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REPLY

T O T H E

COUNTRY PARSON'S PLEA,

AGAINST

The fakers Bill for 'Tythes.

But 110 unto you Phartfees ; for ye tythe Mint, and Rue, and all manner of Herbs, and pafs o-jer Judgment and the Love of God. St. Luke, chap. 1 1, ver. 42.

JT'o unto yon Scribes and P bar i fees. Hypocrites, for ye fay Tythe of Mint, and Anifc and Cummin, and ha-i'e omitted the iveightier Matters of the Laiu, Judgment, Mercy atid Faith.

St. Matth. chap. 23, ver. 23.

For they bind heavy Burdens, and grie'vous to be born, and lay thtm on Mens Shoulders, but they themfelves ivill not move them ivith one of their Fingers. St. Matth. Chap. 23. ver. 4.

LONDON:

Printed forT. Cooper, in Paternojler-Row.

(Price Six-^eme.)

he'll I- m-.h-r

J- 1

(3)

The Q^AKE r's Reply to jhe Parson's Pka^ Sccfi^^

^%t^ ^fe»&^

O R fear the Appellation of Friejid fhould rather exaf- perate than foften the very unfriendly Mind that iiems to have dictated the Paper before me; and left the Simphcity of the Gofpel- Terms Thee and TIdou^ fhould prove as offenfive to your Ear, as the fight of a bj'oad Hat and a jhort Cravat have been to your Eye; I fliall, in Compliance to your Weaknefs, tho' you feem fo little inclined to fhew the leaft Indulgence to mine, wave the ordinary Stile of our Fraternity in this Addrefs, and occahonally^ for once, conform to that more worldly Dialect, which, to a6l confiftently with yourfdf, tho' not with your Pro- A 2 feffion^

fiC'iU- nv^ ^n

.. A -11

(3 )

The QjJAK E R s Mep/j to the Parson's Pka^ &g,

^^»ia tB«&B

O R fear the Appellation of Friend fliould rather exaf- perate than foften the very unfrie7idly Mind that feems to have dictated the Paper before me; and left the Simplicity of the Gofpel- Terms Thee and TTjou^ fhould prove as ofFenjfive to your Ear, as the fight of a broad Hat and a Jhort Cravat have been to your Eye; I fhall, in Compliance to your Weaknefs, tho' you feem fo little inclined to fhew the leaft Indulgence to mine, wave the ordinary Stile of our Fraternity in this Addrefs, and occalionallyy for once, conform to that more worldly Dialed:, which, to ad: confiftently with yourftlf, tho' not with your Pro- A 2 fellion^

( + )

feffion, I know you muft, merely for its being more worldly, prefer to any other.

I will acknowledge too, that your Paper is written with all that Spirit for which worldly Minds value their Performances; that it is feafon'd with Wit, and adorn'd with a great deal of Tjthe-Knowledge \ that you argue artfully, and urge forcibly; that throughout the whole acrimonious Work, there appear the Marks of an able Writer, as well as the true Spirit of a Parfo77 ; and that the only Spi- rit I find wanting, is that of Charity, Benevolence and Forbearance one to- wards another ; and, in a word, the true Spirit of a Chrijlia?i.

But, as my Cafe is juft the reverie, that I fhall fpeak as a Chriftian, not as an Orator ; as one who asks Juftice, not one who apprehends it ; as one who muft folicite the Legiflature, not dictate to it ; and fue to the Govern- ment, not menace it: fo, under all

thefe

(5 )

thefe Difadvantages, I fliould certainly defpair of Succefs in the Caufe I am going to plead, were I not of opinion, that Fadis, Reafon and Truth, in their plaineft Drefs, fufficing for my pur- pofe; and my Plea^ wanting neither Sophiftry to glofs, Learning to puzzle, or Rhetorick to grace it ; I need not lament, when the juft, the difcerning, and upright Parliament of England is to be the Judge between us, that I am neither adorn'd with the Trap- pings, aided by the Dexterity, nor arm'd with the Authority of thofe who fight againft me. Non enim tarn au&ores in difputando^ quam rationis momenta qu(zrenda funt^ fays Cicero* And fure it is natural for me to ima- gine, that in a Parliament, where his Eloquence has all its weight, his Pre- cepts fhould have fo7ne Influence too. You fet out, in your Paper, with two very modeft Prefumptlons, which no body will difpute; but you will give me leave to fay, I think they are

Al-

(6)

Alpha and Omega ^ that is, the laji of that fort, in your Paper, as well as th^jirji.

