dulgent, external profeffors of our national religion fhall either give up that fallacious hypocritical reafon for taking off the teft, or freely confefs, that they defire to have a gate wide open for every fect without any teft at all, except that of swearing loyalty to the king: which, however, confidering their principles with regard to monarchy yet unrenounced, might, if they would please to look deep enough into their own hearts, prove a more bitter teft, than any other that the law hath yet invented.

For from the first time that these fectaries appeared in the world, it hath been always found, by their whole proceedings, that they profeffed an utter hatred to kingly government. I can recollect, at prefent, three civil eftablishments, where Calvinifts and fome other reformers, who rejected epifcopacy, poffefs the supreme power; and these are all republicks; I mean, Holland, Geneva, and the reformed Swiss cantons. I do not say this in diminution or disgrace to commonwealths; wherein I confefs I have much altered many opinions under which I was educated, having been led, by fome obfervation, long experience, and a thorough deteftation for the corruptions of mankind: infomuch, that I am now juftly liable to the cenfure of Hobbes, who complains, that the youth of England imbibe ill opinions from reading the hiftories of ancient Greece and Rome, thofe renowned fcenes of liberty and every virtue.

But as to monarchs, who must be fuppofed well to study and understand their own intereft; they will beft confider, whether those people, who in all their actions, preachings, and writings, have openly declared themselves against regal power, are to be fafely placed in an equal degree of favour and truft, with those who have been always found the true and only friends to the English establishFrom which confideration I could have added one more article to my new teft, if I had thought it worth my time.

I have been affured, by fome perfons who were prefent, that several of these diffenting teachers, upon the first arrival hither to folicit the repeal of the teft, were pleased to exprefs their gratitude by publickly drinking the healths of certain eminent patrons, whom they pretend to have found among us. If this be true, and that the test must be delivered up by the very fuperiors appointed to defend it; the affair is already, in effect, at an end. What fecret reasons those patrons may have given for fuch a return of brotherly love, I fhall not enquire: For, O my foul, come not thou in their fecret; unto their affembly, mine honour, be not thou united. For in their anger they flew a man, and in their felfwill they digged down a wall. Curfed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Ifrael.

THE

THE

ADVANTAGES

proposed by

Repealing the Sacramental Teft.

IMPARTIALLY CONSIDERED.

Written in the Year 1732.

HOEVER writes impartially upon this

W fubject, muft do it not only as a mere fe

cular man; but as one who is altogether indifferent to any particular system of chriftianity. And, I think, in whatever country that religion predominates, there is one certain form of worship and ceremony, which is looked upon as the established; and confequently, only the priests of that particular form are maintained at the public charge; and all civil employments beftowed among thofe, who comply (at least outwardly) with the fame establish

ment.

This method is ftrictly obferved, even by our neighbours the Dutch, who are confeffed to allow the fulleft liberty of confcience of any chriftan ftate; and yet are never known to admit any persons into

U 4

civil

civil offices, who do not conform to the legal worship. As to their military men, they are, indeed, not fo fcrupulous; being, by the nature of their government, under a neceffity of hiring foreign troops, of whatever religious denomination, upon every great emergency, and maintaining no fmall number in time of peace.

This caution therefore of making one established faith, feems to be univerfal, and founded upon the strongest reafons; the mistaken or effected zeal of obftinacy and enthusiasm having produced fuch a number of horrible deftructive events throughout all Christendom. For whoever begins to think the national worship is wrong in any important article of practice or belief, will, if he be serious, naturally have a zeal to make as many profelytes as he can; and a nation may poffibly have an hundred different fects with their leaders; every one of which hath an equal right to plead, that they must obey God rather than man; must cry aloud and spare not ; muft lift up their voice like a trumpet.

This was the very cafe of England during the fanatic times. And against all this there feems to be no defence, but that of fupporting one eftablished form of doctrine and difcipline; leaving the rest to a bare liberty of confcience, but without any maintenance or encouragement from the publick.

Wherever this national religion grows fo corrupt, or is thought to do fo by a very great majority of landed people joined to the governing party, whe

ther

ther prince or fenate, or both, it ought to be changed; provided the work might be done without blood or confufion. Yet, whenever fuch a change shall be made, fome other establishment muft fucceed, although for the worfe; allowing all deviations, that would break the union, to be only tolerated. In this fenfe, those who affirm that every law, which is contrary to the law of God, is void in itself, feem to be mistaken: for many laws in popish kingdoms and states, many more among the Turks, and, perhaps, not a few in other countries, are directly against the divine laws; and yet, God knows, are very far from being void in the executive part.

Thus for instance, if the three eftates of parlia ment in England (whereof the lords fpiritual, who represent the church, are one) fhould agree and obtain the royal affent to abolish epifcopacy, together with the liturgy, and the whole frame of the English church, as burthenfome, dangerous and contrary to holy Scripture, and that presbytery, anabaptifm, quakerism, independency, muggletonianism, brownifm, familifm, or any other fubdivided sect among us, should be established in its place: without question all peaceable fubjects ought paffively to submit; and the predominant fect muft become the religion established; the publick maintaining no other teachers, nor admitting any perfons of a different religious profeffion into civil offices, at leaft if their intention be to preferve the nation in peace. Suppofing then, that the prefent fyftem of religion were abolished; and presbytery, which I find

ftands