nefs, humility, and heavenly-mindedness.'-This is a fubject on which the minifters of the established church, and thofe of diffenting congregations, muft, for ever, entertain very different ideas.

The effects of this fyftem, fays Dr. P. we are grieved to fee in the apparent worldly-mindedness of a great part of the clergy; in the fcandalous height to which pluralities and nonrefidence (things fo apparently inconfiftent with the proper function of chriftian minifters) are arrived; in the ftrong temptation that men are laid under to prevaricate with their confciences, by fubfcribing to what they do not believe, in order to advance themselves in the church, i. e. in the world; and in the tendency the whole fyftem has to debase that noble independence of mind, which is the glory of the chriftian miniftry; and to degrade that order of men into the tools of court policy. These abufes we are forry to fee increafing every day, a great part of the clerical duty being now done by curates, many of whom are very indifferently qualified, and as indifferently provided for, while the higher ranks of the clergy roll in wealth, and the bishopricks are vifibly tending to abfolute fecularization.

It will be no furprise to us, after fome time, to fee all the valuable livings in the kingdom appropriated to maintain the dignity of the younger fons of great families. The very idea of any obligation to fupport the clerical character may be loft; and then it will be no additional scandal, if the revenues of ecclefiaftical offices be difpofed of like thofe in the civil departments, even if they be made hereditary; or if fome other rule be established, by which they may come into the poffeffion of minors.

The hardships of the inferior clergy, who, notwithstanding an ample fufficiency in the revenues of the church, are, in many cafes, almoft wholly fubfifted by voluntary contribution, do certainly prompt them to remonftrate. And fhould they boldly make their complaint, and exhibit a faithful state of their cafe to the public, we have no doubt but they would obtain redrefs. All church livings would be reduced to a moderate competency; every minifter would then refide; he would do the duty himself, curates would be almost unknown, and the number of the clergy greatly reduced. But fo long as the poffibility of advancing himself flatters every individual, that his own grievances may be of no long continuance, he makes light of, or conceals his fufferings. Inftead of complaining, he is only more affiduous in paying his court to his fuperiors; which, he is fenfible, he fhould do with a very ill grace, and to little purpose, if he should fo much as hint at the fhameful inequality there is in the provifion for the clergy. This, though it be the fource of almoft every corruption in the whole fyftem, and

therefore

therefore fhould be firft rectified, is the caufe of the continuance of them all. It feems to be confidered as the most facred part of the fanctuary; and is that, for the fake of which the fuperior clergy are fo extremely attentive to prevent the least alteration, or amendment, in any thing elfe. If but the extremity of the web be touched, the alarm is felt to the very center. And fo, it appears to us, things are likely to remain, till, in fome general convulfion of the state, fome bold hand, fecretly impelled by a vengeful providence, fhall fweep down the whole together.'

Our Author now proceeds to animadvert on the popish veftments * retained in the church of England, on the confecration of churches and church-yards, the fign of the crofs in baptifm, the ufe of godfathers and godmothers, wheeling about to the eaft in the recitation of the Creed, and bowing at the name of Jefus. Of thefe, fays he, we fee no trace in the New Teftament; and we look upon them to have been introduced into the church in barbarous and fuperftitious ages, without any authority of reafon or the fcriptures. We fee most of them rejected in all other reformed churches, and we think it a difgrace to the good fenfe and understanding of Englishmen to re

tain them.'

He next ftates the objections brought by Diffenters against a liturgy, or prefcribed forms of prayer; against the Athanafian doctrine of the Trinity, original fin, predeftination, fubfcription to the 39 articles, &c.--Among other reflections on the conduct of the clergy, with regard to the laft-mentioned point, he has the following:

We are perfuaded that these doctrines of the church, and this practice of the clergy are, in fome measure, caufes of the infidelity that prevails fo generally, and which is vifibly gaining ground in this country. Men of fenfe will not believe that many things in the religion of the church of England can be of God, and men of a fuperficial, and efpecially of a licentious turn of mind, will not take the pains to look for any other.

