Neither are they at all Clergymen of the Church of England, in whom the contrary Spirit is found. Can any Layman be at a Moment's Lofs to know, what Sort of Clergymen are most useful and amiable to him; they who fet up to command him, and confequently to put Chains upon him; or they who claim only the Liberty to instruct and advise him, and therefore leave him still as free as he was before?

Be pleafed alfo, holy Father, to inftruct me in the Nature and Efficacy of Abfolution. Is it authoritative, and proceeding from the Power of the Priest only? or is it conditional, and only a Declaration that God will accept, or hath accepted fincere Repentance? If God pardons, upon Repentance, what Force is in Abfolution, or what Ufe, further than to eafe poor Sinners, by affuring them, that if they have repented, God has forgiven them? If this be all, any Man, even the Sinner himfelf, may pronounce fuch a Declaration upon himfelf. Or does God stay to forgive, even after Repentance, till the Prieft pronounces Abfolution? If fo, has not the Priest a greater Share than God in faving Men: nay, a fuperior Power, if his Part comes firft, and his Abfolution takes place of, and introduces God's Pardon? If Repentance fuffices without a Priest or Abfolution, then what fignifies either upon fuch Occafion, further than for a Declaration of Comfort? And without Repentance, what avails Abfolution? Will you say that it avails? Or has our bleffed Saviour ever faid fo? You must needs know what extravagant Pofitions, and what impious Claims of Power, have been confidently derived from this Privilege of Priests to pronounce Abfolution, as if it inferred a Power to damn and fave; tho' it be really no more than what any Man may pronounce to another, or to himfelf, or to many, if they defire it, or will hear it. Has not this, therefore, as well as many other pious Practices, been horribly abufed and perverted by the ungodly Craft of selfish Priests?

Whilst I am giving you all this Trouble, and tiring you with fo many Questions, permit me, holy Father, to mix a little Comfort with fo much Freedom and Importunity. I am told that your Eafe and Rest are greatly interrupted and broken by the Increase and Prevalence

of

of Free-thinking. Pe not too much frightened; the Mob and the Many will always be orthodox, always true to the Church, to Holy-days, and pious Rioting, for Reafons too apparent to need mention. The Number of Free-thinkers, that is, of Men who bring all Things to the Bar and Trial of right Reason, can never be fo very great as juftly to alarm the Clergy, can never greatly diminish the Majority of a Country, who will always be of the Church in vogue, always have Religion, if not that of Reason and Nature, yet furely that of Authority and of the Priesthood, who are themfelves always conformable to Establishments and to Tithes, and the prevailing Faith.

I doubt it will not be equally pleafing to you, to be told, at least to have the Public told, that it is by no means Free-thinking which fills the Gaols, or loads the Gallows, or even peoples Exchange- Alley, or increases public or private Knavery, or contributes at all towards

jt.

Was the South-Sea Scheme the Effect of Free-thinking? Sir John Blunt was a great Saint and Frequenter of the Ordinances; nor were any of his Confederates fufpected of Deifm. Was it Free-thinking that contrived or promoted national Maffacres, that of Ireland or of Paris? Has it produced or affifted the Inquifition or Perfecution? Was the Monk St. Dominic a Free-thinker, or was Bifhop Laud one? Has Free-thinking encouraged, or have Free-thinkers perpetrated particular Murders or Affaffinations? Was Ravillac a Free-thinker? Or was he who murdered the Prince of Orange? Or was he one who offered to murder the late King? Are the Banditti and Affaffins in Italy Free-thinkers? Are not thefe Villains good Catholics, and Frequenters of Churches? Do any of our own Thieves die Free-thinkers? Do they not generally die good Churchmen, Catholic or Proteftant, and always of fome Religion? Was the famous Murdereís Sarah Malcolm a Free-thinker? Did the die one, or declare that he had lived one?

No; Holy Father: Free-thinking has no Profelytes in Newgate or Exchange-Alley. I doubt it will be found that it is not Free-thinking that steals in Shops, or cheats behind Counters, or robs Houfes, or cuts Throats. Nor is it Free-thinking that abfolves Criminals of any fort, much

much lefs Traitors and Affains; nor confequently encourages fuch Crimes. I could, had I time, enlarge with Success on this Subject, and convince all Men, that Free-thinking disclaims all Alliance with Vice and Mobs, and diffolute Men; and leaves all Knaves, Profligates, and Hypocrites, to Conformity and Creeds, and the numerous Train of Orthodoxy.

