BOHN'S STANDARD LIBRARY

THE PROSE WORKS

OF

JONATHAN SWIFT, D. D. 

EDITED BY

TEMPLE SCOTT

WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION BY

THE RT. HON. W. E. H. LECKY, M. P. 

VOL. IV

[Illustration]

LONDON

GEORGE BELL AND SONS

1898

CHISWICK PRESS:--CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO. 

TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. 

SWIFT'S

WRITINGS ON RELIGION

AND THE CHURCH

VOL. II

[Illustration]

CONTENTS. 

TRACTS ON THE SACRAMENTAL TEST:

A Letter Concerning the Sacramental Test

The Presbyterian's Plea of Merit

Narrative of Attempts for the Repeal of the Sacramental Test

Queries relating to the Sacramental Test

Advantages proposed by Repealing the Sacramental Test

Reasons for Repealing the Sacramental Test in Favour of the Catholics

Some Few Thoughts concerning the Repeal of the Test

Ten Reasons for Repealing the Test Act

SERMONS:

On Mutual Subjection

On the Testimony of Conscience

On the Trinity

On Brotherly Love

On the Difficulty of Knowing One's Self

On False Witness

On the Wisdom of this World

On Doing Good

On the Martyrdom of King Charles I

On the Poor Man's Contentment

On the Wretched Condition of Ireland

On Sleeping in Church

APPENDICES:

I. Remarks on Dr. Gibbs's Paraphrase of the Psalms

II. Proposal for Preventing the further Growth of Popery

III. Swift and Serjeant Bettesworth

IV. A True and Faithful Narrative of what passed in London

INDEX TO THE WRITINGS ON RELIGION AND THE CHURCH

NOTE. 

The portrait which forms the frontispiece to this volume is taken, bypermission, from the painting in the possession of the Earl of Howth, K. P. 

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

A LETTER

FROM A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN IRELAND TO

A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN ENGLAND

CONCERNING THE

SACRAMENTAL TEST. 

WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1708. 

NOTE. 

In the "foreword" to the reprint of this tract in the "Miscellanies" of1711, Swift remarks: "I have been assured that the suspicion which thesupposed author lay under for writing this letter absolutely ruined himwith the late ministry. " The "late ministry" was the Whig ministry ofwhich Godolphin was the Premier. To this ministry the repeal of the TestAct was a matter of much concern. To test the effect of such a repeal itwas determined to try it in Ireland first. There the Presbyterians haddistinguished themselves by their loyalty to William and the Protestantsuccession. These, therefore, offered a good excuse for the introductionof such a measure, particularly when, in 1708, an invasion was rumoured, they were the first to send in loyal addresses to the Queen. Swiftlikened this method to "that of a discreet physician, who first gives anew medicine to a dog, before he prescribes it to a human creature. "Further, the Speaker of the Irish House had come over to England toagitate for the repeal. On this matter Swift wrote to Archbishop King, under date April 15th (the letter was first published by Mr. JohnForster in his "Life of Swift, " p. 246), as follows: "Some days ago myLord Somers entered with me into discourse about the Test clause, anddesired my opinion upon it, which I gave him truly, though with all thegentleness I could; because, as I am inclined and obliged to value thefriendship he professes for me, so he is a person whose favour I wouldengage in the affairs of the First Fruits. .. . If it became me to giveill names to ill things and persons, I should be at a loss to find badenough for the villainy and baseness of a certain lawyer of Ireland[Speaker Brodrick, afterwards Lord Midleton], who is in a station theleast of all others excusable for such proceedings, and yet has beengoing about most industriously to all his acquaintance of both housestowards the end of the session to show the necessity of taking off theTest clause in Ireland by an act here, wherein you may be sure he hadhis brother's assistance. If such a project should be resumed nextsession, and I in England, unless your grace send me your absolutecommands to the contrary, which I should be sorry to receive, I couldhardly forbear publishing some paper in opposition to it, or leaving onebehind me, if there should be occasion. " In August of the same year theagitation for the repeal was renewed, and in December Swift publishedhis "Letter on the Sacramental Test, " writing as if from Dublin and as amember of the Irish House of Commons. When he writes to King in thefollowing month he makes a mild attempt to convince the Archbishop thatthe pamphlet was not of his authorship. "The author has gone out of hisway to reflect on me as a person likely to write for repealing the test, which I am sure is very unfair treatment. This is all I am likely to getby the company I keep. I am used like a sober man with a drunken face, have the scandal of the vice without the satisfaction. " But King was notdeceived. In his reply to Swift he simply remarks: "You need not beconcerned: I will engage you will lose nothing by that paper. " Swift, however, lost more than the Archbishop thought; for "that paper" led tohis severance from the Whigs, and, in after life, to much contumely caston his character for being a political renegade. Because "he was notWhig enough;" because he would not forsake his Church for his party, critics and biographers have thought fit to make little of him, and tocompare him to his discredit with contemporaries whose intellects heheld in the palm of his hand, and to whom he might have stood as a moralexemplar. 

Swift refers to this tract in his "Memoirs relating to the change in theQueen's Ministry, " as follows:--"It was everybody's opinion, that theEarl of Wharton would endeavour, when he went to Ireland, to take offthe test, as a step to have it taken off here: upon which I drew up andprinted a pamphlet, by way of a letter from a member of parliament here, shewing the danger to the Church by such an intent. Although I took allcare to be private, yet the Lieutenant's chaplain, and some othersguessed me to be the author, and told his Excellency their suspicions;whereupon I saw him no more until I went to Ireland. "

The tract is one of the most favourable specimens of Swift'scontroversial method and trenchant satire. The style isexcellent--forcible and pithy; while the arguments are like most ofSwift's arguments, aptly to the point with yet a potentiality ofapplication which fits them for the most general statement of theprinciples under discussion. Scott considers the pamphlet "as havingmaterially contributed to the loss of the bill for repeal of the Test Actduring the Earl of Pembroke's vice-royalty. " In the same year Swiftwrote "A Letter to a Member of Parliament in Ireland on choosing a newSpeaker there. " This short tract bears also on the question of the Test;but it is not included in this volume, since it was intended as anelectioneering pamphlet. 

I have been unable to obtain access to a copy of the first edition ofthe "Letter on the Sacramental Test. " The text here given is that of the"Miscellanies" of 1711, collated with that given in the "Miscellanies, "1728, and with those printed by Faulkner, Hawkesworth, and Scott. 

[T. S. ]

 A LETTER CONCERNING THE SACRAMENTAL TEST. 

_ADVERTISEMENT. _[1]

[Footnote 1: This "Advertisement" is taken from "Miscellanies in Proseand Verse, " printed for John Morphew, 1711. On page 314 of that volumeit forms a "foreword" to "A Letter concerning the Sacramental Test. " Itis omitted from the reprint in the "Miscellanies" of 1728. The pagewhich Swift says he has taken leave to omit cannot be identified. Probably this was another of Swift's manoeuvres for concealing theidentity of the author. The "Advertisement" of George Faulkner to hisedition of Swift's Works (vol. Iv. , 1735) is as follows:

"In the second volume of Doctor Swift's and Mr. Pope's 'Miscellanies, ' Ifound the following treatise, which had been printed in London, withsome other of the Dean's works, many years before, but at first came outby itself in the year 1708, as the date shews: And it was at a juncturewhen the Dissenters were endeavouring to repeal the Sacramental Test, asby common fame, and some pamphlets published to the same purpose, theyseem to be now again attempting, with great hope of success. I have, therefore, taken the liberty to make an extract out of that discourse, omitting only some passages which relate to certain persons, and are ofno consequence to the argument. But the author's weight of reasoningseems at present to have more weight than it had in those times, whenthe discourse first appeared. 

"The author, in this letter, personates a Member of Parliament here[Dublin], to a Member of Parliament in England. 

"The Speaker mentioned in this letter was Allen Broderick, afterwardsChancellor and Lord Middleton; and the prelate was Dr. Lyndsay, afterwards Lord Primate, " [T. S. ]]

_The following letter is supposed by some judicious persons to be of thesame author, and, if their conjectures be right, it will be of nodisadvantage to him to have it revived, considering the time when it waswrit, the persons then at the helm, and the designs in agitation, against which this paper so boldly appeared. I have been assured thatthe suspicion which the supposed author lay under for writing thisletter, absolutely ruined him with the late ministry. I have taken leaveto omit about a page which was purely personal, and of no use to thesubject. _

Dublin, Dec. 4, 1708. 

Sir, I received your letter, wherein you tell me of the strangerepresentations made of us on your side of the water. The instance youare pleased to mention is that of the Presbyterian missionary, who, according to your phrase, hath been lately persecuted at Drogheda forhis religion: But it is easy to observe, how mighty industrious somepeople have been for three or four years past, to hand about stories ofthe hardships, the merits, the number, and the power of thePresbyterians in Ireland, to raise formidable ideas of the dangers ofPopery there, and to transmit all for England, improved by greatadditions, and with special care to have them inserted with comments inthose infamous weekly papers that infest your coffee-houses. So, whenthe clause enacting a Sacramental Test was put in execution, it wasgiven out in England, that half the justices of peace through thiskingdom had laid down their commissions; whereas upon examination, thewhole number was found to amount only to a dozen or thirteen, and thosegenerally of the lowest rate in fortune and understanding, and some ofthem superannuated. So, when the Earl of Pembroke was in Ireland and theParliament sitting, a formal story was very gravely carried to hisExcellency by some zealous members, of a priest newly arrived fromabroad to the north-west parts of Ireland, who had publicly preached tohis people, to fall a-murdering the Protestants; which, though inventedto serve an end they were then upon, and are still driving at, it waspresently handed over, and printed with shrewd remarks by your worthyscribblers. In like manner, the account of that person who was latelyexpelled our university for reflecting on the memory of King William, what a dust it raised, and how foully it was related, is fresh enough inmemory. [2] Neither would people be convinced till the university was atthe pains of publishing a Latin paper to justify themselves. And, tomention no more, this story of the persecution at Drogheda, how it hathbeen spread and aggravated, what consequences have been drawn from it, and what reproaches fixed on those who have least deserved them, we arealready informed. Now if the end of all this proceeding were a secretand mystery, I should not undertake to give it an interpretation, butsufficient care hath been taken to give it sufficient explanation. [3]First, by addresses artificially (if not illegally) procured, to shewthe miserable state of the dissenters in Ireland by reason of theSacramental Test, and to desire the Queen's intercession that it mightbe repealed. Then it is manifest that our Speaker, when he was last yearin England, solicited, in person, several members of both Houses, tohave it repealed by an act there, though it be a matter purely national, that cannot possibly interfere with the trade and interest of England, and though he himself appeared formerly the most zealous of all menagainst the injustice of binding a nation by laws to which they do notconsent. And lastly, those weekly libellers, whenever they get a tale bythe end relating to Ireland, without ever troubling their thoughts aboutthe truth, always end it with an application against the SacramentalTest, and the absolute necessity there is of repealing it in bothkingdoms. I know it may be reckoned a weakness to say anything of suchtrifles as are below a serious man's notice; much less would I disparagethe understanding of any party to think they would choose the vilest andmost ignorant among mankind, to employ them for assertors of a cause. Ishall only say, that the scandalous liberty those wretches take wouldhardly be allowed, if it were not mingled with opinions that _some men_would be glad to advance. Besides, how insipid soever those papers are, they seem to be levelled to the understandings of a great number; theyare grown a necessary part in coffee-house furniture, and some time orother may happen to be read by customers of all ranks, for curiosity andamusement; because they lie always in the way. One of these authors (thefellow that was pilloried I have forgot his name)[4] is indeed so grave, sententious, dogmatical a rogue, that there is no enduring him; the_Observator_[5] is much the brisker of the two, and I think farther goneof late in lies and impudence, than his Presbyterian brother. The reasonwhy I mention him, is to have an occasion of letting you know, that youhave not dealt so gallantly with us, as we did with you in a parallelcase: Last year, a paper was brought here from England, called, "ADialogue between the Archbishop of Canterbury and Mr. Higgins, " which weordered to be burnt by the common hangman, as it well deserved; thoughwe have no more to do with his Grace of Canterbury[6] than you have withthe Archbishop of Dublin[7]; nor can you love and reverence your prelatemore than we do ours, whom you tamely suffer to be abused openly, and byname, by that paltry rascal of an _Observator_; and lately upon anaffair wherein he had no concern; I mean the business of the missionaryat Drogheda, wherein our excellent primate was engaged, and did nothingbut according to law and discretion. But because the Lord Archbishop ofDublin hath been upon several occasions of late years, misrepresented inEngland, I would willingly set you right in his character. For his greatsufferings and eminent services he was by the late King promoted to thesee of Derry. About the same time, he wrote a book to justify theRevolution, wherein was an account of King James's proceedings inIreland, and the late Archbishop Tillotson recommended it to the King asthe most serviceable treatise that could have been published at such ajuncture. [8] And as his Grace set out upon those principles, he hasproceeded so ever since, as a loyal subject to the Queen, entirely forthe succession in the Protestant line, and for ever excluding thePretender; and though a firm friend to the Church, yet with indulgencetoward dissenters, as appears from his conduct at Derry, where he wassettled for many years among the most virulent of the sect; yet upon hisremoval to Dublin, they parted from him with tears in their eyes, anduniversal acknowledgments of his wisdom and goodness. For the rest, itmust be owned, he does not busy himself by entering deep into any party, but rather spends his time in acts of hospitality and charity, inbuilding of churches, repairing his palace, in introducing andpreferring the worthiest persons he can find, without other regards; inshort, in the practice of all virtues that can become a public orprivate life. This and more, if possible, is due to so excellent aperson, who may be justly reckoned among the greatest and most learnedprelates of his age, however his character may be defiled by such meanand dirty hands as those of the _Observator_ or such as employ him. [9]

[Footnote 2: The Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin, hadlately expelled Edward Forbes for the cause mentioned in the text. [S. ]]

[Footnote 3: Faulkner prints: "But sufficient care hath been taken toexplain it. " [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 4: Daniel Defoe (1663?-1731), the son of a Cripplegatebutcher. Entered business as a hosier, but failed. In 1695 he wasappointed one of the commissioners for duties on glass. Wrote "The TrueBorn Englishman" (1701); "The Shortest Way with the Dissenters, " forwhich he was pilloried, fined, and imprisoned; and numerous other works, including "Robinson Crusoe;" "Life of Captain Singleton;" "History ofDuncan Campbell;" "Life of Moll Flanders;" "Roxana;" "Life of ColonelJack;" "Journal of the Plague;" "History of the Devil;" and "ReligiousCourtship. " He edited a paper called "The Review, " to which Swift hererefers, and against which Charles Leslie wrote his "Rehearsals. " [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 5: John Tutchin, a virulent writer of the reign of James II. For a political work in defence of Monmouth he was sentenced by JudgeJefferies to be whipped through several market towns. He wrote the"Observator" (begun April, 1702), and suffered at the hands of theTories for his writings. He died in great poverty in 1708, at the age offorty-seven. He was also the author of a play entitled, "The UnfortunateShepherd. " Pope refers to these punishments meted out to Defoe andTutchin, in the second book of the "Dunciad":

 "Earless on high, stood unabashed De Foe, And Tutchin flagrant from the scourge below. " [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 6: Dr. Thomas Tenison (1636-1715), born at Cottenham, Cambridgeshire. For his attacks on the Roman Catholics he was in 1691created Bishop of Lincoln. He was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1694. He wrote a "Discourse of Idolatry, " an answer to Hobbes, and publishedseveral sermons. [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 7: Dr. William King. See vol. Iii. , p. 241, note. [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 8: Dr. King was twice imprisoned in the castle of Dublinafter the landing of King James in Ireland in 1699, and narrowly escapedassassination. The title of the work alluded to is: "The State of theProtestants in Ireland under the late King James's Government, in whichtheir carriage towards him is justified, and the absolute necessity oftheir endeavouring to be freed from his Government, and of submitting totheir present Majesties, is demonstrated. " [S. ]]

[Footnote 9: The portion of this paragraph beginning with "The reasonwhy I mention him, " to the end, "such as employ him, " is omitted byFaulkner. [T. S. ]]

I now come to answer the other part of your letter, and shall give youmy opinion freely about repealing the Sacramental Test; only whereas youdesire my thoughts as a friend, and not as I am a member of parliament, I must assure you they are exactly the same in both capacities. 

I must begin by telling you, we are generally surprised at yourwonderful kindness to us on this occasion, it being so very industriousto teach us to see our interest in a point where we are so unable to seeit ourselves. This hath given us some suspicion; and though in my ownparticular, I am hugely bent to believe, that whenever you concernyourselves in our affairs, it is certainly for our good, yet I have themisfortune to be something singular in this belief, and therefore Inever attempt to justify it, but content myself to possess my ownopinion in private, for fear of encountering men of more wit or wordsthan I have to spare. 

We at this distance, who see nothing of the spring of actions, areforced by mere conjecture to assign two reasons for your desiring us torepeal the Sacramental Test: One is, because you are said to imagine itwill be one step towards the like good work in England: The other moreimmediate, that it will open a way for rewarding several persons whohave well deserved upon a great occasion, but who are now unqualifiedthrough that impediment. 

I do not frequently quote poets, especially English, but I rememberthere is in some of Mr. Cowley's love verses, a strain that I thoughtextraordinary at fifteen, and have often since imagined it to be spokenby Ireland:

 "Forbid it Heaven my life should be Weigh'd with her least conveniency:"

In short, whatever advantage you propose to yourselves by repealing theSacramental Test, speak it out plainly, 'tis the best argument you canuse, for we value your interest much more than our own: If your littlefinger be sore, and you think a poultice made of our vitals will give itany ease, speak the word and it shall be done; the interest of our wholekingdom is at any time ready to strike to that of your poorest fishingtowns; it is hard you will not accept our services, unless we believe atthe same time that you are only consulting our profit, and giving usmarks of your love. If there be a fire at some distance, and Iimmediately blow up my house before there be occasion, because you are aman of quality, and apprehend some danger to a corner of your stable;yet why should you require me to attend next morning at your levee withmy humble thanks for the favour you have done me?

If we might be allowed to judge for ourselves, we had abundance ofbenefit by the Sacramental Test, and foresee a number of mischiefs wouldbe the consequence of repealing it, and we conceive the objections madeagainst it by the dissenters are of no manner of force: They tell us oftheir merits in the late war in Ireland, and how cheerfully they engagedfor the safety of the nation; that had they thought they had beenfighting only other people's quarrels, perhaps it might have cooledtheir zeal; and that for the future, they shall sit down quietly and letus do our work ourselves; nay, that it is necessary they should do so, since they cannot take up arms under the penalty of high treason. 

Now supposing them to have done their duty, as I believe they did, andnot to trouble them about the _fly on the wheel_; I thought Liberty, Property and Religion had been the three subjects of the quarrel, andhave not all those been amply secured to them? Had they not at that timea mental reservation for power and employments? And must these twoarticles be added henceforward in our national quarrels? It is grown amighty conceit among some men to melt down the phrase of a _ChurchEstablished by law_ into that of the _Religion of the Magistrate_; ofwhich appellation it is easier to find the reason than the sense: If bythe magistrate they mean the prince, the expression includes afalsehood; for when King James was prince[10], the Established Churchwas the same it is now. If by the same word they mean the Legislature, we desire no more. Be that as it will, we of this kingdom believe theChurch of Ireland to be the National Church, and the only oneestablished by law, and are willing by the same law to give a tolerationto dissenters: But if once we repeal our Sacramental Test, and grant atoleration, or suspend the execution of the penal laws, I do not see howwe can be said to have any Established Church remaining; or rather whythere will not be as many established churches, as there are sects ofdissenters. No, say they, yours will still be the National Church, because your bishops and clergy are maintained by the public; but, that, I suppose, will be of no long duration, and it would be very unjust itshould, because, to speak in Tindal's phrase, [11] it is not reasonablethat revenues should be annexed to one opinion more than another, whenall are equally lawful, and 'tis the same author's maxim, that nofreeborn subject ought to pay for maintaining speculations he does notbelieve. _But why should any man, upon account of opinions he cannothelp, be deprived of the opportunity of serving his Queen and country?_Their zeal is commendable, and when employments go a begging for want ofhands, they shall be sure to have the refusal, only upon condition theywill not pretend to them upon maxims which equally include atheists, Turks, Jews, infidels, and heretics, or which is still more dangerous, even Papists themselves; the former you allow, the other you deny, because these last own a foreign power, and therefore must be shut out. But there is no great weight in this; for their religion can suit withfree states, with limited or absolute monarchies, as well as a better, and the Pope's power in France is but a shadow; so that upon this footthere need be no great danger to the constitution by admitting Papiststo employments. I will help you to enough of them who shall be ready toallow the Pope as little power here as you please; and the bare opinionof his being vicar of Christ is but a speculative point, for which noman it seems ought to be deprived of the capacity of serving hiscountry. 

[Footnote 10: The words from "the expression" to "was prince" areomitted by Faulkner in his edition. [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 11: See vol. Iii, p. 9, note. [T. S. ]]

But, if you please, I will tell you the great objection we have againstrepealing this same Sacramental Test. It is, that we are verilypersuaded the consequence will be an entire alteration of religion amongus in a no great compass of years. And, pray observe, how we reason herein Ireland upon this matter. 

We observe the Scots in our northern parts, to be a brave, industriouspeople, extremely devoted to their religion, and full of an undisturbedaffection towards each other. Numbers of that noble nation, invited bythe fertilities of the soil, are glad to exchange their barren hills ofLoquabar, by a voyage of three hours, for our fruitful vales of Down andAntrim, so productive of that grain, which, at little trouble and lessexpense finds diet and lodging for themselves and their cattle. [12]These people by their extreme parsimony, wonderful dexterity in dealing, and firm adherence to one another, soon grow into wealth from thesmallest beginnings, never are rooted out where they once fix, andincrease daily by new supplies; besides when they are the superiornumber in any tract of ground, they are not over patient of mixture; butsuch, whom they cannot assimilate, soon find it their interest toremove. I have done all in my power on some land of my own to preservetwo or three English fellows in their neighbourhood, but found itimpossible, though one of them thought he had sufficiently made hiscourt by turning Presbyterian. Add to all this, that they bring alongwith them from Scotland a most formidable notion of our Church, whichthey look upon at least three degrees worse than Popery; and it isnatural it should be so, since they come over full fraught with thatspirit which taught them to abolish Episcopacy at home. 

[Footnote 12: From this passage, perhaps, Johnson derived the famousdefinition of oats, in his Dictionary, as the food of horses in England, and of men in Scotland. [S. ]]

Then we proceed farther, and observe, that the gentlemen of employmentshere, make a very considerable number in the House of Commons, and haveno other merit but that of doing their duty in their several stations;therefore when the Test is repealed, it will be highly reasonable theyshould give place to those who have much greater services to plead. Thecommissions of the revenue are soon disposed of, and the collectors andother officers throughout this kingdom, are generally appointed by thecommissioners, which give them a mighty influence in every country. Asmuch may be said of the great officers in the law; and when this door isopen to let dissenters into the commissions of the peace, to make themHigh Sheriffs, Mayors of Corporations, and officers of the army andmilitia; I do not see how it can be otherwise, considering theirindustry and our supineness, but that they may in a very few years growto a majority in the House of Commons, and consequently make themselvesthe national religion, and have a fair pretence to demand the revenuesof the Church for their teachers. I know it will be objected, that ifall this should happen as I describe, yet the Presbyterian religioncould never be made the national by act of Parliament, because ourbishops are so great a number in the House of Lords, and without amajority there, the Church could not be abolished. But I have two verygood expedients for that, which I shall leave you to guess, and I dareswear our Speaker here has often thought on, especially havingendeavoured at one of them so lately. That this design is not so foreignfrom some people's thoughts, I must let you know that an honestbellwether[13] of our house (you have him now in England, I wish youcould keep him there) had the impudence some years ago, in Parliamenttime, to shake my Lord Bishop of Kilaloe[14] by his lawn sleeve, andtell him in a threatening manner, "that he hoped to live to see the daywhen there should not be one of his order in the kingdom. "

[Footnote 13: Supposed to be Mr. Broderick. [F. ]]

[Footnote 14: Dr. Lindsay, afterwards Lord Primate. [S. ]]

These last lines perhaps you think a digression; therefore to return: Ihave told you the consequences we fully reckon upon from repealing theSacramental Test, which although the greatest number of such as are fordoing it, are actually in no manner of pain about it, and many of themcare not threepence whether there be any Church, or no; yet because theypretend to argue from conscience as well as policy and interest, Ithought it proper to understand and answer them accordingly. 

Now, sir, in answer to your question, whether if an attempt should bemade here for repealing the Sacramental Test, it would be likely tosucceed? The number of professed dissenters in this Parliament was, as Iremember, something under a dozen, and I cannot call to mind abovethirty others who were expected to fall in with them. This is certain, that the Presbyterian party having with great industry mustered up theirforces, did endeavour one day upon occasion of a hint in my LordPembroke's speech, to introduce a debate about repealing the Testclause, when there appeared at least four to one odds against them; andthe ablest of those who were reckoned the most staunch andthorough-paced Whigs upon all other occasions, fell off with anabhorrence at the first mention of this. 

I must desire you to take notice, that the terms of Whig and Tory, donot properly express the different interests in our parliament. Iremember when I was last in England, I told the King, that the highestTories we had with us would make tolerable Whigs there; this wascertainly right, and still in the general continues so, unless you havesince admitted new characteristics, which did not come within ourdefinition. [15] Whoever bears a true veneration for the glorious memoryof King William, as our great deliverer from Popery and slavery; whoeveris firmly loyal to our present Queen, with an utter abhorrence anddetestation of the Pretender; whoever approves the succession to theCrown in the House of Hanover, and is for preserving the doctrine anddiscipline of the Church of England, with an indulgence for scrupulousconsciences; such a man we think acts upon right principles, and may bejustly allowed a Whig: And I believe there are not six members in ourHouse of Commons, who may not fairly come under this description. Sothat the parties among us are made up, on one side, of moderate Whigs, and on the other, of Presbyterians and their abettors; by which last Imean, such who can equally go to a Church or Conventicle, or such whoare indifferent to all religion in general, or lastly such who affect tobear a personal rancour toward the clergy: These last are a set of mennot of our own growth, their principles at least have been imported oflate years; yet this whole party put together will not, I am confident, amount to above fifty men in Parliament, which can hardly be worked upinto a majority of three hundred. 

[Footnote 15: The passage beginning with "I remember when I was last inEngland, " and ending with "within our definition, " is omitted byFaulkner. [T. S. ]]

As to the House of Lords, the difficulty there is conceived at least asgreat as in ours. So many of our temporal peers live in England, thatthe bishops are generally pretty near a par of the House, and we reckonthey will be all to a man against repealing the Test; and yet theirlordships are generally thought as good Whigs upon our principles as anyin the kingdom. There are indeed a few lay lords who appear to have nogreat devotion for Episcopacy; and perhaps one or two more with whomcertain powerful motives might be used for removing any difficultywhatsoever; but these are in no sort of a number to carry any pointagainst the conjunction of the rest and the whole bench of bishops. 

Besides, the whole body of our clergy is utterly against repealing theTest, though they are entirely devoted to her Majesty, and hardly one ina hundred who are not very good Whigs in our acceptation of the word. And I must let you know, that we of Ireland are not yet come up to otherfolk's refinements; for we generally love and esteem our clergy, andthink they deserve it; nay, we are apt to lay some weight upon theiropinion, and would not willingly disoblige them, at least unless it wereupon some greater point of interest than this. And their judgment in thepresent affair is the more to be regarded, because they are the lastpersons who will be affected by it: This makes us think them impartial, and that their concern is only for religion and the interest of thekingdom. Because the act which repeals the Test, will only qualify alayman for an employment, but not a Presbyterian or Anabaptist preacherfor a church-living. Now I must take leave to inform you, that severalmembers of our House, and myself among the rest, knowing some time agowhat was upon the anvil, went to all the clergy we knew of anydistinction, and desired their judgment of the matter, wherein we founda most wonderful agreement; there being but one divine that we couldhear of in the whole kingdom, who appeared of a contrary sentiment, wherein he afterwards stood alone in the convocation, very little to hiscredit, though, as he hoped, very much to his interest. 

I will now consider a little the arguments offered to shew theadvantages, or rather the necessity, of repealing the Test in Ireland. We are told, the Popish interest is here so formidable, that all handsshould be joined to keep it under; that the only names of distinctionamong us ought to be those of Protestant and Papist, and that thisexpedient is the only means to unite all Protestants upon one commonbottom. All which is nothing but misrepresentation and mistake. 

If we were under any real fear of the Papists in this kingdom, it wouldbe hard to think us so stupid, not to be equally apprehensive withothers, since we are likely to be the greatest, and more immediatesufferers; but on the contrary, we look upon them to be altogether asinconsiderable as the women and children. Their lands are almostentirely taken from them, and they are rendered incapable of purchasingany more; and for the little that remains, provision is made by the lateact against Popery, that it will daily crumble away: To prevent which, some of the most considerable among them are already turned Protestants, and so in all probability will many more. Then, the Popish priests areall registered, and without permission (which I hope will not begranted) they can have no successors; so that the Protestant Clergy willfind it perhaps no difficult matter to bring great numbers over to theChurch; and in the meantime, the common people without leaders, withoutdiscipline, or natural courage, being little better than "hewers ofwood, and drawers of water, " are out of all capacity of doing anymischief, if they were ever so well inclined. Neither are they at alllikely to join in any considerable numbers with an invader, having foundso ill success when they were much more numerous and powerful; when theyhad a prince of their own religion to head them, had been trained forsome years under a Popish deputy, and received such mighty aids from theFrench king. 

As to that argument used for repealing the Test, that it will unite allProtestants against the common enemy, I wonder by what figure thosegentlemen speak who are pleased to advance it: Suppose in order toincrease the friendship between you and me, a law should pass that Imust have half your estate; do you think that would much advance theunion between us? Or, suppose I share my fortune equally between my ownchildren, and a stranger whom I take into my protection; will that be amethod to unite them? Tis an odd way of uniting parties, to deprive amajority of part of their ancient right, by conferring it on a factionwho had never any right at all, and therefore cannot be said to sufferany loss or injury if it be refused them. Neither is it very clear, howfar some people may stretch the term of common enemy. How many are thereof those that call themselves Protestants, who look upon our worship tobe idolatrous as well as that of the Papists, and with great charity putPrelacy and Popery together, as terms convertible?

And, therefore, there is one small doubt, I would be willingly satisfiedin before I agree to the repealing of the Test; that is, whether, thesesame Protestants, when they have by their dexterity made themselves thenational religion, and disposed the Church revenues among their pastorsor themselves, will be so kind to allow us dissenters, I do not say ashare in employments, but a bare toleration by law? The reason of mydoubt is, because I have been so very idle as to read above fiftypamphlets, written by as many Presbyterian divines, loudly disclaimingthis idol Toleration, some of them calling it (I know not how properly)a rag of Popery, and all agreeing it was to establish iniquity by law. Now, I would be glad to know when and where their successors haverenounced this doctrine, and before what witnesses. Because, methinks Ishould be loth to see my poor titular bishop _in partibus_, seized on bymistake in the dark for a Jesuit, or be forced myself to keep mychaplain disguised like my butler, and steal to prayers in a back room, as my grandfather[l6] used in those times when the Church of England wasmalignant. 

[Footnote 16: This is Thomas Swift, vicar of Goodrich, in Herefordshire, "much distinguished by his courage, as well as his loyalty to KingCharles the First, and the sufferings he underwent for that prince, morethan any person of his condition in England. " See the "Fragment ofAutobiography, " printed by Scott and Forster in their Lives of Swift. [T. S. ]]

But this is ripping up old quarrels long forgot; Popery is now thecommon enemy, against which we must all unite; I have been tired inhistory with the perpetual folly of those states who call in foreignersto assist them against a common enemy: But the mischief was, thoseallies would never be brought to allow that the common enemy was quitesubdued. And they had reason; for it proved at last, that one part ofthe common enemy was those who called them in, and so the allies becameat length the masters. 

'Tis agreed among naturalists that a lion is a larger, a stronger, andmore dangerous enemy than a cat; yet if a man were to have his choice, either a lion at his foot, bound fast with three or four chains, histeeth drawn out, and his claws pared to the quick, or an angry cat infull liberty at his throat; he would take no long time to determine. 

I have been sometimes admiring the wonderful significancy of that wordpersecution, and what various interpretations it hath acquired evenwithin my memory. When I was a boy, I often heard the Presbyterianscomplain that they were not permitted to serve God in their own way;they said they did not repine at our employments, but thought that allmen who live peaceably ought to have liberty of conscience, and leave toassemble. That impediment being removed at the Revolution, they soonlearned to swallow the Sacramental Test and began to take very largesteps, wherein all that offered to oppose them, were called men of apersecuting spirit. During the time the Bill against OccasionalConformity was on foot, persecution was every day rung in our ears, andnow at last the Sacramental Test itself has the same name. Where then isthis matter likely to end, when the obtaining of one request is onlyused as a step to demand another? A lover is ever complaining of crueltywhile anything is denied him, and when the lady ceases to be cruel, sheis from the next moment at his mercy: So persecution it seems, iseverything that will not leave it in men's power to persecute others. 

There is one argument offered against a Sacramental Test, by a sort ofmen who are content to be styled of the Church of England, who perhapsattend its service in the morning, and go with their wives to aconventicle in the afternoon, confessing they hear very good doctrine inboth. These men are much offended that so holy an institution as that ofthe Lord's Supper should be made subservient to such mercenary purposesas the getting of an employment. Now, it seems, the law, concluding allmen to be members of that Church where they receive the Sacrament; andsupposing all men to live like Christians (especially those who are tohave employments) did imagine they received the Sacrament in courseabout four times a year, and therefore only desired it might appear bycertificate to the public, that such who took an office were members ofthe Church established, by doing their ordinary duty. However, lest weshould offend them, we have often desired they would deal candidly withus; for if the matter stuck only there, we would propose it inparliament, that every man who takes an employment should, instead ofreceiving the sacrament, be obliged to swear, that he is a member of theChurch of Ireland by law established, with Episcopacy, and so forth; andas they do now in Scotland, _to be true to the Kirk_. But when we drivethem thus far, they always retire to the main body of the argument, urgethe hardship that men should be deprived the liberty of serving theirQueen and country, on account of their conscience: And, in short, haverecourse to the common style of their half brethren. Now whether this bea sincere way of arguing, I will appeal to any other judgment buttheirs. 

There is another topic of clamour somewhat parallel to the foregoing: Itseems, by the Test clause, the military officers are obliged to receivethe Sacrament as well as the civil. And it is a matter of some patienceto hear the dissenters declaiming upon this occasion: They cry they aredisarmed, they are used like Papists; when an enemy appears at home, orfrom abroad, they must sit still, and see their throats cut, or behanged for high treason if they offer to defend themselves. Miserablecondition! Woful dilemma! It is happy for us all, that the Pretender wasnot apprized of this passive Presbyterian principle, else he would haveinfallibly landed in our northern parts, and found them all sat down intheir formalities, as the Gauls did the Roman senators, ready to diewith honour in their callings. Sometimes to appease their indignation, we venture to give them hopes that in such a case the government willperhaps connive, and hardly be so severe to hang them for defending itagainst the letter of the law; to which they readily answer, that theywill not lie at our mercy, but let us fight our battles ourselves. Sometimes we offer to get an act, by which upon all Popish insurrectionsat home, or Popish invasion from abroad, the government shall beempowered to grant commissions to all Protestants whatsoever, withoutthat persecuting circumstance of obliging them to say their prayers whenthey receive the Sacrament; but they abhor all thoughts of occasionalcommissions, they will not do our drudgery, and we reap the benefit: Itis not worth their while to fight _pro aris et focis_, and they hadrather lose their estates, liberties, religion and lives, than thepleasure of governing. 

But to bring this discourse toward a conclusion: If the dissenters willbe satisfied with such a toleration by law as hath been granted them inEngland, I believe the majority of both Houses will fall readily in withit; farther it will be hard to persuade this House of Commons, andperhaps much harder the next. For, to say the truth, we make a mightydifference here between suffering thistles to grow among us, and wearingthem for posies. We are fully convinced in our consciences, that _we_shall always tolerate them, but not quite so fully that _they_ willalways tolerate us, when it comes to their turn; and _we_ are themajority, and _we_ are in possession. 

He who argues in defence of a law in force, not antiquated or obsolete, but lately enacted, is certainly on the safer side, and may be allowedto point out the dangers he conceives to foresee in the abrogation ofit. 

For if the consequences of repealing this clause, should at some time orother enable the Presbyterians to work themselves up into the NationalChurch; instead of uniting Protestants, it would sow eternal divisionsamong them. First, their own sects, which now lie dormant, would be soonat cuffs again with each other about power and preferment; and thedissenting Episcopals, perhaps discontented to such a degree, as uponsome fair unhappy occasion, would be able to shake the firmest loyalty, which none can deny theirs to be. 

Neither is it very difficult to conjecture from some late proceedings, at what a rate this faction is likely to drive wherever it gets the whipand the seat. They have already set up courts of spiritual judicature inopen contempt of the laws: They send missionaries everywhere, withoutbeing invited, in order to convert the Church of England folks toChristianity. They are as vigilant as _I know who_, to attend persons ontheir death-beds, and for purposes much alike. And what practices suchprinciples as these (with many other that might be invidious to mention)may spawn when they are laid out to the sun, you may determine atleisure. 

Lastly, Whether we are so entirely sure of their loyalty upon thepresent foot of government as you may imagine, their detractors make aquestion, which however, does, I think, by no means affect the body ofdissenters; but the instance produced is, of some among their leadingteachers in the north, who having refused the Abjuration Oath, yetcontinue their preaching, and have abundance of followers. Theparticulars are out of my head, but the fact is notorious enough, and Ibelieve has been published; I think it a pity, it has not been remedied. 

Thus, I have fairly given you, Sir, my own opinion, as well as that of agreat majority in both Houses here, relating to this weighty affair, upon which I am confident you may securely reckon. I will leave you tomake what use of it you please. 

I am, with great respect, Sir, Yours, &c. 

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

THE PRESBYTERIANS' PLEA OF MERIT. 

NOTE. 

THE reference casually made by Swift, in his "Letter on the SacramentalTest, " to his grandfather and the "malignant Church, " probably points toone of the causes for his persistent dislike towards the Protestantdissenters. His attitude displays a profound disgust both for theirteaching and their conduct; and he found, very early, occasion toridicule them, as may be seen in his description of Jack, Martin, andPeter in "A Tale of a Tub" (see vol. I. Of this edition). Inspite, however, of this attitude, Swift seems to have remained silent onthe question of the repeal of the Test Act for a period of more thantwenty years. He had published his "Letter from a Member of the House ofCommons in Ireland" in 1708; but it was not until 1731 that he againtook up his pen against Dissent. 

In that year, and in the two subsequent ones, the Presbyterians foughtvery strenuously for a mitigation of the laws against them; and theliterature which has been handed down to us of that fight is by no meansinsignificant. The tracts which we know to be of Swift's authorship are:"The Presbyterians' Plea of Merit" (1731); "A Narrative of the severalAttempts which the Dissenters of Ireland have made for a repeal of theSacramental Test" (1731); "The Advantages proposed by Repealing theSacramental Test impartially considered" (1732); "Queries Relating to theSacramental Test" (1732); "Reasons humbly offered to the Parliament ofIreland for Repealing the Test in favour of Roman Catholics" (1733);"Some Few Thoughts Concerning the Test;" and, according to Sir WalterScott, "Ten Reasons for Repealing the Test Act. "

Monck Mason, in his elaborate note on this particular literature of theperiod (see "History of St. Patrick's Cathedral, " pp. 387, 388, notes), gives a list of sixteen pamphlets, many of which he considers to be sowell written that they would have done no discredit to Swift himself. The list is here transcribed for the benefit of the student:

(i. ) "Nature and Consequences of the Sacramental Test considered; withRemarks humbly offered for the Repeal of it. " 1732. 

(ii. ) "Remarks on a Pamphlet, entitled, 'The Nature and Consequences ofthe Sacramental Test Considered. '" Dublin, 1732, 12mo. 

(iii. ) "The History of the Test Act: in which the Mistakes in someWritings against it are Rectified, and the Importance of it to theChurch explained. " Printed at London and Dublin: and reprinted by GeorgeFaulkner. 1733, 12mo. 

(iv. ) "Plain Reasons against the Repeal of the Test Act; humbly offeredto publick Consideration. " Dublin: printed by George Faulkner. 1733, 12mo. 

(v. ) "The Test Act Examined by the Test of Reason. " Dublin, 1733, 12mo. 

(vi. ) "The Case of the Episcopal Dissenters in Scotland, and that of theDissenters in Ireland Compared; with Relation to Toleration, and aCapacity for Civil Offices. In a Letter to a Member of Parliament. "Dublin, 1733, 8vo. 

¶ This tract refers to another entitled: "The Tables Turned against thePresbyterians; or, Reasons against the Sacramental Test, by a GeneralAssembly of Scotland. "

(vii. ) "The Case of the Test Considered, with respect to Ireland. "Dublin, Faulkner, 1733. 

(viii) "The natural Impossibilities of better Uniting Protestants &c. ByRepealing the Test. " Dublin: Printed by George Faulkner, 1733. 

(ix. ) "Ten Reasons for Repealing the Test Act. "

¶ Scott reprints this as Swift's from the broadside original. 

(x-xi. ) "A Vindication of the Protestant Dissenters from the AspersionsCast upon them in a late Pamphlet, entitled, 'The Presbyterians 'Plea ofMerit &c. , ' with some Remarks on a Paper called 'The Correspondent, 'giving a pretended Narrative, &c. "

¶ Swift refers to this pamphlet in his "Roman Catholic Reasons forRepealing the Test. " It is also noted by the printer of the undatedsecond edition of the London reprint of "The Plea. "

(xii. ) "The Dispute Adjusted, about the _proper time_ of applying for aRepeal of the Corporation and Test Acts: by shewing that _no time isproper_. By the Reverend Father in God, Edmund Lord Bishop of London. "

¶ Faulkner, in the second edition of "The Presbyterians' Plea, "advertises this tract to appear in 1733. The author of "The Case of theEpiscopal Dissenters in Scotland" mentions that it has been "latelyre-printed" in Ireland, but that it is "falsely ascribed to the Bishopof London. "

(xiii. ) "The Test Act considered in a Political Light. " 1733. Broadside. 

(xiv. ) "Queries upon the Demand of the Presbyterians to have theSacramental Test Repealed at this Session of Parliament. " 1733. Broadside. 

¶ These Queries differ somewhat from those put by Swift in 1732. 

(xv. ) "A Letter from a Freeman of a certain Burrough, in the North ofIreland, to his Friend and Representative in Parliament; shewing Reasonswhy the Test Act should not be Repealed. " 1733. Broadside. 

(xvi. ) "The Grunter's Request To take Off the Test. " [A Poem. ] 1733. 12mo. 

Scott suggests ("Life of Jonathan Swift, " 1824, p. 401) that "probablymore occasional tracts" were written by the Dean on the subject of theTest "than have yet been recovered. " The curious student may satisfyhimself on this matter by reading the above pamphlets. Neither MonckMason, Dr. Barrett, nor Scott himself, cared to take upon themselves todecide whether any of them were by Swift; nor have any of the Dean'smodern biographers thrown any light on the subject. A point to note inthis consideration is the fact that Faulkner, in his collected editionof Swift's works, did not include any of these; and, as he himselfpublished many of them, he would certainly have known something of theirauthorship. 

Swift's agitation against the repeal of the Test was so successful thatthe Irish House of Commons found itself in a majority for the Test. Inaddition to the prose tracts Swift wrote a stinging poem "On the WordsBrother Protestants and Fellow Christians, " an expression familiarlyused by the advocates for the Repeal of the Test Act. This poem broughthim into personal conflict with one Serjeant Bettesworth, who "openlyswore, before many hundreds of people, that upon the first opportunity, by the help of ruffians, he would murder or maim the Dean of St. Patrick's. " The lines to which the Serjeant took exception were:

 "Thus at the bar the booby Bettesworth, Though half-a-crown o'erpays his sweat's worth; Who knows in law, nor text, nor margent, Calls Singleton his brother serjeant. "

The affair ended in the further ridicule of Bettesworth, who complainedin the Irish House of Commons that the lampoon had cost him £1, 200 ayear. A full account of Swift's interview with Bettesworth is given bySwift in a letter to the Duke of Dorset, dated January, 1733-1734; andthe "Grub Street Journal" for August 9th, 1734, tells how theinhabitants of the City of Dublin came to Swift's aid. PerhapsBettesworth finally found consolation in the thought, satiricallysuggested by Dr. William Dunkin, that, after all, it might be worth theloss of money to be "transmitted to posterity in Dr. Swift's works. "

 "For had he not pointed me out, I had slept till E'en Doomsday, a poor insignificant reptile; Half lawyer, half actor, pert, dull, and inglorious, Obscure, and unheard of--but now I'm notorious: Fame has but two gates, a white and a black one; The worst they can say is, I got in at the back one: If the end be obtained 'tis equal what portal I enter, since I'm to be render'd immortal: So clysters applied to the anus, 'tis said, By skilful physicians, give ease to the head-- Though my title be spurious, why should I be dastard, A man is a man though he should be a bastard. Why sure 'tis some comfort that heroes should slay us, If I fall, I would fall by the hand of Aeneas; And who by the Drapier would not rather damn'd be, Than demigoddized by madrigal Namby. "[1]

[Footnote 1: Namby was the nickname for Ambrose Philips. ]

Scott, and all Swift's editors and biographers, state that "ThePresbyterians' Plea of Merit" was first published in 1731. Whatauthority they have for this statement, I have not been able todiscover. My own research has, so far, failed to find a copy of it withthe date, 1731, on the title-page. The edition upon which the presenttext is based, is that printed by Faulkner in 1733, of the title-page ofwhich, a facsimile is here given. This, I believe to be the firstedition. Scott, following Nichols, states that in the first edition of"The Plea, " the "Ode to Humphry French, Esq. , " appeared, and that in thesecond edition, this ode was omitted to make room for the "Narrative ofthe Several Attempts made for the Repeal of the Test Act. " Now in theBritish Museum, there are two _undated_ editions of "The Plea, " whichbear out this statement; but these, as the title-pages inform us, areLondon reprints of Dublin editions. Since, however, no one has recordeddated Dublin editions corresponding exactly to these London reprints, the evidence of the reprints counts for very little. Monck Mason, a veryaccurate authority, usually, says distinctly, "The Plea" was printed in1731, and a second edition issued in 1733; but one gathers from his notethat the only edition in his possession was that of 1733, and this hasneither the "Ode" nor the "Narrative"; the last page consisting of anadvertisement of the collected editions of Swift's works, which Faulknerwas then preparing. The first of the London reprints bears no indicationof any particular edition; the second has the words "second edition" onthe title-page. In his note to this reprint of the "Narrative, " and inhis "Life of Swift, " Scott refers to a Dublin periodical called "TheCorrespondent" (in which the "Narrative" was first published) as beingprinted in 1731. The only edition of this periodical, of which I haveeither seen or heard, is the copy in the British Museum, and that copydistinctly states: "Printed by James Hoey in Skinner-Row, 1733. " If, therefore, this be the first edition of "The Correspondent, " the"Narrative" must be ascribed to the year 1733, and the second edition of"The Plea" to the end of the same, or the beginning of the followingyear. I conclude, therefore, first, that the first edition of "The Plea"is that dated "Dublin, 1733;" second, that the undated London reprintwith the "Ode" is of the same year; and, lastly, that the undated secondLondon reprint with the "Narrative, " is probably of the year, 1734. Examining Scott's text of this tract, one is forced to the conclusionthat he could not have seen the Dublin edition of 1733; whereas, itsalmost exact similarity to the London reprint suggests that he usedthat. For purposes of the present text all three editions have beencollated with one another, and with those given by Faulkner, Hawkesworthand Scott. 

[T. S. ]

 THE _Presbyterians_ PLEA OF MERIT; In Order to take off the TEST, Impartially Examined. 

 [Illustration]

 _DUBLIN:_

 Printed and fold by GEORGE FAULKNER, in _Essex-Street_, opposite to the _Bridge_, 1733. 

We have been told in the common newspapers, that all attempts are to bemade this session by the Presbyterians, and their abettors, for takingoff the Test, as a kind of preparatory step, to make it go down smootherin England. For, if once their light would so shine, the Papists, delighted with the blaze, would all come in, and dance about it. This Itake to be a prudent method; like that of a discreet physician, whofirst gives a new medicine to a dog, before he prescribes it to a humancreature. [1]

[Footnote 1: See note prefixed to the "Letter on the Sacramental Test. "[T. S. ]]

The Presbyterians have, ever since the Revolution directed their learnedcasuists to employ their pens on this subject; by shewing the merits andpretensions upon which they claim this justice; as founded upon theservices they did toward the restoration of King Charles the Second; andat the Revolution under the Prince of Orange. Which pleas I take to bethe most singular, in their kind, that ever were offered in the face ofthe sun, against the most glaring light of truth, and against acontinuation of public facts, known to all Europe for twenty yearstogether. I shall, therefore, impartially examine the merits and conductof the Presbyterians, upon those two great events; and the pretensionsto favour, which they challenge upon them. 

Soon after the Reformation of the Church in England, under Edward theSixth, upon Queen Mary's succeeding to the crown, who restored Popery, many Protestants fled out of England, to escape the persecution raisedagainst the Church, as her brother had left it established. Some ofthese exiles went to Geneva; which city had received the doctrine ofCalvin, and rejected the government of bishops; with many otherrefinements. These English exiles readily embraced the Geneva system;and having added farther improvements of their own, upon Queen Mary'sdeath returned to England; where they preached up their own opinions;inveighing bitterly against Episcopacy, and all rites and ceremonies, however innocent and ancient in the Church: building upon thisfoundation; to run as far as possible from Popery, even in the mostminute and indifferent circumstances: this faction, under the name ofPuritan, became very turbulent, during the whole reign of QueenElizabeth; and were always discouraged by that wise queen, as well as byher two successors. However, their numbers, as well as their insolenceand perverseness, so far increased, that soon after the death of KingJames the First, many instances of their petulancy and scurrility, areto be seen in their pamphlets, written for some years after; which was atrade they began in the days of Queen Elizabeth: particularly with greatrancour against the bishops, the habits, and the ceremonies: Such werethat scurrilous libel under the title of Martin Mar-prelate, [2] andseveral others. And, although the Earl of Clarendon[3] tells us, that, until the year 1640, (as I remember) the kingdom was in a state ofperfect peace and happiness, without the least appearance of thought ordesign toward making any alterations in religion or government; yet Ihave found, by often rummaging for old books in Little Britain andDuck-Lane, a great number of pamphlets printed from the year 1530[4] to1640, full of as bold and impious railing expressions, against thelawful power of the Crown, and the order of bishops, as ever wereuttered during the Rebellion, or the whole subsequent tyranny of thatfanatic anarchy. However, I find it manifest, that Puritanism did noterect itself into a new, separate species of religion, till some timeafter the Rebellion began. For, in the latter times of King James theFirst, and the former part of his son, there were several Puritanbishops, and many Puritan private clergymen; while people went, as theirinclinations led them, to hear preachers of each party in the parishchurches. For the Puritan clergy had received Episcopal orders as wellas the rest. But, soon after the Rebellion broke out, the term Puritangradually dropped, and that of Presbyterian succeeded; which sect was, in two or three years, established in all its forms, by what they calledan Ordinance of the Lords and Commons, without consulting the King; whowas then at war against his rebels. And, from this period the Churchcontinued under persecution, till monarchy was restored in the year1660. 

[Footnote 2: According to Mr. Edward Arber the writers of these famoustracts were the Rev. John Penny and Job Throckmorton, Esq. He callsthese two writers "the most eminent prose satirists of the Elizabethanage. " For a full account of these tracts and the controversy, see Mr. Arber's "Introductory Sketch to the Martin Mar-prelate Controversy, 1588-1590" (1879, English Scholar's Library). The aim of the Mar-prelatewriters is thus stated by the able author of that sketch: "To ridiculeand affront a proud hierarchy [the bishops] endowed with large legalmeans of doing mischief, and not wanting in will to exercise thesepowers to the full. The spell of the unnatural civil power which hadbeen enjoyed by the Papal prelates in this country remained with theirProtestant successors until this Controversy broke it: so that from thistime onwards the bishops set about to forge a new spell, 'the DivineRight of their temporal position and power', which hallucination wasdissolved by the Long Parliament: from which time a bishop has usuallybeen considered no more than a man" (Preface, pp. 11-12). [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 3: Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon (1608-1674), the author ofthe "History of the Great Rebellion. " [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 4: The original edition has 1630. [T. S. ]]

In a year or two after; we began to hear of a new party risen, andgrowing in the Parliament, as well as the army; under the name ofIndependent: It spread, indeed somewhat more in the latter; but notequal with the Presbyterians, either in weight or number, till the verytime[5] that the King was murdered. 

[Footnote 5: Faulkner prints: "until some time before the King wasmurdered. "[T. S. ]]

When the King, who was then a prisoner in the Isle of Wight, had madehis last concessions for a peace to the Commissioners of the Parliament, who attended him there; upon their return to London, they reported hisMajesty's answer to the House. Whereupon, a number of moderate members, who, as Ludlow[6] says, had secured their own terms with his Majesty, managed with so much art, as to obtain a majority, in a thin house, forpassing a vote, that _the King's concessions were a ground for futuresettlement_. But the great officers of the army, joining with thediscontented members, came to a resolution, of excluding all those whohad consented to that vote; which they executed in a military way. Ireton told Fairfax the General, [7] a rigid Presbyterian, of thisresolution; who thereupon issued his orders for drawing out the army thenext morning, and placing guards in Westminster-hall, the Court ofRequests, and the lobby; who, in obedience to the General, inconjunction with those members who opposed the vote, would let no memberenter the House, except those of their own party. Upon which, thequestion for bringing the King to justice, was immediately put andcarried without opposition, that I can find. Then, an order was made forhis trial; the time and place appointed; the judges named; of whomFairfax himself was one; although by the advice or threats of his wife, he declined sitting among them. However, by fresh orders under his ownhand, which I have seen in print, he appointed guards to attend thejudges at the trial, and to keep the city in quiet; as he did likewiseto prevent any opposition from the people, upon the day of execution. 

[Footnote 6: Edmund Ludlow (1620?-1693) lieutenant-general of theParliamentary army. He was one of the judges of King Charles's trial, and who signed the death-warrant. He died at Vevay, in Switzerland, where he had fled on finding that Charles's judges were not included inthe Act of Indemnity. His memoirs were printed at Vevay in 1698-1699. 3vols. 8vo. It is to these Swift refers. [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 7: Ireton and Fairfax were two famous generals of theParliamentary army serving with Cromwell. [T. S. ]]

From what I have already deduced, it appears manifest, that thedifferences between those two sects, Presbyterian and Independent, didnot then amount to half so much as what there is between a Whig and Toryat present among us. The design of utterly extirpating monarchy andepiscopacy, was equally the same in both; evidently the consequence ofthe very same principles, upon which the Presbyterians alone began, continued, and would have ended in the same events; if towards theconclusion, they had not been bearded by that new party, with whom theycould not agree about dividing the spoil. However, they held a goodshare of civil and military employments during the whole time of theusurpation; whose names, and actions, and preferments, are frequent inthe accounts of those times. For I make no doubt, that all the prudentPresbyterians complied in proper seasons, falling in with the stream;and thereby got that share in employments, which many of them held tothe Restoration; and perhaps too many of them after. In the same manner, we find our wisest Tories, in both kingdoms, upon the change of handsand measures at the Queen's death, have endeavoured for several years, by due compliances, to recover the time they had lost by a temporaryobstinacy; wherein they have well succeeded, according to their degreesof merit. Of whose names I could here make honourable mention, if I didnot fear it might offend their modesty. 

As to what is alleged, that some of the Presbyterians declared openlyagainst the King's murder, I allow it to be true. But, from whatmotives? No other can possibly be assigned, than perfect spite, rage, and envy, to find themselves wormed out of all power by a new infantspawn of Independents, sprung from their own bowels. It is true; thedifferences in religious tenets between them are very few and trifling;the chief quarrel, as far as I remember, relating to congregational andnational assemblies. But, wherever interest or power thinks fit tointerfere, it little imports what principles the opposite parties thinkfit to charge upon each other: for, we see, at this day, that the Toriesare more hated by the whole set of zealous Whigs, than the very Papiststhemselves; and, in effect, as much unqualified for the smallest office:although, both these parties assert themselves to be of the samereligion, in all its branches of doctrine and discipline; and professthe same loyalty to the same Protestant King and his heirs. 

If the reader would know what became of this Independent party, uponwhom all the mischief is charged by their Presbyterian brethren; he mayplease to observe, that during the whole usurpation, they contended bydegrees with their parent sect, and, as I have already said, shared inemployments; and gradually, after the Restoration, mingled with the massof Presbyterians; lying ever since undistinguished in the herd ofdissenters. 

The Presbyterian merit is of as little weight, when they allegethemselves instrumental towards the King's restoration. The kingdom grewtired with those ridiculous models of government: First, by a House ofLords and Commons, without a king; then without bishops; afterwards by aRump[8] and lords temporal: then by a Rump alone; next by a singleperson for life, in conjunction with a council: by agitators: bymajor-generals: by a new kind of representatives from the threekingdoms: by the keepers of the liberties of England; with other schemesthat have slipped out of my memory. Cromwell was dead; his son Richard, a weak, ignorant wretch, who gave up his monarchy much in the samemanner with the two usurping kings of Brentford. [9] The people harassedwith taxes and other oppressions; the King's party, then called theCavaliers began to recover their spirits. The few nobility scatteredthrough the kingdom, who lived in a most retired manner, observing theconfusion of things, could no longer endure to be ridden by bakers, cobblers, brewers, and the like, at the head of armies; and plunderingeverywhere like French dragoons: The Rump assembly grew despicable tothose who had raised them: The city of London, exhausted by almosttwenty years contributing to their own ruin, declared against them. TheRump, after many deaths and resurrections, was, in the most contemptuousmanner, kicked out, and burned in effigy. The excluded members were letin: a free Parliament called in as legal a manner as the times wouldallow; and the King restored. 

