 far, had he offended any thing at all. Nay, the Roman- 
 Catholics themfelves, who are not bigotted to the 
 Court of Rome, have acknowledged all Perfons with- 
 out Exception to be fubjedl to the civil Magiflrate, 
 Thus the Faculty of P^m, Anno 1663, declared, that 
 all Subje6ls owed fuch Allegiance to their King, that 
 no Power upon Earth could, upon any Pretence what- 
 foever, abfolve them from it. And feveral of the Mif- 
 fionaries in this Kingdom have made the like Declara- 
 tions ; and would not recant, though they have been 
 cenfured and excommunicated by the Pope for fo do- 
 ing, as is evident from the C7;^/^^/^r/rt'«rt (publifhed 
 at London by Peter IValJh, a Francifcan Friar, and 
 printed by J. Browne, 1684.) Let me give you from 
 thence the Words of Part of a Proteflation made by 
 the ^czw^«-Catholic Clergy of Ireland, fignified "by 
 a Bifhop and above twenty other Regulars and Secu- 
 lars of that Communion. The Words are thefe : 
 IVe profefs that all abfolute Princes and fupreme Magi- 
 jirates, of what Religion foever they be, are God's Vice- 
 
 f John xix. II. t Ads xxv. 10. J Ads xxv. 8, 
 3 gerents 
 
the Clergy Cmfidm'ed, iSj 
 
 gercttts upon Earth, and to thvm rcfpeSihely, according to 
 the Laws of every Cartimonwealth, Obedience is due in civil 
 and temporal Matteis ; and for this Caufe we proteji 
 againfl all Do£irine and Authority to the contrary. So 
 far we all agree about the Power of the Prince over 
 all Ecclefiaftical Perfons. The greateft Difficulty is 
 about Ecclefiaftical Caufes, and Matters purely fpi- 
 ritual. Here the common Diftinciion has its true and 
 proper Ufe. He has Authority circa facra^ but not 
 in facris. He cannot ordain a Prieft, or confecrate a 
 Church ; he cannot adminifter the Sacraments ; he 
 cannot excommunicate an impenitent Sinner, nor ab- 
 folve a Penitent, nor execute any Part of the facerdo- 
 tal Office : Yet in the Diredlion, Regulation, an^l 
 Prote6lion of the Church and its Minifters in the 
 Exercife of their refpeilive Offices, in enforcing the 
 Ecclefiaftical Difcipline by the temporal Authorit)'^, 
 and reftraining and punifhing ftubborn and obftinate 
 Offenders with the civil Sword ; he has a great and 
 Sufficient Power in all fpiriiual Caufes. He has alfo 
 •Power to judge of all Doctrines, and declare whether 
 ihis or that Faith, or this or that Article of Faith, 
 fhall be preached in his Dominions. I do not fay that 
 llich a Law binds the Clergy in his Dominions to an 
 ii6iive Obedience \ but if it be eftablifhed by the intir-e 
 legiflative Authority, it binds all Subje<5ls to SLpaJJivt: 
 Obedience -y they are obliged to fubmit to the Penalties 
 infli(5led by the Law, and Hot to refift the Authority 
 of the Magiftrate by human Force. The fupreme 
 Magiftrate mayabufe his Authority, by enacting what 
 is contrary to the Law and Will of God 3 yet the Sub- 
 jedts have no Right to judge him for it; that belongs 
 properly to God, to whom alone all ilipreme legifla- 
 j\'l 4. tive 
 
1 6.8 ^he Contempt of 
 
 tlve Powers are fubjedl. For the fupreme Power, in 
 what Hands foever it is lodged, under what Form 
 of Government foever it exerts itfelf, whether in a 
 lingle Perfon, or a Community, can have no Superior 
 upon Earth. To affert the contrary is a direct Con- 
 traction in Terms, and fuppofes that the fupreme. 
 Power can have a Superior to limit or control it. 
 
 Saving, therefore, all the Rights of temporal 
 Princes, it plainly appears, that the Church, as a 
 purely Jpiritual Society in the Exercife of her fpiritual 
 Powers, is intirely independent upon the State as it 
 fubfifted fome hundreds of Years, in direil Oppofition 
 to the greateft temporal Powers then upon Earth. 
 Now it is eil'ential to every Society to be inverted with 
 fuch Powers and Privileges as are neceflary for their 
 Support and Security, and to promote the feveral 
 Purpofes and Intentions of their Charter: As particu- 
 larly that of choofmg their own Governors and Di- 
 rectors : And, fecondly, of enacting and executing 
 fuch Laws as may from time to time be thought ne- 
 ceflary for the Good of the whole, to meet and conr- 
 fult upon all Emergencies, to cehfure, punifh, and 
 expel unworthy IVIembers, and unfaithfid Officers, and 
 enforce, by proper Penalties, the Obedience and Sub- 
 miflion of all the Members of the Society. Thefe 
 have been, in all Ages, declared to be the inherent ori.- 
 ginal Rights of the Church, which cannot, without 
 Treachery, be given up, nor, without Sacrilege, 
 invaded ; and that this was the uniform Practice of 
 the Church, appears from every Part of its Hiftory. 
 As the Well-being of every Society depends chiefly 
 upon its Direflors and Governors, becaufe they have 
 ^he gre3.teft Power to do Good or Hurt j therefore, 
 
 where 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 169 
 
 vhere the Choice of the Governors of one Society is 
 m the Hands of another Society (as if the Church 
 fiiould make Laws, and choofe Minifters for the State 
 in temporal Matters ; or the State vice verfd for the 
 Church in Matters purely fpiritual) then is that So- 
 ciety intirely fubje£t to the other. And whereas no 
 Society can fubfifl without meeting and confulting 
 about their AiFairs, and giving proper Orders as Occa- 
 fion fhall require j if one Society cannot meet to con- 
 fider of their own proper Affairs, nor enadt Laws, 
 nor give Directions for the better Regulation and Im- 
 provement of the Society, without the Leave and 
 Authority of another Society ; then is the former in a 
 manner diflblved, and its Charter deftroyed, becaufe 
 it fubfifts precarioufly as to the Exercife of any Power 
 upon the mere Will and Pleafure of another. This 
 is a Degree of Subjedlion to which the Roman Go- 
 vernors did never reduce the Church of the yews\ for 
 their High-Priefts and Elders, their Sanhedrim, or 
 great Council, met whenever they pleafed, as we 
 frequently find in the Gofpels and Adls of the Apoflles. 
 And fo we find the Chriftian Church always did, even 
 whilft fhe was under a State of Opprefiion and Per- 
 fccution. They conftantly met together as Occafion 
 required, to ele£t Governors and make Laws for the 
 better Government of the Society, without any legal 
 or regular Literpofition or Reftraint from the civil 
 Powers. I fay legal and regular, becaufe tho' perhaps 
 they might be interrupted and hindered fometimes by 
 the Tyranny and Violence of their temporal Superiors, 
 yet that was no more than the moft regular and leaal 
 Convention may fuffer from the Violence and Op- 
 preffion of a powerful Enemy, or tj'rannical Prince. 
 
 Let 
 
170 The Contempt of 
 
 Let us firft conlider the original State and Inftltu- 
 tion of Epifcopacy, and the conftant Methods of fup- 
 plying their vacant Sees. The firft Bijhop, as I ob- 
 ferved before, was JESUS CHRIST himfelf: 
 The chief Shepherd and BISHOP of Souls, who," 
 at his Afcenfion into Heaven, delegated to his Apoftles 
 the whole Power that himfelf had received from his 
 Father. When the Apoftles had for fome time exer- 
 cifed this Epifcopal Authority by themfelves, becaufe 
 the Number of the Faithful daily increafed, and they 
 themfelves could not live always, that the Church 
 might not want proper Governors, inverted with the 
 feme Authority, to fupply their Places, they ordained 
 others, by virtue of their divine Commiffion, and fet 
 them over particular Churches, that they might or- 
 dain Prefbyters, and govern their refpedlive Flocks 
 committed to their Charge. For as the Apoftolical 
 Commiflion extended to all Parts of the World, be- 
 ing authorized * to teach (or make Difciples of ) all Na- 
 tions J -^ to go into all the IVorld^ and preach the Go/pel ta 
 every Creature : So it was impoflible it fliould be long 
 fixed or confined to any one particular Place, and 
 therefore it was neceflary that Paftors and Teachers 
 fhould be fettled in every Congregation of Believers, 
 who might continue to inftru6l and teach them, to 
 offer up Prayers for them in the public Affemblies, 
 adminifter the holy Sacraments, and perform all other 
 facerdotal Offices among them : Hereupon J they or-r 
 daijzecl thetn Elders in every Church ; that is, a Bifhop, 
 with a competent Number of Prefbyters and Deacons 
 to aiTift him. It has been a Difpute among the 
 
 * Matt, xxviii. ig. f Mark xvi. 15. % A6ls xiv. 23, 
 
 Learned, 
 
//'^Clergy Conftdered. lyi 
 
 Learned, whether the Apoftlcs themfelves conftltuted 
 any Archbifhops or Metropolitans. Dr. Hammond * 
 fuppofes Timotljy and Titus to be fuch f . Peter de 
 Marca, the late learned Archbifliop oi Paris, declares 
 himfelf of the fame Opinion, as does our late learned 
 "Biiho^ Beverid^eX' Whether their Inftitution was 
 Apoftolical or no, it is however certain that it is of 
 very great Antiquity. And the Nature of their Of- 
 fice, though under other Names, frequently mentioned 
 in the A6ls and Canons of the moft antient Councils : 
 Such are the Names Primates^ and prima: fedis Epifcopt, 
 Thus it is declared, in the 34th Apoftolical Canon, 
 That the Bifhops fhall do nothing without the Pri- 
 mate, except in their own Diocefes, nor the Primate 
 without the Bifhops. This was diredlly the Archie- 
 pifcopal or Metropolitical Authority, though the 
 Names of Metropolitan and Archbifliop were not in* 
 troduced into the Church till the fourth Century. 
 
 For the better underftanding of this, it will be ne- 
 cefTary to obferve, that the Roman Empire, which 
 contained almoft all the known Part of Chriftendom, 
 was, by Augtijlus Cefar, divided into Provinces, which 
 was afterwards a little altered by Adrian I. and after- 
 wards by Conjiantine, but without any Change in the 
 Nature of Government, only the Seat of the Prcfident 
 was removed from one City to another, and the Ex- 
 tent of the Province enlarged or diminifhed. In each 
 of thefe Provinces was one City called the Metropolis, 
 or Mother City, where was ufually the greateft Re- 
 jfort, and the ordinary Refidence of the Governor of 
 
 * Annot. Ac^s 11. f De concordia Sacerd. & Imp. 
 Lib, VI. c, I. I Annot. ad Can. Apoft. 34. 
 
 the 
 
172 'I'^e Contempt of 
 
 the Province. The ApoflJes, who, by their Com- 
 miffion from their Mafter, were obh'ged to profelyte 
 all Nations, could not ftay long in any one Place ; 
 but having difperfed themfelves into the feveral Pro- 
 vinces, and made fome Numbers of Converts, they 
 fixed a Bifliop in each of the principal Cities w4ierc 
 they faw it neceflary, and gave thefe Bifhops Com- 
 miffion, as other Cities of the Province ftiould be con- 
 verted, to fix Bifhops in them alfo. 
 
 The Apoftles being very careful to fix the moft 
 extraordinary Perfons in the Metropolitan Cities^ 
 where was the greateft Occafion for Men of the moft 
 eminent Gifts and Abilities j this caufed the other 
 Bifliops of the Provinces to make their Application 
 to them for Advice upon the moft important Affairs, 
 and to pay a particular Deference and Refpedl to them 
 upon all Occafions. So that though all the Bifhops 
 conftituted by the Apoftles were of equal Authority as 
 Bifhops, and therefore, when a new Bifhop was to 
 be chofen, they all met together to confecrate him, 
 yet they ftill yielded a Precedency to the Bifhop of the 
 Metropolis ; and fo they did when they affembled to 
 confult about any Affairs of the Church. This was 
 found to be the moft prudent and convenient Methgd 
 to preferve the Unity of the Church in feveral Pro- 
 vinces. All provincial Councils (and in thofe Ages 
 there could be no other) always met in the MetrO' 
 polis of that Province. And as they were then un- 
 der the JurifditSlion of the Metropolitan, they con- 
 fidered him as the Prefident or Moderator of the 
 SefHon, to whom they paid a due Deference and Sub- 
 jection. And as it was neceffary for the Bifhops to 
 jneet frequently upon the Affairs of the Church in every 
 
 Province, 
 
the Clergy Conftdered, 17^ 
 
 Province, it was therefore neceflary that a Primacy 
 Ihould be granted to one of them, to fummon and 
 convene the reft. 
 
 I have been the longer upon this Article, becaufe 
 it tends to explain the primitive Manner of eletSling 
 Biftiops into vacant Sees. Upon the Death of a 
 Bifhop, the comprovincial Bifhops m,et together with 
 their Metropolitan to ele(Sl a new one. This we learn 
 from the Council of Nice, which had very carefully 
 examined into the Pradlice of the moft primitive 
 Times, where it is decreed. Can. 4. That a Blfliop 
 ought chiefly to be conftituted by all the Bifhops of 
 the Province i but if this be too difficult, either 
 through urgent Occafions, or the Length of the 
 Way, yet three muft be prefent for that Purpofe, and 
 have the Confent of the Abfent under their Hands, 
 and fo to make the Confecration. But the Con- 
 firmation of all Things to be done in the Province 
 muft be referred to the Metropolitan. The Council 
 of Laodlcea about the fame time decrees. Can. 12, 13, 
 That Bifhops, approved both in Faith and Dod^rine, 
 fhould be conftituted for the Government of the 
 Church by the Metropolitans and neighbouring Bi- 
 fhops. Now though the Biftiops had the undoubted 
 Right to conftitute other Biftiops upon every Vacancy, 
 yet the People were not intirely excluded ; their Con- 
 fent was generally afked, and they had the Privilege 
 of making Exceptions to any Perfons nominated for 
 Election : The Refembiance of which is ftill kept up 
 in the Ordinations and Confccrations ufed in the 
 Church of England; though both here and there they 
 are no otherwlfe conftdered than as Witneftes, and 
 I not 
 
1 74 ^'he Contempt©/ 
 
 not Judges, as the late learned Bifliop StilUngJieet 
 obferves * Sometimes the Bifhops permitted them to 
 nominate and recommend a proper Perfon, and if 
 they found him deferving, and duly qualified accord- 
 ino- to the antient Canons, they eledled him j if 
 not» if they judged him unfit, they refufed him. It 
 feems indeed, in fome Parts of Hillory, as if the 
 People commonly recommended fome Perfbns to the 
 Clergy, who chofe one, and prefented him to the 
 Metropolitan and Biihops, who they either confecrated 
 or rejedlcd, as they thought fit : But this was not 
 a Matter of Right ; the People could by no means 
 pretend to claim it : It was a mere prudential In- 
 dulo-ence, that they might be the better pleafed and 
 fatisfied with their new Bifliop, as having given their 
 own Confent and Approbation to the Ele6tion. But 
 it is beyond all Difpute certain, that the Power of 
 Eleftion, as well as Confecration, was intirely in the 
 Bifhops, as it was originally in the Apoftles. As the 
 Apoftles received and evercifed fuch a Power inde- 
 pendent of the People, fo they conveyed the fame to 
 the individual Perfons of their Succeflbrs. There are 
 two remarkable Inftances of this in the Cafe, of 77- 
 mothy and Titus, to whom the Apoflile gives particular 
 Diredions and Inftru^tions with regard to their Or- 
 dination of Bifhops in their feveral Provinces. The 
 Commiflion to Timothy is diredly referred to in thefe 
 Words, t The Things which thou haji heard of me among 
 many TVitneJfes, the fame commit thou to faithful Men^ 
 who Jhall be able to teach others.^—The Subftance of 
 
 * Antiq. Brit. Churches, /. 97. f 2 Tim. ii. 2. 
 
 Titus's 
 
ih Clergy Confidered. 175 
 
 Titus's Commiflion is, * For this Caufe left I thee in 
 Crete, that thou Jhouldjl fet in order the Things that art 
 wanting^ and ordain Elders in every City^ as I had ap* 
 pointed thee. In both thefe Cafes we find the intir« 
 Right and Power of eleiling and confecrating the Go-; 
 vernors of the Church, that each of them, in their 
 fingle Perfons, are exprefsly fpecified and dire<3:ed in 
 the Charge and Execution of it. In tlie firft it is 
 plainly exprefled, Cojmnit THOU, b'c— -In the fe- 
 cond, and that T KO \J /houid/l ordain Elders^ &c.— • 
 as I had appointed THEE. 
 
 And as, in the Nature of Things, it was apparently 
 neceflary that the Church, as a Society diftind: from 
 the State, fliould have a Power of eleding its owa 
 Governors, which was incontcftably the original 
 Pradlice of the primitive Church ; fo it was equally 
 neceflary that (he fhould have a Power of convening 
 thefe Governors upon any Emergency, for the more 
 regular and convenient Exercife of her fpiiitual Au- 
 thority, fuch as the Eleiition of Bifliops, the determin- 
 ing Controverfies, cenfuriiig Heretics and Schifmatics, 
 enabling Laws for the better Prefervation of Decency 
 and Uniformity, and the punifhing obltinate and in- 
 corrigible Sinners. And this, as appears from Hi- 
 ftory, was the conftant Practice of the Catholic 
 Church from the Beginning. It cannot be imagiaed 
 that they would apply to the heathen Governors for 
 Leave to afl'emble upon proper Occafions to confult 
 and provide for the Neceflities of the Church, and the 
 Maintenance of a Religion which they hated and per- 
 fccuted, and would for that Reafon certainly have 
 
 * Titus i. J. 
 , . refufed 
 
iy$ The Contempt of 
 
 reflifed to comply with any Requeft or Petition o^ 
 that Kind. But when the Emperors became Chri- 
 ^ian, it cannot be doubted but that they promoted 
 and encouraged, upon all Occafions, the BifhopS 
 meeting together in Councils, and protected and af- 
 fifted them with the civil Power, in the Difcharge of 
 fevery Branch of their Epifcopal Duty ; nor do I be- 
 lieve it can ever be made appear, that they at any 
 time attempted to forbid or prevent their Meeting, 
 whenever they tho'.ight fit to affemble themfelves. 
 For as they were always ready to convene them in 
 general Coimclls, upon any notable Emergency, fo 
 they neither did nor could prevent the calling pro- 
 vincial Synods, which, by the 30th Apoftolical 
 Canon, were appointed to be held regularly twice 
 every Year, viz. the firft on the 4th Week after 
 Eajier, and the fecond on the 12th Day of OSiober, 
 to determine all Do£lrines of Religion among them- 
 felves, and to put an End to all Ecclefiaftical Con- 
 troverfies that may happen. Thrs was ^terwards 
 confirmed and enforced by the 5 th Canon of the 
 Council of Nice, and the 20th Canon of the 
 Council of Antioch, with this Addition, That the 
 Metropolitan fhould fummon the other Bifhops, and 
 that without a Metropolitan no Synod fhould be 
 holden. 
 
 This appears to have been the conffant and uni- 
 form Pradice of the primitive Church in their Elec- 
 tion of Bifhops, and convening of Synods, without 
 any Interruption or Interpofition of the fecular 
 Powers. The firft Attempt that we read of to fub- 
 vert this original a«d natural lilxercife of Ecclefiaftical 
 Power was uiade by the Donatifts, who appealed 
 
 to 
 
th Clergy Confidtred. lyy 
 
 to the Emperor Conjlantlne in an Ecclefiaftlcal Caufcj 
 to decide a Difpute they had raifed concerning the 
 Election of Cacilian into the See of Carthage. But 
 this godly Emperor, in a Letter to the Biiliops of the 
 Council of Jrles (which is extant inter Gejia purga^, 
 tionis Cisciliam &' Falicls in fine Optati, Edit. Paris.) 
 refufed to accept their Appeal, as not belonging to 
 him, and owned that the Bijhops were the only proper 
 yudges of their oivn Order ; for that he hinfelf was to be 
 ftihjeSi to them. He fays, it was the Work of the Devil, 
 and an outragious daring Fury in thefe DonatiJIs, ivhom 
 therefore he calls Proditors, to refufe to fubmit to the 
 fudgment of their Bijhops, which he calls the heavenly 
 ^Judgment j and fays, the Contempt of it is an Infult 
 offered to God himfelf. He fays, // is as clear as the 
 Sun at Noon-day, that God had ordained his Church only 
 to judge in fuch Cafes, and refufed to be joined in 
 Commiilion with them, as if he had any Part in it. 
 JVhat Madncfs (fays he) poffeffes them that zvith in- 
 credible Arrogance, they think they may do that which 
 cannot lawfdly be either [poke or heard, and departing 
 from the rightful fudgment which God hath ordained, 
 they require my fudgment together with that of the 
 Church ! What malignant Violence poffeffes them ! How 
 often have they been juflly reproved by my f elf for thofe 
 zvicked Additions to God's Word in thefe Cafes ! For I 
 declare (as the Truth is) that the Judgmefit of Priefls 
 ought to be accounted as the fudgjuent of God himfelf. 
 So far was this pious Emperor from claiming any 
 Kind or Degree of fpiritual Jurifdiclion over the 
 Church, that he calls it an Addition to God's Word. 
 As the Donatifts were the firft who appealed to the 
 civil Power from the Decifions of the Church, in a 
 Vol. II. N Matter 
 
lyS The Contempt of 
 
 Matter of purely Ecclefiaflical Cognizance ; ^o the 
 Eiifchians did the fame to Conjiantiiis^ the firft here- 
 tical Emperor i who made fuch Ufe of the Advantage 
 they gave him, that he had well nigh overthrown 
 the Chriftian Faith. But Athanafim and Hojius with 
 great Zeal oppofed and protefted againft this dan- 
 gerous Innovation and Violation of the Rights of the 
 Church, faying, that they that did appeal to Conjian- 
 ihis in Ecclefiaftical Matters, did fet him up inftead 
 of Chrift : That to make himfelf a Prince of Bifhops, 
 and to prefide in Ecclefiaftical Judicature, made him 
 the very fame Abomination of Defolation, foretold by 
 Datiiel the Prophet, * Do not (fays Hofms the aged 
 Bifliop of Corduba) concern thyfelf in- Eccleftajiical Af- 
 foirs, nor cojmnand us in thefe Matters \ but rather 
 learn thofe TluTigs of us. God hath given to thee the 
 Empirey and he hath entrujied us with thofe Things that 
 belong to the Church. And as he that with malignant 
 Eyes reproacheth thy E/npire, oppofeth the Ordinance of 
 God \ fo do thou beivare^ left drawing to thee thofe Things 
 that belong to the Churchy thou thereby fall into a heavy 
 Condemnation. It is written. Give unto Cefar the 
 Tlnngs that arc Ccfar^s.^ ojid to God the Things that are 
 Gouts. It is mt lawful for us, O Emperor, to invade 
 thy earthly Empire ; neither hafl thou the Power of holy 
 Things f . 
 
 The late Bifhop Burnet, who was never fufpeded 
 of Partiality to his own Epifcopal Order, tells us in 
 his Hiflory of the Regale, p. 30, That Confiantine 
 did abfolutely renounce the Power of elecSling Bijfhops, 
 
 * Athan. Ep. ad Solitar, /. 861, 86 z. 
 t Athan. ibid. /. 639. 
 
