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"them to avoid, they would return your favour "as near as possible in the same style and manner. "However, that your advice may not be wholly "loft, particularly that part of it which relates to "the Pretender, they defire you would apply it to more proper perfons. Look among your own "leaders; examine which of them engaged in a

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plot to restore the late K. James, and received "pardons under his feal; examine which of them. "have been fince tampering with his pretended "fon, and, to gratify their ambition, their ava

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rice, their malice, and revenge, are now will"ing to restore him at the expence of the religion "and liberty of their country. Retire, good my "Lord, with your pupil, and let us hear no more of "these hypocritical infinuations, left the Queen and "ministers, who have been hitherto content with "only disappointing the lurking villanies of your "faction, may be at laft provoked to expose them."

But his refpect for the clergy is fuch, that he doth not infinuate as if they really had thefe evil difpofitions; he only infinuates, that they give to much caufe for fuch infinuations.

I will, upon occafion, ftrip fome of his infinuations from their generality and folecisms, and drag them into the light. His dedication to the clergy is full of them, because here he endeavours to mould up his rancour and civility together; by which constraint, he is obliged to fhorten his paragraphs, and to place them in fuch a light, that they obfcure one another. Suppofing, therefore, that I have fcraped off his good manners, in order

to

to come at his meaning, which lies under; he . tells the clergy, that the favour of the Queen and her minifters, is but a colour of zeal towards them; that the people were deluded by a groundlefs cry of the church's danger at Sacheverel's trial; that the clergy, as they are men of fenfe and honour, ought to preach this truth to their feveral congregations; and let them know, that the true defign of the present men in power, in that, and all their proceedings fince, in favour of the church, was, to bring in Popery, France, and the Pretender, and to enflave all Europe, contrary to the laws of our country, the power of the legislature, the faith of nations, and the honour of God.

I cannot fee why the clergy, as men of fenfe, and men of honour (for he appeals not to them as men of religion) fhould not be allowed to know when they are in danger, and be able to guefs whence it comes, and who are their protectors. The defign of their deftruction, indeed, may have been projected in the dark; but when all was ripe, their enemies proceeded to fo many overt acts in the face of the nation, that it was obvious to the meanest people, who wanted no other motives to roufe them. On the other fide, can this author, or the wifeft of his faction, affign one fingle act of the prefent ministry, any way tending towards bringing in the Pretender, or to weaken the fucceffion of the houfe of Hanover? Obferve then the reasonablenefs of this gentleman's advice: the clergy, the gentry, and the common people had the utmost apprehenfions of danger to the church

under

under the late miniftry; yet then it was the greatest impiety to inflame the people with any fuch apprehenfions. His danger of a popish succeffor, from any fteps of the prefent miniftry, is an artificial calumny, raised and fpread against the conviction of inventors, pretended to be believed only by thofe, who abhor the conftitution in church and state; an obdurate faction, who compafs heaven and earth to restore themselves upon the ruin of their country: yet here, our author exhorts the clergy to preach up this imaginary danger to their people, and difturb the public peace with his ftrained feditious comments.

But how comes this gracious licence to the clergy, from the whigs, to concern themselves with politics of any fort, although it be only the gloffes and comments of Mr. Steele? The speeches of the managers at Sacheverel's trial, particularly thofe of Stanhope, Lechmere, King, Parker, and fome others *, feemed to deliver a different doctrine. Nay, this very dedication complains of Jome in holy orders, who have made the conflitution of their country (in which and the coptic Mr. Steele is equally skilled) a very little part of their study, and yet made obedience and government the frequent Jubjects of their difcourfes. This difficulty is easily folved; for, by politics, they mean obedience. Mr. Hoadley †, who is a champion for refistance, was VOL. II.

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* These persons were created peers by King George I.

never

† Dr. Benjamin Hoadley, created bishop of Bangor by King George 1. in 1715; tranflated to Hereford in 1721, to Salisbury in 1723, and to Winchester in 1734.

never charged with meddling out of his function: Hugh Peters, and his brethren, in the times of ufurpation, had full liberty to preach up fedition and rebellion; and fo here, Mr. Steele iffues out his licence to the clergy, to preach up the danger of a popifh pretender, in defiance of the QUEEN and her adminiftration.

Every whiffler in a laced coat, who frequents the chocolate-houfe, and is able to spell the title of a pamphlet, fhall talk of the conftitution with as much plausibility as this very folemn writer, and, with as good a grace, blame the clergy for meddling with politics, which they do not underftand. I have known many of these able politicians furnished, before they were of age, with all the neceffary topics of their faction, and, by the help of about twenty polyfyllables, capable of maintaining an argument, that would shine in the Crifis; whofe author gathered up his little ftock from the fame fchools, and hath written from no other fund.

But, after all, it is not clear to me, whether this gentleman addreffeth himself to the clergy of England in general, or only to those very few (hardly enow, in cafe of a change, to fupply the mortality of those felf-denying prelates he celebrates) who are in his principles, and, among thefe, only fuch as live in and about London; which, probably, will reduce the number to about half a dozen at moft. I fhould incline to guess the latter; because he tells them, they are furrounded by a learned, wealthy, knowing gentry, whọ

know

know with what firmness, self-denial, and charity, the bishops adhered to the public caufe, and what contumelies thofe clergymen have undergone, &c. who adhered to the cause of truth. By thofe terms, the public caufe, and the caufe of truth, he understands the cause of the Whigs, in oppofition to the QUEEN and her fervants: therefore, by the learned, wealthy, and knowing gentry, he must understand, the bank, and Eaft-India company, and those other merchants or citizens within the bills of mortality, who have been ftrenuous against the church and crown, and whofe fpirit of faction hath lately got the better of their intereft. For, let him fearch all the reft of the kingdom, he will find the furrounded clergy, and the furrounding gentry, wholly ftrangers to the merits of thofe prelates, and adhering to a very different caufe of truth; as will foon, I hope, be manifeft, by a fair appeal to the reprefentatives of both.

It was very unneceffary in this writer, to bespeak the treatment of contempt and derifion, which the clergy are to expect from this faction, when-ever they come into power. I believe that venerable body is in very little concern, after what manner their moft mortal enemies intend to treat them, whenever it fhall please God, for our fins, to vifit us with fo fatal an event; which I hope it will be the united endeavours both of clergy and laity to hinder. It would be fome fupport to this hope, if I could have any opinion of his predicting talent (which fome have afcribed to people of this author's character) where he tells us, that

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