These sentiments were thought by many to be a direct attack on all religious establishments, and especially on that of the church of England. They were not intended as such by the author. He approved establishments under certain conditions and modifications, and defended most ably all that was defensible in the English church. Yet we cannot wonder, that tenets like these should have met with strenuous opposition from the credulous and timid on the one hand, and from the discerning, bigoted, and suspicious on the other.

So great was the offence taken by the body of the clergy at the sentiments contained in this sermon, that it was resolved to proceed against the author in Convocation, as soon as it should be convened. The Lower House appointed a committee to draw up a Representation, which was unanimously accepted. But, when the king saw to what unreasonable lengths the clergy were suffering themselves to be carried, he exercised his royal authority, and prorogued the Convocation, before the subject was brought into the Upper House. At this period may be dated the downfall of the Convocation. It has never met since, except on business of form; and if the Bangorian Controversy had resulted in no other good, it would have been no trifling achievement to destroy the power of this engine of persecution and ecclesiastical tyranny.

A short time before this controversy commenced, Hoadly wrote a Dedication to the Pope, which, for a deep knowledge of human nature, for wit and grave satire, has seldom been surpassed. It was prefixed to a short treatise by Sir Richard Steele, entitled, The Romish Ecclesiastical History of late Years. This work professes to be a translation of an Italian manuscript, giving an account of the ceremonies attending a canonization of saints at Rome. The original narrative is occasionally broken by humorous descriptions and pointed reflections of the translator, designed to place in a strong light the absurdity and imposture of those ceremonies. The Dedication appeared in Steele's name, and went out to the public as his own, although some few persons were in the secret.

When the real author was generally known, Steele was severely censured, particularly by Hare and Swift, for shining in this borrowed dress. Hare, as the account says, "looked with an evil eye on this piece, as if his own province of wit were invaded ;" and Swift could not let so good an opportunity pass without taking his usual mode of revenge by hooking the matter into a rhyme, in which he holds up Steele as one,

who owned what others writ, And flourished by imputed wit.

The Dedication never was published in Hoadly's mame during his lifetime, but it is contained in the

folio edition of his works. The following is an extract from a letter written by Hoadly to Lady Sundon nearly twenty years after the Dedication first appeared. "I remember, when I last waited on you at Kensington, you were willing to see a certain Dedication, which you could not find among your books. Be pleased to accept of this; and, as you read it, remember that it had never been printed, if it had not been first read over, and received the approbation of some of the best judges, in your parlour. Call to mind the excesses of joy with which Dr Clarke then received it." This extract, the testimony of his son, and the general consent of his friends, are a sufficient proof that he was the author of the Dedication, although he never published it with his name.

Besides his controversial and political writings, Hoadly published several works of value as aids to practical religion and a right understanding of the Scriptures. His discourses on the Terms of Acceptance with God are founded on the rational and scriptural principles of moral ability in man, and of human freedom and accountableness. He portrays the danger and folly into which some christians are prone to run by indulging a secret hope of divine favour on other terms, than a holy life and absolute obedience. He rejects all substitutes for practical virtue and piety, whether they are supposed to be excessive zeal, a capacious faith, or imputed righ

teousness. The scripture motives are urged with earnestness and perspicuity, and every man is called on, as a free agent, to comply with the terms of salvation, and render himself a worthy object of divine favour.

At an early period of his life he wrote, besides pieces in defence of miracles and prophecy, four excellent sermons on impartial inquiry in religion. He published two or three volumes of discourses, and many single sermons at different times; and also a life of Dr Samuel Clarke, prefixed to an edition of his sermons.

But one of his most celebrated and laboured performances was, A Plain account of the Nature and End of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The character and objects of this work may be understood from the following remarks of the author. "As, for the sake of one sort of christians," says he, “I never ceased to inculcate the necessity of universal obedience to the will of God, that there might be no hope left to them of acceptance without this; so, for the defence and support of others in their sincere endeavours to please God, against all those uneasy impressions of superstition, which they had a right to be freed from, I made it my care to state and explain the commands peculiar to christianity, from the first declarations of Christ himself and his Apostles, in such a manner, as that they might appear to honest minds to have as little tendency to create distress and uneasiness, as they were designed in their first sim

plicity to have." Of the same work, Dr Middleton observes, in a letter to Lord Hervey, "I like both the design and the doctrine, as I do every design of reconciling religion with reason, or, where that may not be done, of bringing them as near together as possible. His enemies will insult him with the charge of lessening christian piety, but the candid will see, that he only seeks to destroy a superstitious devotion by establishing a rational one in its place."

As the Plain Account is elaborate and not well adapted to common use, it was abridged and put into a more popular form by Dr Disney.

The last publication of Hoadly was a very spirited letter, written after he was eighty years old, vindicating himself from misrepresentations, which had gone abroad by reason of an impostor having forged a note against him. This letter was considered a remarkable performance, both in regard to its ability, and the knowledge it discovered of the technical mysteries of the law. Horace Walpole said, in alluding to it," the bishop has not only got the better of his adversary, but of his old age." The humanity and kind temper of the writer towards the person, who had attempted to deceive and defraud him, are not the least striking excellences of this vindication.

We have to regret, that no good biography of Hoadly has ever appeared. The sketch in the Biographia Britannica, which is copied into the folio edition of his works, is meagre beyond description.