 2 of 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. lyg 
 
 of which he produces feveral Inftances ; that writing 
 to the Bifhops afTembled at Jntiocb for the Ehftion 
 of a Bifliop, he leaves the Choice intirely to them, 
 defiring them that the EIe<5lion may be made accord- 
 ing to the P-ule of the Church, and the Tradition of 
 the Apoftles, />. 31. He takes notice of Conjlan- 
 iius's depriving the orthodox Bifhops, and putting 
 j^rians in their Rooms by his ov/n Authority ; and he 
 quotes an Epifrle of Hilary writing to thcfs Court- 
 Biftiops : O ye Bi/hops, I pray you what Suffrages did 
 the Apojlies make life of? did they receive their Dignity 
 from the Palace ? But then he tells us afterwards, 
 that this Precedent was not univerfally followed. 
 Though fome furious Emperors puflied hard, after 
 the Example of Conjiantius, to enlarge their Preroga- 
 tive, yet others refufed it. He tells us, p. 37, 38. 
 how the Emperor Falentinian, about the Year 347, 
 upon the Death of Jlexentius, Bifhop of Milan, who 
 was an Arian, called the Bifhops together, and de- 
 fired them to choofe fuch a Bi/hop^ as ?night both by his 
 Life and Do^rine infhuul thofe whom he was to govern^ 
 and that he might fee fuch a Perfon fit up, as that he 
 who held the Etnpirc, might chear fully fubmit himfelf to 
 him. This Speech of the Emperor's, as related by 
 Theodoret, Lib. IV. Cap. 6, 7, is fo very remark- 
 able, that I carmot help giving it you intire in his 
 own Words. Having convened the Biflions, he ad- 
 drefled himfelf to them in thefe Words ; * Tou who 
 
 have 
 
 Ifc cTx'pu; oc Te c/j "707; 9c'(oi^ Xoycj; Ivrnpxuuivot ottjiov 
 MM 'KfOjriy.n Tov A^-)(ii^Cii^ii,r,; 'r,^iujij.iiioii' >^ u: e ^p/i Xoy^j aim, 
 ccXXtx >^ ^'w Tti^ 'P.^xj^uhiji; ^vG,«,;^£iy, kJ 'cris^? o^eI^j |jtt;1i» 
 
 N 2 1a;i>- 
 
i8o The Contempt of 
 
 have been bred up in the Study of the Holy Scriptures, 
 
 cannot be ignorant what Qualifications are required in a 
 
 good Bijhop, that he ought to in/iru£i the People C07n- 
 
 Jnitted to his Charge, not only by his Preaching, but by 
 
 his Life and Converfation, that he ought to propofe his 
 
 own Example as the Pattern of all Virtues, and the 
 
 Sanctity of his Life as the truejl Proof of the Sound- 
 
 Tiefs of his Do£irine, See therefore that ye place fuch 
 
 d Man in the Epifcopal Chair, that we who have the 
 
 fupreme temporal Authority, may fincerely and heartily 
 
 obey him, and receive his Reproofs as a wholefome Remedy 
 
 for thofe Faults, into which, through hwnan Frailty, we 
 
 Jhall fotnetimes unavoidably fall. 
 
 The Bifhop, after this, proceeds to give feveral 
 Inftances of Emperors, Kings, and Princes, who, 
 purely out of Confcience, renounced all Pretenfions 
 to Ecclefiaftical Power, though conveyed down to 
 them with the temporal from their Anceflors. He 
 tells us, p. 93. That the Emperor fohn Comnenus^ 
 about the Year of Chrift 1130, condemned the Ex- 
 ercife of the civil Power in the Election of Biiliops, 
 and mentions a fevere Law which Manuel Comnenus 
 made againfl; it, in which he calls it a wicked Ct(/lG?n. 
 Again, p. c^r, 98. a later Inftance is given, in the 
 xivth Century, of fohn Catacuzenus the Emperor j 
 and Part of the Speech is fet down, which he made 
 to the Biiiops who were met for the Election of a 
 Patriarch. He told them they ought to follow the 
 
 '3£l«^' To»yTo» ^\ av t^ vv¥ 'A^^n^acnvoT^ hy.ci^u^vaocli 6u/«5»;, oww; 
 xXivi'^v Hi'poOw:,, >c^ raj -etk^' Ixliva yivoijAvHi e'Xsl^n^, a.iB^uj7Tiii 
 
 Theod. Lib. IV. c. 6. 
 
 Steps 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. i &r 
 
 Steps of the Apoftles and Fathers, who, bemg met 
 together, invocated the Holy Ghoft, and implored 
 the Grace of God to dire6l them in the Choice of one 
 that fhould govern the Church according to his Will. 
 He acknowledged that in Eleilions, great Errors had 
 been committed, which Men were apt to excufe, 
 as they did all their other Sins that were dear to 
 them ; for it was certainly a mocking God, firfl: to 
 refolve who fliall be Patriarch, and then to meet and 
 hypocritically pray for the divine Direction and Af- 
 fiftance. This he confeffed he had done himfelf^ 
 and he did not doubt but his Predeceflbrs had done 
 the fame ; wherefore he ingenuoufly confefled his 
 Sin, and declared that he would never be guilty of it 
 more. Then in France ^ he tells us, p. 190, 191. 
 That when Pope Lucius the Second, to court the 
 Favour of Lewis the Seventh about the Year 1148, 
 fent him a Bull with a Privilege, that in all his Ca- 
 thedrals he Jhould difpofe of the frji Vacancy, and enjoy 
 the mean Profits -j he burnt the Bull, and faid he 
 would rather burn 10,000 fuch Grants, than have his 
 Soul tormented in Hell-fire. And, p. 209, he tells us, 
 ThztJlphonfiis, Count de Toidoufe, did, about the Year 
 1 138, not only renounce, but condemn, the Exer- 
 cife of temporal Power in Ecclefiaftical Cafes, which 
 his PredecefTors had enjoined in his Dominions, and 
 calls it that mojl wicked Cujiom of his Ancejiors ^ by 
 which they feized violently on the Goods of the 
 deceafed Bifhops. One Branch of the Royal Power 
 was the Prefcntation to Bifhoprics and other Church^ 
 Dignities. The other was the feizing the Revenues 
 during the Vacancy \ and this was a Temptation to 
 keep them long vacant. And both thefe Branches 
 N 3 of 
 
1 82 The Contempt of 
 
 of Power were condemned and given up by thefe 
 and feveral other religious Princes, as an Ufurpatioa 
 upon the Kingdom of Chrift, though fome of their 
 Succeflbrs took it up aftei-wards, as they were other- 
 wife inchned. 
 
 I hope it prett)' plainly appears what Sort and De- 
 gree of Power the Church was originally invefled 
 with, confidered as a fpiritual Society diftintt from 
 the civil : And what the uniform Pra6lice of the 
 antient Church was in thefe two great Branches of 
 Power in every Society, that of electing their own 
 Governors, and enabling and executing their own 
 Laws, for the better Direction and Security of the 
 Whole, and anfwering the feveral important Ends of 
 their Inftitution. And that the Britifo Church was 
 formed by the fame Model as a Member of the fame 
 Catholic Church ; that fhe enjoyed the fame Privi- 
 leges, and exercifed the fame Authority, cannot (we 
 prefUme) be denied or difputed. That fhe was firfl 
 founded by St. Paul himfelf, die learned Bifhop 
 St'iliingjleet * thinks highly probable. And fhe was 
 acknowledged and recognized by Tertidl'ian f and 
 \Or'igen. And, at the Council oi Arles^ anno ^ 14. j 
 we find three Britijh Bifhops fubfcribing it ; Eboriia 
 Bifhop of York^ ReJIitutus Bifhop of London, and 
 Adelphius de Civitate Colonic Lond'tnenfuan \ but what 
 Place that was, the Learned are not agreed. But it 
 feems as if there were at that Time three Provinces 
 in Britain^ every one of v^hich fent a Bifliop to this 
 Council ; fo that upon the Whole, one would ima- 
 
 * Antiq. Brit. ch.\. f Contra Jud<eos, c. \\\. 
 X In Eztk. Horn. 4. 
 
 sine 
 
the Clergy Cojifidered. 183 
 
 gine that there had been an uninterrupted Succeflion 
 of Bifliops in the Britijh Church from the apoftolical 
 Times. As it was certain they fat in the Council of 
 Jrles, fo it is more than probable they fat alfo in the 
 Council of Nice, upon many Confiderations colledled 
 by the above - mentioned learned Writer * ; from 
 whence we may be fufficiently enabled to judge what 
 was the Senfe and Praaice of the Brit'iJ}:> Church at 
 that Time concerning their fpiritual Privileges and 
 Immunities. The Bifliops there aflembled made 
 twenty Canons for the Government and Difcipline of 
 the Church, in which they partly reinforced the Ca- 
 nons of the Council oi Arks, and added fome new ones 
 in which were particularly fettled the two grand 
 Points of Ecclefiaftical Polity, i . The Eledlion and 
 Confecration of Bifliops. And 2. The calling Pro- 
 vincial Synods. The former is exprefsly declared iij 
 the fourth Canon, which I have already quoted. 
 That a Bijhop ought to be conjiitutcd by all the Bijhcps of 
 the Province, &c. — By this Canon, the Govern- 
 ment of the Church was now fettled under the Pro- 
 tedlion, and with the Approbation, of the Emperor 
 Conjlantine. The only Difficulty lies in this firft 
 Claufe, What is meant by the Bijhops of the Province 
 conjiituting a new Bijhop ; whether the Right of 
 Election is hereby devolved upon them, or only the 
 Right of Confecration upon the EleiStion of the Prince 
 or People, or both. Which is therefore fit to be in- 
 quired into, becaufe the antient Practice of the Britijh 
 Church may be fully known, which we juflly prefume 
 was agreeable to the Nicene Canon, which themfelves 
 
 * Antiq. Brit. c. iii. 
 
 N 4 had 
 
1 84 ^-^^ Contempt of 
 
 had figned as binding to themfelves and their Princi- 
 pals. And becaufe the Signification of the Greek 
 Word is ambiguous, \vc muft fee what Senfe the Greek 
 Writers put upon it. Balfamon interprets y.*&tr«i7S«t by 
 4'J?»^i5-9«', which fignifies to choofe by Suffrage or 
 Ballot ; and he plainly affirms, that by this Canon 
 the Right of Election is taken from the People, and 
 given to the Bifliops of the Province. Zoriaras and 
 Bhjlares are of the fame Opinion. It cannot be de- 
 nied that the People had the Privilege of propofing 
 and recommending Perfons to be chofen, and of of- 
 fering their Exceptions againft any Perfons whom on 
 canonical Grounds they judged to be undefcrving j but 
 all this v/as ultimately referred to the Bifhops and 
 Metropolitan, who were to judge of the Merits of the 
 Perfons, and to elect or refufe accordingly. If their Ex- 
 ceptions were jufl and well proved, the Bifhops, as 
 Judges, were to proceed canonically againft them, and 
 then they went to a new Nomination j but ftill the 
 Judgment refted in the Provincial Synod. So in the 
 1 6th Canon of the Council oi Antioch^ it is provided, 
 that though all the People choofe one aflually a Bifhop, 
 yet if he takes pofleflion of his See, without a perfedl 
 Provincial Synod, the Metropolitan being prefent, he 
 is to be caft out. But in no Synodical A61 or Canon 
 does it appear, that the Prince had any Right to eledl 
 or conftitute a Bifhop by virtue of his own Royal 
 Authority. The fecond Branch of Ecclefiaftical Power, 
 the calling Provincial Synods, was alfo fully fettled in 
 this Council, and the Apoftolical Canon fully con- 
 firmed, VIZ. that Provincial Synods be held twice a Tear, 
 in Lent and Autiann. Which we may therefore fairly 
 conclude was the conftant Pra(flice of the Britijh as 
 well as other Chriftian Churches. 
 
 % And 
 
the Clergy Confidered. i%^ 
 
 And now I exped to be afked, if this were the origi- 
 X\A Inftitution confirmed by innumerable Canons, and 
 the uniform Pra6lice of the whole Chriftian Church, 
 how came it to be violated ? Who iirft dared to in- 
 vade thefe inherent Privileges of this fpiritual Society ? 
 By what Artifice or Violence were they wrefted from 
 them ? and by what Steps were thofe Encroachments 
 made, of which (you know I fpeak for my Clients) 
 they too juflly complain ?— Fair and foftly ! good Sir, 
 we are got among the Briars, which muft be handled 
 very gently, for fear of pricking our FingerS' ■ - -The 
 firjl Step towards it feems to have been an exceflive 
 Complaifance in the Governors of the Church to the 
 ^rft Chriftian Emperors. The juft Senfe they had 
 of their happy Deliverance from a State of Perfecu- 
 Uon, under which they had groaned for three hundred 
 Years, naturally threw them into Tranfports of Gra- 
 titude and Joy ; and as they found their great Deli- 
 verer and Protestor moft zealoufly attached to the In- 
 terefts of Religion, and the Security and Honour 
 of the Church, they thought they could never fhew too 
 much Regard for him, who had fhewn fo much for 
 them, which is certainly right. Yet through the 
 Weeknefs of human Nature, the excellive Venera- 
 tion which the Bifliops paid to their heroic Patron and 
 religious Defender, whom they ought rather to have 
 confidered only as an Inftrument in the Hands of God 
 for their Deliverance, feems to have made fome Im- 
 preflions of Vanity upon his Mind, infomuch that be- 
 fore he himfelf was a Catechumen, he took upon him 
 to write to the Bifliops with an Air of Authority, and 
 the Language of InftrucStion. Which Eufebius in his 
 Life takes notice of; Evsn to myfelf{(diYs he) the IFri- 
 
 tar 
 
i86 ^he Contempt of 
 
 ier of this Irliftory *, he fent a very karned Pi'eacbment, 
 Upon which Paflage, Valeffiis, in his Annotations f, 
 makes this Remark, That this Emperor^ though not 
 yet a Catechumen^ wrote in a Language ?mre becoming 
 a Bijhop or Do^or of the Church. He was certainly a 
 Prince divinely enlightened and co77imifftoned hy God for 
 the Propagation of the Chrijlian Faith ^ to whom the Chri- 
 jVian Church is tnore indebted than to any one particular 
 Perfon ftnce the Days of the Jpojiles. But yet in Eccle- 
 fiajiical Affairs he took more upon Imn^ than became ajry 
 Layman though a Prince ; the Bijhops in a inanner leav- 
 ing every thing to his DireSiion^ for joy that they were 
 tinder the Prote£lion of a Chrijiian Emperor. And 
 though it is very certain that he employed all his 
 Power for the Intereft and Security of the Church and 
 Chriftian Religion, as appears particularly in his fum- 
 moning the Council of Nice., in the providing all Ne- 
 cefTaries for the convenient Carriage and Maintenance 
 of the feveral Bifhops who were to attend it, and the 
 conilant and reverent Attendance he himfelf paid du- 
 ring the whole ScfHon : Yet vras this an unlucky Pre- 
 cedent for his Son and Succeflbr Conjlantius^ who ex- 
 ped:ed the fame Deference from the Bifhops to his 
 
 * Kt.yvA.uiica.v v.arritti^JKi otdasrHaAiaw" p, 5o6, 
 
 t In his omnibus [epiftolis] Conflantinus tametfi ad- 
 hue vix Catechumenus, Dodorem agit. Fuit certe Con- 
 i^antinus, quod negari non poteft, Vlr Deo planus & a 
 Deo miflus ad Chriftianae fidei propagationem, cui uni 
 poft x'^.poftolos plurimum debemus. Idem tamen in ne- 
 gotiis Ecclefiafticis, aliquanto plus fibi vindicavit, quam 
 iaico principi conveniret : Epifcopis curatce illi permit- 
 fentibus, multumque fibi gratulantibus, quod Chrillianum 
 imperatorem viderent. Fahf. Annot. de Vita Conjlantiai, 
 ilir. iii. f. 51. 
 
 Imperial 
 
tht Cl.ergy Confidered. 187 
 
 Imperial Authority, which had on quite other grounds 
 been paid to his Father. This Power he grofsly abu- 
 (ed, by calhng feveral Synods of Jrian Bifhops to de- 
 ftroy the Orthodox Faith, and banifhing thofe who 
 had the Courage to maintain and defend it. Their 
 Succeflbrs in the Empire took care never to drop their 
 Pretences to Ecclefiaftical Authority. Orthodox 
 Princes, who had no other view but the prote(fling 
 the Catholic Faith and its true Profeflbrs, and made no 
 other ufe of their Power, were hardly thought to 
 exceed the Bounds of their civil Authority, fo long as 
 they never pretended to exercife or claim any Autho- 
 rity purely fpiritual : But when an Infidel, an He- 
 retic, or Apoftate, got into the Throne, they made 
 ufe of the fame Power to diftrefs the Church, which 
 the Orthodox and Religious had employed to pro- 
 tect and defend it. Yet in the Heighth of their 
 Malignity, we believe it hard to produce an Inftance 
 of any Emperor pretending to the fole Nomination 
 of a Bifliop by his own Authority, though they 
 might influence the Clergy or People in Favour of 
 their Creatures and Favourites, which occafioned 
 many Canons to be made to difcourage and prevent 
 it. And what could they do more to fhew the Senfe 
 and Pradlice of the Church upon thofe Occafions ? 
 Any other Oppofition to the Will of an arbitrary 
 Prince, unawed by Religion, would have been fruit- 
 lefs and dangerous, and indeed was morally impof- 
 fible : For without all Doubt, they got the vacant 
 Sees filled with fuch Creatures as they knew to be 
 intirely at their Difpofal ; Men that fhould never 
 murmur at the Hand that raifed them, nor offer to 
 oppofe the Will and Pleafure of their Sovereign. 
 
 Nothing 
 
i$S The Contempt of 
 
 Nothing therefore can be argued from the Silence 
 and Compliances of thefe obfequious Gentlemen ; this 
 could be no Proof of the Senfe and Practice of the 
 Church. So far from it, that, befides the Reafons 
 from the Nature of the Thing, bcfides the Evidence 
 of Hiftory, and the Sentiments of particular Fathers 
 in every Age ; * there are feveral Canons upon Re- 
 cord, made even by general Councils as well as 
 ©thers, that plainly and fully aflert and confirm thefe 
 Immunities of the Church, and her independent Au- 
 tltority in this Point : In many of which it is made 
 Excom7m{n't cation and Deprivation to appeal from the 
 Biffiop to the King, or any fecular Power, in Eccle- 
 fiaflical Cafes j or for any Bifhop to be made, not 
 enly by the King's Command, but if he make ufe of 
 the Intereft or Recommendation of temporal Princes 
 to obtain his Bifhopric by their Means : And that 
 all Eledlions of Bifhops, Prefbyters, or Deacons, by 
 the fecular Magiftrate, fliall be void. And the Me- 
 thod of their Election is fet down, viz. Of Prefbyters 
 and Deacons by the Bifliop, and of the Bifhop by 
 the comprovincial Bifhops. And that this was the 
 Fra^ice of the antient Britijh Church, is hardly to 
 be doubted ; of which we have many remarkable 
 Proofs in Sir Harry SpelmarCs Hijlory of the Englifh 
 Councils. 
 
 But that which moft of all contributed to the Sub- 
 Tcriion of thefe original Rig-hts and Immunities, were 
 
 ** Can. Apo^. 30, 31. i Council of Nice, c. 4. Cen- 
 dant. 2d Gen. Coun. Can. 6. Chalced. 4th Gen. Coun. 
 z. 9. id Coun. Nice, c. 3, Conftant. 8th Gen. Coua. 
 
 %. zz. Coun. of Eliberis, c. 56. 
 
 the 
 
tife Clergy Confidind. 1S9 
 
 the Papal Ufurpations, under the Maflc of a pretended 
 Zeal for their Defence and Protedlion. The Pri- 
 macy, which, by the Conftitution of the weftern 
 Church, had been affixed to the Roman See, for the 
 better Correfpondence and Management of Jurif- 
 <li6tion in the Epifcopal College, was, by degrees, 
 improved into a Claim of univerfal and unlimited 
 Supremacy ; and that too, Jure dlvino over all his 
 Collegues, over all the Bifhops of the Catholic 
 Church. This was fet up in the fixth Century, by 
 John Biihop of Conjiant'mople ; who, when the Seat 
 of the Empire was tranflated thither, aflumed the 
 Title of Oecumenical Bi/I)opf of Univerfal Patriarchy 
 which was feverely condemned by Gregory the Great ; 
 as may be feen at large in his Book of Epijiles *. 
 He calls it a new DoSlrine that had never heeii heard 
 at Rome, and an Authority which none of her Bl/hops 
 had pretended to claim ; that it ivas againji the DoSirine 
 of the Go/pel y againji the Decrees of Canons., ogainji tht 
 Right of all other Bijhops^ and all other ChurcJjes, 
 With many other Things to the fame Purpofe ; and 
 many excellent Reafons given for it, agreeable to the 
 Sentiments of the Church in all Ages. Agreeable to 
 which is the Declaration of St. Cyprian : f There^ 
 fore the Epifcopal College is large, and there are many 
 
 * Lib. IV. Ep. 32, 33, 34, 36, 38. Lib. VI. Ep. 24, 
 28, 30, 39, ^V. 
 
 t Iccirco, (Frater chariflime) copiofum corpus eft fa- 
 cerdotum, concordire mutuje glutine copulatum, ut fiquis 
 ex Collcgio noftro Ha;refin facere, & grcgem Chrifti la- 
 cerare & vallare tentaverit, fubveniant ca;teri, & quaii 
 paftores utiles & mifericordes eves dominicas in gregem 
 colljgant. (& infra) Nam etfi paftores multi fumus, unum 
 jamen gregem pafcimus. Ep. 68. /. 178. 
 
