fervice, fome of them fing, others perform on inftruments, while they make their

hatred, and perhaps call them, as the reviewer of Lord Bolingbroke's philofophy does Toland, Chub, and Morgan, vermin that have over-run the priests furplice*. And if ladies, who are facred things, may be fo ufed, their panegyrift can expect no quarter. My friend Julius of Deptford, whom Dr. Warburton calls in his Legation one Bate, and the reverend Mr. Jofeph Edwards, viceprincipal of Edmund-hall, the reverend Dr. Walter Hodges, Proveft of Oriel College, who draws his wa

tet

This is a barbarous, low expreffion, and fhews us, that a blind zeal for churchifm can fink writers of fome abilities into meannefs, malice, and nonfenfe. 1 can tell this author, that he will never do any fervice to christianity, by fuch low abuse of the people he fanfys its enemys, and that it is much eafyer to call Toland, Chub, and Morgan, vermin on the priest's collar, than to answer their hard arguments: And as to Lord Bolingbroke, fure I am, that this writer's ftory of Justice Shallow and Davy, and many jokes of the like nature, will never pafs with ferious people for confutation. It is to be wifhed fuch things had been left out of the view of the noble viscount's philofophy; as the view is in the main à good thing; and that Lord Bolingbroke's anfwerer could have feen, that his lordship is not quite fo bad as is generally fuppofed; culpable as he is in fome religious notions.

But as to Chub, Morgan, and Toland, they were very far from being vermin, as this writer is pleased to call them. They had very beautiful notions of religion, tho miftaken in fome particulars of chriftianity; and two of them, Chub and Morgan, were, to my knowledge, men of as great goodness and ftrict morality, as can be found among the clergy. See note feventeen, at the end of my fecond letter.

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ter with Hutchinson's filthy bucket, and that bitter writing mortal the reverend Ophiomaches, will have no mercy on me. These minifters of the gospel have mifreprefented, blackened and abused as great and amiable men as have adorned human nature; for this fole reason, that Clarke and Whifton, bishop Hoadley, and other great and eminent clergymen, the glory of their order, were zealoufly attached to truth, and the honour of one God, the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift; and if this be the cafe of fuch worthys, how may I expect to be handled by these reverend adverfarys to human reafon ? What can be bad enough for him who has the fimplicity to declare he is a chriftian deift, and that he does not believe one tittle of the church's myfterys ; but refts his all upon the good news of that kingdom in heaven, which the prophets have delivered, and Chrift and his apoftles explained, to wit, that there is one God the Father almighty; and life and immortality brought to light by the gospel, through Jefus the Mediator: That he is thoroughly fatisfyed these things are, and for the fake of them is willing to fuffer all that men and devils can lay on him; waiting with patience, and a generous fealty, for that glorious day, when the fun of righteousness will arife, and enable him to fee face to face what now by faith only he beholds? What does fuch a man deferve from the hands of the orthodox ? Denunciations of wrath and judgment, fays the author of the interpretation of Elohim. And if the writer of Deifm revealed, I mean, the malicious and abufive Ophiomaches, who with an amazing rancour, defames in print, and writes against the Mind of the Lord Jefus, to

ferve

Dr. Walter Hodges aforementioned. The name of this amazing piece is, The chriftian plan, exhibited in the interpretation of Elohim, with obfervations, in 4to. 1752. Price fewed 3s.It is not in value worth two pence; but as the wild product of a thorow orthodox head, is a curiofity.This gentleman is likewife the author of Elibu; or an enquiry into the fcope and defign of the book of Job, in 4to. Price ros. 6d. but not really worth a farthing; being a lump of Hutchinfonian ftuff,

morning and evening facrifice a divine and heavenly work indeed, to the praise and

ferve the Cause of a deteftable tritheifm, and the other articles of churchism ; — if this red-hot bigot had known me in time, he would have wreaked the vengeance of an inquifitor on me, in his forty five defpicable difcourfes lately published. Orthodoxy! what art thou? Not our guide in religion, but a falfe fire, which leads to the regions of error, malice and perfecution? Inftead of preaching what is plain and obvious, and within the reach of our difcerning faculty; the unity of God, and the worthynefs of Jefus ; what tends to the establishment of pure and perfect gospel theifm, and to the rendering the people inwardly just, pious and benevolent; it is thy way to defame the beft of mankind, and preach religion into injunctions that have not the leaft reafon in them. We must swallow your myfteries, or you proclaim us the moft vile and worthlefs. Even Clarke and Whifton, Sykes and Jackson, and that best defender of New Teftament religion, the prefent bifhop of Winchester, have not been able to escape With all their chrifyour virulence and malice. tian virtues, with all their valuable learning, their cha

racters

ftuff, intermixed with the most extravagant imaginations of D. D's head.

