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A Letter to Mr JOHN WILLISON, on a paffage in his fynodical fermon, concerning ILLITERATE MINISTERS.

He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

And

be gave fome paftors and teachers,-for the edifying of the body of Chrift, till we all come, &c. Eph. iv. 7.-14. And ye are complete in him, Col. ii. 8. 9. 10.

[First published in the year 1734-]

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SIR,

T no way surprises me, that when the cry of the danger of the church is popular, you should appear as the author of a fermon or pamphlet bearing that title; but I confefs I cannot fo easily understand how you imagine that your church is in danger from a fect which you fay "is late"ly rifen among us, who decry the knowledge of human ❝arts and sciences, and of the languages, as unnecessary for "gofpel-minifters, and therefore make choice of illiterate "men for that office."

This complaint of illiterate minifters would have come more feasonably to your church, when they depofed Melf. Colvil and Ramfay, and licensed John Gillone, than at this day, when your fect is every where complaining of the church's danger, from men in refpect of whom you your, felves are illiterate men. Your fathers, the covenanters, that abjured Independency, depofed two able ministers, and exceeding peaceable members of fociety, and fet up an illiterate man to preach the gofpel: but the men of letters, of whom you stand in fear, have only declared a few turbulent members of their fociety to be none of that fociety, of which they pretended to be a confiderable part, while they would not walk orderly in it. And you cannot charge these men of letters with the crime of palming illiterate men upon you.

The fect that makes choice of illiterate men for ministers

is none of your fociety: their minifters are not, pretend not to be ministers of your church, and they impofe their miniftry upon none. It cannot be easily believed, that you are feeking to promote the welfare of that fect, in the warning you give of the danger of illiterate minifters: and as little can it be perceived, what is the danger of your church from fuch infignificant useless perfons as you represent them to be. What have you to fear from fuch men as have neither skill nor power to handle against an adversary the only weapon they pretend to use? Or is your church in danger from the weakness of her adverfaries? Yet if, while you are giving warning of your church's danger, you are alfo fo good as to point out to that sect its danger likewise, that fect is certainly obliged to you.

After all, who knows but perhaps you have a fecret fear, that through these illiterate minifters " your craft may be in "danger of being fet at nought;" and while you are far below the prevailing party in the knowledge of letters, and feek to excel in popular preaching, they may fome way rival you in that among the people that know not letters, on whom you have the greatest influence? Yet I am of opi nion, you need have no great fear on this head; when I confider the fubject of their preaching, "the kingdom of "heaven, the kingdom that is not of this world; " which can never take with the multitude, as does the preaching of your covenanted kingdom; and when I think on the ftrictnefs of their discipline, to which your followers, that can be esteemed good Chriftians at an easier rate, will not easily submit; especially when they must lofe all their efteem among you as Chriftians, and become the objects of universal con tempt the moment they submit to it.

Perhaps you have a fufpicion, that, as it fometimes happens to the best fencers in duelling, even fo it may poffibly fare with you in a conflict with these fame illiterate men. A literate friend of yours (for fo we must call you) made a fcornful attack, not long ago, upon fome of these ministers; and all the authority he could difplay, all the grimace he was master of, was not sufficient to bear them down: Impudent fellows that they were! They handled their weapon in defence, till he thought he had enough of it, if he be capable of fuch a thought. But you are a little wifer. Your way, as far as it is above board, is, to fhow in your concio ad clerum, That the church is in danger from a fet of men, to whom it is a great lofs they want letters. 3 N 2

It

It had been still a question with me, if you indeed apprehended any danger to your church from these men, if your infinuation of a comparison to Julian, that infamous apo. state, had not betrayed your inward fear, or inclination to fill others with the greatest fear of danger from that airth; that all whom your comparison may touch, may be abhorred as haters of Zion, and that none who would be reckoned lovers of Zion may join issue with any whom you have been able to clafs with that infamous apoftate. That this good end may be reached, you take care to make that Julian no better than he was. You fay, the devil learned Julian to take away the maintenance of minifters, and put down their schools of learning; that he was guilty of robbing of ministers and fchools of learning of their maintenance and revenues; and hereupon you agree with the obfervation of your fathers and predeceffors, that he did more mischief to the church and her minifters than the bloody Dioclefian; and you give this reafon for it, That hereby he hindered a fucceffion of able minifters in the church, while, when Dioclefian took many eminent men away, there ftill arofe others in their stead. The inference must be, that the church is in greater danger from the fect that you reprefent as joining iffue with that Julian, than from the most bloody perfecutor. This ancient observation, and the reafon you bring to support it, comes very natively from clergymen; but you must excuse people of another character, if they cannot perceive the juftness of it. For they cannot think, that the church and her minifters enjoyed any of these things by Dioclefian, whereof you fay Ju lian robbed them; and if the taking away the maintenance that they had not under Dioclefian, hindered a fucceffion of able minifters in the time of Julian, which the taking away of their lives alfo could not hinder in the time of Dioclefian; it must be inferred, that these who defired the office of the miniftry in Julian's time, were men of a very different fort from these that defired it in the time of Dioclefian. It may be a queftion, if Julian deprived the Chriftian ministry of any thing the gofpel gave them; and it has been also observed, that Conftantine did more harm to the church than Julian and Dicclefian were capable to do, by their different ways of op pofition to it for that which ambitious covetous ministers reckon to be their interest, is not the interest of the pro feffion of the name of Chrift. It is certain, no true clergyman will join iffue fo far with Julian, as to declare these things unnecessary for them of which he deprived them; but