 Bijhops 
 
igo '^he Contempt of 
 
 Bijhops joined together in the Bond of Unity, that if any 
 Bijhop of the College jhoiild propagate Herefy, and fo 
 feek to tear and wajle the Flock of Chriji, the reji might 
 mercifully interpofe for the faving of the Flock, and 
 gather again the Sheep of the Lord into the Fold : 
 For though zue are tnany Pajiors, yet we all feed the 
 faine Flock. And again, (fays he) * As there is hut 
 one Church through the zvhole World, divided ijtto many 
 Members j fo there is hut one Epifcopate diffifed through 
 the numerous Agreement of many Bijhops. Among the(e, 
 in the weftern Church, the Bifhop of Rome, as the 
 Metropolis of the Empire, held the firft Place ; and 
 therefore Applications were made principally to him 
 m tlie Affairs of the Church. But for any fuch 
 vuiiverfal Supremacy as is now pretended, as if he 
 were the ultimate and infallible Judge of Contro- 
 verfy, it was totally unknown to thofe early Ages ; 
 in which, though there were many and great Contro- 
 ■verfies, yet no fuch Appeal to the Bifhop of Rome is 
 to be found in the Hiftory of thofe Times : And as it 
 would (if believed) be the moft fummary Way of 
 deciding Controverfies, there is no doubt but we 
 fliould have met with it upon many Occafions, where 
 fuch Decifions would have been thought ncceffary. 
 However it came to pafs, the Bifliops of Ro?ne did 
 at laft, by the moft refined Policy, get themfelves 
 to be acknov/ledged as univerfal Bilhops of the 
 weiliern Church ; but, finding they could not main- 
 tain their Ufurpations over all the Billiops in the 
 
 * Cum fit a Chrifto una Ecclefia per totum m.undum 
 in multa membra divifa ; item Epiicopatus unus Epifco- 
 porum muloriim concordi numeroiitatc diifufus, Ep. 55. 
 /. 112. Ed. O.vifi, 
 
 World, 
 
the Clergy Confidered. igt 
 
 World, which they alfo claimed, without the Af- 
 fiftahce of the temporal Powers ; they were there- 
 fore content to divide the Spoil betwixt them : 
 They gracioudy vouchfafed to give them the Nomi- 
 nation of fome Bifhops, and the Difpofal of the 
 Revenue of fome Churches during the Vacancies, 
 and fome Peculiars exempt from the Jurifdi(Slion of 
 the Bifhops, that they might defend and maintain 
 the Papal Ufurpations over the reft ; both Sides ere6l- 
 ing and enlarging their pretended Claims upon the 
 Ruins of primitive Epifcopacy. To fecure this 
 Point more effectually, Grotius tells us, * that 
 Pope Adrian I. gave Charles the Great a Power to 
 choofe and inveft with the Ring and paftoral Staff, 
 (the Enfigns and Tokens of Epifcopal Dignity) the 
 Archbifhops and Bifhops in all the Provinces of his 
 Empire j and that no Bifhop fhould be confecrated 
 that was . not firft invefled by him. Though this 
 Decree or Grant of Pope Adrian be generally efteemed 
 by learned Men to be a Forgery, as being not men- 
 tioned by any Ecclefiaftical Hiftorian, (as it certainly 
 would have been) till about the twelfth Century, 
 near four hundred Years after it was faid to be 
 made ; yet it is undeniable that this Cuftom did 
 prevail through France^ Gerinany^ and lialy^ Spa'in^ 
 Hungary^ and Britain, and the whole Latin World ; 
 fo that for three hundred Years together, the Roman 
 Emperors chofe all the Bifhops, Abbots, Deans, and 
 Prebends, in their Dominions, but upon a quite dif- 
 ferent Account than this pretended Papal Decree. 
 For all the great Dignities were poffefled of Lay-Fees, 
 
 * De Imp. & fum. Poteil. cir. Sacra, c. x. § 24. 
 
 or 
 
tgi The Contempt of 
 
 or Temporalities granted by the Piety of form^f- 
 Princes, for the better Support of their Dignity and 
 Charafler. But fuch was the Nature of thefe Fiefs, 
 that except they were made hereditary, which Ecclc-' 
 fiaftical Fiefs never could be, upon the Death of any 
 Feudatory, the Sovereign entered upon, and took pof- 
 feflion of, the Fief, till he thought convenient to be- 
 flow it upon fome other Perfon ; and this was what 
 the feveral Princes, in their Difputes with the Popes 
 about that Matter, always infifted upon, without ac- 
 knowledging any Right or Grant from the Papal Sec 
 for fo doing. So then, upon the Death of any Bifhop, 
 the Lay-fees or Temporalities fell of courfe into the 
 Hands of the chief Lord, who had a Power to make a 
 new Grant to whatever Perfon he pleafed ; and to en- 
 joy all the mean Profits arifing from them till fuch Grant 
 was made. Wherefore though, by the Cuftom and Ca- 
 nons^ of the Church, the Ele6lion of a Bifliop be- 
 longed to the Clerg}^ and People, together with the 
 Metropolitan and Comprovincial Bifhops j yet it was 
 at the Pleafure of the Prince whether the new EleCl 
 fhould enjoy the Temporalities of the Bifhopric or 
 not, becaufe they reverted to his full Poffeffion upon 
 the Death of the former Bifhop. Upon which Ac- 
 count, no doubt, the Eletflors were willing to quit 
 their Ri^ht of Elecflion to the Prince, on whofe Fa- 
 vour alone the decent Maintenance and Support of 
 his Dignity depended ; or at leaft to eledl: the Perfon 
 whom he fhould nominate and inveil:; well knowing 
 that few Perfons would be willing ta undertake tlie 
 Epifcopal Burden, if there were no Revenues to fup- 
 port it. By which means, it came to pafs, after the 
 Introduction of the feudal Tenure by the Goths and 
 
 Vandals^ 
 
the Clergy Confjdered. tg^ 
 
 Vandalsy it became a general Cuftom for all Sovereign 
 Princes in the weftern Churches to invefl- whom they 
 pleafed with the Temporalities of vacant Biflioprics j 
 and the Perfon fo inverted was confecrated by the Me- 
 tropolitan and provincial Bifhops. This continued 
 in the Church of Rome above three hundred Years, 
 till Pope HUdebrand fet himfelf to oppofe it, and others 
 after him, and have brought it to the State in which 
 we now fee it. The Confequences of this Method of 
 Invejiiture were very fatal to Religion. For Princes, 
 efpecially the Politic and Irreligious (and fome fuch 
 no doubt there were) little regarded the Virtues and 
 real Merits of thofe whom they preferred to the 
 higheft Stations. If a Clergyman had any Depend- 
 ence on the Prince, or fome great Minifter of State, 
 fo that he could do them Service in their political 
 Schemes and temporal Aflairs, this certainly advanced 
 him to a good Bifhopric, without confidering whether 
 he were in any degree qualified for fo facred and im- 
 portant an Office. So that Learning, Piety, Virtue, 
 and Diligence in performing the Duties of their holy 
 Function feldom recommended any one to Prefer- 
 ment : But whoever had any Hope of obtaining a 
 Bifliopric, applied himfelf rather to make his Court to 
 the Prince, by Attendance and Dependence upon 
 great Men, rather than by his Learning, Piety, or 
 faithful Difcharge of his paftoral Duty ; from whence 
 fprung, in a great meafure, that Ignorance, Barbarifm, 
 and other ftrange Corruptions, under wliich the 
 Church fo long groaned before the Reformation. This 
 occafioned many fharp Contefts between Popes and 
 Princes, with various Succefs and ditferent Confe- 
 quences in different Countries, and they were forced 
 Vol. II. O to 
 
194 '^^^ Contempt of 
 
 to make different Agreements, Compromlfes, Con- 
 cordats, about the dividing the Ecclefiaftical Spoil j 
 fo that there was hardly, in any one of the weftern 
 Churches, an uniform Method of fupplying the va- 
 cant Churches. But the Pope had generally the Cun- 
 ning to referve the beft Share to himfelf, which ended 
 in an intolerable Tyranny and Ufurpation, which, af- 
 ter many Struggles and Contentions in tlie feveral na- 
 tional Churches, too well known, and too tedious to 
 be mentioned, gave a Handle to King Henry VIII. 
 to give the finifhing Stroke to the Papal Authority 
 here in England.^ in which we are chiefly concerned. 
 Upon throwing off the Papal Authority, inftead of 
 reftoring to the Epifcopal College their original in- 
 herent Privileges, of which they had been unjuftly 
 deprived by the Bifhop of Romcy the King feized to 
 himfelf all that Supremacy in Ecclefiaftical Matters, 
 that the Pope had unjuftly claimed as a fupreme Bi- 
 fiiop or Vicar under Chrift himfelf: To which they 
 were compelled to confcnt by an JSi of SubmiJJion ;, 
 which has reduced them to a lower Degree of Sub- 
 jedlion and Dependence than the moft inconfiderable 
 Corporation in this City. The ivorflnpful Companies of 
 Pinmekers and IVatermcn have the Privilege of chooiing 
 their own Mafters and Wardens, of meeting in their 
 common Hall, of making and enadling fuch By-laws 
 (not contrary to the Laws of the Realm) as fhall be 
 thought proper for the better Government of their re- 
 fpe<flive Societies, and of puniftiing, by Mulctis, or 
 Fines, or civil Incapacities, fuch of their Members 
 as fhall a6t in Oppofition to the Authority of their 
 proper Governors, and the Laws of the Community: 
 Buttlieii«^/V^ Clergy>confidered as a Body Corporate, 
 2 have 
 
the Clergy Conjidered. 19^ 
 
 have not the leaft Shadow of Power in the Choice of 
 their Bifliops, unlefs you pleafe to except the Power 
 of confecrating the Man whom the King (hall choofe j 
 i. e. Hobfonh Choice, which they dare as well eat 
 Fire as refufe : Nor dare they meet in Convocation 
 without the Royal Mandate, under the Pain of a Pre- 
 miinire. 
 
 A Stranger to the Hiftory of R)tgland would think it 
 incredible, that a Point of fuch Confequence could be 
 carried without any Difficulty ; that the Body of the 
 EngUJh Clergy, which were at that time very con- 
 fiderable, on account of their Intereft and Riches, 
 and by no means inconfiderable for Learning, as the 
 State of Learning was at that time, fhould fo eafily 
 agree to ftrip then(ifelves of all Ecclefiaftical Power, 
 and fubmit themfelves and their Succeflbrs to the Au- 
 thority of temporal Powers j but we, who know the 
 Temper of that Prince, can eafily account for his fuc- 
 eefsful Management of that Affair. He had a parti- 
 cular kind of Logic to convince, as of Rhetoric to 
 perfuade, thofe who had not good Senfe enough to 
 believe their Sovereign always in the right. Of 
 which Sir Harry Spelman gives us a notable Inftance in 
 the A61 for fuppreffing Monafteries and religious 
 Houfes under fuch a Value. * " It is true, faid he, 
 *' the Parliament did give them to him ; but fo un- 
 *' willingly (as I have heard) that when the Bill had 
 <' fluck long in the lower Houfe, and could get no 
 " Paflage, he commanded the Commons to attend 
 ** him in the Forenoon in his Galler)', where he let 
 "them wait till late in the Afternoon, and then 
 
 * Hillory of Sacrilege, /. 183. 
 
 O 2 " coming 
 
196 J. he Contempt of 
 
 *' coming out of his Ciianibcr, and taking a turn or 
 *' two among them, and looking angrily on them, 
 " firfl- on one Side, and then on the other ; at laft,— 
 '* / hear (faid he) that 7ny BUI zvill notpafs ; but I will 
 *' have it pafs, or I zvill have fome of your Meads. — - 
 *' And, without any other Rhetoric or Perfuafion, 
 *' returned to hisChamber." — Any other Rhetoric ! — 
 What other Rhetoric could be expe£ted ? This was 
 Rhetoric and Ivogic too with a Vengeance! Their 
 Eyes were immediately opened, and their Under- 
 ftandings convinced, that his Majefty's Commands 
 were highly reafonable; and therefore they imme- 
 diately paffed the Bill, and gave him all that his Soul 
 defired. And there is no doubt to be made but that 
 the A<51 of Submiflion was obtained by the fame en- 
 gaging Methods of Conviction and Perfuafion. The 
 Province of Canterbury complied immediately ; they 
 were under the immediate Infpeition and Rod of the 
 Court : But the Province of York flood out for fome 
 time, and drew up their Reafons for fo doing (a Copy 
 of which I have feen). Their Situation was at io 
 great a Diftance from the Court, that they thought 
 they might have time to parley, and debate with their 
 Governors, without any immediate Apprehenfions of 
 Royal Vengeance ; but they found themfelves mif- 
 taken, and were quickly made to underftand, that it 
 would be their wifeft Way to be as complaifant as 
 their Brethren of Canterbury had been ; and accord- 
 ingly, without any more ado (as Bi/hop Burnet tells 
 us *) they acknowledged the King as Supreme Head of 
 the Church, and fole Fountain of all Eccleftajlical Power. 
 
 * Hift. Reform. Book II. /. 113. 
 
 The 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. 197 
 
 The King, in order to terrify the Clergy into this 
 AQ. of Submiffion, had revived feme obfolete Statutes, 
 by which the whole Body of the Clergy were fued in 
 a Prcmunire., for having acknowledged a foreign 
 Jurifdiclion, and taken out Bulls, and had Suits in 
 the Legatine Courts, contrary to the Laws of Eng- 
 land. The Kings of England did claim in their turn, 
 as well as the Popes, more Power in Ecclefiaftical 
 Matters than, by the original Conftitution and uniform 
 Practice and Confent of the primitive Church, did 
 properly belong to them j and thefe Claims and De- 
 mands on both Sides rofe and fell in Proportion to the 
 Power and Ability that each had to fupport and de- 
 fend them J fo that by Confequence many extraordi- 
 nary Steps were taken on both Sides, which, on Chri- 
 ftian and Catholic Principles, can never be defended, 
 and therefore ought never to be drawn into Precedents 
 upon other Occafions. Our Kings had formerly^ as 
 Bifhop Burnet fays *, by their ovjn Authority granted 
 Invejiitures (which is certainly true) and made Laius 
 relating to Ecclefiafacal Matters^ Caufes^ and Perfons. 
 But this he fays without Proof or Probability ; and I 
 believe it would be hard to produce any fuch Law in 
 Matters purely fpiritual, I mean relating to -the 
 Do6lrine or Difcipline of the Church, made by the 
 King's fole Authority, otherwife than by confirming 
 and enadling into a Law by the civil Authority, thq 
 Judgment and Decifions of the Bifhops pafTed in their 
 Diocefan or Provincial Synods : For however binding 
 the Decifions of the Church might be to Confcicnce, 
 yet had they not the Force and Nature of Laws, till 
 
 * Ibid. 
 
 O 3 COR- 
 
jpS The Contempt of 
 
 confirmed by the Royal Authority, and enforced by 
 temporal Sandlions. However, when the Popes be- 
 gan to extend their Authority beyond the Limits af- 
 figned by the Canons, they met with great Oppofitioii 
 in England, both in the Matter of Inveflitures, Ap- 
 peals, Legates, and other Branches of their Ufurpa- 
 pation. Upon which many Laws were pafled to con- 
 demn thefe Abufes, and reftrain the feveral Invafions 
 of the Royal Prerogative. In the 25th Edw. IIL a 
 fevere Law was made, that all that tranfgrelTed were 
 to be imprifoned, to be fined at Pleafure, and to for- 
 feit all their Benefices. By a fubfequent Adl, they 
 were put out of the King's Protedlion. Several 
 other Confirmations of this were made in this Reign, 
 and under Rich. IL And the former Punifhments 
 were extended not only to the Provifors, but to all 
 that were employed by them, or took Farms of them. 
 And in the fixteenth Year of this Rich. IL a Law was 
 jnade, that if any purchafed Tranflations, Excom- 
 munications, or Bulls from Rome, that were con- 
 trary to the King or his Crov/n, they, and all that 
 brouo-ht them over, or that received and executed 
 them, were declared to be out of the King's Pro- 
 teilionj and that their Goods and Chattels Ihould 
 be forfeited to the King, and their Perfons impri- 
 foned J and becaufe the Proceedings upon this were 
 by a Writ called, from the moft material Words in 
 it, Pretnunire facias, this Statute carried the Name of 
 the Statute of Pretnunire. Several Laws to the fame 
 EfFe£l: were made in the Reigns of Hen. IV. and V. 
 Thefe Statutes, which, in fpite of all the Oppofition 
 made by the Court of Rome, and all their Endeavours 
 to get them repealed, flood in full Force, were now 
 
 called 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 199 
 
 called forth to execute the King's great Defign of de- 
 flroying every Power that flood in Oppofitlon to his 
 dearly-beloved Supremacy. Under thefe Terrors the 
 Clergy of the Province of Canterbury made their Sub-- 
 mi/fioji J and, in their Addrefs to the King, he was 
 called the ProteHor and fiipreyne Head of the Church of 
 England ; but fome excepting to that, it was added, 
 in fo far as it is agreeable to the Laiv of Chrifi. This 
 was figned by nine Bifliops, fifty Abbots and Priors, 
 and the greateft Part of the lower Houfe. And 
 though, as I obferved before, the Convocation of 
 York flood out upon account of the Words Head of 
 the Churchy which they faid could belong to none but 
 Chrifi himfelf J yet they were quickly convinced, by a 
 Letter of Expoflulation from the King himfelf, that 
 it was a dangerous Thing for them to pretend to be 
 wifer than their Betters ; and they accordingly made 
 their Submiflion, which was the more welcome, be- 
 caufe with it they paid the Sum of 18840/. for his 
 Majefly's Pardon and Proteftion, which was accord- . 
 ingly granted. The immediate Confecjuence of this 
 Submiflion was the King's Claim to fill up all vacant 
 Sees by his own flngle Authority, and forbidding the 
 Clergy to meet and adl in a Synodical Way without 
 a Royal Mandate, under the Pain of a Premunire. 
 
 * King fohn^ in the fixteenth Year of his Rei(yn, 
 12 15, with the common" Confent of his Barons, 
 granted a Charter, " That all Cathedral Churches 
 *' and Convents fhould be free in the Eledion of 
 *' their Prelates, faving to himfelf and his Heirs the 
 " Cuflody of vacant Churches and Monafleries, and 
 
 * Mat. Paris, /. 921, 
 
 O 4 « that 
 
200 The Contempt of 
 
 *' that he will not hinder them any manner of ways 
 " from choofmg a new Paftor upon a Vacancy, pro- 
 ** vided that they firft crave Leave of him and his 
 ** Heirs to proceed to an Ele6lion (from whence 
 '* came the Ufe of the Conge d'elire) which he pro- 
 *• mifes he will not deny or defer : And if it be denied 
 " or deferred, that then the Eleftors may neverthe- 
 ** lefs proceed to a canonical Election." But, after 
 the Eledlion, his Approbation muft be afked, which 
 he alfo promifes fhall not be denied, without good 
 Reafon alledged and proved. This Charter was af- 
 terwards confirmed by Magna Charta^ and many 
 fucceeding Parliaments. By the Tenor of this Char- 
 ter, the Chapter was not obliged abfolutely to choofe 
 the Perfon whom the King fliould nominate or recom- 
 mend to them, nor yet the King to approve the Elec- 
 tion made by them. This occafioned divers Contro- 
 verfies betwixt the King and the Church, which 
 caufed frequent Appeals to Rome^ which was ftill 
 looked upon as the dernier Refort in all fuch Contro- 
 verfies, as appears from the Election of an Archbifhop, 
 in the room of Stephen Langton, and of a Bifliop of 
 IVincheJler^ upon the Death of Peter de Rupibm *, and 
 divers other Inftances of the like Nature. And in 
 fome Cafes, where the King and Chaper had no Dif- 
 ference, the Pope would either annul the Eledtion, 
 or elfe take no notice at all of it, and confer the 
 Bifhopric on the fame Perfon by his own Authority, 
 and this he called providing for the Church. So that 
 for fome Ages we had few Bifhops that did not pof- 
 fefs their Sees by virtue of thefe Papal Provifions, not- 
 
 * Mat, Paris, 350, 372. 
 
 with- 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 201 
 
 withftanding the many repeated Statutes againft this 
 intolerable Ufurpation : But King Henry VIII. made 
 fhort Work, and cut the Knot at once. An Aft of 
 Parliament pafled in the 25th Year of his Reign, that 
 at every Avoidance of an Archbifliopric or Bifhopric 
 within this Realm, or any other of the King's Do- 
 minions, the King may i^nd to the Prior and Con- 
 vent, or Dean and Chapter of the Place w^hich fhall 
 be void, a Licence under the Great Seal to proceed to an 
 Eledion of an Archbifhop or Bilhops of the See fo being 
 void, with a Letter miffive, with the Name of the 
 Perfon whom they (hall ele6l and choofe, which Per- 
 fon they are to eledl and choofe, and no other. And 
 in cafe they defer the Eledlion above twelve Days af- 
 ter the Receipt of the faid Licence and Letters miflive, 
 then the King Ihall nominate, by his Letters Patent, 
 fuch a Perfon to the faid Office and Dignity as he fhall 
 think able and convenient for the fame. And the 
 King fhall appoint the Archbiftiop, with two other 
 Bifhops ; and if there be no Archbifliop, then four 
 Bifhops, to confecrate and invert the Perfon fo no- 
 minated and eleiSed. And if the Prior and Convent, 
 or Dean and Chapter, proceed not to Eleilion within 
 the time limited, or negledl to certify the Archbiftiop 
 of the Eledlion, if it be a Bifliop, or the King, if it be 
 an Archbiftiop, within twenty Days after the Re- 
 ceipt of the King's Licence ; or if any Archbifliop 
 or Bifliop fliall refufe to confecrate the Perfon fo eleifted 
 or nominated, after fuch Eledion or Nomination is 
 fignified to them by the King's Letters Patent; or if 
 any of them, or any other Perfon, fuc, procure, or 
 obtain any Bulls, Letters, or other things from the 
 Se? of Rcjne upon that Occafion, or do any thing 
 
 contrary 
 
202 The Contempt of 
 
 contrary to this A61, he fhall incur the Dangers, 
 Pains, and Penalties of the Statute of Provijion and 
 Premun'ire^ made in the 25th Year of King Ed- 
 ward III. 
 
 In the Reign of Edward VI. fome Perfons, who, 
 iJiftead of paring the Nails of the Clergy, were for 
 cutting ofF their Arms, to prevent their doing Mif- 
 chief, procured a new A61, intitled, An A6i for Elec- 
 ilofiy and what Seals and Silks Jhall be ifed by fp'iritual 
 Perfons \ which paffed Nem. Con. to this EffecSt, That 
 the Conge delh-e, and the Election purfuant to it, 
 being but a Shadow, fince the Perfon was named by 
 the King, fhould ceafe for the future ; and that Bi- 
 iliops fhould be named by the King's Letters Patent, 
 and thereupon fhould be confecrated, and fliould hold 
 their Courts in the King's Name, and not in their 
 6wn, excepting only the Archbifhop of Canterbury s 
 Court, and they were to ufe the King's Seal in all 
 their Writings, except Prefentations, Collations, and 
 Letters of Orders, in which they might ufe their own 
 Seals. The Contrivers of this Atl, it is plain, de- 
 flgned nothing lefs than the intire Deflrudlion of the 
 Epifcopal Authority, by making them nothing more 
 tlian the King's Miniflers, a fort of Ecclefiaflical She- 
 riffs, to execute the King's Will, and difperfe his 
 iVIandates, infomuch that they had not the Power 
 of conferring Orders, but as they were thereunto em- 
 powered by fpecial Licence. I have been fliewn a 
 Copy of fuch a Licence, but of what Authority I can- 
 not tell. Tl:)e King to greeting. Whereas all and 
 
 ell manner of Jurifdiclion^ EcclefiajYical as well as Civile 
 fovjs froni the King, as from the fupretne Head of all the 
 Bsdy^ &c. — TP'e therefore give and grant to thee fiiU 
 
 Power 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. 203 
 
 power and Licence is continue during our gdod Pleajure, 
 for holding Ordination within the Diocefe of N— , and 
 for promoting fit Perfons unto Holy Orders ^ even to that 
 of the PrieJIhood. Whether this be genuine, I knoW 
 not. Bifhop Burnet^ who mentions the preceding 
 Act, takes no notice of this new Regulation, only 
 fays in general, that the Office of Ordination was al- 
 tered, without entering into the particular Altera- 
 tions. Thefe Changes being thought, by Queen 
 Mary-f not only a dangerous Diminution of the Epif- 
 copal Power, but an odious Innovation in the Church 
 of Chrift, were repealed in the firft Year of her 
 Rdgn, leaving the Bifhops to depend upon their 
 former Claim ; and to adt in all things that belonged 
 to their Jurifdidlion in their own Names, and under 
 their own Seals as in forrner Times ; in which State 
 they have continued from that time to thisj without 
 any legal Interruption. 
 
 Many Attempts have been made, and Propofals 
 dkd Reafons offered, for reducing the prefent Power 
 of the Epifcopate, as being yet too high ; but furely 
 they need no greater Reftriftions than they are under 
 already by the above-mentioned A61: of Henry VIII. 
 with regard to Elections. For the Dean and Chap- 
 ter are allowed to make no manner of Exceptions to 
 the Perfon nominated by the King, but mull necef* 
 farily eledl him within the Time limited ; Neith^ 
 may the Archbifhop or Bifhops make any manner of 
 Objedlion againft him j but are obliged to proceed to 
 Confecration. Nay, they are not permitted to delay 
 this a few Days, that they may with all humble Sub- 
 miffion reprefent the Ujifitnels of the Perfon recom- 
 mended 
 
204 The Contempt of 
 
 mended to the higheft Office of the Church, under the 
 
 Penalty of a Premiinire, 
 
 Having thus far confidered the feveral Steps by 
 which this A61 of Subniiflion was obtained, let us 
 confider a little who they were that figned it, and 
 how far their SuccefTors, the reformed Clergy of 
 the Church of England^ ought, in Equity and Con' 
 fcience, to be obliged or afFe6led by it. The Con- 
 vocation who figned it were Popifh Clergy, who 
 had really incurred the Lafli of a Fremunirey as the 
 Letter of the Law then ftood ; and well knowing the 
 Temper of their Monarch, and having no Inclinartion 
 to Martyrdom, thought it theirwifeft Way to make the 
 beft Compofition they could for their Lives and Li- 
 berties : And the A61 of Supremacy was grounded 
 upon it; for they had, in both Convocations of the 
 twenty-fecond and twenty-fifth of Henry VIII. ac- 
 knowledged him to be the fupreme Head of the 
 Church vnthin his own Dominions ; and, in confe- 
 quence of thefe extraordinary Steps, Bifhop Bonittr 
 took out a Commiffion for his Bifhopric j as Arch- 
 bifhop Cranmer^x^ afterwards in^i^w^r^/IVth's Time ; 
 a Copy of which is inferted in Bilhop Burnet'' s Hiftory of 
 the Reformation* ; whereby they held their Bilhoprics 
 during the Pleafure of the King, and owned to derive 
 all their Power, even Ecclefiaflical, from the Crown, 
 Velut a fupremo capite, iff ommivn infra regnmn nojlrum 
 magijlratum fonte ^ fcaturigine. And feveral others 
 did the fame. But how could any Adls of this Na- 
 ture be binding to their SuccefTors ! The Clergy of the 
 
 * Burmt\ Hift. Reform. /. z. Colledl. Record, to 
 Book I, n. 2. p. go. 
 