What you prefume is, that it is no Offence for the Meanejl to offer Reafons to the greateji^ nor a Reproach to any Man to have a reafonableConr cern for his own Property.

I defire to avail myfelf of the fame Poflulata^ with a very fmall Varia- tion ; and hope it will be no Offence for a mea7i Quaker to offer Reafons to a great Parfon^ nor any Reproach to him to lliew a reafonabie Concern ' for his own Confcience.

Though whenever You Ipeak- of Scruples of Confcie72ce^ it is with fo much Contempt and Ridicule, that I cannot help faying, I tliink the frank manner in which you treat Scruples of Confcience, is a Sincerity that does not become you : you feem to think where Tjthes are concerned, that all Co7tfcience ought to be quite out of the que ft ion. But whatever

your

(7) yoiir private Opinion, or your Prac- tice may be in this cafe, I think a little more Hypocrify in your publick Declarations on this head (as great an Enemy as I am to Hypocrify in gene- ral) would hav^e made your way of arguing more decent, with regard to. your own Character, as well as to ours.

,And now I defire to advance two Pfdpodtions in my turn, which I hope you, and every Man that is not in- toxicated with the very Quinteffence of the Spirit of Perfecution, will as rea- dily fubfcribe as I have done yours.

They are thefe : jF/r/?, That if the Parfon has all that he pretends to be his due, he ought not to inlift on having it the way that will hurt me moft, without being a more fecure or profitable way to him.

Secondly^ If the Parfon pjoidd in- fift upon it, that the Parliament of England would be an Accomplice in that Injuftice, if it left the Means of

grati-

( 8 )

gratifying fuch a Will in the hands oi any haughty, cruel, vindictive, liti gious Mind that could form it; and fuffered any Parfon to harrals, worry and ruin a poor Quaker, merely for Scruples of Confcience.

Nor can it be reafonable in any Cafe whatever, for the Law to allow a Power of going the moft vexatious and expeniive way to work, if an ea- fy and cheap Method will attain the lame End ; but it would be more particularly unreafonable in this Cafe, to allow that Power; fince a long and painful Experience has made the Quakers feel, and let all the reft of Mankind fee, that whilft that Option does remain, the Choice will often be made the way it fhould not.

You fay, you envy the Quakers no Eafe the Legijlature intends to give themy or can give them^ provided it does not ijtjure your Property. And here I join IfTue: I delire no Eafe for the Quakers, that may injure what I

will

( 9 ) will fuppofe, cr v/liat the Civil Go- vernment will call your Property ; and if any unbyaffed Judge will fay this Bill, modelled in the v/ay I fliall propofe, renders that Property lefs fe- ture, I do not delire it fhould pals into a Law.

But the two c^reat Errors that run through the v/hole Tenour of your Plea, feem to me to be thefe :

Fi7'Ji^ becaufe you* conceive you fhould be injured by the Bill, as it is now drawn, you argue againft a77y Bill; as if there was any Impraclica- bility \w altering its prefent Form be- fore it pafles.

In the next place, you treat all Lav/s whatever, relating to the Church and Tythes, be they good or bad, e- quitable or injurious, righteous or op- preffive, with fuch an abfolute Me- dian and Perjiait Noli me ta?2gere^ that you feem to think them upon a different Foot from any other Laws fublifting in this liland, that the Le-

B giflature

( 10 )

glflatnre ought to look upon them fo too, and that the Parhament fliould hold itfelf obliged to leave them juft in the Condition it now finds them ; relpedling tliem like the Ark of God^ which no unconfecrated Hands have, any Right to meddle with.