[Footnote 8: This name was given to that part of the House of Commonswhich remained after the moderate men had been expelled bymilitary-force. [S. ]]

[Footnote 9: In the "Rehearsal. "]

The second claim of Presbyterian merit is founded upon their servicesagainst the dangerous designs of King James the Second; while thatprince was using all his endeavours to introduce Popery, which he openlyprofessed upon his coming to the crown: To this they add, their eminentservices at the Revolution, under the Prince of Orange. 

Now, the quantum of Presbyterian merit, during the four years' reign ofthat weak, bigoted, and ill-advised prince, as well as at the time ofthe Revolution, will easily be computed, by a recourse to a great numberof histories, pamphlets, and public papers, printed in those times, andsome afterwards; beside the verbal testimonies of many persons yetalive, who are old enough to have known and observed the Dissenters'conduct in that critical period. 

It is agreed, that upon King Charles the Second's death, soon after hissuccessor had publicly owned himself a Roman Catholic; he began with hisfirst caresses to the Church party; from whom having received very colddiscouraging answers; he applied to the Presbyterian leaders andteachers, being advised by the priests and Popish courtiers, that thesafest method toward introducing his own religion, would be by takingoff the Sacramental Test, and giving a full liberty of conscience to allreligions, (I suppose, that professed Christianity. ) It seems, that thePresbyterians, in the latter years of King Charles the Second, uponaccount of certain plots, (allowed by Bishop Burnet to be genuine) hadbeen, for a short time, forbid to hold their conventicles: Whereupon, these charitable Christians, out of perfect resentment against theChurch, received the gracious offers of King James with the strongestprofessions of loyalty, and highest acknowledgments for his favour. Ihave seen several of their addresses, full of thanks and praises, withbitter insinuations of what they had suffered; putting themselves andthe Papists upon the same foot; as fellow-sufferers for conscience; andwith the style of, _Our brethren the Roman Catholics_. About this timebegan the project of closeting, (which has since been practised manytimes, with more art and success, ) where the principal gentlemen of thekingdom were privately catechised by his Majesty, to know whether, if anew parliament were called, they would agree to pass an act forrepealing the Sacramental Test, and establishing a general liberty ofconscience. But he received so little encouragement, that, despairing ofsuccess, he had recourse to his dispensing power, which the judges haddetermined to be part of his prerogative. By colour of thisdetermination, he preferred several Presbyterians, and many Papists, tocivil and military employments. While the king was thus busied, it iswell known, that Monsieur Fagel, the Dutch envoy in London, deliveredthe opinion of the Prince and Princess of Orange, concerning the repealof the Test; whereof the king had sent an account to their Highnesses, to know how far they approved of it. The substance of their answer, asreported by Fagel, was this, "That their highnesses thought very well ofa liberty of conscience; but by no means of giving employments to anyother persons, than those who were of the National Church. " This opinionwas confirmed by several reasons: I cannot be more particular, nothaving the paper by me, although it hath been printed in many accountsof those times. And thus much every moderate churchman would perhapssubmit to: But, to trust any part of the civil power in the hands ofthose whose interest, inclination, conscience, and former practices havebeen wholly turned to introduce a different system of religion andgovernment, hath very few examples in any Christian state; nor any atall in Holland, the great patroness of universal toleration. 

Upon the first intelligence King James received of an intended invasionby the Prince of Orange; among great numbers of Papists, to increase histroops, he gave commissions to several Presbyterians; some of whom hadbeen officers under the Rump; and particularly he placed one Richards, anoted Presbyterian, at the head of a regiment; who had been governor ofWexford in Cromwell's time, and is often mentioned by Ludlow in hisMemoirs. This regiment was raised in England against the Prince ofOrange: the colonel made his son a captain, whom I knew, and who was aszealous a Presbyterian as his father. However at the time of theprince's landing, the father easily foreseeing how things would go, wentover, like many others to the prince, who continued him in his regiment;but coming over a year or two after to assist in raising the siege ofDerry, he behaved himself so like either a coward or a traitor, that hisregiment was taken from him. 

I will now consider the conduct of the Church party, during the wholereign of that unfortunate king. They were so unanimous against promisingto pass an act for repealing the Test, and establishing a generalliberty of conscience; that the king durst not trust a parliament; butencouraged by the professions of loyalty given him by his Presbyterianfriends, went on with his dispensing power. 

The Church clergy, at that time are allowed to have written the bestcollection of tracts against Popery that ever appeared in England; whichare to this day in the highest esteem. But, upon the strictest enquiry, I could never hear of above one or two papers published by thePresbyterians at that time upon the same subject. Seven great prelates(he of Canterbury among the rest) were sent to the Tower, for presentinga petition, wherein they desired to be excused in not obeying an illegalcommand from the King. The Bishop of London, Dr. Compton, [10] wassummoned to answer before the Commissioners for Ecclesiastical Affairs, for not suspending Dr. Sharp[11] (afterwards Archbishop of York) by theKing's command. If the Presbyterians expressed the same zeal upon anyoccasion, the instances of it are not as I can find, left upon record, or transmitted by tradition. The proceedings against Magdalen College inOxford, for refusing to comply with the King's mandate for admitting aprofessed Papist upon their foundation, are a standing proof of thecourage and firmness in religion shewn by that learned society, to theruin of their fortunes. The Presbyterians know very well, that I couldproduce many more instances of the same kind. But these are enough in soshort a paper as I intend at present. 

[Footnote 10: Henry Compton (1632-1713), educated at Oxford, was createdBishop of London in 1675. During the Revolution of 1688 he conveyed thePrincess Anne from London to Nottingham. After, he crowned her Queen ofEngland. He was the author of a few works of little importance, such asthe "Treatise on the Holy Communion. " [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 11: John Sharp (1644-1714) was educated at Cambridge, andcreated Archbishop of York in 1691. He gave great offence to James II. By his preaching against Roman Catholicism. This is the same ArchbishopSharp who prevented Swift's appointment to a bishopric, by urging thatthe author of "A Tale of a Tub" was not a proper person to hold such anoffice. See note prefixed to "A Tale of a Tub, " vol. I. , p. Xcvi, of thisedition of Swift's Works. [T. S. ]]

It is indeed very true, that after King William was settled on theEnglish throne, the Presbyterians began to appear, and offer theircredentials, and demand favour; and the new King having been originallybred a Calvinist, was desirous enough to make them easy (if that woulddo it) by a legal toleration; although in his heart he never bore muchaffection to that sect; nor designed to favour them farther than itstood with the present scheme of politics: as I have long since beenassured by the greatest men of Whig principles at that time in England. 

It is likewise true, nor will it be denied; that when the King waspossessed of the English crown; and the remainder of the quarrel wasleft to be decided in this kingdom; the Presbyterians wisely chose tojoin with the Protestant army, rather than with that of King James theirold friend, whose affairs were then in a manner desperate. They werewise enough to know, that this kingdom, divided against itself, couldnever prevail against the united power of England. They fought _pro ariset focis_; for their estates and religion; which latter will neversuffer so much by the Church of England as by that of Rome, where theyare counted heretics as well as we: and consequently they have no othergame to play. But, what merit they can build upon having joined with aProtestant army, under a King they acknowledged, to defend their ownliberties and properties against a Popish enemy under an abdicated King;is, I confess to me absolutely inconceivable; and I believe will equallybe so for ever, to any reasonable man. 

When these sectaries were several years ago making the same attempt forabolishing the Test, many groundless reports were industriously andseasonably spread, of an invasion threatened by the Pretender on thenorth of Ireland. At which time the Presbyterians in their pamphlets, argued in a menacing manner, that if the Pretender should invade thoseparts of the kingdom, where the numbers and estates of dissenterschiefly lay; they would sit still, and let us fight our own battles;[12]since they were to reap no advantage, whichever side should be victors. If this were the course they intended to take in such a case; I shoulddesire to know, how they could contrive safely to stand neuters, otherwise than by a compact with the Pretender and his army, to supporttheir neutrality, and protect them against the forces of the Crown? Thisis a necessary supposition; because they must otherwise have inevitablybeen a prey to both. However, by this frank declaration, theysufficiently shewed their good-will; and confirmed the common chargelaid at their door; that a Scottish or northern Presbyterian hates ourEpiscopal Established Church more than Popery itself. And, the reasonfor this hatred, is natural enough; because it is the Church alone, thatstands in the way between them and power, which Popery doth not. 

[Footnote 12: See the poem, reprinted by Monck Mason ("History of St. Patrick's, " p. 388 note), entitled:

 "The Grunters' request To take off the Test, "

in which the poet advises his "lauds" to "faight y'er ain battel. "[T. S. ]]

Upon this occasion I am in some doubt, whether the political spreadersof those chimerical invasions, made a judicious choice in fixing thenorthern parts of Ireland for that romantic enterprize. Nor, can I wellunderstand the wisdom of the Presbyterians in countenancing andconfirming those reports. Because it seems to cast a most infamousreflection upon the loyalty and religious principles of their wholebody: For if there had been any truth in the matter, the consequencemust have been allowed, that the Pretender counted upon more assistancefrom his father's friends the Presbyterians, by choosing to land inthose very parts, where their number, wealth, and power most prevailed;rather than among those of his own religion. And therefore, in charityto this sect, I rather incline to believe, that those reports of aninvasion were formed and spread by the race of small politicians, inorder to do a seasonable job. 

As to Popery in general, which for a thousand years past hath beenintroducing and multiplying corruptions both in doctrine and discipline;I look upon it to be the most absurd system of Christianity professed byany nation. But I cannot apprehend this kingdom to be in much dangerfrom it. The estates of Papists are very few; crumbling into smallparcels, and daily diminishing. Their common people are sunk in poverty, ignorance, and cowardice, and of as little consequence as women andchildren. Their nobility and gentry are at least one-half ruined, banished, or converted: They all soundly feel the smart of what theysuffered in the last Irish war. Some of them are already retired intoforeign countries; others as I am told, intend to follow them; and therest, I believe, to a man, who still possess any lands, are absolutelydetermined never to hazard them again for the sake of establishing theirsuperstition. If it hath been thought fit, as some observe, to abate ofthe law's rigour against Popery in this kingdom, I am confident it wasdone for very wise reasons, considering the situation of affairs abroadat different times, and the interest of the Protestant religion ingeneral. And as I do not find the least fault in this proceeding; so Ido not conceive why a sunk discarded party, who neither expect nordesire anything more than a quiet life; should under the names ofhighflyers, Jacobites, and many other vile appellations, be charged sooften in print, and at common tables, with endeavouring to introducePopery and the Pretender; while the Papists abhor them above all othermen, on account of severities against their priests in her lateMajesty's reign; when the now disbanded reprobate party was in power. This I was convinced of some years ago by a long journey into thesouthern parts; where I had the curiosity to send for many priests ofthe parishes I passed through; and, to my great satisfaction found themeverywhere abounding in professions of loyalty to the late King George;for which they gave me the reasons above-mentioned; at the same timecomplaining bitterly of the hardships they suffered under the Queen'slast ministry. 

I return from this digression to the modest demands of the Presbyteriansfor a repeal of the Sacramental Test, as a reward for their merits atthe Restoration and the Revolution; which merits I have fairlyrepresented as well as my memory will allow me. If I have committed anymistakes they must be of little moment. The facts and principalcircumstances are what I have obtained and digested, from reading thehistories of those times, written by each party; and many thousands havedone the same as well as I, who I am sure have in their minds drawn thesame conclusions. 

This is the faction, and these the men, who are now resuming theirapplications, and giving in their bills of merit to both kingdoms upontwo points, which of all others, they have the least pretensions tooffer. I have collected the facts with all possible impartiality, fromthe current histories of those times; and have shewn, although verybriefly, the gradual proceedings of those sectaries under thedenomination of Puritans, Presbyterians, and Independents, for about thespace of an hundred and eighty years, from the beginning of QueenElizabeth to this present time. But, notwithstanding all that can besaid, these very schismatics (for such they are in temporals as well asspirituals) are now again expecting, soliciting, and demanding, (notwithout insinuating threats, according to their custom) that theParliament should fix them upon an equal foot with the Churchestablished. I would fain know to what branch of the legislature theycan have the forehead to apply. Not to my lords the bishops; who musthave often read, how the predecessors of this very faction, acting uponthe same principles, drove the whole bench out of the house; who werethen, and hitherto continue one of the three estates. Not to thetemporal peers, the second of the three estates; who must have heard, that, immediately after those rebellious fanatics had murdered theirking, they voted a House of Lords to be useless and dangerous, and wouldlet them sit no longer, otherwise than when elected as commoners: Not tothe House of Commons; who must have heard, that in those fanatic timesthe Presbyterian and Independent commanders in the army, by militarypower, expelled all the moderate men out of the house, and left a Rumpto govern the nation. Lastly, not to the Crown, which those very saintsdestined to rule the earth, trampled under their feet, and then in coldblood murdered the blessed wearer. 

But, the session now approaching, and a clan of dissenting teachersbeing come up to town from their northern headquarters, accompanied bymany of their elders and agents, and supported by a generalcontribution, to solicit their establishment, with a capacity of holdingall military as well as civil employments; I think it high time, thatthis paper should see the light. However, I cannot conclude withoutfreely confessing, that if the Presbyterians should obtain their ends, Icould not be sorry to find them mistaken in the point which they havemost at heart by the repeal of the Test; I mean the benefit ofemployments. For, after all, what assurance can a Scottish northerndissenter, born on Irish ground, have, that he shall be treated with asmuch favour as a true Scot born beyond the Tweed?

I am ready enough to believe that all I have said will avail but little. I have the common excuse of other men, when I think myself bound by allreligious and civil ties, to discharge my conscience, and to warn mycountrymen upon this important occasion. It is true, the advocates forthis scheme promise a new world, after this blessed work shall becompleted: that all animosities and faction must immediately drop; thatthe only distinction in this kingdom will then be of Papist andProtestant. For, as to Whig and Tory, High Church and Low Church, Jacobite and Hanoverian, Court and Country party, English and Irishinterests, Dissenters and Conformists, New Light and Old Light, Anabaptist and Independent, Quaker and Muggletonian, they will all meetand jumble together into a perfect harmony, at the sessions and assizes, on the bench and in the revenues; and upon the whole, in all civil andmilitary trust, not excepting the great councils of the nation. For itis wisely argued thus, that a kingdom being no more than a larger knotof friends met together, it is against the rules of good manners to shutany person out of the company, except the Papists; who professthemselves of another club. 

I am at a loss to know what arts the Presbyterian sect intends to use, in convincing the world of their loyalty to kingly government; whichlong before the prevalence, or even the birth of their independentrivals, as soon as the King's forces were overcome, declared theirprinciples to be against monarchy, as well as Episcopacy and the Houseof Lords, even till the King was restored: At which event, although theywere forced to submit to the present power, yet I have not heard thatthey did ever, to this day, renounce any one principle by which theirpredecessors then acted; yet this they have been challenged to do, or atleast to shew that others have done it for them, by a certaindoctor, [13] who, as I am told, has much employed his pen in the likedisputes. I own, they will be ready enough to insinuate themselves intoany government: But, if they mean to be honest and upright, they willand must endeavour by all means, which they shall think lawful, tointroduce and establish their own scheme of religion, as nearestapproaching to the word of God, by casting out all superstitiousceremonies, ecclesiastical titles, habits, distinctions, andsuperiorities, as rags of Popery; in order to a thorough reformation;and, as in charity bound, to promote the salvation of their countrymen:wishing with St. Paul, that the whole kingdom were as they are. But whatassurance will they please to give, that when their sect shall becomethe national established worship, they will treat Us Dissenters as wehave treated them? Was this their course of proceeding during thedominion of the saints? Were not all the remainders of the EpiscopalChurch in those days, especially the clergy, under a persecution forabove a dozen years, equal to that of the primitive Christians underheathen emperors? That this proceeding was suitable to their principles, is known enough; for many of their preachers then writ books expresslyagainst allowing any liberty of conscience, in a religion different fromtheir own; producing many arguments to prove that opinion; and among therest one frequently insisted on; that allowing such a liberty would beto establish iniquity by a law: Many of these writings are yet to beseen;[14] and I hear, have been quoted by the doctor above mentioned. 

[Footnote 13: Dr. Tisdal, in a tract entitled, "The Case of theSacramental Test stated and argued. " Tisdal died 4th June, 1736. [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 14: See many hundred quotations to prove this, in the treatisecalled "Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence. " [Note in Faulkner'sedition, 1738. ]]

As to their great objection of prostituting that holy institution, theblessed Sacrament, by way of a test before admittance into anyemployment; I ask, whether they would not be content to receive it aftertheir own manner, for the office of a judge, for that of a commissionerin the revenue, for a regiment of horse, or to be a lord justice? Ibelieve they would scruple it as little, as a long grace before andafter dinner; which they can say without bending a knee; for, as I havebeen told, their manner of taking bread and wine in their conventicles, is performed with little more solemnity than at their common meals. And, therefore, since they look upon our practice in receiving the elements, to be idolatrous; they neither can, nor ought, in conscience, to allowus that liberty, otherwise than by connivance, and a bare toleration, like what is permitted to the Papists. But, lest we should offend them, I am ready to change this test for another; although, I am afraid, thatsanctified reason is, by no means, the point where the difficultypinches; and only offered by pretended churchmen, as if they could becontent with our believing, that the impiety and profanation of makingthe Sacrament a test, were the only objection. I therefore propose, thatbefore the present law be repealed, another may be enacted; that no manshall receive any employment, before he swears himself to be a truemember of the Church of Ireland, in doctrine and discipline, &c. , and, that he will never frequent, or communicate with any other form ofworship. It shall likewise be further enacted, that whoever offends, &c. , shall be fined five hundred pounds, imprisoned for a year and aday, and rendered incapable of all public trust for ever. Otherwise, Ido insist that those pious, indulgent, external professors of ournational religion, shall either give up that fallacious hypocriticalreason for taking off the Test; or freely confess, that they desire tohave a gate wide open for every sect, without any test at all, exceptthat of swearing loyalty to the King: Which, however, considering theirprinciples, with regard to monarchy yet unrenounced, might, if theywould please to look deep enough into their own hearts, prove a morebitter test than any other that the law hath yet invented. 

For, from the first time that these sectaries appeared in the world, ithath been always found, by their whole proceeding, that they professedan utter hatred to kingly government. I can recollect, at present, threecivil establishments, where Calvinists, and some other reformers whorejected Episcopacy, possess the supreme power; and, these are allrepublics; I mean Holland, Geneva, and the reformed Swiss cantons. I donot say this in diminution, or disgrace to commonwealths; wherein, Iconfess, I have much altered many opinions under which I was educated, having been led by some observation, long experience, and a thoroughdetestation for the corruptions of mankind: Insomuch, that I am nowjustly liable to the censure of Hobbes, who complains, that the youth ofEngland imbibe ill opinions, from reading the histories of AncientGreece and Rome, those renowned scenes of liberty and every virtue. 

But, as to monarchs; who must be supposed well to study and understandtheir own interest; they will best consider, whether those people, whoin all their actions, preachings, and writings, have openly declaredthemselves against regal power, are to be safely placed in an equaldegree of favour and trust with those who have been always found thetrue and only friends to the English establishment. From whichconsideration, I could have added one more article to my new test, if Ihad thought it worth my time. 

I have been assured by some persons who were present, that several ofthese dissenting teachers, upon their first arrival hither to solicitthe repeal of the Test, were pleased to express their gratitude, bypublicly drinking the healths of certain eminent patrons, whom theypretend to have found among us; if this be true, and that the Test mustbe delivered up by the very commanders appointed to defend it, theaffair is already, in effect, at an end. What secret reasons thosepatrons may have given for such a return of brotherly love, I shall notinquire: "For, O my soul come not thou into their secret, unto theirassembly mine honour be not thou united. For in their anger they slew aman, and in their self-will they digged down a wall. Cursed be theiranger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel; I willdivide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. "

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

A NARRATIVE

OF THE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, WHICH THE DISSENTERS OF

IRELAND HAVE MADE, FOR A REPEAL OF THE

SACRAMENTAL TEST. 

NOTE. 

This tract occupies Nos. Iii. And iv. Of a periodical paper called "TheCorrespondent, " originally printed at Dublin "by James Hoey inSkinner-Row, 1733. " The text here given is that of the original"Correspondent"; that given by Scott and Nichols is evidently taken fromthe London reprint. It will be seen that the matter as it was originallyprinted contains much more than was afterwards reprinted. I haveindicated in footnotes where Scott's omissions occur. The title of theperiodical runs: "The Correspondent, No. Iii. [No. Iv. ] Humbly inscribedto the Conforming Nobility and Gentry of Ireland. " Nos. I. And ii. Dealtwith "Old and New Light Presbyterians"; but these are not by Swift. InNichols's edition this pamphlet appears in the second volume of the"Supplement to Dr. Swift's Works, " 1779, p. 307. See note to theprevious pamphlet, where the question of the date of the firstpublication of this tract is discussed. It may be, as Monck Masonsuggests ("History of St. Patrick's, " p. 389, note h), that a separateand second edition of this "Narrative" was likewise printed, of the samesize as "The Presbyterians' Plea, " and bound up, occasionally with thatpamphlet; but such an edition I have never seen. The only reprint of thetime examined, is that by A. Dodd, of Temple Bar, affixed to the secondLondon edition of "The Presbyterians' Plea of Merit, " and the date ofwhich may be put down to 1734. 

[T. S. ]

 A NARRATIVE OF THE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, WHICH THE DISSENTERS OF IRELAND HAVE MADE, FOR A REPEAL OF THE SACRAMENTAL TEST. 

My intention is in this and some following "Correspondents, " tovindicate the Test Act, from the insolent aspersions which are thrownupon it, and to answer objections, which are raised against it, particularly by an anonymous author, in a paper entitled, "The Natureand Consequence of the Sacramental Test considered, " &c. , printed _anno_1731, upon the opening of the last session of parliament, and nowrepublished. 

As a proper introduction to this, I must take leave to put theconformists in mind, of what (upon recollection) they may very wellremember, and which in some measure they have been formerly apprised of, and that is in[1] a narrative of the several attempts, which theDissenters of Ireland have made, for a repeal of the Sacramental Test. 

When the oath of supremacy was repealed which had been the Church'sgreat security since the second of Queen Elizabeth, against both Papistsand Presbyterians, who equally refused it, I presume it is no secret nowto tell the reader, that the repeal of that oath opened a sluice and letin such a current of dissenters into some of our corporations, as boredown all before them. 

[Footnote 1: From the beginning of this paragraph to the word "in" isomitted in the editions issued by Scott and Nichols. The words "ANarrative. .. Sacramental Test" are used by Scott as part of thesub-title of the tract; but he adds the date, 1731. This is a mistake, since "The Correspondent" appeared in 1733; and if it did appear in thesecond edition of "The Plea, " that edition was published either in thesame or in the following year. [T. S. ]]

Although the Sacramental Test had been for a considerable time in forcein England, yet that law did not reach Ireland, where the Church wasmore oppressed by dissenters; and where her most sanguine friends wereglad to compound, to preserve what legal security she had left, ratherthan to attempt any new, or even to recover what she had lost: And intruth they had no reason to expect it, at a time when the dissenters hadthe interest to have a motion made and debated in parliament, that theremight be a temporary repeal of all the penal laws against them, and whenthey were so flushed with the conquest they had made in somecorporations, as to reject all overtures of a toleration; and to thatend, had employed Mr. Boyse[2] to write against it with the utmostcontempt, calling it "a stone instead of bread; a serpent instead of afish. "

[Footnote 2: In his note Scott calls him "Samuel" Boyse, but he isdistinctly mentioned further on in the tract as "Jo: Boyse. " The Rev. Joseph Boyse was a native of Leeds, who had settled in Dublin in 1683 asjoint-pastor with Dr. Daniel Williams. He died in poverty in 1728; andin the same year his works were published in two folio volumes. His son, Samuel Boyse, the poet, died in 1749. [T. S. ]]

When the Church was in this situation, the clause of the SacramentalTest was happily sent over from England, tacked to the Popery Bill, which alarmed the whole body of the dissenters to that degree, thattheir managers began to ply with the greatest artifice, and industry, toprevent its passing into a law. But (to the honour of that parliament beit spoken), the whole body of both Lords and Commons (some few excepted)passed the clause with great readiness, and defended it afterwards withas great resolution. 

The immediate consequence of this law was the recovery of severalcorporations, which the conformists had given to the dissenters, and thepreservation of others, to which the "enterprising people" had made verybold and quick approaches. 

It was hoped that this signal defeat would have discouraged thedissenters from any further attempts against a law, which had sounanimously passed both houses: But the contrary soon appeared. For, upon meeting of the Parliament, held by the Earl of Pembroke, [3] theyquickly reassumed their wonted courage and confidence, and made nodoubt, but they should either procure an absolute repeal thereof, or getit so far relaxed, as that they might be admitted to offices of militarytrust: To this, they apprehended themselves encouraged by a paragraph inhis Excellency's speech to both Houses (which they applied tothemselves) which was, "That the Queen would be glad of any expedient, for strengthening the interests of her Protestant subjects of Ireland. "

[Footnote 3: It will be remembered that the earl's viceroyalty commencedApril 7th, 1707. It was in his train that Swift came to England in thatyear. [T. S. ]]

The advocates for the dissenters immediately took hold of this handle, and in order to prepare the way for this expedient, insisted boldly upontheir merit and loyalty, charged the Church with persecution, andextolled their signal behaviour in the late Revolution, to that degree, as if by their signal prowess, they had saved the nation. 

But all this, was only to prepare the way for the grand engine, whichwas forming to beat down this law; and that was their expedientaddresses. 

The first of this kind was, from a provincial synod of the northerndissenters, beginning with high encomiums upon themselves, and as highdemands from the public, "for their untainted loyalty in all turns ofgovernment, " which they said, was "the natural consequence of theirknown principles"; expressions, which, had they been applied to them bytheir adversaries, must have been understood as spoken ironically, andindeed to have been the greatest sarcasm imaginable upon them;especially, when we consider the insolent treatment given to her Majestyin the very same address; for immediately after they pass thiscompliment upon themselves, they tell her Majesty, they deeply regretthe Sacramental Test; and frankly declared, that neither the gentlemen, nor people of their persuasion, could (they must mean _would_) serveher, whatever exigencies might arise, unless that law was repealed. 

The managers for the kirk, following this precedent, endeavoured toobtain addresses to the same purpose from the corporations, and thoughthey proved unsuccessful in most, they procured them from several of ourmost considerable conforming corporations; and that too at a criticaljuncture, when numbers of Scotch Presbyterians, who had deserved well inthe affair of the Union, and could not be rewarded in England (where theTest Act was in force) stood ready to overrun our preferments as soon asthe Test should be repealed in Ireland. 

But after all when it came to a decisive trial in the House of Commons, the dissenters were defeated. 

When the managers found the House of Commons could not be brought intothat scheme of an expedient, to be offered by them; their refinementupon this, was, to move for an address, "That the House would accept ofan expedient from her Majesty, " but this also was rejected; for by thisproject, the managers would have led the Queen into this dilemma, eitherto disoblige the whole body of the dissenters, by refusing to name theexpedient, or else to give up the conformists to the insults andencroachments of the dissenters, by the repeal of that law, which wasdeclared by the House of Lords, to be the great security of theEstablished Church, and of the English interest of Ireland. 

The next attempt they made against the Test was during the government ofLord Wharton. [4]

[Footnote 4: Wharton was appointed Lord Lieutenant on November 25th, 1708. This Wharton is the Thomas, Lord Wharton, against whom Swift wroteone of his bitterest and most personal attacks. He was the eldest son ofPhilip, Lord Wharton, and was created a marquis by George I. He diedApril 12th, 1715. The ballad of "Lillibullero" is attributed to him. [T. S. ]]

The dissenters seemed more resolute now than ever, to have the Testrepealed, especially when his Excellency had declared from the throne, "that they were neither to be persecuted nor molested. " For they who hadall along called the Test Act a persecution, might reasonably concludethat grievance would be removed; when they were told by the chiefgovernor, that they were not to be even "molested. " But to their greatconfusion, they were soon undeceived, when they found upon trial, thatthe House of Commons, would not bear the least motion towards it. 

Their movements to repeal the Test Act being stopped this way; themanagers were obliged to take several other ways to come at it: And atthe time, that some pretended to soothe, others seemed to threaten eventhe legislature, with a view, (as must be presumed) that those, whomthey could not cajole, might be frightened into it. [5]

[Footnote 5: Scott omits the words from "with a view" to the end of theparagraph. [T. S. ]]

There happened about the time, when the project of the expedient was onfoot, an excellent occasion, to express their resentments against thislaw, and that was, when great numbers of them refused the oath ofallegiance, and to oppose the Pretender; insisting upon a repeal of theTest Act, as the condition of their arming in defence of their Queen andcountry. 

The government was not reduced to such straits, as to submit to thatcondition; and the Test stood firm, in spite of both the dissenters andthe Pretender, until the latter was driven from our coasts: And then, one would have thought the hopes of the former, would have vanished withhim. 

But it proved quite contrary: For those sons of the earth, reboundingwith fresh vigour from their falls, recovered new strength and spiritfrom every defeat, and the next attempt was bolder (considering thecircumstances they were in) than any they had made before. 

The case was this: The House of Lords of Ireland had accused them to theQueen of several illegal practices, which highly concerned the safety ofour constitution, both in church and state: The particulars of whichcharge, were summed up in a representation from the Lords to thiseffect:

"That they (the dissenters) had opposed and persecuted the conformists, in those parts where their power prevailed, had invaded theircongregations, propagated their schism in places where it had not theleast footing formerly; that they were protected from a legalprosecution by a _noli prosequi_ in the case of Drogheda. "

"That they refused to take conforming apprentices, and confined tradeamong themselves, exclusive of the conformists. "

"That in their illegal assemblies they had prosecuted and censured theirpeople for being married according to law. "

"That they have thrown public and scandalous reflections upon theEpiscopal order, and upon our laws, particularly the Sacramental Test, and had misapplied the royal bounty of £1, 200 _per annum_, inpropagating their schism, and undermining the Church: And had exercisedan illegal jurisdiction in their Presbyteries and Synods, " &c. 

To this representation of the Lords, the dissenters remonstrate in anaddress to the Queen, or rather an appeal to their own people, in which, although it is evident, they were conscious of those crimes whereof theystood accused, as appears by the evasions they make to this high charge. Yet even under these circumstances (such was their modesty) they pressedfor a repeal of the Test Act, by the modest appellation of a grievanceand odious mark of infamy, &c. Of which more hereafter. There is oneparticular in another address which I cannot omit. The House of Lords intheir representation, had accused one dissenting teacher in particular(well known to Mr. Boyse). The charge was in these words:

"Nor has the legislature itself escaped the censure of a bold author oftheirs, who has published in print, that the Sacramental Test is only anengine to advance a state faction, and to debase religion, to serve baseand unworthy purposes. "

To this, Mr. Boyse answers, in an address to the Queen, in the year1712, subscribed only by himself, and five more dissenting teachers, inthese words. 

"As to this part of their Lordships' complaint, we beg leave to laybefore your Majesty the words of that author, which are these. 

"'Nor can we altogether excuse those, who turn the holy Eucharist intoan engine, to advance a state faction, and endeavour to confine thecommunion table of our Lord, by their arbitrary enclosures to a party;religion is thereby debased to serve mean and unworthy purposes. ' Wehumbly conceive that the author in that passage, makes no mention of thelegislature at all, &c. , and we cannot omit on this occasion, to regretit, as the great unhappiness of this kingdom, that dissenters should nowbe disabled from concurring in the defence of it, in any future exigencyand danger, and should have the same infamy put upon them with the IrishPapists. 

"We therefore humbly hope, that your Majesty shall consider, how littlereal grounds there are for those complaints made by their Lordships. "

What a mixture of impudence and prevarication is this! That onedissenting teacher accused to his prince of having censured thelegislature, should presume, backed only by five more of the samequality and profession, to transcribe the guilty paragraph, and (tosecure his meaning from all possibility of being mistaken, ) annexanother to it; wherein, they rail at that very law, for which he in soaudacious a manner censured the Queen and Parliament, and at the sametime should expect to be acquitted by her Majesty, because he had notmentioned the word "legislature": 'Tis true the word legislature is notexpressed in that paragraph; but let Mr. Boyse[6] say, what other powerbut the legislature, could in this sense, "turn the holy Eucharist intoan engine to advance a state faction, or confine offices of trust, orthe communion table of our Lord, by their arbitrary enclosures, to aparty. " It is plain he can from his principles intend no others, but thelegislators of the Sacramental Test; though at the same time I freelyown, that this is a vile description of them: For neither have they bythis law, made the Sacramental Test an engine to advance, but rather todepress a state faction, nor have they made any arbitrary enclosures, ofthe communion table of our Lord, since as many as please, may receivethe Sacrament with us in our churches; and those who will not, mayfreely, as before, receive it in their separate congregations: Nor inthe last place, is religion hereby debased, to serve mean and unworthypurposes; nor is it any more than all lawgivers do, by enjoining an oathof allegiance, and making that a religious test. For an oath is an actof religious worship as well as the Eucharist. 

[Footnote 6: Scott remarks that "Mr. Boyse is here and in other places, spoken of as alive, which was the case, I presume, when the tract firstappeared in 'The Correspondent. '" The tract, however, was printed inthe periodical in 1733, and Boyse died in 1728. It may be that when Swiftfirst wrote "The Narrative, " Mr. Boyse was alive; in that case its datemust be put down to an earlier year than either 1733 or even 1731. Or itmay be that the style of so referring to Boyse was used for anargumentative effect, to appeal to any reader who was in sympathy withBoyse's opinions. [T. S. ]]

Upon the whole, is not this an instance of prodigious boldness in Mr. Boyse, backed with only five dissenting teachers, thus to recriminateupon the Irish House of Lords (as they were pleased to call them in thetitle of their printed address, ) and almost to insist with her Majesty, upon the repeal of a law, which she had stamped with her royalauthority, but a few years before?

The[7] next instance, of the resolution of the dissenters, against thislaw, was the attempt made during the government of the Duke ofShrewsbury. [8]

[Footnote 7: From this paragraph to the end is taken from "TheCorrespondent, " No. Iv. The text as given by Scott is considerablyaltered from that which appeared in the periodical. [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 8: From September, 1713, until the Queen's death in 1714. [T. S. ]]

This attack was by the whole compacted body, of their teachers andelders, with a formidable engine, called a "representation ofgrievances, " in which, after they had reviled the Test Act, with thesame odious appellations, and insisted upon the same insolent arguments, for the repeal thereof, which they had formerly urged to the Queen: Theyexpressed themselves to his Grace in these words:

"We beg leave to say, that those persons must be inexcusable, andchargeable, with all the bad consequences that may follow, who in such akingdom as this, disable, disgrace, and divide Protestants; a thing thatought not to be done at any time, or in any place, much less than inthis, " &c. 

Is it possible to conceive any thing more provoking than this humblesupplication of these remonstrators? Does not this sound like a demandof the repeal of the Test, at the peril of those, who dare refuse it? Isit not an application with a hat in one hand, and a sword in the other, and that too, in the style of a King of Ulster, to a King of Connaught, --"Repeal the Test, or if you don't. .. .. .. .. "

But to proceed in this narrative: Notwithstanding the defeat of thedissenters in England, in their late attempt against the Test, theirbrethren in Ireland, are so far from being discouraged, that they seemnow to conceive greater hopes of having it repealed here, than ever. [9]What grounds they have for these hopes, was a secret to us, and Ipresume, to themselves; however private whispers begin now to grow intogeneral rumours, and their managers proceed with great art andassiduity, from feeling of pulses, to telling of noses. 

[Footnote 9: From this word to the end of this paragraph is omitted byScott. [T. S. ]]

In order to prepare necessaries, and furnish topics for this attempt, there was a paper printed upon the opening of last session, and nowrepublished; entitled, "The Nature and Consequences of the SacramentalTest considered, with reasons humbly offered for the Repealthereof. "[10]

[Footnote 10: This pamphlet was reprinted in London in 1732. See noteprefixed to "The Presbyterians' Plea of Merit" [T. S. ]]

It is not my intention, to follow this author, through all the mazes andwindings of his reasoning upon this subject, which (in truth) seem suchincoherent shreds, that it is impossible to tie them together; andtherefore, what I purpose is, to answer such objections to the Test, asare advanced either by this author, or any other which have anyappearance of reason, or plausibility. 

I know it is not prudent to despise an adversary, nor fair to prepossessreaders, before I show this bold and insolent writer, in his properfigure and dress; and therefore, however I may take him to be a feebleadvocate for the repeal of the Test, in point of reasoning, yet I freelyallow him to be a most resolute champion in point of courage, who has, with such intrepidity, attacked, not only the first enactors of thislaw, but all such, who shall continue it, by giving their negatives to arepeal. I will in this "Correspondent" only transcribe a few quotationsfrom this author, to shew the gallantry of this aggressor. 

Page the 19th[11] he says: "the truth is the imposition of the Test, andcontinuing it in such a state of the kingdom, appears (at first sight, )so great an absurdity in politics, as can never be accounted for. "

[Footnote 11: Page 23 in edition London, 1732. [T. S. ]]

Who are these absurd politicians? Who first passed, and secondlycontinue the Sacramental Test, in all the preceding attempts of theDissenters to repeal it? Are they not the majority of both Houses ofParliament?[12]

[Footnote 12: Omitted by Scott in his edition, 1824. [T. S. ]]

But to strengthen his reflections, page 26, [13] he gives the wholelegislature to understand, that continuing the Test, does not become thewisdom, and justice of the legislature, under the pretence of its beingfor the advantage of the state, when it is really prejudicial to it; andfurther tells us, it infringes on the indisputable rights of thedissenters. 

[Footnote 13: Pp. 32-33 in London reprint. Scott places passages here inquotation marks, the original in "The Correspondent" has no such marks, nor are the passages quoted verbatim from the pamphlet referredto. [T. S. ]]

Page, the 57th, [14] he says, "The gentlemen of the House of Commons, whoframed the bill, to prevent the farther growth of Popery, instead ofapproving the Test clause which was inserted, publicly declared theirdislike to it, and their resolution to take the first opportunity ofrepealing it, though at that time they unwillingly passed it, ratherthan lose a bill they were so fond of. This resolution has not been asyet fulfilled, for what reasons, our worthy patriots themselves knowbest. "

[Footnote 14: P. 71 in London reprint [T. S. ]]

I should be glad this author would inform us, who, and how many of thosemembers joined in this resolution, to repeal the Test; or where thatresolution is to be found, which he mentions twice in the sameparagraph; surely not in the books of the House of Commons!

If not, suppose some few gentlemen in the House of Commons, and to besure very few they were, who publicly declared their dislike to it, orentered into any resolution; this, I think, he should have explained, and not insinuated so gross a reflection on a great majority of theHouse of Commons, who first passed this law, and have ever since opposedall attempts to repeal it; these are the gentleman whom, in sarcasm andirony, he is pleased to call the "worthy, " that is, the unworthypatriots themselves. 

But to mention no more, he concludes his notable piece, with theseremarkable words, pages 62-63. [15]

[Footnote 15: P. 79 of London reprint. [T. S. ]]

"Thus it appears, with regard to the Protestant succession, which hasnow happily taken place, how reasonable it is to repeal the SacramentalTest, and that granting that favour to the Dissenters, " which, by theway, cannot be granted but by parliament; "can be disagreeable to none, who have a just sense of the many blessings we enjoy, by the Protestantsuccession, in his Majesty's royal family. "

I will not trouble the reader with any more quotations, to the samepurpose, out of this libel, for so I must now call it, but take leave tomake some general observations on those paragraphs I have mentioned. 

[Footnote: This paragraph is omitted by Scott. [T. S. ]]

I conceive, it will be readily allowed, that in all applications, eitherfrom any body of men, or from any particular subject to the legislature, or any branch thereof, we are to take the highest encomiums as purelycomplimental; if there be the least insinuation of disrespect orreflection therein, in such cases I say, you are to take the complimentsin the lowest sense, but all the reflections in the highest sense theexpressions can bear; inasmuch as, the first may be presumed matter ofform, the latter must be matter of resentment. 

[Footnote: This paragraph is much curtailed by Scott, who combines itwith the next paragraph of the present text. [T. S. ]]

Now, if we apply this observation, to what this bold adventurer hassaid, with respect to the legislators, of the Sacramental Test; Does henot directly and plainly charge them with injustice, imprudence, grossabsurdity and Jacobitism? Let the most prejudiced reader that is notpre-determined against conviction, say, whether this libeller of theparliament, has not drawn up a high charge against the makers andcontinuers of this law. 

It is readily allowed, that this has been the old style of thesechampions, who have attacked the Test, as in the instances beforementioned, with this difference, that he descends lower in his charge, and has been more particular than any of his brethren. 

[Footnote: This paragraph is omitted by Scott. [T. S. ]]

Notwithstanding my resentment, which to be sure, he does not value, Iwould be sorry he should bring upon himself the resentment of those hehas been so free with, and I cannot help advising him, to take allpossible care, and use all effectual means, to conjure the printer, corrector, and publisher of this libel to secrecy; that however theauthor may be suspected, he may not be discovered. Upon the whole, isnot this author, justly to be reputed a defamer, till he producesinstances wherein the conforming nobility and gentry of Ireland, haveshown their disaffection to the succession of the illustrious House ofHanover?

Did they ever refuse the oath of abjuration, or support any conformingnonjuring teachers in their congregations? Did ever any conforminggentlemen, or common people, refuse to be arrayed, when the militia wasraised, upon the invasion of the Pretender? Did any of them ever shewthe least reluctance, or make any exception against their officers, whether they were Dissenters or Churchmen?

It may be said, that from these insinuations, I would have itunderstood, that the dissenters encouraged some of their teachers, whorefused the oath of abjuration; and that even in the article of danger, when the Pretender made his attempt in Scotland, our northernPresbyterians shewed great reluctance in taking arms, upon the array ofmilitia. 

I freely own it is my intention; and I must affirm both facts to betrue, however they have the assurance to deny it. 

What can be more notorious, than the protection, countenance, andsupport, which was continued to Riddall, McBride, and McCrackan, [16] whoabsolutely refused the oath of abjuration; and yet were continued toteach in their congregations, after they returned from Scotland, when aprosecution was directed, and a council in criminal causes, was sentdown to the county of Antrim to prosecute them. 

[Footnote 16: Riddall, McBride, and McCrackan were three Presbyterianclergymen who refused to take the oath of abjuring the Pretender. OfRiddall and McCrackan little is known; but John McBride (1651?-1718)(according to the writer in the "Dictionary of National Biography") wasborn in Ulster, and graduated at Glasgow. He was a strong advocate ofthe Hanoverian succession, but avoided the oath of abjuration, in 1703, by retiring to Glasgow. He returned to Belfast in 1713, and died there. His humorous excuse for non-abjuration is recorded by the writer of thearticle in the Dictionary, and is worth repeating: "Once upon a timethere was a bearn, that cou'd not be persuaded to bann the de'el becausehe did not know but he might soon come into his clutches. " [T. S. ]]

With respect to the parliament; did ever any House of Commons shewgreater alacrity in raising money, and equipping ships, in defence ofthe King, than the last House did upon the expected invasion of thePretender? And did ever any parliament give money with greaterunanimity, for the support of the Crown, than the present has done, whatever the wants of their private families might be? And must a verygreat majority of those persons, be branded with the infamous aspersionof disaffection to the illustrious House of Hanover, should they refuseto give their voices for the repeal of the Test?

I am fully persuaded that this author, and his fellow-labourers, do notbelieve one word of this heavy charge; but their present circumstancesare such, that they must run all hazards. 

In many places their congregations are sub-divided, and have chosen an_Old_ and _New Light_ teacher, and consequently those stipends mustsupport two, which were enjoyed by one before. [17]

[Footnote 17: This paragraph is omitted by Scott. [T. S. ]]

A great number of the nonconforming gentlemen daily leave them, thoughthey have not made any convert to their persuasion, among the conforminggentlemen of fortune; many who were nonconformists themselves, and manymen whose parents were elders, or rigid nonconformists, are now constantcommunicants, and justices of peace in their several counties; insomuch, that it is highly probable, should the Test continue twenty yearslonger, there would not be a gentleman left to solicit a repeal. 

I shall hereafter take occasion to shew, how inconsiderable they are, for their numbers and fortunes, who can be served or obliged by thisrepeal, which number is daily lessening. 

The dissenting teachers are sufficiently aware, that the generalconformity of the gentlemen, will be followed, by the conformity ofnumbers of the people; and should it not be so, that they will be butpoorly supported by them; that by the continuance of the Test, "theircraft will be in danger to be set at nought, " and in all probability, will end in a general conformity of the Presbyterians to the EstablishedChurch. 

So that, they have the strongest reasons in the world, to press for therepeal of the Test; but those reasons, must have equal force for thecontinuance of it, with all that wish the peace of the Church and State, and would not have us torn in pieces, with endless and causelessdivisions. 

There is one short passage more, I had like to have omitted, which ourauthor leaves as a sting in the tail of his libel; his words are these, page 59th. [18]

[Footnote 18: P. 74 in London reprint. [T. S. ]]

"The truth is, no one party of a religious denomination, in Britain orIreland, were so united, as they, (the dissenters) indeed, no one, butthey, in an inviolable attachment to the Protestant succession. " Todetect the folly of this assertion, I subjoin the following letter froma person of known integrity, and inviolably attached to the Protestantsuccession, as any dissenter in the kingdom, I mean Mr. Warreng ofWarrengstown, then a member of parliament, and commissioner of array, inthe county of Down, upon the expected invasion of the Pretender. 

This letter was writ in a short time after the array, of the militia, for the truth of which I refer to Mr. Warreng himself. 

"Sir, "That I may fulfil your desire, by giving you an account, how thedissenters in my neighbourhood behaved themselves, when we werethreatened with an invasion of the Pretender. Be pleased to know, thatupon an alarm given of his being landed near Derry, none were morezealous and ready in setting watch and keeping guard, than they, toprevent such disorders, as might happen at that time, by ill-designingpersons, passing through, and disturbing the peace of the country. 

"But when the government thought fit, to have the kingdom arrayed, andsent commissioners into these parts, some time after it appeared, thatthe dissenters had, by that time, been otherwise instructed, for severalwho were so forward before, behaved themselves after a very differentmanner, some refusing, and others with reluctancy, appearing upon thearray, to be enlisted, and serve in the militia. 

"This behaviour surprised me so much, that I took occasion to discourseseveral of them, over whom, I thought I had as much influence, as anyother person, and found them upon the common argument, of having theirhands tied up by a late act of parliament, &c. _Whereupon I took somepains to shew the act to them, and wherein they were mistaken. _ Ifurther pressed their concurrence with us, in procuring the common peaceand security of our country, and though they seemed convinced by what Isaid, yet I was given to understand, their behaviour was according tothe sentiments of some persons, whom they thought themselves obliged toobserve, or be directed by, &c. "

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

QUAERIES

WROTE BY

DR. J. SWIFT, IN THE YEAR 1732. 

[RELATING TO THE SACRAMENTAL TEST. ]

 Very proper to be read (at this Time) by every Member of the Established Church. 

NOTE. 

The text of this tract is based on that of the original broadside, collated with those given by Faulkner and Scott. In 1733 was alsopublished a broadside with the title: "Queries upon the Demand of thePresbyterians to have the Sacramental Test repealed at this Session ofParliament. " These queries seem to be based on those by Swift, thoughthey are not quite the same. 

[T. S. ]

 QUAERIES WROTE BY DR. J. SWIFT, IN THE YEAR 1732. 

_QUERY_. 

Whether hatred and violence between parties in a state be not moreinflamed by different views of interest, than by the greater or lesserdifferences between them, either in religion or government?

Whether it be any part of the question, at this time, which of the tworeligions is worse, Popery, or Fanaticism; or not rather, which of thetwo, (having both the same good will) is in the hopefullest condition toruin the Church?

Whether the sectaries, whenever they come to prevail, will not ruin theChurch as infallibly and effectually as the Papists?

Whether the prevailing sectaries could allow liberty of conscience toDissenters, without belying all their former practice, and almost alltheir former writings?

Whether many hundred thousand Scotch Presbyterians, are not full asvirulent against the Episcopal Church, as they are against the Papists;or, as they would have us think, the Papists are against them?

Whether the Dutch, who are most distinguished for allowing liberty ofconscience, do ever admit any persons, who profess a different scheme ofworship from their own, into civil employments; although they _may_ beforced by the nature of their government, to receive mercenary troops ofall religions?

Whether the Dissenters ever pretended, until of late years, to desiremore than a bare toleration?

Whether, if it be true, what a sorry pamphleteer asserts, who latelywrit for repealing the Test, that the Dissenters in this kingdom areequally numerous with the Churchmen: It would not be a necessary pointof prudence, by all proper and lawful means to prevent their furtherincrease?

The great argument given by those whom they call _Low_ Church men, tojustify the large tolerations allowed to Dissenters, hath been; that bysuch indulgencies, the rancour of those sectaries would gradually wearoff, many of them would come over to us, and their parties, in a littletime, crumble to nothing. 

_QUERY_. 

If what the above pamphleteer asserts, that the sectaries, are in equalnumbers with conformists, it doth not clearly follow, that thoserepeated tolerations, have operated directly contrary to what those_Low_ Church politicians pretended to foresee and expect. 

Whether any clergyman, however dignified or distinguished, if he thinkhis own profession most agreeable to Holy Scriptures, and the primitiveChurch, can really wish in his heart, that all sectaries should be uponan equal foot with the Churchmen, in the point of civil power andemployments?

Whether Episcopacy, which is held by the Church to be a divine andapostolic institution, be not a fundamental point of religion, particularly in that essential one of conferring holy orders?

Whether, by necessary consequences, the several expedients among thesectaries to constitute their teachers, are not absolutely null andvoid?

Whether the sectaries will ever agree to accept ordination only frombishops?

Whether the bishops and clergy will be content to give up Episcopacy, asa point indifferent, without which the Church can well subsist?

Whether that great tenderness towards sectaries, which now so muchprevails, be chiefly owing to the fears of Popery, or to that spirit ofatheism, deism, scepticism, and universal immorality, which all good menso much lament?

Granting Popery to have many more errors in religion than any one branchof the sectaries; let us examine the actions of both, as they have eachaffected the peace of these kingdoms, with allowance for the short timewhich the sectaries had to act in, who are in a manner _but ofyesterday_. The Papists in the time of King James II. Used allendeavours to establish their superstition; wherein they failed, by theunited power of English Church protestants, with the Prince of Orange'sassistance. But it cannot be asserted, that these bigotted Papists hadthe least design to depose or murder their King, much less to abolishkingly government; nor was it their interest or inclination to attempteither. 

On the other side the Puritans, who had almost from the beginning ofQueen Elizabeth's reign, been a perpetual thorn in the Church's side, joining with the Scotch enthusiasts, in the time of King Charles theFirst, were the principal cause of the Irish rebellion and massacre, bydistressing that Prince, and making it impossible for him to send overtimely succours. And, after that pious Prince had satisfied hisParliament in every single point to be complained of; the same sectariesby poisoning the minds and affections of the people, with the most falseand wicked representations of their King, were able, in the compass of afew years, to embroil the three nations in a bloody rebellion, at theexpense of many thousand lives; to turn the kingly power into anarchy;or murder their Prince in the face of the world, and (in their ownstyle) to destroy the Church _root and branch_. 

The account therefore stands thus. The Papists aimed at one perniciousact, which was to destroy the Protestant religion; wherein, by God'smercy, and the assistance of our glorious King William, they absolutelyfailed. The sectaries attempted the three most infernal actions, thatcould possibly enter into the hearts of men, forsaken by God; whichwere, the murder of a most pious King, the destruction of our monarchy, and the extirpation of the Church; and succeeded in them all. 

Upon which, I put the following queries. Whether any of those sectarieshave ever yet in a solemn public manner, renounced any one of thoseprinciples upon which their predecessors then acted?

Whether, considering the cruel persecutions of the Episcopal Church, during the course of that horrid rebellion and the consequences of it, until the happy Restoration; is it not manifest, that the persecutingspirit lieth so equally divided between the Papists and the sectaries, that a feather would turn the balance on either side?

And, therefore, lastly, Whether any person of common understanding, whoprofesseth himself a member of the Church established, although, perhaps, with little inward regard to any religion (which is too oftenthe case) if he loveth the peace and welfare of his country; can, aftercool thinking, rejoice to see a power placed again in the hands of sorestless, so ambitious, and so merciless a faction, to act over all thesame parts a second time?

Whether the candour of that expression, so frequent of late in sermonsand pamphlets, of the "strength and number of the Papists in Ireland, "can be justified? For as to their number, however great, it is alwaysmagnified in proportion to the zeal, or politics, of the speaker andwriter; but it is a gross imposition upon common reason, to terrify uswith their strength. For Popery, under the circumstances it lieth inthis kingdom; although it be offensive, and inconvenient enough, fromthe consequences it hath to increase the rapine, sloth and ignorance, aswell as poverty of the natives; is not properly dangerous in that sense, as some would have us take it; because it is universally hated by everyparty of a different religious profession. It is the contempt of thewise: The best topic for clamours of designing men: But the real terroronly of fools. The landed Popish interest in England, far exceedeth thatamong us, even in proportion to the wealth and extent of each kingdom. The little that remaineth here, is daily dropping into Protestant hands, by purchase or descent; and that affected complaint of counterfeitconverts, will fall with the cause of it in half a generation; unless itbe raised or kept alive, as a continual fund of merit and eloquence. ThePapists are wholly disarmed. They have neither courage, leaders, money, or inclinations to rebel. They want every advantage which they formerlypossessed, to follow that trade; and wherein, even with thoseadvantages, they always miscarried. They appear very easy, and satisfiedunder that connivance which they enjoyed during the whole last reign;nor ever scrupled to reproach another party, under which they pretend tohave suffered so much severity. 

Upon these considerations I must confess to have suspended much of mypity towards the great dreaders of Popery; many of whom appear to behale, strong, active young men; who, as I am told, eat, drink, and sleepheartily; and are very cheerful (as they have exceeding good reason)upon all other subjects. However, I cannot too much commend the generousconcern, which, our neighbours and others, who come from the sameneighbourhood, are so kind to express for us upon this account; althoughthe former be further removed from the dangers of Popery, by twentyleagues of salt water: But this, I fear, is a digression. 

When an artificial report was raised here many years ago, of an intendedinvasion by the Pretender, (which blew over after it had done itsoffice) the Dissenters argued in their talk, and in their pamphlets, after this manner, applying themselves to those of the Church. "Gentlemen, if the Pretender had landed, as the law now standeth, wedurst not assist you; and therefore, unless you take off the Test, whenever you shall happen to be invaded in earnest, if we are desired totake up arms in your defence, our answer shall be, Pray, gentlemen, fight your own battles, [1] we will lie by quietly; conquer your enemiesby yourselves, if you can; we will not do your drudgery. " This way ofreasoning I have heard from several of their chiefs and abettors, in anhundred conversations; and have read it in twenty pamphlets: And, I amconfident, it will be offered again, if the project should fail to takeoff the Test. 

[Footnote 1: See note, p. 40, referring to the poem:

 "The Grunters' request To take off the Test. " [T. S. ]]

Upon which piece of oratory and reasoning I form the following query. Whether, in case of an invasion from the Pretender (which is not quiteso probable as from the Grand Signior) the Dissenters can, with prudenceand safety, offer the same plea; except they shall have made a previousstipulation with the invaders? And, Whether the full freedom of theirreligion and trade, their lives, properties, wives and children, arenot, and have not always been reckoned sufficient motives for repellinginvasions, especially in our sectaries, who call themselves the truestProtestants, by virtue of their pretended or real fierceness againstPopery?

Whether omitting or neglecting to celebrate the day of the martyrdom ofthe blessed King Charles the First, enjoined by Act of Parliament, canbe justly reckoned a particular and distinguishing mark of goodaffection to the present government?

Whether in those churches, where the said day is observed, it will fullyanswer the intent of the said Act; if the preacher shall commend, excuse, palliate, or extenuate the murder of that royal Martyr; and laythe guilt of that horrid rebellion, with all its consequences, thefollowing usurpations, the entire destruction of the Church, the crueland continual persecutions of those who could be discovered to professits doctrines, with the ensuing Babel of fanaticism, to the account ofthat blessed King; who, by granting the Petition of Right, and passingevery bill that could be asked for the security of the subject, had, bythe confession even of those wicked men, before the war began, left themnothing more to demand?

Whether such a preacher as I have named, (whereof there have been morethan _one_ not many years past, even in the presence of viceroys) whotakes that course as a means for promotion; may not be thought to step alittle out of the common road, in a monarchy where the descendants ofthat most blessed Martyr have reigned to this day?

I ground the reason of making these queries, on the title of the act; towhich I refer the reader. 

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

THE ADVANTAGES

PROPOSED BY REPEALING THE SACRAMENTAL

TEST, IMPARTIALLY CONSIDERED. 

BY THE REV. DR. SWIFT, DEAN OF ST. PATRICK'S, Dublin, Printed; London, Re-printed for J. Roberts at the Oxford Arms inWarwick Lane. 1732. (Price Six-pence. )

NOTE. 

The text here given is that of the London reprint of the originaledition, which has been collated with that given by Faulkner (vol. Iv. , 1735). In 1790 the tract was reprinted by J. Walters, and it isevidently from this reprint that Scott obtained his text; for the twoagree in almost every particular. 

[T. S. ]

 THE ADVANTAGES PROPOSED BY REPEALING THE SACRAMENTAL TEST, IMPARTIALLY CONSIDERED. 

Whoever writes impartially upon this subject, must do it not only as amere secular man, but as one who is altogether indifferent to anyparticular system of Christianity. And, I think, in whatever countrythat religion predominates, there is one certain form of worship andceremony, which is looked upon as the established, and consequently onlythe priests of that particular form, are maintained at the publiccharge, and all civil employments are bestowed among those who comply(at least outwardly) with the same establishment. 

