fumptuous miniftrations and fervices of mens hands were to be impofed as neceffary to preserve religion among mankind?

The spirit and tenor of what Christ and his apostles taught in this matter, is not only fo uniform and confiftent throughout with the reft of the chriftian difpenfation, but is so fully juftified in point of wisdom by the product of a contrary fpirit in the chriftian church, as for ever to difcredit the idle pretence, that the fimplicity of the christian worship, enjoined and implied in the gofpel, was only accommodated to the beginnings of it; to the times of poverty and diftrefs. Was it not as easy for the apofles to have provided for better times, if other provifions were neceffary for other times? Did they not foresee what the exigencies of future times would be? Have not the apoftles faid every thing that may point out the spirit, the ordinances, the corruptions, the cruelty of the church of Rome, and even the very impoftor at the head of it? And can any one doubt but they would have precluded all this, and regulated the plan of the chriftian church by a precife and authentic ritual, if more of this kind had been either neceffary or expedient than what they have left behind them in their epifles ?

Alas,

Alas, my lord, they found by too forrowful experience the fad effects of the pride and hypocrify in which an attachment to and reverence for confpicuous externals ended; they had fufficient warning from their heavenly mafter, and were not without a measure of fagacity themselves to discover, that the like causes would always have the like effects; and were not likely to fet religion once more upon a bottom which had fo miferably failed. It is too evident, I doubt, for the juftification of these latter ages, that they never thought of this great and confpicurus fuperftructure, as in the least expedient for, or even void of mischief to the chriftian church; and if their fucceffors had contented themselves to have enjoyed and left it in its original fimplicity, there would, I am perfuaded, by this time have been both more. christians in the world, and better forts of them, than our later ecclefiaftical polities have produced.

And now, my lord, after fo much fuggefted by your lordship in favour of the Roman CathoLick religion, it was natural to expect your lordfhip, in fpeaking of our reformation, fhould. throw the balance pretty ftrongly in favour of that, by a full and concife reprefentation of the. errors and corruptions which gave occafion to it:

What

What your lordship has thought fit to fay on that head is, that "our reformers confidering

that fome of thefe obfervances were in themfelves wrong and fuperftitious, and others of them made fubfervient to the purposes of su"perftition, abolished them."

Why truly, my lord, this is no good report that we hear of these things, but neither is it a very bad one. There may be fome room to doubt, whether it be quite bad enough to bear our reformers out in this abolition, especially of those things which only might be made fubfervient to the purposes of fuperftition; for these very obfervances themfelves being in their turn fubfervient to the purposes of true religion, it might be afked, who made our reformers judges in fo critical a cafe? If the obfervances of popery were really means of finking religion deep in the minds of feri us and well-difpofed perfins, was it a fufficient cause to separate a whole nation from the church in poffeffion, that fome of thefe obfervances were fteemed by our reformers to be fuperftitious? Is the church of England herfelf contented with this meafure from the dif fenters, who have over and over objected to fome of our obfervances in words full as ftrong as thefe of your lordship? And how have they been anfwered? Why, we fay, that admit this to be the cafe, viz. that fome of our cere

"monies

"monies or obfervances are wrong and fuper"ftitious;" yet is not this a fufficient cause of feparation; fuch a caufe as will acquit them of the guilt of fchifm, unless they can also prove these observances to be finful; which, I trow, it will be hard to prove of any thing which is a means of promoting true religion.

An ingenious gentleman, and one, who, if I mistake not, has full as much refpect for external forms as they deserve, seems to me to have put this affair upon a very different footing, in fome confiderations of a later date than your lordship's charge.

"Indeed," fays he, "if idolatry was to be now rooted out as it was in the reign of Ed "ward VI. and an innumerable multitude of

other corruptions, and thofe of the moft hei"nous nature, to be removed, or reformed, the "fecular powers, in cafe the clergy could not "be perfuaded to examine their own ftate, "would be excufable, and fomething more than "excufable, in doing it for them, and in refcu"ing religion from fuch abominations, even in "oppofition, not only to the majority, but to "the whole body of the clergy *.”

Free and impartial Confiderations on the free and candid Difquifitions, pag. 4.

This is honourable to, and a full juftification of our reformers. Inftead of fome wong and fuperftitious obfervances, and others fubfervient to the purposes of fuperftition, there were, it feems, idolatry and an innumerable multitude of other corruptions and abominations of the moft heinous nature to be rooted out; which, furely, was enough in all confcience to justify a reformation by the interpofition of any clafs of men.

But now, my lord, on the fuppofition that your lordship has told us the whole truth, how will this gentleman come at his conclufion? If the obfervances of popery were barely wrong, fuperftitious, or tending that way, I greatly fufpect this confiderer would have thought the fe-cular powers a little premature in their interpofition, fince he feems to be pretty clear that our fecular reformers are only to be justified on the fuppofition that things were in the disorder he hath represented.

On the other hand, my lord, this gentleman's premiffes will equally diftrefs your lordfhip in their turn; for if the memorials and obfervances of popery are no better than idolatries, corruptions, and abominations of the most. beinous nature, by what kind of operation will they become the means of making religion, as diftin

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