pofe religion: thefe believe that there is the fame neceffity for fuffering this beretical turn in general, as for any particular herefies; and that thereby already truths of great importance are made manifest, and grievous errors detected ‡. They fee and lament the confequences of long neglecting to review establishments; and fuffering the publick wifdem of paft ages to ferve here, and here only, for all following ones (e).

They think

there

Since Christianity began to be depraved by adventitious mixtures, there never was an age in which there has appeared fo generally, as in the prefent, a difpofition to embrace whatever fair enquiry difcovered to be the real doctrine of Scripture, without any regard to the authority of men, or to the established diftinctions of fects: and no where has this liberal. fpirit prevailed fo much as in thofe countries in which infidelity has been fuffered, for the longeft fpace of time, to propofe all its objections freely, and without the fear of perfecution or legal penalties. But the effect of its oppofition has hitherto taken place only in part. The heart of a good man triumphs in conceiving the period when it shall have fully taken place; in anticipating the time when Chriftianity fhall become in the writings and in the apprehenfions of Chriftians, as it truly is in the New Teftament, not a fyftem of nice fpeculations and contentious fubtilties, but a feries of plain principles, evidently founded in fcripture, unmixed with the arbitrary explications and precarious conclufions of fallible men, all naturally touching the heart, commanding congruous affections, and by their joint force, directly inculcating piety and virtue, and promoting the reformation and happiness of mankind.' Gerard's Differtations on the Genius and Evidences of Christianity, Diff. H. fect. 3. p. 417. Comp. Price's Four Differtations, p.137. t. 365, &c. and Priestley on Government, Pt. iii.

(E) There is not a greater folecism in the world than the common one of continuing customs after the reasons for them are ceased.' King's Effay on the Eng. Conftitution. But there are few Christian princes who lay this to heart, and [moft] divines have quite other things in their thoughts: their great bufinefs is to maintain what is eftablished, and to difpute with those who find fault with it. On the other hand, knowledge or refolution is wanting; and there is not enough of honefty or greatnefs of foul to confefs the truth. Few writers have the courage to fpeak fo impartially, as the famous author of the hiftory of the Reformation in England has done, in the preface to his fecond volume. It is thought by many perfons, that all would be ruined if the leaft alteration was made. Some of thefe

there has been fo much wood, bay, flubble, built on the foundation, as must take a confiderable time to be removed; efpecially when they fee fome got no farther yet, than to doubt whether there be occasion to have any thing at all removed; or even to deny that there is reafon, either for attempting,

defects -are now become inviolable cuftoms and laws. Every body fancies true and pure Chriftianity to be that which obtains in his country, or in the fociety he lives in; and it is not fo much as put to the question, whether or not fome things fhould be altered. As long as Chriftians are poffeffed with thefe prejudices, we must not expect to fee Chriftianity reftored to an entire purity.' Caufes of the prefent Corruption of Chriftians, Part ii. p. 271. How applicable thefe reflections are to the prefent age, and this nation in particular, may be seen by the reception, which every fair propofal for any farther reformation meets with. See Free and Candid Difquifitions, printed for A. Millar, 1749. with the Appeals and Supplements: and the fpecimen of an Univerfal Liturgy, printed A. D. 1761, To which add an excellent Dedication by the late author of the Essay on Spirit, and Hartley, Vol. II. Prop. lxxxii. p. 270, &c. and Fortin, paffim. After all, to find faults and to amend them requires very different talents; previoufly to any material alterations in the liturgy and offices of our church, there feems wanting a new version of the whole Bible [towards which very large collections are now ready to be offered, when any perfon fufficiently qualified is willing to undertake that tafk] and fince the very difpofition of examining the original text of one half of it, is but juft reviving here: that happy time feems to be at some distance from us. See Kennicot's Differtations. I fhall conclude with the obfervation of an impartial writer often referred to, who has been as free as moft authors in laying open the defects of ecclefiaftical conftitutions, and as zealous for their improvement.

Equidem nemo negabit multa reformatione indigere noftras Ecclefias, et confultius utique fore fi in fimplicitate primitivæ Ecclefiæ fubfifteremus, abjectis omnibus fchematibus politicis, ecclefias magnopere depravantibus.. Verum de eo nunc quidem videndum, an ftatus prefens noftrarum ecclefiarum talem reformationem patiatur, et an emendatio fperata inde expectari poffit? non fufficit ægrotanti propofuiffe ftatum integritatis valetudinis, et eidem regulas fano corpori convenientiffimas commendaffe, nifi etiam expertum et compertum habeas, ejufmodi vivendi rationem ad ægrotantis habitudinem fatis aptam effe. In hoc certe peccant non pauci, quod ubi nævos in Ecclefiis deprehendunt, æque facile effe credant illos abolere, emendare et delere, quam indicare; in quo tamen profitentur fe naturæ humanæ, imo fui ipfius, cognitione deftitui. Boch mer, Jus Eccl. Proteftant. Uf. Modern. p. 22.

tempting, or fo much as wishing, farther reformation. They observe light, and liberty, at the fame time advancing with an equal pace, and affording their mutual help, as they do generally †, to separate these from the gold, filver, precious fones; many having taken the fan in hand, and refolved thoroughly to purge the floor; though fome may be apt to throw away part of the good feed, together with the chaff; which also generally has been the cafe, and is a very natural one.

