* There are now in the prefs, and will speedily be publifhed, the following books, viz. 1. THE independency, fupremacy, and divinity of the Pclergy afferted. By Harry of Holbourn. 2. A canker in fome men's eftates, or the neceffity of reftoring abby-lands. By St. Michael of Hammersmith, 3. Faith without reason: or, the laity have no right to their fenfes. By the wealthy Dean of C. 4. Modern and orthodox inconfiftencies: or, papifis better friends to the church than dissenters, By Luke Prefbyter. 5. St. Peter robbed of his keys: found guilty of fraud and corruption. or, the porters of heaven By twelve lay-men. 6. An argument proving that to preach the lawfulness of vice and immorality, is the moft effectual method to prevent thofe evils. By a Lover of Mathematics. Nitimur in vetitum. 7. The clergy reform'd. A very valuable piece, Diu multumq; defideratum. Qu. What church? A LETTER A LETTER TO THE AUTHOR OF THE Independent Whig. WHEREIN The MERITS of the clergy are confidered; the GOOD vindicated, and the BAD expofed. WITH Some Account of the late Controverfy in the CHURCH. First Printed in the YEAR 1720. A LETTER To the AUTHOR of the Independent Whig. SIR, T is with great fatisfaction that I fee you, and others, appear publicly in defence of truth, IT and laying open to the world the pernicious defigns and contrivances of our high clergy; and though I know fome are ready to fay, that truth is not to be spoken at all times; yet it is very pleafing to others, who are good subjects, and true proteftants, that prieftcraft runs fo low in this kingdom, and that a great part of the laity feem to open their eyes and recover their senses, out of which they have been fo long kept by the cunning of the levitical tribe. It It has been often urged as a reafon against laying open the true principles of our highclergy, that in cenfuring fome we condemn all, and that religion fuffers by expofing the bad clergy: far be it from me to cenfure the whole body; there have been, and ftill are, men of an exemplary life and conversation, good learning and found judgment, who know the, principles of the reformation, on which (I always thought) the church of England is built, and, without which, it cannot fubfift: but whilft fome are vindicating thefe principles, fhall numbers of unlearned and difloyal sprigs of divinity be fuffered to debauch the nation with the most destructive doctrines? nay, even fuch as are directly contrary to the reformation; and who, instead of defending it, run back to their ancestors in Queen Mary's time, and trump up a jargon of noise and nonfenfe, bellowing out their being the lord's ambaffadors, lineally defcended from the apoftles, having an uninterrupted fucceffion, the power of making creeds, and in fhort, of riding the laity, and many more fuch abfurdities; things that a proteftant cannot hear without indignation and what is still more abfurd, they will not yet, it feems, throw off the mafk, but call themselves proteftants, though it is as plain as the fun at noon day, they are only |