rity given for the establishment of this Fortieth Article, they would not have opposed the prayer of this Petition. Few of them indeed have given us any explicit opinion on the fubject of it, and I draw my conclufion only from the tenor of their pastoral admonitions, which when their Lordships have thought proper to touch upon thefe late calls for reformation, have, fo far as I can learn, chiefly turned upon the tendency of Innovations to confufion and diforder *.

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As the cafe has been stated above, it may perhaps be faid, "that the influence of their Lordships, whether in confequence of their fmiles or their frowns, would have check-. "ed the zeal and infolence of fuch of their fubalterns as might be difpofed to exprefs their difcontents at the fuccefs of the Petitioners." But their Lordships would have had the example of an Hoadley before their eyes, and perhaps of one or two furvivors in their own body, whose lawn could not protect them from the strictures of their inferiors, the moment they left the beaten track of established system. The benefit of establishing this Fortieth article exclufively,. was well understood during the last pontifical reign. For this bleffed purpose, the spiritual Head of the Church, condefcended, as we are told, to become a Reviewer †, particularly of theological novelties, which he likewife took other forts of pains to ftrangle in the birth. Concerning which piece of ecclefiaftical policy, it has been whispered, the bookfellers of London and Westminster could, if they would, give us fome curious anecdotes .

See the laft Sermon before the Lords, January 30, 1772. + See the Preface to Junius's Letters, published in octavo, 1771.

Sometimes the fecret tranfpired, i. e. when care was not taken to divide the Hufb-money properly. The late Andrew Millar had two or three entertaining ftories on this fubject. Neither was the moral Mr. Richardfon unconfcious. of the practice. I have

I have remarked above, what pains have been taken to represent the Petitioners as men of no principle, as men of the worst designs with refpect both to church and state.

It was well for thefe Orators, that they were not called upon to fupport their accufations by competent proof before a legal tribunal. In the mean time their infinuations were of infinite service to the good caufe. Had the good people of England been fuffered to perfuade themselves, that the Petitioners are men of ferious piety, and unspotted probity, who had nothing in view but the liberty of regulating their instructions by the plain dictates of the written word, it must be confeffed there were confequences in view not very edifying to thofe Gentlemen, who are fo much enamoured with peace and quietness.

One effect of peace and quietnefs is faid to be, a very confiderable increase of Popery. For proofs and inftances of this, we have been referred to every city and markettown where there is a mass-house, and to the environs of the manfion of every Roman-catholic Lord and Gentleman in the kingdom.

Public peace hath likewife produced fome other blessed effects, fuch as a multiplication of benevolent associations at Ranelagh, Soho, Oxford road, &c. &c. where however it has been faid, the morals of many who attend them have acquired a taint, not very confiftent with the purity of the religion they are fuppofed to profefs. And hints have been thrown out, that however the peace of the public might be undisturbed by thefe Affemblies of good company, that of private families owes them nothing on that score.

It may be fuppofed, that to provide correctives for these bagatelles, would interrupt the important meditations of statesmen upon plans of government of ten times the confe

quence

quence to the public; and it might be deemed great cruelty to break in upon the repose of a contemplative ecclefiaftic, by recommending fome particular notice of these little deviations from the fpirit of christianity, while THE CHURCH is in no immediate danger from them. Thanks to heaven, there have been no Rebellions fince the year 1746, nor any Earthquakes fince the days of Bifhop Sherlock, and it seems to be a point of prudence and good husbandry, to referve the powers of remonftrance till it fhall please providence to call for them by such manifest exhibitions of its difpleasure.

I have met with both politicians and divines, who have faid with a kind of fneering complacency, that it is quite fufficient to turn over the infolence of Popery, and the licentioufnefs of Proteftants, to the correction of the Methodifts. But by the leave of these gentlemen, matters have taken a turn with respect to thefe zealots; which feems to have difqualified them for either of these provinces. A learned prelate of the establishment hath endeavoured to find out the complexion of Popery, in the doctrines and practices of these Pietists; and Mr. Wesley, as if he intended to fupport the Bishop's comparison, hath patronized a tranflation of the life of the Jefuit Xavier, as a proper manual for the edification of his flock.

Another Bishop, in the early days of Methodism, characterised the leaders as honeft madmen, who spent all their fire againft vice. His Lordfhip, however, understood in process of time, that they meddled with fomething clfe, and was put to the pains of writing a juft volume to fet the world right in the doctrine of Grace, which had undergone, as he thought, fome misrepresentations in the works of Mr. Wesley and others.

And indeed, whatever the fire of Methodifin against vice

might be in the beginning, the furnace has burnt out all that fort of fuel long ago. The fire is now kept alive by the combustibles of a fort of controverfy, where theological dogmata make the blaze, with little or no fupply from the practical licentioufnefs of the times; not to mention the affairs the Methodists have now with the Petitioners, and the neceffity of lending their fhoulders to fupport the Articles in agreement with their old friends Dr. Nowell, Dr. Randolph, and other Doctors, whofe charges, fermons, and publications, would not justify their accepting the aid of fuch fellow-labourers, but in the prefent case of extreme dif trefs.

Admitting the Petitioners to be men of fenfe and conscience, and as fuch anxious for the fecurity of the Protestant religion, it is hardly to be doubted, but they are defirous to prevent the fatal confequences of an increase of Papifts, both to Church and State. It should seem to be no light matter to English Proteftants in any station, that his Majesty's fubjects are fo frequently led aftray from their allegiance to their lawful Sovereign, and taught to transfer it to the Bishop of Rome. On the other hand, a protestant pastor or teacher, cannot well be unconcerned, that fo many of his flock fhould be misled by the artful emiffaries of Rome, from the Rock of their falvation, to the impiety of an idolatrous worship, and the bondage of a fuperftition, which refts folely on a blasphemous ufurpation of divine powers incommunicable to frail and fallible man. Hence I conjecture the Petitioners, if releafed from the bond of their fent fubfcription, would exert themselves in oppofition to this capital corruption, and vigorously attack Popery a fundamentis.

pre

But here I expect to be told, that their objections to the

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thirty-nine articles, fo many of which are exprefs in condemning the errors of Popery, is no fign of their zeal to fupprefs it, but rather of a contrary difpofition, as some of their adversaries have been charitable enough to infinuate.

But be pleased to obferve, I say a fundamentis; and I doubt not but many of the Petitioners think as I do, that it is in vain to renounce the particular doctrines of Popery, while they are obliged to affent, that, the church hath power to decree rites and ceremonies, and authority in controverfies of faith. If it may be proved, that the church of England hath this authority, it will be impoffible to prove, that the church of Rome hath it not, and to what purpose is it to condemn those fond things to-day, which may be established by the authority of the church to-morrow ?

The nugatory and equivocal restriction in the fubfequent part of the twentieth Article, will not help at all to reconcile this authority to the conftitution of a genuine protestant church.

Allow the church to be the witness and keeper of holy writ, exclufive of all other witneffes and keepers, and she will be under no difficulty, in cafe of controverfies, in witnessing and keeping her own sense of scripture, fo as to stand clear of all repugnancy whatever. She will witnefs her own interpretations, and none others, to be true, and ascertain them by her fuppofed authority, to be the rule for all her members; and to be fatisfied, that the church of England is not freer from this prefumption than any other church, the inquifitive reader may examine thofe texts of fcripture, which Rogers,

It was probably on this confideration, that the late Dr. Rundle fubfcribed the Irish articles of religion, only fo far forth as they are oppofite to Popery, as appears by the Primate of Ireland's Regifter, a copy of which was, fome years ago, in the hands of a worthy Prelate of the church of England.