Perfons, for the first Offence, fhall be adjudged in"capable to have or enjoy any Office, ecclefiaftical, "civil, or military." For the fecond Offence," the

Perfon fhall be difabled from fuing either in Law or "Equity, or to be Guardian, Executor, or Admini"ftrator, and shall not be capable of any Legacy, or "to bear any Office, ecclefiaftical, civil, or military " for ever, and fhall fuffer three Years Imprisonment." After all, the great Point to be confidered is, whether the important Truths contained in the doctrinal Articles of our found and apoftolical Church, are practically received into the Heart and Confcience; if not, there is much lefs Difference between those who complain of Subfcriptions, and those who defend them, than is perhaps ufually imagined. The public Utility of a fet Form of found Words may be allowed, yea, earnestly contended for, where there is no experimental Acquaintance with the Truths contained therein.

Hence it is, that we fee many who are very orthodox in their Opinions, as to feveral important Points of our excellent public Confeffions; but if we hear them preach, they feem ftudiously to avoid every thing that could lead us to account them Minifters of Chrift, and Stewards of the Mysteries of God, I Cor. iv. 1. Tully or Seneca would have filled a Pulpit with equal Edification to their Hearers, as to the grand Points of our holy Religion. In fhort, the frequent Delivery of mere moral Effays, under the Notion of Sermons, has almoft driven Chriftianity, that only Foundation on which true Morality can be built, from amongst the People; preaching the glorious Peculiarities of the everlasting Gofpel, as fet forth in the Liturgy, Articles, and Homilies, is ftamped and branded with Methodifm and Enthufiafm, and now we have K 2

lived

lived to fee what the Effects of this have been, th People have not only been kept in Ignorance o the Doctrines of the Church of which they are Members, but a public Society have dared to fign a Petition to Parliament for their Abolition and Destruction, for that nothing less than these can follow the Repeal of Subfcription, every thinking Perfon must fee beyond a Doubt. It therefore be hoves all who wish well to our happy Establishment, all who know, by their own Experience, the Value of the Treasure committed to them, to take the Alarm; to be ftill more earnest in publifhing the great Truths of the Gofpel, for which many of our Reformers laid down their Lives, and which they have tranfmitted to us unfullied and unimpaired in our public Confeffions. That a Bleffing will attend this, is as certain as that Chrift has promised to be with the Preachers of his Truth to the End of the World, Matt. xxviii. 20.

As for those who love the Office for the Sake of the Benefice, it can only be faid, that as long as there are lucrative Preferments, fo long there will be greedy Seekers after them; thefe, like dead Fish, will always float with the Stream, and like true Men of the Craft, fall in with the fashionable Religion of the Times; they are not to be envied that they have their Reward; But no Conceffions, I truft, will ever be made, in order to facilitate the Way of thefe Sons of Balaam * into the Poffeffion of thofe Offices in the Church, to which they are at once a Difgrace and an Injury.

That I may moft probably incur fome Abuse for treating the Petitioners with fo little Ceremony, is the leaft of my Concern. If I have by this

2 Pet. ii. 15.

Publication

Publication openly borne a seasonable Teftimony for the Truth, I am infinitely over-paid all it may coft me from the Tongues and Pens of the Adverfaries to that GOD whom I profefs to worship. It is reported of Mr. Thomas Bradbury, a late eminent diffenting Teacher, that when Dr. Clarke had prepared and fent forth his Poifon, under the Title of the Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity, a Party amongst the Diffenters, in whom it had begun ftrongly to operate, formed an Oppofition to that famous and fteady Affertor of Chrift's true and proper Divinity, and had the Indecency to fet up a Hifs at him as he came out of the Meeting; a Friend faid to him, "Are you not surprised at this ?” “No,” faid the good Man, "I am not at all furprised that the "old Serpent should bifs, when I have been exalting the Bruifer of his Head."