This method is strictly observed, even by our neighbours the Dutch, whoare confessed to allow the fullest liberty to conscience of anyChristian state; and yet are never known to admit any persons intoreligious or civil offices, who do not conform to the legal worship. Asto their military men, they are indeed not so scrupulous, being, by thenature of their government, under a necessity of hiring foreign troopsof whatever religious denomination, upon every great emergency, andmaintaining no small number in time of peace. 

This caution therefore of making one established faith, seems to beuniversal, and founded upon the strongest reasons; the mistaken, oraffected zeal of obstinacy, and enthusiasm, having produced such anumber of horrible, destructive events, throughout all Christendom. For, whoever begins to think the national worship is wrong, in any importantarticle of practice or belief, will, if he be serious, naturally have azeal to make as many proselytes as he can, and a nation may possiblyhave an hundred different sects with their leaders; every one of whichhath an equal right to plead; they must "obey God rather than man, " must"cry aloud and spare not, " must "lift up their voice like a trumpet"

This was the very case of England, during the fanatic times. And againstall this, there seems to be no defence, but that of supporting oneestablished form of doctrine and discipline; leaving the rest to a bareliberty of conscience, but without any maintenance or encouragement fromthe public. 

Wherever this national religion grows so corrupt, or is thought to do soby a very great majority of learned[1] people, joined to the governingparty, whether prince or senate, or both, it ought to be changed, provided the work might be done without blood or tumults. [2] Yet, whenever such a change shall be made, some other establishment mustsucceed (although for the worse), allowing all deviations that wouldbreak the union to be only tolerated. In this sense, those who affirm, that every law, which is contrary to the law of God, is void in itself, seem to be mistaken. For, many laws in Popish kingdoms and states, manymore among the Turks, and perhaps not a few in other countries, aredirectly against the divine laws; and yet, God knows, are very far frombeing void in the executive parts. 

[Footnote 1: Scott has "landed. " [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 2: Scott has "confusion. " [T. S. ]]

Thus, for instance, if the three estates of Parliament in England(whereof the lords spiritual[3] are one) should agree, and obtain theroyal assent to abolish Episcopacy, together with the liturgy, and thewhole frame of the English church, as "burthensome, dangerous, andcontrary to Holy Scripture"; and that Presbytery, Anabaptism, Quakerism, Independency, [4] or any other subdivided sect among us, should beestablished in its place; without question, all peaceable subjects oughtpassively to submit, and the predominant sect must become the religionestablished, the public maintaining no other teachers, nor admitting anypersons of a different religious profession, into civil offices; atleast, if their intention be to preserve the nation in peace. 

[Footnote 3: Scott inserts here the words: "who represent the Church. "[T. S. ]]

[Footnote 4: Scott inserts here "Muggletonianism, Brownism, Familism. "[T. S. ]]

Supposing then, that the present system of religion were abolished; andPresbytery, which stands much the fairest, with its synods and classes, and all its forms and ceremonies, essential or circumstantial, wereerected into the national worship: Their teachers, and no others, couldhave any legal claim to be supported at the public charge, whether bystipends or tithes; and only the rest of the same faith to be capable ofcivil employments. 

If there be any true reasoning in what I have laid down, it should seem, that the project now in agitation for repealing the Test Act, and yetleaving the name of an establishment to the present national church, isaltogether inconsistent, and may admit of consequences, which those, whoare the most indifferent to any religion at all, are possibly not awareof. 

I presume, whenever the Test shall be repealed, which obliges all men, who enter into office under the Crown, to receive the sacramentaccording to the rites of the Church of Ireland, the way to employmentswill immediately be left open to all dissenters, (except Papists) whoseconsciences can suffer them to take the common oaths in such casesprescribed, after which they are qualified to fill any lay station inthis kingdom, from that of chief governor, to an exciseman. 

Thus of the three judges on each bench, the first may be a Presbyterian, the second a Free-will Baptist, and the third a Churchman; the LordChancellor may be an Independent; the revenues may be managed by sevencommissioners of as many different sects; and the like of all otheremployments. Not to mention the strong probability, that the lawfulnessof taking oaths may be _revealed_ to the Quakers, who then will standupon as good a foot for preferment, as any other loyal subject. It iseasy[5] to imagine, under such a motley administration of affairs, whata clashing there will be of interests and inclinations, what puttingsand haulings backwards and forwards, what a zeal and bias in eachreligionist, to advance his own tribe, and depress the others. For, Isuppose nothing will be readier granted, than that how indifferentsoever most men are in faith and morals, yet whether out of artifice, natural complexion, or love of contradiction, none are more obstinate inmaintaining their own opinions, and worrying all who differ from them, than those who publicly shew the least sense, either of religion orcommon honesty. 

[Footnote 5: Scott has "obvious. " [T. S. ]]

As to the latter, Bishop Burnet tells us, that the Presbyterians, in thefanatic times, professed themselves to be above morality; which, as wefind in some of their writings, was numbered among the "beggarlyelements"; and accordingly at this day, no scruples of conscience withregard to conformity, are in any trade or calling, inconsistent with thegreatest fraud, oppression, perjury, or any other vice. 

This brings to my memory a passage in Montaigne, of a common prostitute, who, in the storming of a town, when a soldier came up to her chamber, and offered violence to her chastity, rather chose to venture her neck, by leaping out of the window, than suffer a rape; yet still continuedher trade of lewdness, whilst she had any customers left. [6]

[Footnote 6: The passage referred to by Swift is to be found in thefirst chapter of the second book of Florio's translation of Montaigne's"Essays"--"Of the Inconstancie of our Actions. " [T. S. ]]

I confess, that in my private judgment, an unlimited permission of allsects whatsoever (except Papists) to enjoy employments, would be lesspernicious to the public, than a fair struggle between two contenders;because in the former case, such a jumble of principles, might possiblyhave the effect of contrary poisons mingled together, which a strongconstitution might perhaps be able for some time to survive. 

But however, I shall take the other, and more probable supposition, thatthis battle for employments, is to be fought only between thePresbyterians, and those of the church _yet_ established. I shall notenter into the merits of either side, by examining which of the two isthe better spiritual economy, or which is most suited to the civilconstitution: But the question turns upon this point: When thePresbyterians shall have got their share of employments (which, must beone full half, or else they cannot look upon themselves as fairly dealtwith) I ask, whether they ought not by their own principles, and by thestrictest rules of conscience, to use the utmost of their skill, power, and influence, in order to reduce the whole kingdom to an uniformity inreligion, both as to doctrine and discipline, most agreeable to the wordof God. Wherein, if they can succeed without blood (as, under thepresent disposition of things, it is very possible they may) it is to behoped they will at last be satisfied: Only I would warn them of a fewdifficulties. The first is for compromising that important controversyabout the _Old Light_ and the _New_;[7] which otherwise may, after thisestablishment, split them as wide as Papist and Protestant, Whig andTory, or Churchmen and Dissenters; and consequently the work will be tobegin again. For in religious quarrels, it is of little moment how fewor small the differences are, especially when the dispute is only aboutpower. Thus the jealous Presbyterians of the north, are more alienatedfrom the established clergy, than from the Romish priests; taxing theformer with idolatrous worship, as disguised Papists, ceremony-mongers, and many other terms of arts, and this for a very powerful reason, because the clergy stand in their way, which the Popish priests do not. Thus I am assured, that the quarrel between _Old_ and _New Light men_, is managed with more rage and rancour, than any other dispute of thehighest importance; and this because it serves to lessen or increasetheir several congregations, from whom they receive their contributions. 

[Footnote 7: See "The Correspondent, " Nos. 1 and 2, 1733, and noteprefixed to present reprint of "Narrative of Several Attempts for theRepeal of the Sacramental Test" [T. S. ]]

Another difficulty which may embarrass the Presbyterians after theirestablishment, will be how to adjust their claim of the kirk'sindependency on the civil power, with the constitution of this monarchy;a point so delicate, that it hath often filled the heads of greatpatriots with dangerous notions of the church-clergy, without the leastground of suspicion. 

As to the Presbyterians allowing liberty of conscience to those ofEpiscopal principles, when their own kirk is predominant, their writersare so universally agreed in the negative, as well as their practiceduring Oliver's reign, that I believe no reasonable Churchman, (who mustthen be a dissenter) will expect it. 

I shall here take notice, that in the division of employments among thePresbyterians, after this approaching repeal of the Test Act, supposingthem, in proper time, to have an equal share, I compute the odds will bethree or four to one on their side, in any further scheme they may havetowards making their religion national. For I reckon, all thosegentlemen sent over from England, whatever religion they profess, orhave been educated in, to be of that party: Since it is no mark ofprudence, for any persons to oppose the current of a nation, where theyare in some sort only sojourners, unless they have it in direction. 

If there be any maxim in politics, not to be controlled, it must be thefollowing: That those whose private interest is united with the interestof their country, supposing them to be of equal understanding with therest of their neighbours, will heartily wish, that the nation shouldthrive. Out of these are indubitably excepted all persons who are sentfrom another kingdom, to be employed in places of profit or power;because they can possibly bear no affection to the place where theysojourn, even for life; their sole business being to advance themselves, by following the advice of their principals. I except, likewise, thosepersons who are taken into offices, although natives of the land, because they are greater gainers while they keep their offices, thanthey could possibly be by mending the miserable condition of theircountry. 

I except, Thirdly, all hopers, who, by balancing accounts withthemselves, turn the scale on the same side; because the strongexpectation of a good certain salary, will outweigh the loss by badrents, received out of lands in moneyless times. 

If my lords, the bishops, who, I hear, are now employed in a scheme forregulating the conduct and maintenance of the inferior clergy, shall intheir wisdom and piety, and love of the church, consent to this repealof the Test, I have not the least doubt, that the whole reverend bodywill cheerfully submit to their spiritual fathers, of whose paternaltenderness for their welfare, they have already found so many amazinginstances. 

I am not, therefore, under the least concern about the clergy on thisaccount. They will (_for some time_) be no great sufferers by thisrepeal; because I cannot recollect among all our sects, any one thatgives latitude enough to take the oaths required at an institution to achurch-living; and, until that bar shall be removed, the presentEpiscopal clergy are safe for two years. Although it may be thoughtsomewhat unequal, that in the northern parts, where there may be threeDissenters to one Churchman, the whole revenue should be engrossed byone who hath so small a part of the cure. 

It is true, indeed, that this disadvantage, which the Dissenters atpresent lie under, of a disability to receive church-preferments, willbe easily remedied by the repeal of the Test. For the dissentingteachers are under no incapacity of accepting civil and militaryemployments, wherein they agree perfectly with the Popish clergy, amongwhom great cardinals and prelates have been commanders of armies, chiefministers, knights of many orders, ambassadors, secretaries of state, and in most high offices under the Crown, although they assert theindelible character, which no sectaries among us did ever assume. But, that many, both Presbyterians and Independents, commanders, as well asprivate soldiers, were professed preachers in the time of theirdominion, is allowed by all. Cromwell himself was a preacher, and hathleft us one of his sermons in print[8]: So was Col. Howard, Sir GeorgeDowning, [9] and several others whose names are on record. I can, therefore, see no reason why a painful Presbyterian teacher, as soon asthe Test shall be repealed, may not be privileged, to hold along withhis spiritual office and stipend, a commission in the army, or the civillist _in commendam_: For, as I take it, the Church of England is theonly body of Christians, which, in effect, disqualifies those who areemployed to preach its doctrine, from sharing in the civil power, further than as senators; which, however, was an institution[10] begunin times of Popery, many hundred years before the Reformation, and wovenwith the very institution of this limited monarchy. 

[Footnote 8: Scott inserts here the words: "exactly in the same styleand manner with those of our modern Presbyterian teachers. " [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 9: Sir George Downing (1623?-1684) born in England, completedhis education at Harvard, Mass. , U. S. A. In 1650, we hear of himas scout-master general of Cromwell's army in Scotland. He wrote many ofthe letters in "Mercurius Politicus. " Distinguished himself principallyas Cromwell's ambassador in France and Holland. Through Thomas Howard, however, he obtained an opportunity while legate in Holland for the RumpParliament, for ingratiating himself in Charles II. 's favour. ThisHoward was brother to the Earl of Suffolk. As a consequence of thisfavour, Downing was made a baronet at the Restoration; and although aman of undoubted ability, his character has come down to us by no meansfree from taint. Many of his despatches are quoted by Clarendon in thatwriter's great history. Downing also wrote: "A Reply to the Remarks ofthe Deputies of the States-General upon Sir G. Downing's Memorial, "1665, ; and "Discourses vindicating his Royal Master from a Libel, " 1672. [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 10: Scott has, instead of "which, however, was aninstitution, " the words, "yet this was a privilege. " [T. S. ]]

There is indeed another method, by which the stipends of dissentingteachers may be raised, and the farmer much relieved; If it should bethought proper to reward a people so deserving, and so loyal by theirprinciples. Every bishop, upon the vacancy of a church-living, cansequester the profits for the use of the next incumbent. Upon a lapse ofhalf a year, the donation falls to the archbishop, and after a full yearto the Crown, during pleasure; therefore it would be no hardship for anyclergyman alive, if, in those parts of Ireland, where the number ofsectaries much exceed that of the conformists, the profits, whensequestered, might be applied to the support of the dissenting teacher, who hath so many souls to take care of, whereby the poor tenants wouldbe much relieved in these hard times, and in a better condition to paytheir rents. 

But there is another difficulty in this matter, against which a remedydoth not so readily occur. For, supposing the Test Act repealed, and theDissenters in consequence fully qualified for all secular employments, the question may still be put, whether those of Ireland will be oftenthe persons on whom they shall be bestowed; because it is imagined, there may be another _seminary_[11] in view, _more numerous_ and _moreneedy_, as well as _more meriting_, and more easily contented with suchlow offices, as some nearer neighbours hardly think it worth stirringfrom their chimney-sides to obtain. And, I am told, it is the commonpractice of those who are skilled in the management of bees, that whenthey see a foreign swarm at some distance, approaching with an intentionto plunder their hives, these artists have a trick to divert them intosome neighbouring apiary, there to make what havoc they please. This Ishould not have hinted, if I had not known it already, to have gottenground in many suspecting heads: For it is the peculiar talent of thisnation, to see dangers afar off: To all which I can only say, that ournative Presbyterians, must, by pains and industry, raise such a fund of_merit_, as will answer to a birth six degrees more to the north. Ifthey cannot arrive at this perfection, as several of the establishedchurch have compassed by indefatigable pains, I do not well see howtheir affairs will much mend by repealing the Test; for, to be qualifiedby law for[12] an employment, and yet to be disqualified in fact, as itwill much increase the mortification, so it will withdraw the pity ofmany among their well-wishers, and utterly deprive them of that merit, they have so long made of being a loyal, true Protestant people, persecuted only for religion. 

[Footnote 11: Scotland. ]

[Footnote 12: Scott has "to accept. " [T. S. ]]

If this happen to be their case, they must wait maturity of time, tillthey can by prudent, gentle steps make their faith become the religionestablished in the nation, after which, I do not in the least doubt, their taking the most effectual methods to secure their power againstthose who must then be Dissenters in their turn, whereof, if we may forma future opinion from present times, and the disposition of Dissenters, who love to make a thorough reformation, the number and qualities willbe very inconsiderable. 

Thus I have with the utmost sincerity, after long thinking, given myjudgment upon this arduous affair; but with the utmost deference andsubmission to public wisdom and power. 

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

REASONS HUMBLY OFFERED TO THE

PARLIAMENT OF IRELAND FOR

REPEALING THE SACRAMENTAL

TEST, &C. 

NOTE. 

In the 4to edition of Swift's works (1755) is given the following note:

"The author having before examined 'The Presbyterians' Plea of Merit'with respect to their own principles and practices, has in this tractput them in the balance against Papists. "

In a reprint of this tract in the second volume of "Political Tracts, " 2vols. 8vo, 1738, London, is the following "Advertisement"--neitherScott, Faulkner, nor Hawkesworth give this. Probably it appeared in thefirst edition; but as I have not been able to come across this, I am notcertain. 

"In the years 1732, and 1733, an attempt was made for repealing the TestAct in Ireland, introductory of a like attempt in England. The variousarguments for it were answered in every shape; but no way moreeffectually than by examining what pretence the Presbyterians had toshare in all the privileges of government, either from their ownprinciples and behaviour, or compared with those of other sectaries. Under the former head they were fully silenced by our author in 'ThePresbyterians' Plea of Merit Impartially Examined'. They are now put inthe balance with Papists, whom though they have sometimes styled theirbrethren in adversity, yet when placed in competition, they will hate asbrethren likewise. But let them here dispute the preference, and then putin their claim to be part of the establishment. " "The argumentspretended to be urged by the Roman Catholics, in this tract, " says MonckMason, "consist partly of true statements and partly of ironicalallusions, which are combined together into such a trellis work, as torender it almost unassailable. "

The text here given is that from the 4to edition (1755) of Swift'sWorks, collated with that in the second volume of "Political Tracts"above referred to. 

[T. S. ]

 REASONS Humbly offered to the PARLIAMENT of IRELAND _For Repealing the_ SACRAMENTAL TEST, &c. IN FAVOUR OF THE CATHOLICS, OTHERWISE CALLED ROMAN CATHOLICS, AND BY THEIR ILL-WISHERS PAPISTS. 

 Drawn partly from Arguments as they are Catholics, and partly from Arguments common to them with their Brethren the Dissenters. 

 WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1733. 

It is well known, that the first conquerors of this kingdom were EnglishCatholics, subjects to English Catholic kings, from whom, by theirvalour and success, they obtained large portions of land given them as areward for their many victories over the Irish: To which merit ourbrethren the Dissenters of any denomination whatsoever, have not theleast pretensions. 

It is confessed, that the posterity of those first victorious Catholicswere often forced to rise in their own defence, against new coloniesfrom England, who treated them like mere native Irish, with innumerableoppressions; depriving them of their lands, and driving them by force ofarms into the most desolate parts of the kingdom. Till in the nextgeneration, the children of these tyrants were used in the same mannerby new English adventurers, which practice continued for many centuries. But it is agreed on all hands, that no insurrections were ever made, except after great oppressions by fresh invaders. Whereas all therebellions of Puritans, Presbyterians, Independents, and othersectaries, constantly began before any provocations were given, exceptthat they were not suffered to change the government in Church andState, and seize both into their own hands; which, however, at last theydid, with the murder of their King and of many thousands of his bestsubjects. 

The Catholics were always defenders of monarchy, as constituted in thesekingdoms. Whereas our brethren the Dissenters were always republicans, both in principle and practice. It is well known that all the Catholicsof these kingdoms, both priests and laity, are true Whigs in the bestand most proper sense of the word; bearing as well in their hearts, asin their outward profession, an entire loyalty to the royal house ofHanover in the person and posterity of George II. Against the Pretenderand all his adherents. To which they think themselves bound in gratitudeas well as conscience, by the lenity wherewith they have been treatedsince the death of Queen Anne, so different from what they suffered inthe four last years of that Princess, during the administration of that_wicked_ minister, the Earl of Oxford. 

The Catholics of this kingdom humbly hope, that they have at least asfair a title as any of their brother Dissenters, to the appelation ofProtestants. They have always protested against the selling, dethroning, or murdering their Kings: Against the usurpations and avarice of thecourt of Rome: Against Deism, Atheism, Socinianism, Quakerism, Muggletonianism, Fanaticism, Brownism, as well as against all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics. Whereas the title of Protestants assumedby the whole herd of Dissenters (except ourselves) dependeth entirelyupon their protesting against archbishops, bishops, deans, and chapters, with their revenues; and the whole hierarchy. Which are the veryexpressions used in The Solemn League and Covenant, [1] where the wordPopery is only mentioned _ad invidiam_; because the Catholics agree withthe Episcopal church in those fundamentals. 

[Footnote 1: A solemn league and covenant entered into between theScots and English fanatics, in the rebellion against King Charles I. , 1643, by which they solemnly engaged, among other things, "To endeavourthe extirpation of prelacy, that is, church government by archbishops, bishops, deans, archdeacons, and all other episcopal officers, depending on that hierarchy. " [H. ]]

Although the Catholics cannot deny, that in the great rebellion againstKing Charles I. More soldiers of their religion were in the Parliamentarmy than in His Majesty's troops; and that many Jesuits and friars wentabout in the disguise of Presbyterian and Independent ministers, topreach up rebellion; as the best historians of those times inform us;yet the bulk of Catholics in both kingdoms preserved their loyaltyentire. 

The Catholics have some reason to think it a little hard, when theirenemies will not please to distinguish between the rebellious riotcommitted by that brutal ruffian, Sir Phelim O'Neal[2] with histumultuous crew of rabble; and the forces raised afterwards by theCatholic lords and gentlemen of the English pale, in defence of the Kingafter the English rebellion began. It is well known, that His Majesty'saffairs were in great distraction some time before, by an invasion ofthe covenanting, Scottish, kirk rebels, and by the base terms the Kingwas forced to accept, that they might be kept in quiet, at a juncturewhen he was every hour threatened at home by that fanatic party, whichsoon after set all in a flame. And, if the Catholic army in Irelandfought for their King against the forces sent over by the Parliament, then in actual rebellion against him, what person of loyal principlescan be so partial to deny, that they did their duty, by joining with theMarquis of Ormonde, and other commanders, who bore their commissionsfrom the King? For which, great numbers of them lost their lives, andforfeited their estates; a great part of the latter being now possessedby many descendants from those very men who had drawn their swords inthe service of that rebellious Parliament which cut off his head, anddestroyed monarchy. And what is more amazing, although the same persons, when the Irish were entirely subdued, continued in power under the Rump;were chief confidants, and faithful subjects to Cromwell, yet being wiseenough to foresee a restoration, they seized the forts and castles here, out of the hands of their old brethren in rebellion, for the service ofthe King; just saving the tide, and putting in a stock of merit, sufficient not only to preserve the lands which the Catholics lost bytheir loyalty; but likewise to preserve their civil and militaryemployments, or be higher advanced. 

[Footnote 2: Sir Phelim O'Neill (1604?-1683) one of the mostpicturesque characters of Irish history. For his share in the rebellionof 1641 he was expelled from the Irish House of Commons. The rebellionwas an attempt to assist Charles as against the Parliament, and O'Neillforged a commission, purporting to come from the King, authorizing theIrish to rise in his favour. The Scottish settlers in Ulster, on whomO'Neill relied for aid disappointed him, and he thereupon set to work toreduce all their towns. The famous siege of Drogheda was one of the manyincidents of his campaign. He joined forces with his kinsman, Owen RoeO'Neill, but a jealous difference on his part urged Sir Phelim tosupport Ormonde, in 1640, in that general's endeavours for a peace. SirPhelim, however, was not included in the benefit of the Articles ofKilkenny, and a price was placed on his head. He was betrayed by PhilipRoe McHugh O'Neill, brought to Dublin, and executed as a traitor. [T. S. ]]

Those insurrections wherewith the Catholics are charged from thebeginning of the seventeenth century to the great English rebellion, were occasioned by many oppressions they lay under. They had nointention to introduce a new religion, but to enjoy the liberty ofpreserving the old; the very same which their ancestors professed fromthe time that Christianity was first introduced into this island, whichwas by Catholics; but whether mingled with corruptions, as some pretend, doth not belong to the question. They had no design to change thegovernment; they never attempted to fight against, to imprison, tobetray, to sell, to bring to a trial, or to murder their King. Theschismatics acted by a spirit directly contrary; they united in a SolemnLeague and Covenant, to alter the whole system of spiritual government, established in all Christian nations, and of apostolic institution;concluding the tragedy with the murder of the King in cold blood, andupon mature deliberation; at the same time changing the monarchy into acommonwealth. 

The Catholics of Ireland, in the great rebellion, lost their estates forfighting in defence of their King. The schismatics, who cut off thefather's head, forced the son to fly for his life, and overturned thewhole ancient frame of government, religious and civil; obtained grantsof those very estates which the Catholics lost in defence of the ancientconstitution, many of which estates are at this day possessed by theposterity of those schismatics: And thus, they gained by their rebellionwhat the Catholics lost by their loyalty. [3]

[Footnote 3: This paragraph is omitted in edition of 1743, but it isprinted in that of 1755. [T. S. ]]

We allow the Catholics to be brethren of the Dissenters; some people, indeed, (which we cannot allow) would have them to be our children, because _we_ both dissent from the Church established, and both agree inabolishing this persecuting Sacramental Test; by which negativediscouragement we are both rendered incapable of civil and militaryemployments. However, we cannot but wonder at the bold familiarity ofthese schismatics, in calling the members of the National Church theirbrethren and fellow Protestants. It is true, that all these sects(except the Catholics) are brethren to each other in faction, ignorance, iniquity, perverseness, pride, and (if we except the Quakers) inrebellion. But, how the churchmen can be styled their fellowProtestants, we cannot comprehend. Because, when the whole Babel ofsectaries joined against the Church, the King, and the nobility fortwenty years, in a match at football; where the proverb expressly tellsus, that _all are fellows_; while the three kingdoms were tossed to andfro, the churches, and cities, and royal palaces shattered to pieces bytheir balls, their buffets, and their kicks; the victors would allow nomore _fellows at football_: But murdered, sequestered, plundered, deprived, banished to the plantations, or enslaved all their opposerswho had lost the game. 

It is said the world is governed by opinion; and politicians assure us, that all power is founded thereupon. Wherefore, as all human creaturesare fond to distraction of their own opinions; and so much the more, asthose opinions are absurd, ridiculous, or of little moment; it mustfollow, that they are equally fond of power. But no opinions aremaintained with so much obstinacy as those in religion, especially bysuch zealots who never bore the least regard to religion, conscience, honour, justice, truth, mercy, or common morality, farther than inoutward appearance; under the mask of hypocrisy, to promote theirdiabolical designs. And therefore Bishop Burnet, one of their oracles, tells us honestly, that the _saints_ of those fanatic times, pronouncedthemselves above morality; which they reckoned among "beggarlyelements"; but the meaning of those two last words thus applied, weconfess to be above our understanding. 

Among those kingdoms and states which first embraced the Reformation, England appears to have received it in the most regular way; where itwas introduced in a peaceable manner, by the supreme power of a King, [4]and the three estates in Parliament; to which, as the highestlegislative authority, all subjects are bound passively to submit. Neither was there much blood shed on so great a change of religion. Buta considerable number of lords, and other persons of quality through thekingdom still continued in their old faith, and were, notwithstandingtheir difference in religion, employed in offices civil as well asmilitary, more or less in every reign, until the Test Act in the time ofKing Charles II. However, from the time of the Reformation, the numberof Catholics gradually and considerably lessened. So that in the reignof King Charles I. England became, in a great degree, a ProtestantKingdom, without taking the sectaries into the number; the legalitywhereof, with respect to human laws, the Catholics never disputed: Butthe Puritans, and other schismatics, without the least pretence to anysuch authority, by an open rebellion, destroyed that legal Reformation, as we observed before, murdered their King, and changed the monarchyinto a republic. It is therefore not to be wondered at, if theCatholics, in such a Babel of religions, chose to adhere to their ownfaith left to them by their ancestors, rather than seek for a betteramong a rabble of hypocritical, rebellious, deluding knaves, or deludedenthusiasts. 

[Footnote 4: Henry VIII [H. ]]

We repeat once more, that if a national religion be changed by thesupreme legislative power, we cannot dispute the human legality of sucha change. But we humbly conceive, that if any considerable party of menwhich differs from an establishment, either old or new, can deserveliberty of conscience, it ought to consist of those who for want ofconviction, or of a right understanding the merits of each cause, conceive themselves bound in conscience to adhere to the religion oftheir ancestors; because they are of all others least likely to beauthors of innovations, either in Church or State. 

On t'other side; If the reformation of religion be founded uponrebellion against the King, without whose consent, by the nature of ourconstitution, no law can pass. If this reformation be introduced by onlyone of the three estates, I mean the Commons, and not by one half evenof those Commons; and this by the assistance of a rebellious army:Again, if this reformation were carried on by the exclusion of noblesboth lay and spiritual (who constitute the two other parts of the threeestates) by the murder of their King, and by abolishing the whole systemof government; the Catholics cannot see why the successors of thoseschismatics, who are universally accused by all parties exceptthemselves, and a few infamous abettors, for still retaining the sameprinciples in religion and government, under which their predecessorsacted; should pretend to a better share of civil or military trust, profit and power than the Catholics, who during all that period oftwenty years, were continually persecuted with utmost severity, merelyon account of their loyalty and constant adherence to kingly power. 

We now come to those arguments for repealing the Sacramental Test, whichequally affect the Catholics, and their brethren the Dissenters. 

_First_, We agree with our fellow Dissenters; that "persecution merelyfor conscience' sake, is against the genius of the Gospel. "[5] And solikewise is "any law for depriving men of their natural and civil rightswhich they claim as men. " We are also ready enough to allow that "thesmallest negative discouragements for uniformity's sake are so manypersecutions. " Because, it cannot be denied, that the scratch of a pinis in some degree a real wound, as much as a stab through the heart. Inlike manner, an incapacity by law for any man to be made a judge, acolonel, or justice of the peace, "merely on a point of conscience, is anegative discouragement, " and consequently a real persecution: For, inthis case, the author of the pamphlet quoted in the margin[6] puts avery pertinent and powerful question: That, "If God be the sole lord ofthe conscience, why should the rights of conscience be subject to humanjurisdiction?" Now to apply this to the Catholics: The belief oftransubstantiation "is a matter purely of religion and conscience, whichdoth not affect the political interest of society as such. Therefore, Why should the rights of conscience, whereof God is the sole lord, besubject to human jurisdiction?" And why should God be deprived of thisright over a Catholic's conscience any more than over that of any otherDissenter?

[Footnote 5: _Vid_. Reasons for the Repeal of the Sacramental Test. [Note in edit. 1738. ]]

[Footnote 6: _Idem_. ]

And whereas another author among our brethren the Dissenters, hath veryjustly complained, that by this persecuting Test Act, great numbers oftrue Protestants have been forced to leave the kingdom, and fly to theplantations, rather than stay here branded with an incapacity for civiland military employments; we do affirm, that the Catholics can bringmany more instances of the same kind; some thousands of their religionhave been forced by the Sacramental Test, to retire into othercountries, rather than live here under the incapacity of wearing swords, sitting in Parliament, and getting that share of power and profit whichbelongs to them as fellow Christians, whereof they are deprived "merelyupon account of conscience, which would not allow them to take thesacrament after the manner prescribed in the liturgy. " Hence it clearlyfollows in the words of the same author, [7] "That if we Catholics areuncapable of employments, we are punished for our dissent, that is, forour conscience, which wholly turns upon political considerations. "

[Footnote 7: See "Reasons against the Test. " [Note in edit. 1738. ]]

The Catholics are willing to acknowledge the King's supremacy, whenevertheir brethren the Dissenters shall please to shew them the example. 

Further, The Catholics, whenever their religion shall come to be thenational established faith, are willing to undergo the same test offeredby the author already quoted. His words are these: "To end this debate, by putting it upon a foot which I hope will appear to every impartialperson a fair and equitable one; We Catholics propose, with submissionto the proper judges, that effectual security be taken againstpersecution, by obliging all who are admitted into places of power andtrust, whatever their religious profession be, in the most solemn mannerto disclaim persecuting principles. " It is hoped the public will takenotice of these words; "Whatever their religious profession be;" whichplainly include the Catholics; and for which we return thanks to ourdissenting brethren. 

And, whereas it is objected by those of the established Church, that ifthe schismatics and fanatics were once put into a capacity of possessingcivil and military employments; they would never be at ease till theyhad raised their own way of worship into the national religion throughall His Majesty's dominions, equal with the true orthodox Scottish kirk;which when they had once brought to pass, they would no more allowliberty of conscience to Episcopal Dissenters, than they did in the timeof the great English rebellion, and in the succeeding fanatic anarchytill the King was restored. There is another very learned schismaticalpamphleteer, [8] who in answer to a malignant libel, called, _ThePresbyterians' Plea of Merit, &c_. , clearly wipes off this aspersion; byassuring all Episcopal Protestants of the present Church, upon his ownword, and to his own knowledge, that our brethren the Dissenters willnever offer at such an attempt. In like manner, the Catholics whenlegally required, will openly declare upon their words and honours, that, as soon as their negative discouragements and their persecutionshall be removed by repealing the Sacramental Test, they will leave itentirely to the merits of the cause, whether the kingdom shall think fitto make their faith the established religion or not. 

[Footnote 8: "Vindication of the Protestant Dissenters. " This pamphlethas been mentioned in the note prefixed to "The Presbyterians' Plea ofMerit. " It was written as a reply to that tract, and to the"Narrative. "[T. S. ]]

And again, Whereas our Presbyterian brethren in many of their pamphlets, take much offence, that the great rebellion in England, the murder ofthe King, with the entire change of religion and government, areperpetually objected against them both in and out of season, by ourcommon enemy, the present conformists: We do declare in the defence ofour said brethren, that the reproach aforesaid is _an old worn-outthreadbare cant_, which they always disdained to answer: And I very wellremember, that, having once told a certain conformist, how much Iwondered to hear him and his tribe, dwelling perpetually on so beaten asubject; he was pleased to divert the discourse with a foolish story, which I cannot forbear telling to his disgrace. He said, there was aclergyman in Yorkshire, who for fifteen years together preached everySunday against drunkenness: Whereat the parishioners being muchoffended, complained to the archbishop; who having sent for theclergyman, and severely reprimanded him, the minister had no better ananswer, than by confessing the fact; adding, that all the parish weredrunkards; that he desired to reclaim them from one vice before he wouldbegin upon another; and, since they still continued to be as greatdrunkards as before, he resolved to go on, except his Grace would pleaseto forbid him. 

We are very sensible how heavy an accusation lieth upon the Catholics ofIreland; that some years before King Charles II. Was restored, whentheirs and the King's forces were entirely reduced, and the kingdomdeclared by the Rump to be settled; after all His Majesty's generalswere forced to fly to France, or other countries, the heads of the saidCatholics who remained here in an enslaved condition, joined to send aninvitation to the Duke of Lorrain; engaging, upon his appearing herewith his forces, to deliver up the whole island to his power, anddeclare him their sovereign; which, after the Restoration, was provedagainst them by Dean Boyle, since primate, who produced the veryoriginal instrument at the board. The Catholics freely acknowledge thefact to be true; and, at the same time appeal to all the world, whethera wiser, a better, a more honourable, or a more justifiable projectcould have been thought of. They were then reduced to slavery andbeggary by the English rebels, many thousands of them murdered, the restdeprived of their estates, and driven to live on a small pittance in thewilds of Connaught; at a time when either the Rump or Cromwellabsolutely governed the three kingdoms. And the question will turn uponthis, Whether the Catholics, deprived of all their possessions, governedwith a rod of iron, and in utter despair of ever seeing the monarchyrestored, for the preservation of which they had suffered so much, wereto be blamed for calling in a foreign prince of their own religion, whohad a considerable army to support them; rather than submit to soinfamous an usurper as Cromwell, or such a bloody and ignominiousconventicle as the Rump. And I have often heard, not only our friendsthe Dissenters, but even our common enemy the Conformists, who areconversant in the history of those times, freely confess, thatconsidering the miserable situation the Irish were then in, they couldnot have thought of a braver or more virtuous attempt; by which theymight have been instruments of restoring the lawful monarch, at least tothe recovery of England and Scotland, from those betrayers, and sellers, and murderers of his royal father. 

To conclude, Whereas the last quoted author complains very heavily andfrequently of a _brand_ that lies upon them, it is a great mistake: Forthe first original brand hath been long taken off. Only we confess, thescar will probably remain and be visible for ever to those who know theprinciples by which they acted, and until those principles shall beopenly renounced; else it must continue to all generations, like themark set upon Cain, which some authors say descended to all hisposterity: Or like the Roman nose and Austrian lip, or like the long bagof flesh hanging down from the gills of the people in Piedmont. But asfor any brands fixed on schismatics for several years past, they havebeen all made with cold iron; like thieves, who by the benefit of theclergy are condemned to be only burned in the hand; but escape the painand the mark, by being in fee with the jailor. Which advantage theschismatical teachers will never want, who, as we are assured, and ofwhich there is a very fresh instance, have the souls, and bodies, andpurses of the people a hundred times more at their mercy, than theCatholic priests could ever pretend to. 

Therefore, upon the whole, the Catholics do humbly petition (without theleast insinuation of threatening) that upon this favourable juncturetheir incapacity for civil and military employments may be wholly takenoff, for the very same reasons (besides others more cogent) that are nowoffered by their brethren the Dissenters. 

_And your petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, &c_. [9]

Dublin, Nov. 1733. 

[Footnote 9: In this controversy the author was again victorious, forthe Test was not repealed. [H. ]]

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SOME FEW THOUGHTS

CONCERNING THE REPEAL OF THE TEST. [1]

[Footnote 1: The text is that of the quarto edition (1765) of Swift'sWorks. [T. S. ]]

Those of either side who have written upon this subject of the Test, inmaking or answering objections, seem to fail by not pressingsufficiently the chief point upon which the controversy turns. Thearguments used by those who write for the Church are very good in theirkind, but will have little force under the present corruptions ofmankind, because the authors treat this subject _tanquam in republicâ, Platonis, et non in fæce Romuli_. 

It must be confessed, that, considering how few employments of anyconsequence fall to the share of those English who are born in thiskingdom, and those few very dearly purchased, at the expense ofconscience, liberty, and all regard for the public good, they are notworth contending for: And, if nothing but profit were in the case, itwould hardly cost me one sigh when I should see those few scraps thrownamong every species of fanatics, to scuffle for among themselves. 

And this will infallibly be the case, after repealing the Test. 

For, every subdivision of sect will, with equal justice, pretend to havea share; and, as it is usual with sharers, will never think they haveenough, while any pretender is left unprovided. I shall not except theQuakers; because, when the passage is once let open for all sects topartake in public emoluments, it is very probable the lawfulness oftaking oaths, and wearing carnal weapons, [2] may be revealed to thebrotherhood; which thought, I confess, was first put into my head by oneof the shrewdest Quakers in this kingdom. [3]

[Footnote 2: The Quakers were more likely to admit this relaxation oftheir peculiar tenets, as, upon their first appearance as a sect, theydid not by any means profess the principle of non-resistance, which theyafterwards adopted. [S. ]]

[Footnote 3: The Quaker hinted at by Dr. Swift was Mr. George Rooke, alinen-draper. In a letter to Mr. Pope, Aug. 30, 1716, Dr. Swift says, "There is a young ingenious Quaker in this town, who writes verses tohis mistress, not very correct, but in a strain purely what a poeticalQuaker should do, commending her look and habit, &c. It gave me a hint, that a set of Quaker pastorals might succeed, if our friend Gay wouldfancy it; and I think it a fruitful subject: pray hear what hesays. "--Accordingly Gay wrote "The Espousal, a sober Eclogue, betweentwo of the People called Quakers. " [S. ]]

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TEN REASONS FOR REPEALING

THE TEST ACT. [1]

[Footnote 1: "This Tract is from a rare broadside copy. It appears to bewritten by the Dean, and the arguments correspond with those he useselsewhere" So says Scott; but Monck Mason considers this tract no morethe work of Swift than several others he mentions. See note prefixed to"The Presbyterians' Plea of Merit. " [T. S. ]]

I. 

Because the Presbyterians are people of such great interest in thiskingdom, that there are not above ten of their persuasion in the Houseof Commons, and but one in the House of Lords; though they are notobliged to take the sacrament in the Established Church to qualify themto be members of either House. 

2. Because those of the Established Church of this kingdom are sodisaffected to the King, that not one of them worth mentioning, exceptthe late Duke of Ormond, [2] has been concerned in the rebellion; andthat our Parliament, though there be so few Presbyterians, has, upon alloccasions, proved its loyalty to King George, and has readily agreed toand enacted what might support his government. 

[Footnote 2: James Butler, Duke of Ormond (1610-1688), waslieutenant-general of the army of Ireland during the rebellion of 1641. After his defeat of General Preston, in 1643, he was appointedLord-Lieutenant of Ireland; but retired to France on the fall of theStuart dynasty. The execution of Charles caused Ormond to land again inIreland for the purpose of rousing that country in favour of the royalcause; but he forsook it on the landing of Cromwell. At the Restorationhe came over with Charles, and was raised, for his services, to thedukedom. He was, however, deprived of his lord-lieutenancy for hisfriendship for the exiled Clarendon. He had a narrow escape for his lifefrom the plots of Colonel Blood, whom he forgave at the request of theKing. In 1682 he was rewarded by being promoted to an English dukedom. [T. S. ]]

3. Because very few of the Presbyterians have lost an employment worth£20 per annum, for not qualifying themselves according to the Test Act;nor will they accept of a militia commission, though they do of one inthe army. 

4. Because, if they are not in the militia and other places of trust, the Pretender and his adherents will destroy us; when he has no one tosupport him but the King of Spain; when King George is at a goodunderstanding with Sweden, Prussia, and Denmark; and when he has madethe best alliances in Christendom. When the Emperor, King of GreatBritain, the French King, the King of Sardinia, are all in the quadruplealliance against the Spaniard, his upstart cardinal, [3] and thePretender; when bloody plots against Great Britain and France are blownup; when the Spanish fleet is quite dispersed; when the French army isoverrunning Spain; and when the rebels in Scotland are cut off. 

[Footnote 3: Cardinal Julius Alberoni (1664-1752), born at Parma, obtained the favour, when a humble parish priest, of the Duke ofVendôme, by informing that general of the whereabouts of some corn, whichthe country folk had hidden. He followed the Duke to Spain, andwas successful in bringing about the marriage between the Princess ofParma and Philip V. For this service he was made Prime Minister ofSpain, a cardinal, and Archbishop of Valencia. He entered heartily intoPhilip's designs for recovering Spain's lost territory, and showedeven more boldness than his royal master in their execution. Hisreduction of Sardinia precipitated the alliance between England, France, Holland, and afterwards, Austria. Spain, with Alberoni as its guidingspirit, supported the Jacobite cause to harass England, and conqueredSicily. But at Messina the Spanish fleet was destroyed by the English, and in the north of Spain the forces of Philip were repulsed by theFrench. In the end, Spain gave way, and Alberoni was dismissed to retireto Rome, and to be safely lodged in the Jesuits' College there. On hisrelease he returned to his native town, but died at Rome. [T. S. ]]

5. The test clause should be repealed, because it is a defence againstthe reformation the Presbyterians long since promised the churches ofEngland and Ireland, viz. "We, noblemen, barons, knights, gentlemen, citizens, burgesses, ministers of the Gospel, commons of all sorts inthe kingdoms of Scotland, England, and Ireland, &c. [4] each one of usfor himself, with our hands lifted up to the most high God, do swear, first, That we shall sincerely, really, and constantly, through thegrace of God, endeavour, in our several places and callings, thepreservation of the reformed religion in the Church of Scotland, indoctrine, worship, discipline, and government. Secondly, That we shallin like manner, without respect of persons, endeavour the extirpation ofPopery, Prelacy; that is, church-government by archbishops, theirchancellors, and commissaries, deans, deacons, and chapters, archdeacons, and all other ecclesiastical officers depending on thathierarchy. "

[Footnote 4: _Vide_ "Confession of Faith, " pp. 304, 305. ]

6. Because the Presbyterian Church-Government may be independent of thestate. The Lord Jesus is King and Head of his Church;[5] hath thereinappointed a government in the hands of church-officers, distinct fromthe civil magistrate. As magistrates may lawfully call a synod ofministers to consult and advise with about matters of religion; so, ifmagistrates be open enemies to the Church, the ministers of Christ ofthemselves, by virtue of their office, or they with other fit persons, upon delegation from their churches, may meet together in suchassemblies. [6]

[Footnote 5: "Confession of Faith, " p. 87. ]

[Footnote 6: _Ibid_. , pp. 88, 89. ]

7. Because they have not the free use of their religion, when theydisdain a toleration. 

8. Because they have so much charity for Episcopacy, as to account itiniquitous. The address of the General Assembly to the Duke ofQueensbury in the late reign says, that to tolerate the Episcopal clergyin Scotland would be to establish iniquity by a law. 

9. Because repealing the test clause will probably disoblige ten of hisMajesty's good subjects, for one it can oblige. 

10. Because, if the test clause be repealed, the Presbyterians may withthe better grace get into employments, and the easier worm out those ofthe Established Church. 

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SERMONS. 

The following Form of Prayer, which Dr. Swift constantly used in thepulpit before his sermon, is copied from his own handwriting:

"Almighty and most merciful God! forgive us all our sins. Give us graceheartily to repent them, and to lead new lives. Graft in our hearts atrue love and veneration for thy holy name and word. Make thy pastorsburning and shining lights, able to convince gainsayers, and to saveothers and themselves. Bless this congregation here met together in thyname; grant them to hear and receive thy holy word, to the salvation oftheir own souls. Lastly, we desire to return thee praise andthanksgiving for all thy mercies bestowed upon us; but chiefly for theFountain of them all, Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name and words wefurther call upon thee, saying, 'Our Father, ' &c. "

NOTE. 

These twelve sermons are what have been handed down to us of a bundle ofthirty-five which Swift, some years before his death, gave to Dr. Sheridan. Swift had no great opinion of them himself, if we may judgefrom what he said to his friend when he offered him the bundle. "You mayhave them if you please; they may be of use to you, they never were ofany to me. " There is not much in any of them of that quality whichcharacterizes the average sermon. For the artifices of rhetoric whichare usually employed to move hearers Swift had no small contempt. Heaimed to convince the mind by plain statements of common-sense views. Hehad no faith in a conviction brought about under the stress of emotionalexcitement. His sermons exactly answer to the advice he gave a youngclergyman--"First tell the people what is their duty, and then convincethem that it is so. " In the note to his reprint of these sermons SirWalter Scott has very admirably summed up their qualities. 

"The Sermons of Swift, " says Scott, "have none of that thunder whichappals, or that resistless and winning softness which melts, the heartsof an audience. He can never have enjoyed the triumph of unitinghundreds in one ardent sentiment of love, of terror, or of devotion. Hisreasoning, however powerful, and indeed unanswerable, convinces theunderstanding, but is never addressed to the heart; and, indeed, from hisinstructions to a young clergyman, he seems hardly to have consideredpathos as a legitimate ingredient in an English sermon. Occasionally, too, Swift's misanthropic habits break out even from the pulpit; nor ishe altogether able to suppress his disdain of those fellow mortals, onwhose behalf was accomplished the great work of redemption. With suchunamiable feelings towards his hearers, the preacher might indeedcommand their respect, but could never excite their sympathy. It may befeared that his Sermons were less popular from another cause, imputablemore to the congregation than to the pastor. Swift spared not the vicesof rich or poor; and, disdaining to amuse the imaginations of hisaudience with discussion of dark points of divinity, or warm them by aflow of sentimental devotion, he rushes at once to the point of moraldepravity, and upbraids them with their favourite and predominant vicesin a tone of stern reproof, bordering upon reproach. In short, he tearsthe bandages from their wounds, like the hasty surgeon of a crowdedhospital, and applies the incision knife and caustic with salutary, butrough and untamed severity. But, alas! the mind must be alreadyvictorious over the worst of its evil propensities, that can profit bythis harsh medicine. There is a principle of opposition in our nature, which mans itself with obstinacy even against avowed truth, when itapproaches our feelings in a harsh and insulting manner. And Swift wasprobably sensible, that his discourses, owing to these various causes, did not produce the powerful effects most grateful to the feelings ofthe preacher, because they reflect back to him those of the audience. 

"But although the Sermons of Swift are deficient in eloquence, and werelightly esteemed by their author, they must not be undervalued by themodern reader. They exhibit, in an eminent degree, that powerful graspof intellect which distinguished the author above all hiscontemporaries. In no religious discourses can be found more sound goodsense, more happy and forcible views of the immediate subject. Thereasoning is not only irresistible, but managed in a mode so simpleand clear, that its force is obvious to the most ordinary capacity. Uponall subjects of morality, the preacher maintains the character of a rigidand inflexible monitor; neither admitting apology for that which iswrong, nor softening the difficulty of adhering to that which is right; astern stoicism of doctrine, that may fail in finding many converts, butleads to excellence in the few manly minds who dare to embrace it. Intreating the doctrinal points of belief, (as in his Sermon upon theTrinity, ) Swift systematically refuses to quit the high and pre-eminentground which the defender of Christianity is entitled to occupy, or tosubmit to the test of human reason, mysteries which are placed, by theirvery nature, far beyond our finite capacities. Swift considered, that, inreligion, as in profane science, there must be certain ultimate lawswhich are to be received as fundamental truths, although we areincapable of defining or analysing their nature; and he censures thosedivines, who, in presumptuous confidence of their own logicalpowers, enter into controversy upon such mysteries of faith, withoutconsidering that they give thereby the most undue advantage to theinfidel. Our author wisely and consistently declared reason anincompetent judge of doctrines, of which God had declared the fact, concealing from man the manner. He contended, that he who, upon thewhole, receives the Christian religion as of divine inspiration, must becontented to depend upon God's truth, and his holy word, and receivewith humble faith the mysteries which are too high for comprehension. Above all, Swift points out, with his usual forcible precision, themischievous tendency of those investigations which, while they assailone fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion, shake and endangerthe whole fabric, destroy the settled faith of thousands, pervert andmislead the genius of the learned and acute, destroy and confound thereligious principles of the simple and ignorant. "

In 1744, Faulkner printed three sermons as a single volume; these were"On Mutual Subjection, " "On Conscience, " and "On the Trinity. " The othersermons appeared in the various editions issued by Nichols and others. The text here given is that of the volume of 1744, of Hawkesworth andScott. 

[T. S. ]

ON MUTUAL SUBJECTION. 

I PETER, V. 5. 

"--Yea, all of you be subject one to another. "

The Apostle having in many parts of this epistle given directions toChristians concerning the duty of subjection or obedience to superiors;in the several instances of the subject to his prince, the child to hisparent, the servant to his master, the wife to her husband, and theyounger to the elder; doth here, in the words of my text, sum up thewhole, by advancing a point of doctrine, which at first may appear alittle extraordinary: "Yea, all of you, " saith he, "be subject one toanother. " For it should seem, that two persons cannot properly be saidto be subject to each other, and that subjection is only due frominferiors to those above them: yet St Paul hath several passages to thesame purpose. For he exhorts the Romans, "in honour to prefer oneanother:"[1] and the Philippians, "that in lowliness of mind they shouldeach esteem other better than themselves;"[2] and the Ephesians, "thatthey should submit themselves one to another in the fear of theLord. "[3] Here we find these two great apostles recommending to allChristians this duty of mutual subjection. For we may observe by StPeter, that having mentioned the several relations which men bear toeach other, as governor and subject, master and servant, and the restwhich I have already repeated, he maketh no exception, but sums up thewhole with commanding "all to be subject one to another. " From whence wemay conclude, that this subjection due from all men to all men, issomething more than the compliment of course, when our betters arepleased to tell us they are our humble servants, but understand us to betheir slaves. 

[Footnote 1: Rom. Xii. 10. ]

[Footnote 2: Philip. Ii. 3. ]

[Footnote 3: Ephes. V. 21. ]

I know very well, that some of those who explain this text, apply it tohumility, to the duties of charity, to private exhortations, and tobearing with each other's infirmities: And it is probable, the apostlemay have had a regard to all these: But however, many learned men agree, that there is something more understood, and so the words in their plainnatural meaning must import; as you will observe yourselves, if you readthem with the beginning of the verse, which is thus: "Likewise yeyounger submit yourselves unto the elder; yea, all of you be subject oneto another. " So, that upon the whole, there must be some kind ofsubjection due from every man to every man, which cannot be made void byany power, pre-eminence, or authority whatsoever. Now, what sort ofsubjection this is, and how it ought to be paid, shall be the subject ofmy present discourse. 

As God hath contrived all the works of nature to be useful, and in somemanner a support to each other, by which the whole frame of the worldunder his providence is preserved and kept up; so, among mankind, ourparticular stations are appointed to each of us by God Almighty, whereinwe are obliged to act, as far as our power reacheth, toward the good ofthe whole community. And he who doth not perform that part assigned him, toward advancing the benefit of the whole, in proportion to hisopportunities and abilities, is not only a useless, but a verymischievous member of the public: Because he taketh his share of theprofit, and yet leaves his share of the burden to be borne by others, which is the true principal cause of most miseries and misfortunes inlife. For, a wise man who doth not assist with his counsels, a great manwith his protection, a rich man with his bounty and charity, and a poorman with his labour, are perfect nuisances in a commonwealth. Neither isany condition of life more honourable in the sight of God than another;otherwise he would be a respecter of persons, which he assureth us he isnot: For he hath proposed the same salvation to all men, and hath onlyplaced them in different ways or stations to work it out. Princes areborn with no more advantages of strength or wisdom than other men; and, by an unhappy education, are usually more defective in both thanthousands of their subjects. They depend for every necessary of lifeupon the meanest of their people: Besides, obedience and subjection werenever enjoined by God to humour the passions, lusts, and vanities ofthose who demand them from us; but we are commanded to obey ourgovernors, because disobedience would breed seditions in the state. Thusservants are directed to obey their masters, children their parents, andwives their husbands; not from any respect of persons in God, butbecause otherwise there would be nothing but confusion in privatefamilies. This matter will be clearly explained, by considering thecomparison which St Paul maketh between the Church of Christ and thebody of man: For the same resemblance will hold, not only to familiesand kingdoms, but to the whole corporation of mankind. "The eye, " saithhe, [4] "cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again thehead to the feet, I have no need of thee. Nay, much more, those membersof the body which seem to be more feeble, are necessary. And whether onemember suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member behonoured, all the members rejoice with it. " The case is directly thesame among mankind. The prince cannot say to the merchant, I have noneed of thee; nor the merchant to the labourer, I have no need of thee. Nay, much more those members, &c. For the poor are generally morenecessary members of the commonwealth than the rich: Which clearlyshews, that God never intented such possessions for the sake and serviceof those to whom he lends them: but because he hath assigned every manhis particular station to be useful in life; and this for the reasongiven by the apostle, "that there should be no schism in the body. "[5]

[Footnote 4: 1 Corin. Xii. 21, 23, 26. ]

[Footnote 5: 1 Corin. Xii. 25. ]

From hence may partly be gathered the nature of that subjection which weall owe to one another. God Almighty hath been pleased to put us into animperfect state, where we have perpetual occasion of each other'sassistance. There is none so low, as not to be in a capacity ofassisting the highest; nor so high, as not to want the assistance of thelowest. 

It plainly appears from what hath been said, that no one human creatureis more worthy than another in the sight of God; farther, than accordingto the goodness or holiness of their lives; and, that power, wealth, andthe like outward advantages, are so far from being the marks of God'sapproving or preferring those on whom they are bestowed, that, on thecontrary, he is pleased to suffer them to be almost engrossed by thosewho have least title to his favour. Now, according to this equalitywherein God hath placed all mankind, with relation himself, you willobserve, that in all the relations between man and man, there is amutual dependence, whereby the one cannot subsist without the other. Thus, no man can be a prince without subjects, nor a master withoutservants, nor a father without children. And this both explains andconfirms the doctrine of the text: For, where there is a mutualdependence, there must be a mutual duty, and consequently a mutualsubjection. For instance, the subject must only obey his prince, becauseGod commands it, human laws require it, and the safety of the publicmaketh it necessary: (For the same reasons we must obey all that are inauthority, and submit ourselves, not only to the good and gentle, butalso to the froward, whether they rule according to our liking or no. )On the other side, in those countries that pretend to freedom, princesare subject to those laws which their people have chosen; they are boundto protect their subjects in liberty, property, and religion; to receivetheir petitions, and redress their grievances: So, that the best princeis, in the opinion of wisemen, only the greatest servant of the nation;not only a servant to the public in general, but in some sort to every manin it. In the like manner, a servant owes obedience, and diligence andfaithfulness to his master, from whom, at the same time, he hath a justdemand for protection, and maintenance, and gentle treatment. Nay, eventhe poor beggar hath a just demand of an alms from the rich man, who isguilty of fraud, injustice, and oppression, if he doth not afford reliefaccording to his abilities. 

But this subjection we all owe one another is nowhere more necessarythan in the common conversations of life; for without it there could beno society among men. If the learned would not sometimes submit to theignorant, the wise to the simple, the gentle to the froward, the old tothe weaknesses of the young, there would be nothing but everlastingvariance in the world. This our Saviour himself confirmed by his ownexample; for he appeared in the form of a servant, and washed hisdisciples' feet, adding those memorable words: "Ye call me Lord andMaster, and ye say well, for so I am. If I then your Lord and Masterwash your feet, how much more ought ye to wash one another's feet?"Under which expression of washing the feet, is included all thatsubjection, assistance, love, and duty, which every good Christian oughtto pay his brother, in whatever station God hath placed him. For thegreatest prince and the meanest slave, are not, by infinite degrees sodistant, as our Saviour and those disciples whose feet he vouchsafed towash. 

And, although this doctrine of subjecting ourselves to one another mayseem to grate upon the pride and vanity of mankind, and may therefore behard to be digested by those who value themselves upon their greatnessor their wealth; yet, it is really no more than what most men practiseupon other occasions. For, if our neighbour who is our inferior comes tosee us, we rise to receive him, we place him above us, and respect himas if he were better than ourselves; and this is thought both decent andnecessary, and is usually called good manners. Now the duty required bythe apostle, is only that we should enlarge our minds, and that what wethus practice in the common course of life, we should imitate in all ouractions and proceedings whatsoever; since our Saviour tells us, thatevery man is our neighbour, and since we are so ready in the point ofcivility, to yield to others in our own houses, where only we have anytitle to govern. 

Having thus shewn you what sort of subjection it is which all men oweone to another, and in what manner it ought to be paid, I shall now drawsome observations from what hath been said. 

And _first_: A thorough practice of this duty of subjecting ourselves tothe wants and infirmities of each other, would utterly extinguish in usthe vice of pride. For, if God hath pleased to entrust me with a talent, not for my own sake, but for the service of others, and at the same timehath left me full of wants and necessities which others must supply; Ican then have no cause to set any extraordinary value upon myself, or todespise my brother, because he hath not the same talents which were lentto me. His being may probably be as useful to the public as mine; and, therefore, by the rules of right reason, I am in no sort preferable tohim. 