We think our Author might have spared fo frivolous a circumftance as the use of the white furplice. There is no ftandard that we know of, either in fcripture or in reafon, for religious vestments. Whatever the taste or fancy of men may deem becoming, is fo to them and who hath a right to prefcribe to, or quarrel with them. about the cut or the colour of their cloaths? Does not Dr. P. himself wear a white Band; and may not that band, harmless and fimple as it seems, be held in as much abomination, by other fectaries, as the furplice is by our nonconformists in general? May not the plain and primitive Quaker, for inftance, while a Diffenting minifter is exclaiming againft the furplice as a Babylonish Garment, with equal juftice tellify against his band as a Rag of Superftition?

They

They alfo imagine that this is the fecret opinion of many of the clergy. They may perhaps know it to be fo with respect to fome of them, of whofe understanding they have the best opinion; and their fufpicion with refpect to the reft will naturally be ftrengthened, by feeing them fo little fcrupulous in the bufinefs of fubfcription; when they are perfuaded that they cannot believe fome of the things that they profefs to believe. If it be only thought that the clergy prevaricate in a thing of fo folemn a nature, it cannot but have the worst influence.'

The Doctor continues, If it be our misfortune, as Dr. Blackftone thinks (Reply, p. 10.) to entertain these fentiments, it is a misfortune that, I am afraid, will remain without remedy; and that all our reading and thinking will but tend to confirm us in them. But we Diffenters conder it as our fingular privilege, that our fituation, how unfavourable foever in other refpects, is' favourable to free inquiry; and that we have no fuch bias upon our minds, in favour of eftablished opinions, as is infeparable from fuch a hierarchy as that of the church of England; the influence of which is fo great, that, notwithstanding the founders of it, in the reign of Henry VIII. and more efpecially under Edward VI. are well known to have meant to proceed much farther, and only acquiefced in what they then did, as the beft reformation that they thought the times would bear, (though, in many respects, far fhort of what was propofed by Wickliffe a century before) not a fingle ftep has been advanced, in the period of about 200 years, that have elapfed fince their times and ours; a period in which there has been an almoft total revolution in the whole fyftem of thinking in Europe, and which has affected moral and theological fubjects as much as any other. Still, however, the old imperfect fyftem is the standard; and the writings of Dr. Blackftone and others convince us, that it will, probably, be the ne plus ultra, notwithstanding the affiduous endeavours that have always been made, and still are making, by serious and intelligent members of the church, to promote a farther reformation.'

Should any perfon be of opinion that the principles of the Diffenters have any tendency to make them bad fubjects, our Author, in his 2d and 3d fections, undertakes to demonftrate, that there is not the leaft reafon for any apprehenfion of this kind; and, after an ample expofition of their political principles, he concludes that, taking the whole of our happy conftitution together, there are no members of the community who know it better, who value it more, or who would rifk more for the fupport of it.'-Thofe who wish to fee in what manner the Author reconciles this. declaration with the objections brought

brought by Diffenters against our ecclefiaftical establishment, we muft refer to his 3d fection: in which he endeavours to prove that, in general, they are by no means enemies to ecclefiaftical eftablishments as fuch; and that they would cheerfully contribute to the fupport of one, provided it were upon a broad bottom —the nature of which he fully explains.

The 4th section is appropriated to the vindication of the nonconformifts, from the charge of fedition; and, in order to this, he takes a concise view of their hiftory; from whence he draws this conclufion (we believe very fairly) that as long as there is a Protestant Diffenter in England, there will be a firm and intrepid friend to the Proteftant fucceffion, to the liberty, and to the prefent happy conftitution of this country; and with all those who value these great objects, the Diffenters will always bave merit.'