 3 Church 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. 205 
 
 Church of England, a fingle Member of the Catho- 
 lic Church, could, neither for themfelves nor their 
 Succeflbrs, give up thofe inherent Rights, which 
 were derived to them from their Head, as eflential 
 to the whole Body ; and could no more make a new 
 Head than they could make a new Body. Whatever 
 ambitious Views the King might have in getting thefe 
 Ads pafTed (for his Vanity was equal to his Cruelty) 
 yet when thofe about him came to refle6l in cool 
 Blood upon the Inconfiftencies and Abfurdities of thefe 
 Proceedings, they were afhamed of them, and, by 
 After-Explanations and Conceflions endeavoured to 
 foften the apparent Hardfhip which was thereby laid 
 upon the Clergy ; which I believe our firft Reformers, 
 in the Height of their Zeal againft Popery, never in- 
 tended. Thus, in the Commiflion which Cramjier 
 took for his Archbifhopric, there is an Exception, 
 Prater & ultra eaquce tibi ex facris Uteris divinitus com- 
 miffa effa dignofcuntur, i.e. Over and above thofe Powers 
 and Authorities which the Holy Scriptures tejiify are given 
 to thee by God. Thefe the King did not pretend to 
 grant, but only that which was over and above thefe ; 
 that is, the Protedion and civil Privileges annexed to 
 their Office by the State. The Ecclefiaftlcal Jurif- 
 diilion is confidered as a Court eftabliflied by the fe- 
 cular Power, and Part of the Laws of the Land : 
 And in this Senfe only can the King's Supremacy in 
 all Caufes, and over all Perfons be reafonably and con- 
 fiftently underftood. And accordingly we find, in 
 the fame Hiftory of the Reformation *, a Declaration 
 made of the Function and divine Inftitution of Bifhops 
 
 * Ibid. Addend, n. 5. />. 321. 
 
 and 
 
2o6 Tihs Qoi^i'TTLM-^'Y of 
 
 and Priefts fubfcribed by the Lord Cromwell^ the Vice- 
 gerent in fpiritualibus y the two Archbifhops, eleven 
 other Bifliops, and twenty Divines and Canonifts, 
 declaring, \hzt the Poiver of the Keys^ and other Church 
 FiinSfions^ is formally dijlin6l from the ClvilPower, Sec— 
 Afid * we have there alfo the Judgment of eight Bi- 
 fliops concerning the King's Supremacy, whereof Cran- 
 mer was fii'ft, affirming, that the Commiffton which 
 Chrijl gave to his Church had no refpeSi to Kings or Princes 
 Psvuer ; but that the Church had it by the Word of God, 
 to which Chrijiian Princes acknowledge themfelves fubjeSt. 
 They deny that the Commiffton which Chriji gave to his 
 Church did extend to civil Power over Kings and Princes: 
 They own alfo that the civil Power was over Bijhops and 
 Priejh^ as zuell as other Subjects, in civil Matters^ 
 which the Church of Rome did deny. But they aflert, 
 that Bijhops and Priejis have the Charge of Souls, are the 
 Meffengers of Chrijl to preach the Truth of the Gofpely 
 and to loofe and bind Sin, Sec. — as Chrijl zvas the Jilejfm- 
 gcr of his Father ; which furely was independent of all 
 Kings and Powers upon Earth. 
 
 So then, as our Laws now ftand, the Church is 
 wholly independent of the State as to her fpiritual 
 Powers and Authorities ; becaufe our Kings claim no 
 other Ecclefiaflical Authority than was granted by 
 God to Kings in Koly Scripture ; and that was or- 
 dinarily no more than a mere civil Power, though 
 exercifed over Ecclefiadical Perfons who are fubje6l 
 (as Chrift himfelf was) to the civil Power in all civil 
 Things, and in Ecclefiafi-ical Caufes too, to punifli 
 with temporal Pains, as well Blafphemers, Idola- 
 
 * Ibid. Coll RvCOfJ. /;. 10./. 177. 
 
 ters. 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 207 
 
 ters, and Heretics, as Robbers and Murderers ; as 
 well the Tranfgreflbrs againft the firft as the fecond 
 Table. This was all that was ordinarily done by 
 godly Kings in Scripture ; this was the Supremacy 
 given them by God, and no more than this is attri- 
 buted to our Kings, as is fully exprelTed in the 37th 
 Article, viz. That only Prerogative which we fee to 
 have been given always to all godly Princes in Holy 
 Scripture by God himjelf\ that is, to rule all Ejlates and 
 Degrees committed to their Charge by God., whether they 
 he Ecclefiajlical or Temporal, and to rejlrain with the 
 civil Sword thejiiibborn and evil Doers. Thefe are the 
 Words of the Article. 
 
 To draw Precedents therefore from any extraordi- 
 nary Ails of Mofes, David, or Solomon, is a fallacious 
 Way of Arguing; becaufe it is faid_/«f/; Prerogative and 
 fuch only as was always given, and to all godly 
 Princes, viz. to reftrain with the civil Sword. As to 
 the Objedlioo that David ordered the Courfes of the 
 Priefts and Levites, and Solomon thruji out Abiathar 
 from being a Prieji of the Lord, i Kings ii. 27. they 
 were extraordinary A6ls of extraordinary Perfons. 
 David and Solomon were both infpired Perfons.. The 
 one a Prophet the other a Preacher ; and whatfoever 
 they did by an extraordinary Commiffion from God, 
 is no Precedent for the ordinary Power of Kings. 
 Otherwlfe Kings may take upon them to preach, and 
 to confecrate Churches ; becaufe Solcmoyi confecrated 
 the Temple, and called himfelf a Preacher, they may 
 confecrate Bifhops, becaufe Mofes confecrated Aaron j 
 nay, they may write Scripture for us becaufe they did 
 fo. Thefe extraordinary Cafes, therefore, prove 
 nothing as to the ordinary Exercife of Jurifdidion, 
 
 and 
 
2o8 T^he Contempt of 
 
 and are no Manner of Argument for the ordi- 
 nary Ecclefiaftical Power in Princes, though their 
 civil Power may be exercifed upon Ecclefiaftical 
 Perfons, and in Ecclefiaftical Caufes. This was 
 made in Explanation of the Oath of Supremacy, 
 and is a fufficient warrant to underftand thofe Words 
 in that Oath, where the King is faid to he fupreme 
 Governor as well in all fphitual and Eccleftajiical Things 
 or Caufes as temporal, to extend only to his civil Go- 
 vernment, and the Power of the civil Sword. And 
 this Explanation was made neceiTarily ; for as Bifliop 
 Burnet tells us *, the Bifliops oppofed the Queen's Su- 
 premacy as fet forth in that Oath, and many others 
 were offended at it. And therefore Queen Eli-zabeth 
 laid afide the Title of Head of the Church, and inftead 
 of it ufed the word Governor, which is in ufe to this 
 Day. This Article mentions Queen Elizabeth' & Injunc- 
 tions, which explain and limit the Legal Supremacy in 
 the fame manner. The Lord Primate UJher gave the 
 fame Explanation of it in a Speech at the Council-Table 
 at Dublin, upon the Occafion of fome Magiftrates re- 
 fufing to take it ; and King James L fent him a Let- 
 ter of Thanks and Approbation of his Speech, both 
 which are publifhed. And none of our fucceeding 
 Kings or Parliaments have given any other Explana- 
 tion of it, or required it to be taken in any other Senfe. 
 And thefe 39 Articles are incorporated into our Laws, 
 and required to be fubfcribed by A(5t of Parliament. 
 Whatever extraordinary Schemes therefore might be 
 laid, and extraordinary Meafures taken in the Reign 
 of Henry VIIL they are all annulled by thefe later Ex- 
 
 * Ibid.. Part II. /. 386. 
 
 planations. 
 
thi Clergy Confidered. 209 
 
 planations, which are confirmed by A«5l of Parlia- 
 ment } from whence it is plain, that as our Law 
 now ftands, the Church is left wholly independent 
 of the State, as to her purely fpiritual Power and Au- 
 thority. 
 
 And as the original Rights of the Church are here 
 alTerted to be independent of the civil Power ; fo like- 
 wife her Authority in her fpiritual Capacity is ftrong- 
 ly aflerted over all her Subje61:s, the King himfelf not 
 excepted : So as not only to debar him the Prayers 
 and Sacraments, but to proceed to Excommunication, 
 If other Methods prevail not to bring him to open Penance 
 for open Scandals. Thefe are the Words in the fecond 
 Part of the Homily, Of the right life of the Church-, 
 where after having fpoken of Chrift's fcourging the 
 Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple, thefe Words 
 follow: And according to the Example of our Saviour 
 Chrifi^ in the Primitive Churchy which was moft holy 
 and godly ^ and in the which due Difcipline was ufed 
 againji the wicked^ open Offenders were not fuffercd once 
 to enter into the Houfe of the Lord^ or admitted to common 
 Prayer and the Ufe of the Holy Sacraments with other true 
 Chriftians, until they had done open Penance before ths 
 whole Church- And this was pra£1ifed not only upon mean 
 Perfons^ but alfo upon rich, noble^ and mighty 
 Perfonsy yea, upon Thecdofius, that puiffant and 
 mighty Emperor, wlmn, for committing a grievous wilful 
 Murder, St. Ambrofe Bi/hop o/" Milan reproved Jhar ply ^ 
 and did alfo excommunicate the faid Emperor, and brought 
 him to open Penance. Upon thefe Words, there is a 
 marginal Note to foften the Severity of this Sentence, 
 viz. That he was only debarred from the receiving the 
 Sacrament, till by Repentance he might b^cUcr prepared. 
 
 Vol. II. P But 
 
210 "T^he Contempt of 
 
 But if this \Vere ail, both the Hiftoiians * Sozomen 
 and f Theoderet, who relate the Story in very 
 ftrong and particular Language, and the Compilers of 
 our Homilies muft have been ftrangely miftaken. But 
 let vv^ho will comment upon thefe Words, they are 
 confirmed by a competent Authority, and every Cler- 
 gyman in the Nation obliged by A6t o{ Parliament tQ 
 flibfcribe them as a Part of the 39 Articles of Religi- 
 on. And as they ftand to this Day unrepealed, 
 they are a fufficient Explanation of the Senfe both of 
 Church and State in this Matter. And thefe original 
 Rights have been thought and aflerted by fome of our 
 moft eminent Divines to be (as they certainly are) fo 
 ellential to the very Being of a Church, that they are 
 not to be alienated or invaded without Sacrilege by 
 any Power upon Earth. The late Dr. Sherlock, the 
 learned Dean of St. PauPs, in his Su?nmary of the Con- 
 troverfy betwixt us and the Church o/'Rome, fiiys veiy 
 emphatically, p. 219, If BiJI^ops will not exercife that 
 Power which Chriji hath given thefn, they are accountable 
 to their Lord for it : But they cannot give it away neither 
 from themfehes nor their SucceJJors ; for it is theirs only 
 to ife, not to pari with it ; and therefore every Bijhop may 
 re^JJiime fucb Rights^ though a general Council Jhould 
 give them aivay, becaufe the Grant is void in itfelf 
 And thefe we humbly prefume are the real Sentimeiats 
 of every Bifliop in England. 
 
 Well ! fay you, and what of all this ? Why then 
 the juft and natural Conclufion is plainly this. That 
 if the prefent contemptible State of the Clergy, and, 
 eonfequently of Religion, be principally owing to thq. 
 
 * Ecclef. Hift.^. 316. t Ibid. 
 
 Suf. 
 
the Clergy Confidered. lit 
 
 Sufpenfion of thefe original, inherent Privileges of the 
 Church J I mean, the Right of choofmg their own Go- 
 vernors, and of meeting together in Synods to confult and 
 make Lazus fir the better Government of the Society ; 
 the only Way to remove the EfFe<Sl, would be to 
 remove the Caufe, and reftore to them the Exercife 
 of thofe Powders, of w^hich they have (injudicioufly 
 
 at leaft to fay no worfe) been deprived* 
 
 Bifhop Burnet, in a Defence of his Hijiory of the Re- 
 formation, has this Remark on the AS: of Supre- 
 macy : * If the Letter of the Law, or the Stretches of 
 it, have carried this farther, (viz, than Queen E/ifa- 
 beth's Explanation) we are not at all concerned in it ; 
 but in cafe any fuch Thing were made out, it would 
 amount to no fnore than this, that the Civil Authority 
 had made fame Incroachments on the Ecclefmftical Autho- 
 rity J but the fuhmitting to an Oppreffion, and bearing it, 
 till fome better Times may deliver us from it, is no Ar- 
 gument againji our Church, And again t. We may fee 
 in Godeau, and many other modern Writers, how 7}iuch 
 they cotnplain of this as a Servitude, under which the 
 Gallican Church is brought, and an InfraSlion of all the 
 mitient Canons. And again %, fpeaking of the Adt of 
 SubmiiHon, he fays. The Clergy did not bind them- 
 felves never to meet without the King's Writ : They only 
 faid. The Convocation had ever been, and ought always 
 to be, ajfembled by the King's Writ j but it doth not bind 
 them v.p from meeting, in cafe the Necejfuies of the 
 Church require it, and that the King refufes his Writ. 
 In which the learned Bifhop plainly intimates, that, 
 
 ♦ Defence of Hift. Reform. Amfterdam. 1688. *. 20. 
 I P.z\, X P. 54. 
 
 P 2 from 
 
212 ^he Contempt of 
 
 from the Beginning, Things were not as they are 
 now, and hopes that in due time they who have it 
 in their Power will be difpofed to reftore what they 
 unwarrantably detain, and fettle every Branch of 
 Ecclefiaftical Authority upon the Foot of Primitive 
 Chriftianity. 
 
 You will fay, perhaps, you fee no manner of Oc- 
 cafion to expedt or hope for fuch a Change ; that 
 lliings are in very good Hands already. I intirely 
 agree with you that they are, and hope we fhall 
 never fee them in worfe. You will tell mc, as you 
 have often done, that we have had as excellent a 
 Set of Bifhops fmce the Reformation as ever we 
 
 had before it. I confefs it and impute it to 
 
 the particular Bleiling of Heaven, which has given us 
 a Succeflion of gracious and religious Prinoes, who 
 have made it their chief Concern to a6t agreeably 
 to their glorious Chara(5ler of Defenders of the Faith. 
 But as it has been ever thought good Policy to guard 
 againft the moft remote l^angers ; fo we fliould think 
 it an imfpeakable Addition to our prefect Happinefs to 
 have theft Points fo efte6tually fecured, that it fhould 
 never be in the Power of a weak or a bad Prince 
 to employ to the Ruin of Religion thofe Powers 
 that have fo long been wifely and happily exerted for 
 its Prefervation. Had the late King fames fat long 
 enough upon the Throne, it is not to be doubted 
 .but he would have filled all the vacant Sees with 
 Men of his own Principles, whom, it is much to 
 be feared, the feveral Chapters would have ele<Sl:ed 
 without Oppofition. There is a ftrange Fafcina- 
 tion in Royal Favour, and the JVrath of the King is 
 as the Roaring of a Lion. And no wonder, if Men, 
 I wh» 
 
the Clergy Conftdend. 213 
 
 who have not the Spirit of Martyrdom, are either 
 wheedled or terrified into a Compliance with the 
 moft extraordinary Meafures of an arbitrary Prince. 
 — But you will fay, fufficient Care has been taken 
 by the Legiflature to prevent the Return of fuch 
 a Danger, by unqualifying any Popifh Prince from 
 inheriting the Imperial Crown of thefe Realms. 
 True ! but this is not the only Danger to which 
 we are expofed. The befl of Men, the greateft of 
 Princes are mortal j and as the beft and wifeft of 
 Men cannot forefee whether his Heir /hall be a wife 
 Man or a Fool ; (o neither can he know whether he 
 fhall be a Chriftian or an Infidel, a Catholic or an 
 Heretic. And this we may depend upon, that what- 
 ever Prince has the Power of filling the great Vacan- 
 cies of the Church, will always take care to prefer 
 People of his own Way of Thinking, and they of 
 courfe will do the fame with thofe below them, to the 
 Difhonour of God, the Scandal of Religion, and the 
 unavoidable Detriment of Church and State. And if, 
 in the Beginning of fuch an Attempt, the orthodox 
 and faithful Clergy, who fee the Approach of Infi- 
 delity or Herefy, and would gladly do their befl to 
 flop the Infection, and prevent the Ruin of the 
 Flock, fhall be forbid under the Penalty of a Pre- 
 munire to meet and concert proper Meafures for 
 the Defence and Security of true Religion, the un- 
 avoidable Confequence mufl be an abfolute Apoflacy 
 from Truth, and Eflablifhmcnt of Iniquity and Error, 
 and the Guilt of all that dreadful Train of Confe- 
 quences that mufl enfue, will be defcrvedly fixed upon 
 them, who did not exert the befl of their Power to 
 prevent it, 
 
 P3 I 
 
214 '^^^ Contempt of 
 
 I expeft to have it replied, that moft Men, 
 Princes efpecially, are too fond of Power to give up 
 any the fmallefl: Branch, or grant any thing that may 
 feem to clip their Prerogative, and eclipfe their Gran- 
 deur. But this, methinks, is an aukward Compli- 
 ment to a Religious and Gracious Prince. Hov/ can 
 you tell, till you have tried ? It will be Time enough 
 to fit down contented, when, after a decent and 
 proper Application, they fhall refufe to reftore it. 
 It is too fevere a ReflecStion upon any Man of Ho- 
 nour, nay, of common Honefty, to fuppofe he would 
 not readily give up any Kind of PofTeffion, if he can 
 be convinced that he has no Right to keep it. Now, 
 if the Guides and Keepers of any Prince's Confcience 
 could convince him upon Catholic Principles, that 
 he is poiTefled of any Branch of Power, originally 
 belonging to a diftindt Authority, we cannot doubt 
 but it would have the fame EfFedt, as it had upon 
 the late Queen Anne. She, after the Example of 
 her Royal Predcceflbrs, had received the firft Fruits 
 and Tenths of all Ecclefiaftical Livings, which, hav^ 
 ing been unjuftly ufurped by the Pope, as fupreme 
 Biftiop, were, at the Reformation, with other 
 Branches of Papal Ufurpation, vefted in the Crown. 
 But fo foon as that pious Princefs was, by proper Ap- 
 plication, convinced that they v/ere purely an Eccle- 
 fiaftical Due, flie at once remitted them to be applied 
 to the Augmentation of poor Livings j many of 
 which, in the prefent low State of Ecclefiaftical Re- 
 venues, are hardly fufficient by the moft frugal Ma- 
 nagement, to fupport themfelves and Families from 
 Poverty and Contempt. And why fhould we defpair 
 of the fame Succefs, if the prefent Cafe were juftly 
 
 and 
 
the CxERGY Conftdered. lis, 
 
 and fairly reprefented to thofe whom it may concern, 
 hy proper Perfons, and in the moft decent and dutiful 
 Manner ? 
 
 You will ftill fay. That if the Choice of Bifhops 
 were left to the Epifcopal College, you fhould not 
 expe£l to fee better Bifhops than have been made by 
 the Crov/n. Perhaps not j but the Queftion is about 
 the Matter of Right. You and I perhaps might 
 choofe as good a Set of Sheriffs or Deputy Lieutenants 
 ^s we fee at prefent, but by what Authority ? All 
 Kinds of Authority fhould run in their proper Chan- 
 nel ; and there can no Manner of Reafon be afligned, 
 why one Branch of the Legiflature fhould interfere 
 with another, upon the mere Pretence of being better 
 able to execute a Charge that does by no means be- 
 Jong to them. If the Governors and DirenSlors of 
 the Eaji- India Company fhould, in Defiance of the 
 South-Sea Charter, affume the Power of -electing the 
 Diredlors of their Company ; or %>ice verfa^ upon a 
 vain Prefumption that they could make a better 
 Choice for them than they could make for them- 
 felves : What then ? 1 leave you to draw the ri- 
 diculous Train of Confequences that muft inevitably 
 follow. Or, fuppofe the Election for both Com- 
 panies were, from time to time, to be made by the 
 King and Council, I fancy neither of them would 
 advance a Shilling for prolonging their old Charter, 
 
 or procuring a new one But to return to the 
 
 prefent Subjedl : If a moji Religious and Gracious 
 Prince could be convinced in Confcience, that an 
 Alteration of this Kind were not only a Matter of 
 Duty, but of Intereft and good Policy ; if it could be 
 fiiade appear that the returning this facred Truft into 
 P 4 its 
 
2 1 6 The Contempt of 
 
 its proper Channel, would contribute greatly to the 
 Glory of God, the Interefts of true Religion, the 
 Honour and Security of the Crown, and the Peace 
 and Welfare of the Public, it would be too grofs a 
 Refle£lion upon the Underftanding and Juftiqe of any 
 Prince to fuppofe that he would refufe to comply with 
 it. And 1 am fanguine enough to imagine, that 
 if the Management of this Argument were in better 
 Hands than mine, it might eafily be made appear 
 to the Satisfadtion of every impartial attentive In- 
 quirer. One Confequence at leaft will be certain, 
 that it Would take off all that Obloquy and Contempt 
 that is unjuftly poured upon the Clergy, on Account 
 of the Ignorance, bafe Compliances, and Immorali- 
 ties of fome of their Members j which (as Matters 
 now ftand) it is not in their Power to prevent or cure, 
 and fix it only on thofe who have the Power to do 
 both, and negle£l to do it. 
 
 I fancy (my dear Friend) you are by this time 
 fick of the Argument ; I mean of my Management 
 of it, and wifh to fee an End of it. Come, prithee 
 be eafy for two Moments ; I will trefpafs upon your 
 Patience but a little longer, as our Friend George 
 ufed to tell his Congregation, when he had preached 
 half of them to fleep. Indulge me a little, whilft I 
 try if I can make good the following Points at 
 leaft for your Conviction. i. That this would 
 contribute greatly to the Glory of God, and Intereft 
 of true Religion. 2. To the Honour and Intereft of 
 the Crown. 3. To the Peace and Welfare of the 
 Public. 
 