_Secondly_: It is very manifest, from what hath been said, that no manought to look upon the advantages of life, such as riches, honour, power, and the like, as his property, but merely as a trust, which Godhath deposited with him, to be employed for the use of his brethren; andGod will certainly punish the breach of that trust, although the laws ofman will not, or rather indeed cannot; because the trust was conferredonly by God, who hath not left it to any power on earth to decideinfallibly whether a man maketh a good use of his talents or no, or topunish him where he fails. And therefore God seems to have moreparticularly taken this matter into his own hands, and will mostcertainly reward or punish us in proportion to our good or illperformance in it. Now, although the advantages which one man possessethmore than another, may in some sense be called his property with respectto other men, yet with respect to God they are, as I said, only a trust:which will plainly appear from hence. If a man doth not use thoseadvantages to the good of the public, or the benefit of his neighbour, it is certain he doth not deserve them; and consequently, that God neverintended them for a blessing to him; and on the other side, whoever dothemploy his talents as he ought, will find by his own experience, thatthey were chiefly lent him for the service of others: for to the serviceof others he will certainly employ them. 

_Thirdly_: If we could all be brought to practise this duty ofsubjecting ourselves to each other, it would very much contribute to thegeneral happiness of mankind: for this would root out envy and malicefrom the heart of man; because you cannot envy your neighbour'sstrength, if he maketh use of it to defend your life, or carry yourburden; you cannot envy his wisdom, if he gives you good counsel; norhis riches, if he supplieth you in your wants; nor his greatness, if heemploys it to your protection. The miseries of life are not properlyowing to the unequal distribution of things; but God Almighty, the greatKing of Heaven, is treated like the kings of the earth; who, althoughperhaps intending well themselves, have often most abominable ministersand stewards; and those generally the vilest, to whom they entrust themost talents. But here is the difference, that the princes of this worldsee by other men's eyes, but God sees all things; and therefore wheneverhe permits his blessings to be dealt among those who are unworthy, wemay certainly conclude that he intends them only as a punishment to anevil world, as well as to the owners. It were well, if those wouldconsider this, whose riches serve them only as a spur to avarice, or asan instrument to their lusts; whose wisdom is only of this world, to putfalse colours upon things, to call good evil, and evil good, against theconviction of their own consciences; and lastly, who employ their powerand favour in acts of oppression or injustice, in misrepresentingpersons and things, or in countenancing the wicked to the ruin of theinnocent. 

_Fourthly_: The practice of this duty of being subject to one another, would make us rest contented in the several stations of life wherein Godhath thought fit to place us; because it would in the best and easiestmanner bring us back as it were to that early state of the Gospel whenChristians had all things in common. For, if the poor found the richdisposed to supply their wants; if the ignorant found the wise ready toinstruct and direct them; or if the weak might always find protectionfrom the mighty; they could none of them with the least pretence ofjustice lament their own condition. 

From all that hath been hitherto said, it appears, that great abilitiesof any sort, when they are employed as God directs, do but make theowners of them greater and more painful servants to their neighbour, andthe public; however, we are by no means to conclude from hence, thatthey are not really blessings, when they are in the hands of good men. For first, what can be a greater honour than to be chosen one of thestewards and dispensers of God's bounty to mankind? What is there, thatcan give a generous spirit more pleasure and complacency of mind, thanto consider that he is an instrument of doing much good? that greatnumbers owe to him, under God, their subsistence, their safety, theirhealth, and the good conduct of their lives? The wickedest man uponearth taketh a pleasure in doing good to those he loveth; and thereforesurely a good Christian, who obeys our Saviour's command of loving allmen, cannot but take delight in doing good even to his enemies. God, whogiveth all things to all men, can receive nothing from any; and thoseamong men, who do the most good, and receive the fewest returns, do mostresemble their Creator: for which reason, St Paul delivereth it as asaying of our Saviour, that "it is more blessed to give than toreceive. " By this rule, what must become of those things which the worldvalueth as the greatest blessings, riches, power, and the like, when ourSaviour plainly determines, that the best way to make them blessings, isto part with them? Therefore, although the advantages which one man hathover another, may be called blessings, yet they are by no means so inthe sense the world usually understands. Thus, for example, great richesare no blessing in themselves; because the poor man, with the commonnecessaries of life enjoys more health, and hath fewer cares withoutthem: How then do they become blessings? No otherwise, than by beingemployed in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, rewarding worthymen, and in short, doing acts of charity and generosity. Thus likewise, power is no blessing in itself, because private men bear less envy, andtrouble, and anguish without it. But when it is employed to protect theinnocent, to relieve the oppressed, and to punish the oppressor, then itbecomes a great blessing. And so lastly even great wisdom is in theopinion of Solomon not a blessing in itself: For "in much wisdom is muchsorrow;" and men of common understandings, if they serve God and mindtheir callings, make fewer mistakes in the conduct of life than thosewho have better heads. And yet, wisdom is a mighty blessing, when it isapplied to good purposes, to instruct the ignorant, to be a faithfulcounsellor either in public or private, to be a director to youth, andto many other ends needless here to mention. 

To conclude: God sent us into the world to obey his commands, by doingas much good as our abilities will reach, and as little evil as our manyinfirmities will permit. Some he hath only trusted with one talent, somewith five, and some with ten. No man is without his talent; and he thatis faithful or negligent in a little, shall be rewarded or punished, aswell as he that hath been so in a great deal. 

Consider what hath been said; and the Lord give you a rightunderstanding in all things. To whom with the Son and the Holy Ghost, beall honour and glory, now and for ever. 

ON THE TESTIMONY OF CONSCIENCE. 

2 CORINTHIANS, I. 12. PART OF IT. 

"----For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience. "

There is no word more frequently in the mouths of men, than that ofconscience, and the meaning of it is in some measure generallyunderstood: However, because it is likewise a word extremely abused bymany people, who apply other meanings to it, which God Almighty neverintended; I shall explain it to you in the clearest manner I am able. The word conscience properly signifies, that knowledge which a man hathwithin himself of his own thoughts and actions. And, because, if a manjudgeth fairly of his own actions by comparing them with the law of God, his mind will either approve or condemn him according as he hath donegood or evil; therefore this knowledge or conscience may properly becalled both an accuser and a judge. So that whenever our conscienceaccuseth us, we are certainly guilty; but we are not always innocentwhen it doth not accuse us: For very often, through the hardness of ourhearts, or the fondness and favour we bear to ourselves, or throughignorance or neglect, we do not suffer our conscience to take anycognizance of several sins we commit. There is another office likewisebelonging to conscience, which is that of being our director and guide;and the wrong use of this hath been the occasion of more evils under thesun, than almost all other causes put together. For, as conscience isnothing else but the knowledge we have of what we are thinking anddoing; so it can guide us no farther than that knowledge reacheth. Andtherefore God hath placed conscience in us to be our director only inthose actions which Scripture and reason plainly tell us to be good orevil. But in cases too difficult or doubtful for us to comprehend ordetermine, there conscience is not concerned; because it cannot advisein what it doth not understand, nor decide where it is itself in doubt:but, by God's great mercy, those difficult points are never of absolutenecessity to our salvation. There is likewise another evil, that menoften say, a thing is against their conscience, when really it is not. For instance: Ask any of those who differ from the worship established, why they do not come to church? They will say, they dislike theceremonies, the prayers, the habits, and the like, and therefore it goesagainst their conscience: But they are mistaken, their teacher hath putthose words into their mouths; for a man's conscience can go no higherthan his knowledge; and therefore until he has thoroughly examined byScripture, and the practice of the ancient church, whether those pointsare blameable or no, his conscience cannot possibly direct him tocondemn them. Hence have likewise arisen those mistakes about what isusually called "Liberty of Conscience"; which, properly speaking, is nomore than a liberty of knowing our own thoughts; which liberty no onecan take from us. But those words have obtained quite differentmeanings: Liberty of conscience is now-a-days not only understood to bethe liberty of believing what men please, but also of endeavouring topropagate the belief as much as they can, and to overthrow the faithwhich the laws have already established, to be rewarded by the publicfor those wicked endeavours: And this is the liberty of conscience whichthe fanatics are now openly in the face of the world endeavouring atwith their utmost application. At the same time it cannot but beobserved, that those very persons, who under pretence of a public spiritand tenderness towards their Christian brethren, are so zealous for sucha liberty of conscience as this, are of all others the least tender tothose who differ from them in the smallest point relating to government;and I wish I could not say, that the Majesty of the living God may beoffended with more security than the memory of a dead prince. But thewisdom of the world at present seems to agree with that of the heathenEmperor, who said, if the gods were offended, it was their own concern, and they were able to vindicate themselves. [1]

[Footnote 1: The saying of Tiberius as given by Tacitus ("Annals, " bk. I. , c. Lxxiii. ), _Deorum offensa diis curæ_. [T. S. ]]

But although conscience hath been abused to those wicked purposes whichI have already related, yet a due regard to the directions it plainlygiveth us, as well as to its accusations, reproaches, and advices, wouldbe of the greatest use to mankind, both for their present welfare andfuture happiness. 

Therefore, my discourse at this time shall be directed to prove to you, that there is no solid, firm foundation for virtue, but on a consciencewhich is guided by religion. 

In order to this, I shall first shew you the weakness and uncertainty oftwo false principles, which many people set up in the place ofconscience, for a guide to their actions. 

The first of these principles is, what the world usually calls _MoralHonesty_. There are some people, who appear very indifferent as toreligion, and yet have the repute of being just and fair in theirdealings; and these are generally known by the character of good moralmen. But now, if you look into the grounds and the motives of such aman's actions, you shall find them to be no other than his own ease andinterest. For example: You trust a moral man with your money in the wayof trade; you trust another with the defence of your cause at law, andperhaps they both deal justly with you. Why? Not from any regard theyhave for justice, but because their fortune depends upon their credit, and a stain of open public dishonesty must be to their disadvantage. Butlet it consist with such a man's interest and safety to wrong you, andthen it will be impossible you can have any hold upon him; because thereis nothing left to give him a check, or put in the balance against hisprofit. For, if he hath nothing to govern himself by, but the opinion ofthe world, as long as he can conceal his injustice from the world, hethinks he is safe. 

Besides, it is found by experience, that those men who set up formorality without regard to religion, are generally but virtuous in part;they will be just in their dealings between man and man; but if theyfind themselves disposed to pride, lust, intemperance, or avarice, theydo not think their morality concerned to check them in any of thesevices, because it is the great rule of such men, that they may lawfullyfollow the dictates of nature, wherever their safety, health, andfortune, are not injured. So, that upon the whole, there is hardly onevice which a mere moral man may not upon some occasions allow himself topractise. 

The other false principle, which some men set up in the place ofconscience to be their director in life, is what those who pretend toit, call _Honour_. 

This word is often made the sanction of an oath; it is reckoned a greatcommendation to be a man of strict honour; and it is commonlyunderstood, that a man of honour can never be guilty of a base action. This is usually the style of military men; of persons with titles; andof others who pretend to birth and quality. It is true, indeed, that inancient times it was universally understood, that honour was the rewardof virtue; but if such honour as is now-a-days going will not permit aman to do a base action, it must be allowed, there are very few suchthings as base actions in nature. No man of honour, as that word isusually understood, did ever pretend that his honour obliged him to bechaste or temperate; to pay his creditors; to be useful to his country;to do good to mankind; to endeavour to be wise, or learned; to regardhis word, his promise, or his oath; or if he hath any of these virtues, they were never learned in the catechism of honour; which contains buttwo precepts, the punctual payment of debts contracted at play, and theright understanding the several degrees of an affront, in order torevenge it by the death of an adversary. 

But suppose, this principle of honour, which some men so much boast of, did really produce more virtues than it ever pretended to; yet since thevery being of that honour dependeth upon the breath, the opinion, or thefancy of the people, the virtues derived from it could be of no long orcertain duration. For example: Suppose a man from a principle of honourshould resolve to be just, or chaste, or temperate; and yet thecensuring world should take a humour of refusing him those characters;he would then think the obligation at an end. Or, on the other side, ifhe thought he could gain honour by the falsest and vilest action, (whichis a case that very often happens, ) he would then make no scruple toperform it. And God knows, it would be an unhappy state, to have thereligion, the liberty, or the property of a people lodged in such hands, which however hath been too often the case. 

What I have said upon this principle of honour may perhaps be thought ofsmall concernment to most of you who are my hearers: However, a cautionwas not altogether unnecessary; since there is nothing by which not onlythe vulgar, but the honest tradesman hath been so much deceived, as thisinfamous pretence to honour in too many of their betters. 

Having thus shewn you the weakness and uncertainty of those principleswhich some men set up in the place of conscience to direct them in theiractions, I shall now endeavour to prove to you that there is no solid, firm foundation of virtue, but in a conscience directed by theprinciples of religion. 

There is no way of judging how far we may depend upon the actions ofmen, otherwise than by knowing the motives, and grounds, and causes ofthem; and, if the motives of our actions be not resolved and determinedinto the law of God, they will be precarious and uncertain, and liableto perpetual changes. I will shew you what I mean, by an example:Suppose a man thinks it his duty to obey his parents, because reasontells him so, because he is obliged by gratitude, and because the lawsof his country command him to do so; but, if he stops here, his parentscan have no lasting security; for an occasion may happen, wherein it maybe extremely his interest to be disobedient, and where the laws of theland can lay no hold upon him: therefore, before such a man can safelybe trusted, he must proceed farther, and consider, that his reason isthe gift of God; that God commanded him to be obedient to the laws, anddid moreover in a particular manner enjoin him to be dutiful to hisparents; after which, if he lays due weight upon those considerations, he will probably continue in his duty to the end of his life: Because noearthly interest can ever come in competition to balance the danger ofoffending his Creator, or the happiness of pleasing him. And of all thishis conscience will certainly inform him, if he hath any regard toreligion. 

_Secondly:_ Fear and hope are the two greatest natural motives of allmen's actions: But, neither of these passions will ever put us in theway of virtue, unless they be directed by conscience. For althoughvirtuous men do sometimes accidentally make their way to preferment, yetthe world is so corrupted, that no man can reasonably hope to berewarded in it, merely upon account of his virtue. And consequently, thefear of punishment in this life will preserve men from very few vices, since some of the blackest and basest do often prove the surest steps tofavour; such as ingratitude, hypocrisy, treachery, malice, subornation, atheism, and many more which human laws do little concern themselvesabout. But when conscience placeth before us the hopes of everlastinghappiness, and the fears of everlasting misery, as the reward andpunishment of our good or evil actions, our reason can find no way toavoid the force of such an argument, otherwise than by running intoinfidelity. 

_Lastly_: Conscience will direct us to love God, and to put our wholetrust and confidence in him. Our love of God will inspire us with adetestation for sin, as what is of all things most contrary to hisdivine nature; and if we have an entire confidence in him, _that_ willenable us to subdue and despise all the allurements of the world. 

It may here be objected, if conscience be so sure a director to usChristians in the conduct of our lives, how comes it to pass, that theancient heathens, who had no other lights but those of nature andreason, should so far exceed us in all manner of virtue, as plainlyappears by many examples they have left on record?

To which it may be answered; first, those heathens were extremely strictand exact in the education of their children; whereas among us this careis so much laid aside, that the more God hath blessed any man withestate or quality, just so much the less in proportion is the care hetaketh in the education of his children, and particularly of that childwhich is to inherit his fortune: Of which the effects are visible enoughamong the great ones of the world. Again, those heathens did in aparticular manner instil the principle into their children, of lovingtheir country; which is so far otherwise now-a-days, that, of theseveral parties among us, there is none of them that seems to have somuch as heard, whether there be such a virtue in the world; as plainlyappears by their practices, and especially when they are placed in thosestations where they can only have opportunity of shewing it. Lastly; themost considerable among the heathens did generally believe rewards andpunishments in a life to come; which is the great principle forconscience to work upon; Whereas too many of those who would be thoughtthe most considerable among us, do, both by their practices and theirdiscourses, plainly affirm, that they believe nothing at all of thematter. 

Wherefore, since it hath manifestly appeared that a religious conscienceis the only true solid foundation upon which virtue can be built, giveme leave, before I conclude, to let you see how necessary such aconscience is, to conduct us in every station and condition of ourlives. 

That a religious conscience is necessary in any station, is confessedeven by those who tell us, that all religion was invented by cunningmen, in order to keep the world in awe. For, if religion, by theconfession of its adversaries, be necessary towards the well-governingof mankind; then every wise man in power will be sure not only to chooseout for every station under him such persons as are most likely to bekept in awe by religion, but likewise to carry some appearance of ithimself, or else he is a very weak politician. And accordingly in anycountry where great persons affect to be open despisers of religion, their counsels will be found at last to be fully as destructive to thestate as to the church. 

It was the advice of Jethro to his son-in-law Moses, to "provide ablemen, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, " and to placesuch over the people; and Moses, who was as wise a statesman, at least, as any in this age, thought fit to follow that advice. Great abilities, without the fear of God, are most dangerous instruments, when they aretrusted with power. The laws of man have thought fit, that those who arecalled to any office of trust should be bound by an oath to the faithfuldischarge of it: But, an oath is an appeal to God, and therefore canhave no influence except upon those who believe that he is, and that heis a rewarder of those that seek him, and a punisher of those whodisobey him: And therefore, we see, the laws themselves are forced tohave recourse to conscience in these cases, because their penaltiescannot reach the arts of cunning men, who can find ways to be guilty ofa thousand injustices without being discovered, or at least withoutbeing punished. And the reason why we find so many frauds, abuses, andcorruptions, where any trust is conferred, can be no other, than thatthere is so little conscience and religion left in the world, or atleast that men in their choice of instruments have private ends in view, which are very different from the service of the public. Besides, it iscertain, that men who profess to have no religion, are full as zealousto bring over proselytes as any Papist or fanatic can be. And therefore, if those who are in station high enough to be of influence or example toothers; if those (I say) openly profess a contempt or disbelief ofreligion, they will be sure to make all their dependents of their ownprinciples; and what security can the public expect from such persons, whenever their interests, or their lusts, come into competition withtheir duty? It is very possible for a man who hath the appearance ofreligion, and is a great pretender to conscience, to be wicked and ahypocrite; but, it is impossible for a man who openly declares againstreligion, to give any reasonable security that he will not be false andcruel, and corrupt, whenever a temptation offers, which he values morethan he does the power wherewith he was trusted. And, if such a man dothnot betray his cause and his master, it is only because the temptationwas not properly offered, or the profit was too small, or the danger wastoo great. And hence it is, that we find so little truth or justiceamong us, because there are so very few, who either in the service ofthe public, or in common dealings with each other, do ever look fartherthan their own advantage, and how to guard themselves against the lawsof the country; which a man may do by favour, by secrecy, or by cunning, although he breaks almost every law of God. 

Therefore to conclude: It plainly appears, that unless men are guided bythe advice and judgment of a conscience founded on religion, they cangive no security that they will be either good subjects, faithfulservants of the public, or honest in their mutual dealings; since thereis no other tie through which the pride, or lust, or avarice, orambition of mankind will not certainly break one time or other. 

Consider what has been said, &c. 

ON THE TRINITY. 

I. EPIST. GEN. OF JOHN, V. 7. 

"For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these Three are One. "

This day being set apart to acknowledge our belief in the EternalTrinity, I thought it might be proper to employ my present discourseentirely upon that subject; and, I hope, to handle it in such a manner, that the most ignorant among you may return home better informed of yourduty in this great point, than probably you are at present. 

It must be confessed, that by the weakness and indiscretion of busy (orat best, of well-meaning) people, as well as by the malice of those whoare enemies to all revealed religion, and are not content to possesstheir own infidelity in silence, without communicating it to thedisturbance of mankind; I say, by these means, it must be confessed, that the doctrine of the Trinity hath suffered very much, and madeChristianity suffer along with it. For these two things must be granted:First, that men of wicked lives would be very glad there were no truthin Christianity at all; and secondly, if they can pick out any onesingle article in the Christian religion which appears not agreeable totheir own corrupted reason, or to the arguments of those bad people, whofollow the trade of seducing others, they presently conclude, that thetruth of the whole Gospel must sink along with that one article; whichis just as wise, as if a man should say, because he dislikes one law ofhis country, he will therefore observe no law at all; and yet, that onelaw may be very reasonable in itself, although he does not allow it, ordoes not know the reason of the law-givers. 

Thus it hath happened with the great doctrine of the Trinity; which wordis indeed not in the Scripture, but was a term of art invented in theearlier times to express the doctrine by a single word, for the sake ofbrevity and convenience. The doctrine then, as delivered in HolyScripture, although not exactly in the same words, is very short, andamounts only to this, that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, areeach of them God, and yet there is but one God. For, as to the wordPerson, when we say there are three Persons; and as to those otherexplanations in the Athanasian Creed this day read to you (whethercompiled by Athanasius or no) they were taken up three hundred yearsafter Christ, to expound this doctrine; and I will tell you upon whatoccasion. About that time there sprang up a heresy of a people calledArians, from one Arius the leader of them. These denied our Saviour tobe God, although they allowed all the rest of the Gospel (wherein theywere more sincere than their followers among us). Thus the Christianworld was divided into two parts, until at length, by the zeal andcourage of St Athanasius, the Arians were condemned in a generalcouncil, and a creed formed upon the true faith, as St Athanasius hathsettled it. This creed is now read at certain times in our churches, which, although it is useful for edification to those who understand it;yet, since it containeth some nice and philosophical points which fewpeople can comprehend, the bulk of mankind is obliged to believe no morethan the Scripture doctrine, as I have delivered it. Because that creedwas intended only as an answer to the Arians in their own way, who werevery subtle disputers. 

But this heresy having revived in the world about a hundred years ago, and continued ever since; not out of a zeal to truth, but to give aloose to wickedness, by throwing off all religion; several divines, inorder to answer the cavils of those adversaries to truth and morality, began to find out farther explanations of this doctrine of the Trinity, by rules of philosophy; which have multiplied controversies to such adegree, as to beget scruples that have perplexed the minds of many soberChristians, who otherwise could never have entertained them. 

I must therefore be bold to affirm, that the method taken by many ofthose learned men to defend the doctrine of the Trinity, hath beenfounded upon a mistake. 

It must be allowed, that every man is bound to follow the rules anddirections of that measure of reason which God hath given him; andindeed he cannot do otherwise, if he will be sincere, or act like a man. For instance: If I should be commanded by an angel from heaven tobelieve it is midnight at noon-day; yet I could not believe him. So, ifI were directly told in Scripture that three are one, and one is three, I could not conceive or believe it in the natural common sense of thatexpression, but must suppose that something dark or mystical was meant, which it pleased God to conceal from me and from all the world. Thus, inthe text, "There are Three that bear record, " &c. Am I capable ofknowing and defining what union and what distinction there may be in thedivine nature, which possibly may be hid from the angels themselves?Again, I see it plainly declared in Scripture, that there is but oneGod; and yet I find our Saviour claiming the prerogative of God inknowing men's thoughts; in saying, "He and his Father are one;" and, "before Abraham was, I am. " I read, that the disciples worshipped him;that Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God. " And St John, chap, 1st, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Wordwas God. " I read likewise that the Holy Ghost bestowed the gift oftongues, and the power of working miracles; which, if rightlyconsidered, is as great a miracle as any, that a number of illiteratemen should of a sudden be qualified to speak all the languages thenknown in the world; such as could be done by the inspiration of Goddone. From these several texts it is plain, that God commands us tobelieve that there is an union and there is a distinction; but what thatunion, or what that distinction is, all mankind are equally ignorant, and must continue so, at least till the day of judgment, without somenew revelation. 

But because I cannot conceive the nature of this union and distinctionin the divine nature, am I therefore to reject them as absurd andimpossible; as I would, if any one told me that three men are one, andone man is three? We are told, that a man and his wife are one flesh;this I can comprehend the meaning of; yet, literally taken, it is athing impossible. But the apostle tell us, "We see but in part, and weknow but in part;" and yet we would comprehend all the secret ways andworkings of God. 

Therefore I shall again repeat the doctrine of the Trinity, as it ispositively affirmed in Scripture: that God is there expressed in threedifferent names, as Father, as Son, and as Holy Ghost: that each ofthese is God, and that there is but one God. But this union anddistinction are a mystery utterly unknown to mankind. 

This is enough for any good Christian to believe on this great article, without ever inquiring any farther: And, this can be contrary to noman's reason, although the knowledge of it is hid from him. 

But there is another difficulty of great importance among those whoquarrel with the doctrine of the Trinity, as well as with several otherarticles of Christianity; which is, that our religion abounds inmysteries, and these they are so bold as to revile as cant, imposture, and priestcraft. It is impossible for us to determine for what reasonsGod thought fit to communicate some things to us in part, and leave somepart a mystery. But so it is in fact, and so the Holy Scripture tells usin several places. For instance: the resurrection and change of ourbodies are called mysteries by St Paul: and our Saviour's incarnation isanother: The Kingdom of God is called a mystery by our Saviour, to beonly known to his disciples; so is faith, and the word of God by StPaul. I omit many others. So, that to declare against all mysterieswithout distinction or exception, is to declare against the whole tenorof the New Testament. 

There are two conditions that may bring a mystery under suspicion. First, when it is not taught and commanded in Holy Writ; or, secondly, when the mystery turns to the advantage of those who preach it toothers. Now, as to the first, it can never be said, that we preachmysteries without warrant from Holy Scripture, although I confess thisof the Trinity may have sometimes been explained by human invention, which might perhaps better have been spared. As to the second, it willnot be possible to charge the Protestant priesthood with proposing anytemporal advantage to themselves by broaching or multiplying, orpreaching of mysteries. Does this mystery of the Trinity, for instance, and the descent of the Holy Ghost, bring the least profit or power tothe preachers? No; it is as great a mystery to themselves as it is tothe meanest of their hearers; and may be rather a cause of humiliation, by putting their understanding in that point upon a level with the mostignorant of their flock. It is true indeed, the Roman church hath verymuch enriched herself by trading in mysteries, for which they have notthe least authority from Scripture, and were fitted only to advancetheir own temporal wealth and grandeur; such as transubstantiation, theworshipping of images, indulgences for sins, purgatory, and masses forthe dead; with many more: But, it is the perpetual talent of those whohave ill-will to our Church, or a contempt for all religion, taken up bythe wickedness of their lives, to charge us with the errors andcorruptions of Popery, which all Protestants have thrown off near twohundred years: whereas, those mysteries held by us have no prospect ofpower, pomp, or wealth, but have been ever maintained by the universalbody of true believers from the days of the apostles, and will be so tothe resurrection; neither will the gates of hell prevail against them. 

It may be thought perhaps a strange thing, that God should require us tobelieve mysteries, while the reason or manner of what we are to believeis above our comprehension, and wholly concealed from us: neither dothit appear at first sight, that the believing or not believing them dothconcern either the glory of God, or contribute to the goodness orwickedness of our lives. But this is a great and dangerous mistake. Wesee what a mighty weight is laid upon faith, both in the Old and NewTestament. In the former we read how the faith of Abraham is praised, who could believe that God would raise from him a great nation, at thevery time that he was commanded to sacrifice his only son, and despairedof any other issue. And this was to him a great mystery. Our Saviour isperpetually preaching faith to his disciples, or reproaching them withthe want of it: and St Paul produceth numerous examples of the wondersdone by faith. And all this is highly reasonable: For faith is an entiredependence upon the truth, the power, the justice, and the mercy of God;which dependence will certainly incline us to obey him in all things. So, that the great excellency of faith, consists in the consequence ithath upon our actions: as, if we depend upon the truth and wisdom of aman, we shall certainly be more disposed to follow his advice. Therefore, let no man think that he can lead as good a moral lifewithout faith as with it; for this reason, because he who hath no faith, cannot, by the strength of his own reason or endeavours, so easilyresist temptations, as the other who depends upon God's assistance inthe overcoming his frailties, and is sure to be rewarded for ever inheaven for his victory over them. "Faith, " says the apostle, "is theevidence of things not seen": he means, that faith is a virtue by whichanything commanded us by God to believe appears evident and certain tous, although we do not see, nor can conceive it; because, by faith weentirely depend upon the truth and power of God. 

It is an old and true distinction, that things may be above our reason, without being contrary to it. Of this kind are the power, the nature, and the universal presence of God, with innumerable other points. Howlittle do those who quarrel with mysteries, know of the commonestactions of nature! The growth of an animal, of a plant, or of thesmallest seed, is a mystery to the wisest among men. If an ignorantperson were told that a loadstone would draw iron at a distance, hemight say it was a thing contrary to his reason, and could not believebefore he saw it with his eyes. 

The manner whereby the soul and body are united, and how they aredistinguished, is wholly unaccountable to us. We see but one part, andyet we know we consist of two; and this is a mystery we cannotcomprehend, any more than that of the Trinity. 

From what hath been said, it is manifest that God did never command usto believe, nor his ministers to preach, any doctrine which is contraryto the reason he hath pleased to endow us with; but for his own wiseends has thought fit to conceal from us the nature of the thing hecommands; thereby to try our faith and obedience, and increase ourdependence upon him. 

It is highly probable, that if God should please to reveal unto us thisgreat mystery of the Trinity, or some other mysteries in our holyreligion, we should not be able to understand them, unless he would atthe same time think fit to bestow on us some new powers or faculties ofthe mind, which we want at present, and are reserved till the day ofresurrection to life eternal. "For now, " as the apostle says, "we seethrough a glass darkly, but then face to face. "

Thus, we see, the matter is brought to this issue: We must eitherbelieve what God directly commands us in Holy Scripture, or we mustwholly reject the Scripture, and the Christian religion which we pretendto profess. But this, I hope, is too desperate a step for any of us tomake. 

I have already observed, that those who preach up the belief of theTrinity, or of any other mystery, cannot propose any temporal advantageto themselves by so doing. But this is not the case of those who opposethese doctrines. Do _they_ lead better moral lives than a goodChristian? Are _they_ more just in their dealings? more chaste, ortemperate, or charitable? Nothing at all of this; but on the contrary, their intent is to overthrow all religion, that they may gratify theirvices without any reproach from the world, or their own conscience: andare zealous to bring over as many others as they can to their ownopinions; because it is some kind of imaginary comfort to have amultitude on their side. 

There is no miracle mentioned in Holy Writ, which, if it were strictlyexamined, is not as much, contrary to common reason, and as much amystery, as this doctrine of the Trinity; and therefore we may, withequal justice deny the truth of them all. For instance: It is againstthe laws of nature, that a human body should be able to walk upon thewater, as St Peter is recorded to have done; or that a dead carcassshould be raised from the grave after three days, when it began to becorrupted; which those who understand anatomy will pronounce to beimpossible by the common rules of nature and reason. Yet these miracles, and many others, are positively affirmed in the Gospel; and these wemust believe, or give up our holy religion to atheists and infidels. 

I shall now make a few inferences and observations upon what has beensaid. 

_First_: It would be well, if people would not lay so much weight ontheir own reason in matters of religion, as to think everythingimpossible and absurd which they cannot conceive. How often do wecontradict the right rules of reason in the whole course of our lives!Reason itself is true and just, but the reason of every particular manis weak and wavering, perpetually swayed and turned by his interests, his passions, and his vices. Let any man but consider, when he hath acontroversy with another, although his cause be ever so unjust, althoughthe world be against him, how blinded he is by the love of himself, tobelieve that right is wrong, and wrong is right, when it maketh for hisown advantage. Where is then the right use of his reason, which he somuch boasts of, and which he would blasphemously set up to control thecommands of the Almighty?

_Secondly_: When men are tempted to deny the mysteries of religion, letthem examine and search into their own hearts, whether they have notsome favourite sin which is of their party in this dispute, and which isequally contrary to other commands of God in the Gospel. For, why do menlove darkness rather than light? The Scripture tells us, "Because theirdeeds are evil;" and there can be no other reason assigned. Thereforewhen men are curious and inquisitive to discover some weak sides inChristianity, and inclined to favour everything that is offered to itsdisadvantage; it is plain they wish it were not true, and those wishescan proceed from nothing but an evil conscience; because, if there betruth in our religion, their condition must be miserable. 

And therefore, _Thirdly_: Men should consider, that raising difficultiesconcerning the mysteries in religion, cannot make them more wise, learned, or virtuous; better neighbours, or friends, or more serviceableto their country; but, whatever they pretend, will destroy their inwardpeace of mind, by perpetual doubts and fears arising in their breasts. And, God forbid we should ever see the times so bad, when dangerousopinions in religion will be a means to get favour and preferment;although, even in such a case, it would be an ill traffic, to gain theworld, and lose our own souls. So, that upon the whole, it will beimpossible to find any real use toward a virtuous or happy life, bydenying the mysteries of the Gospel. 

_Fourthly_: Those strong unbelievers, who expect that all mysteriesshould be squared and fitted to their own reason, might have somewhat tosay for themselves, if they could satisfy the general reason of mankindin their opinions: But herein they are miserably defective, absurd, andridiculous; they strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel; they can believethat the world was made by chance; that God doth not concern himselfwith things below; will neither punish vice, nor reward virtue; thatreligion was invented by cunning men to keep the world in awe; with manyother opinions equally false and detestable, against the common light ofnature as well as reason; against the universal sentiments of allcivilized nations, and offensive to the ears even of a sober heathen. 

_Lastly_: Since the world abounds with pestilent books particularlyagainst this doctrine of the Trinity; it is fit to inform you, that theauthors of them proceed wholly upon a mistake: They would shew howimpossible it is that three can be one, and one can be three; whereasthe Scripture saith no such thing, at least in that manner they wouldmake it: but, only, that there is some kind of unity and distinction inthe divine nature, which mankind cannot possibly comprehend: thus, thewhole doctrine is short and plain, and in itself incapable of anycontroversy: since God himself hath pronounced the fact, but whollyconcealed the manner. And therefore many divines, who thought fit toanswer those wicked books, have been mistaken too, by answering fools intheir folly; and endeavouring to explain a mystery, which God intendedto keep secret from us. And, as I would exhort all men to avoid readingthose wicked books written against this doctrine, as dangerous andpernicious; so I think they may omit the answers, as unnecessary. This Iconfess will probably affect but few or none among the generality of ourcongregations, who do not much trouble themselves with books, at leastof this kind. However, many who do not read themselves, are seduced byothers that do; and thus become unbelievers upon trust and atsecond-hand; and this is too frequent a case: for which reason I haveendeavoured to put this doctrine upon a short and sure foot, levelled tothe meanest understanding; by which we may, as the apostle directs, beready always to give an answer to every man that asketh us a reason ofthe hope that is in us, with meekness and fear. 

And, thus I have done with my subject, which probably I should not havechosen, if I had not been invited to it by the occasion of this season, appointed on purpose to celebrate the mysteries of the Trinity, and thedescent of the Holy Ghost, wherein we pray to be kept stedfast in thisfaith; and what this faith is I have shewn you in the plainest manner Icould. For, upon the whole, it is no more than this: God commandeth us, by our dependence upon His truth, and His Holy Word, to believe a factthat we do not understand. And, this is no more than what we do everyday in the works of nature, upon the credit of men of learning. Withoutfaith we can do no works acceptable to God; for, if they proceed fromany other principle, they will not advance our salvation; and thisfaith, as I have explained it, we may acquire without giving up oursenses, or contradicting our reason. May God of his infinite mercyinspire us with true faith in every article and mystery of our holyreligion, so as to dispose us to do what is pleasing in his sight; andthis we pray through Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father and the HolyGhost, the mysterious, incomprehensible ONE GOD, be all honour and glorynow and for evermore! _Amen_. 

ON BROTHERLY LOVE. [1]

[Footnote: 1 Notwithstanding the text and title of this sermon, and themany excellent observations which it contains in illustration of both, there are several passages in it which the dissenters of the time wouldhardly consider as propitiatory towards the continuance of brotherlylove. There are also various allusions to the parties which raged at thetime, and some which appear to have been written in defence of thepreacher's character, then severely arraigned by the Irish Whigs, andheld in abhorrence by the people of Dublin, by whom he was afterwardsidolized. [S. ]]

HEB. XIII. I. 

"Let brotherly love continue. "

In the early times of the Gospel, the Christians were very muchdistinguished from all other bodies of men, by the great and constantlove they bore to each other; which, although it was done in obedienceto the frequent injunctions of our Saviour and his apostles, yet, Iconfess, there seemeth to have been likewise a natural reason, that verymuch promoted it. For the Christians then were few and scattered, livingunder persecution by the heathens round about them, in whose hands wasall the civil and military power; and there is nothing so apt to unitethe minds and hearts of men, or to beget love and tenderness, as ageneral distress. The first dissensions between Christians took theirbeginning from the errors and heresies that arose among them; many ofthose heresies, sometimes extinguished, and sometimes reviving, orsucceeded by others, remain to this day; and having been madeinstruments to the pride, avarice, or ambition, of ill-designing men, byextinguishing brotherly love, have been the cause of infinitecalamities, as well as corruptions of faith and manners, in theChristian world. 

The last legacy of Christ was peace and mutual love; but then heforetold, that he came to send a sword upon the earth: The primitiveChristians accepted the legacy, and their successors down to the presentage have been largely fulfilling his prophecy. But whatever the practiceof mankind hath been, or still continues, there is no duty moreincumbent upon those who profess the Gospel, than that of brotherlylove; which, whoever could restore in any degree among men, would be aninstrument of more good to human society, than ever was, or will be, done by all the statesmen and politicians in the world. 

It is upon this subject of brotherly love, that I intend to discourse atpresent, and the method I observe shall be as follows:--

I. _First_, I will inquire into the causes of this great want ofbrotherly love among us. 

II. _Secondly_, I will lay open the sad effects and consequences, whichour animosities and mutual hatred have produced. 

III. _Lastly_, I will use some motives and exhortations, that maypersuade you to embrace brotherly love, and continue in it. 

I. _First_, I shall enquire into the causes of this great want ofbrotherly love among us. 

This nation of ours hath, for an hundred years past, been infested bytwo enemies, the Papists and fanatics, who, each in their turns, filledit with blood and slaughter, and, for a time, destroyed both the Churchand government. The memory of these events hath put all true Protestantsequally upon their guard against both these adversaries, who, byconsequence, do equally hate us. The fanatics revile us, as too nearlyapproaching to Popery; and the Papists condemn us, as bordering too muchon fanaticism. The Papists, God be praised, are, by the wisdom of ourlaws, put out of all visible possibility of hurting us; besides, theirreligion is so generally abhorred, that they have no advocates orabettors among Protestants to assist them. But the fanatics are to beconsidered in another light; they have had of late years the power, theluck, or the cunning, to divide us among ourselves; they haveendeavoured to represent all those who have been so bold as to opposetheir errors and designs, under the character of persons disaffected tothe government; and they have so far succeeded, that, now-a-days, if aclergyman happens to preach with any zeal and vehemence against the sinand danger of schism, there will not want too many, in his congregation, ready enough to censure him as hot and high-flying, an inflamer of men'sminds, an enemy to moderation, and disloyal to his prince. This hathproduced a formed and settled division between those who profess thesame doctrine and discipline; while they who call themselves moderateare forced to widen their bottom, by sacrificing their principles andtheir brethren to the encroachments and insolence of dissenters, who aretherefore answerable, as a principal cause of all that hatred andanimosity now reigning among us. 

Another cause of the great want of brotherly love is the weakness andfolly of too many among you of the lower sort, who are made the toolsand instruments of your betters to work their designs, wherein you haveno concern. Your numbers make you of use, and cunning men take theadvantage, by putting words into your mouths, which you do notunderstand; then they fix good or ill characters to those words, as itbest serves their purposes: And thus you are taught to love or hate, youknow not what or why; you often suspect your best friends, and nearestneighbours, even your teacher himself, without any reason, if yourleaders once taught you to call him by a name, which they tell yousignifieth some very bad thing. 

A third cause of our great want of brotherly love seemeth to be, thatthis duty is not so often insisted on from the pulpit, as it ought to bein such times as these; on the contrary, it is to be doubted, whetherdoctrines are not sometimes delivered by an ungoverned zeal, a desire tobe distinguished, or a view of interest, which produce quite differenteffects; when, upon occasions set apart to return thanks to God for somepublic blessing, the time is employed in stirring up one part of thecongregation against the other, by representations of things andpersons, which God, in his mercy, forgive those who are guilty of. 

The last cause I shall mention of the want of brotherly love is, thatunhappy disposition towards politics among the trading people, which hasbeen industriously instilled into them. In former times, the middle andlower sorts of mankind seldom gained or lost by the factions of thekingdom, and therefore were little concerned in them, further than asmatter of talk and amusement; but now the meanest dealer will expect toturn the penny by the merits of his party. He can represent hisneighbour as a man of dangerous principles, can bring a railingaccusation against him, perhaps a criminal one, and so rob him of hislivelihood, and find his own account by that much more than if he haddisparaged his neighbour's goods, or defamed him as a cheat. For so ithappens, that, instead of enquiring into the skill or honesty of thosekind of people, the manner is now to enquire into their party, and toreject or encourage them accordingly; which proceeding hath made ourpeople, in general, such able politicians, that all the artifice, flattery, dissimulation, diligence, and dexterity, in undermining eachother, which the satirical wit of men hath charged upon courts; togetherwith all the rage and violence, cruelty and injustice, which have beenever imputed to public assemblies; are with us (so polite are we grown)to be seen among our meanest traders and artificers in the greatestperfection. All which, as it may be matter of some humiliation to thewise and mighty of this world, so the effects thereof may, perhaps, intime, prove very different from what, I hope in charity, were everforeseen or intended. 

II. I will therefore now, in the second place, lay open some of the sadeffects and consequences which our animosities and mutual hatred haveproduced. 

And the first ill consequence is, that our want of brotherly love hathalmost driven out all sense of religion from among us, which cannot wellbe otherwise; for since our Saviour laid so much weight upon hisdisciples loving one another, that he gave it among his lastinstructions; and since the primitive Christians are allowed to havechiefly propagated the faith by their strict observance of thatinstruction, it must follow that, in proportion as brotherly lovedeclineth, Christianity will do so too. The little religion there is inthe world, hath been observed to reside chiefly among the middle andlower sorts of people, who are neither tempted to pride nor luxury bygreat riches, nor to desperate courses by extreme poverty: And truly I, upon that account, have thought it a happiness, that those who are undermy immediate care are generally of that condition; but where party hathonce made entrance, with all its consequences of hatred, envy, partiality, and virulence, religion cannot long keep its hold in anystate or degree of life whatsoever. For, if the great men of the worldhave been censured in all ages for mingling too little religion withtheir politics, what a havoc of principles must they needs make inunlearned and irregular heads; of which indeed the effects are alreadytoo visible and melancholy all over the kingdom!

Another ill consequence from our want of brotherly love is, that itincreaseth the insolence of the fanatics; and this partly ariseth from amistaken meaning of the word moderation; a word which hath been muchabused, and bandied about for several years past. There are too manypeople indifferent enough to all religion; there are many others, whodislike the clergy, and would have them live in poverty and dependence;both these sorts are much commended by the fanatics for moderate men, ready to put an end to our divisions, and to make a general union amongProtestants. Many ignorant well-meaning people are deceived by theseappearances, strengthened with great pretences to loyalty: and theseoccasions the fanatics lay hold on, to revile the doctrine anddiscipline of the Church, and even insult and oppress the clergywherever their numbers or favourers will bear them out; insomuch, thatone wilful refractory fanatic hath been able to disturb a whole parishfor many years together. But the most moderate and favoured divines darenot own, that the word moderation, with respect to the dissenters, canbe at all applied to their religion, but is purely personal orprudential. No good man repineth at the liberty of conscience theyenjoy; and, perhaps a very moderate divine may think better of theirloyalty than others do; or, to speak after the manner of men, may thinkit necessary, that all Protestants should be united against the commonenemy; or out of discretion, or other reasons best known to himself, betender of mentioning them at all. But still the errors of the dissentersare all fixed and determined, and must, upon demand, be acknowledged byall the divines of our church, whether they be called, in party phrase, high or low, moderate or violent. And further, I believe it would behard to find many moderate divines, who, if their opinion were askedwhether dissenters should be trusted with power, could, according totheir consciences, answer in the affirmative; from whence it is plain, that all the stir which the fanatics have made with this wordmoderation, was only meant to increase our divisions, and widen them sofar as to make room for themselves to get in between. And this is theonly scheme they ever had (except that of destroying root and branch)for the uniting of Protestants, they so much talk of. 

I shall mention but one ill consequence more, which attends our want ofbrotherly love; that it hath put an end to all hospitality andfriendship, all good correspondence and commerce between mankind. Thereare indeed such things as leagues and confederacies among those of thesame party; but surely God never intended that men should be so limitedin the choice of their friends: However, so it is in town and country, in every parish and street; the pastor is divided from his flock, thefather from his son, and the house often divided against itself. Men'svery natures are soured, and their passions inflamed, when they meet inparty clubs, and spend their time in nothing else but railing at theopposite side; thus every man alive among us is encompassed with amillion of enemies of his own country, among which his oldestacquaintance and friends, and kindred themselves, are often of thenumber; neither can people of different parties mix together withoutconstraint, suspicion, or jealousy, watching every word they speak, forfear of giving offence, or else falling into rudeness and reproaches, and so leaving themselves open to the malice and corruption ofinformers, who were never more numerous or expert in their trade. And asa further addition to this evil, those very few, who, by the goodnessand generosity of their nature, do in their own hearts despise thisnarrow principle of confining their friendship and esteem, their charityand good offices, to those of their own party, yet dare not discovertheir good inclinations, for fear of losing their favour and interest. And others again, whom God had formed with mild and gentle dispositions, think it necessary to put a force upon their own tempers, by acting anoisy, violent, malicious part, as a means to be distinguished. Thus hathparty got the better of the very genius and constitution of our people;so that whoever reads the character of the English in former ages, willhardly believe their present posterity to be of the same nation orclimate. 

III. I shall now, in the last place, make use of some motives andexhortations, that may persuade you to embrace brotherly love, andcontinue in it. Let me apply myself to you of the lower sort, and desireyou will consider, when any of you make use of fair and enticing wordsto draw in customers, whether you do it for their sakes or your own. Andthen, for whose sakes do you think it is, that your leaders are soindustrious to put into your heads all that party rage and virulence? Isit not to make you the tools and instruments, by which they work outtheir own designs? Has this spirit of faction been useful to any of youin your worldly concerns, except to those who have traded in whispering, backbiting, or informing, and wanted skill or honesty to thrive byfairer methods? It is no business of yours to inquire, who is at thehead of armies, or of councils, unless you had power and skill tochoose, neither of which is ever likely to be your case; and thereforeto fill your heads with fears, and hatred of persons and things, ofwhich it is impossible you can ever make a right judgment, or to set youat variance with your neighbour, because his thoughts are not the sameas yours, is not only in a very gross manner to cheat you of your timeand quiet, but likewise to endanger your souls. 

_Secondly_: In order to restore brotherly love, let me earnestly exhortyou to stand firm in your religion; I mean, the true religion hithertoestablished among us, without varying in the least either to Popery onthe one side, or to fanaticism on the other; and in a particular mannerbeware of that word, moderation; and believe it, that your neighbour isnot immediately a villain, a Papist, and a traitor, because the fanaticsand their adherents will not allow him to be a moderate man. 

Nay, it is very probable, that your teacher himself may be a loyal, pious, and able divine, without the least grain of moderation, as theword is too frequently understood. Therefore, to set you right in thismatter, I will lay before you the character of a truly moderate man, andthen I will give you the description of such a one as falsely pretendethto that title. 

A man truly moderate is steady in the doctrine and discipline of theChurch, but with a due Christian charity to all who dissent from it outof a principle of conscience; the freedom of which, he thinketh, oughtto be fully allowed, as long as it is not abused, but never trusted withpower. He is ready to defend with his life and fortune the Protestantsuccession, and the Protestant established faith, against all invaderswhatsoever. He is for giving the Crown its just prerogative, and thepeople their just liberties. He hateth no man for differing from him inpolitical opinions; nor doth he think it a maxim infallible, that virtueshould always attend upon favour, and vice upon disgrace. These are somefew lineaments in the character of a truly moderate man; let us nowcompare it with the description of one who usually passeth under thattitle. 

A moderate man, in the new meaning of the word, is one to whom allreligion is indifferent; who although he denominates himself of theChurch, regardeth it no more than a conventicle. He perpetually railethat the body of the clergy, with exceptions only to a very few, who, hehopeth, and probably upon false grounds, are as ready to betray theirrights and properties as himself. He thinketh the power of the peoplecan never be too great, nor that of the prince too little; and yet thisvery notion he publisheth, as his best argument, to prove him a mostloyal subject. Every opinion in government, that differeth in the leastfrom his, tendeth directly to Popery, slavery, and rebellion. Whoeverlieth under the frown of power, can, in his judgment, neither havecommon sense, common honesty, nor religion. Lastly, his devotionconsisteth in drinking gibbets, confusion, and damnation[1]; inprofanely idolizing the memory of one dead prince, [2] and ungratefullytrampling upon the ashes of another. [3]

[Footnote 1: The subject of these political toasts was the theme of muchdiscussion in Ireland. [S. ]]

[Footnote 2: King William. ]

[Footnote 3: Queen Anne. ]

By these marks you will easily distinguish a truly moderate man fromthose who are commonly, but very falsely, so called; and while personsthus qualified are so numerous and so noisy, so full of zeal andindustry to gain proselytes, and spread their opinions among the people, it cannot be wondered at that there should be so little brotherly loveleft among us. 

_Lastly_: It would probably contribute to restore some degree ofbrotherly love, if we would but consider, that the matter of thosedisputes, which inflame us to this degree, doth not, in its own nature, at all concern the generality of mankind. Indeed as to those who havebeen great gainers or losers by the changes of the world, the case isdifferent; and to preach moderation to the first, and patience to thelast, would perhaps be to little purpose: But what is that to the bulkof the people, who are not properly concerned in the quarrel, althoughevil instruments have drawn them into it? For, if the reasonable men onboth sides were to confer opinions, they would find neither religion, loyalty, nor interest, are at all affected in this dispute. Notreligion, because the members of the Church, on both sides, profess toagree in every article: Not loyalty to our prince, which is pretended toby one party as much as the other, and therefore can be no subject fordebate: Not interest, for trade and industry lie open to all; and, whatis further, concerns only those who have expectations from the public:So that the body of the people, if they knew their own good, might yetlive amicably together, and leave their betters to quarrel amongthemselves, who might also probably soon come to a better temper, ifthey were less seconded and supported by the poor deluded multitude. 

I have now done with my text, which I confess to have treated in amanner more suited to the present times, than to the nature of thesubject in general. That I have not been more particular in explainingthe several parts and properties of this great duty of brotherly love, the apostle to the Thessalonians will plead my excuse. --"Touchingbrotherly love" (saith he) "ye need not that I write unto you, for yeyourselves are taught of God to love one another[4]. " So that nothingremains to add, but our prayers to God, that he would please to restoreand continue this duty of brotherly love or charity among us, the verybond of peace and of all virtues. 

[Footnote 4: 1 Thess. Iv. 9. ]

_Nov. _ 29, 1717. 

THE DIFFICULTY OF KNOWING ONE'S-SELF. [1]

[Footnote 1: Prefixed to the issue in volume ten, "Miscellanies, " 1745, is the following:

"ADVERTISEMENT. 

"The manuscript title page of the following sermon being lost, and nomemorandum writ upon it, as there were upon the others, when and whereit was preached, made the editor doubtful whether he should print it asthe Dean's, or not. But its being found amongst the same papers; and thehand, though writ somewhat better, bearing a great similitude to theDean's, made him willing to lay it before the public, that they mightjudge whether the style and manner also does not render it still moreprobable to be his. " [T. S. ]]

2 KINGS, VIII. PART OF THE 13TH VERSE. 

"And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do thisgreat thing?"

We have a very singular instance of the deceitfulness of the heart, represented to us in the person of Hazael; who was sent to the prophetElisha, to enquire of the Lord concerning his master the King of Syria'srecovery. For the man of God, having told him that the king mightrecover from the disorder he was then labouring under, begun to set andfasten his countenance upon him of a sudden, and to break out into themost violent expressions of sorrow, and a deep concern for it;whereupon, when Hazael, full of shame and confusion, asked, "Why weepethmy lord?" he answered, "Because I know all the evil that thou wilt dounto the children of Israel; their strongholds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash theirchildren, and rip up their women with child. " Thus much did the man ofGod say and know of him, by a light darted into his mind from heaven. But Hazael not knowing himself so well as the other did, was startledand amazed at the relation, and would not believe it possible that a manof his temper could ever run out into such enormous instances of crueltyand inhumanity. "What!" says he, "is thy servant a dog, that he shoulddo this great thing?"

And yet, for all this, it is highly probable that he was then that manhe could not imagine himself to be; for we find him, on the very nextday after his return, in a very treacherous and disloyal mannermurdering his own master, and usurping his kingdom; which was but aprologue to the sad tragedy which he afterwards acted upon the people ofIsrael. 

And now the case is but very little better with most men, than it waswith Hazael; however it comes to pass, they are wonderfully unacquaintedwith their own temper and disposition, and know very little of whatpasses within them: For of so many proud, ambitious, revengeful, envying, and ill-natured persons, that are in the world, where is thereone of them, who, although he has all the symptoms of the vice appearingupon every occasion, can look with such an impartial eye upon himself, as to believe that the imputation thrown upon him is not altogethergroundless and unfair? Who, if he were told by men of a discerningspirit and a strong conjecture, of all the evil and absurd things whichthat false heart of his would at one time or other betray him into, would not believe as little, and wonder as much, as Hazael did beforehim? Thus, for instance; tell an angry person that he is weak andimpotent, and of no consistency of mind; tell him, that such or such alittle accident, which he may then despise and think much below apassion, shall hereafter make him say and do several absurd, indiscreet, and misbecoming things: He may perhaps own that he has a spirit ofresentment within him, that will not let him be imposed on, but hefondly imagines that he can lay a becoming restraint upon it when hepleases, although 'tis ever running away with him into some indecency orother. 

Therefore, to bring the words of my text to our present occasion, Ishall endeavour, in a further prosecution of them, to evince the greatnecessity of a nice and curious inspection into the several recesses ofthe heart, being the surest and the shortest method that a wicked mancan take to reform himself: For let us but stop the fountain, and thestreams will spend and waste themselves away in a very little time; butif we go about, like children, to raise a bank, and to stop the current, not taking notice all the while of the spring which continually feedsit, when the next flood of temptation rises, and breaks in upon it, thenwe shall find that we have begun at the wrong end of our duty, and thatwe are very little more the better for it, than if we had sat still, andmade no advances at all. 

But, in order to a clearer explanation of the point, I shall speak tothese following particulars:--

_First_: By endeavouring to prove, from particular instances, that manis generally the most ignorant creature in the world of himself. 

_Secondly_: By inquiring into the grounds and reasons of his ignorance. 

_Thirdly_ and _Lastly_: By proposing several advantages that do mostassuredly attend a due improvement in the knowledge of ourselves. 

_First_, then: To prove that man is generally the most ignorant creaturein the world, of himself. 

To pursue the heart of man through all the instances of life, in all itsseveral windings and turnings, and under that infinite variety of shapesand appearances which it puts on, would be a difficult and almostimpossible undertaking; so that I shall confine myself to such as have anearer reference to the present occasion, and do, upon a closer view, shew themselves through the whole business of repentance. For we allknow what it is to repent, but whether he repents him truly of his sinsor not, who can know it?

Now the great duty of repentance is chiefly made up of these two parts, a hearty sorrow for the follies and miscarriages of the time past, and afull purpose and resolution of amendment for the time to come. And now, to shew the falseness of the heart in both these parts of repentance, And

_First_: As to a hearty sorrow for the sins and miscarriages of the timepast. Is there a more usual thing than for a man to impose upon himself, by putting on a grave and demure countenance, by casting a severe lookinto his past conduct, and making some few pious and devout reflectionsupon it, and then to believe that he has repented to an excellentpurpose, without ever letting it step forth into practice, and shewitself in a holy conversation? Nay, some persons do carry the deceit alittle higher; who if they can but bring themselves to weep for theirsins, they are then full of an ill-grounded confidence and security;never considering that all this may prove to be no more than the verygarb and outward dress of a contrite heart, which another heart, as hardas the nether millstone, may as well put on. For tears and sighs, however in some persons they may be decent and commendable expressionsof a godly sorrow, are neither necessary, nor infallible signs of a trueand unfeigned repentance. Not necessary, because sometimes, and in somepersons, the inward grief and anguish of the mind may be too big to beexpressed by so little a thing as a tear, and then it turneth its edgeinward upon the mind; and like those wounds of the body which bleedinwardly, generally proves the most fatal and dangerous to the wholebody of sin: Not infallible, because a very small portion of sorrow maymake some tender dispositions melt, and break out into tears; or a manmay perhaps weep at parting with his sins, as he would bid the lastfarewell to an old friend. 

But there is still a more pleasant cheat in this affair, that when wefind a deadness, and a strange kind of unaptness and indisposition toall impressions of religion, and that we cannot be as truly sorry forour sins as we should be, we then pretend to be sorry that we are notmore sorry for them; which is not more absurd and irrational, than thata man should pretend to be very angry at a thing, because he did notknow how to be angry at all. 

But after all, what is wanting in this part of repentance, we expect tomake up in the next; and to that purpose we put on a resolution ofamendment, which we take to be as firm as a house built upon a rock; sothat let the floods arise, and the winds blow, and the streams beatvehemently upon it, nothing shall shake it into ruin or disorder. Wedoubt not, upon the strength of this resolve, to stand fast and unmovedamid the storm of a temptation; and do firmly believe, at the time wemake it, that nothing in the world will ever be able to make us committhose sins over again, which we have so firmly resolved against. 

Thus many a time have we come to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, with a full purpose of amendment, and with as full a persuasion ofputting that same purpose into practice; and yet have we not all asoften broke that good purpose, and falsified that same persuasion, bystarting aside, like a broken bow, into those very sins, which we thenso solemnly and so confidently declared against?

Whereas had but any other person entered with us into a vow so solemn, that he had taken the Holy Sacrament upon it, I believe had he but oncedeceived us by breaking in upon the vow, we should hardly ever after beprevailed upon to trust that man again, though we still continue totrust our own fears, against reason and against experience. 

