78 Addrefs to the Well-wishers pofers and defenders (fuch as are honeft and speak out) understand him to mean nolefs. Some of the more jefuitical and artful of his defenders, have indeed recourse to the fubtileft doublings and turnings to make people lofe fight of the extent of his intention, and keep them employed and their attention amufed by altogether clamouring at every oppofer as an enemy to any refor mation--Juft as if the aim in which they are oppofed, had been nothing more than to reform fome particular articles, as faulty, or to make fome ufeful improvements. But who does not fee through this palpable fraud? Yet in this continually repeated juggle is laid the ground, work of all their inundation of pub. lications, in which they perfevere in fpite of conviction. However ready 1 Feb the liberal-minded were at first to liften; fo long as they could poffibly think that the aim of this champion was honestly to improve our church; they can do no otherwife than turn away, when once they perceive the drift to be, instead of removing any errors of our own, the letting loofe upon us, and deluging us with every corruption, however pernicious or ab furd, that exifts in Christendom, to make our church a fink of all errors. Which furely is a deformation, instead of a reformation of the reformation. Can a man fee this, and not start back? Muft I, if I think there may be room for amendment in fome par ticulars, proceed their lengths of overturning every thing? Surely I fhall think better of it---and not be fooled by their wild declamation and fophif to have it thought, and you feem yourself nor and then to intimate, that fome very moderate conceffions would fatisfy you: by this artifice you can with a better grate inveigh againf others, as men determined to yield nothing; inftead of appearing a man determined to overthrow every thing And again be challenges him in his fecond letter: "You speak, as if you demanded, or attempted no more, than that men be permitted to believe and worship, peaceably and fincerely, in their own way.... Do you attempt no more? Do you not attempt to deprive the national church of that fecurity for being inftructed by minifiers of found faith, which the law Indeed, would you not deftroy national churches? Anfwer ingenuously.' gives them? Among his defenders and auxiliaries you may have full proof of what is aimed at, under his banner and as in concert with his principles, in a pamphlet called Civil Establishments in Religion a Ground of Infidelity, if you can have patience to read fo empty and infolent an attack upon every established church--and alfo in a new pamphlet of equal modesty, called, A fhort and feafonable Application to the Public by Tyrotheologus; who fets off with courting the Unitarians and warmly efpoufing their caufe; but with a thew of meaning nothing farther than to obtain for them a free exercife of their way, without interfering with the few minifters, as he is pleafed to pronounce them, who approve our prefent doctrines and forms of worship [p. 10.] He goes but little farther, however, before he discovers his good liking to all the wild enthufiaftick confufions of Cromwell's days, and expreffes a cordial hatred for the clerical potentates, particularly at the Restoration [p. 17.] for obftructing a reformation of the reformation--and amongst others a reformation of our form of church government. And as he thinks the clergy will not be forward to do all that he wants to be done, he calls upon the laity to do it. He expreffes what he expects and demands from our modern Diotrepnes, (as be modeftly calls him) and pretends to hope as much from this exalted hierarch that fills [p. 19.] the English pontificate [needs there any thing more to difcover that this man is of the right Cromwell breed?] But whether he will be a good boy and do as he would have him or not, he begs leave earnestly to intreat the Unitarian laity and spirited affertors of chriftian inerty to form a fociety, with himself and George Williams the livery fervant to head them, in order effectually to new model things and to procure the demolition of the partition wall betwixt churchman and diffenter, by applying in a body---[ As other refpectable bodies have done of late, to enforce the reformation of their mafters and their own liberty to do what they please.] This is a modeft fcheme to facrifice the church of England to the diffenters, but be is certainly wife in thinking that there is no other way to effect it but by infurrections, and in due time a rebellion; as in the last century and therefore makes this advance towards it. 1769. Of the Church of England. try. In any fimilar cafe, common fenfe would teach me better. If I be told, that the door of my boule is too ftreight; and that in building I too closely followed the narrow ideas of our unimproved ancestors; perhaps, if upon good and mature judgment it thould appear, that I might do it without prejudicing the riginal plan, good nature would induce me to enlarge it. But when my advifer comes to explain himself at large, and it appears that he drives at nothing lefs, than my