 I. The reftoring every Branch of Ecclefiaftical 
 Power into its proper Channel, would contribute 
 
 greatly 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. 217 
 
 greatly to the Honour of God, and Intereft of true 
 Religion, which are hifeparable. — That God is a 
 God of Order^ is the Voice of Nature and Reafon, 
 iucluded in the very Idea we have of a pcrfe£f Being ; 
 and therefore cannot be the Author of Confufion, 
 From the beautiful and regular Order of Things in 
 this vifible World, the wife Heathens inferred a Ne- 
 ■ceffity of an infinitely wife and powerful Mind, that 
 contrived, directed, and governed, the Motions of 
 this vaft Machine. And we may as reafonably infer, 
 that he has taken no lefs Care for the Conftitution, 
 Diredition, and Government of the moral World 
 than he has of the natural ; and that therefore he 
 muft of Neceffity have prefcribed and ordered the 
 feveral Kinds and Degrees of Authority, the different 
 Ranks and Subordinations of Governors neccflary 
 for the good Government of the Church, and the 
 great and important Ends of its Inftitution, of which 
 we can have no poflible Knowledge, but from the 
 Analogy of Things, and the revealed Will of God. 
 But an Unbeliever that obferves the prefent umiatu- 
 ral Blending of diftin6l Powers and Confufion of Cha- 
 ratSlers, would be tempted to conclude that there is 
 nothing more divine in our Church-Eftablilhment, 
 than in our City-Charter ; efpcciajly if he thinks he 
 fees more Marks of Prudence and Regularity in the 
 Exercife of one than of the other j and that therefore 
 all our Pretences to a divine Inftitution are a Cheat 
 and Impofition upon Mankind. If we fhould con- 
 vince him, from the plain Letter of Scripture, and 
 the uniform Senfe and Pradlice of Antiquity, that 
 JESUS CHRIST, the firft Bifliop, had left 
 full and plain Dire»Slions for the future Government 
 
5i8 TJbe Contempt of 
 
 of his Church j if we ftiould fliow him particularljr 
 what Sort of Authority he had left, and in whofc 
 Hands he had intrufted the Adminiflration, and yet 
 could not be able to convince him that we adled 
 agreeably to the Dire6licns of our Charter, as under- 
 ftood for the firft three huntiied Years after it was 
 granted ; he would fcarce be perfuaded to think, that 
 we ourfelves believed that divine Authority which we 
 fo gravely preach to others ; or that there was any 
 thing in the whole Affair of a religious Eftablifhment, 
 but a folemn Farce contrived to keep the fillier Part 
 of Mankind in Decency and Order, which you and I 
 well know to be the prevailing Opinion among the 
 Beaux Efprits in this as well as other Nations. If a 
 fober difcerning Deift could be prevailed upon impar- 
 tially to confider our original Charter of Incorpo- 
 ration J fhould he obferve that the chief Power of 
 choofing Officers, and ena£ling Laws for this Society 
 was lodged in quite different Hands than by the faid 
 Charter is fpecified and direiled ; that inftead of thofe 
 Qualifications, indifpenfibly required by the faid Char- 
 ter for the diflinft Offices of Society, he fhould fee 
 Men promoted, without any Regard to their moral 
 Charadters or intelledlual Accomplifhments ; but 
 purely on Account of fome little fecret Services, or 
 "fome private Conliderations, which both Sides would 
 blufti to have publicly known : What would not fuch 
 a Man think ! what would he not fay ! And what 
 could we fay for ourfelves, I mean for thofe who have 
 Power to reitify Miflakes, to regulate Diforders, and 
 reform Abufes, and yet negledl to do it ! The Con- 
 fequence muft be an abfolute Indifference and Con- 
 tempt of all Religion, and the Subverfion of that 
 
 Order 
 
the Clergy Confrdend. 219 
 
 Order and good Government that intirely fubfifts upon 
 it. And in this, 
 
 2. The Honour and Intereft of the Crown is 
 deeply interefted. — It is an undoubted Truth, that 
 the beft and trueft Security of the Crown is founded 
 in the Confciences of the Subjects : That neither 
 Force or Cunning are fuificient to keep Men within 
 the due Bounds of Obedience, if they are not re- 
 ftrained by juft Principles of Duty and Allegiance. 
 If thefe are wanting, the Sons of Violence and 
 Ambition, the Wrong-heads and the Wrong- hearts, 
 will never want Pretences for Murmur and Difcon- 
 tent, nor fail to attempt Changes and Revolutions to 
 gratify their Vanity, their Malice, or Refentment, 
 upon a tolerable Profpedl of Succefs or Impunity. 
 Whatfoever tends to deftroy or weaken the Influ- 
 ence of Religion upon the Minds of Men, naturally 
 tends to fap the very Foundation of Order and Go- 
 vernment, and to deftroy the beft Support of Royal 
 Power. But the Credit of Religion will alvi^ys rife 
 and fall in propoition to the Credit and Intereft of 
 thofe whofe Bufmefs and Office it is to fupport;, 
 adorn, and defend it. If therefore a Prince fhould 
 ever be fo mifguided, as to promote fuch unworthy 
 Perfons, as fliall difgrace the facred Dignity of their 
 Order, it muft naturally tend to make Religion itfelf 
 contemptible, and deftroy all that Influence it ought 
 to have upon the Minds and Confciences of the Peo- 
 ple. Jjefides — The fuperior Clergy, whofe ex- 
 alted Stations give them nearer Accefs to the Throne, 
 may be confidered as a Bench of fpiritual Counfel- 
 lors, Champions for Religion, Guardians and Advo- 
 cates for the inferior Clergy. But if ever thofe 
 
 facred 
 
220 ^he Contempt of 
 
 facred Offices fhould be conferred purely as tlie Re- 
 ward of a Train of obfequious Services to a Court, 
 there would be but little Reafon to expedl that ardent 
 Zeal in Defence of Religion, that unbiafled Integrity 
 upon a trying Queftion, that undaunted Oppofition 
 to pre\ai:ing Vices and Errors, and that inviolable 
 'Attac'- ncr.t to the real Intereft of their Prince and 
 "Country, which ought to be the diftinguifhing Cha- 
 racters of thofe exalted Stations. And becaufe the 
 Condition, of moft Princes is fuch, that they can- 
 not fo cafily enter into the real Charadlers of the 
 Croud of Expec1:ants on fuch Occafions, they will 
 often be compelled to depend upon the Charac- 
 ters and Recommendations of thofe about them, 
 who (it is to be feared) may not always be guided 
 by fuch direct uncorrupted Views, as to recommend 
 purely for the Sake of real and fuperior Merit. 
 And if a Prince be thus milled by others, though it 
 may in fome Degree alleviate the Guilt, yet will it 
 not prevent the unhappy Confequences of fuch un- 
 worthy Promotions. The Weight of Government, 
 even in temporal Affairs, is a heavy Burden, fuffi:- 
 cient to employ the Time, the Attention, and Abili- 
 ties of the greateft and wi fefl Prince xipon Earth ; 
 and which, without the immediate Affiflance of the 
 fupreme Being, (I often think) could never be exe- 
 cuted as it ought to be. Solomon thought fo, who 
 was himfelf a great and a wife King, when he tells 
 us, that by (Divine) JVifdofn Kings reign., and Princes 
 decree Jujiice. The Author of the Book of TVifdom, 
 denounces heavy Judgments on thofe who make an 
 unrighteous Ufe of their civil Power. Hear, O ye 
 Kings J and underjicnd ; learn ye, - that be Judges of the 
 
 Ends 
 
the Clergy Confidered, 2a i 
 
 Ends of the Earth ; give ear ye that rule the People ^ 
 and glory in the Multitude of Nations : For "Power is 
 given you of the Lord^ and Sovereignty from the mofi 
 Highefi^ who Jhall try your JVorkSy and fearch out your 
 Counfels^ becaufe being Minijiers of his Kingdom, you 
 have not judged aright, nor kept the Law, nor walked 
 aftei- th& Counfel of God, horribly and fpeedily Jhall 
 he come upon you ; for aftyarp fudgment Jhall be to them 
 that are in high Places, for Mercy Jhall Joon pardon the 
 meanejl ; but jnighty Men Jhall be mightily punijhed. 
 For he which is Lord over all Jhall fear no Man's Per- 
 fon, neither Jhall he Jland in awe of any Mans Great- 
 7iefs : For he hath made the Small and the Great, and 
 careth for all alike, but a fore Trial Jhall come upon the 
 Mighty. Unto you, therefore, O Kings, do I fpeak, that 
 ye may learn Wifdom, and not fall away. Wifd. vi. i. 
 Now if fo fevere an Account fhall be given for the 
 Exercife of temporal Power and civil Authority, 
 which is the Prince's peculiar Province, methinks it 
 fhould neither be confiftent with Policy or Prudence 
 to add to his Burden, by taking to himfelf a Branch 
 pf Jurifdi6lion, to which he has no dire6l or imme- 
 diate Call, and making himfelf thereby refponfiblc 
 for all the Abufes of Fxclefiaftical as well as Civil 
 Authority. All Princes find themfelves conftrained 
 by the Necefiities of Government, to divide the Ex- 
 ercife pf their Royal Power, by calling in the Aflift- 
 ance of proper Minifters to a6l under them in the 
 feveral diftin<Sl Branches of the Adminiflration i as 
 the Army, the Fleet, the Finances, the Courts of 
 Juftice. So, we humbly conceive, it would be no 
 iinall Eafe to temporal Princes to devolve the Care of 
 EcclefialtiaJ Affairs upon the Epifcopal College, 
 
 vvhofc 
 
221 The Contempt of 
 
 whole peculiar Province it was thought to be in the 
 firft and pureit Ages, to provide for the Neceffities of 
 the Church, or at leaft (after the Example of the 
 late King PVdltmn) upon a feleft Commiifion of 
 Bifliops appointed for that Purpofe ; efpecially con- 
 fidering (as I fhall hereafter endeavour to fliev/) that 
 no real Advantage either to Church or State, no real 
 Purpofes of Government are ferved by the prefent 
 Method. 
 
 And now if it does appear that the Glory of God, 
 the Interefts of true Religion, and the Honour and 
 Security of the Crown, would be moft effectually fe- 
 cured by fuch a Difpofition of Things, it mufl, 
 
 ylly, follow. That it will greatly contribute to the 
 Peace and Welfare of the Public; for thefe three 
 Articles are infeparably united in the natural Courfe 
 and Order of Things. Where the Principles of true 
 Religion are duly taught, believed, and pradtifed, and 
 all due. Submiffion and Obedience to temporal Princes 
 and Governors are paid upon Principles of Confciencej 
 there feems to be little room left for Difcord and Con- 
 fufion; all is Harmony, Order, and Peace. — But you 
 will fay, perhaps, that I am arguing upon a chimeri- 
 cal Suppofition of a State of Things not to be found 
 in any Nation of the World : For that, in all Chri- 
 ftian Countries, the Ecclefiaftical Supremacy and Ju- 
 rifdi6lion is veiled either in the Pope or the civil Ma- 
 giftrate, or divided betwixt both, as it is particularly 
 in Fr-ance. It may be fo ; nor can I, upon my own 
 Knowledge, diiprove it; but I am informed, that the 
 Kingdom of iSwtviV^ is an Exception. That the Re- 
 formation there, after all the violent Struggles and ir- 
 regular Steps taken on both Sides, before the grand 
 3 Defign 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 223 
 
 Dcfign fhould be effedled, was at laft fettled upon 
 the foot of primitive Epifcopacy. That the King is 
 perfedlly abfolute in all civil Affairs, yet leaves the 
 Church intirely free in the Exercife of her Spiritual 
 Powers, particularly the EIe<5tion of Bifliops, in which 
 he intermeddles not at all. And I have fomewhere read 
 or heard a remarkable Story of the late heroic King 
 Charles XII. His Father, upon his Death-bed, had 
 defired him, that, upon the Death of the Archbifhop 
 of Upfal^ the only Archbifhop ric in that Kingdom, 
 he would ufe his Endeavour to have one particular 
 Bifhop, whom he named, and whom he much ad- 
 mired for his Learning and Piety, to be chofen in his 
 room. Accordingly the young King exerted all his 
 Intereft for him; but the Bifhops, well aware of the 
 Confequence of accepting fuch Recommendations, 
 rejeiled him, and chofe another. This the religious 
 Hero was fo far from taking ill, that he excufed him- 
 felf, on account of his Father's dying Requefl, for 
 medding at all in a Matter did not concern him. All 
 wife Societies know the Danger of admitting the Re- 
 commendation of Superiors in the Choice of tlleir 
 Members, but efpecially their Governors, and pru- 
 dently guard againfl the certain ill Confequences that 
 muft unavoidably follow. And the good ETe£ls of 
 that Agreement are very remarkable in that Kingdom ; 
 for they have there no Diflenters from the eftabliflied 
 Church of any kind, which is no fmall Advantage to 
 the civil Government : In the next place, there al- 
 ways fubfifts an intire good Harmony betwixt the 
 Church and State. The facred and civil Powers are 
 kept, as they are in their own Nature, intirely diflindl 
 and independent, and fo can never interfere; and 
 
 where 
 
224 '^^^ Contempt of 
 
 where there is no Clafliing, there muft needs be ah un- 
 interrupted Harmony and Peace : And both Sides find 
 their Account in it, from the mutual Exchange of 
 fpiritual and temporal Benefits. The Church makes 
 it her utmoft Care to inculcate Principles of Loyalty 
 and Obedience to the civil Government, with a pe- 
 culiar Authority over the Confciences and Affe^lions of 
 the People' J and the King takes care to protect and 
 defend the Church, which he knows to be the beft 
 Support of his regal Authority. Thefe are, and ever 
 will be, the natural Confequences of this natural 
 Courfe and Order of Things. — Whereas the Erajiian 
 Scheme, wherever it prevails, is a perpetual Source 
 of Jealoufy and Contention, is big with Abfurdities 
 too grofs to be juftified, and with Confequences too 
 terrible to be thought of, and too dangerous to be 
 neglected. 
 
 Betwixt interfering Powers and clafhing Intereils, 
 there muft of neceflity be perpetual Jealoufies and 
 Competitions. A King, who is fond of Power, and 
 happens to have a very moderate Concern for Reli- 
 gion, and the Intereft of the Church, (which is neither 
 an impoflible nor an invidious Suppontion ; for what 
 has been may be) will be apt to look v/ith a jealous 
 Eye upon the moft juftifiable and legal Method of de- 
 fending the one, and fecuring the other, as an Affront 
 to his Crown and Dignit}', and an Encroachment 
 upon his Prerogatives : He will be apt to interpret the 
 moft dutiful Remonftrance into DifafFeflion and Trea- 
 fon, as the late King "James did to the Fellows of 
 Magdalen College. On the other hand, the Friends of 
 the Church cannot help thinking, that the full Ex- 
 tent of Royal Power in the Government of the 
 
 Church. 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 225 
 
 Church is an Incroachment upon her original and in- 
 herent Rights, and are therefore under perpetual 
 Fears and Jealoufies, that one extraordinary Step may 
 produce another j and that thofe who have already 
 exceeded the due Bounds of civil Authority, may de- 
 termine to fecure their Acquifltions, by fupprefling 
 every thing that may Hand iri their Way, and, inftead 
 of being Defenders of the Faith, and nurftng Fathers 
 to the Church, may encourage or connive at thofe 
 who are contriving the Subverfion of both. Now let 
 any impartial Man confider what an unhappy Influence 
 fuch a Train of Jealoufies muft have upon the 
 Peace and Welfare of a Nation ; it naturally tends to 
 weaken and deftroy that mutual Confidence which 
 ought to fubfift betwixt the Prince and People, and 
 which is one of the ftrongefi: Securities of any Govern- 
 ment J and when that once comes to be diffolved^ all 
 tends to Ruin and Confufion : The beft and moft 
 laudable Defigns are fufpedled, and the moft innocent 
 Adlions mifinterpreted on both Sides. Neither Pro- 
 mifes nor Oaths are believed or trufted, and neither 
 Side can think themfelves fafe but in the intire Sup- 
 preflion and Subjedlion of the other. The leaft Know- 
 ledge in Hiftory will inform us, that this has been the 
 Ground of many terrible Contcfts betwixt the Church 
 aiid the Prince, efpecially where he happens to be of 
 a different Communion from the eftablifhed Church, 
 and yet muft have the Difpofal of Bifhoprics, and other 
 Affairs of the Church, under his abfolute Dire£lion ; 
 can fct up Ecclefiaftical Commiflions in what Hands 
 he pleafcs, hinder Convocations from fitting and ail- 
 ing, and what not ? Of which we have fcen too many 
 Inftances at home, as well as abroad, efpecially in 
 Vol. n. Q^ Frame, 
 
226 The Contempt of 
 
 France, in the Cafe of Henry IV. Nay, and in many 
 Cafes where the Prince has been truly and zealoufly 
 of the eftabHfhed Communion, terrible Confequences 
 have followed upon thofe mutual Jealoufres of any 
 unreafonable [Stretch of improper Authority. Wit- 
 iiefs the holy League againft Henry III. of France, and 
 the folemn League and Covenant (which was thence 
 tranfcribed almoft verbatim, mutatis mutandis) againft 
 our King Charles I. and the feveral Squabbles and 
 Di(putes betwixt Popes and fecular Princes, about di- 
 viding the Spoil of Ecclefiaftical Power. 
 
 The grofs Abfurdities that flow from this unnatural 
 Blending of Powers and Confufion of Chara<5lers, are 
 a fufficient Proof that this is not a natural uncorrupt- 
 ed State of Things ; for to reafon ah abfurdo, has 
 always been thought good Logic upon any Queftion. 
 If Kings have this abfolute Supremacy over the Church 
 in their Dominions, how came they by it ? If it be 
 the inherent Privilege of the Crown, then it will fol- 
 low that the heathen Princes before Conjiantine had 
 the fame Right to it that he and his Chriftian Suc- 
 cefTors had afterwards. And that the Head and the 
 Body fhould be animated by two oppofite Spirits ; 
 and that the former fhould (contrary to the very ori- 
 ginal Law of Nature) attempt to deftroy the latter, is 
 too abfurd to be imagined. But if Kings claim it as 
 the Reward and Privilege of their being Chriftians, 
 that is Members of Chrift's holy Catholic Church, 
 another Abfurdity will follow, that the fame Perfon 
 can be at the fame time the Head and a Member of 
 the fame Body. The greateft Prince upon Earth is 
 admitted into the Church by the fame Sacrament 
 of Baptifin, as any other private Chriftian, and 
 
 is 
 
the Clergy Conftd^red. 227 
 
 is thereby, as our OfKce of Baptifin expreffes 
 It, engrafted into the Body of Chrift's Church; "and 
 that the new incorporate Member fhould imme- 
 diately change its Nature and Pofition, and become 
 the Head of that Body, requires a particular Philo- 
 fophy to explain or comprehend. Befides, a Prince 
 who is incorporated into the Church by Baptifm, and 
 isj by this way of Reafoning, become its Head, may 
 tufn Heretic, as Conjiant'ius and Valens ; or Apoftate, 
 ^s Nero and Julian; and how can he be the Head of 
 any Church with which he has no Communion ? Or 
 how can any King be Head of the feveral different 
 -Communions of Chriftians that may be tolerated in 
 his Dominions ? At this fate the Kings of Great- 
 Britain are Heads of the Epifcopal Church of Eng- 
 land, of the Prefbyterian Q\\\xrc\\ oi Scotland, and the 
 Popifh Church o^ France, if they had the Poflefllon 
 as well as the Title of it. They may indeed be the 
 Heads of an hundred different Churches or Com- 
 munions, if there were fo many in their Dominions, 
 as to the civil or temporal Supremacy, and Exercife, 
 of the civil Sword in all Caufcs, and over all Perfins, 
 (is well Ecclefiajlical as Civil. But to be the Ecclefi- 
 aftical Heads and Governors, or to have any Ecclefr- 
 aftical Power or Authority, is' utterly inconfiftent, 
 and as great a Contradiclion, as that all thefe Churches, 
 Communions, or fpiritual Corporations fhould be one. 
 They are all ohe Body in the temporal Senfe; they are 
 all SubjecSls, and fo have all one temporal Head, or 
 Governor; but they cannot all have one Ecclefiaftical 
 Head, or Governor, atly more than they can be all one 
 Ecclefiaftical Bodv, or more than the fame Perfon can 
 0.2 be 
 
22-8 ^hs Contempt of 
 
 be at the fame time the fpiritual Head of fcvcral dl- 
 llindl Churches or Communions. 
 
 And as the Notion is in itfelf abfurd and contra- 
 diftory, fo nothing but a Miracle can prevent the un- 
 happy Confequences that will one time or other na- 
 turally flow from the Pradice ; of which I fliall men- 
 tion three. They&y?, is the utter Difcouragement of 
 found Learning, fincere Piety, Contempt of the 
 World, unfeigned Zeal for the Honour of God and 
 true Religion, which are the necefliary Qualifications 
 for the Apoftolical Office. So long as it fhall be in 
 the Power of a Court to difpofe of all the great and 
 honourable Employments in the Church, it will be 
 a conftant Temptation to worldly and defigning Men 
 to recommend themfelves, by all the little Arts of 
 Flattery and Addrefs, to the Notice and Efteem of 
 thofe who have the fole Power to prefer them. And 
 as it is morally impoffible for any Prince to enter into 
 the real Characters of the feveral Expectants upon 
 every Vacancy, fo he will be compelled to accept the 
 Characters and Recommendations of thofe about him, 
 who, in a Nation divided into Parties, will moil cer- 
 tainly recommend to the Royal Favour none but thofe 
 who have moft eminently diftinguiftied themfelves by 
 their zealous Attachment to the Intereft of the pre- 
 vailing Party j which a Prince of courfe is taught to 
 believe is the Security of his own Royal Perfon and 
 Family, and the Support of his Crown and Dignity. 
 This naturally tends to debauch the Minds, and cor- 
 rupt the Principles of the Croud of Seekers : They 
 are tempted to defpife and difregard all thofe intel- 
 leilual and moral Excellencies, which are the true 
 
 and 
 
the Clergy Conjidered. 229 
 
 and only Foundation of real Merit, which they fee 
 difrcgarded by their Superiors, and have recourfe to 
 all the mean unworthy Arts of Venality and Proftitu- 
 tion, which they obferve to be the moft fuccefsful 
 Methods of obtaining Preferment ; whilft the Learned, 
 the Religious, the Generous, and the Uncorrupt, 
 who cannot come aukwardly to cringe at a Levee, 
 who cannot adjuft their Mufclcs to the Direflion of 
 their Patron, nor facrifice their Underftandings and 
 Gonfciences to every Turn of a Minifter, will be 
 fure to fly from thofe Places, where they are fure to 
 make a difagreeable Appearance, and fhut themfelves 
 up from the Obfervation of thofe, from whom, at 
 beft, they can expe6l nothing but Averfion and Dif- 
 honour. 
 
 And this cannot fail to produce a fecond Confe- 
 quencey ftill more fatal and terrible. I mean the 
 grofleft Ignorance and Immorality among the Clergy, 
 and an intire Contempt of Religion among the Laity, 
 which will quickly end in the Confufion and Diftradlion 
 of Church and State. Bifhop Burnet, in the fore- 
 mentioned Hi/lory of the Regale, gives us feveral In- 
 ftances of the difmal EfFedls of this unhappy Con- 
 dudl. To this * he afcribes the intire Overthrow 
 of the Greek Church, where it prevailed : TTje Em- 
 perors, fays he, took the Nomination of Bijhops into their 
 own Hands, and then gave them either to fuch illiterate 
 Monks, as were much ejleemed for the StriSinefs of their 
 Lives, but were Tools for any Defigns on which they fet 
 them, or to fuch of their Courtiers or Soldiers that had 
 mrited beji at their Hands. And by thefe Means were 
 
 *P-75. 
 
