'know not the precife Meaning of it, 'tis enough that they are taught to think it an ill Name: And if they make it to fignify far worse in their confused Imaginations, than it imports in itself; or even in the Opinion of those who give it out; it will the more effectually ferve the Purpose of fixing an Odium. Now the Man is fingled out, he is confider'd as an infected Perfon, his very Breath is tainted, and his Converfation dangerous. And whoever ufes him with more Humanity than the reft, is prefently made an Accomplice in his Crimes, a Confederate with him against Religion and the Church. However honourable his Character was before, however fair he stood in the Opinion of the World, all his Reputation is loft at once: His plaufible Behaviour only covered a falfe Heart; or, Pride and Self-Efteem induced him to prefer his own Judgment to the Sentiments of fo many wife and learned Men; poffibly you may hear, that a little Learning has made him mad. And now 'tis no Matter, how he is treated, what Turns are given to his Ations, what forced Conftructions are put upon his Words, what Prejudice he receives in his Circumftances, or whether he fhall be of any farther Ufe to the World, or enjoy any comfortable Days in it: The Badnefs of the Man is thought an Excufe for all. I fhould be glad there were no Occafion for Complaint of fuch Inhuman, not to fay Unchriftian Conduct among Proteftants. And how few have the Bravery to bear

up

up against fuch a Torrent of Defama

tion?

4

I am fure the Man, who has Refolution to avow what he thinks Truth, in the midft of fuch difheartning Views, tho' he fhould be mistaken in his Judgment, deferves a higher Encomium from every impartial Chriftian, than any lazy Believer im the Church, who takes his Faith upon content without a competent Enquiry whether it be well founded. He will have, in all hisi Sufferings, the Approbation of God, the Pleafure of a peaceful Mind, and the Ap plauses of all difinterested and confiderate People.

But after all, it is of great Confequence, that a prudent Manner fhould be observed, as well as a frank Ingenuity, in Retracta tions. And that Method of acting must be moft proper in the Cafe, which will moft effectually reach the Ends propofed in it. Now a Man, in retracting, would willingly be thought to be in earnest, himself; and at the fame time would defire to have his Conduct as ufeful, as he can make it, to others; that is, he would be glad to confirm thofe who think as he does, and convince others who are of a different Sentiment.

To obtain these Ends therefore, fuch a Profeffion of Change fhould be made cool ly and upon deliberation. It fhould not have the least Appearance of Refentment, or be managed with any Heat and Paffion; but plainly carry the Marks of Thought, and impartial Confideration. His prefent Ap

1

pre

prehenfions fhould be deliver'd with the most deft Air of a Man, who is made the more fenfible, by his late Conviction, that he is liable to Miftake. It must be with a very ill Grace, that he pours out uncharitable Cenfures upon a Party he has relinquished, or allows himself to fay all the ill Things he can of them. He may be confcious to himfelf, that he was really, as honest and meant as well, while he entertained the Error he has now seen reafon to recant, as fince he came to difcern his Miftake: And that certainly obliges him to maintain as good an Opinion of the Integrity of those who cannot yet fee with his Eyes, as of his own. Therefore there ought to be no uncharitable Reflections upon them, as he esteems it a Hardship to have any caft out upon himfelf. If he exposes the Principles which now he thinks falfe by their fuppofed Confequences, he fhould be very careful that he impute not those invidious Confequences to all who own the Principles, any more than he discovered them formerly himself. It lies upon him to fhew, by the fulleft Evidence he is capable of giving, that his whole Conduct is free from Guile and Diffimulation; that there may be the lefs Ground to fufpect it in the Part he now acts, which People are fo apt to blacken with that Imputation.

A wife Man would not willingly chufe fuch a Seafon to make his Retractation, when the Principles he disclaims would interfere with his Temporal Intereft, and

the

the new Sentiments he efpoufes would be likely to promote it. Or, when any mean End is vifibly ferved by it, the Sincerity of the Retractation will not fail to be call'd in Question; and one cannot tell how to say, it is a Breach of Charity. If Dean Sherlock fhould at this time renounce the Principles of his 5th of November Sermon, after the glaring Evidence that had been given of its utter Inconfiftency with his prefent Notions and Conduct, I doubt he would find few credulous enough to imagine that he has changed his Sentiments. The World would rather take it to proceed from a Refolution to purfue his Pique against my Lord of Bangor, and Complaifance to his new Allies.

The Thoughts of this Effay will neceffarily bring Mr. Pillonniere's Cafe into the Reader's View. The natural Simplicity of his Relation fets the Mind at reft for the Evidence of Fa&t. A Man feels himfelf moft fenfibly entertained with the gradual Entrance of Light, as his Eyes were opening out of the Blindness of Popish Bigotry. His frank and ready Pursuit of Truth, as it led him on to discover one Miftake after another, is an illuftrious Inftance of unbiafs'd Sincerity. The ftrong Prejudices that reign in Popish Countries can never be reprefented in a more ftriking Manner, than in the Power they had upon a fenfible and indulgent Father to lay afide all Tenderneffes for a Son, meerly for a Difference of Opinion. It revives the Idea of D

a Primitive Confeffor, to fee this young Gentleman bravely executing the Refolution to forfake Relations and native Land, the Conveniencies of a Plentiful Condition, and the Profpects of an advancing Fortune; to run the rifque of a Seizure by his Enemies, and to put himself upon the doubtful Generofity of Strangers; becaue he could no longer bear to fupprefs the Light of important Truth within his own Breaft. We have a Recantation full and hearty, not of the more innocent Errors of Popery only; but of the very Spirit and Temper, whereever it appears; abftracted from which its very Idolatry and Superftition would be infinitely more harmless, because these would hurt no Body but themselves. I am heartily forry that this Generous Stranger fhould have met with fo much of this among our felves; and ftill be pofted for a Jefuit by the empty Noife and Din of a few Bigots; meerly becaufe that Name is fitted to ferve the fame, Purposes with our Populace, as that of Heretick in his own Country. The felf denying Evidences he has given of the Sincerity of his Change, are worth a thousand formal Recantations: The Doctor, who was loudeft in the Clamour for want of that Form, has been made appear to have fo much miftaken both the Demands and the Practice of the Church of England; that I cannot help thinking that his Silence upon that Head pro

Dr. Snape inftructed

*

ceeds