But if you will look into Exodus^ you will there find, that by God's own Command, the Mercy-feat was to be put in the higheft and moft facred Place of all, even upon that Ark it- felf; but the only Injunction of God, which feems to be foUow'd with re- gard K.O your Mercy-feat^ is the over- laying it with pure Gold. Witnefs that laudable Cuftom of co7n7nuting ; the only way your Mercy is ever come at.

But to come to the Point ; let your pompous, arrogant, elaborate, dogma- tical Piece be ilripp'd of all its Re- dundancy of Words, and reduced to real Matter and Argument, it is im- poilible for any Man to liiy, that there

are

/ " )

are there contain'd above two Objec- tions to the Bill now depending, (even as it flands at prefent) which have any Weight, the lead Appea- rance of Reafon, or deferve any An- fwer.

The iirft of thefe Objections is a- gainft the Appeal to the garter- SeffionS) from the Appreheniion of original Partiality in the hrfl: Jujllce ofPeace^ ^r\At\\t^^arter-SeJjto?iis not being a fufficient Check upon Rich Partiality.

The other is, the Incapacity the Parfon will be under, (fince the (Qua- ker's Confcience will not admit him to fet out the Tythe) of receiving his Tythes in kind, if he chufes it, or of letting them to another body.

As to the firft Objedtion, I cannot imagine why you will fuppofe, that the Parfons behave in fiich a manner in every County in England ^ that they will never be able to pick out a Ju/iice of Peace to determine their B 2 Caufe,

( 10 )

giflatnre ought to look upon them fo too, and that the Parliament fhould hold itfelf obHged to leave them juft in the Condition it now finds them ; refpeding tliem like the Ark of God^ which no unconfecrated Hands have any Right to meddle with.

But if you will look into Exodus^ you will there find, that by God's own Command, the Mercy-feat was to be put in the higheft and moft facred Place of all, even upon that Ark it- felf; but the only Injundion of God, which feems to be follow'd with re- gard to your Mercy feat ^ is the over- laying it with pure Gold. Witnefs that laudable Cuftom of co7mnuting\ the only way your Mercy is ever come at.

But to come to the Point ; let your pompous, arrogant, elaborate, dogma- tical Piece be ilripp'd of all its Re- dundancy of Words, and reduced to real Matter and Argument, it is im- poflible for any Man to fay, that there

are

are there contain'd above two Objec- tions to the Bill now depending, (even as it ftands at prefent) which have any Weight, the lead Appea- ranee of Reafon, or deferve any An- fwer.

The iirft of thefe Objections is a- gainft the Appeal to the garter- SeffionSy from the Apprehenlion of original Partiality in the iirfl: Jujiice of Peace J ^LnAth^ ^^arter-SeJfio?^s not being a fuflicient Check upon fiich Partiality.

The other is, the Incapacity the Parfon will be under, (fince the Qiia- ker's Confcience will not admit him to fet out the Tythe) ol receiving his Tythes in kind, if he chafes it, or of letting them to another body.

As to the firft Objedlion, I cannot imagine why you will fuppofe, that the Parfons behave in fuch a manner in every County in Rngland^ that they will never be able to pick out a y lift ice of Peace to determine their B 2 Caufe,

( 12 )

Caufe, wlio will not fet ont preju- diced againfi: them: but however, as I conclude you know the true State of this Circumftance better than I do; I will admit this to be the Cafe of the Parfons, will allow your Objedion therefore to be a good one, and of- fer a Remedy to this apprehended Evil.

