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point is commonly mistaken, especially by the lawyers; who, of all others, feem leaft to understand the nature of government in general; like under-workmen, who are expert enough at making a fingle wheel in a clock, but are utterly ignorant how to adjust the several parts, or regulate the movements.

To return, therefore, from this digreffion: It is a church-of-England man's opinion, that the freedom of a nation confists in an absolute unlimited legislative power, wherein the whole body of the people are fairly represented, and in an executive, duly limited; because on this fide, likewife, there may be dangerous degrees, and a very ill extreme. For, when two parties in a state are pretty equal in power, pretenfions, merit, and vir tue, (for these two laft are, with relation to parties and a court, quite different things,) it hath been the opinion of the beft writers upon government, that a prince ought not, in any fort, to be under the guidance or influence of either; because he declines, by this means, from his office of prefiding over the whole, to be the head of a party which, besides the indignity, renders him anfwerable for all public mifmanagements, and the confequences of them: and, in whatever ftate this happens, there muft either be a weakness in the prince or miniftry, or elfe the former is too much reftrained by the nobles, or those who reprefent the people.

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To conclude: A church-of-England man may, with prudence and a good confcience, approve the profeffed principles of one party, more than the other, according as he thinks they best promote the good of church and ftate; but he will never be fwayed, by paffion or intereft, to advance an opinion, merely because it is that of the party he most approves; which one single principle, he looks upon as the root of all our civil animofities. To enter into a party, as into an order of friars, with fo refigned an obedience to fuperiors, is very unfuitable, both with the civil and religi ous liberties we fo zealously affert. Thus, the understandings of a whole fenate are often enflaved by three or four leaders on each fide; who, instead of intending the public weal, have their hearts wholly fet upon ways and means how to get, or to keep employments. But, to speak more at large, how has this spirit of faction mingled itself with the mass of the people, changed their nature and manners, and the very genius of the nation? broke all the laws of charity, neigh⚫bourhood, alliance, and hospitality, deftroyed all ties of friendship, and divided families against themselves? And no wonder it fhould be fo, when, in order to find out the character of a perfon, instead of enquiring whether he be a man of virtue, honour, piety, wit, good fenfe, or learning; the modern queftion is only, Whether he be a Whig or a Tory? under which terms, all good and ill qualities are included.

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Now,

Now, because it is a point of difficulty to chufe an exact middle between two ill extremes, it may be worth enquiring, in the present case, which of thefe a wife and good man would rather feem to avoid. Taking, therefore, their own good and ill characters, with due abatements and allowances for partiality and paffion, I should think, that, in order to preferve the conftitution entire in church and state, whoever hath a true value for both, would be fure to avoid the extremes of Whig for the fake of the former, and the extremes of Tory on account of the latter.

I have now faid all that I could think convenient upon fo nice a fubject, and find I have the ambition common with other reasoners, to wish at least that both parties may think me in the right; which would be of fome ufe to those who have any virtue left, but are blindly drawn into the extravagancies of either, upon falfe reprefentations, to ferve the ambition or malice of defigning men, without any profpect of their own. But if that is not to be hoped for, my next wish should be, that both might think me in the wrong: which I would understand as an ample juftification of myself, and a fure ground to believe, that I have proceeded at least with impartiality, and perhaps with truth.

POSTHU

POSTHUMOUS SERMONS.*

SERMON I.

ON THE TRINITY.

1 Epistle general of St. JOHN V. 7.

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft; and these three are one.

THIS day being fet apart to acknowledge our belief in the eternal Trinity, I thought it might be proper to employ my prefent difcourfe entirely upon that fubject and I hope to handle it in fuch a manner, that the moft ignorant among

These fermons are curious, and curious for fuch reasons as would make other works defpicable. They were written in a careless hurrying manner; and were the offspring of neceffity, not of choice: fo that one will fee the original force of the Dean's genius more in these compofitions, that were the legiti mate fons of duty, than in other pieces that were the natural fons of love. They were held in fuch low efteem in his own thoughts, that, fome years before he died, he gave away the whole collection to Dr. Sheridan, with the utmost indifference: "Here," fays he, "are a bundle of my old fermons. You may "have them if you pleafe. They may be of ufe to you; they "have never been of any to me." The parcel given to Dr. Sheridan confifted, as I have heard, of about thirty-five fermons. Three or four only are published; and those I have read over with attention. ORRERY.

among you may return home better informed of your duty in this great point, than probably you are at prefent.

It must be confeffed, that, by the weakness and indiscretion of busy, or, at beft, of well-meaning people, as well as by the malice of those who are enemies to all revealed religion, and are not content to poffefs their own infidelity in filence, without communicating it, to the disturbance of mankind; I fay, by thefe means, it must be confeffed, that the doctrine of the Trinity hath fuffered very much, and made Chriftianity fuffer along with it. For, these two things must be granted: Firft, That men of wicked lives would be very glad there were no truth in Christianity at all; and, fecondly, If they can pick out any one fingle article in the Christian religion, which appears not agreeable to their own corrupted reafon, or to the arguments of thofe bad people who follow the trade of feducing others, they prefently conclude, that the truth of the whole gospel muft fink along with that one article. Which is just as wife, as if a man should say, because he dislikes one law of his country, he will therefore obferve no law at all; and yet that one law may be very reasonable in itself, although he does not allow it, or does not know the reason of the lawgivers.

Thus it hath happened with the great doctrine of the Trinity; which word is indeed not in fcripture, but was a term of art, invented in the

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