and in the most explicit terms, thank God that he hath in great mercy taken him to himself; and pray, that when you die, yourself may restin Christ, as you hope this Arian or Socinian doth. Is this the language of a person who does not quite despair concerning the state of a departed heretic? Such trifling only hurts a cause: you had much better have done here as with the burial-office and absolution, have passed it over in silence, and not attempted to defend what every one sees to be incapable of defence.

But the unfeigned assent and consent which you have solemnly given, and which every clergyman is obliged most solemnly to give, sticks, no doubt greatly, and makes you strain every nerve in endeavouring to let it pass. Such potions, indeed, must be bitter: God grant they be not malignant! To numbers in your own church it cannot but be difficult, in God's presence and before his church, to give their unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained in the Athanasian creed, with all its explications, limitations, and damnatory clauses;---a creed whose limitations they condemn, whose explications they deride, and whose damnatory clauses they heartily detest and abhor:---yet, in God's presence, and before his church, I repeat it with astonishment! to declare their unfeigned assent and consent to them all, is a potion, surely, which, though sweetened with the noblest church preferments, a man might justly dread to swallow! You wonder, Sir, perhaps, to see Deism, Infidelity, Popery, a corruption of of manners, and contempt of holy things, prevail throughout the land: I acknowledge, I do not. For, when those who are to be the great examples and teachers of righteousness too generally enter upon their sacred office with a dangerous violation of it, subscribing articles they do not believe, preaching contrary to their subscriptions, declaring solemnl

their unfeigned assent to what they do not approve, but, perhaps, heartily detest, and prostituting the holy rites and offices of their religion to political and sordid ends, why should it be thought strange if Popery and Infidelity greatly gain ground? And what wonder if they should still fore fatally prevail?"*

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SECT. XII.

The Scottish Presbyterian ESTABLISHMENT vindicated.

IF schism be so dangerous and damnable a thing as you represent it,†methinks your solemn warnings against it ought not to be confined merely to the sinners on this side the Tweed, but from the profusion of your charity to the English Dissenters, a little of it should extend also to your episcopal brethren, the Dissenters from the church by law established in Scotland. But these, such is your partiality, instead of censuring, you endeavour to justify; yea, to justify upon such prin

* See a like manifest inconsistence between the XXVth article and the office for confirmation. The article says, " Confirma" tion has not any visible fign, or ceremony, ordained of God." But the office commands the bishop to declare, "That he hath " laid his hands on the confirmed (after the example of the holy "Apoftles) to certify them by this fign of God's favour."-Behold an evident contrariety! but to both parts unfeigned affent and confent, is obfequioufly given.

It is something (more than) odd, a learned bishop of yourown has lately observed, to have two creeds established in the fame church, in one of which those are declared accurfed who deny the Son to be of the fame hypostasis with the Father: and, in the other, it is declared they cannot be saved, but perish everlastingly, who do not affert that there is one hypoftafis of the Father and another of the Son. Eflay on Spirit, Sect. 146. Dedication, page 15.

+ II Defence, page 63.

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ciples as certainly expose yourself to heavy censure and rebuke. You allege, "That they did "not separate from the presbyterians, but the "presbyterians from them:---that, by tumults, " false musters, and other misrepresentations of " persons and things, the Presbyterians got them"selves established:---but that, having renounced "episcopacy, and their ordination being irregu"lar, their communion can neither be safe nor "lawful."* Behold, in these last words, that schismatical dividing spirit from which you endeavour to vindicate your church! A severe and unchristian sentence! by which you unchurch.at once, and cut off from christian fellowship all the foreign reformed churches, a glorious and great company, and pronounce them not to belong to the visible church of Christ. They have all renounced episcopacy, in your sense of the word ; their ordinations therefore you declare irregular, being only Presbyterian, and their communion to be neither safe nor lawful, i. e. it is a dangerous and wicked thing to hold communion with them. Your own sober thoughts, Sir, and the episcopal authority under which you are placed, will, I doubt not, correct you for so immodest. a censure. To assist the former in this good office, I would offer two things to your serious review.

1. That the very canons of the church of England, to which you have sworn obedience, асknowledge the church of Scotland to be a true sister-church; commanding all its clergy to pray for the churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland, as parts of Christ's holy catholic church, which is dispersed throughout the world. Canon LV. Note, the church of Scotland, when these canons were made, was, Presbyterian as it is now. And,

North Britain, is established by the very same authority, and rests upon the same law, as the episcopal church in South Britain.

The very same legislative powers, which established and formed the one, have likewise established the other; if then it be schism, rebellion and contumacy, against governors to separate from the latter, it is also most certainly the very same to separate from the former. As for "Tu"mults and false musters, by which it got itself " established," you should have known that the sense of the Scottish nation was, perhaps, ten tinies more general for Presbyterianism, in the reigns of King William and Queen Anne, when that form was established there, than the sense of the English nation was for Protestantism, in the reigns of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth, when the episcopal church of England was formed and established here. But, if the settlement of Protestantism in England, by the crown and parliament of these realms, was valid and right, even though the bishops and clergy were almost unanimously against it, surely Presbyterianism in Scotland, enacted and established by the same crown and parliament, must be equally valid, especially as the voice of their clergy, as well as their laity, ran not only violently, but generally that way.

A grand convention of the states in Scotland, at the revolution, in a claim of rights which they presented as containing the fundamental and unalterable laws of that kingdom, declare, "That "the reformation in Scotland having been begun " by a parity among the clergy, all prelacy in "that church was a great and unsupportable "grievance to that kingdom." King William, however, (Bishop Burnet* informs us,) "assured

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"the episcopal party there, that he would do all "that he could to preserve them (established,) " granting a full toleration to the Presbyterians, " provided they concurred in the new settlement "of the kingdom: (i. e. in renouncing King "James, and owning himself as their sovereign.) "But the bishops and their followers resolved to " adhere firmly to the interests of King James, " and so declaring in a body, with much zeal, in "opposition to the new settlement, it was not "possible for the king to preserve that(episcopal) "government there, all those who expressed their " zeal for him being equally zealous against that " order."

This establishment of Presbytery was again, in the most solemn manner, enacted and con firmed by the Queen (Anne) and parliament of England, when the Union was made. You speak, therefore, of this affair, Sir, in more coarse and disrespectful language than is either decent or true, when you talk of insurrections, false musters, misrepresentations, &c. It was done upon the most mature and grave deliberations both of King William and Queen Anne, and of the lords and commons of both kingdoms in parliament assembled: it has received the most sacred sanction a human law can receive; and is made as essential and fundamental a part of our constitution as the church of England itself. Take heed, therefore, that you are not preparing a rod for your own correction; and lest by teaching men to argue away the legality and reverence of the Presbyterian establishment in North Britain, you incautiously give a mortal stab to your favourite church, which is established here. You may please to observe also, that, when you call the episcopal dissenters there the church of Scotland, it is with just the same propriety, decency, and good sense, as if the dissenters should call themselves the church of England here.