the fon of perdition came not to minifter, but to be miniftered unto, and to facrifice the lives of many to his pride and ambition. And there may be countries where his laws are obey'd; where the clergy may rule over the ftate, and hector their prince; and think every law which tends to fecure the peace or property of a layman, an invafion of their facred prerogative. Such a clergy would be fure to blacken the character of every good man that was likely to be advanced by his prince, and commend those who acted more confiftently with their views. Such men would proftitute the most facred myfteries of their religion to the moft prophane purposes; for the leaft gain, fuch men would frequent widows houfes to devour them, and for a pretence make long prayers; fuch men would forget all ties of humanity, and be ready on every occafion, to take their brother by the throat and caft him into prifon; and fuch men, were they in danger to have their violence reftrain'd, and their malice curb'd, would think their property ftruck at; they would in crowds take the alarm, and form themfelyes in arms under fome chofen leader; threaten the peace of the kingdom, and, if their clamours prevailed, how would they glory in their fuccefs, applaud their leader, and infult the ftate! This would be the cafe in fome antichriftian popish country, where the reformation has been never heard of; but fuch

schemes

fchemes in these happy kingdoms can never enter into the heads or hearts of men. Your intelligence muft therefore be confidered as a mere fiction, a trick of the presbyterians to bring an odium on the church, with views either entirely to destroy all establishments, or to set up one of their own, fuch as they did in forty-one; which I fuppofe they hope fhortly to do: and perhaps now the Witch-Act is repealed, think, by the affiftance of the Quakers, Muggletonians, and French Prophets, to raife their old friend Oliver to protect them once again in the enjoyment of their natural and focial rights, as they call them. Will they never be quiet, never be thankful for the liberty they enjoy? Are they not delivered from many troublesome offices by one law, affifted in the education of their children by another; and can they fay we have hang'd any of them fince the repeal of the Bartholomew-A&? I am,

SIR,

Yours, &c.

CLERICUS,

D 4

NUMB.

NUM B. LVI.

Hercule! fi quod adeft, gratum juvat; bac

prece te oro,

Pingue pecus domino facias.

To the OLD WHIG.

SIR,

HOR.

AT the anniversary meeting of the clergy of London, at Sion College, May "18, 1736, it was unanimoufly refolved, that "the humble thanks of the clergy of London "should be given to their moft worthy dio"cefan, the right reverend the lord bishop "of London, among other things, for the ma"ny and great inftances of his care and vigi"lance, in maintaining the conftitution of the church of England in its prefent hap

i

2

py establishment, and the legal rights of "the clergy; and in particular, for the ftea"dy and vigorous oppofition, which he hath

lately given, to the attempt that had "been made upon them. It was likewise "unanimoufly agreed at the fame time, that "the faid refolution fhould be entered by

their register, into the acts of the faid "college, to remain there as a perpetual me

morial of the juft fenfe which the clergy "of London had of their fingular happiness

in being under the protection and govern"ment of fo wife and able a prelate; who "fhewed upon all occafions fo paternal an "affection to his own clergy, fo great watchfulness and attention to the true intereft and welfare of the church of Eng• land, and so much prudence and steadiness "in defending the doctrines and rights and the establishment of it."

You will please to obferve, Sir, the extraordinary ftile in which his lordship is addrefs'd by his reverend clergy. He is their most worthy diocefan, a wife and able prelate, they are under his protection and government, he hath fhewn in a peculiar manper a paternal affection to his own clergy, and an eminent watchfulness and attention to the true intereft and welfare of the church of England, and a fignal prudence and fteadiness in defending the doctrines, the rights, and the establishment of it. Yea, he hath maintained, by the many and great inftances of his care and vigilance, the very conftitution of the church of England in its present happy establishment, and fteadily and vigorously oppofed in particular the attempt that hath been made upon the legal rights of the clergy.

THE language here made ufe of to the prelate of a single diocefe, to one who is as much a fubject as the meaneft layman in the kingdom, is proper, and indeed peculiar, to the throne itself. His Majefty's title is that

of

of defender of the faith. His lordship of London's is not lefs; for his clergy ftile him the defender of the doctrines and establishment of the church. His Majefty is the common protector and governor of his people, except of the clergy of the diocefe of London, who are under the protection and government of their own wife and able prelate. His Majefty hath upon all occafions fhewn a paternal affection to all his subjects; his lordship of London is complemented with the fame paternal affection to his clergy. His Majefty hath, by his great steadinefs and prudence, his care and vigilance, maintained our present happy conftitution. The clergy at Sion College, May 18, 1736, feem to think otherwife, and complement their bishop as the maintainer of the conftitution of the church of England in its present happy establishment; and have ordered unanimously, that these their refolutions and votes fhould, in perpetuam rei memoriam, be entered by their register in the journals of the faid college. So that we fee the diocese of London erected into a feigniory or principality, and his lordship of London conftituted the maintainer and the defender of the faith, by the clergy met together in parliament at Sion College,

If one were to inquire into the reason of these high complements paid his lordship, and his being thus addreffed in the language of royalty, it will appear very extraordinary.