This indeed is a dangerous deceit enough, and will of course betray allthose well-meaning persons into sin and folly, who are apt to takereligion for a much easier thing than it is. But this is not the onlymistake we are apt to run into; we do not only think sometimes that wecan do more than we can do, but sometimes that we are incapable of doingless; an error of another kind indeed, but not less dangerous, arisingfrom a diffidence and false humility. For how much a wicked man can doin the business of religion, if he would but do his best, is very oftenmore than he can tell. 

Thus nothing is more common than to see a wicked man running headlonginto sin and folly, against his reason, against his religion, andagainst his God. Tell him, that what he is going to do will be aninfinite disparagement to his understanding, which, at another time, hesets no small value upon; tell him that it will blacken his reputation, which he had rather die for than lose; tell him that the pleasure of sinis short and transient, and leaves a vexatious kind of sting behind it, which will very hardly be drawn forth; tell him that this is one ofthose things for which God will most surely bring him to judgment, whichhe pretends to believe with a full assurance and persuasion: And yet forall this, he shuts his eyes against all conviction, and rusheth into thesin like a horse into battle; as if he had nothing left to do, but, likea silly child to wink hard, and to think to escape a certain andinfinite mischief, only by endeavouring not to see it. 

And now to shew that the heart has given in a false report of thetemptation, we may learn from this, that the same weak man would resistand master the same powerful temptation, upon considerations ofinfinitely less value than those which religion offers, nay such vileconsiderations, that the grace of God cannot without blasphemy besupposed to add any manner of force and efficacy to them. Thus forinstance, it would be a hard matter to dress up a sin in such soft andtempting circumstances, that a truly covetous man would not resist for aconsiderable sum of money; when neither the hopes of heaven nor thefears of hell could make an impression upon him before. But can anythingbe a surer indication of the deceitfulness of the heart, than thus toshew more courage, resolution, and activity, in an ill cause, than itdoes in a good one? And to exert itself to better purpose, when it is toserve its own pride, or lust, or revenge, or any other passion, thanwhen it is to serve God upon motives of the Gospel, and upon all thearguments that have ever been made use of to bring men over to religionand a good life? And thus having shewn that man is wonderfully apt todeceive and impose upon himself, in passing through the several stagesof that great duty, repentance, I proceed now, in the

_Second place_: To inquire into the grounds and reasons of thisignorance, _and to shew whence it comes to pass that man, the onlycreature in the world that can reflect and look into himself, shouldknow so little of what passes within him, and be so very muchunacquainted even with the standing dispositions and complexion of hisown heart_. The prime reason of it is, because we so very seldomconverse with ourselves, and take so little notice of what passes withinus: For a man can no more know his own heart than he can know his ownface, any other way than by reflection: He may as well tell over everyfeature of the smaller portions of his face without the help of alooking-glass, as he can tell all the inward bents and tendencies of hissoul, those standing features and lineaments of the inward man, and knowall the various changes that this is liable to from custom, frompassion, and from opinion, without a very frequent use of looking withinhimself. 

For our passions and inclinations are not always upon the wing, andalways moving toward their respective objects, but retire now and theninto the more dark and hidden recesses of the heart, where they lieconcealed for a while, until a fresh occasion calls them forth again: Sothat not every transient, oblique glance upon the mind can bring a maninto a thorough knowledge of all its strength and weaknesses; for a manmay sometimes turn the eye of the mind inward upon itself, as he maybehold his natural face in a glass, and go away, "and straight forgetwhat manner of man he was. " But a man must rather sit down and unravelevery action of the past day into all its circumstances andparticularities, and observe how every little thing moved and affectedhim, and what manner of impression it made upon his heart; this donewith that frequency and carefulness which the importance of the dutydoes require, would in a short time bring him into a nearer and moreintimate acquaintance with himself. 

But when men instead of this do pass away months and years in a perfectslumber of the mind, without once awaking it, it is no wonder theyshould be so very ignorant of themselves, and know very little more ofwhat passes within them than the very beasts which perish. But here itmay not be amiss to inquire into the reasons why most men have so littleconversation with themselves. 

And, _first:_ Because this reflection is a work and labour of the mind, and cannot be performed without some pain and difficulty: For, before aman can reflect upon himself, and look into his heart with a steady eye, he must contract his sight, and collect all his scattering and rovingthoughts into some order and compass, that he may be able to take aclear and distinct view of them; he must retire from the world for awhile, and be unattentive to all impressions of sense; and how hard andpainful a thing must it needs be to a man of passion and infirmity, amidsuch a crowd of objects that are continually striking upon the sense, and soliciting the affections, not to be moved and interrupted by one orother of them. But, _Secondly:_ Another reason why we so seldom converse with ourselves, is, because the business of the world takes up all our time, and leaveth usno portion of it to spend upon this great work and labour of the mind. Thus twelve or fourteen years pass away before we can well discern goodfrom evil; and of the rest so much goes away in sleep, so much in theproper business of our calling, that we have none to lay out upon themore serious and religious employments. Every man's life is an imperfectsort of a circle, which he repeats and runs over every day; he has a setof thoughts, desires, and inclinations, which return upon him in theirproper time and order, and will very hardly be laid aside, to make roomfor anything new and uncommon: So that call upon him when you please, toset about the study of his own heart, and you are sure to find himpre-engaged; either he has some business to do, or some diversion totake, some acquaintance that he must visit, or some company that he mustentertain, or some cross accident has put him out of humour, andunfitted him for such a grave employment. And thus it cometh to passthat a man can never find leisure to look into himself, because he doesnot set apart some portion of the day for that very purpose, butfoolishly defers it from one day to another, till his glass is almostrun out, and he is called to give a miserable account of himself in theother world. But, _Thirdly_, Another reason why a man does not more frequently conversewith himself, is, because such conversation with his own heart maydiscover some vice or some infirmity lurking within him, which he isvery unwilling to believe himself guilty of. For can there be a moreungrateful thing to a man, than to find that upon a nearer view he isnot that person he took himself to be? That he had neither the courage, nor the honesty, nor the piety, nor the humility that he dreamed he had?That a very little pain, for instance, putteth him out of patience, andas little pleasure softens and disarms him into ease and wantonness?That he has been at more pains, and labour, and cost, to be revenged ofan enemy, than to oblige the best friend he has in the world? That hecannot bring himself to say his prayers, without a great deal ofreluctancy; and when he does say them, the spirit and fervour ofdevotion evaporate in a very short time, and he can scarcely hold out aprayer of ten lines, without a number of idle and impertinent, if notvain and wicked thoughts coming into his head? These are very unwelcomediscoveries that a man may make of himself; so that 'tis no wonder thatevery one who is already flushed with a good opinion of himself, shouldrather study how to run away from it, than how to converse with his ownheart. 

But further, if a man were both able and willing to retire into his ownheart, and to set apart some portion of the day for that very purpose;yet he is still disabled from passing a fair and impartial judgment uponhimself, by several difficulties, arising partly from prejudice andprepossession, partly from the lower appetites and inclinations. And, _First_: That the business of prepossession may lead and betray a maninto a false judgment of his own heart. For we may observe, that thefirst opinion we take up of anything, or any person, does generallystick close to us; the nature of the mind being such, that it cannot butdesire, and consequently endeavour to have some certain principles to goupon, something fixed and unmoveable, whereon it may rest and supportitself. And hence it comes to pass, that some persons are with so muchdifficulty brought to think well of a man they have once entertained anill opinion of: and perhaps that too for a very absurd and unwarrantablereason. But how much more difficult then must it be for a man, who takesup a fond opinion of his own heart long before he has either years orsense enough to understand it, either to be persuaded out of it byhimself, whom he loveth so well, or by another, whose interest ordiversion it may be to make him ashamed of himself! Then, _Secondly_: As to the difficulties arising from the inferior appetitesand inclinations, let any man look into his own heart, and observe inhow different a light, and under what different complexions, any twosins of equal turpitude and malignity do appear to him, if he has but astrong inclination to the one, and none at all to the other. That whichhe has an inclination to, is always drest up in all the false beautythat a fond and busy imagination can give it; the other appears nakedand deformed, and in all the true circumstances of folly and dishonour. Thus stealing is a vice that few gentlemen are inclined to; and theyjustly think it below the dignity of a man to stoop to so base and low asin; but no principle of honour, no workings of the mind and conscience, not the still voice of mercy, not the dreadful call of judgment, nor anyconsiderations whatever, can put a stop to that violence and oppression, that pride and ambition, that revelling and wantonness, which we everyday meet with in the world. Nay, it is easy to observe very differentthoughts in a man, of the sin that he is most fond of, according to, thedifferent ebbs and flows of his inclination to it For as soon as theappetite is alarmed, and seizeth upon the heart, a little cloudgathereth about the head, and spreads a kind of darkness over the faceof the soul, whereby 'tis hindered from taking a clear and distinct viewof things; but no sooner is the appetite tired and satiated, but thesame cloud passes away like a shadow, and a new light springing up inthe mind of a sudden, the man sees much more, both of the folly and ofthe danger of the sin, than he did before. 

And thus having done with the several reasons why man, the only creaturein the world that can reflect and look into himself, is so very ignorantof what passes within him, and so much unacquainted with the standingdispositions and complexions of his own heart: I proceed now, in the

_Third_ and _Last_ place, to lay down several advantages, that do _mostassuredly_ attend a due improvement in the knowledge of ourselves. And, _First_: One great advantage is, that it tends very much to mortify andhumble a man into a modest and low opinion of himself. For let a mantake a nice and curious inspection into all the several regions of theheart, and observe every thing irregular and amiss within him: forinstance, how narrow and short-sighted a thing is the understanding;upon how little reason do we take up an opinion, and upon how muchless sometimes do we lay it down again, how weak and false ground do weoften walk upon with the biggest confidence and assurance, and howtremulous and doubtful are we very often where no doubt is to be made. Again; how wild and impertinent, how busy and incoherent a thing is theimagination, even in the best and wisest men; insomuch that every manmay be said to be mad, but every man does not shew it. Then as to thepassions; how noisy, how turbulent, and how tumultuous are they, howeasy they are stirred and set a-going, how eager and hot in the pursuit, and what strange disorder and confusion do they throw a man into; sothat he can neither think, nor speak, nor act as he should do, while heis under the dominion of any one of them. 

Thus let every man look with a severe and impartial eye into all thedistinct regions of the heart, and no doubt, several deformities andirregularities, that he never thought of, will open and disclosethemselves upon so near a view; and rather make the man ashamed ofhimself, than proud. 

_Secondly:_ A due improvement in the knowledge of ourselves doescertainly secure us from the sly and insinuating assaults of flattery. There is not in the world a baser and more hateful thing than flattery;it proceeds from so much falseness and insincerity in the man that givesit, and often discovers so much weakness and folly in the man that takesit, that it is hard to tell which of the two is most to be blamed. Everyman of common sense can demonstrate in speculation, and may be fullyconvinced, that all the praises and commendations of the whole world canadd no more to the real and intrinsic value of a man, than they can addto his stature. And yet, for all this, men of the best sense and piety, when they come down to the practice, cannot forbear thinking much betterof themselves, when they have the good fortune to be spoken well of byother persons. 

But the meaning of this absurd proceeding seems to be no other thanthis; there are few men that have so intimate an acquaintance with theirown heart, as to know their own real worth, and how to set a just rateupon themselves, and therefore they do not know but that he who praisesthem most, may be most in the right of it. For, no doubt, if a man wereignorant of the true value of a thing he loved as well as himself, hewould measure the worth of it according to the esteem of him who bidsmost for it, rather than of him that bids less. 

Therefore, the most infallible way to disentangle a man from the snaresof flattery, is, to consult and study his own heart; for whoever doesthat well, will hardly be so absurd, as to take another man's word, before his own sense and experience. 

_Thirdly:_ Another advantage from this kind of study, is this, that itteaches a man how to behave himself patiently, when he has the illfortune to be censured and abused by other people. For a man who isthoroughly acquainted with his own heart, does already know more evil ofhimself, than anybody else can tell him; and when any one speaks ill ofhim, he rather thanks God that he can say no worse. For could his enemybut look into the dark and hidden recesses of the heart, he considerswhat a number of impure thoughts he might there see brooding andhovering, like a dark cloud, upon the face of the soul; that there hemight take a prospect of the fancy, and view it acting over the severalscenes of pride, of ambition, of envy, of lust, and revenge; that therehe might tell how often a vicious inclination has been restrained, forno other reason but just to save the man's credit or interest in theworld; and how many unbecoming ingredients have entered into thecomposition of his best actions. And now, what man in the whole worldwould be able to bear so severe a test, to have every thought and inwardmotion of the heart laid open and exposed to the views of his enemies?But, _Fourthly_, and _Lastly:_ Another advantage of this kind is, that itmakes men less severe upon other people's faults, and less busy andindustrious in spreading them. For a man, employed at home, inspectinginto his own failings, has not leisure to take notice of every littlespot and blemish that lies scattered upon others. Or if he cannot escapethe sight of them, he always passes the most easy and favourableconstruction upon them. Thus, for instance; does the ill he knows of aman proceed from an unhappy temper and constitution of body? He thenconsiders with himself, how hard a thing it is, not to be borne downwith the current of the blood and spirits, and accordingly lays somepart of the blame upon the weakness of human nature, for he has felt theforce and rapidity of it within his own breast; though perhaps, inanother instance, he remembers how it rages and swells by opposition;and though it may be restrained, or diverted for a while, yet it canhardly ever be totally subdued. 

Or has the man sinned out of custom? He then, from his own experience, traces a habit into the very first rise and imperfect beginnings of it;and can tell by how slow and insensible advances it creeps upon theheart; how it works itself by degrees into the very frame and texture ofit, and so passes into a second nature; and consequently he has a justsense of the great difficulty for him to learn to do good, who has beenlong accustomed to do evil. 

Or, lastly, has a false opinion betrayed him into a sin? He then callsto mind what wrong apprehensions he has made of some things himself; howmany opinions, that he once made no doubt of, he has, upon a stricterexamination found to be doubtful and uncertain; how many more to beunreasonable and absurd. He knows further, that there are a great manymore opinions that he has never yet examined into at all, and which, however, he still believes, for no other reason, but because he hasbelieved them so long already without a reason. Thus, upon everyoccasion, a man intimately acquainted with himself, consults his ownheart, and makes every man's case to be his own, (and so puts the mostfavourable interpretation upon it). Let every man therefore look intohis own heart, before he beginneth to abuse the reputation of another, and then he will hardly be so absurd as to throw a dart that will socertainly rebound and wound himself. And thus, through the whole courseof his conversation, let him keep an eye upon that one greatcomprehensive rule of Christian duty, on which hangs, not only the lawand the prophets, but the very life and spirit of the Gospel too:"Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so untothem. " Which rule, that we may all duly observe, by throwing aside allscandal and detraction, all spite and rancour, all rudeness andcontempt, all rage and violence, and whatever tends to make conversationand commerce either uneasy, or troublesome, may the God of peace grantfor Jesus Christ his sake, &c. 

Consider what has been said, &c. 

ON FALSE WITNESS. 

EXODUS, XX. 16. 

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. "

In those great changes that are made in a country by the prevailing ofone party over another, it is very convenient that the prince, and thosewho are in authority under him, should use all just and proper methodsfor preventing any mischief to the public from seditious men. Andgovernors do well, when they encourage any good subject to discover (ashis duty obligeth him) whatever plots or conspiracies may be anywaydangerous to the state: Neither are they to be blamed, even when theyreceive informations from bad men, in order to find out the truth, whenit concerns the public welfare. Every one indeed is naturally inclinedto have an ill opinion of an informer; although it is not impossible butan honest man may be called by that name. For whoever knoweth anything, the telling of which would prevent some great evil to his prince, hiscountry, or his neighbour, is bound in conscience to reveal it. But themischief is, that, when parties are violently enflamed, which seemethunfortunately to be our case at present, there is never wanting a set ofevil instruments, who, either out of mad zeal, private hatred, or filthylucre, are always ready to offer their service to the prevailing side, and become accusers of their brethren, without any regard to truth orcharity. Holy David numbers this among the chief of his sufferings;"False witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe outcruelty. "[1] Our Saviour and his apostles did likewise undergo the samedistress, as we read both in the Gospels and the Acts. 

[Footnote 1: Psalm xxvii. 12. ]

Now, because the sign of false witnessing is so horrible and dangerousin itself, and so odious to God and man; and because the bitterness oftoo many among us is risen to such a height, that it is not easy to knowwhere it will stop, or how far some weak and wicked minds may be carriedby a mistaken zeal, a malicious temper, or hope of reward, to break thisgreat commandment delivered in the text; therefore, in order to preventthis evil, and the consequences of it, at least among you who are myhearers, I shall, I. _First_: Shew you several ways by which a man may be called a falsewitness against his neighbour. 

II. _Secondly_: I shall give you some rules for your conduct andbehaviour, in order to defend yourselves against the malice and cunningof false accusers. 

III. And _lastly_: I shall conclude with shewing you very briefly, howfar it is your duty, as good subjects and good neighbours, to bearfaithful witness, when you are lawfully called to it by those inauthority, or by the sincere advice of your own consciences, I. As to the first, there are several ways by which a man may be justlycalled a false witness against his neighbour. 

_First_, According to the direct meaning of the word, when a manaccuseth his neighbour without the least ground of truth. So we read, that Jezebel hired two sons of Belial to accuse Naboth for blasphemingGod and the King, for which, although he was entirely innocent, he wasstoned to death. [2] And in our age it is not easy, to tell how many menhave lost their lives, been ruined in their fortunes, and put toignominious punishment by the downright perjury of false witnesses! Thelaw itself in such cases being not able to protect the innocent. Butthis is so horrible a crime, that it doth not need to be aggravated bywords. 

[Footnote 2: i Kings, xxi. 8-13. ]

A second way by which a man becometh a false witness is, when he mixethfalsehood and truth together, or concealeth some circumstances, which, if they were told; would destroy the falsehoods he uttereth. So the twofalse witnesses who accused our Saviour before the chief priests, by avery little perverting his words, would have made him guilty of acapital crime: for so it was among the Jews to prophesy any evil againstthe Temple: "This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days;"[3] whereas the words, as our Saviourspoke them, were to another end, and differently expressed: For when theJews asked him to shew them a sign, he said, "Destroy this temple, andin three days I will raise it up. " In such cases as these, an innocentman is half confounded, and looketh as if he were guilty, since heneither can deny his words, nor perhaps readily strip them from themalicious additions of a false witness. 

[Footnote 3: Mat. Xxvi. 6]

_Thirdly_: A man is a false witness, when, in accusing his neighbour, heendeavoureth to aggravate by his gestures and tone of his voice, or whenhe chargeth a man with words which were only repeated or quoted fromsomebody else. As if any one should tell me that he heard another speakcertain dangerous and seditious speeches, and I should immediatelyaccuse him for speaking them himself; and so drop the only circumstancethat made him innocent. This was the case of St Stephen. The falsewitness said, "This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words againstthis holy place and the law. "[4] Whereas St Stephen said no such words;but only repeated some prophecies of Jeremiah or Malachi, whichthreatened Jerusalem with destruction if it did not repent. However, bythe fury of the people, this innocent holy person was stoned to deathfor words he never spoke. 

[Footnote 4: Acts, vi. 13. ]

_Fourthly_: The blackest kind of false witnesses are those who do theoffice of the devil, by tempting their brethren in order to betray them. I cannot call to mind any instances of this kind mentioned in HolyScripture. But I am afraid, this vile practice hath been too muchfollowed in the world. When a man's temper hath been so soured bymisfortunes and hard usage, that perhaps he hath reason enough tocomplain; then one of these seducers, under the pretence of friendship, will seem to lament his case, urge the hardships he hath suffered, andendeavour to raise his passions, until he hath said something that amalicious informer can pervert or aggravate against him in a court ofjustice. 

_Fifthly_: Whoever beareth witness against his neighbour, out of aprinciple of malice and revenge, from any old grudge, or hatred to hisperson; such a man is a false witness in the sight of God, although whathe says be true; because the motive or cause is evil, not to serve hisprince or country, but to gratify his own resentments. And therefore, although a man thus accused may be very justly punished by the law, yetthis doth by no means acquit the accuser, who, instead of regarding thepublic service, intended only to glut his private rage and spite. 

_Sixthly_: I number among false witnesses, all those who make a trade ofbeing informers in hope of favour or reward; and to this end employtheir time, either by listening in public places, to catch up anaccidental word; or in corrupting men's servants to discover any unwaryexpression of their master; or thrusting themselves into company, andthen using the most indecent scurrilous language; fastening a thousandfalsehoods and scandals upon a whole party, on purpose to provoke suchan answer as they may turn to an accusation. And truly this ungodly raceis said to be grown so numerous, that men of different parties canhardly converse together with any security. Even the pulpit hath notbeen free from the misrepresentation of these informers; of whom theclergy have not wanted occasions to complain with holy David: "Theydaily mistake my words, all they imagine is to do me evil. " Nor is itany wonder at all, that this trade of informing should be now in aflourishing condition, since our case is manifestly thus: We are dividedinto two parties, with very little charity or temper toward each other;the prevailing side may talk of past things as they please, withsecurity; and generally do it in the most provoking words they caninvent; while those who are down, are sometimes tempted to speak infavour of a lost cause, and therefore, without great caution, must needsbe often caught tripping, and thereby furnish plenty of materials forwitnesses and informers. 

_Lastly_: Those may be well reckoned among false witnesses against theirneighbour, who bring him into trouble and punishment by such accusationsas are of no consequence at all to the public, nor can be of any otheruse but to create vexation. Such witnesses are those who cannot hear anidle intemperate expression, but they must immediately run to themagistrate to inform; or perhaps wrangling in their cups over night, when they were not able to speak or apprehend three words of commonsense, will pretend to remember everything the next morning, and thinkthemselves very properly qualified to be accusers of their brethren. Godbe thanked, the throne of our King[5] is too firmly settled to be shakenby the folly and rashness of every sottish companion. And I do not inthe least doubt, that when those in power begin to observe thefalsehood, the prevarication, the aggravating manner, the treachery andseducing, the malice and revenge, the love of lucre, and lastly, thetrifling accusations in too many wicked people, they will be as ready todiscourage every sort of those whom I have numbered among falsewitnesses, as they will be to countenance honest men, who, out of a truezeal to their prince and country, do, in the innocence of their hearts, freely discover whatever they may apprehend to be dangerous to either. Agood Christian will think it sufficient to reprove his brother for arash unguarded word, where there is neither danger nor evil example tobe apprehended; or, if he will not amend by reproof, avoid hisconversation. 

[Footnote 5: George I. ]

II. And thus much may serve to shew the several ways whereby a man maybe said to be a false witness against his neighbour. I might have addedone kind more, and it is of those who inform against their neighbour outof fear of punishment to themselves, which, although it be moreexcusable, and hath less of malice than any of the rest, cannot, however, be justified. I go on, therefore, upon the second head, to giveyou some rules for your conduct and behaviour, in order to defendyourselves against the malice and cunning of false accusers. 

It is readily agreed, that innocence is the best protection in theworld; yet that it is not always sufficient without some degree ofprudence, our Saviour himself intimateth to us, by instructing hisdisciples "to be wise as serpents, as well as innocent as doves. " But ifever innocence be too weak a defence, it is chiefly so in jealous andsuspicious times, when factions are arrived to an high pitch ofanimosity, and the minds of men, instead of being warmed by a true zealfor religion, are inflamed only by party fury. Neither is virtue itselfa sufficient security in such times, because it is not allowed to bevirtue, otherwise than as it hath a mixture of party. 

However, although virtue and innocence are no infallible defence againstperjury, malice, and subornation, yet they are great supports forenabling us to bear those evils with temper and resignation; and it isan unspeakable comfort to a good man under the malignity of evilmercenary tongues, that a few years will carry his appeal to an highertribunal, where false witnesses, instead of daring to bring accusationsbefore an all-seeing Judge, will call for mountains to cover them. Asfor earthly judges, they seldom have it in their power; and, God knows, whether they have it in their will, to mingle mercy with justice; theyare so far from knowing the hearts of the accuser or the accused, thatthey cannot know their own; and their understanding is frequentlybiassed, although their intentions be just. They are often prejudiced tocauses, parties, and persons, through the infirmity of human nature, without being sensible themselves that they are so: And therefore, although God may pardon their errors here, he certainly will not ratifytheir sentences hereafter. 

However, since as we have before observed, our Saviour prescribeth to usto be not only harmless as doves, but wise as serpents; give me leave toprescribe to you some rules, which the most ignorant person may followfor the conduct of his life, with safety in perilous times, againstfalse accusers. 

1st, Let me advise you to have nothing at all to do with that which iscommonly called politics, or the government of the world, in the natureof which it is certain you are utterly ignorant, and when your opinionis wrong, although it proceeds from ignorance, it shall be an accusationagainst you. Besides, opinions in government are right or wrong, justaccording to the humour and disposition of the times; and, unless youhave judgment to distinguish, you may be punished at one time for whatyou would be rewarded in another. 

2dly, Be ready at all times, in your words and actions, to shew yourloyalty to the king that reigns over you. This is the plain manifestdoctrine of Holy Scripture: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of manfor the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme, " &c. [6] Andanother apostle telleth us, "The powers that be are ordained of God. "Kings are the ordinances of man by the permission of God, and they areordained of God by his instrument man. The powers that be, the presentpowers, which are ordained by God, and yet in some sense are theordinances of man, are what you must obey, without presuming to examineinto rights and titles; neither can it be reasonably expected, that thepowers in being, or in possession, should suffer their title to bepublicly disputed by subjects without severe punishment. And to say thetruth, there is no duty in religion more easy to the generality ofmankind, than obedience to government: I say to the generality ofmankind; because while their law, and property, and religion arepreserved, it is of no great consequence to them by whom they aregoverned, and therefore they are under no temptation to desire a change. 

[Footnote 6: I Peter, ii. 13. ]

3dly, In order to prevent any charge from the malice of false witnesses, be sure to avoid intemperance. If it be often so hard for men to governtheir tongues when they are in their right senses, how can they hope todo it when they are heated with drink? In those cases most men regardnot what they say, and too many not what they swear; neither will aman's memory, disordered with drunkenness, serve to defend himself, orsatisfy him whether he were guilty or no. 

4thly, Avoid, as much as possible, the conversation of those people, whoare given to talk of public persons and affairs, especially of thosewhose opinions in such matters are different from yours. I never onceknew any disputes of this kind managed with tolerable temper; but onboth sides they only agree as much as possible to provoke the passionsof each other, indeed with this disadvantage, that he who argueth on theside of power may speak securely the utmost his malice can invent; whilethe other lieth every moment at the mercy of an informer; and the law, in these cases, will give no allowance at all for passion, inadvertency, or the highest provocation. 

I come now in the last place to shew you how far it is your duty as goodsubjects and good neighbours to bear faithful witness, when you arelawfully called to it by those in authority, or by the sincere advice ofyour own consciences. 

In what I have hitherto said, you easily find, that I do not talk ofbearing witness in general, which is and may be lawful upon a thousandaccounts in relation to property and other matters, and wherein thereare many scandalous corruptions, almost peculiar to this country, whichwould require to be handled by themselves. But I have confined mydiscourse only to that branch of bearing false witness, whereby thepublic is injured in the safety or honour of the prince, or those inauthority under him. 

In order therefore to be a faithful witness, it is first necessary thata man doth not undertake it from the least prospect of any privateadvantage to himself. The smallest mixture of that leaven will sour thewhole lump. Interest will infallibly bias his judgment, although he beever so firmly resolved to say nothing but truth. He cannot serve Godand Mammon; but as interest is his chief end, he will use the mosteffectual means to advance it. He will aggravate circumstances to makehis testimony valuable; he will be sorry if the person he accusethshould be able to clear himself; in short, he is labouring a point whichhe thinks necessary to his own good; and it would be a disappointment tohim, that his neighbour should prove innocent. 

5thly, Every good subject is obliged to bear witness against hisneighbour, for any action or words, the telling of which would be ofadvantage to the public, and the concealment dangerous, or of illexample. Of this nature are all plots and conspiracies against the peaceof a nation, all disgraceful words against a prince, such as clearlydiscover a disloyal and rebellious heart: But where our prince andcountry can possibly receive no damage or disgrace; where no scandal orill example is given; and our neighbour, it may be, provoked by us, happeneth privately to drop a rash or indiscreet word, which instrictness of law might bring him under trouble, perhaps to his utterundoing; there we are obliged, we ought, to proceed no further thanwarning and reproof. 

In describing to you the several kinds of false witnesses, I have madeit less necessary to dwell much longer upon this head; because afaithful witness like everything else is known by his contrary:Therefore it would be only a repetition of what I have already said totell you, that the strictest truth is required in a witness; that heshould be wholly free from malice against the person he accuses; that heshould not aggravate the smallest circumstance against the criminal, norconceal the smallest in his favour; and to crown all, though I havehinted it before, that the only cause or motive of his undertaking anoffice, so subject to censure, and so difficult to perform, should bethe safety and service of his prince and country. 

Under these conditions and limitations (but not otherwise, ) there is nomanner of doubt but a good man may lawfully and justly become a witnessin behalf of the public, and may perform that office (in its own naturenot very desirable) with honour and integrity. For the command in thetext is positive as well as negative; that is to say, as we are directednot to bear false witness against our neighbour, so we are to bear true. Next to the word of God, and the advice of teachers, every man'sconscience, strictly examined, will be his best director in this weightypoint; and to that I shall leave him. 

It might perhaps be thought proper to have added something by way ofadvice to those who are unhappily engaged in this abominable trade andsin of bearing false witness; but I am far from believing or supposingany of that destructive tribe are now my hearers. I look upon them as asort of people that seldom frequent these holy places, where they canhardly pick up any materials to serve their turn, unless they think itworth their while to misrepresent or pervert the words of the preacher:And whoever is that way disposed, I doubt, cannot be in a very goodcondition to edify and reform himself by what he heareth. God in hismercy preserve us from all the guilt of this grievous sin forbidden inmy text, and from the snares of those who are guilty of it!

I shall conclude with one or two precepts given by Moses, from God, tothe children of Israel, in the xxiiid of Exod. 1, 2. 

"Thou shalt not raise a false report: Put not thine hand with thewicked, to be an unrighteous witness. 

"Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil, neither shalt them speakin a cause to decline after many, to wrest judgment. "

Now to God the Father, &c. 

ON THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD. [1]

[Footnote 1: The title of this sermon as given in Contents of Swift's"Works, " vol. Viii. , pt. I. (4to, 1765) is, "A Sermon upon theExcellence of Christianity in Opposition to Heathen Philosophy. " [T. S. ]]

I COR. III. 19. 

"The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. "

It is remarkable that, about the time of our Saviour's coming into theworld, all kinds of learning flourished to a very great degree, insomuchthat nothing is more frequent in the mouths of many men, even such whopretend to read and to know, than an extravagant praise and opinion ofthe wisdom and virtue of the Gentile sages of those days, and likewiseof those ancient philosophers who went before them, whose doctrines areleft upon record either by themselves or other writers. As far as thismay be taken for granted, it may be said, that the providence of Godbrought this about for several very wise ends and purposes: For, it iscertain that these philosophers had been a long time before searchingout where to fix the true happiness of man; and, not being able to agreeupon any certainty about it, they could not possibly but conclude, ifthey judged impartially, that all their enquiries were, in the end, butvain and fruitless; the consequence of which must be not only anacknowledgment of the weakness of all human wisdom, but likewise an openpassage hereby made, for the letting in those beams of light, which theglorious sunshine of the Gospel then brought into the world, byrevealing those hidden truths, which they had so long before beenlabouring to discover, and fixing the general happiness of mankindbeyond all controversy and dispute. And therefore the providence of Godwisely suffered men of deep genius and learning then to arise, whoshould search into the truth of the Gospel now made known, and canvassits doctrines with all the subtilty and knowledge they were masters of, and in the end freely acknowledge that to be the true wisdom only "whichcometh from above. " (James, iii. 15, 16, 17. )

However, to make a further enquiry into the truth of this observation, Idoubt not but there is reason to think that a great many of thoseencomiums given to ancient philosophers are taken upon trust, and by asort of men who are not very likely to be at the pains of an enquirythat would employ so much time and thinking. For the usual ends why menaffect this kind of discourse, appear generally to be either out ofostentation, that they may pass upon the world for persons of greatknowledge and observation; or, what is worse, there are some who highlyexalt the wisdom of those Gentile sages, thereby obliquely to glance atand traduce Divine Revelation, and more especially that of the Gospel;for the consequence they would have us draw is this: That, since thoseancient philosophers rose to a greater pitch of wisdom and virtue thanwas ever known among Christians, and all this purely upon the strengthof their own reason and liberty of thinking, therefore it must follow, that either all Revelation is false, or, what is worse, that it hasdepraved the nature of man, and left him worse than it found him. 

But this high opinion of heathen wisdom is not very ancient in theworld, nor at all countenanced from primitive times: Our Saviour had buta low esteem of it, as appears by His treatment of the Pharisees andSadducees, who followed the doctrines of Plato and Epicurus. St Paullikewise, who was well versed in all the Grecian literature, seems verymuch to despise their philosophy, as we find in his writings, cautioningthe Colossians to "beware lest any man spoil them through philosophy andvain deceit. " And, in another place, he advises Timothy to "avoidprofane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science, falsely socalled;" that is, not to introduce into the Christian doctrine thejanglings of those vain philosophers, which they would pass upon theworld for science. And the reasons he gives are, first, That those whoprofessed them did err concerning the faith:

Secondly, Because the knowledge of them did encrease ungodliness, vainbabblings being otherways expounded vanities, or empty sounds; that is, tedious disputes about words, which the philosophers were always so fullof, and which were the natural product of disputes and dissensionsbetween several sects. 

Neither had the primitive fathers any great or good opinion of theheathen philosophy, as it is manifest from several passages in theirwritings: So that this vein of affecting to raise the reputation ofthose sages so high, is a mode and a vice but of yesterday, assumedchiefly, as I have said, to disparage revealed knowledge, and theconsequences of it among us. 

Now, because this is a prejudice which may prevail with some persons, sofar as to lessen the influence of the Gospel, and whereas therefore thisis an opinion which men of education are like to be encountered with, when they have produced themselves into the world; I shall endeavour toshew that their preference of heathen wisdom and virtue, before that ofthe Christian, is every way unjust, and grounded upon ignorance ormistake: In order to which I shall consider four things. 

_First_, I shall produce certain points, wherein the wisdom and virtueof all unrevealed philosophy in general, fell short, and was veryimperfect. 

_Secondly_, I shall shew, in several instances, where some of the mostrenowned philosophers have been grossly defective in their lessons ofmorality. 

_Thirdly_, I shall prove the perfection of Christian wisdom, from theproper characters and marks of it. 

_Lastly_, I shall shew that the great examples of wisdom and virtueamong the heathen wise men, were produced by personal merit, and notinfluenced by the doctrine of any sect; whereas, in Christianity, it isquite the contrary. 

_First_, I shall produce certain points, wherein the wisdom and virtueof all unrevealed philosophy in general fell short, and was veryimperfect. 

My design is to persuade men, that Christian philosophy is in all thingspreferable to heathen wisdom; from which, or its professors, I shallhowever have no occasion to detract. They were as wise and as good as itwas possible for them under such disadvantages, and would have probablybeen infinitely more with such aids as we enjoy: But our lessons arecertainly much better, however our practices may fail short. 

The first point I shall mention is that universal defect which was inall their schemes, that they could not agree about their chief good, orwherein to place the happiness of mankind, nor had any of them atolerable answer upon this difficulty, to satisfy a reasonable person. For, to say, as the most plausible of them did, that happiness consistedin virtue, was but vain babbling, and a mere sound of words, to amuseothers and themselves; because they were not agreed what this virtuewas, or wherein it did consist; and likewise, because several among thebest of them taught quite different things, placing happiness in healthor good fortune, in riches or in honour, where all were agreed thatvirtue was not, as I shall have occasion to shew, when I speak of theirparticular tenets. 

The second great defect in the Gentile philosophy was, that it wantedsome suitable reward proportioned to the better part of man, his mind, as an encouragement for his progress in virtue. The difficulties theymet with upon the score of this default were great, and not to beaccounted for: Bodily goods, being only suitable to bodily wants, are norest at all for the mind; and, if they were, yet are they not the properfruits of wisdom and virtue, being equally attainable by the ignorantand wicked. Now, human nature is so constituted, that we can neverpursue anything heartily but upon hopes of a reward. If we run a race, it is in expectation of a prize, and the greater the prize the faster werun; for an incorruptible crown, if we understand it and believe it tobe such, more than a corruptible one. But some of the philosophers gaveall this quite another turn, and pretended to refine so far, as to callvirtue its own reward, and worthy to be followed only for itself:Whereas, if there be anything in this more than the sound of the words, it is at least too abstracted to become a universal influencingprinciple in the world, and therefore could not be of general use. 

It was the want of assigning some happiness, proportioned to the soul ofman, that caused many of them, either, on the one hand, to be sour andmorose, supercilious and untreatable; or, on the other, to fall into thevulgar pursuits of common men, to hunt after greatness and riches, tomake their court, and to serve occasions; as Plato did to the youngerDionysius, and Aristotle to Alexander the Great. So impossible is it fora man, who looks no further than the present world, to fix himself longin a contemplation where the present world has no part: He has no surehold, no firm footing; he can never expect to remove the earth he restsupon, while he has no support beside for his feet, but wants, likeArchimedes, some other place whereon to stand. To talk of bearing painand grief, without any sort of present or future hope, cannot be purelygreatness of spirit; there must be a mixture in it of affectation, andan alloy of pride, or perhaps is wholly counterfeit. 

It is true there has been all along in the world a notion of rewards andpunishments in another life; but it seems to have rather served as anentertainment to poets, or as a terror of children, than a settledprinciple, by which men pretended to govern any of their actions. Thelast celebrated words of Socrates, a little before his death, do notseem to reckon or build much upon any such opinion; and Cæsar made noscruple to disown it, and ridicule it in open senate. 

_Thirdly_, The greatest and wisest of all their philosophers were neverable to give any satisfaction, to others and themselves, in theirnotions of a Deity. They were often extremely gross and absurd in theirconceptions; and those who made the fairest conjectures are such as weregenerally allowed by the learned to have seen the system of Moses, if Imay so call it, who was in great reputation at that time in the heathenworld, as we find by Diodonis, Justin, Longinus, and other authors; forthe rest, the wisest among them laid aside all notions after a Deity, asa disquisition vain and fruitless, which indeed it was, upon unrevealedprinciples; and those who ventured to engage too far fell intoincoherence and confusion. 

_Fourthly_, Those among them who had the justest conceptions of a DivinePower, and did also admit a Providence, had no notion at all of entirelyrelying and depending upon either; they trusted in themselves for allthings: But, as for a trust or dependence upon God, they would not haveunderstood the phrase; it made no part of the profane style. 

Therefore it was, that, in all issues and events, which they could notreconcile to their own sentiments of reason and justice, they were quitedisconcerted: They had no retreat; but, upon every blow of adversefortune, either affected to be indifferent, or grew sullen and severe, or else yielded and sunk like other men. 

Having now produced certain points, wherein the wisdom and virtue of allunrevealed philosophy fell short, and was very imperfect; I go on, inthe second place, to shew in several instances, where some of the mostrenowned philosophers have been grossly defective in their lessons ofmorality. 

Thales, the founder of the Ionic sect, so celebrated for morality, beingasked how a man might bear ill-fortune with greatest ease, answered, "Byseeing his enemies in a worse condition. " An answer truly barbarous, unworthy of human nature, and which included such consequences as mustdestroy all society from the world. 

Solon, lamenting the death of a son, one told him, "You lament in vain:""Therefore" (said he) "I lament, because it is in vain. " This was aplain confession how imperfect all his philosophy was, and thatsomething was still wanting. He owned that all his wisdom and moralswere useless, and this upon one of the most frequent accidents in life. How much better could he have learned to support himself even fromDavid, by his entire dependence upon God; and that before our Saviourhad advanced the notions of religion to the height and perfectionwherewith He hath instructed His disciples? Plato himself, with all hisrefinements, placed happiness in wisdom, health, good fortune, honour, and riches; and held that they who enjoyed all these were perfectlyhappy: Which opinion was indeed unworthy its owner, leaving the wise andthe good man wholly at the mercy of uncertain chance, and to bemiserable without resource. 

His scholar, Aristotle, fell more grossly into the same notion; andplainly affirmed, "That virtue, without the goods of fortune, was notsufficient for happiness, but that a wise man must be miserable inpoverty and sickness. " Nay, Diogenes himself, from whose pride andsingularity one would have looked for other notions, delivered it as hisopinion, "That a poor old man was the most miserable thing in life. "

Zeno also and his followers fell into many absurdities, among whichnothing could be greater than that of maintaining all crimes to beequal, which, instead of making vice hateful, rendered it as a thingindifferent and familiar to all men. 

_Lastly_: Epicurus had no notion of justice but as it was profitable;and his placing happiness in pleasure, with all the advantages he couldexpound it by, was liable to very great exception: For, although hetaught that pleasure did consist in virtue, yet he did not any way fixor ascertain the boundaries of virtue, as he ought to have done; bywhich means he misled his followers into the greatest vices, makingtheir names to become odious and scandalous, even in the heathen world. 

I have produced these few instances from a great many others, to shewthe imperfection of heathen philosophy, wherein I have confined myselfwholly to their morality. And surely we may pronounce upon it in thewords of St James, that "This wisdom descended not from above, but wasearthly and sensual. " What if I had produced their absurd notions aboutGod and the soul? It would then have completed the character given it bythat apostle, and appeared to have been devilish too. But it is easy toobserve, from the nature of these few particulars, that their defects inmorals were purely the flagging and fainting of the mind, for want of asupport by revelation from God. 

I proceed therefore, in the third place, to shew the perfection ofChristian wisdom from above, and I shall endeavour to make it appearfrom those proper characters and marks of it by the apostle beforementioned, in the third chapter, and 15th, 16th, and 17th verses. 

The words run thus:

"This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 

"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion, and every evilwork. 

"But the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, withoutpartiality, and without hypocrisy. "

"The wisdom from above is first pure. " This purity of the mind andspirit is peculiar to the Gospel. Our Saviour says, "Blessed are thepure in heart, for they shall see God. " A mind free from all pollutionof lusts shall have a daily vision of God, whereof unrevealed religioncan form no notion. This it is which keeps us unspotted from the world;and hereby many have been prevailed upon to live in the practice of allpurity, holiness, and righteousness, far beyond the examples of the mostcelebrated philosophers. 

It is "peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated. " The Christiandoctrine teacheth us all those dispositions that make us affable andcourteous, gentle and kind, without any morose leaven of pride orvanity, which entered into the composition of most heathen schemes: Sowe are taught to be meek and lowly. Our Saviour's last legacy was peace;and He commands us to forgive our offending brother unto seventy timesseven. Christian wisdom is full of mercy and good works, teaching theheight of all moral virtues, of which the heathens fall infinitelyshort. Plato indeed (and it is worth observing) has somewhere adialogue, or part of one, about forgiving our enemies, which was perhapsthe highest strain ever reached by man, without divine assistance; yethow little is that to what our Saviour commands us? "To love them thathate us; to bless them that curse us; and do good to them thatdespitefully use us. "

Christian wisdom is "without partiality;" it is not calculated for thisor that nation of people, but the whole race of mankind: Not so thephilosophical schemes, which were narrow and confined, adapted to theirpeculiar towns, governments, or sects; but, "in every nation, he thatfeareth God and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him. "

_Lastly_: It is "without hypocrisy:" It appears to be what it really is;it is all of a piece. By the doctrines of the Gospel we are so far frombeing allowed to publish to the world those virtues we have not, that weare commanded to hide, even from ourselves, those we really have, andnot to let our right hand know what our left hand does; unlike severalbranches of the heathen wisdom, which pretended to teach insensibilityand indifference, magnanimity and contempt of life, while, at the sametime, in other parts it belied its own doctrines. 

I come now, in the last place, to shew that the great examples of wisdomand virtue, among the Grecian sages, were produced by personal merit, and not influenced by the doctrine of any particular sect; whereas, inChristianity, it is quite the contrary. 

The two virtues most celebrated by ancient moralists were Fortitude andTemperance, as relating to the government of man in his privatecapacity, to which their schemes were generally addressed and confined;and the two instances, wherein those virtues arrived at the greatestheight, were Socrates and Cato. But neither those, nor any other virtuespossessed by these two, were at all owing to any lessons or doctrines ofa sect. For Socrates himself was of none at all; and although Cato wascalled a Stoic, it was more from a resemblance of manners in his worstqualities, than that he avowed himself one of their disciples. The samemay be affirmed of many other great men of antiquity. From whence Iinfer, that those who were renowned for virtue among them, were moreobliged to the good natural dispositions of their own minds, than to thedoctrines of any sect they pretended to follow. 

On the other side, As the examples of fortitude and patience, among theprimitive Christians, have been infinitely greater and more numerous, sothey were altogether the product of their principles and doctrine; andwere such as the same persons, without those aids, would never havearrived to. Of this truth most of the apostles, with many thousandmartyrs, are a cloud of witnesses beyond exception. Having thereforespoken so largely upon the former heads, I shall dwell no longer uponthis. 

And, if it should here be objected, Why does not Christianity stillproduce the same effects? it is easy to answer, First, That although thenumber of pretended Christians be great, yet that of true believers, inproportion to the other, was never so small; and it is a true livelyfaith alone, that by the assistance of God's grace, can influence ourpractice. 

_Secondly_, we may answer, That Christianity itself has very muchsuffered by being blended up with Gentile philosophy. The Platonicsystem, first taken into religion, was thought to have given matter forsome early heresies in the Church. When disputes began to arise, thePeripatetic forms were introduced by Scotus, as best fitted forcontroversy. And, however this may now have become necessary, it wassurely the author of a litigious vein, which has since occasioned verypernicious consequences, stopped the progress of Christianity, and beena great promoter of vice, verifying that sentence given by St James, andmentioned before, "Where envying and strife is, there is confusion, andevery evil work. " This was the fatal stop to the Grecians, in theirprogress both of arts and arms: Their wise men were divided underseveral sects, and their governments under several commonwealths, all inopposition to each other; which engaged them in eternal quarrels amongthemselves, while they should have been armed against the common enemy. And I wish we had no other examples from the like causes, less foreignor ancient than that. Diogenes said Socrates was a madman; the disciplesof Zeno and Epicurus, nay of Plato and Aristotle, were engaged in fiercedisputes about the most insignificant trifles. And, if this be thepresent language and practice among us Christians, no wonder thatChristianity does not still produce the same effects which it did atfirst, when it was received and embraced in its utmost purity andperfection. For such a wisdom as this cannot "descend from above, " butmust be "earthly, sensual, devilish; full of confusion and every evilwork": Whereas "the wisdom from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, withoutpartiality, and without hypocrisy. " This is the true heavenly wisdom, which Christianity only can boast of, and which the greatest of theheathen wise men could never arrive at. 

Now to God the Father, &c. &c. 

DOING GOOD:

A SERMON, ON THE OCCASION OF WOOD'S PROJECT. [1]

[Footnote 1: "I did very lately, as I thought it my duty, preach to thepeople under my inspection, upon the subject of Mr. Wood's coin; andalthough I never heard that my sermon gave the least offence, as I amsure none was intended; yet, if it were now printed and published, Icannot say, I would insure it from the hands of the common hangman; ormy own person from those of a messenger. " See "The Drapier's Letters, "No. VI. 

"'I never' (said the Dean in a jocular conversation), 'preached buttwice in my life; and then they were not sermons, but pamphlets. ' Beingasked on what subject, he replied, 'They were against Wood'shalfpence. '"--Pilkington's _Memoirs_, vol. I. P. 56. 

"The pieces relating to Ireland are those of a public nature; in whichthe Dean appears, as usual, in the best light, because they do honour tohis heart as well as to his head; furnishing some additional proofs, that, though he was very free in his abuse of the inhabitants of thatcountry, as well natives as foreigners, he had their interest sincerelyat heart, and perfectly understood it. His sermon upon Doing Good, though peculiarly adapted to Ireland and Wood's designs upon it, contains perhaps the best motives to patriotism that were ever deliveredwithin so small a compass. "--BURKE. ]

WRITTEN IN THE YEAR MDCCXXIV. 

GALATIANS, VI. 10. 

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men. "

Nature directs every one of us, and God permits us, to consult our ownprivate good before the private good of any other person whatsoever. Weare, indeed, commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves, but not aswell as ourselves. The love we have for ourselves is to be the patternof that love we ought to have towards our neighbour: But, as the copydoth not equal the original, so my neighbour cannot think it hard, if Iprefer myself, who am the original, before him, who is only the copy. Thus, if any matter equally concern the life, the reputation, the profitof my neighbour, and my own; the law of nature, which is the law of God, obligeth me to take care of myself first, and afterwards of him. Andthis I need not be at much pains in persuading you to; for the want ofself-love, with regard to things of this world, is not among the faultsof mankind. But then, on the other side, if, by a small hurt and loss tomyself, I can procure a great good to my neighbour, in that case hisinterest is to be preferred. For example, if I can be sure of saving hislife, without great danger to my own; if I can preserve him from beingundone, without ruining myself, or recover his reputation withoutblasting mine; all this I am obliged to do: and, if I sincerely performit, I do then obey the command of God, in loving my neighbour as myself. 

But, beside this love we owe to every man in his particular capacityunder the title of our neighbour, there is yet a duty of a more largeextensive nature incumbent on us; which is, our love to our neighbour inhis public capacity, as he is a member of that great body thecommonwealth, under the same government with ourselves; and this isusually called love of the public, and is a duty to which we are morestrictly obliged than even that of loving ourselves; because thereinourselves are also contained, as well as all our neighbours, in onegreat body. This love of the public, or of the commonwealth, or love ofour country, was in ancient times properly known by the name of virtue, because it was the greatest of all virtues, and was supposed to containall virtues in it: And many great examples of this virtue are left us onrecord, scarcely to be believed, or even conceived, in such a base, corrupted, wicked age as this we live in. In those times it was commonfor men to sacrifice their lives for the good of their country, althoughthey had neither hope or belief of future rewards; whereas, in our days, very few make the least scruple of sacrificing a whole nation, as wellas their own souls, for a little present gain; which often hath beenknown to end in their own ruin in this world, as it certainly must inthat to come. 

Have we not seen men, for the sake of some petty employment, give upthe very natural rights and liberties of their country, and of mankind, in the ruin of which themselves must at last be involved? Are not thesecorruptions gotten among the meanest of our people, who, for a piece ofmoney, will give their votes at a venture, for the disposal of their ownlives and fortunes, without considering whether it be to those who aremost likely to betray or defend them? But, if I were to produce only oneinstance of a hundred wherein we fail in this duty of loving ourcountry, it would be an endless labour; and therefore I shall notattempt it. 

But here I would not be misunderstood: By the love of our country I donot mean loyalty to our king, for that is a duty of another nature; anda man may be very loyal, in the common sense of the word, without onegrain of public good at his heart. Witness this very kingdom we live in. I verily believe, that, since the beginning of the world, no nation uponearth ever shewed (all circumstances considered) such high constantmarks of loyalty in all their actions and behaviour, as we have done:And, at the same time, no people ever appeared more utterly void of whatis called a public spirit. When I say the people, I mean the bulk ormass of the people, for I have nothing to do with those in power. 

Therefore I shall think my time not ill spent, if I can persuade most orall of you who hear me, to shew the love you have for your country, byendeavouring, in your several stations, to do all the public good youare able. For I am certainly persuaded, that all our misfortunes arisefrom no other original cause than that general disregard among us to thepublic welfare. 

I therefore undertake to shew you three things. 

_First_: That there are few people so weak or mean, who have it notsometimes in their power to be useful to the public. 

_Secondly_: That it is often in the power of the meanest among mankindto do mischief to the public. 

And, _Lastly_: That all wilful injuries done to the public are verygreat and aggravated sins in the sight of God. 

_First_: There are few people so weak or mean, who have it not sometimesin their power to be useful to the public. Solomon tells us of a poorwise man who saved a city by his counsel. It hath often happened that aprivate soldier, by some unexpected brave attempt, hath beeninstrumental in obtaining a great victory. How many obscure men havebeen authors of very useful inventions, whereof the world now reaps thebenefit? The very example of honesty and industry in a poor tradesmanwill sometimes spread through a neighbourhood, when others see howsuccessful he is; and thus so many useful members are gained, for whichthe whole body of the public is the better. Whoever is blessed with atrue public spirit, God will certainly put it into his way to make useof that blessing, for the ends it was given him, by some means or other:And therefore it hath been observed in most ages, that the greatestactions, for the benefit of the commonwealth, have been performed by thewisdom or courage, the contrivance or industry, of particular men, andnot of numbers; and that the safety of a kingdom hath often been owingto those hands from whence it was least expected. 

But, _Secondly_: It is often in the power of the meanest among mankindto do mischief to the public: And hence arise most of those miserieswith which the states and kingdoms of the earth are infested. How manygreat princes have been murdered by the meanest ruffians? The weakesthand can open a flood-gate to drown a country, which a thousand of thestrongest cannot stop. Those who have thrown off all regard for publicgood, will often have it in their way to do public evil, and will notfail to exercise that power whenever they can. The greatest blow givenof late to this kingdom, was by the dishonesty of a few manufacturers;who, by imposing bad ware at foreign markets, in almost the only trafficpermitted to us, did half ruin that trade; by which this poor unhappykingdom now suffers in the midst of sufferings. I speak not here ofpersons in high stations, who ought to be free from all reflection, andare supposed always to intend the welfare of the community: But we nowfind by experience, that the meanest instrument may, by the concurrenceof accidents, have it in his power to bring a whole kingdom to the verybrink of destruction, and is, at this present, endeavouring to finishhis work; and hath agents among ourselves, who are contented to seetheir own country undone, to be small sharers in that iniquitous gain, which at last must end in their own ruin as well as ours. I confess, itwas chiefly the consideration of that great danger we are in, whichengaged me to discourse to you on this subject; to exhort you to a loveof your country, and a public spirit, when all you have is at stake; toprefer the interest of your prince and your fellow-subjects before thatof one destructive impostor, and a few of his adherents. 

Perhaps it may be thought by some, that this way of discoursing is notso proper from the pulpit. But surely, when an open attempt is made, andfar carried on, to make a great kingdom one large poorhouse, to depriveus of all means to exercise hospitality or charity, to turn our citiesand churches into ruins, to make the country a desert for wild beastsand robbers, to destroy all arts and sciences, all trades andmanufactures, and the very tillage of the ground, only to enrich oneobscure ill-designing projector, and his followers; it is time for thepastor to cry out that the wolf is getting into his flock, to warn themto stand together, and all to consult the common safety. And God bepraised for His infinite goodness in raising such a spirit of unionamong us, at least in this point, in the midst of all our formerdivisions; which union, if it continue, will, in all probability, defeatthe pernicious design of this pestilent enemy to the nation. 

But, from hence, it clearly follows how necessary the love of ourcountry, or a public spirit, is in every particular man, since thewicked have so many opportunities of doing public mischief. Every man isupon his guard for his private advantage; but, where the public isconcerned, he is apt to be negligent, considering himself only as oneamong two or three millions, among whom the loss is equally shared, andthus, he thinks, he can be no great sufferer. Meanwhile the trader, thefarmer, and the shopkeeper, complain of the hardness and deadness of thetimes, and wonder whence it comes; while it is, in a great measure, owing to their own folly, for want of that love of their country, andpublic spirit and firm union among themselves, which are so necessary tothe prosperity of every nation. 

Another method by which the meanest wicked man, may have it in his powerto injure the public, is false accusation, whereof this kingdom hathafforded too many examples: Neither is it long since no man, whoseopinions were thought to differ from those in fashion, could safelyconverse beyond his nearest friends, for fear of being sworn against, asa traitor, by those who made a traffic of perjury and subornation; bywhich the very peace of the nation was disturbed, and men fled from eachother as they would from a lion or a bear got loose. And, it is veryremarkable, that the pernicious project now in hand to reduce us tobeggary, was forwarded by one of these false accusers, who had beenconvicted of endeavouring, by perjury and subornation, to take away thelives of several innocent persons here among us; and, indeed, therecould not be a more proper instrument for such a work. 

Another method by which the meanest people may do injury to the public, is the spreading of lies and false rumours, thus raising a distrustamong the people of a nation, causing them to mistake their trueinterest, and their enemies for their friends: And this hath beenlikewise too successful a practice among us, where we have known thewhole kingdom misled by the grossest lies, raised upon occasion to servesome particular turn. As it hath also happened in the case I latelymentioned, where one obscure man, by representing our wants where theywere least, and concealing them where they were greatest, had almostsucceeded in a project of utterly ruining this whole kingdom; and maystill succeed, if God doth not continue that public spirit, which Hehath almost miraculously kindled in us upon this occasion. 

Thus we see the public is many times, as it were, at the mercy of themeanest instrument, who can be wicked enough to watch opportunities ofdoing it mischief, upon the principles of avarice or malice; which, I amafraid, are deeply rooted in too many breasts, and against which therecan be no defence, but a firm resolution in all honest men, to beclosely united and active in shewing their love to their country, bypreferring the public interest to their present private advantage. If apassenger, in a great storm at sea, should hide his goods that theymight not be thrown overboard to lighten the ship, what would be theconsequence? The ship is cast away, and he loses his life and goodstogether. 

We have heard of men, who, through greediness of gain, have broughtinfected goods into a nation, which bred a plague, whereof the ownersand their families perished first. Let those among us consider this andtremble, whose houses are privately stored with those materials ofbeggary and desolation, lately brought over to be scattered like apestilence among their countrymen, which may probably first seize uponthemselves and their families, until their houses shall be made adunghill. 

I shall mention one practice more, by which the meanest instrumentsoften succeed in doing public mischief; and this is by deceiving us withplausible arguments, to make us believe that the most ruinous projectthey can offer is intended for our good, as it happened in the case sooften mentioned. For the poor ignorant people, allured by the appearingconvenience in their small dealings, did not discover the serpent in thebrass, [2] but were ready, like the Israelites, to offer incense to it;neither could the wisdom of the nation convince them, until some, ofgood intentions, made the cheat so plain to their sight, that those whorun may read. And thus the design was to treat us, in every point, asthe Philistines treated Samson, (I mean when he was betrayed by Delilah)first to put out our eyes, and then bind us with fetters of brass. 

