that it can hardly be equalled in any civilized Age or Country.

BUT, to leave these airy Imaginations of introducing new Laws for the Amendment of Mankind: What I principally infift on, is the due Execution of the old, which lies wholly in the Crown, and in the Authority derived from thence: I return therefore to my former Affertion; that, if Stations of Power, Truft, Profit, and Honour, were conftantly made the Rewards of Virtue and Piety; fuch an Adminiftration must needs have a mighty Influence on the Faith and Morals of the whole Kingdom: And Men of great Abilities would then endeavour to excel in the Duties of a religious Life, in order to qualify themselves for publick Service. I may poffibly be wrong in fome of the Means I prefcribe towards this End; but that is no material Objection against the Defign itself. Let thofe, who are at the Helm, contrive it better, which perhaps they may easily do. Every Body will agree, that the Disease is manifeft, as well as dangerous; that fome Remedy is neceffary, and that none yet applied hath been effectual; which is a fufficient Excufe for any Man who wifheth well to his Country, to offer his Thoughts, when he can have no other End in View but the Publick Good. The prefent Queen is a Prince of as many and great Virtues as ever filled a Throne: How would it brighten her Character to the present and after Ages, if fhe would exert her utmoft Authority to inftil fome Share of those Virtues into her People, which they are too degenerate to learn only from her Example. And, be it spoke with all the Veneration poffible for fo excellent a Sovereign; her beft Endeavours in this weighty Affair, are a most important Part of her Duty, as well as of her Intereft, and her Honour.

BUT,

Advancement of RELIGION, &c.

171

BUT, it must be confeffed, that as Things are now, every Man thinks he hath laid in a fufficient Stock of Merit, and may pretend to any Employment, provided he hath been loud and frequent in declaring himself hearty for the Government. It is true; he is a Man of Pleasure, and a Free-Thinker; that is, in other Words, he is a Profligate in his Morals, and a Defpifer of Religion; but in Point of Party, he is one to be confided in; he is an Afferter of Liberty and Property; he rattles it out against Popery, and Arbitrary Power, and PriestCraft, and High-Church. It is enough: He is a Perfon fully qualified for any Employment in the Court, or the Navy, the Law, or the Revenue ; where he will be fure to leave no Arts untried of Bribery, Fraud, Injuftice, Oppreffion, that he can practife with any Hope of Impunity. No Wonder fuch Men are true to a Government, where Liberty runs high, where Property, however attained, is fo well fecured, and where the Adminiftration is at least so gentle : It is impoffible they could chufe any other Constitution, without changing to their Lofs.

FIDELITY, to a present Establishment, is indeed one principal Means to defend it from a foreign Enemy; but without other Qualifications, will not prevent Corruptions from within: And States are more often ruined by these than the other.

To conclude: Whether the Proposals I have offered towards a Reformation, be fuch as are most prudent and convenient, may probably be a Queftion; but it is none at all, whether fome Reformation be abfolutely neceffary; because the Nature of Things is fuch, that if Abuses be not remedied, they will certainly encrease, nor ever ftop until they end in the Subverfion of a Common-Wealth. As there must

must always of Neceffity be fome Corruptions; in a well instituted State, the executive Power be always contending against them, by reduc Things (as Machiavel speaks) to their firft Princip never letting Abuses grow inveterate, or multi fo far that it will be hard to find Remedies, a perhaps, impoffible to apply them. As he would keep his House in Repair, must attend ry little Breach or Flaw, and fupply it immediat elfe Time alone will bring all to Ruin, how m more the common Accidents of Storms and Ra He must live in perpetual Danger of his House ling about his Ears; and will find it cheape throw it quite down, and build it again from Ground, perhaps upon a new Foundation, o leaft in a new Form, which may neither be fo nor fo convenient as the old.

A 1

A TRITICAL

ESSAY

UPON THE

Faculties of the MIN D.

SIR,

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To

EING fo great a Lover of Antiquities, it was reasonable to fuppofe you would be very much obliged with any Thing that was new. I have been of late offended with many Writers of Effays and moral Difcourfes, for running into ftale Topicks and thread bare Quotations, and not handling their Subject fully and clofely: All which Errors I have carefully avoided in the following Efay, which I have propofed as a Pattern for young Writers to imitate. Thoughts and Obfervations being entirely new, the Quotations untouched by others, the Subject of mighty Importance, and treated with much Order and Perfpicuity: It bath coft me a great deal of Time; and Ï defire you will accept and confider it as the utmost Effort of my Genius.

The

A

A TRITICAL

ESSAY, &c.

P

HILOSOPHERS fay, that Man is a Microcofm, or little World, refembling in Miniature every Part of the Great: And, in my Opinion, the Body Natural may be compared to the Body Politick: And if this be fo, how can the Epicureans Opinion be true, that the Universe was formed by a fortuitous Concourfe of Atoms; which I will no more believe, than that the accidental Jumbling of the Letters in the Alphabet, could fall by Chance into a moft ingenious and learned Treatife of Philofophy. Rifum teneatis Amici, HOR. This falfe Opinion muft needs create many more; it is like an Error in the firft Concoction, which cannot be corrected in the Second; the Foundation is weak, and whatever Superftructure you raife upon it, muft of Neceffity fall to the Ground. Thus Men are led from one Error to another, until with Ixion they embrace a Cloud inftead of Juno; or, like the Dog in the Fable, lose the Subftance in gaping at theShadow. For fuch Opinions cannot cohere; but like the Iron and Clay in the Toes of Nebuchadnezzar's Image,