 0.3 i'^ 
 
230 ^^^ Contempt of 
 
 the Greek Churches brought to that pafs for Igmranct 
 and Corruptioiu, that it is m Wonder they were given up 
 hj God to fuch terrible Calamities as were brought upon 
 them, firjl by the Saracens, and then by the Ottoman 
 Family. And again he goes on, * In Andronicus'j 
 long Reign, many Bijhops %vcre put in and out, to the 
 great Scandal of the Church : Of which the Hijlorian f - 
 makes this Remark, Princes chofe fuch Men to their . 
 Charge, who may be their Slaves, and in all things ob^ . 
 fequious to what they Jl)all prcfcribe, who may lie at their 
 Feet, and not fo ?7iiich as have a Thought contrary to their 
 Command. No Wonder (continues the Bifliop) he brake 
 out into fo fever e a Cenfure, when, many zvere raifed to 
 that Dignity who could neither write nor read. Now 
 fhould we, or our Poftcrity, be ever fo unhappy as to 
 fee the Clergy, by thefe, or any other Means, reduced 
 fo low as to be contemptible in the Eyes of the. 
 People, 
 
 A third Co? fejuoice will follow, — -All the Enemies 
 of Religion, Peace, and Order, who have long 
 looked with a malignant Eye upon the poor Remain- 
 der of the Revenues of the Church, and long to de- 
 vour the poor Pittance that has hitherto efcaped the 
 Plunder of the Sacrilegious, will quickly unite to 
 finifli the evil Work, which their unbelieving Fore- 
 fathers began. They will not only aggravate every 
 fufpicious Appearance, but even their own malicious 
 Surmifes, into a Charge of the higheft Infamy and 
 Guilt J and then the Bulk of the People, who cajti, 
 only judge by Appearances and Imprefiions made by 
 thofe whom they are taught to believe better Judges 
 
 * p. 97. i ISiicephor. Gre£. L. 7. 
 
 than 
 
the Clergy Conjidered. 231 
 
 than themfelves ; they will hearken to every Calumny, 
 and fwallow every idle Tale that may tend to ruin 
 their Credit, and haften their Deftru£lion. This was 
 the Cafe with regard to religious Houfes at the Time 
 of their DifTolution ; the real Abufes in fome, which 
 ought to have been reformed, and the imaginary 
 Abufes in others, which ought to have been impar- 
 tially examined ; the Ignorance, the Luxury, and 
 Immoralities charged in the grofs upon all thofe reli- 
 gious Societies, raifed fuch an outragious Spirit of Re- 
 formation in the Bulic of the People, that they readi- 
 ly lent a helping Hand to thofe who made the Cry of 
 Reformation a Pretence and Cloak for the moft out- 
 ragious Sacrilege, to the Difhonour of God, the Re- 
 proach of Religion, and irreparable Lofs to good 
 Leaj'ning. So at the Beginning of the great Rebellioriy 
 the real Faults and Indifcretions perhaps of a few 
 Churchmen were aggravated, by the malicious Arti- 
 fices of theFa<flious and Difcontented, into an abfolutc 
 Charge of infupportable Ufurpation, Tyranny, Ido- 
 latry, Perfecution, zs^c. — not only againft the Perfons, 
 but even the whole Epifcopal Order; whilft the 
 Leaders of the Faction had nothing at Heart but 
 Power and Plunder, which they purfued without 
 Shame or Remorfe, to the Ruin of great Numbers of 
 moft excellent and primitive Perfons, and the utter 
 Subverfion of the cftabliflicd Church. And ihould 
 it ever happen, for the Sins of this Nation, that the 
 Ignorance, the loofe Principles, the irregular Con- 
 duel, the immoral Lives, of a few Clergymen (who 
 perhaps owe their Promotion purely to their L^nworthi- 
 nefs) fliould be improved by the Enemies cf Religion 
 into- a popular Charge and Clamour againft the whole 
 0.4 Order, 
 
23 2 ^1^6 Contempt of 
 
 Order, you will quickly fee the Harpies flying to the 
 Spoil, and the Learned and Religious fufFering with- 
 out Diftin<3:ion from the lawlefs Rage of Infidelity 
 and Sacrilege, for the Faults of their unworthy Bre^ 
 thren. 
 
 Add to all this, that if there be a God in Heaven, 
 which ruleth over the Kingdoms of the Earth, which 
 you, and I, and every fober Deift, muft,upon our own 
 Principles, believe and confefs, and which none but 
 a Fool can deny or difpute ; it will then follow, that 
 not only private Perfons, but Nations and Commu- 
 nities, fhall be rewarded or puniflied, according to 
 their political Merit or Demerit : But in their politi- 
 cal Capacity, they can only be rewarded or punifhed 
 in this World, in which only they can fubfift. It is 
 therefore the ufual Method of Providence to punifli 
 the Wickednefs of Princes, the Iniquity of Courts, 
 the Apoftacy of the Clergy, and Irreligion of the Peo- 
 ple, by withdrawing his Protection from them, and 
 delivering them up into the Hands of thofe whom he 
 has appointed to be the Executioners of his Juftice. 
 * For the Sins of her Prophets^ and the Iniquities of her 
 Priejis, was ferufakm, the beloved City, delivered 
 into the Hands of her Enemies, who fhed the Blood 
 of the Juft in the midft of her, and led her Children 
 into Captivity in an idolatrous Nation. And the pre- 
 fent deplorable State of the Eaftern Churches, groan- 
 ing under the Mahometan Tyranny, fhould be a 
 fufficient Warning *to others not to tread in th?i|" 
 ^teps, for fear of their Puniihment. 
 
 * Lam. iv. lo. 
 
 Thefe 
 
the Clergy Conjidered. 233 
 
 Thefe terrible Cojifequences (we humbly prefume) 
 cafily may, and only can, be prevented by reftoring 
 the Order and Difcipline of the Church upon the foot 
 of primitive Antiquity, and the univerfal Pradtice of 
 the firft and pureft Ages, as we find them attefted by 
 their public A£ls and Monuments, which make the 
 ^lc(5lion of their own Governors, and the Power of 
 holding Synods upon proper Occaljons, to be con^ 
 iidered as her inherent and eflential Privileges, with- 
 out which fhe can neither execute nor preferve the 
 fpiritual Authority, with which fhe is intruded, 
 nor anfwer the great Ends of her Inftitution. 
 
 Againft the firft, many Objections have been, and 
 ftill will be, made by thofe who are engaged by In- 
 tereft or Prejudice to oppofe the moft reafonable Al- 
 teration. The firft is, That the Kings are Founders of 
 all our Englifli B'ljhoprics and have therefore the un- 
 doubted Right of Patronage, to bejlow them as they 
 plfafe. This Objedlion has been urged by Men of 
 Learning and Chara(3:eri but without a due Proof of 
 the Fail, or Defence of the Confequence ; neither of 
 which I take to be feafible. That there were Chri- 
 Jiian Bijhops in Britain before there were Chriftian 
 Kings, we prefume, can hardly be difputed; and 
 whatever Alterations Chriftian Kings might afterwards 
 make as to the Places of their Refidence or temporal 
 Endowments, it makes but little Alteration ; becaufc 
 W€ humbly conceive it does not appear by any En- 
 dowment now extant upon Record, that any Prince 
 ever ftipulated in Confideration of fuch Endowment, 
 or claimed for himfelf, or his Succeilbrs, the Privi- 
 kge of eleding cither Bifliop or Abbot, in Exchange 
 for the Temporalities with which he had endowed 
 
 any 
 
224 ^^^ Contempt of 
 
 siny Bifliopric or religious Houfe in his Dominions. 
 If any fuch Claim could have been found, it might 
 have been reafonably expected in Magna Charta ', 
 where, after due Care had been taken for afcertaining 
 the Privileges and Immunities of the Church, it is 
 fcarce to be doubted but that the Prince who granted, 
 it would at leaft have inferted z Salvo, for the Privileges 
 of himfelf and his SucGeflors, in fo important an Af- 
 fair as this, in which their Silence may be juftly con- 
 fidered as a Proof that no fuch Claim was ever made ; 
 and that we fhould, at this time of Day, trump up 
 a Title for them, to which they never made any Pre- 
 tence, fhews how much we improve in Civility and 
 good Manners to the Court, to which we owe our 
 Preferments, and how little Regard we have for the 
 Chui'ch, whofe Minifters we pretend to be, and 
 whofe Privileges and Immunities we are bound to- 
 vindicate. 
 
 A fecond Objection is, That as they are Lords of 
 Parliaynent and Privy-Counfellors, and enioy many 
 temporal Privileges annexed to their Sees, it is but 
 reufbnable that the King fhould have the fole Nomi- 
 nation of them, for the better Security of their Alle- . 
 giance. To which it may be anfwered, It is highly 
 reafonable that the Prince fhould have all poflible Se- 
 curity for the Loyalty of all his Subjects, of whatever- 
 Rank or Condition foever, fpiritual as well as teitl- 
 po^ral ; and that the Bifhops, as well as othei-s,- 
 fiiould have fuch reafonable Teffe upon them, as may- 
 be thought neceflary for that Purpofe. — For their 
 Temporalities they do Homage and Fealty to the 
 Biing,. to whofe Royal Bounty they confefs them to: 
 %e intirely ov/ing. Suppofe, at the- fame time, they 
 
 were 
 
the Clergy Coyifid.tr ed. 235 
 
 were in a folcmn Manner to renounce all Pretenfions 
 to civil Power in the Church ; to limit or oppofc, by 
 fecular Force, the Authority of the civil Magiftrate, 
 though in facred Things, or over facred Perfonsj 
 yea, though they ihould think it unjuftly exercifed : 
 What more than this could any Prince reafonably 
 expetSl ? If he fhould, for his further Security, infiit 
 upon tlie abfolute Nomination of fuch Perfons, as 
 hadj by a long Train of obfequious Services, given 
 him fufficient Proofs of an intire Submiflion to his 
 Royal Will and Pleafure, he would find at laft, by 
 fad ^J^xperience, this would in a gjeat meafure defeat 
 the only real Benefit he could propofe by fuch a Pro-: 
 motion. Their facred Charafters, as fpiritual Guides . 
 and Confellbrs, as well as Privy-Counfellors, would 
 oblige them rather to advife in Matters of Duty and 
 ConTcience, than blindly to follow the Direction of 
 their Sovereign, and, like the falfe Prophet of old *, 
 with one Mouth declare Good to the King, when 
 they fee him going into wrong Meafures, to the. 
 Ruin of himfelf and his People. A Prince can have 
 little Reafon to expedl, that they, who have facrificed 
 their Underftandings and Confciences to obtain Pre- 
 ferment, v/ill ever have Courage enough to hazard 
 the Lofs of his Favour by a religious Adherence to 
 the Caufe of Truth and Jufiice. A very moderate 
 Degree of Knowledge in the Hiftory of our own Na- . 
 tion may convince any Man, that thofe who havo 
 been Tools and Sycophants to obtain Preferment,, 
 will run any Lengths, and comply with any Changes, 
 jn order to keep what they have got, or obtain what 
 
 f 2 Kings xxii. 13. 
 
 they 
 
z^G ^he Contempt of 
 
 they want, and would prove but miferable Comforters 
 in a Day of Tryal and Adverfity. Whereas a 
 Perfon chofen to that exalted Station by the una- 
 nimous Vote of his Fellow-Bifliops and Clergy, 
 with the Prince's Royal Approbation, for his fu- 
 perior Knowledge, Greatnefs of Soul, and Sandlity 
 of Life, would thereby give him the greateft Se- 
 curity, that he would fcorn to miflead him by his 
 Advice, Apjyobation, or Silence into all Meafures, 
 or betray or forfake him in the Profecution of good 
 ones. 
 
 A third Objeilion, which never fails to be made 
 on this Occafion, is fetting up Imperitnn in Imperio j 
 which is a mere Jingle of Words, without any Mean- 
 ing. A Church abfolutely independent of the State, 
 in Things civil as well as facred, would indeed be 
 fetting up one Power and Government within another, 
 perpetually clafhing and interfering, which, without 
 tioubt, would produce nothing but Confufion. But 
 whilfl: the facred and civil Powers run each in their 
 proper Channels, they will be like two parallel Lines, 
 that never can meet or interfere, but are perfedtly 
 confiftent and afliftant to each other. Every Crime 
 is a Violation of the Laws of God, as well as the 
 Laws of the Community. And every Criminal, con- 
 fidered as a Member of the Church as well as of the 
 State, is in a different Manner, and on a different 
 Account, refponfible to two di{tin<3: Tribunals, the 
 one to punifh the Body, and the other the Soul. 
 Thus for Treafon, Tf}eft, or Murder^ which are for- 
 bidden both by the Laws of God arid Man ; neither 
 their Sentence nor Abfojutions are at all interfering or 
 rnconfiftent with dnc another. The Criminal may 
 
 be 
 
the Clergy Cenftdend. 237 
 
 be pardoned by the State, and yet cenfured and ex- 
 communicated by the Church ; or he may, upon his 
 Repentance, be abfolved by the Church, and yet be 
 punifhed by the civil Magiftrate ; fo that both may a<2: 
 independently, yet without Confufion: The Con- 
 fufion arifes purely from their exceeding the Bounds 
 of their diftin£l Commiflions j when tlie Church pre- 
 tends to control or limit the Exercife of the civil 
 Power, or the State to oppofe and hinder the fpiritual 
 Authority of the Church. The Papal Ufurpations, 
 therefore were intolerable ; for the Bifhops aflerted 
 the Pope's Power over Princes, even in temporal 
 Things, and, by his Command, refufed to pay Taxes, 
 or contribute towards the Support of the Government, 
 which was direftly withdrawing their Allegiance from 
 the civil Magiftrate, and fetting up a foreign Power 
 fuperior to him in temporal Things, even in his own 
 Dominions. 
 
 JESUS CHRIST therefore is the Founda- 
 tion of the Church j though in fpiritual Things wholly 
 independent on the civil Power, yet gave her no Au- 
 thority to clafli or interfere with it. He declared tliat ' 
 his Kingdom (and by confequence theirs) was not of 
 this World. He gave, and commanded to give, to 
 Cefar all that was Cefar's ; but the Things of God, 
 and the Adminiftration of his fpiritual Kingdom upon 
 Earth, he left in the Hands of his Church, for which 
 ihe is juftly accountable to none but himfelf; and 
 from the unnatural Blending of thefe diftindl Powers 
 arifes all that pretended Confufion that is objefted to 
 the Exercife of an independent fpiritual Authoritj'. 
 
 And after all, we humbly prefume, with the Conient 
 ©f our Governors, that a Method migat be found 
 
 out 
 
SgS 2"^? CbNTZMPT of 
 
 out td prevent or anfw^r all thefe Objeftiott^, and to 
 reftore the Epifcopal Rights, without any Prejiidicfe 
 6f Diminution to the Royal Authority ; fo that berth 
 the Prince, the Clergy, and the People rtiay have 
 their due Share of Power in the Eledtion, and the 
 Prince may have all the Security he can reafonably de- 
 fire for the dutiful Allegiance of the Perfon to bfe 
 elet^ed. DifFerent Schemes have, in different Ages 
 and Nations, according to the different Circum- 
 ftances of Things, been propofed and prafHfed for 
 this End. The Council of Arles^ A. D. 450. Caii. 55. 
 made a Pvule, which for rnany Ages was followed by 
 all the wellern Churches, among v;hom the Brltljh 
 were always reckoned. That, to avoid Ambition and 
 Sifnonyy the Bi/hops flyould na^ne three Pei'fom^ out of 
 whom the Clergy n7id People Jhoidd choofe one. In the 
 next Century, the Emperor fujiinian made a Decree 
 * for the eaftern Churches, and as much of the 
 WefVern as was under his Jurifditbion. That ivhen a 
 Bijhop tvas to be ordained, the Clergy and chief Men vf 
 the City Jhould ajfemble, and having taken an Oath upoh 
 the Gojpels to make an impartial Choice of three Pcrfons 
 will qualified^ (whofe Qualifications are particularly 
 cxpreifed in the Oath) he of thofe three Perfons Jhould 
 be corfecrated zuhom the Bifiops that ivere to ordain hith 
 Jhould judge the mojl worthy. Another Expedient has 
 h<i<t\\ thought of in later Days, as better fuited to the 
 State and NecelTities of our Times, That when any 
 Bijhopric is vacant, the Dioccfan Clergy Jhould prefent 
 nine Perfons to the Chapter ; and that out of them they 
 Jhould prefent three io the King, of whom he Jhould no- 
 
 * Nov. 123. C. I, & 137. C. 2. * 
 
 minate 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 239 
 
 tntnate one. One great Objed^ion againft this Scheme 
 is, That hereby the People are intirely excluded^ 
 and the Bifliops have not that Authority in the Elec- 
 tion, which in the moft primitive Times they always 
 had : But there is a.nother which I have heard pro- 
 pofed, which I think feems lefs liable to Objedrioa ' 
 than any other ; TJjat upon every Vacancy of a 
 Bijhopric^ the Convocation Jhould meet and choofe eight 
 Perfons : The Uppe?' Houfe four., and the Lower Houfe 
 four. Thefe jhould be prefented to the Parliaynent : The 
 Upper Houfe Jhould prefent their four to the Lords ; tfje 
 Lower theirs to the Commons : Out of thefe the Lords 
 Jhoitld prefent two, and the Commons two, to the King ; 
 out of which four his Majefly jhoidd nominate cne^ 
 By this Method both the Clergy, the People, and the 
 King too, (hould have a Share in all Eleclions of 
 Bifhops : There would be no Danger of having un- 
 deferving Perfons preferred to lb high a Station ; 
 and BifliopSj or thofe who hope to be fuch, will be 
 encouraged to obtain the Favour of their Country, 
 by feeking the true "Welfare both of Church and 
 State ; fmce there would be no other Way of arriving 
 at that Honour. The only Difficulty in this Scheme 
 is to obtain the Confent of our Superiors to put it in 
 Pradtlce. 
 
 The Obje(ftions againft the fecond Branch, viz. 
 That of meeting in Synods to confult and determine 
 about Matters purely fpiritual, to cenfure notorious 
 Heretics, Schifmatics, and Unbelievers, to con- 
 demn profane and irreligious Books and Opinions, 
 determine Controverfies, defend and explain Articles 
 of Faith, iff:. — are — I profefs, I know not what. 
 REASON S there certainly arc, and fuch as our Su- 
 
 periorj! 
 
240 ^he CoNTEMPt of 
 
 periors think of fufficient Weight to juftify the long 
 Intermiflion of Convocations j and it would be 
 Prefumption in us to offer at any Conjectures about 
 an Affair in which we are (and we prefume ought to 
 be) intirely ignorant. We do not pretend to claim 
 the Power of convening by virtue of any fpiritual 
 Authority independent of the State. The Wifdom 
 and Piety of former Kings have made a fufficient 
 and legal Provilion for the Peace and Intereft of the 
 Church and true Religion by many folemn Charters 
 and repeated Acts of Parliament. — Give me leave to 
 tranfcribe a notable Paflage very appofite to our pre- 
 fent Purpofe, from the late P'lous^ Learned^ and Ho- 
 nourable Lord Nottingham'^ Poftfcript to his Letter to 
 Mr, Whifton, The Convocation (fays he) is a Part of 
 the Parliarnent^ and as of right it mujt he fumtnonedvjith 
 the Parliament j fo that Su?n7nons will be rendered inftgni- 
 ficant and nugatory^ if they are not permitted to fit and aSi 
 in taking care of the Flock of Chri/iy of which the Holy 
 Ghoji has made them Overfeers., and which the Laws of the 
 Land have committed to thcin ; efpecially at a Time when 
 the Doctrines of onr mojl Holy Faith ^ and the Apojlolical 
 Injiitutions of our Churchy are fo virulently attacked, 
 and in fo open and infolent a Manner, It was the Advice 
 ff/" Maecenas /o Auguftus to fuffer no Innovations in Reli- 
 gion \ hecaufe the Peace of the State d.^ended upon it : 
 that Prince had Peace in all the JVorld : but ivhat Di~ 
 JlurbanceSy what Mferics^ Iimovations in Religion have 
 caiifed in this Nation^ the Hijlory of the lajl Age inforyyit 
 us fufficiently : and hoiu fatal the Feuds and Animofitici 
 occafioncd by the Pretenders to RcUgicn in this may he^ no 
 li/Ian can foretel. — Every good Man fears — . Nov/ 
 •whatever ill ufe has beai made of the Text for fu^ering the 
 
 TiTSS 
 
the Clergy Confidefed. 241 
 
 Tard which were fown by the Enemy to graip up with 
 the Wheat \ yet furely we are not to lay ourfelves to Jleep 
 on purpofe to give the Enemy an Opportunity of /owing 
 them. The Jews reckon they were forbid even by the Law 
 of Mofes to revile the Gods of other Nations, ivhich are 
 no Gods : But that the Son of God, luhom we and all 
 Chrijiendom adore as the God of our Salvation, Jhould be 
 reviled, trampled upon, and put to open Shame by thofe of 
 our own Nation, in Contempt of the Laws of the Land, 
 as well as of God, uncontrolled, without any Anunadvcr- 
 fton, without giving the proper Champions of our Faith ati 
 Opportunity to refute and reclaim thefnfrom their ErrorSy 
 is fo unaccountable a Proceeding both in Prudence and Reli- 
 gion, that I well hope afpeedy Remedy tvill be applied to 
 it -y and that ihofe who are in Authority will free them- 
 felves not only from the Sufpicion, but from the real Guilt 
 of being Partakers in other Mens Sins. For Qui non 
 prohibet, cum poteft, jubet ; and therefore that they 
 will advife his Majejiy to give the Fathers and Pajiors of 
 the Church leave to fpeak for themfelves, and indeed for 
 the King. For Defender of the Faith is not an empty 
 Title. The Defence of the Church of Y.\\^?iX\^, and the 
 holy Religion profeffed in it, is the Foundation of the Re- 
 volution, and of his Majejiy s SucceJJion to the Throne. 
 And after all our Experiments, this Church luill be found 
 to be, as wasfaid of the SanSiuary, The Excellency of our 
 Strength, and indeed of all the Protejlants in Europe ; 
 who as much as they want our Support, will have little 
 Reafon to think we Jhall be much concerned for them with 
 whom in fame Points we differ, ifivejhcxv but little Zeal 
 for our cotnmon Chrijlianity in which we agree. I fee 
 you ftare at this long Quotation. But as this Noble 
 Author was not only a good Christian and a good 
 Vol. II. R Scholar, 
 
242 The Contempt of 
 
 'Scholar, but alfo a good Lawyer ; his Authority In 
 Point of Law may give the greater Weight td his Rea- 
 foning upon the Principles of common Chriftianity. 
 
 The prefent deplorable State of Religion among us 
 is not to be denied or defended. The univerfal, and 
 indeed, unavoidable Relaxation of Church-Difcipline, 
 atid the fcandalous Abufe even of that Shadow of it 
 that remains, gives us but a melancholy Profpedl for 
 the growing Generation. There are, it is true, 
 yet to be feen in our Rubric and Canons, fuch 
 Words as DifclpUney Cenfure, ^Admonitions, Penancey 
 Excommunication ; fufEcient Indications of a Power 
 once claimed and exercifed by the ■Governors of the 
 Church. But alas ! they ftand there now as the 
 melancholy Ruins of an old Fortrefs long ago de- 
 molifhed, uncapable of the leaft Defence againft the 
 Enemies of Religion. The Rubric to the Com- 
 jnunion-Gervice diredls every Clergyman to admonifh 
 and repel from the Communion Men of vicious and 
 fcandalous Lives ; and the Churchwardens are bound 
 by their Oaths to prefent fuch Offenders, that they 
 may be puniflied. But, confidering the prefent 
 State of Things, a Man m.uft have the Courage of a 
 •Martyr, that dares put thefe Laws in Execution.— 
 Suppofe, for inftance, that the greateft Reprobate in 
 this City were for feme peculiar Kind of Merit pre- 
 ferred to any good Office, Ecclefiaftical, Military, or 
 Civil ; and fliould offer himfelf to receive the Com- 
 munion as a Qi^ialification ; what in fuch a Cafe 
 Ihall a Minifter do ? If he admit him, he is falfe to 
 his Canonical Oath ; if he refufe him, he is liable to 
 be fued in an Adlion of 500 /. which may perhaps be 
 
 the immediate Ruin of his Family. If not that 
 
 it 
 
the Clergy Conjtdered. 243 
 
 tt expofes him however to the keeneft Refentment of 
 the Perfon fo refufed, and by confequence to the 
 Vengeance of thofe great Men, who had been the 
 Authors of his Promotion. I remember in the lattey: 
 End of Queen Junes Reign fuch a Cafe as this : The 
 Clero;yman, apprehenfive of the Snare, applied him- 
 felf to the Biftiop of his Diocefe (with whom I was 
 -then in Company) how to behave on fuch a trying 
 Occafion. O (faid the Bifliop) you muft, without 
 Doubt, follow the Diredlion of the Canon and Ru- 
 bric. But, my Lord (faid he) I know the Temper 
 of this Man fo well, that I am fure he will fue me ; 
 
 and if he does, he will ruin me. I cannot help 
 
 that (faid the Biihop) the Rubric and Canons are 
 your Rule. But, my Lord ! (faid he) will you ufe 
 your Intereft above to indemnify me, in cafe I 
 ihould be condemned to pay the Penalty ? I cannot 
 .'(faid he) promife myfelf or you any Succe/s, if I 
 ihould attempt it. Why then (faid he) I muft com- 
 ply even againft my Oath and Confcience — Cet me 
 rather fall into the Hands of a merciful God, than 
 into the Hands of an unbelieving, unforgiving Re- 
 probate. Was not this a hard Cafe ! And may not 
 this be the Cafe of every Clergyman in Englajid! 
 
 And is there no Remedy ! Can there be 
 
 no Medium betwixt Damnins: and Starvins: ? ■ 
 How muft the Infidels laugh in their Sleeves to hear 
 the learned Writers and Preachers of our Church 
 talk of fpiritual Authority, the Potvcr of the KeySy 
 which every little dirty Fellow in an Office (hall defy 
 
 •you to execute ? -For Shame, let us be confiftent ; 
 
 either repeal your Canons or your K€ts of Parliament. 
 