[Footnote 2: "Brass" may be read "Wood's halfpence. " [T. S. ]]

I proceed to the last thing I proposed, which was to shew you that allwilful injuries done to the public, are very great and aggravated sinsin the sight of God. 

_First:_ It is apparent from Scripture, and most agreeable to reason, that the safety and welfare of nations are under the most peculiar careof God's providence. Thus He promised Abraham to save Sodom, if only tenrighteous men could be found in it. Thus the reason which God gave toJonas for not destroying Nineveh was, because there were six scorethousand men in that city. 

All government is from God, Who is the God of order, and thereforewhoever attempts to breed confusion or disturbance among a people, dothhis utmost to take the government of the world out of God's hands, andto put it into the hands of the Devil, who is the author of confusion. By which it is plain, that no crime, how heinous soever, committedagainst particular persons, can equal the guilt of him who does injuryto the public. 

_Secondly_: All offenders against their country lie under this grievousdifficulty, that it is next to impossible to obtain a pardon, or makerestitution. The bulk of mankind are very quick at resenting injuries, and very slow in forgiving them: And how shall one man be able to obtainthe pardon of millions, or repair the injuries he hath done to millions?How shall those, who, by a most destructive fraud, got the whole wealthof our neighbouring kingdom into their hands, be ever able to make arecompence? How will the authors and promoters of that villainousproject, for the ruin of this poor country, be able to account with usfor the injuries they have already done, although they should no farthersucceed? The deplorable case of such wretches, must entirely be left tothe unfathomable mercies of God: For those who know the least inreligion are not ignorant that, without our utmost endeavours to makerestitution to the person injured, and to obtain his pardon, added to asincere repentance, there is no hope of salvation given in the Gospel. 

_Lastly_: All offences against our own country have this aggravation, that they are ungrateful and unnatural. It is to our country we owethose laws which protect us in our lives, our liberties, our properties, and our religion. Our country produced us into the world, and continuesto nourish us so, that it is usually called our mother; and there havebeen examples of great magistrates, who have put their own children todeath for endeavouring to betray their country, as if they had attemptedthe life of their natural parent. 

Thus I have briefly shewn you how terrible a sin it is to be an enemy toour country, in order to incite you to the contrary virtue, which atthis juncture is so highly necessary, when every man's endeavour will beof use. We have hitherto been just able to support ourselves under manyhardships; but now the axe is laid to the root of the tree, and nothingbut a firm union among us can prevent our utter undoing. This we areobliged to, in duty to our gracious King, as well as to ourselves. Letus therefore preserve that public spirit, which God hath raised in usfor our own temporal interest For, if this wicked project shouldsucceed, which it cannot do but by our own folly; if we sell ourselvesfor nought; the merchant, the shopkeeper, the artificer, must fly to thedesert with their miserable families, there to starve or live uponrapine, or at least exchange their country for one more hospitable thanthat where they were born. 

Thus much I thought it my duty to say to you, who are under my care, towarn you against those temporal evils, which may draw the worst ofspiritual evils after them; such as heart-burnings, murmurings, discontents, and all manner of wickedness which a desperate condition oflife may tempt men to. 

I am sensible that what I have now said will not go very far, beingconfined to this assembly; but I hope it may stir up others of mybrethren to exhort their several congregations, after a more effectualmanner, to shew their love for their country on this important occasion. And this, I am sure, cannot be called meddling in affairs of state. 

I pray God protect his Most Gracious Majesty, and this kingdom, longunder his government, and defend us from all ruinous projectors, deceivers, suborners, perjurers, false accusers, and oppressors; fromthe virulence of party and faction; and unite us in loyalty to our King, love to our country, and charity to each other. 

And this we beg for Jesus Christ His sake: To Whom, &c. 

ON THE MARTYRDOM OF KING CHARLES I. 

PREACHED AT ST PATRICK'S, DUBLIN, JAN. 30, 1725-26, BEING SUNDAY. 

GENESIS, XLIX. 5, 6, 7. 

"Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in theirhabitations. 

"O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, minehonour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and intheir self-will they digged down a wall. 

"Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it wascruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. "

I know very well, that the Church hath been often censured for keepingholy this day of humiliation, in memory of that excellent king andblessed martyr, Charles I. , who rather chose to die on a scaffold, thanbetray the religion and liberties of his people, wherewith God and thelaws had entrusted him. But, at the same time, it is manifest that thosewho make such censures are either people without any religion at all, orwho derive their principles, and perhaps their birth, from the abettorsof those who contrived the murder of that prince, and have not yet shewnthe world that their opinions are changed. It is alleged, that theobservation of this day hath served to continue and increase theanimosity and enmity among our countrymen, and to disunite Protestants;that a law was made, upon the restoration of the Martyr's son, for ageneral pardon and oblivion, forbidding all reproaches upon thatoccasion; and, since none are now alive who were actors or instrumentsin that tragedy, it is thought hard and uncharitable to keep up thememory of it for all generations. 

Now, because I conceive most of you to be ignorant in many particularsconcerning that horrid murder, and the rebellion which preceded it; Iwill, _First_, relate to you so much of the story as may be sufficient foryour information:

_Secondly_, I will tell you the consequences which this bloody deed hadupon these kingdoms:

And, _Lastly_, I will shew you to what good uses this solemn day ofhumiliation may be applied. 

As to the first: In the reign of this prince, Charles the Martyr, thepower and prerogative of the king were much greater than they are in ourtimes, and so had been for at least seven hundred years before; And thebest princes we ever had, carried their power much farther than theblessed Martyr offered to do in the most blameable part of his reign. But, the lands of the Crown having been prodigally bestowed tofavourites, in the preceding reigns, the succeeding kings could notsupport themselves without taxes raised by Parliament; which put themunder a necessity of frequently calling those assemblies: And, the crownlands being gotten into the hands of the nobility and gentry, beside thepossessions of which the Church had been robbed by King Henry theEighth, power, which always follows property, grew to lean to the sideof the people, by whom even the just rights of the Crown were oftendisputed. 

But further: Upon the cruel persecution raised against the Protestants, under Queen Mary, among great numbers who fled the kingdom to seek forshelter, several went and resided at Geneva, which is a commonwealth, governed without a king, and where the religion, contrived by Calvin, iswithout the order of bishops. When the Protestant faith was restored byQueen Elizabeth, those who fled to Geneva returned among the rest hometo England, and were grown so fond of the government and religion of theplace they had left, that they used all possible endeavours to introduceboth into their own country; at the same time continually preaching andrailing against ceremonies and distinct habits of the clergy, taxingwhatever they disliked, as a remnant of Popery, and continued extremelytroublesome to the Church and state, under that great Queen, as well asher successor King James I. These people called themselves Puritans, aspretending to a purer faith than those of the Church established. Andthese were the founders of our Dissenters. They did not think itsufficient to leave all the errors of Popery, but threw off manylaudable and edifying institutions of the primitive Church, and, atlast, even the government of bishops; which, having been ordained by theapostles themselves, had continued without interruption, in allChristian churches, for above fifteen hundred years. And all this theydid, not because those things were evil, but because they were kept bythe Papists. From thence they proceeded, by degrees, to quarrel with thekingly government; because, as I have already said, the city of Geneva, to which their fathers had flown for refuge, was a commonwealth, orgovernment of the people. 

These Puritans, about the middle of the Martyr's reign, were grown to aconsiderable faction in the kingdom, and in the Lower House ofParliament. They filled the public with the most false and bitter libelsagainst the bishops and the clergy, accusing chiefly the very best amongthem of Popery; and, at the same time, the House of Commons grew soinsolent and uneasy to the King, that they refused to furnish him withnecessary supplies for the support of his family, unless upon suchconditions as he could not submit to without forfeiting his conscienceand honour, and even his coronation oath. And, in such an extremity, hewas forced upon a practice, no way justifiable, of raising money; forwhich, however, he had the opinion of the judges on his side; for, wicked judges there were in those times as well as in ours. There werelikewise many complaints, and sometimes justly, made against theproceedings of a certain court, called the Star-chamber, a judicature ofgreat antiquity, but had suffered some corruptions, for which, however, the King was nowise answerable, I cannot recollect any more subjects ofcomplaint with the least ground of reason, nor is it needful torecollect them, because this gracious King did, upon the firstapplication, redress all grievances by an act of Parliament, and put itout of his power to do any hardships for the future. But that wickedfaction in the House of Commons, not content with all those marks of hisjustice and condescension, urged still for more; and joining with afactious party from Scotland, who had the same fancies in religion, forced him to pass an act for cutting off the head of his best and chiefminister; and, at the same time, compelled him, by tumults andthreatenings of a packed rabble, poisoned with the same doctrines, topass another law, by which it should not be in his power to dissolvethat Parliament without their own consent. Thus, by the greatestweakness and infatuation that ever possessed any man's spirit, thisPrince did in effect sign his own destruction. For the House of Commons, having the reins in their own hands, drove on furiously; sent him everyday some unreasonable demand, and when he refused to grant it, made useof their own power, and declared that an ordinance of both Houses, without the King's consent, should be obeyed as a law, contrary to allreason and equity, as well as to the fundamental constitution of thekingdom. 

About this time the rebellion in Ireland broke out, wherein hisParliament refused to assist him; nor would accept his offer to comehither in person to subdue those rebels. These, and a thousand otherbarbarities, forced the King to summon his loyal subjects to hisstandard in his own defence. Meanwhile the English Parliament, insteadof helping the poor Protestants here, seized on the very army that hisMajesty was sending over for our relief, and turned them against theirown Sovereign. The rebellion in England continued for four or fiveyears: At last the King was forced to fly in disguise to the Scots, whosold him to the rebels. And these Puritans had the impudent cruelty totry his sacred person in a mock court of justice, and cut off his head;which he might have saved, if he would have yielded to betray theconstitution in Church and state. 

In this whole proceeding, Simeon and Levi were brethren; the wickedinsinuations of those fanatical preachers stirring up the cruelty of thesoldiers, who, by force of arms, excluded from the house every member ofParliament, whom they apprehended to bear the least inclination towardsan agreement with the King, suffering only those to enter who thirstedchiefly for his blood; and this is the very account given by their ownwriters: From whence it is clear that this Prince was, in all respects, a real martyr for the true religion and the liberty of the people. Thatodious Parliament had first turned the bishops out of the House ofLords; in a few years after, they murdered their King; then immediatelyabolished the whole House of Lords; and so, at last, obtained theirwishes, of having a government of the people, and a new religion, bothafter the manner of Geneva, without a king, a bishop, or a nobleman; andthis they blasphemously called "The kingdom of Christ and his saints. "

This is enough for your information on the first head: I shall thereforeproceed to the second, wherein I will shew you the miserableconsequences which that abominable rebellion and murder produced inthese nations. 

_First:_ The Irish rebellion was wholly owing to that wicked EnglishParliament. For the leaders in the Irish Popish massacre would neverhave dared to stir a finger, if they had not been encouraged by thatrebellious spirit in the English House of Commons, which they very wellknew must disable the King from sending any supplies to his Protestantsubjects here; and, therefore, we may truly say that the EnglishParliament held the King's hands, while the Irish Papists here werecutting our grandfathers' throats. 

_Secondly:_ That murderous Puritan Parliament, when they had all intheir own power, could not agree upon any one method of settling a formeither of religion or civil government; but changed every day fromschism to schism, from heresy to heresy, and from one faction toanother: From whence arose that wild confusion, still continuing in ourseveral ways of serving God, and those absurd notions of civil power, which have so often torn us with factions more than any other nation inEurope. 

_Thirdly:_ To this rebellion and murder have been owing the rise andprogress of atheism among us. For, men observing what numberlessvillainies of all kinds were committed during twenty years, underpretence of zeal and the reformation of God's Church, were easilytempted to doubt that all religion was a mere imposture: And the samespirit of infidelity, so far spread among us at this present, is nothingbut the fruit of the seeds sown by those rebellious hypocritical saints. 

_Fourthly:_ The old virtue and loyalty, and generous spirit of theEnglish nation, were wholly corrupted by the power, the doctrine, andthe example of those wicked people. Many of the ancient nobility werekilled, and their families extinct, in defence of their Prince andcountry, or murdered by the merciless courts of justice. Some of theworst among them favoured, or complied with the reigning iniquities, andnot a few of the new set created, when the Martyr's son was restored, were such who had drunk too deep of the bad principles then prevailing. 

_Fifthly:_ The children of the murdered Prince were forced to fly, forthe safety of their lives, to foreign countries; where one of them atleast, I mean King James II. , was seduced to Popery; which ended in theloss of his kingdoms, the misery and desolation of this country, and along and expensive war abroad. Our deliverance was owing to the valourand conduct of the late King; and, therefore, we ought to remember himwith gratitude, but not mingled with blasphemy or idolatry. It was happythat his interests and ours were the same: And God gave him greatersuccess than our sins deserved. But, as a house thrown down by a storm, is seldom rebuilt without some change in the foundation; so it hathhappened, that, since the late Revolution, men have sat much looser inthe true fundamentals both of religion and government, and factions havebeen more violent, treacherous, and malicious than ever, men runningnaturally from one extreme into another; and, for private ends, takingup those very opinions professed by the leaders in that rebellion, whichcarried the blessed Martyr to the scaffold. 

_Sixthly:_ Another consequence of this horrid rebellion and murder wasthe destroying or defacing of such vast number of God's houses. "Intheir self-will they digged down a wall. " If a stranger should nowtravel in England, and observe the churches in his way, he could nototherwise conclude, than that some vast army of Turks or heathens hadbeen sent on purpose to ruin and blot out all marks of Christianity. They spared neither the statues of saints, nor ancient prelates, norkings, nor benefactors; broke down the tombs and monuments of men famousin their generations, seized the vessels of silver set apart for theholiest use, tore down the most innocent ornaments both within andwithout, made the houses of prayer dens of thieves, or stables forcattle. These were the mildest effects of Puritan zeal, and devotion forChrist; and this was what themselves affected to call a thoroughreformation. In this kingdom those ravages were not so easily seen; forthe people here being too poor to raise such noble temples, the meanones we had were not defaced, but totally destroyed. 

Upon the whole, it is certain, that although God might have found outmany other ways to have punished a sinful people, without permittingthis rebellion and murder, yet as the course of the world hath run eversince, we need seek for no other causes, of all the public evils we havehitherto suffered, or may suffer for the future, by the misconduct ofprinces, or wickedness of the people. 

I go on now upon the third head, to shew you to what good uses thissolemn day of humiliation may be applied. 

_First_: It may be an instruction to princes themselves, to be carefulin the choice of those who are their advisers in matters of law. All thejudges of England, except one or two, advised the King, that he mightlegally raise money upon the subjects for building of ships withoutconsent of Parliament; which, as it was the greatest oversight of hisreign, so it proved the principal foundation of all his misfortunes. Princes may likewise learn from hence, not to sacrifice a faithfulservant to the rage of a faction, nor to trust any body of men with agreater share of power than the laws of the land have appointed them, much less to deposit it in their hands until they shall please torestore it. 

_Secondly_: By bringing to mind the tragedy of this day, and theconsequences that have arisen from it, we shall be convinced hownecessary it is for those in power to curb, in season, all such unrulyspirits as desire to introduce new doctrines and discipline in theChurch, or new forms of government in the state. Those wicked Puritansbegan, in Queen Elizabeth's time, to quarrel only with surplices andother habits, with the ring in matrimony, the cross in baptism, and thelike; thence they went on to further matters of higher importance, and, at last, they must needs have the whole government of the Churchdissolved. This great work they compassed, first, by depriving thebishops of their seats in Parliament, then they abolished the wholeorder; and, at last, which was their original design, they seized on allthe Church-lands, and divided the spoil among themselves; and, likeJeroboam, made priests of the very dregs of the people. This was theirway of reforming the Church. As to the civil government, you havealready heard how they modelled it upon the murder of their King, anddiscarding the nobility. Yet, clearly to shew what a Babel they hadbuilt, after twelve years' trial and twenty several sorts of government;the nation grown weary of their tyranny, was forced to call in the sonof him whom those reformers had sacrificed. And thus were Simeon andLevi divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel. 

_Thirdly_: Although the successors of these Puritans, I mean our presentDissenters, do not think fit to observe this day of humiliation; yet, since it would be very proper in them, upon some occasions, to renouncein a public manner those principles upon which their predecessors acted;and it will be more prudent in them to do so, because those veryPuritans, of whom ours are followers, found by experience, that afterthey had overturned the Church and state, murdered their King, and wereprojecting what they called a kingdom of the saints, they were cheatedof the power and possessions they only panted after, by an upstart sectof religion that grew out of their own bowels, who subjected them to onetyrant, while they were endeavouring to set up a thousand. 

_Fourthly_: Those who profess to be followers of our Church established, and yet presume in discourse to justify or excuse that rebellion, andmurder of the King, ought to consider, how utterly contrary all suchopinions are to the doctrine of Christ and his apostles, as well as tothe articles of our Church, and to the preaching and practice of itstrue professors for above a hundred years. Of late times, indeed, and Ispeak it with grief of heart, we have heard even sermons of a strangenature; although reason would make one think it a very unaccountable wayof procuring favour under a monarchy, by palliating and lessening theguilt of those who murdered the best of kings in cold blood, and, for atime, destroyed the very monarchy itself. Pray God, we may never morehear such doctrine from the pulpit, nor have it scattered about inprint, to poison the people!

_Fifthly:_ Some general knowledge of this horrid rebellion and murder, with the consequences they had upon these nations, may be a warning toour people not to believe a lie, and to mistrust those deluding spirits, who, under pretence of a purer and more reformed religion, would leadthem from their duty to God and the laws. Politicians may say what theyplease, but it is no hard thing at all for the meanest person, who hathcommon understanding, to know whether he be well or ill governed. If hebe freely allowed to follow his trade and calling; if he be secure inhis property, and hath the benefit of the law to defend himself againstinjustice and oppression; if his religion be different from that of hiscountry, and the government think fit to tolerate it, (which he may bevery secure of, let it be what it will;) he ought to be fully satisfied, and give no offence, by writing or discourse, to the worshipestablished, as the dissenting preachers are too apt to do. But, if hehath any new visions of his own, it is his duty to be quiet, and possessthem in silence, without disturbing the community by a furious zeal formaking proselytes. This was the folly and madness of those ancientpuritan fanatics: They must needs overturn heaven and earth, violate allthe laws of God and man, make their country a field of blood, topropagate whatever wild or wicked opinions came into their heads, declaring all their absurdities and blasphemies to proceed from the HolyGhost. 

To conclude this head. In answer to that objection of keeping upanimosity and hatred between Protestants, by the observation of thisday; if there be any sect or sort of people among us, who profess thesame principles in religion and government which those puritan rebelsput in practice, I think it is the interest of all those who love theChurch and King, to keep up as strong a party against them as possible, until they shall, in a body, renounce all those wicked opinions uponwhich their predecessors acted, to the disgrace of Christianity, and theperpetual infamy of the English nation. 

When we accuse the Papists of the horrid doctrine, "that no faith oughtto be kept with heretics, " they deny it to a man; and yet we justlythink it dangerous to trust them, because we know their actions havebeen sometimes suitable to that opinion. But the followers of those whobeheaded the Martyr have not yet renounced their principles; and, tillthey do, they may be justly suspected. Neither will the bare name ofProtestants set them right. For surely Christ requires more from us thana profession of hating Popery, which a Turk or an atheist may do as wellas a Protestant. 

If an enslaved people should recover their liberty from a tyrannicalpower of any sort, who could blame them for commemorating theirdeliverance by a day of joy and thanksgiving? And doth not thedestruction of a Church, a King, and three kingdoms, by the artifices, hypocrisy, and cruelty of a wicked race of soldiers and preachers, andother sons of Belial, equally require a solemn time of humiliation?Especially since the consequences of that bloody scene still continue, as I have already shewn, in their effects upon us. 

Thus I have done with the three heads I proposed to discourse on. Butbefore I conclude, I must give a caution to those who hear me, that theymay not think I am pleading for absolute unlimited power in any one man. It is true, all power is from God, and, as the apostle says, "the powersthat be are ordained of God;" but this is in the same sense that all wehave is from God, our food and raiment, and whatever possessions we holdby lawful means. Nothing can be meant in those, or any other words ofScripture, to justify tyrannical power, or the savage cruelties of thoseheathen emperors who lived in the time of the apostles. And so St Paulconcludes, "The powers that be are ordained of God:" For what? Why, "forthe punishment of evil doers, and the praise, the reward, of them thatdo well. " There is no more inward value in the greatest emperor, than inthe meanest of his subjects: His body is composed of the same substance, the same parts, and with the same or greater, infirmities: His educationis generally worse, by flattery, and idleness, and luxury, and thoseevil dispositions that early power is apt to give. It is thereforeagainst common sense, that his private personal interest, or pleasure, should be put in the balance with the safety of millions, every one ofwhich is his equal by nature, equal in the sight of God, equally capableof salvation; and it is for their sakes, not his own, that he isentrusted with the government over them. He hath as high trust as cansafely be reposed in one man, and, if he discharge it as he ought, hedeserves all the honour and duty that a mortal may be allowed toreceive. His personal failings we have nothing to do with, and errors ingovernment are to be imputed to his ministers in the state. To whatheight those errors may be suffered to proceed, is not the business ofthis day, or this place, or of my function, to determine. Whenoppressions grow too great and universal to be borne, nature ornecessity may find a remedy. But, if a private person reasonably expectspardon, upon his amendment, for all faults that are not capital, itwould be a hard condition indeed, not to give the same allowance to aprince, who must see with other men's eyes, and hear with other men'sears, which are often wilfully blind and deaf. Such was the condition ofthe Martyr, and is so, in some degree, of all other princes. Yet this wemay justly say in defence of the common people, in all civilizednations, that it must be a very bad government indeed, where the body ofthe subjects will not rather choose to live in peace and obedience, thantake up arms on pretence of faults in the administration, unless wherethe vulgar are deluded by false preachers to grow fond of new visionsand fancies in religion; which, managed by dexterous men, for sinisterends of malice, envy, or ambition, have often made whole nations runmad. This was exactly the case in the whole progress of that greatrebellion, and the murder of King Charles I. But the late Revolutionunder the Prince of Orange was occasioned by a proceeding directlycontrary, the oppression and injustice there beginning from the throne:For that unhappy prince, King James II. , did not only invade our lawsand liberties, but would have forced a false religion upon his subjects, for which he was deservedly rejected, since there could be no otherremedy found, or at least agreed on. But, under the blessed Martyr, thedeluded people would have forced many false religions, not only on theirfellow-subjects, but even upon their sovereign himself, and at the sametime invaded all his undoubted rights; and, because he would not comply, raised a horrid rebellion, wherein, by the permission of God, theyprevailed, and put their sovereign to death, like a common criminal, inthe face of the world. 

Therefore, those who seem to think they cannot otherwise justify thelate Revolution, and the change of the succession, than by lessening theguilt of the Puritans, do certainly put the greatest affront imaginableupon the present powers, by supposing any relation, or resemblance, between that rebellion and the late Revolution; and, consequently, thatthe present establishment is to be defended by the same arguments whichthose usurpers made use of, who, to obtain their tyranny, trampled underfoot all the laws of both God and man. 

One great design of my discourse was to give you warning against runninginto either extreme of two bad opinions, with relation to obedience. Askings are called gods upon earth, so some would allow them an equalpower with God, over all laws and ordinances; and that the liberty, andproperty, and life, and religion of the subject, depended wholly uponthe breath of the prince; which, however, I hope was never meant bythose who pleaded for passive obedience. And this opinion hath not beenconfined to that party which was first charged with it, but hathsometimes gone over to the other, to serve many an evil turn of interestor ambition, who have been as ready to enlarge prerogative, where theycould find their own account, as the highest maintainers of it. 

On the other side, some look upon kings as answerable for every mistakeor omission in government, and bound to comply with the mostunreasonable demands of an unquiet faction; which was the case of thosewho persecuted the blessed Martyr of this day from his throne to thescaffold. 

Between these two extremes, it is easy, from what hath been said, tochoose a middle; to be good and loyal subjects, yet, according to yourpower, faithful assertors of your religion and liberties; to avoid allbroachers and preachers of newfangled doctrines in the Church; to bestrict observers of the laws, which cannot be justly taken from youwithout your own consent: In short, "to obey God and the King, andmeddle not with those who are given to change. "

Which that you may all do, &c. 

ON THE POOR MAN'S CONTENTMENT. 

PHILIPPIANS, CHAP. IV. PART OF THE 11TH VERSE. 

"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content"

The holy Scripture is full of expressions to set forth the miserablecondition of man during the whole progress of his life; his weakness, pride, and vanity; his unmeasurable desires, and perpetualdisappointments; the prevalency of his passions, and the corruptions ofhis reason; his deluding hopes, and his real, as well as imaginary, fears; his natural and artificial wants; his cares and anxieties; thediseases of his body, and the diseases of his mind; the shortness of hislife; his dread of a future state, with his carelessness to prepare forit: And the wise men of all ages have made the same reflections. 

But all these are general calamities, from which none are excepted; andbeing without remedy, it is vain to bewail them. The great question, long debated in the world, is, whether the rich or the poor are theleast miserable of the two? It is certain, that no rich man ever desiredto be poor, and that most, if not all, poor men, desire to be rich;whence it may be argued, that, in all appearance, the advantage lieth onthe side of wealth, because both parties agree in preferring it beforepoverty. But this reasoning will be found to be false: For, I lay itdown as a certain truth, that God Almighty hath placed all men upon anequal foot, with respect to their happiness in this world, and thecapacity of attaining their salvation in the next; or, at least, ifthere be any difference, it is not to the advantage of the rich and themighty. Now, since a great part of those who usually make up ourcongregations, are not of considerable station, and many among them ofthe lower sort, and since the meaner people are generally and justlycharged with the sin of repining and murmuring at their own condition, to which, however, their betters axe sufficiently subject (although, perhaps, for shame, not always so loud in their complaints) I thought itmight be useful to reason upon this point in as plain a manner as I can. I shall therefore shew, first, that the poor enjoy many temporalblessings, which are not common to the rich and the great: And, likewise, that the rich and the great are subject to many temporalevils, which are not common to the poor. 

But here I would not be misunderstood; perhaps there is not a word moreabused than that of the poor, or wherein the world is more generallymistaken. Among the number of those who beg in our streets, or arehalf-starved at home, or languish in prison for debt, there is hardlyone in a hundred who doth not owe his misfortunes to his own laziness, or drunkenness, or worse vices. 

To these he owes those very diseases which often disable him fromgetting his bread. Such wretches are deservedly unhappy: They can onlyblame themselves; and when we are commanded to have pity on the poor, these are not understood to be of the number. 

It is true, indeed, that sometimes honest, endeavouring men are reducedto extreme want, even to the begging of alms, by losses, by accidents, by diseases, and old age, without any fault of their own: But these arevery few in comparison of the other; nor would their support be anysensible burthen to the public, if the charity of well-disposed personswere not intercepted by those common strollers, who are mostimportunate, and who least deserve it. These, indeed, are properly andjustly called the poor, whom it should be our study to find out anddistinguish, by making them partake, of our superfluity and abundance. 

But neither have these anything to do with my present subject; For, bythe poor, I only intend the honest, industrious artificer, the meanersort of tradesmen, and the labouring man, who getteth his bread by thesweat of his brows, in town or country, and who make the bulk of mankindamong us. 

_First_: I shall therefore shew, first, that the poor (in the sense Iunderstand the word) do enjoy many temporal blessings, which are notcommon to the rich and great; and likewise, that the rich and great aresubject to many temporal evils, which are not common to the poor. 

_Secondly_: From the arguments offered to prove the foregoing head, Ishall draw some observations that may be useful for your practice. 

I. As to the first: Health, we know, is generally allowed to be the bestof all earthly possessions, because it is that, without which we canhave no satisfaction in any of the rest. For riches are of no use, ifsickness taketh from us the ability of enjoying them, and power andgreatness are then only a burthen. Now, if we would look for health, itmust be in the humble habitation of the labouring man, or industriousartificer, who earn their bread by the sweat of their brows, and usuallylive to a good old age, with a great degree of strength and vigour. 

The refreshment of the body by sleep is another great happiness of themeaner sort. Their rest is not disturbed by the fear of thieves androbbers, nor is it interrupted by surfeits of intemperance. Labour andplain food supply the want of quieting draughts; and the wise mantelleth us, that the sleep of the labouring man is sweet. As tochildren, which are certainly accounted of as a blessing, even to thepoor, where industry is not wanting; they are an assistance to honestparents, instead of being a burthen; they are healthy and strong, andfit for labour; neither is the father in fear, lest his heir should beruined by an unequal match: Nor is he solicitous about his rising in theworld, farther than to be able to get his bread. 

The poorer sort are not the objects of general hatred or envy; they haveno twinges of ambition, nor trouble themselves with party quarrels, orstate divisions. The idle rabble, who follow their ambitious leaders insuch cases, do not fall within my description of the poorer sort; for, it is plain, I mean only the honest industrious poor in town orcountry, who are safest in times of public disturbance, in perilousseasons, and public revolutions, if they will be quiet, and do theirbusiness; for artificers and husbandmen are necessary in allgovernments: But in such seasons, the rich are the public mark, becausethey are oftentimes of no use, but to be plundered; like some sort ofbirds, who are good for nothing, but their feathers; and so fall a preyto the strongest side. 

Let us proceed, on the other side to examine the disadvantages which therich and the great lie under, with respect to the happiness of thepresent life. 

First, then; While health, as we have said, is the general portion ofthe lower sort, the gout, the dropsy, the stone, the cholic, and allother diseases, are continually haunting the palaces of the rich and thegreat, as the natural attendants upon laziness and luxury. Neither doesthe rich man eat his sumptuous fare with half the appetite and relish, that even the beggars do the crumbs which fall from his table: But, onthe contrary, he is full of loathing and disgust, or at best ofindifference, in the midst of plenty. Thus their intemperance shortenstheir lives, without pleasing their appetites. 

Business, fear, guilt, design, anguish, and vexation are continuallybuzzing about the curtains of the rich and the powerful, and will hardlysuffer them to close their eyes, unless when they are dosed with thefumes of strong liquors. 

It is a great mistake to imagine that the rich want but few things;their wants are more numerous, more craving, and urgent, than those ofpoorer men: For these endeavour only at the necessaries of life, whichmake them happy, and they think no farther: But the desire of power andwealth is endless, and therefore impossible to be satisfied with anyacquisitions. 

If riches were so great a blessing as they are commonly thought, theywould at least have this advantage, to give their owners cheerful heartsand countenances; they would often stir them up to express theirthankfulness to God, and discover their satisfaction to the world. But, in fact, the contrary to all this is true. For where are there morecloudy brows, more melancholy hearts, or more ingratitude to their greatBenefactor, than among those who abound in wealth? And, indeed, it isnatural that it should be so, because those men, who covet things thatare hard to be got, must be hard to please; whereas a small thing maketha poor man happy, and great losses cannot befall him. 

It is likewise worth considering, how few among the rich have procuredtheir wealth by just measures; how many owe their fortunes to the sinsof their parents, how many more to their own? If men's titles were to betried before a true court of conscience, where false swearing, and athousand vile artifices, (that are well known, and can hardly be avoidedin human courts of justice) would avail nothing; how many would beejected with infamy and disgrace? How many grow considerable by breachof trust, by bribery and corruption? How many have sold their religion, with the rights and liberties of themselves and others, for power andemployments?

And, it is a mistake to think, that the most hardened sinner, who owethhis possessions or titles to any such wicked arts of thieving, can havetrue peace of mind, under the reproaches of a guilty conscience, andamid the cries of ruined widows and orphans. 

I know not one real advantage that the rich have over the poor, exceptthe power of doing good to others. But this is an advantage which Godhath not given wicked men the grace to make use of. The wealth acquiredby evil means was never employed to good ends; for that would be todivide the kingdom of Satan against itself. Whatever hath been gained byfraud, avarice, oppression, and the like, must be preserved andincreased by the same methods. 

I shall add but one thing more upon this head, which I hope willconvince you, that God (whose thoughts are not as our thoughts) neverintended riches or power to be necessary for the happiness of mankind inthis life; because it is certain, that there is not one single goodquality of the mind absolutely necessary to obtain them, where men areresolved to be rich at any rate; neither honour, justice, temperance, wisdom, religion, truth, or learning; for a slight acquaintance of theworld will inform us, that there have been many instances of men, in allages, who have arrived at great possessions and great dignities, bycunning, fraud, or flattery, without any of these, or any other virtuesthat can be named. Now, if riches and greatness were such blessings, that good men without them could not have their share of happiness inthis life; how cometh it to pass, that God should suffer them to beoften dealt to the worst, and most profligate of mankind; that theyshould be generally procured by the most abominable means, and appliedto the basest and most wicked uses? This ought not to be conceived of ajust, a merciful, a wise, and Almighty Being. We must thereforeconclude, that wealth and power are in their own nature, at best, butthings indifferent, and that a good man may be equally happy withoutthem, provided that he hath a sufficiency of the common blessings ofhuman life to answer all the reasonable and virtuous demands of nature, which his industry will provide, and sobriety will prevent his wanting. Agur's prayer, with the reasons of his wish, are full to this purpose:"Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient forme; lest I be full and deny thee, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or, lest Ibe poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. "

From what hath been said, I shall, in the second place, offer someconsiderations, that may be useful for your practice. 

And here I shall apply myself chiefly to those of the lower sort, forwhose comfort and satisfaction this discourse is principally intended. For, having observed the great sin of those, who do not abound inwealth, to be that of murmuring and repining, that God hath dealt hisblessings unequally to the sons of men, I thought it would be of greatuse to remove out of your minds so false and wicked an opinion, byshewing that your condition is really happier than most of you imagine. 

_First:_ Therefore, it hath been always agreed in the world, that thepresent happiness of mankind consisted in the ease of our body and thequiet of our mind; but, from what has been already said, it plainlyappears, that neither wealth nor power do in any sort contribute toeither of these two blessings. If, on the contrary, by multiplying ourdesires, they increase our discontents; if they destroy our health, gallus with painful diseases, and shorten our life; if they expose us tohatred, to envy, to censure, to a thousand temptations, it is not easyto see why a wise man should make them his choice, for their own sake, although it were in his power. Would any of you, who are in health andstrength of body, with moderate food and raiment earned by your ownlabour, rather choose to be in the rich man's bed, under the torture ofthe gout, unable to take your natural rest, or natural nourishment, withthe additional load of a guilty conscience, reproaching you forinjustice, oppressions, covetousness, and fraud? No; but you would takethe riches and power, and leave behind the inconveniences that attendthem; and so would every man living. But that is more than our share, and God never intended this world for such a place of rest as we wouldmake it; for the Scripture assureth us that it was only designed as aplace of trial. Nothing is more frequent, than a man to wish himself inanother's condition; yet he seldom doth it without some reserve: Hewould not be so old; he would not be so sickly; he would not be socruel; he would not be so insolent; he would not be so vicious; he wouldnot be so oppressive, so griping, and so on. From whence it is plain, that, in their own judgment, men are not so unequally dealt with, asthey would at first sight imagine: For, if I would not change mycondition with another man, without any exception or reservation at all, I am, in reality, more happy than he. 

_Secondly_: You of the meaner sort are subject to fewer temptations thanthe rich; and therefore your vices are more unpardonable. Laboursubdueth your appetites to be satisfied with common things; the businessof your several callings filleth up your whole time; so that idleness, which is the bane and destruction of virtue, doth not lead you into theneighbourhood of sin: Your passions are cooler, by not being inflamedwith excess, and therefore the gate and the way that lead to life arenot so straight and so narrow to you, as to those who live among all theallurements to wickedness. To serve God with the best of your care andunderstanding, and to be just and true in your dealings, is the shortsum of your duty, and will be the more strictly required of you, becausenothing lieth in the way to divert you from it. 

_Thirdly_: It is plain from what I have said, that you of the lower rankhave no just reason to complain of your condition: Because, as youplainly see, it affordeth you so many advantages, and freeth you from somany vexations, so many distempers both of body and mind, which pursueand torment the rich and powerful. 

_Fourthly_: You are to remember and apply, that the poorest person isnot excused from doing good to others, and even relieving the wants ofhis distressed neighbour, according to his abilities; and if you performyour duty in this point, you far outdo the greatest liberalities of therich, and will accordingly be accepted of by God, and get your reward:For it is our Saviour's own doctrine, when the widow gave her two mites. The rich give out of their abundance; that is to say, what they give, they do not feel it in their way of living: But the poor man, who givethout of his little stock, must spare it from the necessary food andraiment of himself and his family. And, therefore, our Saviour adds, "That the widow gave more than all who went before her; for she gave allshe had, even all her living;" and so went home utterly unprovided tosupply her necessities. 

_Lastly_: As it appeareth from what hath been said, that you in thelower rank have, in reality, a greater share of happiness, your work ofsalvation is easier, by your being liable to fewer temptations; and asyour reward in Heaven is much more certain than it is to the rich, ifyou seriously perform your duty, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven; soyour neglect of it will be less excusable, will meet with fewerallowances from God, and will be punished with double stripes: For themost unknowing among you cannot plead ignorance of what you have been soearly taught, I hope, so often instructed in, and which is so easy to beunderstood, I mean the art of leading a life agreeable to the plain andpositive laws of God. Perhaps you may think you lie under onedisadvantage, which the great and rich have not; that idleness willcertainly reduce you to beggary; whereas those who abound in wealth lieunder no necessity either of labour or temperance to keep enough to liveon. But this is indeed one part of your happiness, that the lowness ofyour condition, in a manner, forceth you to what is pleasing to God, andnecessary for your daily support. Thus your duty and interest are alwaysthe same. 

To conclude: Since our blessed Lord, instead of a rich and honourablestation in this world, was pleased to choose his lot among men of thelower condition; let not those, on whom the bounty of Providence hathbestowed wealth and honours, despise the men who are placed in a humbleand inferior station; but rather, with their utmost power, by theircountenance, by their protection, by just payment of their honestlabour, encourage their daily endeavours for the support of themselvesand their families. On the other hand, let the poor labour to providethings honest in the sight of all men; and so, with diligence in theirseveral employments, live soberly, righteously, and godlily in thispresent world, that they may obtain that glorious reward promised in theGospel to the poor, I mean the kingdom of Heaven. 

Now, to God the Father, &c, A SERMON ON THE CAUSES OF THE WRETCHED CONDITION OF IRELAND. [1]

[Footnote 1: This is not very properly styled a sermon; but, consideredas a political dissertation, it has great merit, and it is highly worthyof the subject, and the author. Most of the circumstances here foundedupon, as the causes of national distress, are the subject of separatedisquisitions in those political writings connected with Ireland. Butthey are here summed up, and brought into one view; and the opinionsexpressed form a sort of index to the Dean's tenets upon the state ofthat country. [S. ]]

PSALM CXLIV. PART OF THE 14TH AND 15TH VERSES. 

"That there be no complaining in our streets. Happy is the people thatis in such a case. "

It is a very melancholy reflection, that such a country as ours, whichis capable of producing all things necessary, and most things convenientfor life, sufficient for the support of four times the number of itsinhabitants, should yet lie under the heaviest load of misery and want, our streets crowded with beggars, so many of our lower sort oftradesmen, labourers, and artificers, not able to find clothes and foodfor their families. 

I think it may therefore be of some use to lay before you the chiefcauses of this wretched condition we are in, and then it will be easierto assign what remedies are in our power toward removing, at least, somepart of these evils. 

For it is ever to be lamented, that we lie under many disadvantages, notby our own faults, which are peculiar to ourselves, and which no othernation under heaven hath any reason to complain of. 

I shall, therefore, first mention some causes of our miseries, --which Idoubt are not to be remedied, until God shall put it in the hearts ofthose who are stronger to allow us the common rights and privileges ofbrethren, fellow-subjects, and even of mankind. The first cause of ourmisery is the intolerable hardships we lie under in every branch of ourtrade, by which we are become as hewers of wood, and drawers of water, to our rigorous neighbours. 

The second cause of our miserable state is the folly, the vanity, andingratitude of those vast numbers, who think themselves too good to livein the country which gave them birth, and still gives them bread; andrather choose to pass their days, and consume their wealth, and draw outthe very vitals of their mother kingdom, among those who heartilydespise them. 

These I have but lightly touched on, because I fear they are not to beredressed, and, besides, I am very sensible how ready some people are totake offence at the honest truth; and, for that reason, I shall omitseveral other grievances, under which we are long likely to groan. 

I shall therefore go on to relate some other causes of this nation'spoverty, by which, if they continue much longer, it must infallibly sinkto utter ruin. 

The first is, that monstrous pride and vanity in both sexes, especiallythe weaker sex, who, in the midst of poverty, are suffered to run intoall kind of expense and extravagance in dress, and particularly pridingthemselves to wear nothing but what cometh from abroad, disdaining thegrowth or manufacture of their own country, in those articles where theycan be better served at home with half the expense; and this is grown tosuch a height, that they will carry the whole yearly rent of a goodestate at once on their body. And, as there is in that sex a spirit ofenvy, by which they cannot endure to see others in a better habit thanthemselves, so those, whose fortunes can hardly support their familiesin the necessaries of life, will needs vie with the richest and greatestamongst us, to the ruin of themselves and their posterity. 

Neither are the men less guilty of this pernicious folly, who, inimitation of a gaudiness and foppery of dress, introduced of late yearsinto our neighbouring kingdom, (as fools are apt to imitate only thedefects of their betters, ) cannot find materials in their own countryworthy to adorn their bodies of clay, while their minds are naked ofevery valuable quality. 

Thus our tradesmen and shopkeepers, who deal in home goods, are left ina starving condition, and only those encouraged who ruin the kingdom byimporting among us foreign vanities. 

Another cause of our low condition is our great luxury, the chiefsupport of which is the materials of it brought to the nation inexchange for the few valuable things left us, whereby so many thousandfamilies want the very necessaries of life. 

_Thirdly_, In most parts of this kingdom the natives are from theirinfancy so given up to idleness and sloth, that they often choose to begor steal, rather than support themselves with their own labour; theymarry without the least view or thought of being able to make anyprovision for their families; and whereas, in all industrious nations, children are looked on as a help to their parents; with us, for want ofbeing early trained to work, they are an intolerable burthen at home, and a grievous charge upon the public, as appeareth from the vast numberof ragged and naked children in town and country, led about by strollingwomen, trained up in ignorance and all manner of vice. 

_Lastly_, A great cause of this nation's misery, is that Egyptianbondage of cruel, oppressing, covetous landlords, expecting that all wholive under them should make bricks without straw, who grieve and envywhen they see a tenant of their own in a whole coat, or able to affordone comfortable meal in a month, by which the spirits of the people arebroken, and made for slavery; the farmers and cottagers, almost throughthe whole kingdom, being to all intents and purposes as real beggars asany of those to whom we give our charity in the streets. And these cruellandlords are every day unpeopling their kingdom, by forbidding theirmiserable tenants to till the earth, against common reason and justice, and contrary to the practice and prudence of all other nations, by whichnumberless families have been forced either to leave the kingdom, orstroll about, and increase the number of our thieves and beggars. 

Such, and much worse, is our condition at present, if I had leisure orliberty to lay it before you; and, therefore, the next thing which mightbe considered is, whether there may be any probable remedy found, at theleast against some part of these evils; for most of them are whollydesperate. 

But this being too large a subject to be now handled, and the intent ofmy discourse confining me to give some directions concerning the poor ofthis city, I shall keep myself within those limits. It is indeed in thepower of the lawgivers to found a school in every parish of the kingdom, for teaching the meaner and poorer sort of children to speak and readthe English tongue, and to provide a reasonable maintenance for theteachers. This would, in time, abolish that part of barbarity andignorance, for which our natives are so despised by all foreigners: thiswould bring them to think and act according to the rules of reason, bywhich a spirit of industry, and thrift, and honesty would be introducedamong them. And, indeed, considering how small a tax would suffice forsuch a work, it is a public scandal that such a thing should never havebeen endeavoured, or, perhaps, so much as thought on. 

To supply the want of such a law, several pious persons, in many partsof this kingdom, have been prevailed on, by the great endeavours andgood example set them by the clergy, to erect charity-schools in severalparishes, to which very often the richest parishioners contribute theleast. In those schools, children are, or ought to be, trained up toread and write, and cast accounts; and these children should, ifpossible, be of honest parents, gone to decay through age, sickness, orother unavoidable calamity, by the hand of God; not the brood of wickedstrollers; for it is by no means reasonable, that the charity ofwell-inclined people should be applied to encourage the lewdness ofthose profligate, abandoned women, who crowd our streets with theirborrowed or spurious issue. 

In those hospitals which have good foundations and rents to supportthem, whereof, to the scandal of Christianity, there are very few inthis kingdom; I say, in such hospitals, the children maintained ought tobe only of decayed citizens, and freemen, and be bred up to good trades. But in these small-parish charity-schools which have no support, but thecasual goodwill of charitable people, I do altogether disapprove thecustom of putting the children 'prentice, except to the very meanesttrades; otherwise the poor honest citizen, who is just able to bring uphis child, and pay a small sum of money with him to a good master, iswholly defeated, and the bastard issue, perhaps, of some beggarpreferred before him. And hence we come to be so overstocked with'prentices and journeymen, more than our discouraged country can employ;and, I fear, the greatest part of our thieves, pickpockets, and othervagabonds are of this number. 

Therefore, in order to make these parish charity-schools of great anduniversal use, I agree with the opinion of many wise persons, that a newturn should be given to this whole matter. 

I think there is no complaint more just than what we find in almostevery family, of the folly and ignorance, the fraud and knavery, theidleness and viciousness, the wasteful squandering temper of servants, who are, indeed, become one of the many public grievances of thekingdom; whereof, I believe, there are few masters that now hear me whoare not convinced by their own experience. And I am not very confident, that more families, of all degrees, have been ruined by the corruptionsof servants, than by all other causes put together. Neither is this tobe wondered at, when we consider from what nurseries so many of them arereceived into our houses. The first is the tribe of wicked boys, wherewith most corners of this town are pestered, who haunt publicdoors. These, having been born of beggars, and bred to pilfer as soon asthey can go or speak, as years come on, are employed in the lowestoffices to get themselves bread, are practised in all manner ofvillainy, and when they are grown up, if they are not entertained in agang of thieves, are forced to seek for a service. The other nursery isthe barbarous and desert part of the country, from whence such lads comeup hither to seek their fortunes, who are bred up from the dunghill inidleness, ignorance, lying, and thieving. From these two nurseries, Isay, a great number of our servants come to us, sufficient to corruptall the rest. Thus, the whole race of servants in this kingdom havegotten so ill a reputation, that some persons from England, come overhither into great stations, are said to have absolutely refusedadmitting any servant born among us into their families. Neither canthey be justly blamed; for although it is not impossible to find anhonest native fit for a good service, yet the inquiry is tootroublesome, and the hazard too great for a stranger to attempt. 

If we consider the many misfortunes that befall private families, itwill be found that servants are the causes and instruments of them all:Are our goods embezzled, wasted and destroyed? Is our house burnt downto the ground? It is by the sloth, the drunkenness or the villainy ofservants. Are we robbed and murdered in our beds? It is by confederacywith our servants. Are we engaged in quarrels and misunderstandings withour neighbours? These were all begun and inflamed by the false, malicious tongues of our servants. Are the secrets of our familiesbetrayed, and evil repute spread of us? Our servants were the authors. Do false accusers rise up against us (an evil too frequent in thiscountry)? They have been tampering with our servants. Do our childrendiscover folly, malice, pride, cruelty, revenge, undutifulness in theirwords and actions? Are they seduced to lewdness or scandalous marriages?It is all by our servants. Nay, the very mistakes, follies, blunders, and absurdities of those in our service, are able to ruffle anddiscompose the mildest nature, and are often of such consequence, as toput whole families into confusion. 

Since therefore not only our domestic peace and quiet, and the welfareof our children, but even the very safety of our lives, reputations, andfortunes have so great a dependence upon the choice of our servants, Ithink it would well become the wisdom of the nation to make someprovision in so important an affair. But in the meantime, and, perhaps, to better purpose, it were to be wished, that the children of bothsexes, entertained in the parish charity-schools, were bred up in such amanner as would give them a teachable disposition, and qualify them tolearn whatever is required in any sort of service. For instance, theyshould be taught to read and write, to know somewhat in castingaccounts, to understand the principles of religion, to practisecleanliness, to get a spirit of honesty, industry, and thrift, and beseverely punished for every neglect in any of these particulars. For, itis the misfortune of mankind, that if they are not used to be taught intheir early childhood, whereby to acquire what I call a teachabledisposition, they cannot, without great difficulty, learn the easiestthing in the course of their lives, but are always awkward and unhandy;their minds, as well as bodies, for want of early practice, growingstiff and unmanageable, as we observe in the sort of gentlemen, who, kept from school by the indulgence of their parents but a few years, arenever able to recover the time they have lost, and grow up in ignoranceand all manner of vice, whereof we have too many examples all over thenation. But to return to what I was saying: If these charity childrenwere trained up in the manner I mentioned, and then bound apprentices inthe families of gentlemen and citizens, (for which a late law givethgreat encouragement) being accustomed from their first entrance to bealways learning some useful thing, [they] would learn, in a month, morethan another, without those advantages, can do in a year; and, in themeantime, be very useful in a family, as far as their age and strengthwould allow. And when such children come to years of discretion, theywill probably be a useful example to their fellow-servants, at leastthey will prove a strong check upon the rest; for, I suppose, everybodywill allow, that one good, honest, diligent servant in a house mayprevent abundance of mischief in the family. 

These are the reasons for which I urge this matter so strongly, and Ihope those who listen to me will consider them. 

I shall now say something about that great number of poor, who, underthe name of common beggars, infest our streets, and fill our ears withtheir continual cries, and craving importunity. This I shall venture tocall an unnecessary evil, brought upon us for the gross neglect, andwant of proper management, in those whose duty it is to prevent it. Butbefore I proceed farther, let me humbly presume to vindicate the justiceand mercy of God and His dealings with mankind. Upon this particular Hehath not dealt so hardly with His creatures as some would imagine, whenthey see so many miserable objects ready to perish for want: For itwould infallibly be found, upon strict enquiry, that there is hardly onein twenty of those miserable objects who do not owe their presentpoverty to their own faults, to their present sloth and negligence, totheir indiscreet marriage without the least prospect of supporting afamily, to their foolish expensiveness, to their drunkenness, and othervices, by which they have squandered their gettings, and contracteddiseases in their old age. And, to speak freely, is it any wayreasonable or just, that those who have denied themselves many lawfulsatisfactions and conveniences of life, from a principle of conscience, as well as prudence, that they might not be a burthen to the public, should be charged with supporting others, who have brought themselves toless than a morsel of bread by their idleness, extravagance, and vice?Yet such, and no other, are far the greatest number not only in thosewho beg in our streets, but even of what we call poor decayedhousekeepers, whom we are apt to pity as real objects of charity, anddistinguish them from common beggars, although, in truth, they both owetheir undoing to the same causes; only the former is either too nicelybred to endure walking half naked in the streets, or too proud to owntheir wants. For the artificer or other tradesman, who pleadeth he isgrown too old to work or look after business, and therefore expectethassistance as a decayed housekeeper; may we not ask him, why he did nottake care, in his youth and strength of days, to make some provisionagainst old age, when he saw so many examples before him of peopleundone by their idleness and vicious extravagance? And to go a littlehigher; whence cometh it that so many citizens and shopkeepers, of themost creditable trade, who once made a good figure, go to decay by theirexpensive pride and vanity, affecting to educate and dress theirchildren above their abilities, or the state of life they ought toexpect?

However, since the best of us have too many infirmities to answer for, we ought not to be severe upon those of others; and therefore if ourbrother, through grief, or sickness, or other incapacity, is not in acondition to preserve his being, we ought to support him to the best ofour power, without reflecting over seriously on the causes that broughthim to his misery. But in order to this, and to turn our charity intoits proper channel, we ought to consider who and where those objectsare, whom it is chiefly incumbent upon us to support. 

By the ancient law of this realm, still in force, every parish isobliged to maintain its own poor, which although some may think to benot very equal, because many parishes are very rich, and have few pooramong them, and others the contrary; yet, I think, may be justlydefended: For as to remote country parishes in the desert part of thekingdom, the necessaries of life are there so cheap, that the infirmpoor may be provided for with little burden to the inhabitants. But inwhat I am going to say, I shall confine myself only to this city, wherewe are overrun not only with our own poor, but with a far greater numberfrom every part of the nation. Now, I say, this evil of being encumberedwith so many foreign beggars, who have not the least title to ourcharity, and whom it is impossible for us to support, may be easilyremedied, if the government of this city, in conjunction with the clergyand parish officers, would think it worth their care; and I am sure fewthings deserve it better. For, if every parish would take a list ofthose begging poor which properly belong to it, and compel each of themto wear a badge, marked and numbered, so as to be seen and known by allthey meet, and confine them to beg within the limits of their ownparish, severely punishing them when they offend, and driving out allinterlopers from other parishes, we could then make a computation oftheir numbers; and the strollers from the country being driven away, theremainder would not be too many for the charity of those who pass by tomaintain; neither would any beggar, although confined to his own parish, be hindered from receiving the charity of the whole town; because, inthis case, those well-disposed persons who walk the streets will givetheir charity to such whom they think proper objects, wherever they meetthem, provided they are found in their own parishes, and wearing theirbadges of distinction. And, as to those parishes which bordered upon theskirts and suburbs of the town, where country strollers are used toharbour themselves, they must be forced to go back to their homes, whenthey find nobody to relieve them, because they want that mark which onlygives them licence to beg. Upon this point, it were to be wished, thatinferior parish officers had better encouragement given them to performtheir duty in driving away all beggars who do not belong to the parish, instead of conniving at them, as it is said they do for some smallcontribution: For the whole city would save much more by riddingthemselves of many hundred beggars, than they would lose by givingparish officers a reasonable support. 

It should seem a strange, unaccountable thing, that those who haveprobably been reduced to want by riot, lewdness, and idleness, althoughthey have assurance enough to beg alms publicly from all they meet, should yet be too proud to wear the parish badge, which would turn somuch to their own advantage, by ridding them of such great numbers, whonow intercept the greatest part of what belongeth to them: Yet it iscertain, that there are very many who publicly declare they will neverwear those badges, and many others who either hide or throw them away:But the remedy for this is very short, easy, and just, by trying themlike vagabonds and sturdy beggars, and forcibly driving them out of thetown. 

Therefore, as soon as this expedient of wearing badges shall be put inpractice, I do earnestly exhort all those who hear me, never to givetheir alms to any public beggar who doth not fully comply with thisorder, by which our number of poor will be so reduced, that it will bemuch easier to provide for the rest. Our shop-doors will be no longercrowded with so many thieves and pickpockets, in beggars' habits, norour streets so dangerous to those who are forced to walk in the night. 

Thus I have, with great freedom, delivered my thoughts upon thissubject, which so nearly concerneth us. It is certainly a bad scheme, toany Christian country, which God hath blessed with fruitfulness, andwhere the people enjoy the just rights and privileges of mankind, thatthere should be any beggars at all. But, alas! among us, where the wholenation itself is almost reduced to beggary by the disadvantages we lieunder, and the hardships we are forced to bear; the laziness, ignorance, thoughtlessness, squandering temper, slavish nature, and uncleanlymanner of living in the poor Popish natives, together with the crueloppressions of their landlords, who delight to see their vassals in thedust; I say, that, in such a nation, how can we otherwise expect than tobe over-run with objects of misery and want? Therefore, there can be noother method to free this city from so intolerable a grievance, than byendeavouring, as far as in us lies, that the burthen may be more equallydivided, by contributing to maintain our own poor, and forcing thestrollers and vagabonds to return to their several homes in the country, there to smite the conscience of those oppressors, who first strippedthem of all their substance. 

I might here, if the time would permit, offer many arguments to persuadeto works of charity; but you hear them so often from the pulpit, that Iam willing to hope you may not now want them. Besides, my present designwas only to shew where your alms would be best bestowed, to the honourof God, your own ease and advantage, the service of your country, andthe benefit of the poor. I desire you will all weigh and consider what Ihave spoken, and, according to your several stations and abilities, endeavour to put it in practice; and God give you good success. To Whom, with the Son and Holy Ghost, be all honour, &c. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. 

A SERMON UPON SLEEPING IN CHURCH. 

ACTS, CHAP. XX. VER. 9. 

"And there sat in a window a certain young man, named _Eutychus_, beingfallen into a deep sleep; and as _Paul_ was long preaching, he sunk downwith sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. "

I have chosen these words with design, if possible, to disturb some partin this audience of half an hour's sleep, for the convenience andexercise whereof this place, at this season of the day, is very muchcelebrated. 

There is indeed one mortal disadvantage to which all preaching issubject; that those who, by the wickedness of their lives, stand ingreatest need, have usually the smallest share; for either they areabsent upon the account of idleness, or spleen, or hatred to religion, or in order to doze away the intemperance of the week; or, if they docome, they are sure to employ their minds rather any other way, thanregarding or attending to the business of the place. 

The accident which happened to this young man in the text, hath not beensufficient to discourage his successors: But because the preachers nowin the world, however they may exceed St Paul in the art of setting mento sleep, do extremely fall short of him in the working of miracles;therefore men are become so cautious as to choose more safe andconvenient stations and postures for taking their repose, without hazardof their persons; and, upon the whole matter, choose rather to trusttheir destruction to a miracle, than their safety. However, this beingnot the only way by which the lukewarm Christians and scorners of theage discover their neglect and contempt of preaching, I shall enterexpressly into consideration of this matter, and order my discourse inthe following method:

_First:_ I shall produce several instances to shew the great neglect ofpreaching now amongst us. 

_Secondly:_ I shall reckon up some of the usual quarrels men haveagainst preaching. 

_Thirdly:_ I shall set forth the great evil of this neglect and contemptof preaching, and discover the real causes from whence it proceedeth. 

_Lastly:_ I shall offer some remedies against this great and spreadingevil. 

_First:_ I shall produce certain instances to shew the great neglect ofpreaching now among us. 

These may be reduced under two heads. First, men's absence from theservice of the Church; and secondly, their misbehaviour when they arehere. 

The first instance of men's neglect, is in their frequent absence fromthe church. 