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no lover of Zion or the true church, if not abused by the clergy, can be offended, that their covetoufnefs and ambition. is not gratified. Your fort of men applaud Constantine, whose moral character is as difagreeable to the rules of the gospel as Julian's; and Jovian, a debauched man, but a firm friend to that fort of Christianity and Chriftian miniftry that was in thofe days, is as famous among you as Julian is infamous.

Because it may tend to your inftruction, I fhall take the trouble to transcribe a paffage concerning Julian from the au thor of The Fable of the Bees. The paffage is as follows.

66 When Emperors were once become Chriftians, the " clergy received fuch power and other worldly comfort from "their authority, that they could not think of living without, "and therefore loft all patience when Julian was advanced to "the empire. They did and faid against him every thing "that rage and hatred could inspire, and fixed upon him the "firname of Apoftate, to render him odious, which has "ftuck by him to this day. Julian had been differently edu"cated, as well at Pagan as at Chriftian universities, and at one time he had Heathens, and at another Chriftians for "his tutors: but I never faw it proved, that he adhered to "Christianity at a time he might with fafety have refused it. "It must be confeffed, that as foon as he was master of his "choice, he made the worft, and unfortunately embraced Paganism, because it was the religion of his ancestors. "But let him be called Heathen or Apoftate, or what the "clergy pleases, to judge of him impartially from history, we must own, that he was a virtuous and gallant prince, "endued with wit and humanity, and more steddiness and "moderation than any of his Chriftian predeceffors. "his letters, he appears to have been a father to his people; " and one of them I will take leave to infert here, which "will make us perfectly well acquainted with the tolerating 66 temper of that prince, and at the fame time, point at the "real caufe of the clergy's animofities against him.

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Julian to the Boftrens.

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Should have thought, indeed, that the Galilean leaders 46 would have efteemed themselves more indebted to me "than to him who preceded me in the administration of the empire for, in his time, many of them fuffered exile, "perfecution, and imprisonment; multitudes of those whom "in their religion, they term heretics, were put to the

"fword;

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"fword; infomuch, that in Samofata, Cyzicum, Paphla "gonia, Bithynia, Galatia, and many other countries, whole towns were levelled with the earth. The juft reverse of "this has been observed in my time. The exiles have been "recalled, and the profcribed restored to the lawful poffef"fions of their eftates: but to that height of fury and dif "traction are this people arrived, that, being no longer al"lowed the privilege to tyrannise over one another, or per"fecute either their own fectaries, or the religious of the "lawful church, they fwell with rage, and leave no stone un. "turned, no opportunity unemployed, of raising tumult and "fedition. So little regard have they to true piety, fo little "obedience to our laws and conftitutions, however humane "and tolerating. For ftill do we determine, and steadily re"folve, never to fuffer one of them involuntarily to be "drawn unto our altars. *** As for the mere people, in"deed, they appear driven to these riots and feditions by "these amongst them whom they call clerics; who are now "inraged to find themselves reftrained in the use of their for"mer power and intemperate rule. *** They can no longer "act the magiftrate, or civil judge, nor affume authority to "make people's wills, fupplant relations, poffefs themselves "of other mens patrimonies, by fpecious pretences, transfer "all into their own poffeffion. For this reason, I have "thought fit, by this public edict, to forewarn the people of "this fort, that they raise no more commotions, nor gather "in a riotous manner about their feditious clerics, in de"fiance of the magiftrate, who has been infulted, and in danger of being ftoned by these incited rabbles. In their "congregations, they may notwithstanding assemble, as they

pleafe, and croud about their leaders performing worship, "receiving doctrine, and praying according as they are by "them taught and conducted: but if with any tendency to "fedition, let them beware how they hearken or give affent, "and remember it is at their peril, if, by thefe means, they

are fecretly wrought up to mutiny and infurrection. "Live therefore in peace and quietnefs, neither spite "fully oppofing, or injuriously treating one another. You

mifguided people of the new way, beware on your fide! "And you of the ancient established church, injure not "your neighbours and fellow citizens, who are enthufiafti. "cally led away in ignorance and mistake, rather than with

defign or malice. It is by discourse and reason, not by "blows, infults, or violence, that men are to be informed

"of