It was, in particular, for the feady and vigorous oppofition he had given lately to the attempt that had been made upon the legal rights of the clergy. The Author of A Letter to the Prefident and Fellows of Sion College, tells us, *"We all

know the means that had been used to "ftir up the clergy every where; and what "numbers of our body were drawn toge"ther to follicit the houfe of commons,

and the houfe of lords, against some bills "that were depending. We know that "they were told publickly and privately by fome, that the interests of the church were "deeply affected, if not likely to be de

ftroyed; and that schemes were entring "into, which would probably alienate our " parishioners from our ministry, and induce "them, from a point of intereft, to profess "themselves to be Quakers." And of my lord of London he faith † in particular,

That circular letters were fent by him "and encouraged to be fent about to the " clergy over England; and that these very "circular letters were juft matters of of

fence to very many ferious and wife per"fons, who wifh as well to the church and "state as he doth; and that they much leffen'd "his efteem and weight with thofe, who "once looked upon him as the only man, "that was fit to be entrusted with the chief "direction of ecclefiaftical affairs." So that this feady and vigorous oppofition, for

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which the parliament at Sion College addrefs their fovereign and defender of the faith, was his writing fuch circular letters as were very offenfive in themselves, and produced fuch a change in relation to the bishop's own intereft and power, as made him resolve to RETIRE, and to be freed from the load of publick bufinefs.

As to the attempt which they complained had been made on them, and which they complement his lordship for so steadily and vigorously oppofing; this plainly carries in it a reflection on the honourable house of commons, who paffed the Tythe-Bill; who yet, I am perfuaded, never intended any injury to, or invafion of, the legal rights of the clergy.

BUT how unbecoming foever this kind of language may appear, 'tis modeft in comparison of that made ufe of by the clergy of another diocefe." On the 19th of May, 1736, "the clergy in the neighbourhood of the De"vizes, Wiltshire, had a meeting to confider "of a proper method of manifefting the "grateful fenfe they retain of their prefer"vation from that strange and unheard of

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infringement of their rights, which was "lately attempted by the Quakers in their "tythe-bill." The plain confequence of which is, that if the Quakers attempted to infringe the clergy's rights, the commons did more. The commons actually paffed

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the tythe-bill, and thereby did actually infringe, in a ftrange and unheard of manner, the rights of the clergy, in the judgment of this reverend convention.

THE effect of this dutiful refolution, and profound debate of the clergy of Wiltshire, was, "A refolution to depute two members "of their body to attend their learned and

worthy diocefan, to return his lordship "their humble and hearty thanks, for the indefatigable pains he had taken, and "the firm ftand he made, agreeable to the truft and duty of his high ftation, in defence of their juft and indifputable privileges; "and to befeech his lord fhip to express their

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fincere refpect and gratitude to thofe no"ble peers of the realm, who fhewed a due regard for the rights and properties of "the clergy of England on that occafion."

ACCORDING to this language, the truft and duty of his lordship's high station, is to take indefatigable pains, and to make a firm ftand against any alteration in the laws respecting tythes; even tho' those laws are found to be oppreffive upon the fubject, and to have given occafion to many injurious, cruel and unchriftian perfecutions. To barrafs and imprison honest men, and to recover tythes by malicious and expensive fuits, is, it feems, the juft and indifputable pri vilege of the clergy; and his lord fhip is defired to express their fincere refpect and gratitude to those noble peers, who fhewed a

due

due regard for these their juft and indifpu table privileges. Every other peer of the realm, who had compaffion for fcrupulous confciences, and whofe humanity and honour lead them to relieve a body of men, who were continually fubject to ghoftly malice and Spiritual revenge, fhewed no due regard for the rights and properties of the cler gy of England; but rather countenanced and joined in this attempt in a strange and unheard of manner, to infringe their rights. Such is the refpect these clergy fhew to the House of Commons, and to all thofe noble Peers of the realm, who would have concurred with them in paffing this bill. Thus jealous are they of their imaginary rights, that if they apprehend a fingle Tythe Cock or Tenth Apple to be endangered, they fhall take indefatigable pains to preferve them, and by circular letters spread the danger of the church and establishment thro every diocese and parish in the Kingdom. Whereas at the fame time they have feen the very natural rights of their fellow fubjects abfolutely taken away, without any remonftrance against the iniquity and injuf tice. Yea, they have encouraged and promoted it, and with an unmanly pleasure, rejoyced and triumphed in it. I am,

Venerabile foli

Sortiti ingenium, divinorumque capaces, Atque exercendis capiendifq; artibus apti, Senfum a cælefti demiffum traximus arce. JUVEN. Sat. 15.

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FIND in a paper, entitled, An Epifle to the People call'd Quakers, the following most inftructive and wonderful paragraph; which I think deferves to be made more publick, for the common benefit and information: Viz. * Upon occafion of mentioning the commiffion by which these gentlemen (the clergy) pretend to act, "and the extraordinary power they have always fuppofed themselves to convey to "one another; upon a mention of that power, no less than giving the Holy Ghoft; this was fo far from being defend "ed in the common acceptation of the "words, that that great and learned critick declared, he had always confidered them, "and always ufed them, as precatory only. t And though fome of his brethren at first seemed a little fhocked with the open plain manner of the affertion, yet

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