Hutchinfon's works are twelve volumes, 8vo. The late edition in 1749. Price 21. 10s. in fheets. They were published by Robert Spearman, Efq; who writ the preface to them. There are fome curious and useful things in fome parts of Hutchinson's works: but, for the most part, they are an amazing heap of nonfenfe, without ftile or method. Endlefs and wild imaginations on the words Elohim and Berith, and concerning a covenant between God the Father, and God the Son, are the laboured things in thefe volumes. On them, Hodges, Bate, and Catcott, have commented in the dulleft manner. See note 18, at the end of my fecond letter.

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glory of the great Eternal: In fhort, nothing can be more beautiful than the whole; the

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racters are by you depretiated, their fame wounded, as if they had been public enemys. I have heared you fay the vileft things of them.

Nor is this the cafe of fome hot-headed men only. Orthodoxy can make fuch pious chriftians as the reverend Mr. William Law, fo far tranfgrefs the heavenly rules laid down in his own good books, chriftian perfection, and the ferious call, as to go out of his way, in his earnest answers to Dr. Trapp, in order to mifre prefent and afperfe a prelate, whofe writings are to the glory of God, and for the honor and fupport of his Son's interest upon earth; whose immortal book, The plain account of the facrament, theds a luftre upon christianity, and beats down mystery, fuperftition and bigotry; the fupports of the facerdotal tyranny for ages past.And what epithet does that thing deferve, which can fill the breaft of Law with defamation and rancour? Deftructive orthodoxy! O my foul, come not thou into her fecret. Unto her affembly, mine honor be not thou united.

But in vain does orthodoxy labor to hurt the fame of thefe great men. Their characters are glorious and immortal, as chriftians, men of sense, and fcholars; and as to my Lord of Winchester, in particular, the memory of the just will be blessed, when the name of Snape, and Ophio

maches,

*Thefe are good books, and well worth the confideration of chriftians, though Dr. Trapp tells Mr. Law, in his replications, that he had not, nor would ever read them. They are finely written, and in the true fpirit of chriftianity. Mr. Law certainly has a fine pen, bad as many of his fubjects are, and has written excellent things, worthlefs as feveral of his notions are. Even in his appeal, and spirit of prayer, there are beauties, which make us love the man whilft we pity the vifionary, and the orthodox declaimer.

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place enchanting; the mufic heavenly; the religious like fo many divinities; worshipping only the one fupreme Spirit; not three co ordinate and independent beings, but one original perfect mind, a first independent Caufe, and fupreme Ruler of the universe, who must be fully fufficient to all the phænomena of the world; and commemorating the death of the true Meffias, the one Mediator, God's only begotten Son, Chrift Jefus; who hath entred into heaven as our forerunner; as the firft that rofe from the dead, and to let us fee, that human nature is capable both in body and foul of a tranflation to the invifible heavens, the feat of everlasting blifs; if we

maches, and other adverfarys of his lordship, and of confequence of true religion, fhall rot. The late king George's royal writ to the archbishop of Canterbury, to preserve the bishop of Bangor, from the implacable fury of his ecclefiaftical foes, and the interpofition of the high court of parliament, in favour of the Rector of St. Peter's Poor; this vote of the houfe of Commons, and the vo luntary, unafked interpofition of that great king, are fuch public acts, as fhed the brightest luftre upon this prelate's name. They will remain in the records of our country, an eternal monument to his renown: And therefore, for his eminent fervices in the church and ftate, as the vote expreffes it, will the wife and honeft of the three kingdoms, priests and laymen, for ever honour the illu ftrious author of the fermon preached before the king, March 31, 1717, and of the plain account of the na ture and end of the facrament of the Lord's Supper. His truly rational principles, and pure gofpel-doctrines, will be eternally admired, and declared for by all the friends of right reason and original christianity. E e 4

bravely