If I fhould propofe, that the Ap- peal might be to the "Judge of y^JJize hi a fii7?imary Way^ I know you would anfvver, that the Judge of Af- fze would never have time to take Cognizance of thefe Suits ; I will be content therefore to have the Appeal, tho' much more troublefome and chargeable, yet fince free from all other Exception, to the Court of Exchequer -^ and this will entirely take away the Fears of the Partiality of the jfujiice of Peace againfl: the Parfon-, imce it would be ridiculous for the Juftice of Peace to expofe his own Character, in judging partially ; if that partial

Judg-

{ 13 ) Judgment could have no Effedl, but the expofing his own Charader, as his Sentence would be over-ruFd in the Exchequer, and that Juftice done to the Parfon, which he had deny'd.

As to the fecond Objedlion ; in or- der to enable the Parfon to receive his Tythes in kind, if he chufes to have them fo, and efFcclually to pre- vent all fubfequentDifputes about their Value, if the Quaker was to carry them oft^ why may there not be fuch a Tythmg'ma7i appointed by the Jus- tice of the Peace, at the Solicitation of the Parfon, as fliall take an Oath t3 acl impartially, and fet out the Tythes according to the Cuftom of ty thing, in fuch Parifhes where the Cafe fliall happen: by which means the Parfon on one hand may have Iiis Tythes in kind, or let them to whom he pleafes ; and the Quaker, on the other hand, has the fime Salvo for his Confcience as he had before, by only fubmitting previoufly

tp

( 14 ) to that fame Power, to which confe- quentially he fubmits, as the Law now ftandsj and as the Cafe of Tythes now operates.

I know from whence your chief Reluctance to give into this Propofal will arife, you are loth to part with the J urifdiclion of your own Spiritual Courts in this Cafe; Courts which, as far as the Jurifdidlion reaches, I will venture to affirm, and would undertake to prove, fall little fhort in many Points, of Oiie Proverbial for its Oppreffions, Cruelties, and In- ju dices.

But fuppofing the Parfon fhould go this favourite way to work, and profecute this confcientious Offender in the Spiritual Court, what would be the Effedls of it? would the Parfon get his Tythes by thefe means? No.

■ What then would be the Confe-

quence ? why it would be this: after the Quaker had been cited in the Spi- ritual Court in vain, tlie Court of

Exchequer

( 15 ) Exchequer would be applied to^ and the Vengeance judg'd due to Contumacy would fall upon the poor Quaker ; whilft the Parfon would only have the Chrijiian SatisfaEiion of feizing the Perfon of the Quaker, fixing him in Goal for Life, and knowing he muft rot there.

Nay it would be ftill worfe ; for the Parfon after lofing his Tythes, muft add to that Lofs, the Expences he had been at, in carrying on this Profecution; and for both thefe Mif- fortunes he would have no other E- quivalent or Compenfation than the bare Gratification of his Revenge, and the fatiating his Thirft of Perfecu- tion; the only two things in the World perhaps, for which the moft enthufiaftick vengeful Churchman would give up what he muft relin- quifti in this Cafe to come at them.

Own fairly then, what you are confcious is th.c true and only Reafon, why the Clergy are unwilling to

have

_ ( i6 )

have the Jurifdidlion of the Spiritual Courts taken away in this Cafe.

You fear this may be a leading Card to the reftraining the Power, correcling the Abufes, and preventing the Oppre/Hons of thofe Courts in other Inftances. Power, which you are ready to own, has been abufed, and Oppreilions, which you cannot deny, have been exercifed, even whilft you refufe your Confent to the Abridg- ment of the one, and your Affif- tance towards the Alleviation of the other.

Is this juft ? is this Chriftian ? nay, IS it barely human ?

And with what Face, what De- cency, can you preach to your Flock to return from the Errors, Vices, and Crimes of their Lives, at the fame time that you admit there are thefe Abufesand Injuries committed in your own Jurifdidiion ? and yet are fo far from lending your own Hand to cor- rci^ them, that you :irc ready to chop

oiF

(17) off other People's, if they dare to meddle with them.

If People write againft our Civil Governors, tho' ever fo unwarranta- bly, the Liberty of the Prefs, the Li- berty of the Subjedl, and the Liberty of this happy Conftitution, is plead- ed in their Behalf, and it is found much eafier for Calumny to avoid Punifliment, than for Innocence to efcape Detradlion.