 If you pretend to communicate a fpiritual Commif- 
 
 R 2 lion 
 
244 ^^^ Contempt cf 
 
 fion to the Clergy, and oblige them by a folemn 
 Oath to execute it, and the whole Office is diredled 
 and confirmed by repeated Adls of Parliament ; let 
 the Legiflature, that injoins this Canonical Oath, re- 
 move every Obftacle that may lie againft it, and find 
 out legal Methods of Prote«5lion and Security for thofe 
 who have Honour and Courage enough to do their 
 Duty, and inforce by the civil Authority all the Obli- 
 gations of Morality and Religion. 
 
 I have often wifhed that fome Man of Learning 
 and Leifure would give us a Compendium of the ic- 
 veral Laws that have been made in all Ages and Na- 
 tions of the World, fo far as Hiftory can inform us, 
 in Behalf of Virtue^ Mwality^ 'Juji'icey and Reli- 
 gion. We ihould certainly find, that not only among 
 the pohter and more learned Nations, fuch as Egypt, 
 Chaldea, Greece, and Rotne j but even among the 
 barbarous Scythians and Americans, it was thought 
 an eflential Point of good Goverrunent to fecure by 
 wholefome Laws and fevere Penalties every Branch 
 of religious Duty to their falib Gods, and every Arti- 
 cle of focial Virtue and Juftice betwixt Man and Man. 
 And that Death or Banifliment, corporal Pains or 
 civil Incapacity, were the certain Punifliment of 
 thofe Crimes in heathen Nations, which, in Chri- 
 ftian Countries, are regarded as Inftances of a fupe- 
 rior Genius, politer Tajie, ?}iore impartial Inquiry and 
 Freedom of Thought, itinocent Gallantries, comical Ad- 
 ventures, dextrous Management, or fuperior Cunning. 
 Upon the whole, we cannot conceive it inconfiftent 
 with good Policy, and all the Purpofes of good Go- 
 vernment, to fecure by wholefome Laws and fevere 
 Penalties, the Practice at leaft, if not the Belief, of 
 
 every 
 
the Ch^VLQY Conjidered. 245 
 
 every Article of Natural Religion, and of Revealed too, 
 fo long as it fliall be continued as the Religion of the 
 State ; and that Irreligion and Profanenefs fhould be 
 deemed quite as criminal, as Mifdemeanors againft 
 the civil Government. Where would be the Abfur- 
 dity or the Danger of making Blafphemy againfl; 
 God as criminal, as denying or difputing the King's 
 Title ? Why fhould not the denying the Divinity 
 of the Son of God (which is an Article of the State- 
 Religion, and confirmed by repeated A€ts of Par- 
 liament) be as heinous as denying the Legitimacy of 
 any of the Royal Iflue ? Why not the profaning a 
 Church, as ftriking within the Verge of the Court ? 
 Why not the Profanation of the Lord's Day, (ano- 
 ther Article of State-Religion) as a contemptuous 
 Affront to a State-Holiday ? Why fhould not bur- 
 lefquing the Bible (which is alfo an Article of the 
 Religion of the State) be deemed as great an Affront 
 to the Government, as the late Powder-Plot againfl 
 the four Afts of Parliament ? Why fhould not 
 Atheifm and Infidelity be quite as bad as Popery ? 
 Why fhould it be more meritorious to write in De- 
 fence of the Miniflry, than in Vindication of Re- 
 vealed Religion ? Why is it a Crime to be cool and 
 indifferent in Politics, and to be warm and ailive in 
 Defence of Religion ? Are we under fewer or weaker , 
 Obligations to fear God, than we are to honour the 
 King ? Is it not as much the Duty of Princes (whom 
 we acknowledge to be God's Vicegerents) to pro- 
 mote the Honour and Service of their fupreme Lord, 
 and the Interefl of Religion, as to fecure the Allegi- 
 ance of their own Subjeds, and fupport the Dignity 
 
 of their Crowns. 
 
 R 3 Now 
 
2'4^ '^he Contempt of 
 
 Now with all due Submifllon to our Superiors, we 
 humbly conceive, that if a Convocation were fufFered 
 to meet, and were confined to the Confideration of 
 propel" Remedies for the numberlefs Inftances of 
 Irreligion and Profanenefs, which are daily and openly 
 pradtifed without Check or Reftraint, which being 
 approved by the Wifdom of Parliament, fliould be 
 enadled into Laws by the Royal Authority ; we can- 
 not but think they would contribute as much to the 
 Honour and Intereft of the Prince, and the Peace 
 and Welfare of the Public, as fome other Afls 
 which I could mention, which yet were follicited 
 with as much Zeal and Application as if the in- 
 tire Welfare of the Nation had depended upon 
 them. 
 
 But you will fay I am run from m}-- Subje6l ; how 
 will this prevent the Abufes and Immoralities fo 
 loudly charged upon the Clergy ? Patience, dear Sir, 
 your own fober Rcfle6lions will convince you that 
 this is the proper and only Remedy. A Court in- 
 fluenced by thefe Counfels, and direfled by thefe 
 Principles, could not fail to efFe6l an intire Reforma- 
 tion of all thofc Abufes which the Enemies of the 
 Clergy now (o loudly complain of What can be 
 fo likely to encourage among them an Emulation 
 to excel, as to find that fuperior Merit is the only 
 Recommendation to Royal Favour ? and that In- 
 tereft will prevail even where a Senfe of Duty can- 
 not, even their worft Enemies will acknowledge. 
 This would compel them to have Retourfe to all 
 the legal Methods which the Favour of Princes, 
 and the Laws of the Land afford for them, for 
 the better Difcharge of their great Truft, and the 
 
 re4 
 
th Clergy Con/idered. 947 
 
 real Purpofes of Edification and Order. A Convo- 
 cation thus fitting under the Royal Proteftion, and 
 the Favour and Good-will of both Houfes of Parlia- 
 ment, might eafily extrad from the apoftolical and 
 moft primitive Canons, fuch a Compendium of Duty 
 as fhould be a {landing Rule for the moral and 
 facerdotal Conduct of all the Clergy, like the Statutes 
 of the two Univerfities, or the Articles of War ; the 
 Violations of which ftiould be cognizable and punifh- 
 able by their proper Superiors. 
 
 Their proper Superiors, you will tell me, have 
 fomething elfe to do than to infpeft the particular 
 Conduft of every Clergyman under their Care. We 
 own it ; and therefore the Wifdom of our Fore- 
 fathers have eftabliihed two very neceflary Offices 
 in the Church for the more regular Exercife of Dis- 
 cipline, and Prefcrvation of Order j which, though 
 incorporated into our Laws, have for many Years, 
 and for I know not what Reafons, been intirely laid 
 afide, to the great Prejudice of Religion in general, 
 the Decay of Difcipline, and the Increafe of Deifm, 
 Herefy, and Schifm ; I mean Suffragan Bijhops and 
 Rural Deans, which wife and good Men wilh to le? 
 reftored. 
 
 Suffragan Bijhops were the fame as the Chorepifcopi 
 among the Antients. Bifhops placed in Villages of 
 the larger Diocefes, fubjedl to the Bifhop of the 
 Diocefe in which the Village was, and could aft no-r 
 thing but by his Licence and Commiflion. Du Pin 
 * tells us, that Rabanus, Archbifhop of Mentz, one 
 of the moft learned Writers of that Age, which was 
 
 * Vol. VII. /. 164, 165. 
 
 R 4 the 
 
24S I'kc Contempt of 
 
 the eighth Century, in oppofition to the Council of 
 Rati/hon, who had degraded them to the Rank of 
 Prefbyters, undertook to prove that their Office was 
 Apoftolical j and believes that St. Linius and St. Cle- 
 mens were Suffragans to St. Peter and St. Paul, 
 Our learned Bifliop Beveridge * gives us a large 
 and particular Account of the Nature and Anti- 
 quity of this Office, in which we are not fo much 
 concerned as in the legal Authority by which this 
 Office was fettled and regulated in England. Mr. 
 Wharton f fays, that the Office was brought into 
 England.^ about the middle of the feventh Century, 
 not much above fixty Years after Chriftianity was 
 eftablifhed among our Saxon Anceflors, and conti- 
 nued to the Reformation. In the 26th of Hen. VIII. 
 a Statute was made, that in twenty fix Places there 
 named, and in no others. Suffragan Bifhops fhould 
 be appointed, that they fhould be confecratcd by the 
 Archbifliop and two Bifhops, but that none of them 
 fhould exercife any Part of the Epifcopal Office, but 
 fuch as fhould be. committed to them by the Bifhop 
 of the refpeftive Diocefe. And let any impartial 
 Man judge, whether the reviving tliis Office would 
 not be of excellent Ufe, efpecially in the larger 
 Diocefes, and thofe immediately fubjedl to the 
 Archbifhops. Some of our Bifhoprjcs are fo large, 
 that it is abfolutely impoffible for one Man to take 
 that Epifcopal C^re of them that is neceffary. The 
 Diocefe of Lincoln has above twelve hundred Parifhes, 
 that of Norwich near as many. The Bifhops of 
 
 * Annot. ad Can. 13. Concil. Ancyran, 
 t Ang. Sax, Fart I. t. 150. 
 
 Qhejl^ 
 
th't Clergy Confidered. 249 
 
 Chejier and Exeter have very large Diocefes j ^o 
 has the Archbifhop of York, bcfides the Care of a 
 Province. But be the Dioccfe ever fo fmall, the 
 ncceflary Attendance upon Parlianient obliges the 
 Bifhops to be at leaft one half Year abfent from 
 their Diocefes ; during which Time, they may not 
 improperly be faid to be left as Sheep without a Shep- 
 herd, which is no fmall Misfortune and Difcourage- 
 ment to the Parochial Clergy, who are fo far from 
 the Infpedlion, the Advice, and Countenance of 
 their Superiors, upon very many trying Occafions, 
 And if this be the Cafe of the Clergy here at home, 
 how much worfe muft it be with the Epifcopal 
 Clergy abroad in our foreign Plantations ? who, let 
 the Occafion be ever fo extraordinary, can have no 
 Communication with their Bifhop without a tedious, 
 dangerous, and expenfive Voyage. I remember a 
 Time, when this Confideration was fo warmly and 
 affedHonately reprefented to a great Minifter, by 
 a great and excellent Perfon, to whom I had the 
 Honour to be well known, that a (feeming) Refolu- 
 tion, at leaft, was taken to conftitute four SufFra.- 
 gans for the J Feji- Indies y two for the Continent, and 
 two for the Iflands, and two for the Eaji- Indies y 
 and for this he had (as he thought) fo folemn Af- 
 furances, that, meeting me one Day in the Court 
 of Requefts, he told me with great Joy, that now 
 he thought he had effeSiually fecured hij darling Point. 
 How this hopeful Projeft came afterwards to be 
 totally laid afide, well defcrves the ferious Confidera- 
 tion of thofe (if living) by whofe Neglect or Oppo- 
 fition it happened to mifcarry. The Revival, there- 
 fore, of this Office, would efFcdlually remove one 
 
 Scandal 
 
250 '^^f Contempt of 
 
 Scandal at leaft of the Reformation, which is th« 
 Negle6l or Abufe of Confirmation, which the Friends 
 ©f Religion lament, and its Enemies make a Jeft of, 
 I could mention fome amazing Particulars to my 
 cwn Knowledge — But in general it may be faid>. 
 that if this Office be acknowledged to be of Apo- 
 ftolical Inftitution, and one of the Fundamentals of 
 Chrijlianity * ; and which, if rightly and duly admi- 
 niftered,. would be of great Ufe for promoting all the 
 real Purpofes of Holinefs in adult Perfons who had 
 been baptized in their Infancy, I cannot help think- 
 Eng that it cfUght regularly to be adminiftered every 
 Year, beginning at JVhitjundsy^ as that of public 
 JBaptifm was in the antient Church only at Eajier. 
 And it has often puzzled me to think why our 6cth 
 Canon, which fuppofes Suffragan Bilhops fhould 
 order it to be admijiiftered only once in three Years. 
 Th« Confequence of which is this, that when a 
 Biiliop keeps his triennial Vifitation, and a great 
 Number of Parifhes are obliged to attend at each 
 Place appointed for it, the Noife, the Tumult, the 
 Indecency, with which the young People croud to the 
 Cliancel, looks more like the Diverfions of the Bear- 
 gar d'en, than the folemn Performaiice of an Apofto- 
 fical Office. The great Numbers that attend, the 
 ShorSnefs of the Time allotted, and the manifold 
 Avocations to other Parts of his Duty, muft prevent 
 that Decency and Regularity which fuch holy Offices 
 ret^uire. Now if Confirmation be fo holy, fb necef- 
 fory an Office as we arc taught to believe ; and as 
 Matters, now fland, it cannot be fo duly and regularly 
 
 * Heb. vi. I, 2. 
 
 adminifteredi 
 
tbe^Ch-ERGY Confidcred. 251- 
 
 adminiftered in all Parts of the Realm, as our Laws 
 and Canons require ; Suffragan Bifhops conftantly 
 refiding in the Diocefe, fupported by the comfortable " 
 Addition of the Office of Chancellor, or fome other 
 good Dignity, might vifit and confirm through the 
 whole Diocefe by Commiflion from the Bifhop every 
 Year, referving Ordinations and Inftitutions wholly 
 to the Diocefan, except when he is hindered by fome 
 lawful Impediment, a Licence may be granted to the 
 Suffragan to perform both thefe Offices pro ijldc vice. 
 Many other Advantages would arife from this Infti- 
 tution too tedious to mention ; And this the Bilhops 
 themfelves have Power to put in Execution. For 
 the Laws now in Force give them Power to appoint 
 Suffragans, and make Clergymen their Chancellors. 
 Though I have heard Bifhops themfelves complain of 
 the Hardfhip of having Lay-Chancellors, when all 
 the World knows they may prevent it if they will. 
 For though the Parliament allows Laymen to exercife . 
 fpiritual Authority, yet it does not compel Bifhops to 
 give them Commiffions fo to do. The Defign of 
 that A61: was only to authorize the Commiffion 
 which Hairy VIII. gave Cromwell^ when he made 
 him Vicar-General of all England-, but I dare fay 
 the Parliament little thought the Bifhops would fo 
 unanimoufly follow a Precedent, which was fet up 
 intircly for the Deflruclion of Church-Government. 
 Before the Reformation there were Suffragans in 
 mofl Parts of this Kingdom j and it is plain, that 
 by the Acl of 26 of Hen. VIIL they were defighed to 
 be continued after the Reformation : For by virtue of 
 it, as Mr. Wharton * tells us, Thomas Mannyng was 
 
 * Anglia Sacra, Vol. I. /. 419. 
 
 made 
 
252" ^he Contempt of 
 
 made Biihop of IpfwtcJy, and John SaUJhury Bifhop of 
 Thetford, March 19, 1536. both confecrated by Arch- 
 bifhop Cranmer, and appointed Suffragans to the 
 Bifliop of Norwich. The fame Year IVdliam Moor 
 was confecrated Suffragan of Colchejier : The next 
 Year John Hodgejkim of Bedford ; and the Year after 
 IViUiam Finch of Taunton, And in Queen Elizabeth'' & 
 Reign, when the Reformation was fully fettled, we 
 find Richard Barry confecrated Suffragan of Notting- 
 hajUy Anno Dom. 1567 ; and Richard Rogers, Suf- 
 fragan of Dover, confecrated by Archbifhop Parker^ 
 * 1569. How they came to be laid afide, we know 
 not ; but furely our Anceflors thought them ufeful, 
 elfe we fhould Jiot have had an A6f: of Parliament Hill 
 in Force for continuing them ; and our latefl Canons 
 plainly fuppofe our Bifhops to have Suffragans, when 
 they appoint, Can. 68. That every Bijhopy or his Suf- 
 fragan, in his accujiomed Vifitation, do, in his own Per- 
 Ihiy careftdly perform the Ofpce of Confirniation. So that 
 refloring this Office would be no Innovation or Alter- 
 ation in our Conflitution, but would rather be healing 
 a Breach in it already made, for aught that appears 
 upon infufficient Grounds, and by an incompetent 
 Authority, againft the plain Senfe of an Adf of Par- 
 liament. 
 
 Nor would the Office of Rural Deans be lefs ad- 
 TjJitageous to the Difcipline, the Order, and Peace of 
 the Church ; but perhaps more fo, as it would be an 
 immediate Check upon the Ignorant, the Licentious, 
 and tlii? Immoral (if fuch there be) among the Pa- 
 rochial Clergy. In the extreme nortliern and weftern 
 
 * Wood's Athen^e Oxon. Vol. I. /. 606. 
 
 Dioccfes, 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. 2^5 
 
 Dlocefes, and throughout all IVales, where they are 
 feldom blefTed with the Sight of their Diocefans, the 
 Vifitations muft be intirely left to the Archdeacons^ or 
 fome Official^ Commi{fmj, or Surrogate, where, ex- 
 cepting the elFential Articles of Procurations, Symdalsy 
 
 Probats, Sec. and a good Dinner, all the reft is 
 
 Matter of Form, without fo much as a Poflibility of 
 knowing or reforming the Abufes cognizable in their 
 Courts. A negligent immoral Clergyman will always 
 find honeft Fellows for Churchwardens, who will 
 never tell Tales of the honeft Parfon j and if any 
 confcientious Clergyman of the Neighbourhood ftiouid 
 think himfelf bound inConfcience to inform theBifhop 
 or Archdeacon of the immoral Lives and fcandalous 
 Chara<Slers of any Neighbour, the accufed Perfon 
 could not long be a Stranger to the Name of his Ac- 
 cufer, who fhould from that Moment be marked out 
 for a little fneaking Informer, and be treated ever 
 after with Averfton and Contempt. But this would 
 be In a great meafure prevented by the Office of 
 Rural Deans. Their Office is not fo antient as that 
 of SufFragan Bifhops, though founded on the fame 
 Reafons and Neceflities of Government, in order to 
 divide and lelTen the Burden of the Epifcopal and 
 Archideaconal Office. They accordingly appointed 
 one of the fixed Parifh-Priefts of the County to vifit 
 and infpedl a certain Number of Pariflies, which was 
 originally limited to ten *, (in Imitation perhaps of 
 Afo/esy whofe inferior Order of Governors were 
 Rulers of Tens, Exod. xx'iu. 24, 25.) 2.S the Romans 
 had their Decuriones in the loweft Rank of military 
 
 * Lindwood. Prov. Tit, de Conftitut. c. i. verb; De- 
 can, rural. 
 
 Officers. 
 
2^4 ^^^ CONTJEMPT of 
 
 Officers. The Diflrids over which they prefidcij, 
 were called Deaneries^ into which all our Diocefes arc 
 divided, and the Perfons prefiding were called Arch^ 
 Priejis or Rural Deans. Their Authority was not 
 great ; however fome Authority they had, and werje 
 lubjedl to the Archdeacon, as well as to the Bifliop. 
 When the Bifhops fent any Orders to the Arch- 
 deacons relating to the Clergy, the Archdeacon fent 
 them to the Rural Deans to be by them communicated 
 to the Parochial Clergy. If a Clergyman were ac- 
 cufed, it belonged to the Rural Deans to cite him to 
 anfwer to the Accufation, or any other Perfon ob- 
 noxious to the fpiritual Jurifdi6lion. This very ufeful 
 Office is now almoft every where laid afide j in fome 
 few Diocefes they are chofen by the Clergy at their 
 Vifitations to be only annual Officers ; and their 
 whole Bufmefs is to make an Entertainment for their 
 Brethren. But furely, if this Office were regularly 
 kept up and duly exercifed, it would contribute as 
 much as any thing to reflore the Difcipline of the 
 Church, and reform the Abufcs complained of among 
 the Parochial Clergy. Suppofe fome Clergyman of 
 eminent Learning, Piety, and Prudence, were con- 
 ftituted by the Bifhop ^amdiu fe icne gejferk j he 
 might vifit all the Parfonage and Vicarage Houfes in 
 his Deanery once a Year, and obferve in what Repair 
 they are kept ; and when he finds any thing amifs, 
 might give Orders to have it redlified, and have Power 
 to impofe fome light Cenfure on thofe that negle6l the 
 Admonition ; and if that prove infufficient, to ac- 
 quaint the fuperior Ordinary with i^:. He might alfo 
 be impowered to admonifli any of his Clergy who live 
 'diforderly, firfl by himfelf alone, an^ then in the 
 
 Frefcnce 
 
tVe Clergy ConfidercL 25^ 
 
 PrefeTice of two or three of his Brethren, and upon 
 Non-amendment to fufpend him ab officio for a Month ; 
 and if that prove inefFe<9:ual, to acquaint the Arch- 
 -deacon or Bifhop, that fome further Courfe might be 
 taken. He might alfo convene his Clergy at leaft 
 twice eveiy Year, where, after a Sermon preached, 
 they might confer together about th^ Concerns of 
 their Miniftry, and the Affairs of their Pariflies, and 
 'many other Advantages might accrue to the Public, 
 and many Diforders prevented or reformed, which 
 fome People are willing to have it thought are incu- 
 rable. 
 
 I can recoIle6l but one Article more that is too 
 'Often thought to render the Clergy contemptible, diat 
 is, their Poverty ; an Article which, like the refJ-, 
 they have it not in their Power to prevent or reform, 
 and which it concerns the Pofleflbrs of impropriate 
 and appropriate Tythes ferioufly to confider. If they 
 think not themfelves bound to reftore them intirely to 
 the Ufes for which the Laws of God and the PraiSlice 
 •of all Chr'ifiimi^ yea, and Heathen Nations * have al- 
 lotted them ; yet let them make fuch a decent and 
 competent Allowance for their poor Vicars, that they 
 who ferve at the Altar may live by the Altar for above 
 Poverty and Contempt. This is a tender Point, 
 vhich I fhall leave to the Confideration of thofe 
 whom it may concern, recommending to their PerufU 
 Sir Harry Spelman's Hijlory of Sacrilege^ and Bifhop 
 Kennefs Hijlory of Impropriations j from whom i fhall 
 tranfcribe two very excellent Speeches relating to tiiis 
 
 * Vide Archbifhop Potter's Difcourfe of Church-Go- 
 vti-nment, /. 428, 429. 
 
 Subjecii 
 
25^ '^^^ Contempt of 
 
 Subject ; which I am fure you, who are as good t 
 Judge of Rhetoric as of Logic, will think to be ad- 
 mirable in their Kind i the one fpoken by Sir Benja- 
 7?un Riidyard in the Houfe of Commons, 1628 ; the 
 other by Archbifliop JVhitgift to Queen Elizabetl? ; 
 which, though firft in Order of Time, fhall come laft, 
 as in all Proceflions the little Folks go firft to make 
 Way for their Betters. 
 
 The firft Speech was fpoken upon Occafion of a 
 Bill in the Houfe of Commons for Augmentation of 
 Minifters Livings, and is as follows : 
 
 Mr. PYM, 
 
 * T Did not think to have fpoken again to this Bill, 
 ' A becaufe I was willing to believe that the For- 
 ' wardnefs of this Committee would have prevented 
 
 * me i but now I do hold myfelf bound to fpeak, and 
 
 * to fpeak in earneft. 
 
 ' In the firft Year of the King, and the fecond 
 
 * Convention, I firft moved for the Increafe and 
 ' Enlarging of poor Minifters Livings. I fhewed how 
 
 * necefi'ary it was to be done ; how fliameful it was 
 
 * that it had been fo long negletted : This was a-fo 
 
 * commended to the Houfe by his Majefty. 
 
 ' There were then (as now) many Accufations on 
 
 ' Foot againft fcandalous Minifters : I was bold to 
 
 ' tell the Houfe that there were fcandalous Livings 
 
 ' too, which were much the Caufe of the other : 
 
 * Livings of five Marks, and five Pounds /)^r annum f. 
 