In fect. V. he confiders the opinion of those who think that though Diffenters ought to be tolerated, yet that fuch indulgence is but a neceffary evil in the community; that it would be much better if there were no Diffenters; but that all the members of the fame community were agreed in their religious fentiments and form of worship. In answer to this he endeavours to fhew, that many and very obvious benefits accrue to a state from the multiplicity of fects; and that it is greatly for the advantage of religion and the fociety, that no obftruction be thrown in the way, either of forming new fects, or of continuing the old ones.' His arguments, in fupport of thefe doctrines, are various, and well deferve the ferious attention of those who have been warm and zealous fticklers for religious uniformity. -He concludes with expreffing his hope, that when all that has been advanced in this treatise, and the view here given of the principles and past history of the Diffenters, have been attentively confidered, it will appear to the candid and unprejudiced, that the conduct of the governors of this country, with refpect to our ancestors, was unjuft, ungenerous, and indefenfible; and that the prefent race of Diffenters, though many of them have departed farther from the religious principles of the established church, are by no means enemies to civil government in general, or to the conftitution of this country in particular; but that their principles and behaviour are fuch, as intitle them to the full confidence of their fellow citizens; and that it would be juft, wife, and (confidering the long prevalence of popular prejudices) magnanimous, in the British legiflature, to deliver them from the terror of those penal laws; which are as great a reflection on the humanity and good fenfe of thofe who continue them in force, as they are an opprobrious diftinction, and imply a moft unjuft fufpicion of the loyalty of those who are expofed to the feverity of them.

In the mean time, the confideration of the hardships we lie under, is far from making us forgetful of, or unthankful for, the privileges we enjoy, though under the humiliating idea of a toleration; and fo long as the mildness of the adminiftration fcreens us from the heavy penalties to which we are expofed, I believe we shall give the government very little trouble with our remonftrances about our negative punishments. And fhould the ftorm of perfecution return, with its former violence, we had rather be among those against whom it is directed, than among those who direct it.'

For many other obfervations relating to the fubject of this publication, the Author (in a N. B. at the end of his Preface) refers his Readers to his Efay on the first Principles of Govern ment, and to his Confiderations on Church Authority: for both which fee our late Reviews.

ART. V. Some Account of the Charitable Corporation, lately elected for the Relief of the Widows and Children of Clergymen, in the Communion of the Church of England in America; with a Copy of their Charters, and fundamental Rules. And alfo a Sermon, preached in Chrift Church, Philadelphia, October 10, 1769, before the faid Corporation, on Occafion of their first Meeting. By William Smith, D.D. Provost of the College and Academy of Philadelphia. 4to. Philadelphia printed. 1769.

HE following is an extract from Dr. Smith's account of the rife and progrefs of this truly humane and benevolent Scheme :

The diftreffed circumstances, in which the epifcopal clergy in the more northern provinces of America, and efpecially the millionaries in the fervice of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, have 100 frequently been obliged to leave their families, had long been matter of difcouragement to many from entering into the miniftry of our church, as well as of regret to pious and worthy members thereof.

After fundry overtures, from time to time, it was at length refolved, at a meeting of the clergy at Elizabeth-Town, in New-Jerfey, October 1767, to appoint a committee to frame fome plan of provifion for the diftreffed widows and children of fuch of our clergy as fhould die in narrow or neceffitous circumftances. In pursuance of this appointment, Dr. Auchmuty, Rector of Trinity Church, Dr. Cooper, Prefident of King's College, both of New-York, Mr. Cooke, Mitionary in Monmouth county, New-Jersey, and myself, met at Perth-Amboy, May 12, 1768; and drew up a fcheme for the approbation of our brethren; recommending it to them to folicit charters in each of the three provinces of New-York, New-Jersey, and Pennfylvania, that we might be a body corporate, in which ever of thefe provinces we might have occafion to meet.

This fcheme having obtained the approbation of feveral fucceeding meetings of the clergy, and a draft of a charter being fettled,

two