But if the leaft thing is written a- gainft real Evils in the Ecclefiaftical Government, the whole Ecclefiaftical Fraternity are up in arms : Ills inflic- ted by Churchmen are to be as im- plicitely fubmitted to, as thofe in- flidled by Providence : It is held a fort of Blafphemy to complain, and a kind of Sacrilege to touch, tho' to cure : which reafonable Inflnuation from our Apoftles, that it is not al- lowable to alter any thing in Church- Gover7tment^ tho' it be to an:)iend, C put5j

( 1 8 )_-' puts one a little in mind of that iDoc- trine of the yews^ mention'd in the Gofpel by St. yohn^ where he tells us, Jefus himfelf was reprehended for healing the lick and relieving the dif- treffedj becaufe he did it on the Sab- bath-Day*

Thefe are the Outcries again ft any, who dare to meddle with the Domi- nion only of the Clergy ; but if any rafh, bufy Laicks are fo bold as vain- ly to propofe, not the Retrenchment, but barely the Regulation of a lythe ; to defire the afcertaining a Fincy or to plead the Eftablifhment of a Mo- dus-, ^^Anathe77ids againft fuch pro- fane Contenders for the Liberty of the Subjed: [quatenus Parijhoner) are thunder'd out with treble Violence : Excom?nunicatio?2-i had it all the Force that Bigots imagine, or Priefts wifh, would be thought too light a Punifla- ment for fuch Crimes ; the whole Swarm of Church-Bees would be in

an

( 19 )

an uproar, and the poor Offender, after being deafen'd with their Noife, muft run the Gantlet thro' their Stings.

But if any Infidels or Atheifts write only againft Chrijl or God- Almighty^ the Clergy leave them to be anfwer'd by the Civil Magi- ftrate; they look upon that to be none of their Bufinefs : fo much lefs offenfive does it feem to fap the very Foundation on which their Hive ftands, than to touch one Grain of their Honey.

I do not wonder you fhould fuf- ped, in cafe you made the Payment of Tythes too eafy to Quakers, that fuch a Temptation might induce fome of your Flock to renounce their Faith, profefs ours^ and put on broad-brim d Hats and fm^t Cravats ; fince I dare fay, you know of no one Shepherd belono;ino; to any of thofe Flocks, who put on a broad Beaver> and a Band, C 2 iox

( 20 )

for any other reafon than to receive, what you imagine thefe would wear broad Hats to evade giving.

But I would avoid having our Flock contaminated with any Converts, who become Converts from fuch interefted Motives, as much as you ; we defire no Profelytes of that fort: it is well known that we ad: on different Prin- ciples, and that the Holy Ghoji that calls us^ is of a different Nature : that we pradice what we preach, and live up to what we profefs : that we none of us affert Chrijl's Kingdom not X.q be of this World, at the time that no one of us will officiate as his Em- baffador, without the moft worldly Appointments.

We take no temporal Hire for do- ing our fpiritual Duty, no pecuniary Reward for any Chriftian Office ; and no more think we are not obliged to do good, though we are not paid for it, than wc imagine we fliould be

ex-

excufed doing ill, though we ^^-i;^ paid for it.

We hold no Markets for Sins, nor liope to evade its Punifhments by commuting and compounding with any Perfons, who affume the Cha- radlers of God's Proxy's, in order to difpenfe Abfolutions, Indulgencies, or Exemptions from Punifhments, according to the Sums received in a Spiritual Court, and not according to the degree of Penitence and Humili- ation of the Criminal before the Court of Heaven.

As to our Morals, and the blame- lefs Purity of our Lives, there is no Example to be found of any Quaker ever convided of Theft, Robbery, Rape, Coining, Murder, Treafbn, or any other Capital Crime. Can any Set of Men in the Kingdom, can even your own immaculate Body (as you would be thought) fay as much?

