paffions as other men, and pursuing the ends of felf-interest and ambition by the fame paths, in which all others would have trod, conducted by the fame temptations and opportunities; he has treated them with no more freedom than he has done princes and parliaments, minifters and patriots, conquerors and heroes, and his work would admit of no partiality; fure he is, that nothing he has faid can bear the most diftant relation to the present clergy of this country, whom he fincerely thinks are a body of men as honeft, learned, and unprejudiced, as ever existed, and for whose persons and profeffion he has the highest regard. In another part of this letter there is an affertion, which has given fome offence; which is, that every religion must be corrupted as foon as it becomes established; this has been thought a reflection upon all national churches, and a perfuafion to fchifm and diffention; but those who think thus, totally misapprehend the tenor of this whole work, which endeavours to prove that every thing human must

be

be attended with evils, which therefore ought to be submitted to with patience and refignation; that many imperfections will adhere to all governments and religions in the hands of men, but that these, unless they rife to an intolerable degree, will not justify our resistance to the one, or our diffention from the other: the affertion itself, the author cannot retract, but the inference, which he defires may be drawn from it, is by no means favourable to diffentions, because from them he can perceive no remedy, which can accrue to these evils; for if it was every one's duty to defert a national church on account of those corruptions which proceed from its establishment, and this duty was univerfally complied with, let us see the confequence! one of these things must neceffarily follow: either that fome diffention of fuperior purity, which usually arifes from its being a diffention, must be established in its room, or no religion must be established at all; if the firft of these methods should take place, the end propofed by it would by C 4

itself

itself be entirely defeated; because that purer religion which was established, would by that very establishment become equally corrupt with that which was deferted; and fo the fame reason would eternally remain for a new diffention: if the latter fhould be taken, that is, to establish no religion at all; this would be so far from producing the intended reformation, that it would let in fuch an inundation of enthufiafm and contradictory abfurdities, as must in a fhort time deftroy not only all religion, but all peace and morality whatever; of which no one can entertain the leaft doubt, who is not totally unacquainted both with the nature and hiftory of mankind. From whence it is plain, that all diffentions from a national church, not in itself finful, arife from ignorance; that is, from a kind of fhort-fightedness, which enables men to pry out every imperfection within their reach, but prevents their difcerning the more remote neceffity for those imperfections, and the danger of amending them.

To conclude; the author of this enquiry having heard it fo much, and as he thought fo unjustly calumniated, has reviewed it with all poffible care and impartiality, and though he finds many things in the ftile and compofition, which have need enough of amendment, he fees nothing in the fentiments which ought to be retracted. His intentions were to reconcile the numerous evils fo confpicuous in the creation, with the wisdom, power, and goodness of the Creator; to shew, that no more of them are admitted by him, than are neceffary towards promoting univerfal good; and from thence to perfuade men to an entire refignation to his all-wife, but incomprehenfible difpenfations. To afcertain the nature of virtue, and to enforce the practice of it; to prove the certainty of a future ftate, and the juftice of the rewards and punishments that will attend it; to recommend fubmiffion to national governments, and conformity to national religions, notwithstanding the evils and defects, which muft unavoidably adhere to them; and laft

ly,

ly, to fhew the excellence and credibility of the Christian revelation, to reconcile fome of its most abftrufe doctrines with reason, and to answer all thofe objections to its authority, which have been drawn from its imperfections and abufes; these, and these only, were the intentions of the author; and if, after all, a work fo defigned, however unably executed, should by the united force of ignorance and malevolence, of faction, bigotry, and enthusiasm, be reprefented as introductive of fatalifm, immorality, flavery, corruption, and infidelity, he fhall be little concerned, and shall only look upon it as an additional inftance of that imperfection of mankind, which he has here treated of; from them he defires only an exemption from calumny; honour and applause he has not the vanity to hope for; thefe, he knows, they beftow not on their benefactors or inftructors, but referve for thofe alone who deceive, difturb, and deftroy them.

LET