our Orthodox Church. St. Bafil (I think it was) very fairly challenged the Emperor, his Liege Lord, to fight him; in Defiance of the Doctrine of Paffive Obedience, which is the peculiar Doctrine of our High Churchmen; and which unless a Man believes and practifes, he cannot be faved. St. Ambrofe bullied Theodofius, the Lord's Anointed; and refused to admit his Imperial Majefty to partake of the Lord's Body, till he had made his humble Submiffion. St. Gregory Nazianzen gives a miferable and vile Character of Synods and Councils; and his Grace of Canterbury, when he was Bishop of Lincoln, and before, did the fame. Dr. Prideaux fhews Tertullian to have been a credulous weak Man, often mistaken and mifled.

As to Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, which is nothing but many large Volumes, containing fome few of the Squabbles of the Bishops and inferior Clergy with one another, and all the World: I know not whether the Ufe of it can much alter for the better any Man's Life and Principles; fince the most which he can learn by it is, that the Reverend Heroes of the Story were eternally cuffing and contradicting one another. Nothing of Humility, nor of Charity, nor of Uniformity, nor of Certainty, is to be found amongst them, or learned from them. And I know not at this Day any prevailing Opinion of any Sect of Chriftians, but what is both countenanced and condemned by one Father, or another.

LASTLY; even the most apparent Piety, the most disinterested Mind, and the most unblameable Life, though to me certains Signs of a good

*The late Dr. William Wake.

Man,

Man, yet in the Eye of our best High Churchmen, are only fhining Sins, and cannot intitle the Poffeffor to the leaft good Word or Tenderness, much less to any Authority amongst Men. Dr. Clarke, Mr. Whifton, and others, are undeniable Inftances of this Truth.

UPON the Whole Authority, as it is generally understood, is a Word pregnant with Danger and Nonfenfe. It is a falfe misleading Light,.or rather none at all; for those who follow it, do only grope in the dark: When we blindly truft to another, our own Eyes grow useless, or may give Offence.

THIS fhews its Peril; and for its Abfurdity, it will appear from hence, that it is impoffible to truft to one Authority, without trufting to more. For, either my own Reafon must be confulted and followed; and if fo, there is an End of all Authority: Or elfe, I muft truft to fome Authority to direct me what Authority I muft truft to. And, if I have Liberty to chufe my firft Guide, why not alfo my second, and so on?. For no Reafon can be given, why I may rely on my Judgment in one Cafe, and yet must refign it in just such another Case.

BUT if no Choice at all is left us in these Matters, pray how fhall we difcern Herefy from Orthodoxy, and a regular Set of Ecclefiaftics, from an irregular? If I am born in Scotland, and educated in the Prefbyterian Way; muft I continue in an invincible Antipathy to what is there called proud, lordly, Prelacy, and fuperftitious Surplices, and Popifh Ceremonies? Or, have I a Right to examine and embrace the Doctrine and Difcipline of our Orthodox, Established Church? Or, am I to embrace them without examining

them?

them? And is my Judgment to approve and condemn, only what the Parfon approves and condemns; and in all other Spiritual Matters, to lie ftill, and take its Reft? If I leave one Church for another, out of Judgment; how am I to behave myself when my Judgment changes? Or, is it our Duty to conform in fpite of our Inclinations? And have we no Right to diffent with Confcience and Conviction on our Side?

To conform without confenting, is a Contradiction, and a Mockery to the Spirit of Religion: And to conform, because I approve, is no Compliment to Authority, but, indeed, deftroys it, and justifies every Man in every Religion, provided he has taken all neceffary Pains to find out the true one. If I have a Liberty to inquire which is the best Church, I have alfo a Liberty to blame its Errors, if I fee any, as well as to admire its Excellencies: And the Authority of no Man or Men fhall determine me in either, in Oppofition to my Reafon. If I praife the Advantages of any Church, I am myself praised by its Votaries, for doing Juftice to thofe Advantges, which my Reason fhews me: But if the fame Reafon difcover Blemishes in it, I am condemned by the fame Votaries, for what I cannot help: So that I am applauded for Seeing, and damned for Seeing, at the fame Time, and from the fame Principle; namely, that of Paffion and Partiality.

THERE is therefore no Authority but Two, Scripture and Reafon. The Scripture is our Rule of Faith; and Reafon, where God gives not his Spirit, is our Rule for understanding the Scripture.

G.

NUMBER

pravation of Virtue and Morality in the World, and the feeming Decay of human Understanding. If we read the Greek, Roman, and other antient Hiftories, we shall find another Race of Men, than feem to be now exifting upon the Face of the Earth. Alexander had conquered the Eaft before Thirty: Scipio and Hannibal performed Actions of great Eclat before Twenty: Pompey triumphed over Europe, Asia and Africa, long before his Middle-age. Indeed, through the whole Roman Story, we find that their Generals, Orators, and Statesmen, fhone in full Luftre in their early Youth; and could demand their Discharge from public Bufinefs, before the Age at which we are often thought qualified to enter upon it.

THIS Difference fure cannot be owing to any real Decay of Human Nature, which undoubtedly has been always the fame fince the Flood; on the contrary, 'tis to be prefumed, since Almighty God hath communicated to us the marvellous Light of his Gofpel, and has made himself more VOL. I. known

M

known to Men, that their Faculties are bettered and improved. Befides, this Difference is obfervable only in fuch as are intitled, by their Birth and Fortunes, to the moft liberal Education; for, as to Arts and Sciences, the Moderns eminently (as I conceive) exceed the Antients : They are better Mathematicians and Mechanics, better Navigators, better Musicians, and better Husbandmen, and they attain early to their greateft Perfection in these Arts; and therefore we muft look out for other Caufes to account for this Phænomenon, which I cannot conceive to proceed only from their different Manner of Education.

THE Antients were inftructed by Philofophers; and the Moderns are taught by Priefts: The firft thought it their Duty to make their Pupils as ufeful as poffible to their Country, and the latter as fubfervient to themfelves, and the Interefts of their Order: One endeavoured to infpire them with noble and generous Sentiments, equally fit for Dominion or Subjection; and the other always inftil into them abject, fordid, and pufillanimous Principles, to qualify them to be proper Tools for their own low Purpofes: In fhort, the firft made it their Study and Business to inlarge and improve their natural Faculties, and growing Reafon; and the latter to pervert, ftifle, and extinguifh, every Approach towards true Knowledge, and public Virtue.

As foon as the Emperors and their Courts came into the Church, Ambition and Pride got in too; and the Innocence and Simplicity of primitive Christianity became corrupted, and changed into outward Pomp and Pageantry: The Clergy bethought themfelves how (in the modern Phrafe) to make the best of their Bible: Unluckily it was

all