As

( 22 )

As to the Benefit we are of to the PubHck, many of the Quakers are great Traders, and whatever we get by foreign Trade, confidering the People as a Nation, is fo much got for the People in general ; whereas, whatever you get by your Trade (however well you may earn it) is cer- tainly fo much got fro?n the People.

Thus the rich Quakers enrich the Country, and all our Poor, if they are Burdens, are Burdens only to ourfelves, as they are all maintained merely by ourfelves.

Their is another very effential Dif- ference between us and you, with regard to the Government too ; for vvhilft the Quakers, barely tolerated in fome points, and opprefTed in o- thers, are as quiet, as loyal, and du- tiful Subjeds to the Government, as any Clafs or Denomination of Men who live under it. The Clergy, fup- ported in many inftances beyond what

they

( 23 ) they ought to be, and rewarded in many more beyond what they deferve, are as unquiet if every thing is not done juft to their Mind, as if nothing was fo, and by a Turbulency common to the Priefthood in all Religions, are perpetually giving Trouble to the Government, which protects them in Eafe ; and weakening the Intereft of thofe very Governors who efpoufe and fecure theirs.

If any Credit be to be given to common Report, I need not go far for Examples to prove what I here afiert, or to convict you of Crimes alledged in this Charge; the Combi- nations and Cabals every body has heard of, and every body talks of, tending to awe the Deliberations and impede the Determinations of Parlia- ment ; the Circular Letters to alarm and inflame the Country, and to fow Apprehenfions in weak Minds, of At- tacks and Injuries, that were known

at

in)

at the fame time, even by thofe whd beat this eccleliaftical Drum, to be neither meditated nor intended. The' Ingratitude to the Government, irt endeavouring to do thofe concern- ed in the Government thefe ill OfK- ces, at a time, when you w^ere juft loaded with the undeferved Benefits of recent Favour fhewn to you in the Cafe of the Diffenters, are all fo many accumulated Teftimonies, that every Favour you receive endangers your Benefa(^ors, and that none cait give you their Cloah^ but your infa- tiable Thirft for Profit and Dominion, will make you ask their Coat alfo.

But if I may be allowed to borrow a Metaphor, and make an Allufion to a ludicrous Reprefentation I have feen of fome great Perfonages, I would add on this occafion, that when certai7i People are rowing a Race of Popularity among their own Fraternity and ProfefTion, they care

not

( 25 ) not what Veffel they run foul of^ not even tho' it fhould prove the very Boat that has been towing them againft Wind and Tide, to the Point they aim at, when, without that towing, they would never have got into that Channel where they are now proudly failing with fuch proiperous Gales, and in fo much Splendor and Tri- umph.

When you talk of the great Intereft of the Quakers in Elections, and the Infignificancy of the poor Par/on s^ it is with fo much Modefty with regard to your own Influence, and a Reiped: to ours, fo little our due, that I fup- pofe you cannot expedl that Paragraph in your Paper to be ferioufly anfwer'd, or even ferioufly read.

And tho' you often profefs, on this Occaflon, that you deflre nothing but your Due, yet the great Fondnefs with which you mention the Statute of Edward VL and the Cordiality D with

( 26 ) with which you fpeak of that favou- rable Expofition of it, that gives you double Damages in one Cafe, and treble the Value of the Tythes dif- puted in another, looks as if you fhould have no great Objedion, to having a v/ay ftill left open, through which, fomething more than your ori- ginal Due might be come at.

To fecure Property, you fay, is one main end of Government: I admit it: To prevent the weakeft from being opprefs'd by the ftrongeft, I maintain, is another Principle in eftablifhing So- ciety, equally fundamental: and, as the way in which I have propos'd the Bill now depending fliould be form'd, will not hurt the firft of thefe Princi- ples; and that way you would be al- lowed to get at your Tythes, is, by Experience, m.anifefted to be fubver- five of the other, the Conclufion is fo obvious, that I need not put it into Words.

