kindle in the Minds of many the Love of Truth and facred Liberty.-At length it reached this highly-favoured Inland, warmed the Hearts of the most learned and most judicious of its Inhabitants, till, in Procefs of Time, it blazed forth in its meridian Lufire, amongst all Ranks and Orders of People.-To this, I must again fay, we owe our Liturgy and Articles-thofe faithful Mirrors of divine Truth-thofe fcriptural Interpreters of the divine Will.-The Doctrines therein contained, are not the " Doctrines of "dark and ignorant Ages of the Church," but of the enlightened Age of the Reformation, and of the moft Pious, Zealous, and Learned amongst the Reformers. In Point In Point of Compofition and Style, they are exquifitely fine, fhort without Obfcurity, explicit without Tedioufness.—Let but an impartial Mind compare our modern Compofitions with them, and the Balance of Darkness and Ignorance will incline very greatly on the Side of much later Writers.

*

After all, I am perfectly convinced that all the Objections above taken Notice of, are but Pretences, mere Pretences to cover the fole Caufe of Difcontent, I mean Infidelity-This is the Worm that lays at the Root, and endeavours to deftroy our apoftolical Confeffions, Creeds, Liturgy,

* Appendix, F,

an

Liturgy, and Articles. The Complaints, if we may judge from fome * Publications previous to this Attempt, are a motley Mixture of Infidels. of various Denominations, fuch as Deists, Arians, Socinians, and Pelagians; the grand Point they want to be rid of, is the Doctrine of the TRINITY IN UNITY, and its Confequences, fuch as the Godhead of Chrift, and the Perfonality and Godhead of the holy Ghost; if thefe could be ftruck out of the Liturgy and Articles, they would be content.-Dr. Clarke's +

BEING

*Since this Work went to the Prefs, the Author has seen a fmall Pamphlet, containing a pretended Refutation of all the Doctrines of the Church of England, as set forth in her Articles, under the artful Infinuation of difprov ing what" certain Divines have faid," which faid Pamphlet is fold very cheap, and has been given away in great Numbers; by which Circumftances, as well as from its Contents, it appears to be a wicked Contrivance, to corrupt the Minds of the People, and feduce them on the Side of the prefent Faction, against the great Truths of Chriftianity, as contained in the Liturgy and Articles of the established Church: It is hoped that a careful Perufal of the following Comment, may counterwork the Poifon, which the faid Pamphlet may have infufed into the Minds of the Ignorant and Unwary, where the Groffness of the Dofe has failed to prove its own Antidote.

+ There appeared in the London Evening Poft of the 23d of May laft, the following Letter, which, in Juftice to the Memory of Dr. Clarke, and for the Good of those whofe Principles have been injured by his Writings, I muft infert in this Place.

"For

BEING-Mahomet's ALLA-any but the TRUE GOD, will ferve their Turn and if there is a Man among ft them who will declare publicly that he believes the TRINITY, I will give up the

"For the LONDON EVENING POST. "Mr. Miller,

"Will you be fo kind as to favour the Public with thefe two little Anecdotes? They are feasonable, they 66 may be entertaining to fome, and as profitable to every "Body, as the Difpute between Wilkes and Horne. Dr. "Clarke revived the Arian Herefy-his Writings are the "Arian's Bible-his Word is their Oracle.-But is it not "furprising that they fhould attend fo religioufly to his "Errors, and yet pay no Regard to his retracting them? "For it is certain he gave up his Principles a long Time "before he died. Here are two Witneffes-good Men

" and true.

"The Rev. Mr. Jackson, Minister of Torrington, lives near Mr. Foley in Herefordshire, but now refides chiefly 68 at Bath. He told me that Dr. Samuel Clarke, on his "Death-bed, faid, Nothing grieved him fo much as "writing his Book on the Trinity, and wifhed he could "fee all his Books on that Subject burning before him.. "Mr. Jackson faid he had it from Dr. Clarke's Son.

"Biographia Britannica, Vol. V. Pag. 3489, under the "Life of the Chevalier Ramfey, in a Letter of his to Mr. "Racine-Mr. le Chevalier Newton, grand Geometre, et "nullement Metaphyficien, etoit perfuadé de la verite de "la Religion, mais il voulu rafiner fur les Erreurs anci

ennes Orientales, et renouveller l'Arianisme par l'Organ "de fon fameux Difciple et Interprete Mr. Clarke, qui "m'avoua quelque tems avant que de mourir apres plu"fieurs Conferences que j'avois eues avec lui, combien il "fe repentit d'avoir fait imprimer fon Ouvrage. Je fus σε "temoin il y a douze Ans a Londres de derniers Senti66 mens de ce modefte et vertueux Docteur."

In

the Accufation. I except the Papifts, who may have joined in the Scheme of Petitioning; they are in general found as to the Doctrine of the TRINITY; but as the Merit of Works-Purgatory-the Mass-Works of Supererogation -five of their Sacraments-the Adoration of Saints, Images, and Reliques, together with the Pope's Infallibility and Power, are expressly condemned by the Articles, I do not think any Papist will venture to attempt taking Orders, unless, amongst other convenient Alterations, the Law for Subfcriptions should be repealed.

The Points above mentioned, concerning the TRINITY, are at the Foundation of all true Religion, and are effential to its very Being; they are therefore acknowledged by every Chrif

a 2

In ENGLISH thus:

tian

"The Chevalier Newton, a great Geometrician, but "no Metaphyfician, was perfuaded of the Truth of Re"ligion, but would refine on the old Eastern Errors, and "revive Arianifm by the Means of his famous Disciple " and Interpreter Mr. Clarke, who avowed to me, fome time before his Death, after feveral Conferences which "I had with him, how much he repented of having printed "bis Work. I was Witnefs, twelve Years ago, at London, of the laft Sentiments of this modeft and virtuous "Doctor."

"Are not thefe good Authorities? Dr. Clarke retra&❝ed his Errors long before he died. Should not this "ftagger the Arians a little? Should it not put them "upon enquiring, why they believe that to be true, which Dr. Clarke himfelf believed to be falfe?"

tian Church upon Earth. In thefe, the Articles, as they totally agree with all other Chriftian Churches, fo they perfecily barmonize with the Scriptures, and confequently fubfcribing the one, is attended with no more. Hardship than fubfcribing the other: I confefs it must be hard to fubfcribe either, if we da not believe them, but no Hardship if we do:Then we shall acknowledge the Fitness of fuch Barriers against Popish or Infidel Teachers, wiso ought no more to be trufted with Offices in the Church, than Perfons who refuse to subfcribe the Declaration, and take the Qaths to the Government, with Offices of Trust and Profit in the State.

The Petitioners indeed profefs their Readiness to give any Security which the Parliament may require, against Popery; but who is to fecure us against Infidelity? How are the Mouths of Deifts, Arians, and all the rest of the Infidel Tribe to be stopped, if they are at Liberty to pray and preach as they pleafe in the Church? Now indeed they are muzzled, the Liturgy must be read, therefore wholfome Words of fund Doctrine must be pronounced in the Ears of the People; and as for their Preaching, though it be not for the Truth, yet they dare

not