Secondly: As to the prefent morals, it may perhaps be a question, whether they grow worfe upon the whole; when it is confidered, that the lefs vices, as well as uneafineffes, of past times are foon forgot; and only the most flagrant, notorious ones appear upon record ;-that we are apt to judge thofe evils greateft, which we feel ourfelves; and that good leaft, which feems to rival and eclipse our own; and raises envy, in the room of admiration:- that hence, one of them is often aggravated, the other extenuated most unduly (3). On which account, vices may not

pro

+ See Winder's Defcription of the benefits of Liberty civil and religious. Hift. of Knowl. Vol. II. c. 21. fect. 3. or Gerard's Differtations, Diff. II. fect. 3. p. 415, &c.

History has kept no account of times of peace and tranquillity; it relates only ravages and difafters. Voltaire Mod. Hift. Vol. IX. c. 211. Comp. Goguet, Part ii. B. i. p. 3.

(3) See Bp. Fleetwood's 2d Charge, p. 6, &c. Ibbot's Serm. on Eccl. vii. 10. Le Clerc, ib. Brown's Caufes of Vulgar Errors, B. i. c. 6, &c. That the fame principle, i. e. of envy, is at all times no less apt to prevail in the decrying of the prefent ftate of literature, may be feen in an ingenious author's note on Hor. A. P. 1. 408. p. 213. zd Ed. This kind of reafoning is well fupported in a New Eftimate of Manners and Principles, 1760.

probably be greater now in general; but we more immediately concerned with them, and suffering under them; especially the reigning ones, (of which there always have been fome;) + as thofe of faction and corruption, luxury and lewdness feem to be at prefent; and great ones indeed they are, especially in our own country; which yet perhaps are not worse, than the reigning ones of former times (): and it is to be remembered, that they come attended with the forementioned advantages of light and liberty, in such a degree, as we can never be too thankful for; and which, we hope will speedily correct them; the one enabling men to fee their evil confequences; the other allowing them full fcope to cenfure, and expose them; and through both these, it may be, that each other vice becomes more open, and apparent now; rather than of superior size, and ftrength. So that concerning the present times,

we

+ There is a certain lift of vices committed in all ages, and declaimed against by all authors, which will last as long as human nature; or digefted into common places may serve for any theme, and never be out of date till dooms-day.' Vulg. Err. p. 22.

(n) They who will take the pains to look into the records of former times, and view the religion and policy of our own and our neighbour nations, from the time that Christianity was first planted in them; (and, God knows, the profpect that we have in most of them before that bleffed feafon, is very dark and unpleasant ;) will be best able to judge and prescribe what veneration is in truth due to antiquity: and it may be, he who taketh the best furvey of them, will hardly find a time in which he would with rather to have been born, or perfons with whom he could more ufefully and happily have converfed, than in this very time in which he hath been born, how vicious and wicked foever; or thofe worthy persons with whom he hath, or might have lived, how depraved foever the greater num ber is; as it hath always been.' Ld. Clarendon, Eff. p. 227. What times there were formerly, about the 12th century in particular, may be feen in Ld. Littleton's Hift. of H. II.

we have fome room to think, that they are not abfolutely worse than all before them, as to morals (0).

Perhaps I may be allowed to advance a step farther, and fuppofe them better in some respects; that we have certain virtues now in greater perfection; particularly more of true charity, or univerfal benevolence, than ever, fince the time of

pri

(4) A very juft account of the morals of the first ages of the world, may be feen in Geguet on the origin of Arts, &c. Part i. B. vi. c. 4. I believe it would be hard to produce modern inftances of cruelty and barbarity in any civilized ftate, whether in war or peace, equal to fuch as were decreed publickly, and executed without the leaft feeming remorse, even by the politeft people of antiquity: witness their facking towns, refufing quarter, and flaying at least all the males; their triumphs, torturing and killing flaves; their profcriptions, poifonings, expofing and murdering children; [V. Findlay's Anfw. to Voltaire, App. p. 531. 534.] rapes, inceft, &c. which need no aggravation. Not to mention that favage, defolating way of making war, which conftitutes the body of their hiftory; that horrid treachery, and bare-faced iniquity, which appear on many occafions; that notorious breach of national faith, and open violation of decency prevailing in their councils, and avowed by exprefs declarations, whenever the particular intereft of their country feemed to be promoted by it. Examples of this occur frequently among the Greeks, as well as Romans, in the very pureft and politeft ages of their government. See Hakewill, L. iv. paffim, or Jonfton de Naturæ conftantia, Punct. iii-ix. Sir 7. P. Blount, Eff. p. 145. Hume, Polit. Dif. x. Spirit of Nations, B. iii. c. 21. and Ferguson, Hift. of Civ. Soc. Pt. 4. § 4. Mr. Barrington having recited several old ftatutes made against certain practices very common in those days, adds, Thefe are injuries non noftri generis, nec feculi: notwithstanding the general inclination to decry every thing modern, I cannot but imagine that the inhabitants of this country are in the eighteenth century infinitely more virtuous than they were in the thirteenth; and that the improvements of the mind and regard for focial duties have gone hand in hand with the increase of learning and commerce: nor have I any doubt but that, if any thing like a regular government continues in this ifland, fucceeding ages will not only be more refined and polished, but confit of fill more deferving members of fociety. I would ask thofe who think otherwife of the comparison between ancient and modern times, whether they fuppofe, that in the thirteenth century, any one would have thought of fending 100,000l. to the inhabitants of Lisbon after an earthquake, or would have fubfcribed to cloath the French prifoners?' Obfervations on the most ancient Satutes, p. 137. 3d Ed.