fon clofely and clearly, with extraordinary guard and caution, with great dexterity and decency; and yet with smartness and subtlety enough, with a very gentle heat and few hard words: Vertues to be prais'd wherever they are found, yea even in an Enemy, and very worthy our Imitation. Yet this great Man, who fo candidly reprefents his Adversaries, was himself moft fcurriloufly and unworthily handl'd by his own and the Enemies of the Government. And here I must do Juftice to Dr. Payne lately deceas'd, who, as he tells the World in his Letter to the Bishop of Rochester, was defir'd by his Grace the present Arch-bishop of Canterbury to answer Mr. Toland; and why should not every body that thinks him in the wrong take the fame liberty of writing against him, as he did to publish his Thoughts before? Now if Mr. Toland's own Judgment ought to be receiv'd in this cafe, the Doctor has in his two Sermons faid more against him than the Bishop of Worcester, Mr. Norris, the Anonymous Oxonian, the Author of the Occafional Paper, Mr.Beverly, Mr. Gailbard, Mr. Browne, or any other Anfwerer; and yet instead of treating him like a Dominican Inquifitor, he uses, with fome little warmth, fuch Grave and Christian Language as fhews his

Mee

Dr.Payne's

&c.

Metropolitan's Judgment and Moderation in pitching upon him, as well as his own Skill and Sincerity in the management of his Truft.

.

"We must hold this Mystery of Faith Serm.p.65, (fays Dr. Payne, fpeaking to his Auditory) with a Chriftian good Temper, and "not lofe that while we are contending "for the other; nor let our Contentions grow fo warm and intemperate, fo fierce "and cruel as to forget and violate the plain Morals of Chriftianity, while we are over earnestly difputing for the Faith "of it; or perhaps only for fome false and miftaken, or at least fome ufelefs Opinions, "and over-nice and fubtle Controverfies ·" about it. This has been the fault of "those who have contended more for "Victory than Truth, and more for their "own Credit and Vain-glory than the "Christian Faith; who tho they may be "in the right, as 'tis ten to one that "they are not (for Truth feldom "dwells with fuch a Spirit of Rage, and Pride, and Paffion, but rather with a quite other Temper) yet they greatly "differve the Caufe they fo unduly ma

nage. And as they are never like to "convince their Adverfaries, fo they "give others juft ground to fufpect that

"they

66

they Supply want of better Reason and Stronger Arguments with weak and impo"tent Calumny, with undecent and unbe"coming Reflections. This is as Criminal "and as Unchriftian as the Error or the

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Heresy they are fo zealous againft; and " 'tis to be doubted 'tis rather a falfe Fire "and a hypocritical Zeal, not for the Caufe "of God fo much as their own; and that "this is kindl'd not from the Altar, but fome "other place. and blown up by fome private "PIQUE and finifter Defigns, that thus "blazes out to fuch an outrageous degree

as to confume and destroy, not only

❝its Adverfaries if it were in its power, "but even the most vital and substantial "Parts of Christianity, even Peace, Love, "and Charity; and contends for the Chrif "tian Faith with fuch a moft Diabolical " and Unchristian Temper. This is very "far from the Spirit of Chrift and Chrifti"anity; and however precious the Faith

be, yet the Apostle tells us, if we had "all Faith, and understood all Mysteries,and "all Knowledg, yet without Charity we are "nothing, however great we may be in

our own Thoughts. And fuch a Zeal "of Sowrnefs and Bitterness, as it is gene«rally without Knowledg, fo it is always " without Religion; and tho it hold the My

• Stery

σε ftery of Faith (and do not rather per"vert and corrupt it) yet, to be fure, "this is not, according to the Apostle's Advice, in a pure Conscience.

There needs no more to be added in this place but a fincere acknowledgment from Mr. Toland, that (notwithstanding any Prejudices he may be fuppos'd to entertain against Ireland) he met there, and had the Honour to be acquainted with a great many worthy Gentlemen, who by their extraordinary Parts, Education, and Vertues, merit to be diftinguifh'd in any Country of the World. He knows feveral Men and Women (and doubtless there are or fhould be more) who don't confine all Salvation to the narrow Limits of a Sect, nor mistake the affected Phrafes of any Party for the only true Christianity: who neither hate nor defpife others for differing from them in Opinion, no more than in Features or Complexion; knowing that nobody can believe as he pleases, and it were the highest Injuftice to expect a Man fhould profefs with his Mouth what in his Heart he detefts: Perfons who can live eafily with all Men, as being of one Race, and fellow-Citizens of the fame World; not denying any body the liberby of improving the Happiness of the Soci

ety

ety by his Invention, Learning, Industry, or Example: And who, in a word, are not willing to deprive themselves of real and certain Advantages for the fake of uncertain, contefted, or ufelefs Speculations ; as if one that wants it should reject the profer'd Service of an honest and able Accountant, because he believes not a World in the Moon; or not allow an Ingenious Man's Conversation to be agreeable, for ridiculing the Fable of St. Patrick's Purgatory. As for the Publick Peace, which is pretended to be endanger'd by a TOLERATION, it has been disturb'd or subverted in all Ages and Places of the World, not either by Confcientious or Enquiring Men, but by those who no lefs dogmatically than tyrannically impofe upon their Understandings; and who, in fpite of all their Difguifes, appear to be much more concern'd for SOVERAIGNTY than REFORMATION. 'Tis likewife clear as the Sun they were Mr. Toland's Enemies that made, or continue all the needlefs ftir about his Book, and not his Friends, who only acted defenfively for the Common Liberty of Mankind, but not upon his private account. Nor does he (who, one would think, should know it beft) believe any Perfons in Ireland or elsewhere favour'd