It seems you have likewife found great Evils occafioned by People's not coming to Church. My own Opinion is, that when People find themselves edified by going, they will go; when they are not edified, their going avails not. If the People had the Choice of their own Ministers, as in the primitive Times they had, it is more than probable they would go oftener. But when they neither like the Man nor the Matter, it is not likely that they will hear either. I was therefore furprized to hear that fome of your Scouts and humble Agents (employed, I fuppofe, to try the Pulfe of the Public) have mentioned compulfory Laws, ftill in Force, to oblige People to go to Church. Pray, can you reconcile fuch a Law, if there be one, to the Principles and Laws of Toleration! Could any fuch Law be at first procured but by the Solicitations of the perfecuting Clergy? Or could any but Perfecutors follicit fuch a Law? Is it just or christian, to force any Man to hear what or whom he likes not? Would a High-churchman care to be forced to hear a Presbyterian Preacher, fuppofe in a Country where there were no other, as in Geneva? And should he not do as he would be done by? No penal Laws whatsoever were, or ever could be, prompted by a Christian Spirit. And befides this Confideration, I wonder how any Man can contend for the Continuance of Tefts and Penalties here in England, as you do, and yet be against the Exercise of such in Scotland. Is this equal Juftice, or equal Charity?

I fhould be quite too tedious to my Readers and myfelf (to you, Holy Father, I have been fo already) fhould I but touch every Topic that deferves your Animadverfion and that of the Public. I cannot forbear mentioning one Practice very common amongst you Churchmen, though it be destitute of all Candor, of all Truth and Charity. Whenever any clerical Folly, or Artifice, or Ufurpation,

Ufurpation, or faife Pofition, is attacked, he who does fo, fcarce ever fails of being accufed, of having at. tacked whatever is ferious and facred; and he is confidently charged with Irreligion, though he has evidently efpoufed and defended Religion against fuch as had profaned it, and blended it with Superftition and Power.

This Method of yours may have fome Effect upon the Vulgar; but with Men of Senfe, it hurts you, by difcovering what you mean by Things ferious and facred. If by thefe Words you understood only the Gospel, and Confeience, and the Duties enjoined by either, you could have taken no Offence at any Writings which commend and vindicate Christianity, and only expofe what weakens and defaces it, even the Pride and Violence of domineering and fuperftitious Priefts. That there are fuch Priefts, I prefume you will not deny; nor that fuch Priests act not in all Things, or indeed hardly in any, upon the Foot and Motives of the Gospel.

That my late Sermon late Sermon is intirely upon the Chriftian Scheme, and in the Chriftian Stile, I aver, and every Man may perceive; and therefore no Man, who regards Christianity and civil Liberty, can poffibly diflike it. What it attacks is clerical Wantonnefs, clerical Superftition and Fury, Tyranny and Ufurpation, both in the State and in the Church. If therefore that Sermon provoke you, it is manifeft what pleases you, what you approve, and what you purfue. For myfelf I can fay truly, and therefore boldly, that my Writings are intirely conformable to the Religion and Laws of my Country: Nor can any impartial Judge affirm of that Sermon, or of any Performance of mine (if there be any more of mine, besides that and this) what I have often heard the ableft Lawyers in this Nation affirm of a bulky Performance of yours, That it is a Libel upon the Lares and Conftitution of England, and ought to be burned by the Hand of the common Hangman.

Here I humbly bend my Knee, Holy Father, and kiffing your Veltment, fubfcribe myfelf, with profound Adoration,

Your Great Admirer and Dutiful Son,

A Letter to the Reverend Dr. Codex, on the Subject of his modest Inftruction to the Crown, inferted in the Daily Journal of February 27th, 1733. From the Second Volume of Burnet's Hifiory.

The Fourth Edition, Corrected and Enlarged.

By THOMAS GORDON, Efq;

Reverend S IR,

T

Anno 1734.

HE Vacancy now in the Church hath been long unfupplied, and the World have beheld this Accident with that Regard which is fo juttly due to Supreme Authority. No Man hath prefumed to allow himfelf Liberties on this Subject beyond the decent Bounds of private Animadverfion; and to these reafonable Limits fuch Perfons as are the moft tenderly interested in this Affair, would have reftrained their Reflections, had not you, Sir, made your Appeals to the Populace, as privileged beyond other Men, how much foever above you in Rank, or Dignity, or Merit.

What I mean by your making Appeals to the Populace is beft to be explained by reciting a Paragraph inferted by your Direction in the Daily Journal of Fibruary the 27th. Your Care and Expence, at all Times beftowed in fo judicious a Manner, can never be too much applauded, but it deferves a moft particular Acknowledgment, that you fhould be at the Trouble and Charge of informing the Public, in a Paper of Coffee-house Intelligence, That In the second Volume of Bishop Burnet's Hiftory, p. 119. published a few Days fince, there is this remarkable Passage, viz.

• The State of Ireland leads me to infert here a very particular Instance of the Queen's pious Care in the • difpofing