Page images
PDF
EPUB

to our country, and a scandal to Christianity, that in many towns, where there is a prodigious increase in the number of houses and inhabitants, fo little care shall be taken for the building of churches, that five parts in fix of the people are abfolutely hindered from hearing divine fervice? particularly here in London, ‡ where a single minifter, with one or two forry curates, hath the care fometimes of above twenty thousand fouls incumbent on him. A neglect of religion, fo ignominious, in my opinion, 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 infist on, is a 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, trust, profit, and honour, were constantly made the rewards of virtue and piety, such an administration 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 public fervice. I may poffibly be wrong in fome of the means I prescribe towards this end; but that is no material objection against the design itself. Let those

who

This paragraph is known to have given the first hint to certain Bishops, particularly to Bishop Atterbury, in the Earl of Oxford's ministry, to procure a fund for building fifty new churches in London.

who are at the helm, contrive it better, which perhaps they may eafily 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 excuse for any man, who wishes well to his country, to offer his thoughts, when he can have no other end in view but the public good. The prefent Queen is a princess of as many and great virtues as ever filled a throne: how would it brighten her character to the present and after ages, if she would exert her utmost authority to inftil fome fhare of thofe virtues into her people, which they are too degenerate to learn. only from her example? and, be it fpoke with. all the veneration poffible for fo excellent a fovereign, her best endeavours in this weighty affair are a most important part of her duty, as well as of her interest, and her honour.

But it must be confeffed, that, as things are now, every man thinks he has 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, a free-thinker : that is, in other words, he is profligate in his morals, and a despiser 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 prieftcraft and high-church. It is enough: he is a perfon fully VOL. II. H qualified

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, or 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 conftitution, without changing to their lofs.

Fidelity to a prefent establishment, is indeed the principal means to defend it from a foreign enemy; but, without other qualifications, will not prevent corruptions from within; and ftates are more often ruined by thefe, than the other.

To conclude: Whether the propofals 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 refor mation be abfolutely neceffary: because the nature of things is such, that if abufes be not remedied, they will certainly increase, nor ever stop till they end in a subversion of a commonwealth. As there must always, of neceffity, be fome corruptions, fo, in a well-inftituted ftate, the executive power will be always contending against them, by reducing things (as Machiavel fpeaks) to their first principles, never letting abuses grow inveterate, or multiply fo far, that it will be hard to find remedies, and perhaps impoffible to apply them. As he that would keep his houfe in re

pair, must attend every little breach or flaw, and fupply it immediately, elfe time alone will bring all to ruin; how much more the common accidents of forms and rain? He must live in perpetual danger of his houfe falling about his ears; and will find it cheaper to throw it quite down, and build it again from the ground, perhaps upon a new foundation, or, at leaft, in a new form, which may neither be fo fafe, nor fo convenient

as the old.

H 20

}

THE

[88]

THE

SENTIMENTS

OF A

CHURCH-OF-ENGLAND MAN,

With refpect to RELIGION and GOVERNMENT.*

Written in the year 1708.

WHOEVER hath examined the conduct and

proceedings of both parties for fome years paft, whether in or out of power, cannot well conceive it poffible to go far towards the extremes of either, without offering fome violence to his integrity or understanding. A wise and a good man may indeed be sometimes induced to comply with a number, whose opinion he gene

rally

*This piece is adapted to that particular period in which it was written. The style of the whole pamphlet is nervous, and, except in fome few places, impartial. The ftate of Holland is justly, and, at the fame time, concifely delineated. This tract is very well worth one's reading and attention: and it confirms an obfervation which will perpetually occur, that Swift excels in whatever style or manner he assumes. When he is in earnest, his strength of reafon carries with it conviction; when in jeft, every competitor in the race of wit is left behind him. Orrery.

This piece feemeth to have been one of Swift's projects for uniting of parties, and written with a design to check that rage

and

« PreviousContinue »