called, Human fouls naturally immortal: which was written by Thomas Mills, bishop of Waterford, against Dodwel (a). She likewife

formulary at Uftodizo in Thrace, dated October 10, 359. The words of the reftriction fhew a peaceable, not a perfecuting fpirit" Do not however send above fifteen into banishment:" very different words from the laws of Theodofius and Gratian; which laws, contrived by the bleffed Saint Ambrofe, were put in execution by a dragoon miffion; by general Sapor at the head of an army: Here Lewis XIV. the most chriftian king, had a precedent in the church, for his cruel edicts against the reformed; and for executing those edicts by a miffion of the short robe; dragoons, galleys, and dungeons. Muft it not be glorious to act for the defence of the church. as the orthodox Gratian, the orthodox Theodofius, and so great a faint as Saint Ambrofe, acted? alass! even too many proteftants think fo. Is it not amazing to fee the authors of the univerfal hiftory call thofe laws against the Easterns excellent, and on account of them, excesfively commend Gratian, Theodofius, and Ambrofe?— But as to Dr. Watts; tho feveral pieces in his 6 volumes 4to, (price in sheets 31. 12 s.) are of no worth, yet there are many excellent tracts in them: And what is weak in his writings is fufficiently overballanced by many good things which he has written, and by the good fpirit with which they are written.-At the end of his funeral fermon, there is a catalogue of all his writings.

(a) Collier, the author of this preface, is the nonjuror, who writ the ecclefiaftical hiftory of Great Britain, 2 vols. fol. and folemnly abfolved Sir John Friend at the gallows; who was hanged for the affaffination plot. His hiftory is beautifully written; but, to the vileft purposes; to abufe the reformers, and demolish the Supremacy of our kings in fpirituals; to compromife differences between the churches of England and Rome,

and

wife reviews the objections of Mr. Baxter, in his fine inquiry into the nature of the buman foul; and those of the right reverend Dr. Peter Brown, bishop of Cork, in his Procedure of the human understanding (a).

She

and establish hereditary right and paffive obedience. Those bafe, romifh notions he mentained to the end of his life; which was April 26, 1726. aged 76.

As to Mills, bishop of Waterford, he dyed lately. His book against Dodwel is not worth much. I knew the man well. Tho a proteftant bifhop outwardly, he was a thorow papist in his foul. As to Dodwel, and his doctrine, fee note (M).

(a) I was well acquainted with this doctor. Bishop Peter Brown was a man of vaft learning, exemplary piety, and great goodness to the poor: but orthodoxy and Jacobitifm had deprived him of judgment, and thrown him into an occafional frenzy. In hatred to king William, he writ the book against drinking to the memory of any one; which he calls a profanation of the fupper and had fo great an averfion to the whigs, that he could not speak of them with any temper. Locke and Clarke he confidered as two Devils, and ever mentioned them with a malice and bitterness, that was -aftonishing. My friend, worthy John Toland*, used

to

*I fay worthy John Toland, from my own knowledge, in oppofition to the misrepresentations the bigots have given of him; particularly, the late reverend Mr. Blomberg in his life of Dr. Dickinson; Coetlegon in his dictionary; and that mean abusive writer, the reverend author of Ophiomaches; who has the falfhood to tell us, that Toland was, exclufive of his fpeculations, fo unprincipled a wretch, that he once ftole a filver spoon at a gentleman's houfe. Deteftable untruth. Such a fact

has

She remarks on the two writers Mrs. Cockburn writ against, to wit, Dr. Thomas Burnet, au

thor

to fay he made him a bishop, tho the doctor returned the favour by a hearty hatred: For, it was by writing a bad book against Toland's Chriftianity not mysterious (an excellent piece), that Dr. Brown was removed from being provoft of Trinity, Dublin, to the fee of Cork.

As to this prelate's two famous books-Procedure, extent, and limits of human understanding.—And, Things divine and fupernatural conceived by analogy with things natural and human. They are a monstrous compofition of fcholaftic confufion; and the defign of them for ever to efface and extinguish reafon in religion; to establish an antichriftian tritheifm, and fettle the abfurditys and impietys of popery, in the place of common fenfe and the mind of the Lord Jefus.If I mistake not, this right reverend dyed in 1736. He published the letter against Toland in 1697, when he was Mr. Peter Brown, fenior fellow and therein, not only gives the fouleft language and moft opprobrious names to Toland, but calls upon the civil magiftrate to destroy him; and destroy him the faid magiftrate would have done, if by fudden flight he had not escaped from their impious vengeance.

has existence only in the writer's malicious heart. Toland had a foul too honourable and honeft to do such a thing, if poverty had made him a spectacle to men and angels nor had he ever occafion to do fuch a thing for bread. He had true friends among the rich and good. Never wanted a purfe of gold in his pocket.-And as to his fpeculations, fure I am, that he was in his belief a much better chriftian than this reverend Blackner. prove it I appeal to his confeffion of faith in his pofthumous works; and to the tritheistic dialogues in Ophiomaches, where this priest miserably labours to fupport the dreadful herefy of three Gods. It was not Toland's faith was bad. He believed all that the apoftles of Jefus Chrift

To

believed.

thor of that beautiful romance, the Theory of the earth; and Dr. Holdsworth. (N.) She answers the malicious accufations of Dr. Edwards, and replys to the fevere observations of bishop Berkley. This extraordinary piece will be published one day. In the mean time, as a new and curious thing, I give you her preface to it.

face to a

a memoir

writings of

Efq;

When learning was reduced to mere words, Mrs. Benand men were little acquainted with their low's preown understanding; when even the endea- MS. called vours of the ingenious and induftrious were relating to cumbered with uncouth, affected, unintelli- the life and gible terms, and vague, infignificant forms John Locke, of speech, and an abuse of Language, and mifapplyed words, were mistaken for knowledge and height of fpeculation; when bigottry upon cuftom, numbers, and human authority prevailed, and the abettors of fines, imprisonment, tortures and death, on account of religion, were fo many, that even the bench of proteftant bishops, to a man, voted against the repeal of the statute for burning of heretics; when Laud, the evil genius of Charles,

believed. Nor can the leaft mean action with truth be brought to hurt his fame. Honor and honefty were the laws of his life. What Toland was culpable in is this; he was too fond of a girl. In this article, he was, till his laft fickness, indifcreet. And fo have been, and fo are many reverend men I can name. Toland dyed at Putney, March 11. 1722. aged 51.

Charles, was in the zenith of his power, and the furious conduct of this high archpriest had thrown the nation into pannics, and puritans were crushed under his lordship's chariot wheels; when moderation was deferted by all the clergy, and churchmen thought the golden time was come, that they should manage all the important concerns of and war; peace then Locke was born. This was the year 1632. The 23d of August he came into the World.

This mighty fage was fent by heaven to ferve the human understanding, affift the fciences, and oppofe that infatiable and remorfelefs monster, perfecution: to expofe to human view the fanctuary of vanity and ignorance, and fhew mankind the way to knowledge. He made compulfion fly, and opened the prifon doors to truth in confinement. He brought in religious liberty, and fairly proved its usefulness and excellence in the chriftian world: that it is the right of every man to think for himself, and to avow his thoughts, if he thinks honourably of God, and, to the utmost of his power, would, in every refpect, forward the happyness of his fpecies. In a word, he laboured to make us wife, and to bring us back to that love and toleration, which Jefus the Redeemer preached. When this glorious work was done, he left our world. Aged 73. He dyed the 28th of October, 1704. He ex