It

{ 27 )

It would be fo tedious to enter into a minute arithmetical Detail, to ex- pofe the fallacious manner in which you have ftated the Computation of thofe ^uakers^ who have been ruin'd by the Laws, with regard to Tythes as they now ftand, that I will rather fuppole your Calculation, (falfe as it is) to be a true one, and only reduce the Inference you draw from it into fhort and plain E?tglijljy thus :

You think it an extream frivolous and impertinent Complaint in the fakers to talk of the Hardfnips of the Law, or the Cruelty of the Par- fons in confequence of the Ad:s of the 7th and 8th of K. William^ when it is evident, you fay, even from their own account, that, at a Medium, the Lav/ has not roajled^ nor the Parfons eat^ above 14 Qiiakers per annum fince thofe Acls took place.

But, notwithftanding the delicious Morfel a roajled ^aker may be

thought

(28)

thought to a Parfon's Palate, I fancy you will not iind many Men in either Houfe of Parliament, that will not look upon it as a Difh that may very reafonably be retrenched from a Par- fon's Table.

I have in a very crude, unmetho- dical, indigefted, hafty manner, run thro' moft of the Points contain'd in your Plea-, that appear'd to me falfely ftated, fophiftically argued, or unjuftly infifted upon. Had I more time, I would have enter'd into more parts of it, and been more particular in an- fwering thefe.

But even now I cannot conclude without faying a little to the two laft Paragraphs in your Paper.

In the Pmultim-a^ you fay, that as the Law now ftands, every wife Clergymeny for his own lake, and e- very good Clergyma?!^ for his Neigh- bour's, will take the eafy and cheap Method prefcribed by the Ads of the

yth

( 29 )

7th and 8th of K. Williatn^ for the Recovery of his Due, preferably to the other.

But, as Laws are made with a View not to wife and good Men, but to di- red: and reftrain thofe who are not fo, and, as I hope, I may fay without Offence, that even among Parfons fome may be found who are not wife^ fome who are not good^ and fbme, perhaps, who are neither \ fo, on ac- count of fuch, (if fuch there are,) I would moft humbly, and, I think, not unreafonably, intreat that the Bill now depending may pafs into a Law, and that all Parfons may be compell'd to do that which, according to your own Confeffion, all wife and good Parfons would do, and ought to do if they were not compell'd.

As to your laft Declaration, with which you clinch this Church-nail, That you had rather lofe your 'Tithes^ than your T'ithes and your People

too :

( 30 )

too: You will, I hope, forgive my fufpending my Belief of tliat Afiertion, till you have been fo kind to produce fome one lingle Example at lea ft, fince Ordination exifted, of a Parfon who took any People under his Care, without Ij'thesy or fomething oi the fame perfaafive Nature to induce him.

It is true, I did once hear of one, who defign'd to abdicate his Church- Emoluments, in order to propagate the Goipel among a yet unlighten'd People ; but, I remember too, all the reft of you faid the poor zealous good Men was mad ; and he himfelf was in a fliort time fo thoroughly cured, and fo thoroughly convinced of his former Condud: being Madnefs, that he quick! V quitted his Millionary- Calling, and inftead of relinquifhing former Profits, folicited and obtained new Benefices and better Preferments.

Upon the whole, I think, abftrac- tcd from Perfonal Views and Intereft,

that

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that the Foundation of this Bill is fo conformable to the Dodlrine of Chrift, the Principals of Toleration, the Na- ture of this Conftitution, and the Ge- nius of our Government ; fo confonant to Good-nature and good Senfe, that in this Shape, and modelfd in the Manner I have mentioned, I can never believe it poffible for a Chrijiian Clergy to oppofe it, or an Englijlj Parliament to rejed it.

I fhall therefore conclude this Pa- per with part of the form of your own Prayers, and fay —

FromPridey Vain-Glory^ and Hy- pocrijy, from Envy^ Hatred^ and Ma- lice-i and all Uncharitablenefs —

Good Parliament deliver us.

FINIS.