Under Colour of a Zeal towards you, Men may fometimes at not only with impunity but Popularity, what would render them, with out that Hypocrifie, infufferably odious to their Fellow Subjects.

Under this Pretence Men may presume to practife fuch Arts for the Deftruction and Difhonour of their Country, as it would be impious to make ufe of even for its Glory and Safety Men may do in the higheft Profperity, what it would not be excufable to attempt under the loweft Neceffity!

The Laws of our Country, the Powers of the Legislature, the Faith of Nations, and the Honour of God, may be too weak Confiderations to bear up against the popular tho' groundless Cry of the Church. This fatal Prepoffeffion may fhelter Men in raifing the French Name and Roman Catholick Interelt in Great Britain, and confequently in all Europe.

It behoves you therefore, Gentlemen, to confider, whether the Cry of the Church's Danger may not at length become a Truth: And as you are Men of Senfe and Men of Honour, to exert your felves in undeceiving the Multitude, whenever their affectionate Concern for you may prove fatal to themselves.

You are furrounded by a learned, wealthy, and knowing Gentry, who can diftinguish your Merit, and do Honour to your Characters. They know with what Firmnefs as Englishmen, with what Self-Denial as Prelates, with what Charity as Chriftians, the Lords the Bishops, Fathers of the Church, have behaved themfelves in the Publick Caufe: They know what Contumelies the reft of the Clergy have undergone,

what

what Discountenance they have laboured under, what Prejudice they have fuffered in their Miniftry, who have adhered to the Cause of Truth: But it is certain that the Face of things is now too melancholy to bear any longer falfe Appearances; and common Danger has united Men, who not long ago were artfully inflamed against each other, into fome Regard of their common Safety.

When the World is in this Temper, those of our Paftors, whofe exemplary Lives and charitable Difpofitions both adorn and advance our holy Religion, will be the Objects of our Love and Admiration; and those who pursue the Gratifications of Pride, Ambition, and Avarice, under the facred Character of Clergymen, will not fail to be our Contempt and Derifion.

Noife and Wrath cannot always pass for Zeal; and if we fee but little of the publick Spirit of Englishmen or the Charity of Chriftians in others, it is certain we can feel but little of the Pleasure of Love and Gratitude, and but faint Emotions of Refpe& and Veneration in our felves.

It will be an Action worthy the Ministers of the Church of England, to diftinguish themfelves for the Love of their Country; and as we have a Religion that wants no Affiftance from Artifice or Enlargement of Secular Power, but is well fupported by the Wisdom and Piety of its Preachers, and its own native Truth, to let Mankind fee that we have a Clergy who are of the People, obedient to the fame Laws, and zealous not only of the Supremacy and Prerogative of our Princes, but of the Liber

ties of their Fellow-Subjects: This will make us who are Your Flock burn with Joy to fee, and with Zeal to imitate your Lives and Actions. It cannot be expected but that there will be, in fo great a Body, light, fuperficial, vain, and ambitious Men, who being untouched with the fublime Force of the Gospel, will think it their Intereft to infinuate Jealoufies between the Clergy and Laity, in Hopes to derive from their Order a Veneration which they know they cannot deferve from their Virtue. But while the moft worthy, confpicuous, learned, and powerful of your facred Function are moved by the noble and generous Incentives of doing Good to the Souls of Men, we will not doubt of seeing by your Miniftry the Love of our Country, due Regard for our Laws and Liberties, and Refentment for the Abufe of Truth, revive in the Hearts of Men. And as there are no Inftruments under Heaven fo capable of this great Work, that God would make you fuch to this divided Nation, is the hearty Prayer of,

PREFACE.

Never faw an unruly Crowd of People cool by Degrees into Temper, but it gave me an Idea of the Original of Power and the Nature of Civil Inftitutions. One particular Man bas ufually in thofe Cafes, from the Dignity of his Appearance, or other Qualities known or imagined by the Multitude, been received into Sudden Favour and Authority; the Occafion of their Difference has been reprefented to him, and the Matter referred to his Decifion.

This first Step towards acting reasonably bas brought them to themselves; and when the PerSon, by an Appeal to whom they firft were ta ken out of Confufion, was gone from amongst them, they have calmly taken further Measures from a Senfe of their common Good.

Abfolute unlimited Power in one Perfon feems to have been the first and natural Recourse of Mankind from Disorder and Rapine; and Such a Government must be acknowledged to be better than no Government at all: But all Refrictions of Power made by Laws and Par ticipation of Sovereignty among feveral Perfons, are apparent Improvements made upon what began in that unlimited Power. This is what feems reasonable to common Sense; and the Manner of maintaining abfolute Dominion in one Perfon, where

where ever it fubfifts, verifies the Obfervation: For the Subjection of the People to fuch Authority is Supported only by Terrors, fudden and private Executions, and Imprisonments; and not as with happy Britons, by the Fudgment, in Cafes of Liberty and Property, of the Peers, and Neighbours of Men accused or profecuted. This abfolute Power in one Perfon, as it is generally exercifed, is not indeed Government, but at beft clandeftine Tyranny, Supported by the Confederates, or rather Favourite-Slaves of the Tyrant.

I was glad to find this natural Sense of Power confirmed in me by very great and good Men, who have made Government, and the Principles on which it is founded, their profeffed Study and Meditation.

A very celebrated Author has thefe Words;

The Cafe of Man's Nature standing as it does, fome kind of Regiment the Law of Nature doth require; yet the kinds thereof being many, Nature tieth not to any one, but leaveth the Choice as a thing arbitrary. At the firft, when fome certain kind of Regiment was once approved, it may be that nothing was then further thought upon for the Manner of governing, but all permitted unto their Windom and Difcretion which were to rule, 'till by Experience they found this for all Parts very inconvenient, fo as the thing which they had devifed for a Remedy did indeed but increase the Sore which it fhould have cured. They faw that to live by one Man's Will became the Caufe of all Mens Mifery. This constrained them to come unto Laws, wherein all Men might fee their Duties before

hand,