throwing down my house and living on the open common; no body will wonder if I lend no farther ear to fuch a schemer. At the fame time, fuch as with different views joined in this advice, may revile me for not following it, and reprefent me as felfish, and every thing that is bad; though I only take care to be fafe, and not expofed to all the mischievous defigns of the evilminded. So the advocates for the fcheme of the Confeffional calumniate, and abufe ail who come not plumb into their measures, as enemies to any farther reformation, however needful---when in truth no reform would fatisfy thefe revilers; but all must be given up to confufion and diforder. Liften to their damours, and you would think that cur church is indifferent what its members believe, if they will but let things alone as they find them, but as to oppofition or reform, it will not hear a word about it. And that they, on the other hand, only want to have Some real faults amended: attend, however, to the opening of their cheme, and it is no less than the tire abolition of the establishment, and the reducing our church to admit very wind of doctrine, and have no grounded and settled faith, nor any form of found words that it holds faft §. In plain English, it is no less than the modeft request, that the church of Fagland would deftroy itself; that in its room might ftart up a church and church; which as a body main tans every thing and nothing; a jum 79 ble and chaos of light and darkness, fire and water, Chrift and Belial, Whoever now oppofes this, they are cried out against as felfish and narrowminded men---enemies to all reformation. And in this falle and odious light are all the antagonists of Mr. Confeffional fet; when amongst them fome are defirous to fee fuch particulars as may want it reformed; but ftill they cannot ever the more join his fcheme of confounding every thing. And fome may think that there is really nothing that needs reforming; which is a very different thing from being averfe to reformation; though it ferves a certain purpose to confound them. And fo becaufe neither of thefe can come into the mad measures of the Confeffional, they are abused with every spiteful invective. I do not believe, that there is a fingle member of our church, that is averfe to reformation---i. e.-- who thinking any thing wrong, or amifs, is averfe to having it altered; or who, if you can fatisfy him that any thing is fo, will, after that, contend for the fupport of that particular. And can any thing equal the folly and impudence of the continual publications, whofe only aim is to gull people, by reprefenting all as fuch who are not hot-headed enough, to join them, and steer Genevaward ?--To ftigmatize them, on every occasion, as men of no confcience, but actuated by a fpirit of perfecution and wellwifhers to popery... with all the old revived cant of the antient fanatick overturners of our church and regal government? Nothing can equal it but the folly of being feduced thereby, in defiance of our fenfes. Where is there a fpirit of toleration equal to what at this day prevails in the church of England? Where is there lefs of it than in the temper of the writings of these it's oppofers, and in the ticklers for rigours of Calvinism ||? Whoever produced more able defences of our church, or fronger writings against that of Rome, than the men who See a letter figned Hubert in the Mag. for May 1767, f. 240. + Epb. iv. 14. I Col. i. 23. 2 Tim. 1. 13. • See an excellent letter to the author of Pietas Oxonientis in the Mag. for Dee. 1-68, p. 641. + Wake, Butler, Stebbing, White, Ridley, &c. &c. &c. 80 A Fable in Point. At the fame time they have their own extraordinary good word, and give one another the most high-flown encomiums and fulfome praifes. They, forfooth, are labouring the relief of the confcientious clergy, oppreffed with the yoke of unreafonable articles But how? Why,--by difcarding ALL articles, whether reasonable, or unreasonable and fo in truth the fervice really done is to the propagators of corruptions, abuses, and errors---to fuch as handle the word of God deceitfully, or wreft it through forward ignorance to the ingenious explainers away of Chriftianity, and mafked Deifts. If therefore an boneft confcientious fcholar happens to have conceived in fome point differently from the eftablishment, his very regard for what he apprehends to be the truth in that point, would make him reject this fceptick plan, as well as refufe fubfcribing (for an advance of gain) to what he oppofes---would make him more concerned to prevent truth in general from fuffering by this undermining fcheme, than to contrive merely to open himself a way to a little better income as a teacher, and to get preferments within his reach without any fubfcription, which now he cannot come at, unless he fubfcribes what he difapproves. Let not thefe writers then deceive the hearts of the fimple, by hanging out falfe colours.