 * that Men of \Vorth and good Parts would not be 
 
 * muzzled up to fuch Pittances ] that there weie 
 
 * fome Places in England^ which were fcarce in Chr't- 
 
 * Jiendom, where God was little better known than 
 
 ' amone: 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 2^j 
 
 among the Indians, I exampled it in the uttermoft 
 Parts of the North, where the Prayers of the com- 
 mon People are more Uke Spells and Charms than 
 Devotions j the fame Blindnefs and Ignorance is 
 in divers Parts of Wales ^ which many of that Coun- 
 try do both know and lament. 
 * I declared alfo. That to plant good Minifters in 
 good Livings, was the ftrongeft and fureft Means to 
 eftablifh true Religion ; that it would prevail more 
 againft Papiftry, than the making new Laws, or 
 executing of old j that it would counterwork Court- 
 Connivance, and lukewarm Accommodation : That 
 though the calling of Minifters be never fo glorious 
 within, yet outward Poverty will bring Contempt 
 upon them, efpecially among thofe who meafure 
 Men by the Acre, and weigh them by the Pound, 
 which is, indeed, the greateft Part of Men. 
 ' Mr. Pyrn ; I cannot but teftify how, being in 
 Germany^ I was exceedingly fcandalized to fee 
 the poor ftipendiary Minifters of the reformed 
 Churches there, defpifed and negleiled by reafon of 
 their Poverty, being otherwife very grave and learn- 
 ed Men. I am afraid that this is a Part of the Bur- 
 den oi Germany^ which ought to be a Warning to 
 us. I have heard many Objections and Difficulties, 
 even to Impoflibilities, againft this Bill. To him 
 that is unwilling to go, there is ever a Bear or a 
 Lion in the Way. Firft, Let us make ourfelves 
 willing, then will the Way be eafy and fafe enough. 
 I have obferved, we are always very eager and 
 fierce againft Papiftry, againft fcandalous Mini- 
 fters, and againft Things that are not in our power. 
 I fliall be glad to fee, that we did delight a« well in 
 Vol. II. S ' re- 
 
258 • S^/^^ Contempt ^Z" 
 
 rewarding as punifhing, and in undertaking Mat-» 
 ters within our Reach, as this is abfolutely within 
 our Power ; our own Duty is next, and other Mens 
 is farther off. 
 
 * I do not fpeak this that I diflike the deftroying 
 and pulling down of that which is ill ; but then let 
 us be as earneft to plant and build up that which is 
 good in the room of it : For why fhould we be defo- 
 late ? The beft and neareft Way to difpel Darknefs 
 is to let in Light. We fay that Day breaks, but 
 no Man ever heard the Voice of it. God comes in 
 they?/// Foice : Let us quickly mend our Candlejikks, 
 and we cannot want Light. 
 
 ' I am afraid this Backwardnefs of ours will give our 
 Adverfarics occafion to fay, that we choofe our Re- 
 ligion becaufe it is the cheaper of the two j and 
 that we would willingly ferve God of that which 
 fhall cofl us nought. Believe me Mr. Pym, he that 
 thinks to fave any thing by his Religion, but his 
 Soul, will be a terrible Lofer in the End. We fow 
 fparingly, and that is the Reafon that we reap fa 
 fparingly, and have no more Fruit. 
 ' Methinks whoever hates Papiftry, fhould, by 
 the fame Rule, hate Covetoufnefs, for that is Ido- 
 latry too. I never liked hot Profeffions and cold 
 Actions. Such a Heat is rather the Heat of Diftem- 
 per and Difeafe, than of Life and faving Health. 
 
 * For fcandalous Miniflers, there is no Man fhall be 
 more fuicerely forward to have them punifhed, than 
 I will be : When Salt has loji its Savour let it be caji 
 out upon the unfavory Place the Dunghil. But, Sir, 
 let us deal with them as God hath dealt with us. 
 God before he made Man, he made the World 
 a handfome Place for him to dweH in. So let us 
 
 ' provide 
 
the Clergy Confidered. ^^^ 
 
 provide them competent living, and then puniftt 
 them in God's Name : But till then fcandaloui 
 Livings cannot but have fcanddom Minijlers. It ihalj 
 ever be a Rule to me, that where the Church 
 and Commonwealth are. both of one Religion, it is 
 comely and decent that the outward Splendor of the 
 Church (hould hold a Proportion, and participate 
 with the Profperity of the temporal State ^ for 
 \vhy fliould vye dwell in Houfes of Cedar, and fufFer 
 God to dwell in Skins. 
 
 * It was a glorious and religious Work of King 
 James j I fpeak it to his unfpeaka,ble Honour, and 
 to the Praife of that Nation, yrho though their 
 Country be not fo rich as ours, yet are they richer 
 in their AiFetlions to Religion : Within the Space 
 of one Year he caufed to be planted Churches 
 throughout all Scotland and the borders, worth 30/, 
 a Year a-piece, with a Houfe and feme Glebe be- 
 longing to them; which 30/. a Year, confiderihg 
 the Cheapnefs of tlie Country, and the modefl: 
 Fafliion of Mens living there, is worth double as 
 ipuch as any where within one hundred Miles o£ 
 London. The printed AiSt and Commiffion, where- 
 by it was executed, I have here in my Hand, 
 delivered to rne by a noble Gentleman of that Na^- 
 tion, and a worthy Member of this Houfe, Sir 
 Francis Steward. 
 
 ' To conclude, though Chriftian Religion be efta- 
 blifhed generally throughout this Kingdom ; y^ 
 till it be planted more particularly, I fhall fcarce 
 think this a Chriftian Commonwealth ; and feeing 
 it hath been moved and ftirred in Parliament, it 
 iyi)l be ,heayy upon Parliaments, till it be efTeded. 
 S 2 Let 
 
iSo The Contempt of 
 
 * hct us do fomethlng for God here of our own ; and 
 
 * no doubt God will blefs our Proceedings in this Place 
 
 * for ever after. And for my own part, I will never 
 
 * give over folliciting this Caufe, as long as Parlia- 
 
 * ments and I /hall live together.' 
 
 The following Speech of Archbifhop IVhitgift was 
 fpoken on this Occauon, as Mr. Walton tells us in 
 the Life of Mr. Hooker, Not many Years before Dr. 
 Whitgift was made Archbifhop of Canterbury^ there 
 pafled an Adl of Parliament, intending the better 
 Prefervation of the Church Lands ; by recalling a 
 Power that was verted in others to fell or leafe them 
 by lodging and trufting the future Care and Protection 
 of them only in the Crown : And among many that 
 made a bad Ufe of this Power and Truft of the Queen's, 
 the Earl of Lelcejler was one ; and the Bifhop having 
 by his Intereft with her Majefty, put a flop to the 
 Earl's facrilegious Defigns, they two fell to an open 
 Oppofition before her j after which they both quitted 
 the Room, not Friends in Appearance. But the Bi- 
 fhop made a fudden and feafonable Return to her Ma- 
 jefly ; (for he found her alone) and fpake to her with 
 great Humility and Reverence, to this Purpofe : 
 
 * I befeech your Majefly to hear me with Patience 
 ' and believe that yours and the Church's Safety are 
 
 * dearer to me than my Life, but my Confcience 
 
 * than both j and therefore give me leave to do my 
 
 * Duty, and tell you, That Princes are deputed nurfing 
 "*■ Fathers of the Clmrch^ and owe it a ProteSiion j and 
 
 * therefore God forbid you fhould be fo much as paf- 
 
 * five in her Ruins, when you n>ay prevent it; or that 
 
 * I Ihould behold it without Horror and Deteftation, 
 ... . _ < Of 
 
the Clergy Confidered. 261 
 
 or fhould forbear to tell your Majefty of the Sin 
 and Danger of Sacrilege. And though you and my- 
 felf were born in an Age of Frailties, when the 
 primitive Piety and Care of the Church Lands and 
 Immunities are much decayed ;. yet {Madam) let 
 me beg that you would firft confider, that there are 
 fuch Sins as Profanenefs and Sacrilege ; and that if 
 there were not, they could not have Names in holy 
 Writ, and particularly in the New Teftament. 
 And I befeech you to confider, that though our Sa- 
 viour faid. He judged no Man ', and to teftify it, would 
 not judge nor divide the Inheritance betwixt the two 
 Brethren, nor would judge the Woman taken in 
 Adultery : Yet in this Point of the Church's 
 Rights he was fo zealous, that he made himfelf both 
 the Accufer and the Judge, and the Executioner 
 too, to punifli thefe Sins ; witnefled in that he him- 
 felf made the Whip to drive the Profaners out of 
 the Temple, overthrew the Tables of the Money 
 Changers, and drove them out of it. And I befeech 
 you to confider that it was St. Paul that faid to thofe 
 Chriftians of his Time that were offended with Ido- 
 latr)'. Thou that abhorreji Idols, doeft thou commit Sa^ 
 crilege? And to incline you to prevent the Curfe 
 that will follow it, I befeech you alfo to confider 
 that Conjiantine the firft Emperor, and Helena his 
 Mother ; that King Edgar and Edward the Confef- 
 for, and indeed many other of your Piedeceffors and 
 many private Chriftians have alfo given to God and 
 his Church much Land and many Immunities, 
 which they might have given to thofe of thqir Fami- 
 lies, and did not : but gave them for ever as an ah- 
 folute Right and Sacrifice to God; and with thefe Im- 
 S 3 * munitics 
 
262 The C6Nt£Mf»t of 
 
 * munities and Lands, they have entailed a Curfe upoH 
 ' the Alienators of them. God prevent your Majefty 
 
 * and your SuccefTors from being liable to that Curfe, 
 ' which will cleave unto Church Lands as the Lfe- 
 ' profy to the Jews. 
 
 ' And to make you that are trufted with theiir Pfe- 
 
 * fervation the better underftand the Danger of it, I 
 
 * befeech you forget not, that to prevent thofe Cur- 
 
 * fes, the Church's Land and Power have been alfo 
 ' endeavoured to be preferved (as far as human Rea- 
 
 * fon, and the Law of this Nation have been able 
 ' to preferve them) by an immediate and moft facred 
 
 * Obligation on the Confciences of the Princes of this 
 
 * Realm : For they that confult Magna Charta fhall 
 
 * find, that as all your PredecefTors were at their Co- 
 
 * ronation, fo you alfo were fvvorn before all the No- 
 ' bility and Bifhops then prefent, and in the Prefence 
 
 * of God, and in his ftead to him that anointed you, 
 
 * to maintain the Church La?ids and the Rights beIongi?ig 
 *■ to it J and this you yourfelf have teftified openly to 
 
 * God at the holy Altar, by laying your Hands on 
 
 * the Bible then lying upon it : And not only Magna 
 ' Charta^ but many other modern Statutes have 
 ' denounced a Curfe upon thofe that break Magna 
 
 * Charta. A Curfe like the Leprofy that was entail- 
 
 * ed on the fews j for as that, fo thefe Curfes, have 
 
 * and will cleave to the very Stones of thofe Buildings 
 
 * that have been confecrated to God j and the Fa- 
 
 * ther's Sin of Sacrilege, hath and will prove to be 
 
 * entailed on his Son and Family. And rioW, Ma- 
 
 * dantj what Account can be given for the Breach of 
 
 * this Oath at the laft great Day, either by your 
 
 * Majefty, or by me, if it be wilfully, or but ne- 
 
 * gligently violated, I know not. 
 
 * And 
 
the Clergy Conftdered. 26^ 
 
 * And therefore (Good Madam) let not the late* 
 Lord's Exceptions againft the Failings of fome few' 
 Clergymen, prevail with you to punifh Pofterity for 
 the Errors of this prefent Age ; let particular Men 
 fufFer for their particular Errors j but let God and 
 his Church have their Inheritance : And though I 
 pretend not to prophefy, yet I beg Pofterity to take 
 notice of what is already become vifible in many 
 Families ; That Church Land added to an antient and 
 juji Inheritance^ hath ^oved like a Moth fretting a 
 
 Garment^ and fecretly confiimed both : Or like the Ea^le 
 that Jiole a Coal froin the Altar ^ and thereby fct her 
 Nejl on Fire, which confumed both the young Eagks, 
 and herfelf that Jlole it. And though 1 /hgU fortj^ar 
 to fpeak reproachfully of your Father, yet I beg you 
 to take notice, that a Part of the Church-Rights^ 
 added to the vaft Treafure that was left him by hi5 
 Father, has been conceived to bring an unavoidable 
 Confumption upon both, notwkhftanding all his 
 Diligence to prelerve them. 
 
 * And confider, that after the Violation of thofe 
 Laws, to which he had fworn in Magna Charta, 
 
 ■ God did fo far deny him his reflraining Grace, 
 
 ■ that as King Saul, after he was forfaken of God, 
 ' fell from one Sin to another ; fo he, till at laft he 
 
 ■ fell into greater Sins than I am willing to mention. 
 
 • Madam, Religion is the Foundation and 
 
 ■ Cement of human Societies. And when they 
 
 • that ferve at God's Altar, fliall be expofed to Po- 
 ' verty, then Religion itfclf will be expofed to Scorn, 
 ' and become contemptible, as you may already ob- 
 ' ferve it to be in too many poor Vicarages in this 
 ' Nation. And therefore as you are by a late A6t 
 
 S 4 ' ©r 
 
264 The Contempt <>/, &c. 
 
 * or hSiS of Parliament entrufted with a great Power 
 
 * to preferve or wafte the Church's Lands, yet difpofe 
 
 * of them for jfefus's Sake, as you have promifed to 
 
 * Men^ and vowed to God j that is, as the Donors in^ 
 
 * tended. Let neither Falfhood nor Flattery beguile 
 
 * you to do otherwife j but put a Stop to God's and 
 
 * the Levite^s Portion (I befeech you) and to the ap- 
 
 * proaching Ruins of his Church, as you expe<£l 
 
 * Comfort at the laft great Day ; for Kings must 
 ' BE JUDGED. Pardon this affectionate Plainnels, 
 ' my moji dear Sovereign ; and let me beg to be conti- 
 
 * nued in your Favour, and the Lord ftill continue 
 ' you in his.' 
 
 But I find I begin to grow ferious, and you are be- 
 ginning to nod over this tedious Epiftle, which gives 
 me great Hope, that if it prove nothing elfe, it will 
 prove a good Opiate to you j and fo I heartily wifli 
 you a good Night, and am. 
 
 Dear SIR, 
 
 Tours* 
 
 SOME 
 
SOME 
 
 MEMOIRS 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 LIFE 
 
 O F 
 
 Simon Shallow, Efq; 
 
 Written in the Year 1737. 
 
'■". '. ) 
 
 OwUI 
 
[ 26; ] 
 
 ^^ q-^h^ ^^%^. e?A¥? ^^.f^ ^¥^ 
 
 es^C^ (^^^ ^^ W^d 
 SOME 
 
 MEMOIRS 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 LIFE of SiMdi^ Shallow, Efq; 
 
 E was born in the Year 1695 ; de- 
 fcended from the antient Family of the 
 I Shallows in Berk/hire. His Mother was 
 a Siller of Sir Thomas Softly., of the 
 County of Devon, His Father and 
 Mother, dying young, left him to the Care of his 
 Grandmother Shallovu ; who took fo much Care of 
 his Education, that, before he was twelve Years old, 
 he could fpell and read almoft as well as his Grand- 
 mother. As great Care was taken to preferve his 
 Complexion, he was feldom fufiered to ftir out of the 
 Nurfery or Still-room, where he became fo great a 
 Proficient in Female Knowledge, that, before he Was 
 Fift'V'^n, he was deeply Ikilled in the Dodrinc and 
 Ufes of Pickles, Conferves, and Jellies ; underliood 
 the Value of Cambrics, Muflins, iSc. could knit a 
 Pair of Garters ; could fancy a Suit of Cloaths, or a 
 Set of Knots, for any Complexion. At Fifteen, he 
 was fent to a neighbouring School, with a particular 
 
 Charge 
 
268 Some Memoirs of the Life of 
 
 Charge to the Mafter to confider his Quality, and ufe 
 him like a Gentleman. But as he quickly made it 
 appear that he had no Tafte for Letters, and a Con- 
 ftitution too delicate to fubmit to Difcipline, he made 
 frequent Elopements to his Grandmother, and hav- 
 ing finifhed his Studies in about two Years, he was 
 taken from School, and put under the Tuition of the 
 Groom and the Huntfman, and quickly came to have 
 a tolerable Notion of Sport and Horfemanfhip, could 
 ipeak the Language of the Kennel and the Stable very 
 fluently, and knew the Value of a Dog or a Horfe 
 as well as moft young Gentlemen of his Age and 
 Quality i and in fhort (as the good old Lady has often 
 told me with Tears) was, till the Age of twenty-one, 
 as pretty a hopeful young Gentleman as one would 
 wifh to fee. Thefe fhining Qualities drew upon him 
 the Eyes of all the young 'Squires, and the Envy of 
 his evil Genius, who plotted every way to eclipfe his 
 fhining Character, and ruin his growing Reputation. 
 Numbers of honeft Fellows, and jolly Companions, 
 crouded about him, to enjoy the Comforts of his 
 Table, and the Pleafure of his Converfation. They 
 quickly convinced him how {hameful and unreafonable 
 it was for fo fine a Gentleman to be any longer under 
 the Direction of two old Women, meaning the Par- 
 /bn and his Grandmother ; that it was time for him 
 to be his own Mafter, and to be as wife and inde- 
 pendent as other Gentlemen of his Rank and For- 
 tune. Whatever ImpreiTions thefe artful Infmuations 
 might make upon him, yet they could not diredlly 
 prevail upon him to be difobedient to his Grand- 
 mother, or difrefpedtful to the Parfon; fo that he 
 continued to go to Church fometimes, and carry his 
 
 Company 
 
Simon Shallow, £/^i 2% 
 
 Company with him, and to keep up an Appearance 
 at leaft of Decency and Religion : But alas ! his Vir- 
 tue was too weak to refift the repeated Attempts of 
 fo many clever Fellows. By degrees they brought 
 him to his two Bottles in an Evening, led him into 
 low Gallantries and genteel Diftempers. The poor 
 Vicar Toon after happening to preach about Righteouf- 
 nefsy Teinperance^ and a Judgment to come^ Acls -xxiv. 
 25. and purfuing his Subjedl fo far as to make fome 
 of his Audience very uneafy, the 'Squire and his 
 Friends confidered it as a Satire upon themfelves, and 
 therefore perfuaded him to declare War againfl the 
 Parfon immediately, and go to Church no more. 
 This Advice fhockeJ him a good deal ; filiy as he was, 
 he thought Atheifm a very ungenteel Thing, and an 
 Atheift a fort of a monftrons Creature, and riierefore 
 determined to have a Religion of fome fort or other, 
 but of what fort was the great Queftion. Whilft he 
 continued in this Sufpence, he received a Vifit from 
 an old Friend of his Father's, who had been for fe- 
 
 veral Years a trading Juftice in the City of . To 
 
 him he opened his Heart, told him all his Difficulties, 
 and begged his Advice and Diredion. To that 
 fmoky old Parfon he vowed eternal Enmity, for pre- 
 fuming to tell him of his Faults in the Pulpit, whilil 
 others of his Brethren, who thought themfelves 
 wifer and better than him, were fo far from takinw 
 fiach Liberties, that they were always ready to enter 
 ih'to any Party of Pleafure that could be propofed, and 
 enjoy it with as much Relifh as any 'Squire of them 
 alii but then how to do this confiflcntiy with any 
 Profeffion of Religion was the great Difficulty. He 
 thought there muft be fonic Truth at the Bottom of 
 
 tins 
 
25?o Some Memoirs of the Life 0/ 
 
 this Affair of Religion ; but wh^t it was, or how tp 
 come at it, he could not tell. Oh ! Sir (faid his 
 Friend) leave that to me ; I will Toon put you in ^ 
 Way that fliall make you quite eafy on that Account. 
 The great Support of thefe Parfons at prefent is Ortho- 
 doxy. Pray Sir (fays die 'Squire) what hard ff^or4 h 
 that? What is the Meaning of it F J^Vhy Sir (faid he) 
 Orthodoxy is believing as tJye Church believes^ ail the Ar- 
 ticles of your Creed^ your unfeigned Afjent and Confent to 
 all the Points that require your Oaths and Subfcriptions ; 
 and if ive can once unfettle this Pointy we Jhall go a great 
 way towards demolijhing their Tyranny ani Prieficraft. 
 On this Account it is, that Arianifm is at prefent the fa- 
 fnionahk and favourite Religion anipng ?nany Pcrfons of 
 eminent Diflin6lion both in Church qnd Statfi, who yet, for 
 the prefent, keep up the Appearance of Religion and Sancti- 
 ty till an Opportunity Jhall offer to give a finijhing Stroke. 
 I will take care to fend you, in a few Days, a full Ac- 
 count of their Priiiciples and Tenets, fupported by fuch 
 Arguments as 7iever a Do£ior of them all JJjall bf able to 
 tmfwer. And he was as good as his Word, and there- 
 by put the 'Squire into fuch Confufion in fpelling and 
 putting together fo many hard Words as he had never 
 heard before in his Life, that he was once tempted to 
 be flill a Chriftian, to be civil to the Parfon, and fay 
 his Prayers at Church as he ufed to do; but Vanity, 
 Refentment, and a Defire of DiflinClion, foon got 
 the better of this pious Irrefolution : He refolved, if 
 poflible, to make himfelf Mafter of the Scheme, and 
 endeavour to make fome fort of Figure among thefe 
 new Friends and Acquaintance. 
 
 Some little Time after, as I had had a long Ac- 
 quaintance with the Family, I went to make him a 
 
 Vifit, 
 
Simon Shallow, Bfy'^ lyy 
 
 Vifit, without the leafl: Sufpicion that fuch ^ 'Squir» 
 
 fliould ever turn Heretic. After a few Cerepioiues., 
 and a fhort Conveifation, I began to inquire after the 
 Health of his Neighbour, and particularly the Vicar ^ 
 he anfwered coldly, That he believed he was well j 
 he had heard nothing to the contrary. Why Sir (faid 
 I) do you never fee him? No (faid he). TVhat not at 
 Church ? Noy (faid he) to tell you the Truth, I feldom 
 go there. Have you not heard that I am turned Arian ? 
 Arian ! (faid I) Heaven forbid! What do you mean? 
 IVhat is an Arian ! Nay, faith (fays he) I cannot very 
 well tell you what it is ; but I am told, it isfo?nething 
 which is not a Chrijiian : But I have a Paper here that 
 will let you into the whole Affair, Upon which he ftept 
 to his Bureau, and took out a jSheet of Paper, con- 
 taining a Train of incoherent Pofitions, and incon- 
 clufive Arguments, as nearly refembling Syllogifms 
 as an Ape does a Man. He attempted to r^d j but 
 fo many hard Words, fo aukwardly put together, fo 
 puzzled his Head, and fpoiled his Elocution, that he 
 could make nothing of it. Upon which, fhaking my 
 Head, and frr^iling, Sir .(faid I) let -me give you a Piece 
 of Advice ; you have quite mijlaken your talents : Nature 
 no more in te ruled you for o Heretic, than for a fefuit. 
 E'en change once inore, and be a Free-thinker ; in that 
 CharaSler you may poffihly^ Jhine } for you need be at no 
 Trouble in reading or writing, or even thinking, though 
 that is the pretended Badge and DiJlinSHon of the Party. 
 "Jou have nothing to do but to live merrily, and aSi with- 
 out Rejiraint; to banter and talk againjl Religion, if 
 you can, if not, to laugh at every thing in it that you ei- 
 ther do not like, or underjland, without being obliged to 
 give any one a Reafon for fo doing. This Propofal hit 
 3 him; 
 
272 Some Memoirs of the Life p/, &c. 
 
 him J it was quite level to his Capacity ; he bit at 
 once, and has ever fince, in all Companies, and on 
 all Occafions, exerted his whole Mifunderftandings 
 in the glorious Caufe of Free-thinking, and is now 
 arrived at fuch a Degree of Sufficiency, as to fancy 
 himfelf the invincible Champion of the Party, for* this 
 fmgle Rea(bn, that let him be ever fo lewd, or ever 
 fo impertinent, no Man of Senfe thinks it worth 
 while to contradidl him. 
 
 FINIS.