"I choose to speak," he says, "to what falls under the observation of all the serious, attentive persons in this kingdom. The superior clergy are, in general, ambitious, and eager in the pursuit of riches; flatterers of the great, and subservient to party interest; * negligent of their own immediate charges, and also of the inferior clergy, and their immediate charges. The inferior clergy imitate their superiors, and in general take little more care of their parishes than barely what is necessary to avoid the censure of the law. And the clergy of all ranks are in general either ignorant, or, if they do apply, it is rather to profane learning, † to philosophical or political matters, than to the study of the Scriptures, of the oriental languages, of the fathers and ecclesiastical authors, and of the writings of devout men in different ages of the church. I say this is in general the case; that is, far the greater part of the clergy of all ranks in this kingdom are of this kind. But there are some of a quite different character, men eminent for piety, sacred learning, and the faithful discharge of their duty; and who, it is not to be doubted, mourn in secret for the crying sins

* Hence it seems that in 40 years "the superior clergy" had profited little by the advice which Burnet left as a dying admonition to his "brethren and

successors."

That rara avis, a prelate at once "the glory" of the English Episcopacy and "the shame," recommends to bishops, that "a just freedom appear among them in the House of Lords, where," he says, "they will be much observed; and judgments will be made of them there that will follow them home to their dioceses." He adds, as if prophetic of 1820, that "nothing will alienate the nation more from them, than their becoming tools to a Court, and giving up the liberties of their country, and advancing arbitrary designs." To these advices, which very few moderu Lords Spiritual could venture to quote without concealing a blush in their sleeves of lawn, the Bishop subjoins the following solemn warning:

"But if they abandon themselves to sloth and idleness, if they neglect their proper function, and follow a secular, a vain, a covetous or a luxurious course of life; if they, not content with educating their children well, and with such a competency as may set them afloat in the world, think of building up their own houses, and raising up great estates, they will put the world on many unacceptable inquiries; wherefore is this waste made? Why are these revenues continued to men who make such an ill use of them? And why is an order kept up, that does the Church so little good, and gives it so much scandal?" O. T. fol. II. pp. 644, 645; Edin. VI. pp. 191, 192.

The following counsel was given by Doctor, afterwards Bishop, Hare, (see Whiston's Mem. of Clarke, Ed. 3, p. 135,) in "A Letter to a Young Clergyman," 1716:

"Turn yourself to the study of the Heathen historians, poets, orators and philosophers. Spend ten or twelve years upon Horace or Terence. To illustrate a billetdoux, or a drunken-catch; to explain an obscene jest; to make a happy emendation, on a passage that a modest man would blush at; will do you more credit, and be of greater service to you, than the most useful employment of your time upon the Scriptures; unless you can resolve to conceal your sentiments, and speak always with the vulgar." See "The Difficulties and Discouragements which attend the Study of the Scriptures in the way of Private Judgment," in "Pillars of Priestcraft and Orthodoxy Shaken," 1768, IV. pp. 49, 50.

of this and other nations. The clergy in general are also far more free from open and gross vices than any other denomination of men among us, physicians, lawyers, merchants, soldiers, &c. However, this may be otherwise hereafter. For it is said, that in some foreign countries the superior clergy, in others the inferior, are as corrupt and abandoned, or more so, than any other order of men. The clergy in this kingdom seem to be what one might expect from the mixture of good and bad influences that affect them. But then, if we make this candid allowance for them, we must also make it for persons in the high ranks of life, for their infidelity, lewdness, and sordid self-interest. And though it becomes an humble, charitable and impartial man to make all these allowances, yet he cannot but see that the judgments of God are ready to fall upon us all for these things; and that they may fall first, and with the greatest weight upon those who, having the highest office committed to them in the spiritual kingdom of Christ, neglect it, and are become mere merchants of the earth, and shepherds that feed themselves, and not their flocks."

That it is the situation of the clergy, and nothing else, that makes them to be what they are, you will easily perceive from supposing that all persons belonging to the profession of medicine were in the same. In fact, it is human nature, which will always be the same thing in the same circumstances.

Suppose, then, that all the physicians and apothecaries of this country were to begin the practice of their professions with only a classical education, without any previous study of medicine, or knowledge of drugs.

Let it be made perfectly easy for any man who does not like the business to which he was brought up, or in which he does not succeed, to exchange it for the profession of medicine, and immediately commence either physician, or apothecary, as it shall suit his convenience.

Let care, however, be taken that they all subscribe a set of medical aphorisms, though they should have had no opportunity even of perusing them; and let the aphorisms be such as have been determined upon by a body of men who were not of the profession, two hundred years ago. Let the subscription be repeated when any physician or apothecary changes his situation.

Observations, II. pp. 450, 451. Dr. Priestley took occasion to quote this passage again in 1794. See Vol. XV. pp. 577, 578.

Let the people of the town where they are appointed to act have no choice respecting them, nor any power of dismissing them.

Let the salaries of all medical people be paid, if not by tithes, at least in some other manner that shall create an opposition of interest between them and their patients; and whether these be more or fewer, let not their salaries be affected by that circumstance.