I have not faid any Thing upon the Subject of introducing Arminianifm into the Interpretation of the Articles, because that is done fo very fully by the Rev. Mr. Bowman, Vicar of Martham in Norfolk, in his "Review of the Doctrines of the Refor "mation," lately publifhed, which I have red with much Pleasure, and do earnestly recommend to the serious Perufal of all who are unacquainted with the Merits of that Queftion. It must be allowed that Profper's Affertion, Predeftinationem Dei nullus Catholicus negat, hath at prefent but littlę Credit amongst us. I am inclined to think, if St, Paul were now living, and were to preach over the latter Part of the eighth, and the whole of the ninth Chapter to the Romans, together with the firft Chapter to the Ephefians, he would be fo far from having the leaft Chance of a Stall in his own Cathedral, that he would hardly get licenfed to a Curacy. Our Moderns are more fortunate, the old

rugged.

A

rugged Points of Predeftination and Election are now explained away, and the golden Road to Preferment paved with Materials of a very different Kind: Some of the Articles, fuch as the 9th, 10th, 11th, or 17th, might give the Traveller's Confcience an ugly Jolt, fo as to be in Danger of an Overturn, did not Latitudinarian Conftruction, like a fkilful Pioneer, go before and clear the Way *.

Not only among the Regulars in our Church militant, but with many of the Irregulars, the Calviniftical Doctrines are entirely cafbiered. Some of

the

*The following curious Anecdote of the late Lord Bolingbroke was related to me by a Perfon, to whom his Lordinip himfelf communicated it, the very Day on which the Matter happened. He was one Day fitting in his Houfe at Batterfea, reading Calvin's Inftitutes, when he received a Morning Vifit from a certain reverend Divine.-After ufual Salutation, he afked the Doctor if he could guess what the Book was, which then lay before him, and which, fays Lord Bolingbroke, "I have been ftudying." No really, my Lord, I "cannot," quoth the Doctor. "It is Calvin's Infli"tutes, faid Lord Bolingbroke, what do you think of thefe Matters, Doctor?" "O, my Lord, we don't "think about fuch antiquated Stuff, we teach the plain "Doctrines of Virtue and Morality, and have long laid afide thofe abftrufe Points about Grace." "Look "you, Doctor, faid Lord Bolingbroke, you know I "don't believe the Bible to be a divine Revelation, "but they who do, can never defend it on any Princi"ples but the Doctrines of Grace.-To fay Truth, I have at Times been almoft perfuaded to believe "it upon this View of Things; and there is one Ar

66

gument which has gone very far with me on Behalf "of its Authenticity, which is, that the Belief of it "now exifts upon Earth, when it is committed to the "Care of fuch as you, who pretend to believe it, and

yet deny the only Principles on which it is credible, the only Foundation on which it is defenfible."

the latter have carried the Matter fo far; as to feem to give the DEITY to understand, that if he fhould think or act on the Side of the Calvinists, they will make him out (horrendum dictu!) worse than the Devil himself. Those who venture on this Sort of Language, would do well to confider how many reformed Churches Abroad, our own Reformers at Home, and their Succeffors the Bishops and Clergy of the Church of England for many Years were Calvinifts, amongst which were to be numbered fome of the moft holy, learned, and zealous Divines that ever exifted; therefore there is a Poffibility of a Mistake or Mifapprehenfion in Regard to this Matter, and it is the Part of Modefty and Humility to be lefs peremptory, where others, our Superiors in all Refpects, have differed

from us.

I must confefs that the most arbitrary and adventurous Adverfaries to the Doctrines of Predeftination and Election which I have met with, are thofe, who, without the leaft Hefitation, have taken upon themselves to pronounce all Calvinists

Tros Rutilufve, nullo difcrimine

a Set of Blafphemers, and to decide a Controversy which has employed the Pens of the most learned,, ferious, and judicious of Men, for Years together, with a fingle peremptory ipfe dixit; proceeding on that unfair, and indeed injustifiable Principle, of charging Men with Things, which they imagine to be the Confequences of their Opinions, as if they were truly their Tenets..

The Quarrel against the Wisdom, Justice, and Sovereignty of GOD is very ancient; it began amongst Angels, and from them has been derived to Mortals. It has been carried with an high Hand, as we may 6. learn