---Regard not, ye Feb church, cry them up---and you wi not trust them. In a word---Truth we have fincere ly at heart, and therefore would guar against the teachers of corrupt doo trines; and not let in the whole p of them, as is recommended.Peace we wish;--but not the appear ance thereof, without any reality which could operate nothing but ruin Fontaine gives us a good fabl much to our purpofe, to this effect. A wolf, of fubtle difpofition, toc it in his head to try if he could dug the poor innocent fheep.---My ve good friends, fays he, I have fom pleafing news to tell you---I am com to propofe a peace betwixt us an you. We wolves, in truth, bear yo no ill-will---and to be in perfect agree ment with us, you need only renounc our antient and irreconcileable ene mies, your dogs; and leave you troublesome fhepherds.Quit the your folds, and feek shelter in th woods; there live at large as we an other beafts do---you may depend up on our fupport and affistance--and i you will come into alliance and unio with us, every advantage fhall b yours.--. We, for our parts, only wit of you to quit that timid bleating c yours, and to bowl like us. To which propofal, the theep wifel returned no anfwer; but remaine fafe under their faithful guardians i their fecure folds. The moral 1 fhall give you in th author's words. members of the church of England, To the AUTHOR of the LONDO their delufive addrefs.The fincerity of all their pretences is difcovered by the complexion of their abettors.---Confider how univerfally the enemies of our religion, and of our *The really fuch would neither creep in by a fallacious fubfcription, for th fake of grafping church preferments; whilst they act the part of enemies and diffen ters; nor with fuch a Babel-confufion as the Confefional vould introduce- ba rather content themselves with the liberty indulged at this time of jo free toleration + Fables de la Fontaine, Partie 5. Fable 12. fo I make it my bufinefs to recommerd fuch as are ferviceable, though ever fo cheap or common. And here I pitch upon a late difcovered drug, as the subject of my prefent medical differtation, fperma ceti, commonly called permafitty, erroneoufly reckoned the fperm of the whale. The ancients were ftrangers to this drug; and Schroder himself feemed much unacquainted with it, not well knowing whether to make it an animal, or a mineral fubftance, though he places it among the minerals, and calls it aliud genus bituminis, his preceding articles being about fuch lub itances. It was lately univerfally known that a particular fort of whale affords the oil, and that it is very improperly called fperm, because it is really no fuch fluid, but only an oil coming from the head, which it can be made from, I fay, because it don't come out of the head in the form we see it in the shops, but is made fo by fome peculiar management, which is in the knowledge but of a few; being mightily changed from what it is naturally before it becomes fit for medical ufe: The oil itself in its natural ftate being brown and rancid. My once old friend, Mr. John Morton in Leadenhall-ftreet, over-againft Creedchurch, was a principal preparer of this drug, which, though he fhewed me his apparatus in his garret, he kept a great family fecret of the method how he purified it fo Snely. It bore a high price then, in 1724, but is become in a double fenfe now a mere drug. The peculiar property of Sperma ceti is to shoot into flakes, not much unhike the chrystallization of falts, after it has stood a due time to rest in a proper veffel. The fish that was taken about fixty-fix years ago in the Thames, and brought afhore at Black-Wall, was accidentally discovered to be a true Sperma ceti whale. A person buying some quantity of oil, which a poor body had fcummed off the water, as it melted therefrom, for a small price, fet it in a place out of the way, till fome ufe it might be thought fit for fhould happen; but after a long time looking upon it, the owner found to his furprize, that it was hardened into a cake, or a folid confiftence, which a Feb. 1769. 81 perfon, more skilled than himself in the manufacture, hearing of, bought it of him, and procured from it as good a parmafitty as any yet met within London. Mr. Watson in his Animal World difplayed, p. 169. after defcribing the fperma ceti whale, from which that famous drug was first made, whofe holes for (pouting out water are not in its head, as in other kind of whales, but in its neck, fays, the knowledge of fpermna ceti was owing to accident. One of thefe whales had been hurt, and died thereby. As the carcafe fell to pieces, the oil of the head floated on the water, and the weather bleached it, and it hardened into that flaky matter. It was found, that the oil of this whale's head would make the drug; and foon after this they found the way of doing it by art, they made other oil ferve; and, at prefent, it is made from that of any kind of whale. This fperma ceti (improperly fo called) is an unctuous fubitance, of a fnowy whiteness, a foft butyraceous tafte, without any remarkable smell, wherefore it makes excellent neat candies, fit for gentry, and those that can afford them. It is prepared from whale oil, by boiling and purifying it with alkaline lixivia, or lye. The medical virtues of this clean concrete