There is no excuse so trivial, that will not pass upon some men'sconsciences to excuse their attendance at the public worship of God. Some are so unfortunate as to be always indisposed on the Lord's day, and think nothing so unwholesome as the air of a church. Others havetheir affairs so oddly contrived, as to be always unluckily prevented bybusiness. With some it is a great mark of wit, and deep understanding, to stay at home on Sundays. Others again discover strange fits oflaziness, that seize them, particularly on that day, and confine them totheir beds. Others are absent out of mere contempt of religion. And, lastly, there are not a few who look upon it as a day of rest, andtherefore claim the privilege of their cattle, to keep the Sabbath byeating, drinking, and sleeping, after the toil and labour of the week. Now in all this the worst circumstance is, that these persons are suchwhose companies are most required, and who stand most in need of aphysician. 

_Secondly:_ Men's great neglect and contempt of preaching, appear bytheir misbehaviour when at church. 

If the audience were to be ranked under several heads according to theirbehaviour, when the word of God is delivered, how small a number wouldappear of those who receive it as they ought? How much of the seed thensown would be found to fall by the way-side, upon stony ground or amongthorns? And how little good ground would there be to take it? A preachercannot look round from the pulpit, without observing, that some are in aperpetual whisper, and, by their air and gesture, give occasion tosuspect, that they are in those very minutes defaming their neighbour. Others have their eyes and imagination constantly engaged in such acircle of objects, perhaps to gratify the most unwarrantable desires, that they never once attend to the business of the place; the sound ofthe preacher's words doth not so much as once interrupt them. Some havetheir minds wandering among idle, worldly, or vicious thoughts. Some lieat catch to ridicule whatever they hear, and with much wit and humourprovide a stock of laughter, by furnishing themselves from the pulpit. But, of all misbehaviour, none is comparable to that of those who comehere to sleep; opium is not so stupefying to many persons as anafternoon sermon. Perpetual custom hath so brought it about, that thewords, of whatever preacher, become only a sort of uniform sound at adistance, than which nothing is more effectual to lull the senses. For, that it is the very sound of the sermon which bindeth up theirfaculties, is manifest from hence, because they all awake so veryregularly as soon as it ceaseth, and with much devotion receive theblessing, dozed and besotted with indecencies I am ashamed to repeat. 

I proceed, _Secondly_, to reckon up some of the usual quarrels men haveagainst preaching, and to shew the unreasonableness of them. 

Such unwarrantable demeanour as I have described, among Christians, inthe house of God, in a solemn assembly, while their faith and duty areexplained and delivered, have put those who are guilty upon inventingsome excuses to extenuate their fault: This they do by turning the blameeither upon the particular preacher, or upon preaching in general. First, they object against the particular preacher; his manner, hisdelivery, his voice are disagreeable, his style and expression are flatand low; sometimes improper and absurd; the matter is heavy, trivial andinsipid; sometimes despicable, and perfectly ridiculous; or else, on theother side, he runs up into unintelligible speculation, empty notions, and abstracted flights, all clad in words above usual understandings. 

Secondly, They object against preaching in general; it is a perfect roadof talk; they know already whatever can be said; they have heard thesame an hundred times over. They quarrel that preachers do not relievean old beaten subject with wit and invention; and that now the art islost of moving men's passions, so common among the ancient orators ofGreece and Rome. These, and the like objections, are frequently in themouths of men who despise the "foolishness of preaching. " But let usexamine the reasonableness of them. 

The doctrine delivered by all preachers is the same: "So we preach, andso ye believe:" But the manner of delivering is suited to the skill andabilities of each, which differ in preachers just as in the rest ofmankind. However, in personal dislikes of a particular preacher, arethese men sure they are always in the right? Do they consider how mixeda thing is every audience, whose taste and judgment differ, perhaps, every day, not only from each other, but themselves? And how tocalculate a discourse, that shall exactly suit them all, is beyond theforce and reach of human reason, knowledge, or invention. Wit andeloquence are shining qualities, that God hath imparted, in greatdegrees, to very few, nor any more to be expected, in the generality ofany rank among men, than riches and honour. But further: If preaching ingeneral be all old and beaten, and that they are already so wellacquainted with it, more shame and guilt to them who so little edify byit. But these men, whose ears are so delicate as not to endure a plaindiscourse of religion, who expect a constant supply of wit and eloquenceon a subject handled so many thousand times; what will they say when weturn the objection upon themselves, who, with all the rude and profaneliberty of discourse they take, upon so many thousand subjects, are sodull as to furnish nothing but tedious repetitions, and little paltry, nauseous common-places, so vulgar, so worn, or so obvious, as, upon anyother occasion, but that of advancing vice, would be hooted off thestage? Nor, lastly, are preachers justly blamed for neglecting humanoratory to move the passions, which is not the business of a Christianorator, whose office it is only to work upon faith and reason. All othereloquence hath been a perfect cheat, to stir up men's passions againsttruth and justice, for the service of a faction, to put false coloursupon things, and by an amusement of agreeable words, make the worsereason appear to be the better. This is certainly not to be allowed inChristian eloquence, and, therefore, St Paul took quite the othercourse; he "came not with excellency of words, or enticing speech ofmen's wisdom, but in plain evidence of the Spirit and power. " Andperhaps it was for that reason the young man Eutychus, used to theGrecian eloquence, grew tired and fell so fast asleep. 

I go on, _Thirdly_, to set forth the great evil of this neglect andscorn of preaching, and to discover the real causes from whence itproceedeth. 

I think it is obvious, [1] that this neglect of preaching hath very muchoccasioned the great decay of religion among us. To this may be imputedno small part of that contempt some men bestow on the clergy; for, whoever talketh without being regarded, is sure to be despised. To thiswe owe, in a great measure, the spreading of atheism and infidelityamong us; for religion, like all other things, is soonest put out ofcountenance by being ridiculed. The scorn of preaching might perhapshave been at first introduced by men of nice ears and refined taste; butit is now become a spreading evil, through all degrees, and both sexes;for, since sleeping, talking, and laughing are qualities sufficient tofurnish out a critic, the meanest and most ignorant have set up a title, and succeeded in it as well as their betters. Thus are the last effortsof reforming mankind rendered wholly useless: "How shall they hear, "saith the apostle, "without a preacher?" But, if they have a preacher, and make it a point of wit or breeding not to hear him, what remedy isleft? To this neglect of preaching, we may also entirely impute thatgross ignorance among us in the very principles of religion, which it isamazing to find in persons who very much value their own knowledge andunderstanding in other things; yet, it is a visible, inexcusableignorance, even in the meanest among us, considering the many advantagesthey have of learning their duty. And it hath been the greatencouragement to all manner of vice: For, in vain we preach down sin toa people, "whose hearts are waxed gross, whose ears are dull of hearing, and whose eyes are closed. " Therefore Christ Himself, in His discourses, frequently rouseth up the attention of the multitude, and of Hisdisciples themselves, with this expression, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. " But, among all neglects of preaching, none is so fatal asthat of sleeping in the house of God; a scorner may listen to truth andreason, and in time grow serious; an unbeliever may feel the pangs of aguilty conscience; one whose thoughts or eyes wander among otherobjects, may, by a lucky word, be called back to attention: But thesleeper shuts up all avenues to his soul: He is "like the deaf adder, that hearkeneth not to the voice of the charmer, charm he never sowisely. " And, we may preach with as good success to the grave that isunder his feet. 

[Footnote 1: Hawkesworth (Swift's "Works, " vol. Xiii. , 1762) insertshere "to believe. " [T. S. ]]

But the great evil of this neglect will further yet appear, fromconsidering the real causes whence it proceedeth; whereof the first, Itake to be, an evil conscience. Many men come to church to save or gaina reputation; or because they will not be singular, but comply with anestablished custom; yet, all the while, they are loaded with the guiltof old rooted sins. These men can expect to hear of nothing but terrorsand threatenings, their sins laid open in true colours, and eternalmisery the reward of them; therefore, no wonder they stop their ears, and divert their thoughts, and seek any amusement rather than stir thehell within them. 

Another cause of this neglect is, a heart set upon worldly things. Menwhose minds are much enslaved to earthly affairs all the week, cannotdisengage or break the chain of their thoughts so suddenly, as to applyto a discourse that is wholly foreign to what they have most at heart. Tell a usurer of charity, and mercy, and restitution, you talk to thedeaf; his heart and soul, with all his senses, are got among his bags, or he is gravely asleep, and dreaming of a mortgage. Tell a man ofbusiness, that the cares of the world choke the good seed; that we mustnot encumber ourselves with much serving; that the salvation of his soulis the one thing necessary: You see, indeed, the shape of a man beforeyou, but his faculties are all gone off among clients and papers, thinking how to defend a bad cause, or find flaws in a good one; or, heweareth out the time in drowsy nods. 

A third cause of the great neglect and scorn of preaching, ariseth fromthe practice of men who set up to decry and disparage religion; these, being zealous to promote infidelity and vice, learn a rote of buffoonerythat serveth all occasions, and refutes the strongest arguments forpiety and good manners. These have a set of ridicule calculated for allsermons, and all preachers, and can be extreme witty as often as theyplease upon the same fund. 

Let me now, in the last place, offer some remedies against this greatevil. 

It will be one remedy against the contempt of preaching, rightly toconsider the end for which it was designed. There are many who placeabundance of merit in going to church, although it be with no otherprospect but that of being well entertained, wherein if they happen tofail, they return wholly disappointed. Hence it is become an impertinentvein among people of all sorts to hunt after what they call a goodsermon, as if it were a matter of pastime and diversion. Our business, alas! is quite another thing, either to learn, or, at least, be remindedof our duty, to apply the doctrines delivered, compare the rules we hearwith our lives and actions, and find wherein we have transgressed. Theseare the dispositions men should bring into the house of God, and thenthey will be little concerned about the preacher's wit or eloquence, norbe curious to enquire out his faults and infirmities, but consider howto correct their own. 

Another remedy against the contempt of preaching, is, that men wouldconsider, whether it be not reasonable to give more allowances for thedifferent abilities of preachers than they usually do; refinements ofstyle, and flights of wit, as they are not properly the business of anypreacher, so they cannot possibly be the talents of all. In most otherdiscourses, men are satisfied with sober sense and plain reason; and, asunderstandings usually go, even that is not over frequent. Then why theyshould be so over nice in expectation of eloquence, [2] where it isneither necessary nor convenient, is hard to imagine. 

[Footnote 2: Hawkesworth (1762 edit. ) has "over nice and expecting forsense"; but both the 4to and the 8vo of 1764 agree with Scott as above. [T. S. ]]

_Lastly:_ The scorners of preaching would do well to consider, that thistalent of ridicule, they value so much, is a perfection very easilyacquired, and applied to all things whatsoever; neither is anything atall the worse, because it is capable of being perverted to burlesque:Perhaps it may be the more perfect upon that score; since we know, themost celebrated pieces have been thus treated with greatest success. Itis in any man's power to suppose a fool's cap on the wisest head, andthen laugh at his own supposition. I think there are not many thingscheaper than supposing and laughing; and if the uniting these twotalents can bring a thing into contempt, it is hard to know where it mayend. 

_To conclude:_ These considerations may, perhaps, have some effect whilemen are awake; but what arguments shall we use to the sleeper? Whatmethods shall we take to hold open his eyes? Will he be moved byconsiderations of common civility? We know it is reckoned a point ofvery bad manners to sleep in private company, when, perhaps, the tediousimpertinence of many talkers would render it at least as excusable as atthe dullest sermon. Do they think it a small thing to watch four hoursat a play, where all virtue and religion are openly reviled; and canthey not watch one half hour to hear them defended? Is this to deal likea judge, (I mean like a good judge) to listen on one side of the cause, and sleep on the other? I shall add but one word more: That thisindecent sloth is very much owing to that luxury and excess men usuallypractise upon this day, by which half the service thereof is turned tosin; men dividing the time between God and their bellies, when after agluttonous meal, their senses dozed and stupefied, they retire to God'shouse to sleep out the afternoon. Surely, brethren, these things oughtnot so to be. 

"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. " And God give us all grace tohear and receive His holy word to the salvation of our own souls. 

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

APPENDIX I. 

SWIFT'S REMARKS ON DR GIBBS'S PARAPHRASE OF THE PSALMS. 

NOTE. 

"THE following manuscript was literally copied from the printed originalfound in the library of Dr. J. Swift, Dean of St Patrick's, Dublin, inthe year 1745. The marginal notes and parodies were written by theDean's own hand, except such as are distinguished with this mark [O/]with which I am only chargeable. Witness my hand, this 25th day ofFebruary, 1745. WILLIAM DUNKIN. 

"N. B. --The original was by me presented to his excellency Philip DormerStanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, lord lieutenant general and generalgovernor of Ireland. W. D. "

The manuscript to which Dr. Dunkin refers is in the library of TrinityCollege, Dublin. The present text is taken from a transcript which is atthe South Kensington Museum, and which appears to be the identicaltranscript used by Nichols for his reprint in the quarto edition, vol. Xiv. At the end of this MS. Is the following note:

"The above was written from the manuscript mentioned in the first page, now in the hands of Nicholas Coyne, Esq. , being the only copy in thekingdom of Ireland; he having purchased the original, andafterwards generously given it to his friend Dr. Dunkin, finding thedoctor extremely uneasy at the disappointment the Earl of Chesterfieldwas like to meet with, as he had promised the earl to attend theauction, and procure it for him at any price; and is now transcribed byNeale Molloy, of Dublin, Esq'r, by the favour of the said NicholasCoyne, his brother-in-law; and sent by him to his kinsman, and dearfriend, Charles Molloy, of London, Esq're. 

"_Dublin, 26th, of May_, 1748. "

The "Epistle Dedicatory" to Princess Anne, in Dr. Gibbs's volume, hasalso been annotated, chiefly by Dr. Dunkin; but as these are mostly toofilthy to be published, I have omitted the few notes by Swift, which consist merely of marginalia corrections of words and a fewsatirical interpolations of no great consequence. I have corrected Dr. Gibbs's text by the original edition of his "Paraphrase" (1701). Thecorrections were necessary, since the transcript could not be absolutelyrelied on. 

[T. S. ]

APPENDIX I. DR SWIFT'S REMARKS

On "The first Fifteen Psalms of David, translated into Lyric Verse:Proposed as an Essay, supplying the Perspicuity and Coherence accordingto the Modern Art of Poetry; not known to have been attempted before inany Language. With a Preface containing some Observations of the greatand general Defectiveness of former Versions in Greek, Latin, andEnglish. By Dr. [James] Gibbs. London: printed by J. Mathews, for JohnHartley, over-against Gray's-Inn, in Holborn. MDCCI. "

THE FIRST FIFTEEN PSALMS, TRANSLATED INTOENGLISH VERSE. 

DR GIBBS. DR SWIFT. I. PSALM OF DAVID, (1) (1)I warn the reader that_Comparing the different state of the this is a lie, both hererighteous and the wicked, both in this and all over the book;and the next world. _ for these are not Psalms of David, but of Dr. Gibbs. 

1 Thrice happy he! that does refuse. (2) But I suppose with With _impious_ (2) _sinners_ to combine; _pious_ sinners a man may Who ne'er their wicked way pursues, combine safely enough And does the scorner's _seat_(3)_decline_ (3)What part of speech is it?

2 But still to learn, and to obey (4) All. The Law of God is his delight; In that employs himself all day, (5) A man must have And reads and thinks thereon at(4) some time to sleep; so night. (5) that I will change the verse thus: "And thinks and dreams thereon all night. "

3 For as a tree, whose spreading root (6) Look ye; you must By some prolific stream is fed, thin the boughs at the Produces (6) fair and timely fruit, top, or your fruit will And numerous boughs adorn its head: be neither fair or Whose (7) very leaves, tho' storms descend, timely. In lively verdure still appear (7) Why, what other part Whose (7) very leaves, tho' storms descend, of a tree appears in lively. In lively verdure still appear; verdure, beside the Such blessings always shall attend leaves? The man that does the Lord revere. These very leaves on which you penn'd Your woeful stuff, may serve for squibs: Such blessings always shall attend The madrigals of Dr. Gibbs. 

4 Like chaff with every wind disperst:(1) (1) "Disp_u_rst, " [rhyming with "curst"] Pronounce this like a blockhead. 

6 And these to punishment may go. (2) (2) If they please. 

["The above may serve for a tolerable specimen of Swift's remarks. Thewhole should be given, if it were possible to make them intelligible, without copying the version which is ridiculed; a labour for which ourreaders would scarcely thank us. A few detached stanzas, however, withthe Dean's notes on them, shall be transcribed. " Thus writes Scott; butI have added a great many more, which deserve reprinting, if only fortheir humour. [T. S. ]]

 DR GIBBS. DR SWIFT. 

 II. PSALM OF DAVID. (1) I do not believe that ever kings entered1 Why do the heathen nations rise, into plots and And in mad tumults join! confederacies against the reign of God Almighty. 2 Confederate kings vain plots (1) devise Against the Almighty's reign: His Royal Title they deny, (2) What word does Whom God appointed Christ; that plural number belong to?3 Let us reject their (2) laws, they cry, Their binding force resist. 

7 And thus to Him was pleased to say, (3) An excellent drug- As I His words declare; (3) german. 

9 But those, that do thy laws refuse, (4) After a man is In pieces thou shalt break; broken in pieces, And with an iron sceptre bruise (4) 'tis no great matter Their disobedient (5) _neck_. To have his neck bruised. 

 (5) Neak. 

10 Ye earthly kings, the caution _hear_; (6) Rulers must _learn_ Ye rulers, _learn_ the same; (6) it, but kings may only _hear_ it. 

11 Serve God with reverence, and with _fear_(7) His joyful praise proclaim; (7) Very proper to make a joyful proclamation with fear. 

12 Confess the Son, and own His (8) reign, (8) Of Blackmore's Ere He to wrath inclines; reign. And, so resenting your disdain, Confound your vain designs: (9) (9) You with his lines

 For should the madness of His foes (1) (1) For should the foes Th' avenging God incense, of David's ape Happy are they that can repose Provoke his grey In Him their confidence. (2) goose quills, Happy are they that can escape The vengeance of his pills. 

 (2) Admirably reasoned and connected!

III. PSALM OF DAVID. 

_When he fled from his son Absalom. _ To Dr. Gibbs, _ex aquâ in ignem_. 

4 When to the Lord for help I cry, (3) Sec_o_ure. He hears me from the Throne on high; (4) By this I think it5 And thus I sleep and wake secure, (3) is clear that he cries Guarded by His almighty Power. (4) in his sleep. 

6 No fears shall then my soul depress, * *Depre_a_se, Lo_a_rd, Though thus my enemies increase; Scoticé. 

7 And (5) therefore, now arise, O Lord, * (5) He desires God's And graciously thy help afford: help, because he is not afraid of his enemies; others, I think, usually desire it when they _are_ afraid. 

8 And _thus_ (6) to grant a sure defence, (6) The doctor hath a Belongs to God's (7) omnipotence; mighty affection for the particle _thus_: he uses it four times in this Psalm, and 100 times in other places, and always wrong. 

 (7) That is as much as to say, he that can do all things can defend a man; which I take to be an undoubted truth. 

IV. PSALM OF DAVID. 

_Reproving and admonishing his enemies_. Not to burlesque his Psalms. 

1 As Thou hast always taken care A pretty phrase! My sufferings to remove. 

2 But you, my frail (1) malicious foes, (1) Are they malicious Who do my power despise; out of frailty, or frail Vainly how long will ye oppose, out of malice? And (2) falsely calumnize! (2) That is, they say _false_ things _falsely_. 

 I will discover the doctor's secret of making the coherence and connection, in the Psalms that he brags of in his title and preface: he lays violent hands on certain particles, (such as _and, when, since, for, but, thus, so_, &c. ) and presses them to his service on all occasions sore against their wills, and without any regard whether the sense will admit them or no. 

3 Since those alone the Lord has blest, (3) 'Tis plain the doctor That do from sin refrain; never requested to be a He therefore grants what I request, (3) poet. And hears when I (4) complain:

 (4) If your requests be granted, why do you complain?

 But of Thy face to us do Thou What is it, to The favour still dispense; dispense the favour of his face?

7 Then shall my soul with more divine (5) I have heard of a And solid joys abound, crown or garland of corn, Than they with stores of corn and wine, but a crown of wine is Those earthly riches, crown'd: (5) new, and can hardly be explained, unless we suppose the wine to be in icicles. 

8 And thus confiding, Lord, in thee (6) And yet, to shew I I take my calm repose; (6) tell no fibs, For thou each night protectest me Thou hast left me in From all my (7) treacherous foes thrall To Hopkins, eke, and Doctor Gibbs The vilest rogue of all. 

 (7) Aye, and _open_ foes too; or his repose would not be very calm. 

V. PSALM OF DAVID:

Trusting in God, he implores protection Especially Doctorfrom his enemies. _ Gibbs. 

1 O Lord, receive my fervent prayer, (1) I suppose he Relieve my soul opprest with care, thought it would be And hear my loud (1) complaint; heard the better for being loud. [Greek: Oion aento mega kekraigenai kai ochlaeson einai. ]--LUC. TIM. , _Misanth_. 

2 On Thee alone I can rely, Do Thou, my God, to whom I fly, My sad (2) petition grant: (2) My poor petition. Ay, a sad one indeed. 

5 They on thy favour can't rely, (3) Such vile poetry. That practice such iniquity, (3) What is the meaning of For Thou wilt punish those that word, _such_, in this place?

6 That do malicious lies (4) invent, (4) Malicious lines. And would to death the innocent By treacherous means (5) expose. (5) By doggrel rhimes. 

8 Lord, in Thy Laws (6) direct my ways, (6) He perseveres--not Since those my watchful foe surveys, that he values the Laws, And make me persevere: but because his foes watch him. A good principle!

9 They flatter to destroy:

10 But let, O Lord, the vengeance due (7) Horrid rhimes. Those in their horrid crimes (7) pursue, (8) Def_o_y. Who do Thy power defy: (8)

VI. PSALM OF DAVID:

_Penitently complaining of his sufferings_. By this translator. 

I Thy heavy hand restrain, (9) (9) Thy heavy hand With mercy, Lord, correct; restrain; Do not, (1) as if in high disdain, Have mercy, Dr. Gibbs: My helpless soul reject: Do not, I pray thee, paper stain2 For how shall I sustain With rhymes retail'd in (2)Those ills, which now I bear! dribbs. My vitals are consumed with pain, (3)My soul oppress'd with care: (1)That bit is a most glorious botch. (2)The squeaking of a hogrel. 

 (3)To listen to thy doggrel. 

5 For in the silent grave, } Very true all that. When there I lie obscure, No gracious favours I can have, Nor magnify Thy power:

6 Lord, I have pray'd in (1) vain (1)The doctor must So long, so much opprest; mean himself, for I hope My very (2) cries increase my pain, David never thought so. And tears prevent my rest; (2)Then he's a dunce7 These do my sight impair, for crying. My flowing eyes decay, While to my enemies I fear Thus (3) to become a prey. (3)That is, he is afraid of becoming a prey to his enemies while his eyes are sore. 

8 But, ye vain forces! fly, (4) (4)Fl_o_y. For God, Whom I adore, Why then does he tell us just before that he has prayed in vain, and is afraid of becoming a prey to his enemies?

9 My impious foes does still destroy, When I His aid implore. 

10 O Lord, by Thy fierce hand repell'd, With sudden shame retire (5) A very proper word for a man that is repell'd by a fierce hand. 

VII, PSALM OF DAVID:

_When unjustly persecuted, (6) and accused of (6) By Doctor Gibbs. Treachery against King Saul. _

I O Lord my God, since I repose (7) By chance. My trust in Thee alone, (7)

 Save and defend me from my foes, That furiously come on: (8) (8) Advance. 

2 Lest, like a ravenous lion, they What sort of lions are My captive soul devour, they that devour souls?

4 If I've not spared him though he's grown(9) (9) Gro_u_n. My causeless (1) enemy, (1) If he be grown his _causeless_ enemy I presume he is no longer _guiltless_. 

5 Then let my life, and future (2) crown (2) He gives a thing Become to him a prey: before he has it, and gives it to him that has it already; for Saul is the person meant. 

6 But, Lord, thy kind assistance (1) lend, (1) But why _lend?_ Arise in my defence; Does he design to return According to Thy laws, (2) contend it back when he has done For injured innocence: with it?

 (2) Profane rascal! he makes it a struggle and contention between God and the wicked. 

7 That all the nations, that oppose, (3) (3) Opp_a_use. May then confess Thy power: Therefore assert my righteous cause, That they may Thee adore: (4) (4) Ado_u_re. 

8 For equal judgment, Lord, to Thee (5) Yet in the very The nations (5) all submit; verse before he tells of Be therefore (6) merciful to me. Nations that _oppose_. And my just soul acquit: (7) (6) Because all nations submit to God, therefore God must be merciful to Dr. Gibbs. 

 (7) Of what?

9 Destroy the wicked in their plots: Poor David never could The just with blessings crown: acquit For all the ways and secret thoughts (8) A criminal like thee, Of both to Thee are known. Against his Psalms who couldst commit Such wicked poetry. 

 (8) Thots. 

10 Thus by God's gracious providence (9) (9) Observe the I'm still preserved secure, (1) connection. Who all the good and just defends (1) Sec_ou_re. With a resistless (2) power. (2) That's right, doctor; but then there will be no _contending_, as you desired a while ago. 

 'Tis wonderful that Providence Should save thee from the halter, Who hast in numbers without sense Burlesqued the holy Psalter. 

11 All men He does with justice view, (1) That's no great And their iniquity mark of viewing them With direful vengeance can pursue, with justice. God has Or patiently (1) pass by: wiser ends for passing by His vengeance on the wicked, you profane dunce!

13 For He the artillery directs, What's that charge? it The sudden charge ordains, must allude to a charge of gunpowder, or it is nonsense. 

15 Lo! now th'inflictions (2) they design'd (2) Ay, but what sort of By others to be borne, things are these Even all the mischiefs (3) in their mind inflictions? Do on themselves return: (4) (3) If the mischiefs be in their mind, what need they return on themselves? are they not there already?

 (4) Ret_o_rn. 

16 By their own treachery betray'd (5) Pills To the same ills, (5) that they Invented, and with those essay'd (6) Rich. To make the poor (6) their prey: Does this verse end according to the more modern art of poetry, as the author speaks in his preface?

17 O Lord, how glorious are the ways Do not these verses end Of Thy good Providence! very sublimely? Thou, Lord, Whose blessed Name I praise, True justice dost dispense

VIII. PSALM OF DAVID:

1 The mighty powers, that celebrate That's a lie; for if Thy endless praises, can't relate they The glory they in Heaven survey: can survey it they can easily relate it. 

2 _Young_ helpless _infants_ at the breast Young younglings. Their great Creator have confest, [The italics are And in their weakness spoke Thy pow'r, Swift's. ] This stanza is just upon the purlieus between sense and nonsense. 

4 Lord, what is wretched (7) man, I cry, (7) A very proper epithetOr all his sinful progeny, for those who are scarce That thou to them dost prove so kind! inferior to angels. 

5 To honour Thou dost them prefer, A fine cadence that. To angels scarce inferior, 6 They over all Thy works command:

7 The flocks and herds o'er every field (1) That's a lie, for To their just lords obedience yield, sometimes they trespass And all (1) in full subjection stand: on other men's grounds. 

8 O'er all the birds, that mount the air, (2) App_ai_r. And fish, that in the floods appear, (2) Man bears an arbitrary sway: Those, I think, are not very many: they are caught, but till then we have no great sway over them. 

IX. PSALM OF DAVID:

3 Confounded at the sight of Thee (3) The doctor's mistaken; My foes are put to flight; (3) for, when people are confounded, they cannot fly. 

4 Thus thou, great God of equity, (4) Against Sternhold Dost still assert my right. (4) and Hopkins. 

6 Insulting foes, how long can ye (5) b_o_st. Of ruin'd cities boast! (5) Blunderings, _Siccorrige Your plunderings now as well as they meo periculo_. That's a Are in oblivion lost: lie, for Gibbs remembers them. 

7 But God eternally remains (6) (6) That's false and Fixt in His throne on high, profane; God is not fixed anywhere. 

8 And to the world from thence ordains (7) Did anybody ever Impartial equity:(7) hear of _partial_ equity?

9 And for their injured souls extend That extending a refuge, A refuge most secure. Is pretty. 

12 He hears the injured poor, and then _i. E. _ is angry at their Does all their cries resent. Cries. 

13 And thus consider still, O Lord, (8) Nothing is restored The justice of my cause; but what has been taken Who often hast my life (8) restor'd away; so that he has been From death's devouring jaws: often raised from the dead, if this be true. 

15 The heathen nations are dismay'd (9) (9) We heard a while They're all to ruin brought, ago their very names were For in the treacherous nets, they laid, dead, [1] now (it seems) Ev'n they themselves are caught: they're only dismay'd. 

[Footnote 1: Ver. 5. "They and their very names are dead. "]

16 Lo, thus the Lord to execute True judgment still inclines; This is profane, as if it were only an inclination in God to be just. 

X. PSALM OF DAVID:

1 Lord, why in times of deep distress If the woes require aid Dost Thou from us retire, it is to increase them, When dismal woes our souls oppress, they cannot require it And Thy kind aid require! against themselves. 

2 The wicked do with lawless pride (1) (1) Proide. Pronounce The helpless persecute; it like the Scotch. But let them be themselves destroy'd, And fall in their pursuit: Ay, let them!

3 For still they triumph, when success I cannot crock this Does their designs attend, stave. And then their ways, who thus oppress, Profanely they commend:

 * * * * *

5 And from the barbarous (2) paths they tread, (2) The author should No acts of Providence first have premised what Can e'er oblige them to recede, sort of paths were Or stop (3) their bold offence; properly barbarous. I suppose they must be very deep and dirty, or very rugged and stony; both which I myself have heard travellers call barbarous roads. 

 (3) Which is the way to stop an offence? Would you have it stopped like a bottle, or a thief? For what end? is it to catch a louse, better lay wait for the rich by half. 

8 And for the poor in secret they Do treacherously lay wait: As a lion observes with9 As hungry lions do their prey watchful eyes, just so a Observe with watchful eyes, wicked man surprises So heedless innocents would they with sudden force--a very With sudden force surprise; just simile. And then, like lions merciless, They surprise them like Their trembling souls devour; lions, but then they devour And thus the helpless do oppress (4) devour them [like] lions. When captives to their power;

 (4) This line is dry nonsense or false grammar and will bear no jest. 

13 no more No mo_u_r. Pronounce [rhyming with pow'r. ] this like my lady's woman. 

14 deserts Des_a_rts. Pronounce [rhyming with hearts. ] this like my lady's housemaid. 

XI. PSALM OF DAVID:

1 come on, Come _u_n. Pronounce [rhyming with shun. ] this like a chambermaid. 

 The force of his argument lies here: he does3 For if the Power, in which they trust, not fear his enemies, Should fail, how helpless are the just! because if God's power should fail he has no help. 

6 And on their impious heads will pour (1) A shower of snares Of snares (1) and flames a dismal shower; on a man's head would And this their bitter cup must be do wonderful execution. (2) To drink to all eternity: However, I grant it is a scurvy thing enough to swallow them. 

 (2) To taste the doctor's poetry. 

XII. PSALM OF DAVID:

1 O Lord, some help for me provide, He can confide in but For in but few I can confide, few because all are. All men are so perfidious grown; perfidious. Smoke that!

2 True mutual kindness they pretend, Did ever any man pretend mutual kindness to another?

3 But God those flatterers will confound, Qu: whether flatterers That with abusive lies abound, usually abound with And proudly boast their vicious ways, abusive lies?

4 That say, with our deceitful tongues If they say thus they are silly flatterers. 

6 And since He thus was pleased to say, That comparison is Like gold refined from base alloy, well applied. His promise never can deceive; (3) (3) Deceive. Pronounce this like a beau. 

7 And therefore will their cause assert, Examine well the grammar Who thus are pure and true of heart, and sense and the And save them from the enemy; elegance of this stanza. 

8 For, when th' ungodly meet success, Here the author separates The wicked more and more increase, (1) the wicked from And proudly all their foes defy. The ungodly. 

 (1) Incr_ess_. 

 XIII. PSALM OF DAVID:

1 How long wilt Thou neglect, A civil question that! O Lord, to hear me pray!

3 Attend, and hear my cries, Mind me, Sir! Some comfort now disclose, E'er grief has shut my weeping eyes Which would be nonsense, In death's obscure repose: put in prose. 

4 Lest my proud enemy, If now my trust should fail, And those that persecute me cry; See, thus we still prevail: A pretty speech that!

XIV. PSALM OF DAVID:

1 Hence virtue in the world declines, Without question virtue And all men vicious grow. Declines with a vengeance when all men grow vicious. 

2 And see who would His being own, What other way is And Him, as God, adore: there of adoring?

3 (2) But they were all perverted grown, (2) But they were all Polluted all with blood, perverted grown, And other impious crimes; not one In spite of Dr. Gibbs Was either just (3) or good. His blood: Of all his impious rhimes not one Was either just or good. 

 (3) For a man (it seems) may be good and not just. 

4 Are they so stupid (4) then, said (5) God, (4) The fault was not_ Who thus My (6) saints devour! that they devoured__ These (7) crimes have they not understood, saints, _ but that they Nor thought upon My power! were stupid. Qu: Whether stupidity makes men devour saints, or devouring saints makes a man stupid? I believe the latter, because they may be apt to lie heavy in one's stomach. 

 (5) Clod. 

 (6) Strains. 

 (7) Rhimes. 

7 (1) O, that His aid we now might have (1) And O that every From Sion's holy hill, parish clerk, That God the captive just would save, Who hums what Brady cribs And glad all Israel. From Hopkins, would read this work, And glad the heart with Gibbs. 

XV. PSALM OF DAVID:

_Representing the character of a good man_. And a bad poet. 

2 Sincere, and just, who never lie;_

3 And so their neighbour ne'er deceive, How _so_?

5 All those that lead a life like this (2) And so the doctor Shall reign in everlasting bliss. (2) now may kiss----!

FINIS. 

Fiddling Impudent Nauseous Illiterate Scoundrel oolish dle onsensical gnorant cot

APPENDIX II. 

A

PROPOSAL

HUMBLY OFFERED TO THE

P T

FOR THE MORE EFFECTUAL PREVENTING THE

FURTHER GROWTH OF POPERY. 

WITH THE

DESCRIPTION AND USE OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL THERMOMETER, VERY PROPER FOR ALL FAMILIES. 

 "Insani sanus nomen ferat, aequus iniqui, Ultra quàm satis est, virtutem si petat ipsam. "

 HOR. Epist. 1. Vi. 16. 

This "Proposal, " which has not been included in the editions of Swift'sWorks issued by Scott, Faulkner, or Hawkesworth, appeared originally, but in a shorter form, in the "Tatler" (No. 220, September 4th, 1710). In this form the whole of the first portion, from the beginning to theparagraph commencing "The Church thermometer, " is omitted, as are alsothe last paragraphs of the essay, including the "Advertisement. " Thetext of the present reprint I have taken from the "Miscellanies, " vol. Viii. , 1745 (pp. 217-229). In all modern editions of the "Tatler" thispaper is ascribed to Addison; but the style and the subject are socharacteristic of Swift that, although I am not in a position to saydefinitely that it is by him, I think it deserves a place in the form ofan Appendix. The date of its appearance in the "Tatler" is somewhatagainst Swift having written it, since he was at that time on his way toLondon; and of the few contributions he sent to the "Tatler" it is agreedby all editors that the first is the paper on the same subject as theletter to the Lord High Treasurer, which appeared in No. 230 (September28th, 1710). 

[T. S. ]

APPENDIX II. 

 PROPOSAL FOR PREVENTING THE FURTHER GROWTH OF POPERY. 

Having, with great sorrow of heart, observed the increase of Poperyamong us of late years, and how ineffectual the penal laws and statutesof this realm have been, for near forty years last past, towardsreclaiming that blind and deluded people from their errors, notwithstanding the good intentions of the legislators, and the piousand unwearied labours of the many learned divines of the EstablishedChurch, who have preached to them without ceasing, although hithertowithout success:

Having also remarked, in his Grace's speech to both Houses ofParliament, most kind offers of his Grace's good offices towardsobtaining such further laws as shall be thought necessary towardsbringing home the said wandering sheep into the fold of the Church, asalso a good disposition in the parliament to join in the laudable work, towards which every good Protestant ought to contribute at least hisadvice: I think it a proper time to lay before the public a scheme whichwas writ some years since, and laid by to be ready on a fit occasion. 

That, whereas the several penal laws and statutes now in being againstPapists, have been found ineffectual, and rather tend to confirm, thanreclaim men from their errors, as calling a man coward, is a ready wayto make him fight; It is humbly proposed, I. That the said penal laws and statutes against Papists, except the lawof Gavelkind, and that which disqualifies them for places, be repealed, abrogated, annulled, destroyed, and obliterated, to all intents andpurposes. 

II. That, in the room of the said penal laws and statutes, allecclesiastical jurisdiction be taken from out of the hands of the clergyof the established Church, and the same be vested in the several popisharchbishops, bishops, deans and arch-deacons; nevertheless so as suchjurisdiction be exercised over persons of the Popish religion only. 

III. That a Popish priest shall be settled by law in each and everyparish in Ireland. 

IV. That the said Popish priest shall, on taking the oath of allegianceto his majesty, be entitled to a tenth part or tithe of all thingstithable in Ireland, belonging to the papists, within their respectiveparishes, yet so as such grant of tithes to such Popish priests, shallnot be construed, in law or equity, to hinder the Protestant clergymanof such parish from receiving and collecting his tithes in like manneras he does at present. 

V. That, in case of detention or subtraction of tithes by any Papist, the parish priest do have his remedy at law in any of his majesty'scourts, in the same manner as now practised by the clergy of theEstablished Church; together with all other ecclesiastical dues. And, for their further discovery to vex their people at law, it might not beamiss to oblige the solicitor-general, or some other able king'scounsel, to give his advice, or assistance to such priests gratis, forwhich he might receive a salary out of the Barrack Fund, MilitaryContingencies, or Concordatum; having observed the exceedings therebetter paid than of the army, or any other branch of the establishment;and I would have no delay in payment in a matter of this importance. 

VI. That the archbishops and bishops have power to visit the inferiorclergy, and to extort proxies, exhibits, and all other perquisites usualin Popish and Protestant countries. 

VII. That the convocation having been found, by long experience, to behurtful to true religion, be for ever hereafter abolished amongProtestants. 

VIII. That, in the room thereof, the Popish archbishops, bishops, priests, deans, arch-deacons, and proctors, have liberty to assemblethemselves in convocation, and be impowered to make such canons as theyshall think proper for the government of the Papists in Ireland:

IX. And that, the secular arm being necessary to enforce obedience toecclesiastical censure, the sheriffs, constables, and other officers, becommanded to execute the decrees and sentences of the said popishconvocation, with secrecy and dispatch, or, in lieu thereof, they may beat liberty to erect an inquisition, with proper officers of their own. 

X. That, as Papists declare themselves converts to the EstablishedChurch, all spiritual power over them shall cease. 

XI. That as soon as any whole parish shall renounce the Popish religion, the priest of such parish shall, for his good services, have a pensionof £200 per ann. Settled on him for life, and that he be from such timeexempt from preaching and praying, and other duties of his function, inlike manner as protestant divines, with equal incomes, are at present. 

XII. That each bishop, so soon as his diocese shall become protestants, be called, My Lord, and have a pension of two thousand pounds per annumduring life. 

XIII. That when a whole province shall be reclaimed, the archbishopshall be called His Grace, and have a pension of three thousand poundsper ann. During life, and be admitted a member of his majesty's mosthonourable privy council. 

The good consequences of this scheme, (which will execute itself withoutmurmurings against the government) are very visible: I shall mention afew of the most obvious. 

I. The giving the priest a right to the tithe would produce law-suitsand wrangles; his reverence, being entituled to a certain income at allevents, would consider himself as a legal incumbent, and behaveaccordingly, and apply himself more to fleecing than feeding his flock;his necessary attendance on the courts of justice would leave his peoplewithout a spiritual guide; by which means protestant curates, who haveno suits about tithes, would be furnished with proper opportunities formaking converts, which is very much wanted. 

II. The erecting a spiritual jurisdiction amongst them would, in allprobability, drive as many out of that communion, as a due execution ofsuch jurisdiction hath hitherto drove from amongst ourselves. 

III. An inquisition would still be a further improvement, and mostcertainly would expedite the conversion of Papists. 

I know it may be objected to this scheme, and with some shew of reason, that, should the Popish princes abroad pursue the same methods, withregard to their protestant subjects, the Protestant interest in Europewould thereby be considerably weakened: but as we have no reason tosuspect Popish counsels will ever produce so much moderation, I thinkthe objection ought to have but little weight. 

A due execution of this scheme will soon produce many converts fromPopery; nevertheless, to the end may it be known, when they shall be ofthe true Church, I have ordered a large parcel of ecclesiastical orChurch thermometers to be made, one of which is to be hung up in eachparish church, the description and use of which take as follows, in thewords of the ingenious Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq. 

The[1] Church thermometer, which I am now to treat of, is supposed havebeen invented in the reign of Henry the Eighth, about the time when thatreligious prince put some to death for owning the Pope's supremacy, andothers for denying transubstantiation. I do not find, however, any greatuse made of this instrument till it fell into the hand of a learned andvigilant priest or minister, (for he frequently wrote himself both theone and the other) who was some time Vicar of Bray. This gentleman livedin his vicarage to a good old age; and after having seen severalsuccessions of his neighbouring clergy either burnt or banished, departed this life with the satisfaction of having never deserted hisflock, and died Vicar of Bray. As this glass was first designed tocalculate the different degrees of heat in religion, as it raged inPopery, or as it cooled, and grew temperate in the Reformation, it wasmarked at several distances, after the manner our ordinary thermometeris to this day, viz. Extreme hot sultry hot, very hot, hot, warm, temperate, cold, just freezing, frost, hard frost, great frost, extremecold. 

[Footnote 1: In the "Tatler" this paragraph is preceded by thefollowing: "_From my own apartment, Sept. 4. _--Having received manyletters filled with compliments and acknowledgments for my late usefuldiscovery of the political barometer, I shall here communicate to thepublican account of my ecclesiastical thermometer, the latter giving asmanifest prognostications of the changes and revolutions in Church, asthe former does of those in State, and both of them being absolutelynecessary for every prudent subject who is resolved to keep what he has, and get what he can. " [T. S. ]]

It is well known, that Torricellius, [2] the inventor of the commonweather-glass, made the experiment of a long tube which held thirty-twofoot of water; and that a more modern virtuoso finding such a machinealtogether unwieldly and useless, and considering that thirty-two inchesof quicksilver weighed as much as so many foot of water in a tube of thesame circumference, invented that sizeable instrument which is now inuse. After this manner, that I might adapt the thermometer I am nowspeaking of to the present constitution of our Church, as divided intoHigh and Low, I have made some necessary variations both in the tube andthe fluid it contains. In the first place I ordered a tube to be cast ina planetary hour, and took care to seal it hermetically, when the sunwas in conjunction with Saturn. I then took the proper precautions aboutthe fluid, which is a compound of two different liquors; one of them aspirit drawn out of a strong heady wine; the other a particular sort ofrock-water, colder than ice, and clearer than crystal. The spirit is ofa red, fiery colour, and so very apt to ferment, that, unless it bemingled with a proportion of the water, or pent up very close, it willburst the vessel that holds it, and fly up in a fume and smoke. Thewater, on the contrary, is of such a subtile, piercing cold, that, unless it be mingled with a proportion of the spirits, it will sinkalmost through every thing it is put into, and seems to be of the samenature as the water mentioned by Quintus Curtius, which says thehistorian, could be contained in nothing but in the hoof, or (as theOxford Manuscript has it) the skull of an ass. The thermometer is markedaccording to the following figure, which I set down at length, not onlyto give my reader a clear idea of it, but also to fill up my paper. 

[Footnote 2: Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647) was assistant toGalileo, and is famous as the discoverer of the phenomena on which hemade the barometer. In 1644 he published "Opera Geometrica. " [T. S. ]]

 Ignorance. Persecution. Wrath. Zeal. CHURCH. Moderation. Lukewarmness. Infidelity. Ignorance. 

The reader will observe, that the Church is placed in the middle pointof the glass between Zeal and Moderation, the situation in which shealways flourishes, and in which every good Englishman wishes her, who isa friend to the constitution of his country. However, when it mounts toZeal, it is not amiss; and, when it sinks to Moderation, it is still inadmirable temper. The worst of it is, that when once it begins to rise, it has still an inclination to ascend, insomuch that it is apt to climbfrom Zeal to Wrath, and from Wrath to Persecution, which often ends inIgnorance, and very often proceeds from it. In the same manner itfrequently takes its progress through the lower half of the glass; and, when it has a tendency to fall, will gradually descend from Moderationto Lukewarmness, and from Lukewarmness to Infidelity, which very oftenterminates in Ignorance, and always proceeds from it. 

It is a common observation, that the ordinary thermometer will beaffected by the breathing of people who are in the room where it stands, and indeed it is almost incredible to conceive how the glass I am nowdescribing, will fall by the breath of the multitude crying Popery; or, on the contrary, how it will rise when the same multitude (as itsometimes happens) cry out in the same breath, _The Church is inDanger_. 

As soon as I have finished this my glass, and adjusted it to theabove-mentioned scale of religion, that I might make proper experimentswith it, I carried it under my cloak to several coffee-houses, and otherplaces of resort, about this great city. At Saint James's Coffee-housethe liquor stood at Moderation; but at Will's, to my extreme surprise, it subsided to the very lowest mark of the glass. At the Grecian itmounted but just one point higher; at the Rainbow it still ascended twodegrees; Child's fetched it up to Zeal, and other adjacent coffee-housesto Wrath. 

It fell in the lower half of the glass as I went further into the City, till at length it settled at Moderation, where it continued all the timeI stayed about the Change, as also whilst I passed by the Bank. And hereI cannot but take notice, that, through the whole course of my remarks, I never observed my glass to rise at the same time that the stocks did. 

To complete the experiment, I prevailed upon a friend of mine, who worksunder me in the occult sciences, to make a progress with my glassthrough the whole Island of Great Britain; and, after his return, topresent me with a register of his observations. I guessed beforehand atthe temper of several places he passed through, by the characters theyhave had time out of mind. Thus that facetious divine, Dr. Fuller, [3]speaking of the town of Banbury near a hundred years ago, tells us, itwas a place famous for cakes and zeal, which I find by my glass is trueto this day, as to the latter part of his description; though I mustconfess, it is not in the same reputation for cakes that it was in thetime of that learned author; and thus of other places. In short, I havenow by me, digested in an alphabetical order, all the counties, corporations, and boroughs in Great Britain, with their respectivetempers, as they stand related to my thermometer. But this I shall keepto myself, because I would by no means do any thing that may seem toinfluence any ensuing election. 

[Footnote 3: Thomas Fuller, D. D. (1608-1661) was the author of "Historyof the Worthies of England, " "History of the Holy War, " and many otherworks distinguished for their humour and style. [T. S. ]]

The point of doctrine which I would propagate by this my invention, isthe same which was long ago advanced by that able teacher Horace, out ofwhom I have taken my text for this discourse: We should be careful notto over-shoot ourselves in the pursuits even of virtue. Whether zeal ormoderation be the point we aim at, let us keep fire out of the one, andfrost out of the other. But, alas! the world is too wise to want such aprecaution. The terms High-Church and Low-Church, as commonly used, donot so much denote a principle, as they distinguish a party. They arelike words of battle, they have nothing to do with their originalsignification, but are only given out to keep a body of men together, and to let them know friends from enemies. 

I must confess I have considered, with some attention, the influencewhich the opinions of these great national sects have upon theirpractice; and do look upon it as one of the unaccountable things of ourtimes, that multitudes of honest gentlemen, who entirely agree in theirlives, should take it in their heads to differ in their religion. [4]

[Footnote 4: Here the "Tatler" paper ends. [T. S. ]]

I shall conclude this paper with an account of a conference whichhappened between a very excellent divine (whose doctrine was easy, andformerly much respected) and a lawyer. 

 * * * * *

And behold a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou?

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thyheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with allthy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 

And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shaltlive. 

But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is myneighbour?

And Jesus answering, said; A certain man went down from Jerusalem toJericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, andwounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 

And by chance there came down a certain priest that way; and, when hesaw him, he passed by on the other side. 

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and, whenhe saw him, he had compassion on him. 

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine; andset him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care ofhim. 

And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gavethem to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoeverthou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him thatfell among the thieves?

And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Luke x. 25 to 38. 

 * * * * *

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There is now in the press a proposal for raising a fund towards payingthe National Debt by the following means: The author would havecommissioners appointed to search all the public and private libraries, booksellers shops and warehouses, in this kingdom, for such books as areof no use to the owner, or to the public, viz. All comments on the HolyScriptures, whether called sermons, creeds, bodies of divinity, tomes ofcasuistry, vindications, confutations, essays, answers, replies, rejoinders, or sur-rejoinders, together with all other learned treatisesand books of divinity, of what denomination or class soever; as also allcomments on the laws of the land, such as reports, law-cases, decrees, guides for attorneys and young clerks, and, in fine, all the books nowin being in this kingdom (whether of divinity, law, physic, metaphysics, logics or politics) except the pure text of the Holy Scriptures, thenaked text of the laws, a few books of morality, poetry, music, architecture, agriculture, mathematics, merchandise and history; theauthor would have the aforesaid useless books carried to the severalpaper-mills, there to be wrought into white paper, which, to preventdamage or complaints, he would have performed by the commentators, critics, popular preachers, apothecaries, learned lawyers, attorneys, solicitors, logicians, physicians, almanac-makers, and others of thelike wrong turn of mind; the said paper to be sold, and the produceapplied to discharge the National Debt; what should remain of the saiddebt unsatisfied, might be paid by a tax on the salaries or estates ofbankers, common cheats, usurers, treasurers, embezzelers of publicmoney, general officers, sharpers, pensioners, pick-pockets, &c. 

APPENDIX III. 

SWIFT AND SERJEANT BETTESWORTH. 

The _rencontre_ with Serjeant Bettesworth, to which reference hasalready been made in the note prefixed to "The Presbyterians' Plea ofMerit, " is further illustrated by the Resolution which the inhabitantsof the Liberty of St. Patrick's passed, and which they presented to theDean. Bettesworth, as a note in the thirteenth volume of Swift's works(1762) states, "engaged his footman and two ruffians to attend him, inorder to secure the dean wherever they met him, until he had gratifiedhis resentment either by maiming or stabbing him. " Accordingly, he wentdirectly to the deanery, and hearing the Dean was at a friend's house(Rev. Mr. John Worrall's in Big Ship Street), followed him thither, charged him with writing the said verses, but had not courage enough toput his bloody design in execution. However, as he had the assurance torelate this affair to several noblemen and gentlemen, the inhabitants ofthe Liberty of St. Patrick's waited upon the Dean, and presented thefollowing paper, signed by above thirty of them, in the name ofthemselves, and the rest of their neighbourhood:

"We the inhabitants of the Liberty of the Dean and Chapter of StPatrick's Dublin, and the neighbourhood of the same, having beeninformed, by universal report, that a certain man of this city hathopenly threatened, and sworn before many hundred people, as well personsof quality as others, that he resolves upon the first opportunity, bythe help of several ruffians, to murder or maim the Reverend the Dean ofSt. Patrick, our neighbour, benefactor, and the head of the Liberty ofSt Patrick, upon a frivolous unproved suspicion of the said Dean'shaving written some lines in verse reflecting on the said man. 

"Therefore, we, the said inhabitants of the said Liberty, and in theneighbourhood thereof, from our great love and respect to the said Dean, to whom the whole kingdom hath so many obligations, as well as we of theLiberty, do unanimously declare, that we will endeavour to defend thelife and limbs of the said Dean against the said man, and all hisruffians and murderers, as far as the law will allow, if he or any ofthem presume to come into the said Liberty with any wicked maliciousintent against the house, or family, or person, or goods of the saidDean. To which we have cheerfully, sincerely, and heartily set ourhands. "

Swift, at the time of receiving this Resolution lay very ill in bed, andwas unable to receive the deputation in person. He, however, dictatedthe following reply:

"GENTLEMEN, "I receive, with great thankfulness, these many kind expressions of yourconcern for my safety, as well as your declared resolution to defend me(as far as the laws of God and man will allow) against all murderers andruffians, who shall attempt to enter into the liberty with any bloody orwicked designs upon my life, my limbs, my house, or my goods. Gentlemen, my life is in the hand of God, and whether it may be cut off bytreachery or open violence, or by the common way of other men; as longas it continueth, I shall ever bear a grateful memory for this favouryou have shewn, beyond my expectation, and almost exceeding my wishes. 

"The inhabitants of the liberty, as well as those of the neighbourhood, have lived with me in great amity for near twenty years; which I amconfident will never diminish during my life. I am chiefly sorry, thatby two cruel disorders of deafness and giddiness, which have pursued mefor four months, I am not in condition either to hear, or to receiveyou, much less to return my most sincere acknowledgements, which injustice and gratitude I ought to do. May God bless you and your familiesin this world, and make you for ever happy in the next. "

The poem itself to which Bettesworth took exception is herewithreprinted, as well as three others occasioned by the Bettesworth action. 

ON THE WORDS

BROTHER PROTESTANTS AND FELLOW CHRISTIANS, SO FAMILIARLY USED BY THE ADVOCATES FOR THE REPEAL OF THE TEST-ACT INIRELAND. 1733. 

 "An inundation, says the fable, Overflow'd a farmer's barn and stable; Whole ricks of hay and sacks of corn Were down the sudden current borne; While things of heterogeneous kind Together float with tide and wind. The generous wheat forgot its pride, And sail'd with litter side by side; Uniting all, to shew their amity, As in a general calamity. A ball of new-dropp'd horse's dung, Mingling with apples in the throng, Said to the pippin plump and prim, 'See brother, how we apples swim. ' Thus Lamb, renown'd for cutting corns, An offer'd fee from Radcliff scorns, 'Not for the world--we doctors, brother, Must take no fees of one another. ' Thus to a dean some curate sloven Subscribes, 'Dear sir, your brother loving. ' Thus all the footmen, shoeboys, porters, About St James's cry, 'We courtiers. ' Thus Horace in the house will prate, 'Sir, we, the ministers of state. ' Thus at the bar the booby Bettesworth, Though half a crown o'erpays his sweat's worth; Who knows in law nor text nor margent, Calls Singleton[1] his brother sergeant. [2] And thus fanatic saints, though neither in Doctrine nor discipline our brethren, Are brother Protestants and Christians, As much as Hebrews and Philistines: But in no other sense, than nature Has made a rat our fellow-creature. Lice from your body suck their food; But is a louse your flesh and blood? Though born of human filth and sweat, it As well may say man did beget it. And maggots in your nose and chin As well may claim you for their kin. Yet critics may object, why not? Since lice are brethren to a Scot: Which made our swarm of sects determine Employments for their brother vermin. But be they English, Irish, Scottish, What Protestant can be so sottish, While o'er the church these clouds are gathering, To call a swarm of lice his brethren? "As Moses, by divine advice, In Egypt turn'd the dust to lice; And as our sects, by all descriptions, Have hearts more harden'd than Egyptians; As from the trodden dust they spring, And, turn'd to lice, infest the king: For pity's sake, it would be just, A rod should turn them back to dust. Let folks in high or holy stations Be proud of owning such relations; Let courtiers hug them in their bosom, As if they were afraid to lose 'em: While I, with humble Job, had rather Say to corruption--'Thou 'rt my father. ' For he that has so little wit To nourish vermin, may be bit. "

[Footnote 1: Henry Singleton, Esq. , then prime sergeant, afterwardslord-chief-justice of the common pleas, which he resigned, and was sometime after made master of the rolls. [F. ]]

[Footnote 2: These lines occasioned the personal attack upon the Dean. [T. S. ]]

AN EPIGRAM. [1]

INSCRIBED TO THE HONOURABLE SERGEANT KITE. 

 "In your indignation what mercy appears. While Jonathan's threaten'd with loss of his ears; For who would not think it a much better choice, By your knife to be mangled than rack'd with your voice. If truly you [would] be revenged on the parson, Command his attendance while you act your farce on; Instead of your maiming, your shooting, or banging, Bid _Povey_[2] secure him while you are haranguing. Had this been your method to torture him, long since, He had cut his own ears to be deaf to your nonsense. "

[Footnote 1: Now first published from a copy in the Dean's handwriting;in possession of J. Connill, Esq. [S. ]]

[Footnote 2: Povey was sergeant-at-arms to the House of Commons. ]

 "THE YAHOO'S OVERTHROW; OR, THE KEVAN BAYL'S NEW BALLAD. "[3]

 UPON SERGEANT KITE'S INSULTING THE DEAN. 

 _To the Tune of "Derry Down. "_

 "Jolley boys of St Kevan's, [4] St Patrick's, Donore, And Smithfield, I'll tell you, if not told before, How Bettesworth, that booby, and scoundrel in grain, Has insulted us all by insulting the Dean. Knock him down, down, down, knock him down. 

[Footnote 3: "Grub Street Journal, " No. 189, August 9th, 1734. --"InDecember last, Mr. Bettesworth of the city of Dublin, serjeant-at-law, and member of parliament, openly swore, before many hundreds of people, that, upon the first opportunity, by the help of ruffians, he wouldmurder or maim the Dean of St. Patrick's, (Dr. Swift). Upon whichthirty-one of the principal inhabitants of that liberty signed a paperto this effect: 'That, out of their great love and respect to the Dean, to whom the whole kingdom hath so many obligations, they would endeavourto defend the life and limbs of the said Dean against a certain man andall his ruffians and murderers. ' With which paper they, in the name ofthemselves and all the inhabitants of the city, attended the Dean onJanuary 8, who being extremely ill in bed of a giddiness and deafness, and not able to receive them, immediately dictated a very gratefulanswer. The occasion of a certain man's declaration of his villainousdesign against the Dean, was a frivolous unproved suspicion that he hadwritten some lines in verse reflecting upon him. "]

[Footnote 4: Kevan Bayl was a cant expression for the mob of thisdistrict of Dublin. ]

 "The Dean and his merits we every one know, But this skip of a lawyer, where the de'il did he grow? How greater his merit at Four Courts or House, Than the barking of Towzer, or leap of a louse! Knock him down, &c. 

