Religion it felf, or at leaft the beft Conftitus tion of Church Government, anfwerable for the Errors and Depravity of Human Nature.

WITHIN thefe laft Two Hundred Years all forts of Temporal Power hath been wrefted from the Clergy, and much of their Ecclefiaf tick, the Reafon or Justice of which Proceed ing I fhall not examine; but, that the Reme dies were a little too violent with respect to their Poffeffions, the Legiflature hath lately con feffed by the Remiffion of their First-Fruits. Neither do the common Libellers deny this, who in their Invectives only tax the Church with an unfatiable Defire of Power and Wealth, (equally common to all Bodies of Men as well as Individuals) but thank God, that the Laws have deprived them of both. However, it is worth obferving the Juftice of Parties The Sects among us are apt to complain, and think it hard Ufage to be reproached now after Fifty Years for overturning the State, for the Murder of a King, and the Indignity of a Ufurpation; yet these very Men and their Partifans are continually reproaching the Clergy, and laying to their Charge the Pride, the Avarice, the Luxury, the Ignorance, and Superftition of Popish Times for a thousand Years paft.

He thinks it a Scandal to Government, that fuch an unlimited Liberty fhould be allowed of publifhing Books against thofe Doctrines in Religion, wherein all Chriftians have agreed, much more to connive at fuch Tracts as reject all Revelation, and by their Confequences often deny the very Being of a God. Surely tis not a fufficient Attonement for the Writers,

that

६

that they profefs much Loyalty to the prefent Government, and fprinkle up and down fome Arguments in favour of the Diffenters; that they difpute as ftrenuoufly as they can for Liberty of Confcience, and inveigh largely against all Ecclefiafticks under the Name of High-Church; and, in fhort, under the fhelter of fome popular Principles in Politicks and Religion, undermine the Foundations of all Piety and Virtue. As he does not reckon every Schifm of that damnable Nature which fome would reprefent; fo he is very far from clofing with the new Opinion of thofe, who would make it no Crime at all, and argue at a wild rate, that God Almighty is delighted with, the Variety of Faith and Worfhip, as he is with the Varieties of Nature. To fuch Abfurdities are Men carried by the Affectation of Free-thinking, and removing the Prejudices of Education, under which Head they have for fome time begun to Lift Morality and Religion. It is certain that before the Rebellion in 1642, tho' the Number of Puritans (as they were then called) were as great as it is with us; and though they affected to follow Paftors of that Denominati on, yet thofe Paftors had Epifcopal Ordination, poffeffed Preferments in the Church, and were fometimes promoted to Bishopricks themfelves. But, a Breach in the general Form of Worfhip was in thofe Days reckoned fo dangerous and finful in it felf, and fo offenfive to the Roman-Catholicks at home and abroad, that it was too unpopular to be attempted; neither, I believe, was the Expedient then found out of maintaining feparate Paftors out of private Purfes

F4

WHEN

WHEN a Schifm is once fpread in a Nation, there grows at length a Difpute which are the Schifmaticks. Without entring on the Arguments, ufed by both fides among us, to fix the Guilt on each other; 'tis certain, that in the fenfe of the Law, the Schifm lies on that fide which opposes it felf to the Religion of the State. Ifhall leave it among the Divines to dilate upon the Danger of Schifm as a Spiritual Evil; but I would confider it only as a Temporal one. And I think it clear, that any great Separation from the Established Worship, though to a new one that is more pure and perfect, may be an Occafion of endangering the Publick Peace, because it will compofe a Body always in Referve, prepared to follow any difcontented Heads upon the plaufible Pretext of advancing True Religion, and oppofing Error, Superftition, or Idolatry. For this Reafon Plato lays it down as a Maxim, that, Men ought to wor fhip the Gods according to the Laws of the Country; and he introduces Socrates in his laft Difcourfe utterly difowning the Crime laid to his Charge, of teaching new Divinities or Methods of Worship. Thus the poor Huguenots of France were engaged in a Civil War, by the fpecious Pretences of fome, who under the Guife of Religion Sacrificed fo many Thousand Lives to their own Ambition and Revenge. Thus was the whole Body of Puritans in England drawn to be Inftrumental, or Abbettors of all manner of Villany by the Artifices of a few Men, whofe * De

figns from the firft were levelled Lord Claren- to deftroy the Conftitution both don's Hift. of Religion and Government. And thus even in Holland it felf, where

I

it is pretended that the Variety of Sects live fo Amicably together, and in fuch perfect Obedience to the Magiftrate, 'tis notorious how a turbulent Party joyning with the Arminians, did in the Memory of our Fathers attempt to deftroy the Liberty of that Republick. Sa of that upon the whole, where Sects are tole rated in a State, 'tis fit they fhould enjoy a full Liberty of Confcience, and every other Privilege of Free-born Subjects to which no Power is annexed. And to preferve their Obedience upon all Emergencies, a Government cannot give them too much Eafe, nor truft them with too little Power.

2

THE Clergy are ufually charged with a Perfe cuting Spirit, which they are faid to discover by an implacable Hatred to all Diffenters; and this appears to be more unreasonable, because they fuffer lefs in their Interefts by a Toleration than any of the Conforming Laity: For while; the Church remains in its prefent Form, no Diffenter can poffibly have any fhare in its Dignities, Revenues, or Power; whereas, by once. receiving the Sacrament, he is render'd capable, of the Higheft Employments in the State. And it is very poffible, that a narrow Education, together with a mixture of Human Infirmity, may help to beget among fome of the Clergy in Poffeffion fuch an Averfion and Contempt for all Innovators, as Phyficians are apt to have for Empiricks, or Lawyers for Pettifoggers, or Merchants for Pedlars; But fince the Number of Sectaries does not concern the Clergy either in point of Intereft or Confcience, (it being an Evil not in their Power to remedy) 'tis more fair and reasonable to fuppofe their Diflike proceeds

from

from the Dangers they apprehend to the Peace of the Common-wealth, in the Ruin whereof they must expect to be the firft and greatest Sufferers.

3

To conclude this Section, it must be obferved, there is a very good Word, which hath of late fuffered much by Both Parties, and that is Moderation, which the one fide very juftly difowns, and the other as unjustly pretenda to. Befide what paffes every Day in Conver fation; any Man who reads the Papers pub: lifhed by Mr. Ly and others of his Stamp, muft needs conclude, that if this Author could make the Nation fee his Adverfaries under the Colours he paints them in, we had nothing elfe to do, but rife as one Man and destroy fuch Wretches from the Face of the Earth. On the other fide, how fhall we excufe the Advocates for Moderation; among whom I could appeal to an hundred Papers of univerfal Ap probation by the Caule they were writ for, which lay fuch Principles to the whole Body of the Tories, as, if they were true, and believ ed our next Bufinefs fhould in Prudence be to erect Gibbets in every Parish, and hang them out of the way. But I fuppofe it is prefumed, the Common People understand Raillery, or at leaft Rhethorick, and will not take Hyperbole's in too litteral a Senfe; which however in fome Junctures might prove a defperate Experiment. And this is Moderation in the Modern Senfe of the Word, to which_fpeaking impar tially, the Biggots of Both Parties are equally entitled.

SECT.