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of whom I have taken my text for this discourse. We fhould be careful not to overfhoot ourselves, in the pursuits even of virtue. Whether Zeal or Moderation be the point we aim at, let us keep fire out of the one, and froft out of the other. But, alas! the world is too wife to want fuch a precaution. The terms, High-church, and Lowchurch, as commonly used, do not fo much denote a principle, as they diftinguish a party. They are like words of battle, that have nothing to do with their original fignification, but are only given out to keep a body of men together, and to let them know friends from enemies.

I must confefs, I have confidered, with fome attention, the influence which the opinions of these great national fects have upon their practice; and do look upon it as one of the unaccountable things of our times, that multitudes of honeft gentlemen, who entirely agree in their lives, fhould take it in their heads to differ in their religion.

I fhall conclude this paper, with an account of a conference, which happened between a very excellent divine (whofe doctrine was eafy, and, formerly, much respected) and a lawyer.

AND behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and

tempted him, faying, Mafter, what shall I

do to inherit eternal life?

He faid unto him, What is written in the law? how readeft thou?

And he answering, faid, Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all

thy

thy foul, and with all thy ftrength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

And he faid unto him, Thou haft answered right: this do, and thou fhalt live.

But he, willing to justify himself, faid unto Jefus, And who is my neighbour?

And Jefus answering, faid, A certain man went down from Jerufalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which ftripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And, by chance, there came down a certain prieft that way; and, when he faw him, he paffed by on the other side.

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and paffed by on the other fide.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and, when he saw him, he had compaffion on him,

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine; and fet him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and faid unto him, Take care of him; and whatfoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Which, now, of these three, thinkeft thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he faid, He that fhewed mercy on him. Then faid Jefus unto him, Go, and do thou likewife. Luke x. 25 to 38.

T

ADVERTISEMENT.

HERE is now in the prefs, a propofal for raifing a fund towards paying the national debt, by the following means. The author would have commiffioners appointed, to fearch all the public and private libraries, bookfellers fhops, and warehoufes, in this kingdom, for fuch books as are of no ufe to the owner, or to the public, viz. all comments on the holy scriptures, whether called fermons, creeds, bodies of divinity, tomes of cafuiftry, vindications, confutations, effays, answers, replies, rejoinders, or fur-rejoinders; together with all other learned treatifes, and books of divinity, of what denomination or class foever; as also, all comments on the laws of the land; fuch as reports, law-cafes, decrees, guides for attorneys and young clerks; and, in fine, all the. books now in being in this kingdom, (whether of divinity, law, physic, metaphyfics, logic, or politics,) except the pure text of the holy feriptures, the naked text of the laws, a few books of morality, poetry, mufic, architecture, agriculture, mathematics, merchandife, and history; the author would have the aforefaid useless books carried to the feveral paper-mills, there to be wrought into white paper; which, to prevent damage or complaints, he would have performed by the commentators, critics, popular preachers, apothecaries, learned lawyers, attorneys, folicitors, logicians, phyficians, almanack-makers, and others of the like wrong turn of mind; the faid paper to be fold, and the produce applied to discharge the national debt. What should remain of the said debt unsatisfied, might be paid by a tax on the falaries or estates of bankers, common cheats, ufurers, treasurers, imbezzlers of public money, general officers, fharpers, pensioners, pick-pockets, &c.

THE

THE PRE FACE

TO

POPE'S and SWIFT'S MISCELLANIES, in four volumes 12mo, 1727.

THE papers that compose the first of these

volumes, were printed about eighteen years. ago, to which there are now added two or three fmall tracts; and the verses are transferred into the fourth volume apart, with the addition of fuch others as we fince have written. The fecond and third will confift of feveral fmall treatifes in profe, in which a friend or two is concerned with us.

Having both of us been extremely ill treated by some bookfellers, especially one Edmund Curll, it was our opinion, that the best method we could. take for justifying ourselves, would be, to publish whatever loofe papers, in profe and verfe, we have formerly written; not only fuch as have already stole into the world (very much to our regret, and perhaps very little to our credit) but fuch as, in any probability, hereafter may run the fame fate; having been obtained from us by the importunity, and divulged by the indifcretion of friends, although reftrained by promifes, which few of them are ever known to observe, and often think they make us a compliment in breaking. But the confequences have been still worfe: we have been entitled, and have had our names preVOL. II.

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fixed

fixed at length, to whole volumes of mean productions, equally offenfive to good manners and good fenfe, which we never faw nor heard of till they appeared in print.

For a forgery in setting a false name to a writing, which may prejudice another's fortune, the law punishes the offender with the lofs of his ears: but has inflicted no adequate penalty for such as prejudice another's reputation, in doing the fame thing in print; though all and every individual book, fo fold under a false name, are manifeftly fo many feveral and multiplied forgeries.

Indeed we hoped, that the good nature, or at leaft the good judgement of the world, would have cleared us from the imputation of such things, as had been thus charged upon us by the malice of enemies, the want of judgment in friends, the unconcern of indifferent perfons, and the confident affertions of bookfellers.

We are ashamed to find fo ill a tafte prevail, as to make it a neceffary work to do this juftice to ourselves. It is very poffible for any author to write below himfelf; either his fubject not proving fo fruitful, or fitted for him, as he at firft imagined; or his health, or his humour, or the prefent disposition of his mind, unqualifying him at that juncture: however, if he poffeffed any diftinguishing marks of ftile, or peculiarity of thinking, there would remain, in his leaft fuccessful writings, fome few tokens, whereby perfons of tafte might discover him.

But

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