Let every physician be allowed the superintendence of more towns than one, according to his interest at court, or with particular patrons; and let him employ, on as cheap terms as they can be procured, whatever substitutes he pleases, with power, uncontrolled by his patients, to act in all respects for their principal.

Lastly, in order to do honour to the profession, and to give it such a respectability in the eyes of the nation as may be necessary to its having a proper effect, let a certain number of the more eminent in the faculty be appointed by the king to have seats in parliament, and to give their advice when any question relating to the health of his majesty's subjects shall come before them.

Thus the profession of medicine will form an alliance with the state, which may be beneficial to both, and for which it has as good pretensions as that of religion. This, indeed, seems necessary to complete the system of alliance; as then the ministers of state will have in their pay, and in their interest, all those who have the care of both the bodies and the souls of men, whereas at present their system is manifestly imperfect.

Let all this be done, and then say what kind of medical assistance could you (observe I do not say the ministry, or the court, but could you) expect from such physicians and apothecaries? You would certainly take from them every motive they could have to give any attention to you, because you had made it their interest to be looking always to their superiors. In this case, I imagine, you would rather trust yourselves to nature, in case of sickness, or to any empiric whatever, whom you were permitted to employ, than to such physicians of the establishment.

Can you then wonder at the increase of Dissenters and Methodists of various kinds on the one hand, and of Unbelievers on the other, in such a state of things as this? Now, my friends, if you only took the same care of your souls, as the phrase is, that you do of your bodies, you would see the

absurdity of a state ministry in the same light with this of state physicians and apothecaries.

These, my friends, are only a part of the complex system of your church establishment. On whichever side you view it, you will see similar weaknesses, such as, without gunpowder, or any high wind, threaten an approaching fall. The universities in particular, from which, perhaps with the best intentions with respect to us, you exclude our youth, call most loudly for reformation. But this must be the result of your own thinking and exertions. You must not expect that the clergy will promote any reformation of a system in the continuance of which they are so much interested. You must do it yourselves, by petitions to the legislature; and if you be in earnest, and any thing like unanimous, you will be heard. Is it not a disgrace to a Protestant country, that there should, in so many important respects, be greater abuses in its church government than in that of the Catholics; that our civil constitution should be so excellent, and yet its ally, as it is called, the ecclesiastical part of the same system, be so imperfect?

The use of this expensive system is to provide for the instruction of the country in the principles of Christianity; but it by no means answers its end; for it is not one-half of the inhabitants that are taught any religion at all. They attend no public worship, and it is not the interest of the clergy to promote their attendance; because their incomes are altogether independent of it. In Popish countries the case is far otherwise. In all of them care is taken, by one means or other, that every person is instructed in his religion, and every open neglect of the known duties of it is regularly animadverted upon. The state, in my opinion, has no business to meddle with it; but if it pretend to do it at all, and if an order of men be amply provided for on this account, care should be taken that the end of the institution be answered. At present, the whole kingdom is taxed, and in the most inconvenient manner possible, for the maintenance of religion; when, after all, the religion of a very great proportion of those who have any, is provided for out of their own private purses, and they who do not choose to have any, which is the case of the greatest part of both the highest and the lowest classes of the people, are not so much as admonished on the subject.

Whenever the wants of the state shall make it necessary to examine strictly into its resources and expenditure, the great sum that is now given for the maintenance of religion, will

either be wholly withdrawn, or care will be taken that it be better applied. Would it not be better, for instance, if the government made some provision for having all the poor taught to read and write; † that when, by this means, they had acquired the civilization and capacity for judging which they now want, they might choose a religion for themselves, than impose upon them one which they are not capable of examining? This scheme for communicating knowledge in general, would not cost the country one-tenth part so much as it now does to have them taught religion, which, after all, is not taught to any purpose.

LETTER XXI.

1 am, &c.

Of the Calumnies contained in a Pamphlet entitled
THEODOSIUS.

MY GENEROUS TOWNSMEN AND NEIGHBOURS,-

HAVING refuted the calumnies of Mr. Burn, by which he endeavoured to exhibit me as a person who paid no regard to revelation, and who avowed principles subversive of all moral virtue, I shall, in this letter, give you an account of an attempt of a similar nature, the object of it being to represent me as an absolute Atheist, and a teacher of Atheism to others, when my life has been devoted to the purpose of teaching, from the pulpit and from the press, the principles of natural and revealed religion; and my writings on these subjects are more numerous than those of any person in this, or probably in any other country whatever. The defamatory tale has, however, been eagerly circulated by the clergy, not only of this town and neighbourhood, but by those of higher rank, in London and elsewhere. For a long time I only smiled at the story, and never meant to take any public notice of it. At length, however, I was prevailed upon to make some inquiry into it, and I shall now lay before you the result of that inquiry.

The calumny is contained in a pamphlet entitled THEODOSIUS, written in the character of an aged clergyman, who says, that he visited Mr. Silas Deane on his death-bed, and

• See Dr. Priestley's note at the close of his Preface to the Letters to Mr. Burn, infra.

This is now (1821) proposed by Mr. Brougham's Bill, the result of uncommon attention and perseverance; but to some clauses of which there are very just objections to be offered, especially by Nonconformists.