man for the future world, as preachers, yea, as our priest himself is wont to tell us.-Remiffion may be had in this world, and falvation in the other without breaking off my fins. If I can but in my laft moments confefs them to the prieft, he is authorized by the holy trinity, to grant me full forgiveness.-I fhall have peace, therefore, though I go on to add drunkenness to thirst; and, however vicious my life be, may have hope in my death that I fhall reft in Christ, as the priest declares, he hopes this our brother doth. Thus must a man reafon, if he believes what the priest fays. But,

Secondly, If these pretenfions and expreffions be examined but by common fenfe, they appear to be all a folemn farce, a shocking and grofs delufion; a dangerous encouragement to careless and immoral living; fubverfive of holiness, righte ousness, temperance, &c. i. e. of the kingdom of Chrift on earth; and calculated to advance the power of priests, and to ftupify and enflave the confciences of men.-It is a public declaration of the priest, that he hopes for that which, in many cafes, 'tis impoffible he fhould hope for.

Vic. I have attended patiently your long difcourse, not that I greatly needed its conviction; for I believe, there are few amongst our wife and thinking clergy, whofe fentiments on these points much differ from yours. But what fhall we do? -The law prefcribes and we must obey. Both

the

the cases you mention, have often given me great uneafinefs, especially the latter, the office of burial. Two of our great archbishops Sancroft and Tillotson, freely declared against it. The former acknowledged he never took any cure of fouls upon him, thro' his diffatisfaction with that office. And as tho' the rubric was not enough to pin us down to its conftant and invariable use in every other cafe befides those it excepts, the canon comes after, and abfolutely requires*, That no minifter fhall refufe to bury any corps that is brought to the church or church-yard in fuch manner and form, as is prescribed in the book of commonn-prayer; i e. any one but those who die unbaptized, excommunicated, or have laid violent hands on themselves. And if he shall refufe it, except the party deceased were denounced excommunicated majori excommunicatione, he shall be fufpended by the bishop of the diocese from his miniftry for three months. So that if a man were fhot dead in an attempt to rob or murder his neighbour, or to break into his houfe, or in ravishing his wife; yet when brought to be buried, we muft thank God that he hath taken to himself, &c. and profess our hope that he rests in Chrift.

Gent. Truly, Sir, your cafe is extreamly hard : -I think your confciences deferve relief, much more than the insolvent debtors: And as I have the honour to be a member of the house of

* Cant. 68.

com

commons, I would to my utmost promote a bill for that purpose. 'Tis a reproach to the honour, and manifeftly tends to corrupt the morals. of our nation, and to banish all faith and integrity from amongst us, to force our clergy to fubfcribe articles they do not believe, and to address the divine majefty in forms they do not approve, but inwardly condemn. It cannot but grate upon a generous and brave mind to be thus fbackled and pinned down. Much more must it gall the spirit of a well-inftructed christian, who is the Lord's freed-man; one whom Chrift hath fet free from all human, authority in matters of religion; and hath commanded to call no man maffter but himself. Why do you not petition to the parliament for relief?

Vic. To be free, Sir,-there is fo much bigotry and superstition amongst the clergy themselves, and so afraid are they, that, if a single pin of the ecclefiaftic frame be pulled out, the whole hierarchy will be demolished, that no petition of this kind can be ever expected from them. No; but as the king and parliament of England are the only proper fathers and governors of our church, to them alone it belongs to confider and redress thefe matters of complaint.

Gent. I fhall heartily encourage an attempt of this kind, being fully convinced that the circumftances of our church greatly require it. of freedom and enquiry is gone forth

A fpirit

into the

prefent

prefent age. Nothing but what has reafon or fcripture to fupport it, will now pass for facred: Yea, every ceremony and claim in matters of religion, which is not thus fupported, will pafs for farce and folemn mockery with men of virtue and fenfe; and as 'tis only amongft fuch that true religion can flourish, nothing can more concern us than to approve our established doctrines and forms of worship to them. Let me tell you an occurrence not quite foreign to the prefent fubject. I was lately in a full room of gentlemen of good fenfe, when the following article was read aloud from the common Newspaper. The right reverend father in God, the Lord bishop of yesterday fet out for a remote parish of his diocefe, to confecrate a piece of ground for the enlargement of its church-yard, the antient limits being too narrow conveniently to receive their dead-It would have grieved a good churchman to see the unbelieving fmile it raifed over all the room.-And cannot their lordships make holy water, fays one, as well as boly ground? Methinks there fhould be nought in one element which makes it more difficult or unapt for confecration than another. Heaven, no doubt, has empowered them for both alike; and one would imagine it as much for one's foul's health, to have the body when living bedewed often with holy water, as when dead to lie perishing in holy earth.

In former ages, replied another, when myftery and fuperftition reigned in awful filence, fuch a folemn farce might have been acted without much offence. Deluded people might flock to fee the wonderful transformation of unholy into holy ground, and reverence the man that made it; but in the prefent age of light, such a monkish device cannot lift up its head without drawing upon itself abundant ridicule: The moft ignorant of the common people can hardly treat it with decency, and forbear laughing out. -I wish our bishops would be very sparing in fuch parts of their facred function; left whilft they confecrate church-yards, they unconfecrate themselves: If they dignify these holy plats, 'tis with the fpoils of their own characters; and, however facred they make the ground, they make themselves extremely mean.

A third gentleman obferved, to what mifchievous and mad purposes this false notion of holiness had been applied by crafty priests. Tithes are holy No government, therefore, without great fin, can touch them, or alienate the leaft tittle of them. 'Tis facrilege, 'tis abomination, for lay-impropriators to finger this facred treafure ; and fooner or later thefe robbers of boly church may expect-vengeance upon them. The church's walls are holy; 'tis the temple and houfe of God. Paleftine is an holy land; that fuch facred ground therefore fhould not be pol

luted