are thofe of a mild emollient. It is of confiderable ufe in pains and erofions of the inteftines, in coughs proceeding from thin fharp defluxions, and in general, in all cafes where the fluids require to be relaxed, or acrimonious humours to be obtruded and foftened. Where fore it is taken for contufions and in flammations, and given to women after hard labour, which is, in effect, but a great bruise. For external purpofes, it readily diffolves in oils, and melted down with a little white wax in fallad oil, or rather oil of fweet almonds, and coloured with a little alkanet root boiled a few minutes first in the oil, well beat up as it cools, it makes an excellent and beautifully coloured lip falve, and is good to fresh skin over any raw excoriation. For internal ufes, it may be united with aqueous liquors into the form of emulfion, by the mediation of alL inonds ; 82 Serious Thoughts on Matrimony. monds; thick folution of gum arabic; or the yolk of an egg. Sugar does not render it perfectly mifcible with water, and alkalies, which change ather oils, and fats into foap, have but little effect on fperma ceti. This new drug ought to be kept clofely from the air, otherwife its fine white colour will foon be converted into a nafty yellow, and its mild unc. tuous tafte be turned into a rancid, and very offenfive one. But remarkable it is, after it has fuffered this difagreeable alteration, both the colour and quality may be restored by fteeping it in alkaline liquors, or boiling it in a fufficient quantity of spirit of wine. J COOKE. Your's, IF you will be fo kind as to give the following a place in your next Magazine, you will much oblige your Conftant Reader, TOURNIQUET. NATURE has implanted in the breafts of each fex, a defire which tends to the production of their fpecies; but instead of incentives to, there are fo many clogs upon matrimony, that none but the fhort-fighted, the intrepid, or refolute, dare encounter the many obftacles previous thereto. Thofe who obferve the feuds, animofities, and jealousies, that arife between fuch as intereft has united; or the difiike, antipathy, and real averfion, that take place in thofe, who have been joined in confequence of friendship, or affection fubfifting between their families; are still more difmayed, and fuch a fèries of difficulties are unravelled on meer fpeculation, that the natural paffions and affections cannot fo far reconcile, nor the end itfelf to far juf tify the means, as to induce him to practice. A man, it is true, would readily acquiefce in the formalities, and be compliant to the little arts and adulations neceffary to courtship, in order to gain the favour of a fine woman; for we may obferve, if he is conformable to her difpofition, and pleases her tafte, he may engage her affections: have the greateft veneration for the fair, and would not, on any account, detract from the merits they poffefs, Feb. their natural delicacies and acquired accomplishments, accompanied with modelty, affability, and an agreeable form, never fail to excite in me the moft refpectful ideas, though I cannot wholly discard an unsteadiness, which feems to be inherent in their compofifitions: Yet, I fay, their affections may be gained: but here the difficulty commences, for this which should reafonably appear the only point, may be confidered as a meer point, to the whole circle of relations, friends, and acquaintances, whofe favours he has ftill to folicit, and whofe affections he has ftill to gain: thefe are circumftances which render it so disagreeable, and which make a man fo unwilling to embark, where he forefees fo many impenetrable rocks, against which his bark is in imminent danger of wrecking; and what aggravates every circumftance, is, the obferving the fair at a diftance. with open arms ready to receive him; the perturbation which must take place in the breafts of fuch who have declared a mutual affection, is not eafy to conceive, and this the many dangers they fometimes go through, and the inevitable ruin they many times bring upon themselves, evinces. Mankind in general have a natural defire to promote the happiness of their progeny, and to effect the means which may be thought moft conducive thereto; but here I muft obferve, that mistaken notions not only lead to great abfurdities, but are productive of the moft pernicious confequences, and it is amazing, that people who were once young, and fufceptible of juvenile emotions, fhould fo far forget themfelves, as to endeavour at rendering their race extinct, unless they can have it in their power to divert the thoughts of their children from the object of their affections, and as large poffef fions, not merit, influence those, fo threats frequently do thefe, and they are placed in a fphere of life which they ever tread with the utmost dif quietude, and the world never fails to load thofe, on whom it depends, with reproaches and imprecations: They do not confider, that objects appear agreeable, or deformed, according to the difpofition of the organs on which the impreffion is made; they almost univerfally place happiness in exter nals, |