 "That he came from the Temple, his morals do show; But where his deep law is, few mortals yet know: His rhetoric, bombast, silly jests, are by far More like to lampooning, than pleading at bar. Knock him down, &c. 

 "This pedlar, at speaking and making of laws, Has met with returns of all sorts but applause; Has, with noise and odd gestures, been prating some years, What honester folk never durst for their ears. Knock him down, &c. 

 "Of all sizes and sorts, the fanatical crew Are his brother Protestants, good men and true; Red hat, and blue bonnet, and turban's the same, What the de'il is't to him whence the devil they came. Knock him down, &c. 

 "Hobbes, Tindal, and Woolston, and Collins, and Nayler, And Muggleton, Toland, and Bradley the tailor, Are Christians alike; and it may be averr'd, He's a Christian as good as the rest of the herd. Knock him down, &c. 

 "He only the rights of the clergy debates; Their rights! their importance! We'll set on new rates On their tithes at half-nothing, their priesthood at less; What's next to be voted with ease you may guess. Knock him down, &c. 

 "At length his old master, (I need not him name, ) To this damnable speaker had long owed a shame; When his speech came abroad, he paid him off clean, By leaving him under the pen of the Dean. Knock him down, &c. 

 "He kindled, as if the whole satire had been The oppression of virtue, not wages of sin: He began, as he bragg'd, with a rant and a roar; He bragg'd how he bounced, and he swore how he swore. [5] Knock him down, &c. 

[Footnote 5: See the Dean's letter to the Duke of Dorset, in which hegives an account of his interview with Bettesworth, about which healleges the serjeant had spread abroad five hundred falsehoods. [S. ]]

 "Though he cringed to his deanship in very low strains, To others he boasted of knocking out brains, And slitting of noses, and cropping of ears, While his own ass's zags were more fit for the shears. Knock him down, &c. 

 "On this worrier of deans whene'er we can hit, We'll shew him the way how to crop and to slit; We'll teach him some better address to afford To the dean of all deans, though he wears not a sword. Knock him down, &c. 

 "We'll colt him through Kevan, St Patrick's, Donore, And Smithfield, as rap was ne'er colted before; We'll oil him with kennel, and powder him with grains, A modus right fit for insulters of deans. Knock him down, &c. 

 "And, when this is over, we'll make him amends, To the Dean he shall go; they shall kiss and be friends: But how? Why, the Dean shall to him disclose A face for to kiss, without eyes, ears, or nose. Knock him down, &c. 

 "If you say this is hard on a man that is reckon'd That sergeant-at-law whom we call Kite the Second, You mistake; for a slave, who will coax his superiors, May be proud to be licking a great man's posteriors. Knock him down, &c. 

 "What care we how high runs his passion or pride? Though his soul he despises, he values his hide; Then fear not his tongue, or his sword, or his knife; He'll take his revenge on his innocent wife. Knock him down, down, down, keep him down. "

"ON THE ARCHBISHOP OF CASHEL, [1] AND BETTESWORTH. 

 "Dear Dick, pr'ythee tell by what passion you move? The world is in doubt whether hatred or love; And, while at good Cashel you rail with such spite, They shrewdly suspect it is all but a bite. You certainly know, though so loudly you vapour, His spite cannot wound who attempted the Drapier. Then, pr'ythee, reflect, take a word of advice; And, as your old wont is, change sides in a trice: On his virtues hold forth; 'tis the very best way; And say of the man what all honest men say. But if, still obdurate, your anger remains, If still your foul bosom more rancour contains, Say then more than they, nay, lavishly flatter; 'Tis your gross panegyrics alone can bespatter; For thine, my dear Dick, give me leave to speak plain, Like very foul mops, dirty more than they clean. "

[Footnote 1: Dr. Theophilus Bolton. [T. S. ]]

The letter to the Earl of Dorset, containing Swift's version of thestory is as follows:

"January, 1734. 

"MY LORD, "It has been my great misfortune that since your grace's return to thiskingdom I have not been able to attend you, as my duty and gratitude foryour favours as well as the honour of having been so many years known toyou obliged me to do. I have been pursued by two old disorders, agiddiness and deafness, which used to leave me in three or four weeks, but now have continued four months. Thus I am put under a necessity towrite what I would rather have chosen to say in your grace's presence. 

"On Monday last week towards evening there came to the deanery one Mr. Bettesworth; who, being told by the servants that I was gone to afriend's house, [1] went thither to inquire for me, and was admitted intothe street parlour. I left my company in the back room and went to him. He began with asking me 'whether I were the author of certain verseswherein he was reflected on. ' The singularity of the man, in hiscountenance, manner, action, style, and tone of voice, made me call tomind that I had once seen him about two or three years ago at Mr. Ludlow's country-house. But I could not recollect his name; and of whatcalling he might be I had never heard. I therefore desired to know whoand what he was; said 'I had heard of some such verses, but knew nomore. ' He then signified to me 'that he was a serjeant-at-law and amember of parliament. ' After which he repeated the lines that concernedhim with great emphasis; said 'I was mistaken in one thing, for heassured me he was no booby, but owned himself to be a coxcomb. ' However, that being a point of controversy wherein I had no concern, I let itdrop. As to the verses, he insisted, 'that by his taste and skill inpoetry he was as sure I wrote them as if he had seen them fall from mypen. ' But I found the chief weight of his argument lay upon two wordsthat rhymed to his name, which he knew could come from none but me. Hethen told me 'that, since I would not own the verses, and that since hecould not get satisfaction by any course of law, he would get it by hispen, and show the world what a man I was. ' When he began to growover-warm and eloquent I called in the gentleman of the house from theroom adjoining; and the serjeant, going on with less turbulence, wentaway. He had a footman in the hall during all his talk, who was to haveopened the door for one or more fellows, as he has since reported; andlikewise that he had a sharp knife in his pocket, ready to stab or maimme. But the master and mistress of the house, who knew his character andcould hear every word from the room they were in, had prepared asufficient defence in such a case, as they afterward told me. He hassince related to five hundred persons of all ranks about five hundredfalsehoods of this conversation, of my fears and his own brutalities, against all probability as well as fact; and some of them, as I havebeen assured, even in the presence of your grace. His meanings and hismovements were indeed peevish enough, but his words were not. Hethreatened me with nothing but his pen, yet owned he had no pretence towit. And indeed I am heartily glad for his own sake that he proceeded nofarther, for the least uproar would have called his nearest neighboursfirst to my assistance, and next to the manifest danger of his life; andI would not willingly have even a dog killed upon my account. Ever sincehe has amused himself with declaring in all companies, especially beforebishops and lords and members of parliament, his resolutions forvengeance and the several manners by which he will put it in execution. 

[Footnote 1: The Rev. Mr. Worrall's. [T. S. ]]

"It is only to the advice of some judicious friends that your grace owesthe trouble of this letter; for though I may be dispirited enough bysickness and years, yet I have little reason to apprehend any dangerfrom that man; and those who seem to have most regard for my safety areno more apprehensive than myself, especially such as best know hischaracter; for his very enemies and even his ridiculers, who are of thetwo by far the greater number, allow him to be a peaceable man in allthings except his words, his rhetorical actions, his looks, and hishatred to the clergy; which however are all known by abundance ofexperience to be perfectly harmless, and particularly as to the clergy. I do not doubt but, if he will be so good to continue steadfast in hisprinciples and practices, he may at proper junctures contribute verymuch to the honour and interests of that reverend body, as well asemploy and improve the wit of many young gentlemen in the city, theuniversity, and the rest of the kingdom. 

"What I have said to your grace is only meant as a poor endeavour topreserve myself in your good opinion and in the continuance of yourfavour. I am, with the highest respect, etc. "

"JONATHAN SWIFT. "

 APPENDIX IV. 

 A TRUE AND FAITHFUL NARRATIVE OF WHAT PASSED IN LONDON, DURING THE GENERAL CONSTERNATION OF ALL RANKS AND DEGREES OF MANKIND;

 ON TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, AND FRIDAY LAST. 

NOTE. 

WILLIAM WHISTON (1667-1752), born at Norton, Leicestershire, waseducated at Tamworth School and Clare College, Cambridge. He resignedthe living at Lowestoft, presented to him by his patron and friend, Bishop Moore, of Norwich, on accepting the Professorship of Mathematics, vacated by Sir Isaac Newton. He was a profound scholar andmathematician, but obtained a somewhat harassing fame by his propagationof Arianism. Indeed, his public lectures and sermons, as well as hispublications vindicating his attitude, forced the authorities to deprivehim of his lectureship, and expel him from the university. In 1717Whiston founded a Society for Promoting Primitive Christianity, and itsmeetings were held at his house in Cross Street, Hatton Garden. But thesociety lived only for two years. In that curious medley, "Memoirs ofthe Life of Mr. William Whiston, by himself, " we are told that he had amodel made of the original Tabernacle of Moses from his own plans, andtoured the country giving lectures on the coming of the Messiah, therestoration of the Jews to their own country, and the rebuilding of theTemple according to the model. The Millennium he foretold would commencein 1766. 

He wrote a prodigious number of tracts, pamphlets, commentaries, andbiblical expositions in support of his particular view of Christianity;but the works for which he is now remembered are his astronomical andmechanical papers and his well-known translation of Josephus's "Historyof the Jews. "

The pamphlet which follows is written in ridicule of Whiston's propheticpronouncements. Scott ascribes its authorship to Swift; but the"Miscellanies" of 1747 and Hawkesworth in the edition of 1766 of Swift'sWorks place it in the list of "Contents, " with other pieces, under theheading, "By Mr. Pope and Mr. Gay. "

The present text is practically that given by Scott, which is based onthat in the third edition of the "Miscellanies" of 1732. 

[T. S. ]

 A TRUE AND FAITHFUL NARRATIVE

 OF

 _What passed in_ London, _during the General Consternation of all Ranks and Degrees of Mankind_;

 ON TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, _and_ FRIDAY _last_. 

On Tuesday the 13th of October, Mr. Whiston held his lecture, near theRoyal Exchange, to an audience of fourteen worthy citizens, hissubscribers and constant hearers. Besides these, there were five chanceauditors for that night only, who had paid their shillings a-piece. Ithink myself obliged to be very particular in this relation, lest myveracity should be suspected; which makes me appeal to the men who werepresent; of which number I myself was one. Their names are, Henry Watson, _Haberdasher_. George Hancock, _Druggist_. John Lewis, _Dry-Salter. _ William Jones, _Corn-Chandler. _ Henry Theobald, _Watchmaker_. James Peters, _Draper_. Thomas Floyer, _Silver-Smith. _ John Wells, _Brewer_. Samuel Greg, _Soap-Boiler_. William Cooley, _Fish-monger_. James Harper, _Hosier_. Robert Tucker, _Stationer_. George Ford, _Iron-monger_. Daniel Lynch, _Apothecary_. 

 William Bennet, } David Somers, } Charles Lock, } _Apprentices_. Leonard Daval, } Henry Croft, }

Mr. Whiston began by acquainting us, that (contrary to his advertisement)he thought himself in duty and conscience obliged to change the subjectmatter of his intended discourse. Here he paused, and seemed, for ashort space, as it were, lost in devotion and mental prayer; afterwhich, with great earnestness and vehemence, he spake as follows:

"Friends and fellow-citizens, all speculative science is at an end: theperiod of all things is at hand; on Friday next this world shall be nomore. Put not your confidence in me, brethren; for to-morrow morning, five minutes after five, the truth will be evident; in that instant thecomet shall appear, of which I have heretofore warned you. As ye haveheard, believe. Go hence, and prepare your wives, your families, andfriends, for the universal change. "

At this solemn and dreadful prediction, the whole society appeared inthe utmost astonishment: but it would be unjust not to remember, that Mr. Whiston himself was in so calm a temper, as to return a shilling a-pieceto the youths, who had been disappointed of their lecture, which Ithought, from a man of his integrity, a convincing proof of his ownfaith in the prediction. 

As we thought it a duty in charity to warn all men, in two or threehours the news had spread through the city. At first, indeed, our reportmet with but little credit; it being, by our greatest dealers in stocks, thought only a court artifice to sink them, that some choice favouritesmight purchase at a lower rate; for the South Sea, that very evening, fell five _per cent. _, the India, eleven, and all the other funds inproportion. But, at the Court end of the town, our attestations wereentirely disbelieved, or turned into ridicule; yet nevertheless the newsspread everywhere, and was the subject matter of all conversation. 

That very night, (as I was credibly informed) Mr. Whiston was sent for toa great lady, who is very curious in the learned sciences, and addictedto all the speculative doubts of the most able philosophers; but he wasnot now to be found; and since, at other times, he has been known not todecline that honour, I make no doubt he concealed himself to attend thegreat business of his soul: but whether it was the lady's faith, orinquisitiveness, that occasioned her to send, is a point I shall notpresume to determine. As for his being sent for to the secretary'soffice by a messenger, it is now known to be a matter notoriously false, and indeed at first it had little credit with me, that so zealous andhonest a man should be ordered into custody, as a seditious preacher, who is known to be so well-affected to the present happy establishment. 

'Twas now I reflected, with exceeding trouble and sorrow, that I haddisused family prayers for above five years, and (though it has been acustom of late entirely neglected by men of any business or station) Idetermined within myself no longer to omit so reasonable and religious aduty. I acquainted my wife with my intentions: But two or threeneighbours having been engaged to sup with us that night, and many hoursbeing unwarily spent at cards, I was prevailed upon by her to put it offtill the next day; she reasoning, that it would be time enough to takeoff the servants from their business (which this practice mustinfallibly occasion for an hour or two every day) after the comet hadmade its appearance. 

Zachery Bowen, a Quaker, and my next neighbour, had no sooner heard ofthe prophecy, but he made me a visit. I informed him of everything I hadheard, but found him quite obstinate in his unbelief; for, said he, becomforted, friend, thy tidings are impossibilities; for, were thesethings to happen, they must have been foreseen by some of our brethren. This indeed (as in all other spiritual cases with this set of people)was his only reason against believing me; and, as he was fully persuadedthat the prediction was erroneous, he in a very neighbourly manneradmonished me against selling my stock at the present low price, which, he said, beyond dispute, must have a rise before Monday, when thisunreasonable consternation should be over. 

But on Wednesday morning (I believe to the exact calculation of Mr. Whiston) the comet appeared; for, at three minutes after five by my ownwatch, I saw it. He indeed foretold, that it would be seen at fiveminutes after five; but, as the best watches may be a minute or two tooslow, I am apt to think his calculation just to a minute. 

In less than a quarter of an hour, all Cheapside was crowded with a vastconcourse of people, and notwithstanding it was so early, it is thoughtthat, through all that part of the town, there was not man, woman, orchild, except the sick or infirm, left in their beds. From my ownbalcony, I am confident, I saw several thousands in the street, andcounted at least seventeen, who were upon their knees, and seemed inactual devotion. Eleven of them, indeed, appeared to be old women ofabout fourscore; the six others were men in advanced life, but (as Icould guess) two of them might be under seventy. 

It is highly probable, that an event of this nature may be passed overby the greater historians of our times, as conducing very little ornothing to the unravelling and laying open the deep schemes ofpoliticians, and mysteries of state; for which reason, I thought itmight not be unacceptable to record the facts, which, in the space ofthree days, came to my knowledge, either as an eye-witness, or fromunquestionable authorities; nor can I think this narrative will beentirely without its use, as it may enable us to form a more just ideaof our countrymen in general, particularly in regard to their faith, religion, morals, and politics. 

Before Wednesday noon, the belief was universal, that the day ofjudgment was at hand, insomuch, that a waterman of my acquaintance toldme, he counted no less than one hundred and twenty-three clergymen, whohad been ferried over to Lambeth before twelve o'clock: these, it issaid, went thither to petition, that a short prayer might be penned, andordered, there being none in the service upon that occasion. But, as inthings of this nature, it is necessary that the council be consulted, their request was not immediately complied with; and this I affirm to bethe true and only reason, that the churches were not that morning sowell attended, and is in noways to be imputed to the fears andconsternation of the clergy, with which the freethinkers have since veryunjustly reproached them. 

My wife and I went to church, (where we had not been for many years on aweek-day, ) and, with a very large congregation, were disappointed of theservice. But (what will be scarce credible) by the carelessness of a'prentice, in our absence, we had a piece of fine cambric carried off bya shop-lifter: so little impression was yet made on the minds of thosewicked women!

I cannot omit the care of a particular director of the Bank; I hope theworthy and wealthy knight will forgive me, that I endeavour to do himjustice; for it was unquestionably owing to Sir Gilbert Heathcote's[1]sagacity, that all the fire-offices were required to have a particulareye upon the Bank of England. Let it be recorded to his praise, that inthe general hurry, this struck him as his nearest and tenderest concern;but the next day in the evening, after having taken due care of all hisbooks, bills, and bonds, I was informed, his mind was wholly turned uponspiritual matters; yet, ever and anon, he could not help expressing hisresentment against the Tories and Jacobites, to whom he imputed thatsudden run upon the Bank, which happened on this occasion. 

[Footnote 1: Sir Gilbert Heathcote had before signalized his care forthe Bank when in equal danger, by petitioning against the Lord-TreasurerGodolphin's being removed, as a measure that would destroy the publiccredit. [H. ]]

A great man (whom at this time it may not be prudent to name) employedall the Wednesday morning to make up such an account, as might appearfair, in case he should be called upon to produce it on the Friday; butwas forced to desist, after having for several hours together attemptedit, not being able to bring himself to a resolution to trust the manyhundred articles of his secret transactions upon paper. 

Another seemed to be very melancholy, which his flatterers imputed tohis dread of losing his power in a day or two; but I rather take it, that his chief concern was the terror of being tried in a court, thatcould not be influenced, and where a majority of voices could avail himnothing. It was observed, too, that he had but few visitors that day. 

This added so much to his mortification, that he read through the firstchapter of the book of Job, and wept over it bitterly; in short, heseemed a true penitent in everything but in charity to his neighbour. Nobusiness was that day done in his counting-house. It is said too, thathe was advised to restitution, but I never heard that he complied withit, any farther than in giving half-a-crown a-piece to several crazedand starving creditors, who attended in the outward room. 

Three of the maids of honour sent to countermand their birth-dayclothes; two of them burnt all their collections of novels and romances, and sent to a bookseller's in Pall-Mall to buy each of them a Bible, andTaylor's "Holy Living and Dying. " But I must do all of them the justiceto acknowledge, that they shewed a very decent behaviour in thedrawing-room, and restrained themselves from those innocent freedoms, and little levities, so commonly incident to young ladies of theirprofession. So many birth-day suits were countermanded the next day, that most of the tailors and mantua makers discharged all theirjourneymen and women. A grave elderly lady of great erudition andmodesty, who visits these young ladies, seemed to be extremely shockedby the apprehensions, that she was to appear naked before the wholeworld; and no less so, that all mankind was to appear naked before her;which might so much divert her thoughts, as to incapacitate her to giveready and apt answers to the interrogatories that might be made her. Themaids of honour, who had both modesty and curiosity, could not imaginethe sight so disagreeable as was represented; nay, one of them went sofar as to say, she perfectly longed to see it; for it could not be soindecent, when everybody was to be alike; and they had a day or two toprepare themselves to be seen in that condition. Upon this reflection, each of them ordered a bathing-tub to be got ready that evening, and alooking-glass to be set by it. So much are these young ladies, both bynature and custom, addicted to cleanly appearance. 

A west-country gentleman told me, he got a church-lease filled up thatmorning for the same sum which had been refused for three yearssuccessively. I must impute this merely to accident: for I cannotimagine that any divine could take the advantage of his tenant in sounhandsome a manner, or that the shortness of the life was in the leasthis consideration; though I have heard the same worthy prelate aspersedand maligned since, upon this very account. 

The term being so near, the alarm among the lawyers was inexpressible, though some of them, I was told, were so vain as to promise themselvessome advantage in making their defence, by being versed in the practiceof our earthly courts. It is said, too, that some of the chief pleaderswere heard to express great satisfaction, that there had been but fewstate trials of late years. Several attorneys demanded the return offees that had been given the lawyers; but it was answered, the fee wasundoubtedly charged to their client, and that they could not connive atsuch injustice, as to suffer it to be sunk in the attorneys' pockets. Our sage and learned judges had great consolation, insomuch as they hadnot pleaded at the bar for several years; the barristers rejoiced inthat they were not attorneys, and the attorneys felt no lesssatisfaction, that they were not pettifoggers, scriveners, and othermeaner officers of the law. 

As to the army, far be it from me to conceal the truth. Every soldier'sbehaviour was as undismayed, and undaunted, as if nothing was to happen;I impute not this to their want of faith, but to their martialdisposition; though I cannot help thinking they commonly accompany theircommands with more oaths than are requisite, of which there was noremarkable diminution this morning on the parade in St James's Park. Butpossibly it was by choice, and on consideration, that they continuedthis way of expression, not to intimidate the common soldiers, or giveoccasion to suspect, that even the fear of damnation could make anyimpression upon their superior officers. A duel was fought the samemorning between two colonels, not occasioned (as was reported) becausethe one was put over the other's head; that being a point, which might, at such a juncture, have been accommodated by the mediation of friends;but as this was upon the account of a lady, it was judged it could notbe put off at this time, above all others, but demanded immediatesatisfaction. I am apt to believe, that a young officer, who desired hissurgeon to defer putting him into a salivation till Saturday, might makethis request out of some opinion he had of the truth of the prophecy;for the apprehensions of any danger in the operation could not be hismotive, the surgeon himself having assured me, that he had beforeundergone three severe operations of the like nature with greatresignation and fortitude. 

There was an order issued, that the chaplains of the several regimentsshould attend their duty; but as they were dispersed about in severalparts of England, it was believed, that most of them could not be found, or so much as heard of, till the great day was over. 

Most of the considerable physicians, by their outward demeanour, seemedto be unbelievers; but at the same time, they everywhere insinuated, that there might be a pestilential malignancy in the air, occasioned bythe comet, which might be armed against by proper and timely medicines. This caution had but little effect; for as the time approached, theChristian resignation of the people increased, and most of them (whichwas never before known) had their souls more at heart than their bodies. 

If the reverend clergy shewed more concern than others, I charitablyimpute it to their great charge of souls; and what confirmed me in thisopinion was, that the degrees of apprehension and terror could bedistinguished to be greater or less, according to their ranks anddegrees in the church. 

The like might be observed in all sorts of ministers, though not of theChurch of England; the higher their rank, the more was their fear. 

I speak not of the Court for fear of offence; and I forbear insertingthe names of particular persons, to avoid the imputation of slander; sothat the reader will allow the narrative must be deficient, and istherefore desired to accept hereof rather as a sketch, than a regularcircumstantial history. 

I was not informed of any persons, who shewed the least joy; exceptthree malefactors, who were to be executed on the Monday following, andone old man, a constant church-goer, who being at the point of death, expressed some satisfaction at the news. 

On Thursday morning there was little or nothing transacted in'Change-alley; there were a multitude of sellers, but so few buyers, that one cannot affirm the stocks bore any certain price except amongthe Jews; who this day reaped great profit by their infidelity. Therewere many who called themselves Christians, who offered to buy for time;but as these were people of great distinction, I choose not to mentionthem, because in effect it would seem to accuse them both of avarice andinfidelity. 

The run upon the Bank is too well known to need a particular relation:for it never can be forgotten, that no one person whatever (except thedirectors themselves, and some of their particular friends andassociates) could convert a bill all that day into specie; all handsbeing employed to serve them. 

In the several churches of the city and suburbs, there were seventhousand two hundred and forty-five, who publicly and solemnly declaredbefore the congregation, that they took to wife their severalkept-mistresses, which was allowed as valid marriage, the priest nothaving time to pronounce the ceremony in form. 

At St Bride's church in Fleet-street, Mr. Woolston, [2] (who writ againstthe miracles of our Saviour, ) in the utmost terrors of conscience, madea public recantation. Dr. Mandeville[3] (who had been groundlesslyreported formerly to have done the same, ) did it now in good earnest atSt James's gate; as did also at the Temple Church several gentlemen, whofrequent coffeehouses near the bar. So great was the faith and fear oftwo of them, that they dropped dead on the spot; but I will not recordtheir names, lest I should be thought invidiously to lay an odium ontheir families and posterity. 

[Footnote 2: Thomas Woolston (1669-1733), a deistical writer, born atNorthampton; became a Fellow of Sidney College, Cambridge. For his work, "Six Discourses on the Miracles of Christ, " he was sentenced toimprisonment for one year and fined one hundred pounds. [T. S. ]]

[Footnote 3: Bernard de Mandeville, M. D. , author of the "Fable of theBees, " a deistical work, the scope of which was to prove, that privatevices are public benefits. The work was attacked by Bishop Berkeley inhis "Alciphron. " De Mandeville was born in Holland about 1670, but cameover to England and settled there about the middle of the eighteenthcentury. He also wrote "The Virgin Unmasked, " "The Grumbling Hive, " and"Free Thoughts on Religion. " He died in 1733. [T. S. ]]

Most of the players, who had very little faith before, were now desirousof having as much as they could, and therefore embraced the RomanCatholic religion: the same thing was observed of some bawds, and ladiesof pleasure. 

An Irish gentleman out of pure friendship came to make me a visit, andadvised me to hire a boat for the ensuing day, and told me, that unlessI gave earnest for one immediately, he feared it might be too late; forhis countrymen had secured almost every boat upon the river, as judging, that, in the general conflagration, to be upon the water would be thesafest place. 

There were two lords, and three commoners, who, out of scruple ofconscience, very hastily threw up their pensions, as imagining a pensionwas only an annual retaining bribe. All the other great pensioners, Iwas told, had their scruples quieted by a clergyman or two ofdistinction, whom they happily consulted. 

It was remarkable, that several of our very richest tradesmen of thecity, in common charity, gave away shillings and sixpences to thebeggars who plied about the church doors; and at a particular church inthe city, a wealthy church-warden with his own hands distributed fiftytwelve-penny loaves to the poor, by way of restitution for the manygreat and costly feasts, which he had eaten of at their expense. 

Three great ladies, a valet-de-chambre, two lords, acustomhouse-officer, five half-pay captains, and a baronet, (all notedgamesters, ) came publicly into a church at Westminster, and deposited avery considerable sum of money in the minister's hands; the parties, whom they had defrauded, being either out of town, or not to be found. But so great is the hardness of heart of this fraternity, that amongeither the noble or vulgar gamesters, (though the profession is sogeneral, ) I did not hear of any other restitution of this sort. At thesame time I must observe, that (in comparison of these) through allparts of the town, the justice and penitence of the highwaymen, housebreakers, and common pickpockets, was very remarkable. 

The directors of our public companies were in such dreadfulapprehensions, that one would have thought a parliamentary inquiry wasat hand; yet so great was their presence of mind, that all the Thursdaymorning was taken up in private transfers, which by malicious people wasthought to be done with design to conceal their effects. 

I forbear mentioning the private confessions of particular ladies totheir husbands; for as their children were born in wedlock, and ofconsequence are legitimate, it would be an invidious task to record themas bastards; and particularly after their several husbands have socharitably forgiven them. 

The evening and night through the whole town were spent in devotionsboth public and private; the churches for this one day were so crowdedby the nobility and gentry, that thousands of common people were seenpraying in the public streets. In short, one would have thought thewhole town had been really and seriously religious. But what was veryremarkable, all the different persuasions kept by themselves, for aseach thought the other would be damned, not one would join in prayerwith the other. 

At length Friday came, and the people covered all the streets;expecting, watching, and praying. But as the day wore away, their fearsfirst began to abate, then lessened every hour, at night they werealmost extinct, till the total darkness, that hitherto used to terrify, now comforted every freethinker and atheist. Great numbers went togetherto the taverns, bespoke suppers, and broke up whole hogsheads for joy. The subject of all wit and conversation was to ridicule the prophecy, and rally each other. All the quality and gentry were perfectly ashamed, nay, some utterly disowned that they had manifested any signs ofreligion. 

But the next day even the common people, as well as their betters, appeared in their usual state of indifference. They drank, they whored, they swore, they lied, they cheated, they quarrelled, they murdered. Inshort, the world went on in the old channel. 

I need not give any instances of what will so easily be credited; but Icannot omit relating, that Mr. Woolston advertised in that verySaturday's Evening Post, a new Treatise against the Miracles of ourSaviour; and that the few who had given up their pensions the daybefore, solicited to have them continued: which as they had not beenthrown up upon any ministerial point, I am informed was readily granted. 

 INDEX. 

 Abjuration oath. Accusation, false, a means for injuring a community. Action, motives for, often interested. Administration and Legislature. Agriculture, encouraged by the clergy. Alberoni, Cardinal. Ale-houses, should be closed at midnight. Alsatia. Ammianus Marcellinus. Anabaptists. Anne, Queen, her good qualities, "Bounty" of. Arber, Mr. Edward. Arians. Arius. Army, English, its bad discipline. Aristotle, his dictum about happiness and wisdom. Asgill, John, biographical sketch of. Athanasian creed. Atheism, not worse than superstition or enthusiasm, rise of, due to the Rebellion and murder of King Charles I. Atheist, a perfect, is a perfectly moral man. Atheology. Atterbury, Bishop. Austin. 

 Bacon, Lord. Basilovitz, John. Baumgarten's "Travels". Beggars, often intercept charity intended for the poor, distinct from the poor, in Ireland, methods for dealing with them, should wear badges. Belief, want of, a defect. Benefices, value of dividing them. Berkeley, Earl of, his letter to Swift. Berkeley, Lady, Swift's character of. Bettesworth, Sergeant, his rencontre with Swift, Dr. Dunkin on, and Dr. Theophilus Bolton. Bible, the, difficult to understand. Biblical terminology. Bill for a Modus, its hardships on the clergy. Bill of Division, its injustice. Bill of Residence, its injustice. Bindon, F. , portrait of Swift. Bishoprics, value of, manner of filling Irish, necessity for increasing their revenues. Bishops, their tyranny, their power derived from the people comparison between English and French, Swift's description of the Irish, arguments against their power to let leases, their action at the Reformation, reduction of their revenues, evil of giving them power to let leases for lives, their power over church lands, two kinds lately promoted. Blasphemy, "breaking" for. Bolingbroke, Lord. Bolton, Dr. Theophilus, Archbishop of Cashel, and Bettesworth. Bouffiers, Mons. "Bounty, " Queen Anne's, Charles the Second's. Bowen, Zachery. Boyce, S. Boyle, Dean. Boyse, J. Brodrick, Allen. Brown, Rev. Mr. Budgell, Eustace, his appropriation of Tindal's effects. Bull, Dr. George. Burke, Edmund, on Swift's sermon on "Doing Good. " Burnet, Bishop of Salisbury, on occasional conformity, Swift's satire on, Dartmouth on, biographical sketch of, "History of the Reformation, " "Vindication of the Church and State of Scotland, " his criticisms on the Tories, Swift's rejoinder, his argument against Popery, Swift's rejoinder, his opinion of the clergy, reference to the Tory clergy, Swift's criticism on his methods, Swift's criticism on his style, on Presbyterians, the oracle of the hypocritical zealots. Business, corruptions in. 

 Campegi, Cardinal. Carr, Charles, Bishop of Killaloe. Catholic Church, the necessity for a head. Catholics, Roman, their persecutions of Protestants, their favour with King James II. , reasons for repeals of Test Act in their favour, first conquerors of Ireland, their rebellions were purely defensive measures, always defenders of the monarch, are true Whigs, their loyalty to the Hanoverian House, have as fair a title to be called Protestants as Dissenters, the bulk of them loyal to King Charles I. , lost their estates in Ireland for fighting for the king, merits of, and Dissenters, contrasted, arguments for repeal of Test Act affecting the equally with Dissenters, the heavy accusation they lie under, Catholicism and Protestantism, differences between. Catholicism, Roman, its condition in England. Cato, the wisest Roman, a stoic by manners not by conviction. Censor, the office of, suggestion for its establishment in England. Charity, the outcome of self-knowledge. Charles I. , Act of, concerning the bishops and the church lands, his trial, sermon on the martyrdom of, his ill-treatment by the Puritans ingratitude to him by the House of Commons history of the events which led to his death Charles the Second's Bounty Cheerfulness, a blessing of the poor Chesterfield, Earl of Children, a blessing and assistance to the poor Chinuchii, Cardinal de Chocolate Houses Christianity, Real or Primitive, inconveniences attending its abolition advantages proposed by its abolition has no share in the opposition to sectaries abolition of, would mean loss of occupation to freethinkers no necessity for extirpating it evils attending its abolition its organization its truth denied by freethinking usefulness of preaching on its mysteries early its want of truth a source of joy to the wicked suffered by being blended with Gentile philosophy Church and Dissent, their mutual attitudes Church, sleeping in, sermon on Church, the, not answerable for the depravity of human nature its total exclusion of Dissent from its emoluments the necessity for it being a corporation duty to, of the members of condition of, in Ireland Church of Christianity, its inconsistencies Church of England Man, his religious attitude his attitude to the various forms and ceremonies his toleration for worship his passion for the Church his abhorrence of flinging scandals upon the clergy his opinion that publications against religion should not be unlimited his sentiments with respect to government his idea of the freedom of a nation he is not bound to opinions of either party independent of the civil power Churches, necessity for their increase their destruction due to the Rebellion Church lands, reasons for the rise in the value of bad effects if sold to the laity Church of Ireland, the National Church Church revenues, expedients for increasing Church thermometer Cicero Clarendon, Edward Hyde, Earl of, "History of the Great Rebellion" Clendon, John Clergy, the, their ignorance and servility mistaken in not mixing more with the laity care to be taken by them because of the distinct habit they wear better if they appeared dressed like ordinary men unreasonableness of the charge of their persecuting spirit their antagonism to Dissent springs from a worthy motive have they any power independent of the civil their relation to Divine Right their love of power not a peculiar characteristic their claim to judicial power the allegation that it is their interest to corrupt religion, combated excellent as a body what they pretend to their power in choosing bishops Burnet's opinion of the the Tory, Burnet's reference to presumption on their part to teach matters of speculation the bill for their residence English _versus_ Irish English, their poverty concerning the hatred against not popular in Christian countries their writings against popery consequences to them of the repeal of the Test Act their attitude to the Test Act Clergy, Irish, James I. 's dealings with condition of their maintenance precarious their resort to flattery for preferment plan for a parliamentary taxation of their impoverished state want in them of concerted action attitude of landlords to their right to self-taxation, their interests allied with the interests of the country Clergyman, Swift's position as a Young, letter to Clergymen, handicapped by small means the fates of Climate, its influence on Government Cokayne, Sir Thomas Collins, Anthony biographical sketch of Swift's attitude to his "Discourse of Freethinking" put into plain English by Swift Collins, J. Churton, his opinion of Swift's motive in writing the "Project" his opinion on Steele and "The Guardian" on Swift's criticism of Burnet Commissioners, Itinerary, for inspection of official conduct Common-place books, use of Commons, Irish House of, its alacrity in supporting the king against the Pretender Commonwealth, our duty to corruptions in Community, influence of private people on injured by false accusations injured by false rumours Commutation, its purpose Compton, Dr. Henry, Bishop of London Concordate of the Gallican church Connill, J. Conscience, liberty of defined, testimony of, sermon on its definition our director and guide its limitations no higher than knowledge liberty of a due regard to its dictates conducive to general happiness well founded, if guided by religion moral honesty in place of a good guide to motives fear and hope the offsprings of directs us to the love of God the laws appeal to Constantine the Great Constitution, English, a growth Contentment, the poor man's, sermon on Conversation Convocation, Lower House of Convocation, should be abolished among Protestants "Correspondent, The" Corruption, in all departments of trading Cotton, Sir John Court Party Coward, William, biographical sketch of Coyne, Nicholas Craik, Sir Henry, his opinion on Swift's tract on Collins Cranmer, Archbishop Creation, scripture system of Creech, Thomas Cromwell, Oliver, his notion of liberty of conscience Cromwell, Richard Cromwell, Thomas

 Dartmouth, Lord, his opinion of Burnet Deanery, income necessary for a Death, its evil an impossibility Debt, National, proposal for a fund for Deceit, its practice detrimental to the well-being of a community De Foe, D. Demosthenes Deposition, can a king of England be deposed? Devil, the, his power Diogenes, his saying, "that a poor old man was the most miserable thing in life" his opinion of Socrates Discretion Disobedience, breeds sedition in a state Dissenters, their natural union with Whigs their attitude to the Bills of Residence and Division their enjoyment of toleration Swift's attitude to his description of them in "A Tale of a Tub" tracts written by Swift against them their expedient addresses of loyalty representation of the House of Lords against address of, against their representation their encouragement to refuse the oath of abjuration the disadvantages they lie under will be remedied by the repeal of the Test Act allied to the Puritans Divine Right, the clergy's relation to Dolben, Bishop of Rochester Dorset, Earl of, Swift's letter to Doubts, not answerable for Downing, Sir George Drogheda, persecution at siege of Dudley and Empson Dunkin, Dr. William, on Serjeant Bettesworth his copy of Dr. Gibbs's "Paraphrase of the Psalms" Dunkirk Duns Scotus Dunton, John Dutch, the, their recognition of liberty of conscience in religious matters their Commonwealth though they have liberty of conscience they yet enforce tests for office Duties, of each to the other in a state

 Ecclesiastical jurisdiction, should be vested in the hands of catholic archbishops and bishops Education, value of, to a young clergyman university Election, Elisha and Hazael Employments, battle for Empson and Dudley English language, value of its study "Englishman, The" Epicurus Epiphonema Episcopacy Erasmus Establishment, enquiry into its nature Eusebius, Bishop of Vercelli Evans, Dr. , Bishop of Meath Executive Power, the care it should take

 Faction, detrimental to brotherly love Fagel, Mons Fairfax, General Faith, its great power Falkiner, Sir F. Falkland, Viscount, biographical sketch of his method in writing False witness, sermon on, Fanatics, their insolence Filmer, Sir Robert, biographical sketch of First fruits and tenths First fruits Flattery, self-knowledge secures us against its snares Flax, bill for the encouragement of its growth Forbes, Edward Forster, Dr. , Bishop of Raphoe Forster, John, his "Life of Swift" his suggested date for the writing of "The Project" and "The Sentiments" Fountaine, Sir A. Freedom, of a nation, in what it consists Freethinker, indispensable duty of Freethinkers, their natural connection with Whigs the most virtuous people in all ages ignorance and vice their principal characteristics Freethinking, its mischief denies Christianity and missionaries enjoined by Christ means free-speaking and free-writing some thoughts on Friendship, depends on brotherly love Fuller, Dr. Thomas

 Gallican Church, concordate of Gaming, addiction to how to stop it Gardiner's "History of England" Gay, John, "The Espousal" Genevan system Gibbs, Dr. , Swift's Remarks on his Paraphrase of the Psalms Gildon, Charles Giving, more blessed than receiving Godolphin Good, doing, sermon on Gospel, the, too difficult for freethinkers want of faith in value of its truth Government, Hobbes's principles of, combated if every species of, be equally lawful, they are not equally expedient English, its advantage over all other forms its nature least understood by lawyers in the body of the people how invested in England what it cannot do its relation to a state religion from God Grabe, Dr. Grant, Col. F. Greed, often results in ill to a state "Grub Street Journal, " on the Swift-Bettesworth Controversy "Guardian, The"

 Hanover Club Happiness, does not depend on wealth Harley, Earl of Oxford Hazael and Elisha Health, the best of all earthly possessions Heathcote, Sir Gilbert Heathens, the groundwork of their virtues Henry VII. , value of land and money in the reign of Henry VIII. , his seizures of Church revenues his attitude to Catholicism his favouritism his attitude to the clergy Heptarchy, the, its power Heresy, the beginning of dissent among the early Christians Heylin, Dr. Peter "Observations on the History of Presbyterians" Hickeringil, Edmund, biographical sketch of Hickes, Dr. George, biographical sketch of his replies to Tindal High Church, how considered by the press Hilary, St. Hill, Samuel Hobbes, Thomas, biographical sketch of Swift's arguments against his theory of the sovereign power his opinion that the youth of England corrupted their political principles by reading the classical writers his opinion of the bad influence of classical histories Holiness, of life, most worthy to God Holland, the worst governed country on account of its having no state religion Honour, largely a false principle private, different from public Hospitality, depends on brotherly love House of Commons, Irish, the clergy's complaint against Howard, Robert, Bishop of Elphin Howard, Col. Thomas Huguenots, the Humility, a virtue fitting every station in life the outcome of self knowledge Hypocrisy, better than vice

 Ignorance, the mother of superstition, but not of devotion Immorality, legislation against, ineffective an incentive to good conduct _Imperium in imperio_, doctrine of Independents differences between, and Presbyterians their end Infidelity, its infamy Infidels, their advice interested cannot satisfy the general reason of mankind the fallacy of their arguments against the Trinity Informers, their interest Inns of Court, "the worst instituted seminaries in any Christian country" Intemperance, dangerous to upright men Interest, self, the spring of most actions Interests, private and national Ireland, present condition of the Church in wretched condition of plantations in condition of the clergy of first conquerors of, English Catholics Rebellion in its misery and want the causes of this misery its intolerable hardships the folly and vanity of its landowners pride and vanity of its people discouragement of its manufactures idleness and sloth in cruelty by which it is governed bondage of its laws counteracting influence against the government foundations and charities in fraud of the servants in necessity for proper training of the children of the poor in the beggars in its poor laws methods for dealing with beggars badges for beggars in sermon on wretched condition of Ireton, General

 James the First's Bounty James I. , his dealings with the Irish clergy James II. , his abdication attempted illegal and unjustifiable exercise of power his conduct contrasted with that of Charles I. His relations with the Church Jerome, St. Jethro, his advice to Moses Jews, disbelief in their teachings Jezebel John, King Johnson, Esther, three prayers for Johnson, Rev. Samuel Josephus

 Kevan Bayl's new ballad King, Dr. W. , Archbishop of Dublin biographical sketch of the Dublin clergy's representation to his way of encouraging the clergy to residence Swift's letter to, on the Repeal for the Test Act Kit-Cat Club Kite, Serjeant

 Lancaster, Henry Duke of Land, history of the rise in the value of Landlords, Irish, their attitude to their clergy Laud, Archbishop Lauderdale, Lord Laws, human and divine Lawyers, of all people least understand the nature of government ignorant of the early history of England Learning, its prevalence during early Christian times Leases, bishops' evils of letting, for lives "Legion Club, The" Legislature and administration Legislature, the supreme power in a state Leslie, Charles Libertines, their principles Liberty, Roman idea of enjoyment of, better than contentions Life, its love, an essential impulse of our nature a trust from God its advantages for general use Limiting Act Lindsay, Dr. Linen, encouragement of its manufacture Loch, Lord Locke, John, his idea of government "Human Understanding" London, its influence on the kingdom the power it may have for good a law for closing its ale-houses at twelve Londonderry, siege of Lords, House of, character of their representation against Dissenters Lorrain, Duke of Love, brotherly, among the early Christians the causes of the want of, among us Papists and fanatics one cause for the want of weakness and folly a cause for the want of its non-insistence a cause of the want of politics a cause of the want of the evil consequences of the want of the want of, puts an end to hospitality and friendship motives for embracing injured by faction helped by religion of country, defined Love, the last legacy of Christ of self, not a fault Loyalty, a means to obtaining good character Lucretius Ludlow, Edmund

 Machiavelli Magdalen College, its justification of William of Orange's declaration Magistrates, their abuses care taken in their appointment supreme, doctrine of resistance to Mandeville, Bernard de Manilius, Marcus Manners, degeneracy of, a preceding to the ruin of a state its corruption ruin to a state depravation of Manufacture, influence of, on a community Margarita. _See_ Margherita, Francesca de l'Epine Margherita, Francesca de l'Epine Marprelate tracts Marsh, Dr. Narcissus Marten, John Martyrdom of Charles I. , its lessons the duty of all protestants to keep holy the day of the Mason, Monck, his "History of St. Patrick's Cathedral" his list of tracts on the Test Act controversy on the date of the "Narrative of the attempts against the Test Act" on "Roman Catholic reasons for the Repeal of the Test" McBride, John M'Carthy, Charles McCrackan Midleton, Lord Milton, John, his work on Divorce Minutius Felix, Marcus Miracle, as much a mystery as the Trinity positively affirmed by the Gospels Missionaries and freethinking Moderation, a clerical cry in politics, true and false Modus, a petition against Molesworth, Robert, Viscount Molloy, Neale Monarchy, absolute, doctrine of hereditary, to be preferred to elective the hereditary right to be sacred, if not dangerous to the constitution King _de facto_, and King _de jutre_ succession discussed Monasteries, their scandals Money, history of its values Montaigne, citation from Moore, Bishop, of Norwich Moral honesty, in place of conscience Morality, classical _versus_ scriptural without religion is a half virtue Morals, schemes for the improvement of More, Dr. Henry More, Sir Thomas Mortmain, statute of Motives, the best ground for judgments Mystery, to declare against, is to declare against scripture conditions when it may be suspicious faith, necessary for a belief in nature full of not contrary to reason

 "Narrative of what passed in London" National debt, proposal for a fund for Nayler Neighbour, our duty to Nelson, Mr. Nichols's "Speculum Sarisburianum" Non-residence Non-resistance

 Oath of abjuration Oath of supremacy. Obedience, St. Peter's directions for St. Paul's directions for avoid running into extremes on the question of "Observator, The" Occasional conformity Office, qualifications for, as they are generally accepted "Old and New Lights" Oldisworth, Mr. O'Neill, Owen Roe O'Neill, Philip Roe McHugh O'Neill, Sir Phelim Opinion, difference in, not a matter for quarrel compared with fashions its power difficulty of changing in Orange, William of Oratory Origen Ormonde, Marquis of Oxford, Earl of Oxford University, its revenues

 Papists in Ireland, their reduced condition loyalty to King George no cause for fear from the Parishes, their union under one incumbent Parliaments, annual Parties, our attitude to Party Government, tends to enslave senates tends to misunderstanding of personal character establishes an incorrect standard for character Passive obedience Peace, the last legacy of Christ Pedantry, the fear of Pembroke, Lord Penn, William Penny, Rev. John Peter the Cruel Philip II. Of Spain Philips, Ambrose Philosophy, classical unrevealed, imperfect fails to explain the Deity its failure to inculcate the doctrine of Providence defective in its moral teachings contrasted by personal examples with Christian disputes amongst the teachers of Christian, its perfection teaches reliance on God teaches courtesy and kindness is "without partiality" is without hypocrisy contrasted by personal examples with unrevealed Pilkington, M. , reference to sermon on "Doing Good" Plato, his maxim on worship his divine precept his doctrine of happiness Platonic philosophy, its relation to the early church Plays, their bad influence on morals Pluralities Plutarch Politics, dangerous to upright men Poor, the, are not the object of envy less subject to temptations than the rich the blessings they enjoy their power for doing good to others have a greater share of happiness than the rich Poor Laws, Irish Pope, the supremacy of his power in France Popery, Burnet's arguments against, its dangers national leaning to the most absurd system of Christianity its merits Protestants must not be charged with its errors and corruptions its increase penal laws against should be abrogated its priests should be settled by law in Ireland its priests should be entitled to tithe the results of this proposal for effectually preventing its growth Popes, their seizure of power Potter, Dr. John, biographical sketch of Power, absolute, belief in, dangerous to any state legislate not pleaded for by Swift Prasini Pratt, Dr. , Dean of Down Prayer, an evening Preaching, value of practice in simplicity in, a prime requisite the popular manner the best styles to be avoided in the moving manner jesting in plain reasoning in pathetic _versus_ rational two principal branches of quotations in uselessness of taking the mysteries of Christian religion for subjects for not to perplex with doubts in one of the disadvantages it labours under its great neglect its neglect attended by the misbehaviour of worshippers objections against, and the unreasonableness of these causes for the neglect and scorn of neglect of, due to ignorance of religious principles neglect of, due to an evil conscience neglect of, due to the heart being set upon worldly things, neglect of, due to the habit of decrying religion, neglect of, remedies against, good preaching, not so essential as right dispositions, Predestination, Preferment, qualifications necessary for, given for zeal and not capacity, Presbyterianism, possibility of its becoming the National Church, consequences from its establishment as the national religion, Presbyterians, in Ireland, persecuted for their religion, their complaint against persecution, their "Plea of Merit, " "Plea of Merit, " discussion as to date of its first edition, differences between, and Independents, against the execution of King Charles I, and King James II. , and the Pretender, their loyalty and religious principles, their plea of merit absurd, their great position in Ireland, their loyalty to King George, will join the army but not the militia, their case to defend the country against the Pretender, must not be reformed, their church government independent of the state, their opinion of Episcopacy, Presbytery, Press, legislation for its limitation, its restraint a badge of popery, Pretender, the, his cause, not supported by the Irish dissenters, Priests, cannot be relied on for anything relating to religion, hired to lead men into mischief, Princes, influence of their bad example, their duties for good, their influence on a nation, should be careful in choosing advisers, Prophets, the, were freethinkers, Proselytism, consequences of, dangerous in a state, Prostitution, condemned by the priests, Protestantism and Catholicism, differences between, Publicans, suggestion for their prosecution if they serve drink to drunken persons, Public spirit, a blessing, Punishment, eternal, doctrine of, Puppet-shows, Puritanism, Puritans, the, destroyers of the Reformation, their attitude to the state in the time of Charles I, their murderous parliament, they corrupted the old virtues of the English nation, how they injured the country, Quakers, the, Quarrels, religious, Queen, the, her power for good, her power over the stage, Quotations, value of their sparing use, Reason, particular, fallible, Rebellion of 1648, objections against, of 1642, the of 1688 contrary to the teaching of Christ "Reconciler, The" Reeves, Rev. Mr. , Swift's letters to Dr. King Reformation, its establishment censure of the clergy on its methods "Rehearsal, The" Religion, schemes for the improvement of its negligence by the people suggestion for it being necessary to any preferment should be made fashionable necessity for union in impossible to remove opinions in its fundamentals thoughts on further thoughts on national, legal to change necessary for the well-governing of mankind its denial often the spring of sin to raise difficulties against, not conducive to virtuous living conducive to brotherly love Republics Resolutions, easily broken Restitution, impossible to make, when the injury is to a state Resurrection, doctrine of Revolution, considerations for, Reward, an incentive to good conduct Rich, the, more subject to diseases often have little appetites subjected to worry their wants are more numerous than those of the poor are more prone to melancholy often grow so, by unjust means their only advantage that of the power they possess to be good to others Richards, Col. Richard III. Riches, may be blessings attainment of, does not necessitate the possession of noble qualities not conducive either to ease of body or quiet of mind Riddell "Rights of the Christian Church, " Tindal's book examined its notoriety due to its critics Rome, decline in the spirit of liberty there Rooke, Mr. George, linen-draper and Quaker Rumours, false, the spreading of, a means for injuring a community Rump parliament

 Sacheverell, Dr. Henry Sacrament, the Its mercenary use Presbyterian objection to prostituting the service of our falsification of the Sacrilege Sancroft, Archbishop Satan, his depths St. Patrick's, liberty of, petition of to Swift St. Paul, on obedience on mutual service his opinion of philosophy St. Peter, on obedience Schism, its danger and spiritual evil Schoolmen, the Scotch, the characteristics of Scott, Sir W. , his opinion on Swift's tract on Collins his criticism on Swift for writing his tracts against the bishops his criticism on Swift's tracts against the bishops his suggestion on Swift's Test tracts Scriptures, various, Christian various readings in Christian, different opinions about, among Christians themselves the, abounding in expressions setting forth the depravity of man Sects, the reason for their toleration in a state their position in a state the power they should have various Sedition, caution for its prevention Self-knowledge, the want of, common man himself most ignorant in reasons for the ignorance of self-communion conducive to business interferes with the time for fear of discovering vices interferes with inclination often a hindrance to advantages of humility the outcome of a security from flattery its value in time of adversity its charity Self-love not a fault Senates, their disregard of outside proposals Seneca Sermons, the reading of Sermons, Swift's, on Mutual Subjection on the Testimony of Conscience on the Trinity on Brotherly Love on the Difficulty of Knowing One's Self on False Witness on the Wisdom of this World on Doing Good on the Martyrdom of King Charles I on the Poor Man's Contentment on the Wretched Condition of Ireland on Sleeping in Church Servants, Irish, fraud of Service, mutual Sharp, Dr. John, Archbishop of York Shaster, the Sheridan, Dr. T. Shrewsbury, Duke of Sin, original, doctrine of Slang Sleep, often a poor man's privilege Sleeping in church, sermon on Smallridge, Dr. Smoking, habit bad among the youth Society for propagating Free-thinking Socinus, Leelius his teachings on worship the greatest of the heathen philosophers Diogenes' opinion of Solemn league and covenant Solomon, on wisdom Solon, his confession of weakness, against death Somers, Lord South, Dr. Robert Spinke, J. Spinoza, Baruch Stage, the, the necessity for its reformation Stanhope, Dormer, Earl of Chesterfield State, the, ruined by corruption of manners States-General, the Stearne, Dr. John, Bishop of Clogher Steele, Sir R. His opinions of the "Project, " in the "Tatler" his opinion of Swift in the "Apology" the "Guardian" "Englishman" Stephen, Leslie, "History of English Thought in Eighteenth Century" Stillingfleet, Edward, Bishop of Worcester Stratford, Earl of Style, faults to be avoided in Suarez, Francis Subjection, mutual, sermon on its practice extinguishes pride its practice contributes to the general happiness brings about contentment Succession, can the people of England alter the instances in Greek and Roman history where it was altered Sunday, the difference between, and weekdays Swan, Captain Sweet singers Swift, his attitude towards the Church of England, his position as a religious thinker his High Church leanings made evident his relation to the Whigs considered as a party man his letter to Pope his championship of the Church of England his sentiments with regard to it no bigot either in religion or politics his friendship with men of both parties "the Importance of the 'Guardian' considered" his letter to Stella on Collins's tract his belief in the dignity of the Church. His disinterested use of the Deanery lands his disinterestedness in his remarks on the bishops his opinion on his office of a clergyman loss of favour with the Whigs for writing his "Letter on the Sacramental Test" his rencontre with Serjeant Bettesworth his sermons criticisms on reference to his sermon on "Doing Good" controversy with Serjeant Bettesworth his letter to the Earl of Dorset his reply to the address of the inhabitants of the Liberty of St. Patrick's his poem on "Brother Protestants and Fellow Christians" his epigram to Serjeant Kite Swift, Thomas Synesius of Gyrene

 Tackers Talapoins "Tale of a Tub" Taxation, unequal Taylor, Dr. , Jeremy Technical language, bad for style Temple, Sir W. Tenison, Dr. Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury Test Act letter on reasons for repealing it combated alteration in religion, if it be repealed the consequences of its repeal on the offices of the Crown likelihood of the success of the agitation for repeal of attitude of the clergy to arguments for its repeal combated Churchman's argument against, combated Swift's tracts against Swift's successful agitation for to be repealed in Ireland first Presbyterians' attitude towards the vindication of attempts made by Dissenters for the repeal of Dissenters. Efforts for its repeal address of Dissenters against criticism on the pamphlet on "The Nature and Consequences of the Sacramental Test" queries relating to criticism on the advantages proposed by its repeal to write impartially on, one must be indifferent to particular systems of Christianity consequences of its repeal to the clergy its repeal will remedy the disadvantages the Dissenters lie under reasons offered for its repeal in favour of Catholics King Charles Second's arguments for its repeal affecting Dissenters and Roman Catholics equally ostensible commendation of a criticism on "The Presbyterians Plea of Merit" some few thoughts on ten reasons for repealing it Thales, his dictum for bearing ill-fortune Thermometer, the church Throckmorton, Job Tiberius, his saying about the offences against the gods Tidcomb, Colonel Tillotson, Archbishop Tindal, Dr. Matthew, biographical sketch of considerations as to his fitness for writing on Christianity Swift's criticism on the style of his book his disregard for truth and justice his motives for writing his book his vanity published his book in hopes of being bribed to silence nature and tendency of his work his ridicule of Christianity his work "a twig for sinking libertines to catch at" Tisdal, Dr. , his tract on "The Sacramental Test" Tithes their application to the maintenance of monasteries, a scandal Tofts, Mrs. Catherine Toland, John Tom's coffee-house Toricellius Evangelista Tories, their aims their aversion for sects which once destroyed the constitution their veneration for monarchical government and Whigs, their common agreements their differences contrasted Tradesmen, power they have for public weal or woe Trimmers, the Trinity, doctrine of sermon on defence of, by the learned, a mistake our ignorance or incapacity no test of its fallacy its affirmation, opinion, and distinction, a mystery to declare against mystery is to declare against Scripture faith necessary for a belief in probably we could not understand it, if it were explained fallacy of the infidel's arguments against Tutchin, John

 Universities, the want of discipline there

 Valentini Varro, Marcus Terentius Veniti Vicar, condition of a Vicar general Victorious, Fabius Marius

 Wallis, Dr. John Walls, Archdeacon Warreng, Mr. , letter from Washington's "Observations on the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Kings of England Waterford, Swift and the vacancy of its see Wharton, Henry, biographical sketch of, Emmet's character of Whig and Tory contrasted attitude to each other their common agreements their differences Whigs, their want of zeal against Popery definition of their encouragement of intemperate language their Jacobitism their scandalous reflections on the universities Whiston, Dr. W. Biographical sketch of his prophecy Whitefriars White's coffee-house Williams, Dr. Daniel Wisdom, sorrow in much heathen, high opinion of bad opinion of Witness, faithful, duty to bear false, how a man may be justly so-called how to defend against Women of the day, their low standard of morality Wood's project, sermon on Woollen manufacture Woolston, Thomas World, the wisdom of the, sermon on Worrall, Rev. John Worship, Plato's maxim on Socrates on the established, any separation from, dangerous to the public peace Wotton, Dr. W. 

 "Yahoo's Overthrow, The" York, Duke of, Popish plot against

 Zeal, in politics, dangerous in a state violent, a synonym for pride Zendavesta, the Zeno, makes vice indifferent