of the Party he most approves ; which one fingle Principle, he looks upon as the Root of all our Civil Animofities. To enter into a Party as into an Order of Fryars, with fo refigned an Obe dience to Superiors, is very unfuitable both with the Civil and Religious Liberties we fo zealoufly affert. Thus the Understandings of a whole Senate are often enflaved by three or four Leaders on each Side, who inftead of intending the Publick Weal, have their Hearts wholy fet upon Ways and Means how to get, or to keep Employments. But to fpeak more at large, how has this Spirit of Faction mingled it felf in with the Mafs of the People, changed their Natures and Manners, and the very Genius of the Nation; broke all the Laws of Charity, Neighbourhood, Alliance and Hofpitality, destroy'd 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, inftead of enquiring whether he be a Man of Virtue, Honour, Piety, Wit, good Senfe, or Learning; the modern Question is only, Whether he be a Whig or a Tory? under which Terms all good and ill Qualities are included.

Now, because it is a Point of Difficulty to chufe an exact Middle between two ill Extreams, it may be worth enquiring in the present Cafe, which of these a wife and a 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 fhould think that in order to preferve the Conftitution entire in Church and State, who ever has a true Value for both, would be fure to avoid the Extreams of Whig for the fake of the

34

former

former, and the Extreams of Tory on account 0 of the latter.

10

་

I have now faid all I could think convenient upon fo nice a Subject, and find I have the Ambition common with other Reafoners, to wish at leaft that both Parties may think me in the right, which would be of fome ufe to thofe who have any Virtue left, but are blindly drawn into the Extravagancies of either, upon falfe Repre fentations, 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 Wifh fhould be, that both might think me in the wrong; which I would understand as an ample Juftification of my felf, and a fure Ground to believe, that I have proceeded at least with Impartiality, and perhaps with Truth.

FINIS

AN

ARGUMENT

To prove, That the

Abolishing of Chriftianity

IN

ENGLAND.

May, as things now ftand, be attended with fome Inconveniencies, and perhaps not produce thofe many good Effects propofed there by.

I

AM

Written in the Year, 1708.

Aм very fenfible what a Weakness and-Prefumption it is, to reafon against the general Humour and Difpofition of the World. I remember it was with great Juftice, and a due Regard to the Freedom both of the Publick and the Prefs, forbidden upon feveral Penalties to Write, or Difcourfe, or lay Wagers a gainst the even before it was confirmed by Parliament, because that was look'd upon as a Defign

f

Defign to oppofe the Current of the People, which befides the Folly of it, is a manifeft Breach of the Fundamental Law, that makes this Majority of Opinion the Voice of God. In like manner, and for the very fame Reafons, it may perhaps be neither fafe nor prudent to argue against the Abolishing of Chriftianity, at a Juncture when all Parties feem fo unanimoufly determined upon the Point, as we cannot but allow from their Actions, their Difcourfes, and their Writings. However, I know not how, whether from the Affectation of Singularity, or the Perverseness of Human Nature, but fo it unhappily falls out, that I cannot be entirely of this Opinion. Nay, though I were fure an Order were iffued out for my immediate Profecution by the Attorney-General, I fhould ftill confefs, that in the prefent Pofture of our Affairs at home or abroad, I do not yet fee the ab folute neceffity of extirpating the Chriftian Re ligion from among us.

THIS perhaps may appear too great a Paradox even for our wife and paradoxical Age to endure; therefore I fhall handle it with all Tenderness, and with the utmoft Deference to that great and profound Majority, which is of another Sentiment.

AND yet the Curious may pleafe to obferve, how much the Genius of a Nation is liable to alter in half an Age. I have heard it affirmed for certain by fome very old People, that the contrary Opinion was even in their Memories as much in Vogue as the other is now and that a Pro ject for the Abolishing of Christianity would then have appeared as fingular, and been thought as abfurd, as it would be at this time to write or difcourfe in its Defence. THERE

THEREFORE I freely own, that all Appear ances are against me. The Syftem of the Gof pel after the Fate of other Syftems is generally antiquated and exploded; and the Mafs or Body of the Common People, among whom it feems to have had its latest Gredit, are now grown as much afhamed of it as their Betters. Opini ons like Fashions always defcending from thofe of Quality to the Middle Sort, and thence to the Vulgar, where at length they are dropt and vanish.

But here I would not be mistaken, and must therefore be fo bold as to borrow a Diftin&tion from the Writers on the other fide, when they make a Difference betwixt Nominal and Real Trinitarians. I hope no Reader imagines me fo weak as to ftand up in the Defence of Real Chritianity, fuch as used in Primitive Times (if we may believe the Authors of thofe Ages to have an Influence upon Mens Belief and Actions: To offer at the Reftoring of That would indeed be a wild Project; it would be to dig up Foundations, to destroy at one Blow all the Wit, and half the Learning of the Kingdom; to break the entire Frame and Conftitution of Things, to ruin Trade, extinguish Arts and Sciences with the Profeffors of them; in fhort, to turn our Courts, Exchanges and Shops into Deferts; and would be full as abfurd as the Propofal of Honace, where he advifes the Romans, all in a Body, to leave their City, and feek a new Seat in fome remote Part of the World, by way of a Cure for the Corruption of their Manners.

THEREFORE I think this Caution was in it felf altogether unneceffary (which I have inferted only to prevent all poffibility of Cavilling)

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