religious conftitution, which fupports them, whether true, or false; which, as those systems are many, and various, so they cannot poffibly be all founded in truth. The Mahometan clergy, of course, endeavour to support Mahometanism, or that system of religion, which was first promulged by their great Prophet Mahomet, and which they are fupported by. The cafe is the fame, with respect to the Popish, and the feveral bodies of Proteftant, clergy; each one endeavours to support that fyftem, that religious conftitution, which fupports and maintains them. And as this is the cafe of all bodies of Clergy; fo one of thefe has as just a demand, or claim, to fuch reliance, as another. Indeed, if one of these bodies were bleffed with a much higher degree of underftanding, than any other men, or than any other body of clergy, or were they masters of more honefty and integrity than those others, and did thofe natural and moral endowments, regularly, and conftantly, defcend to their respective fucceffors, and did this plainly appear to be the cafe; then fuch body of clergy would have a better pretence to demand reliance upon them, than any other body of clergy could pretend to claim; but

n

this is not the cafe of any particular body of clergy, whether Mahometan, or Chrif tian, Popish, or Proteftant, all of which, for any thing that appears, being upon a foot, in these refpects; and, therefore, neither of them has any just pretence to fuch demand. There are two distinct bodies of clergy, in this ifland, each of which, regularly, and fuccefively, endeavours to fupport a particular religious conftitution, one diftinct and different from the other; now the question is, what does this arife from? feeing there are the very fame materials for each to work upon, thereby to lay a foundation for it's pretenfions. Is it a greater measure of penetration, and more honefty, in one of these bodies of clergy, than in the other, which is the ground of fuch different applications of their zeal and induftry? furely not. tho', perhaps, each body may lay claim to thefe; yet it is what both will deny, with regard to each other, nor can either make out it's claim. And if neither greater fagacity, nor honefty, is the ground of thofe different applications, then the question returns, viz. what is? The answer to which queftion is most obvious, viz. it is their refpective interests. For as each individual clergyman,

For

ever.

clergyman, in each body, is only interested in that particular religious conftitution, to which he is immediately related; fo experience fheweth, that each one's zeal, and industry, are conftantly applied to support that conftitution which fupports him; and this is the cafe of all bodies of clergy whatThose bodies, likewife, ufually, pay the highest compliment to that particular religious constitution, they are more immediately related to, and depend upon. Thus, the clergy of the church of England fay, of the Church of England, that it is the best conftituted church in the world; the fame, no doubt, is faid, and, perhaps, with equal propriety, by all other bodies of clergy, of each particular conftitution, that each one is more immediately related to, and depends upon; each one's Church is the best, as it is best for him who depends upon it, and is fupported by it. But were a judgment to be formed, upon a comparison betwixt one religious conftitution and another, confidered abstractedly from the intereft of him who makes the comparison; then, that church will be deemed to be beft conftituted, which holds forth the most power and wealth to its clergy; and, in this view of the cafe,

I prefume, it will be allowed, that the church of Rome is the best conftituted church in the world; tho', perhaps, the church of England may come in for the fecond place. And tho' education, a proper enquiry, and other caufes, may have fome fhare in forming the judgments, and directing the zeal and induftry, of fome individuals; yet these springs are too weak to move large bodies of men; nothing but intereft being Sufficient for that purpose. For as those bodies of clergy are cemented by intereft, fo that is the grand spring by which they are moved; the efficacy and force of which has been abundantly exemplified in former times, viz. when the fame body of clergy changed from Popish to Proteftant, in one reign, from Protestant to Popish, in the next, and then from Popish to Protestant again, in the third. These shiftings of principles and practices in the fame body, furely, were not owing to the shiftings of fagacity and honesty in that body; that is, those clergy were not more fagacious and honest, in one of those changes, than in the others; but those shiftings arofe from the different views their intereft appeared in, through the revolutions that then took place, which intereft they

Steadily

fieadily pursued, in every view, in which it appeared, whether Popish, or Proteftant, and that produced the changes aforefaid. All bodies of Clergy are collections of fallible men; who, each one, enter into their respective ministries, for the fake of those worldly advantages they hope and expect to reap from them; and therefore, in the very nature of the thing, they cannot be the proper objects of such truft as is required. And tho' bodies of clergy are very often wrangling, and greatly divided, among themselves, and that in points of importance, as Dr. Sherlock against Dr. South; which fhews how unfit they are to be trufted to, or relied upon; yet they are exceeding careful, not to rifque any thing they already poffefs, nor bar up the way to the acquifition of more, and therefore, they go no farther, in controverfy, than the chain by which they are held, viz. their interest, will admit. And tho' nature has provided various motives, or excitements to action; yet, I think, it is pretty clear, that worldly intereft bears the greateft fway, with the greatest part of mankind; and this, fometimes, leads men to act a part, and to put on fuch difguifes, as otherwife, were their intereft out of the cafe, they would not be

difpofed