the Romans. But, before Things proceed to oper Violence, the trueft Service a private Man may hope to do his Country, is by unbiaffing his Mind as much as poffible, and then endeavouring to moderate between the Rival Powers; which must needs be owned a fair Proceeding with the World: Becaufe, it is of all others the least consistent with the common Design of making a Fortune by the Merit of an Opinion.

I HAVE gone as far as I am able in qualifying my felf to be fuch a Moderator: I believe, I am no Bigot inReligion; and I am fure, I am none in Government. I converfe in full Freedom with many confiderable Men of both Parties; and if not in equal Number, it is purely accidental and perfonal, as happening to be near the Court, and to have made Acquaintance there, more under one Miniftry than another. Then, I am not under the Neceffity of declaring my felf by the Profpect of an Employment. And laftly, if all this be not fufficient, I induftrioufly conceal my Name; which wholly exempts me from any Hopes and Fears in delivering my Opinion.

IN Confequence of this free Ufe of my Reason, I cannot poffibly think fo well or fo ill of either Party, as they would endeavour to perfuade the World of each other, and of themselves. For Inftance; I do not charge it upon the Body of the Whigs, or the Tories, that their feveral Principles lead them to introduce Prefbytery, and the Religion of the Church of Rome, or a Commonwealth and arbitrary Power. For, why fhould any Party be accused of a Principle which they folemnly dif own and proteft againft? But, to this they have a mutual Answer ready; they both affure us, that their Adversaries are not to be believed; that they

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difown their Principles out of Fear; which are manifeft enough when we examine their Practices. To prove this, they will produce Inftances, on one Side, either of avowed Presbyterians, or Persons of libertine and atheistical Tenets; and on the other, of profeffed Papifts, or fuch as are openly in the Intereft of the abdicated Family. Now, it is very natural for all fubordinate Sects and Denominations in a State, to fide with fome general Party, and to chuse that which they find to agree with themselves in fome general Principle. Thus, at the Restoration, the Prefbyterians, Anabaptifts, Independants, and other Sects, did all with very good Reason unite and folder up their feveral Schemes to join againft the Church; who, without regard to their Diftinctions, treated them all as equal Adverfaries. Thus, our prefent Diffenters do very naturally clofe in with the Whigs, who profefs Moderation, declare they abhor all Thoughts of Perfecution, and think it hard, that those who differ only in a few Ceremonies and Speculations, fhould be denied the Privilege and Profit of ferving their Country in the highest Employments of State. Thus, the Athiefts, Libertines, Defpifers of Religion and Revelation in general; that is to fay, all thofe who usually pafs under the Name of Free-Thinkers, do properly join with the fame Body; because they likewife preach up Moderation, and are not fo over nice to distinguish between an unlimited Liberty of Confcience, and an unlimited Freedom of Opinion. Then, on the other Side, the profest Firmness of the Tories for Epifcopacy, as an Apoftolical Inftitution: Their Averfion from thofe Sects who lie under the Reproach of having once deftroyed their Conftitution, and who they imagine, by too indifcreet a Zeal for Reformation, have defaced the primitive Model of

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the Church Next, their Veneration for Monarchical Government in the common Course of Succeffion, and their Hatred to Republican Schemes. Thefe, I fay, are Principles which not only the Nonjuring Zealots profefs, but even Papists themfelves fall readily in with. And every Extreme here mentioned, flings a general Scandal upon whole Body it pretends to adhere to.

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BUT, furely no Man whatsoever, ought in Justice or good Manners to be charged with Principles he actually difowns, unless his Practices do openly, and without the leaft Room for Doubt, contradict his Profeffion: Not upon fmall Surmifes, or because he has the Misfortune to have ill Men fometimes agree with him in a few general Sentiments. However, although the Extreams of Wbig and Tory feem with little Juftice to have drawn Religion into their Controverfies, wherein they have small Concern ; yet they both have borrowed one leading Principle from the Abuse of it; which is, to have built their feveral Systems of political Faith, not upon Enquiries after Truth, but upon Oppofition to each other, upon injurious Appellations, charging their Adverfaries with horrid Opinions, and then reproaching them for the Want of Charity, Et neuter falso.

In order to remove these Prejudices, I have thought nothing could be more effectual than to defcribe the Sentiments of a Church-of-England Man with Refpect to Religion and Government. This I fhall endeavour to do in fuch a Manner as may be liable to the least Objection from either Party; and which I am confident would be affented to by great Numbers in both, if they were not mifled to thofe mutual Misrepresentations, by fuch Motives as they would be afhamed to own.

I SHALL begin with Religion.

AND

Church-of-England MAN, &c.

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AND here, although it makes an odd Sound, yet it is neceffary to fay, that whoever profeffeth himself a Member of the Church of England, ought to believe a God, and his Providence, together with revealed Religion, and the Divinity of Chrift. For, beside those many Thousands, who (to speak in the Phrase of Divines) do practically deny all this by the Immorality of their Lives; there is no fmall Number, who in their Conversation and Writings directly or by Confequence endeavour to overthrow it: Yet all these place themselves in the Lift of the National Church; although at the fame Time (as it is highly reasonable) they are great Sticklers for Liberty of Confcience.

To enter upon Particulars: A Church-of-England Man hath a true Veneration for the Scheme established among us of Ecclefiaftical Government; and although he will not determine whether Epifcopacy be of Divine Right, he is fure it is most agreeable to primitive Inftitution; fitteft, of all others, for preferving Order and Purity, and under its prefent Regulations, beft calculated for our Civil State: He should therefore think the Abolishment of that Order among us, would prove a mighty Scandal, and Corruption to our Faith, and manifeftly dangerous to our Monarchy; nay, he would defend it by Arms against all the Powers on Earth, except our own Legislature; in which Cafe, he would fubmit as to a general Calamity, a Dearth, or a Peftilence.

As to Rites and Ceremonies, and Forms of Prayer, he allows there might be fome useful Alterations; and more, which in the Prospect of uniting Chriftians might be very fupportable, as Things declared in their own Nature indifferent; to which he therefore would readily comply, if the Clergy,

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or (although this be not fo fair a Method) if th Legislature fhould direct: Yet, at the fame Tim he cannot altogether blame the former for their U willingness to confent to any Alteration; which befide the Trouble, and perhaps Difgrace, woul certainly never produce the good Effects intende by it. The only Condition that could make it pr dent, and just for the Clergy to comply in alterin the Ceremonial, or any other indifferent Par would be a firm Refolution in the Legiflature, t interpofe by fome ftrict and effectual Laws, to pr vent the rifing and spreading of new Sects, ho plaufible foever, for the future; else there must n ver be an End:. And it would be to act like a Mar who fhould pull down and change the Ornamen of his House, in Compliance to every one who w difpofed to find Fault as he paffed by; which, b fides the perpetual Trouble and Expence, would v ry much damage, and perhaps in Time destroy th Building. Sects, in a State, feem only tolerated with any Reafon, because they are already fpread and because it would not be agreeable with fo mil a Government, or fo pure a Religion as ours, ufe violent Methods againft great Numbers of my taken People, while they do not manifeftly enda ger the Conftitution of either. But, the greate Advocates for general Liberty of Confcience, wi allow that they ought to be checked in their Begi nings, if they will allow them to be an Evil at all or, which is the fame Thing, if they will onl grant, it were better for the Peace of the Stat that there fhould be none. But, while the Clerg confider the natural Temper of Mankind in genera or of our own Country in particular; what Aff rances can they have, that any Compliances the fhall make, will remove the Evil of Diffention

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