tions of civil and religious liberty than they had. I verily believe it is not real, but disguised christianity, that is the object of the suspicion, doubt, and ridicule of infidels.

Whenever we talk of reformation, though we detest a spirit of persecution, and propose no means but reason, argument, and example, yet some men's heads instantly swarm with notions of anarchy, confusions, convulsions of church and state, skirmishes and battles, and wounds and prisons, and fire and blood. They take fright, talk wildly, and, with artifice truly sophistical, set up a cry, treason, sedition, republicanism, error, heresy, schism, all gushing out, and threatening to overflow, and carry away monarchy, universities, literature, candour, indulgence, toleration, and religion, and yet God knows there is not one word of truth in all this.

Let us suppose a case. I imagine some idle retired man, when the parish officers call for a rate, to cast his eyes on their accounts, and to perceive 20 shillings charged for washing the priest's surplice four times in the year. Suppose him to say to them, gentlemen, there are ten thousand parishes in England; at this rate we pay ten thousand pounds annually for washing surplices, and there are many collegiate churches and chapels, many cathedrals and other chapels belonging to hospitals, schools, and so on, which must be laid at least at a third part of the above sum. Surplice-washing, then, costs the nation above thirteen thousand a year. I say nothing of three

pounds for a new one every seven years: but I do think the whole money might be better employed, and the religion of Jesus Christ suffer no damage. Suppose this calculator a bigot or a madman, it is shocking to suppose him on this account an enemy to candour or learning, religion or government.

A certain dignitary of the episcopal church, for whom I shall always entertain the highest regard, once did me the honour to ask me, on supposition he and I had been appointed by conformists and nonconformists to reconcile differences, and to form a bond of union to incorporate the two bodies into one, what alterations in the present constitution I would wish, and what terms I would propose. I replied, I would beg leave, before I entered on any particulars, to settle one preliminary article with him, that was the doctrine of imposition. To this he instantly acceded, as indeed every man of sense must, for, if any thing in nature be clear, this is, one christian ought not to impose his religious principles and modes of worship on another. Each ought to leave another in possession of the same liberty of thinking and acting, which he himself enjoys. This preliminary settled, I took the liberty to say, I have nothing more to add, for by this one article, the whole is effected, and effected, O marvellous ! in an alcove in a garden, without blood, or blows, or angry words.

This just principle would operate to enfranchise every parish in Britain, for each congregation would choose its own minister, instead of supporting one imposed by a patron. Each minister

would form and adopt principles of his own, instead of subscribing a creed imposed on him by others. If people thought priests and prayer-books, and surplices and ceremonies necessary to religion, they would support them by their own methods, instead of obliging others to maintain a ritual, from which they derive no benefit. In a word, the whole nation would be put in possession of religious liberty, and instead of leaving religion to the care of a few, we should, probably, each examine the matter, and take care of himself, and this I should call virtue, if not christian piety.

The reverend prebendary of Winchester, who thought fit to animadvert on this book in a series of letters addressed to his lord bishop of London, acknowledges the want of some revision, and reformation, and in this he speaks the language of all considerate members of his community: but the subjects to be revised are the articles, and the liturgy, not the point, the great point, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, on which all the controversy turns. object against a constitution, and we are answered by encomiums on the officers, who administer it; a dignified clergyman could not say less, and a prudent bishop would not wish for more.

We

When I wrote this book, I had no other design than that of convincing the young people in our nonconformist churches of the nature, worth and importance of primitive christianity; being fully persuaded that revealed religion can never be proposed more wisely, or with more probability of success, than in the unadorned, simple manner, in

which it was proposed at first, and by which it subdued so many understandings to the obedience of faith. The objects of my contemplation were truth and error, christianity in the hand of Christ, and christianity in the hands of modern teachers; but as for rancour against the persons of any men, or any order of men, I always was, and am yet a happy stranger to the feeling. Captivity of conscience is the only object of my complaint, the liberation of it the sole object of my attention.

If I supposed some prelates would be punished at the last day, I supposed these prelates bloody persecutors; and do we not all affirm, that a persecutor is a criminal, and will be punished, whether it be a tradesman, a justice of peace, or a prelate ?

It would be endless to answer quibbles upon words. It is a fact, that the preface, the close of the sixth lecture, and, in brief, the whole book distinguishes PERSONS from THINGS, agreeably to the quotation from bishop Burnet in the title page; and, it is equally true, that if I had the whole episcopal church, yea the whole papal community as much at my disposal as the most absolute tyrant ever had his slaves, I would not deprive them by force of one article of faith, or one ceremony of worship; I would only oblige them to separate religion from civil and secular affairs, in order to make all mankind as free as Christ intended they should be. I would not model a church to serve a state; but I would establish a state on wise and virtuous principles, and leave a supernatural reli

gion to support itself. If prophecies and miracles, if the goodness of the doctrine and the lives of the founders of christianity cannot maintain the credit of revelation, alas! what can pomp and power do? If men believe not Moses and the prophets, neither would they be persuaded if one rose from the dead.