who can bear it? But fince it appears to me to be fully warranted, or rather abfolutely required by the Laws of Chriftianity, already fet down, Page 506, 507, 508. I know of no Power on Earth that can allow me to difpenfe with them. However, feeing this whole Head chiefly concerns the Clergy of the established Church, that, if poffible, they may be at laft moved to think of the doleful Cafe they are in, and into what a doleful State they have brought our Laity, who depend upon them also. Take my own and Bishop Burnet's most serious Admonitions to them, produced formerly by me, as follows: And may Almighty God make them at laft effectual to their through Reformation. Yeare the Salt of the Earth, (Matt. v. 13.) fays our Saviour to his Apostles, and by them, in effect, to all their Succeffors in preaching his Gospel: But if the Salt have loft its Savour, wherewith fhall it be falted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be caft out, and to be trodden under Foot of Men, [See Chriftian Discipline, Page 77, 78.]

If the Reader will pardon a fhort, but not unseasonable Digreffion, it is clearly my Opinion, that till our Defenders of Chriftianity do more than they have most of them hitherto done, as to affording the World this Conviction that they are really in Earnest themselves; particularly till our Bishops leave off procuring Commendams, and heaping up Riches and Preferments on themselves, their Relations, and Favourites; nay, till they correct their Non-refidence; till they leave the Court, the Parliament, and their Politicks, and go down to their

Diocefes,

Diocefes, and there labour in the Vineyard, instead of standing the moft Part of the Day idle at the Metropolis; they may write what Vindications and Paftoral Letters they please, the obferving Unbelievers will not be fatisfied they are in Earnest, and by Confequence will be little moved by all their Arguments and Exhortations. What Opinion of the Clergy's Preaching is entertained by fome, we may learn from the known Story of the Conference between Dean Aldridge and Mr. Brotherton the famous Comedian: For when the Dean declared to Mr. Brotherton his Surprize, how Comedians should fo deeply effect an Audience, while Preachers cannot do it, whofe Subjects are yet fo much more serious and affecting than the other's Fictions; Mr. Brotherton, upon Leave obtained to fpeak his Mind with the utmoft Freedom, made Anfwer, Mr. Dean, we are in Earnest, and you are not. To this let me add, by way of Conclufion of this Head, what is already at the End of my Paper of Chriftian Discipline, P. 79, 80. and the Conclufion of my Reflections on Mr. Collins's Book of Free-thinking; as follows:

I have lamented, fays Bishop Burnet, during · my whole Life, that I faw fo little true Zeal ⚫ among our Clergy, (Hift. of bis Own Time,Vol.I. Pag. 183.) I faw much of it in the Clergy of the Church of Rome, though it is both ill-directed and ill-conducted: I faw much Zeal likewife in the foreign Churches: The Diffenters have a great deal among them; ; but I muft own, that the

the main Body of our Clergy has always appeared • dead and lifelefs to me, and inftead of animating one another, they feem rather to lay one another asleep. Without a visible Alteration in this, you will fall under an univerfal Contempt, and lofe both the Credit and the Fruits of your Miniftry. "I fay it with great Regret, I have obferved the Clergy in all Places through which I have travelled, Papifts, Lutherans, Calvinifts, and Diffenters: But of them all, our Clergy is much the most remifs in their Labours in private, and the least severe in their Lives. If the Clergy ⚫ abandon themselves to Sloth and Idlenefs; if they neglect their proper Function, and follow a vain, a covetous, or a luxurious Courfe of Life; if they, not content with educating their Children well, and with fuch a Competency as may fet them afloat in the World, think of building up their own Houfes, and raifing up great Eftates, they will put the World upon many unacceptable Enquiries: Wherefore is this Waste made? Why " are these Revenues continued to Men who make fuch an ill Ufe of them? And why is an Order kept up that does the Church fo little good, and 'gives it fo much Scandal?

、

I conclude with the Words of the Prophet Ezekiel, as fet down and applied to the Clergy of ⚫ the Chriftian Church, in the Apoftolical Conftitutions, Lib. ii. Ch; 18. [Reflect. on Free Think. Pag. 54.] And I earnesty befeech God we may all take Warning from them, left they also rife up 'to our Condemnation hereafter: Woe unto the

Shepherds

1

A

• Shepherds of Ifrael; for they have fed themselves; "the Shepherds feed not the Sheep but themselves: Ye

eat the Milk, and are cloathed with the Wool; ye

Slay the Strong, ye do not feed the Sheep. The Weak • have ye not strengthened; neither have ye healed • that which was fick; neither have ye bound up that • which was broken; neither have ye brought again that which was driven away; neither have ye fought that which was loft; but with Force and Infult bave ye ruled over them; and they were fcattered, because there was no Shepherd, and they • became Meat to all the Beasts of the Foreft."

5. The Proteftant, as well as the Popish Courts, freely tolerate, or rather greatly support and encourage, Masquerades, Ridotto's, Balls, and Plays, I had almost faid even, Bawdy-houses, and Gaming-houses alfo ; which, if any thing can be fo esteemed, are the groffeft Parts of those Pomps and Vanities of the prefent wicked World, which all Chriftians folemnly renounce in their Admiffion into the Chriftian Church by Baptifm. Nay, we here do more than, perhaps, any Popifh Kingdom in the World would do, I mean tolerate Mr. Henley, in his weekly, impious, and profane Abuse of all that is facred, for twenty-three or twenty-four Years together, every Lord's-Day Evening, as I have already noted; which I reckon amongst the Plays alfo, only much worse than they; yet do I ever esteem of these Mafquerades, Ridotto's, Balls, and Plays, Bawdy-houses, and Gaming-houses, as the Devil's Head-Quarters; where, under the Notion of Diversion, Men are taught to be enormously

wicked

wicked and profane, lewd and luxurious. Yet do I well remember, that when I once long ago caft my Eye on the Dedication of a Play to fome Bishop, or eminent Churchman, I found the Author pleaded, that None were Enemies to the Stage, but they • were Enemies to the Church, and to Episcopacy alfo.' A mighty Encomium upon the Church of England this! Nor do I perceive, that when our Princess of Wales's Great Grandfather, Erneft the Pious, (Life, Page 44.) brought a Play once to be acted before him, whofe Subject was, The State of a Debauch'd Church, he did any thing else than truly reprefent, moft, if not all our prefent Courts, where our modern Plays are acted, and as they have been here ever fince the Restoration of King Charles II. whofe Character you have in Bifhop Sherlock's Sermon at Salisbury, by me already inferted, after the fecond Part of the Memoirs of my Life, Page 7. where he fays, There never was a 'Time when Lewdness, Irreligion, and Profane-.

nefs were heard with more Patience: Tho' perperhaps I may now add, that they are at prefent heard with more publick Approbation, than they were in that debauched Court itfelf; because Lewd-. nefs, Irreligion, and Profanenefs, are greatly increafed fince that Time. Otherwife, fuch a contemptible Person as Mr. Colley Cibber would not have fo long been our Poet-Laureat; at least he would not, in this very Juncture, when every fober Christian is alarmed by the apparent Signs of the divine Displeasure, and thinking of a folemn Reformation from fuch courtly Fooleries; to adver