forced to declare that having had much free conversation with many that have been fatally corrupted that way, they have very often owned to me, that nothing promoted this so much in them, as the very bad opinion which they took up of all clergymen of all sides: They did not see in them that strictness of life, that contempt of the world, that zeal, that meekness, humility and charity; that diligence and earnestness, with relation to the great truths of the christian religion, which they reckoned they would most certainly have,. if they themselves firmly believed it. therefore they concluded, that those, whose business it was more strictly to enquire into the truth of their religion, knew that it was not so certain, as they themselves for other ends, endeavoured to make the world believe it was; And that though, for carrying on of their own authority or fortunes, which in one word, they call their trade, they seemed to be very positive in affirming the truth of their doctrine; yet they in their own hearts did not believe it, since they lived so little suitable to it, and were so much set on raising themselves by it; and so little on advancing the honour of their profession, by an exemplary piety, and a shining conversation.

This is a thing not to be answered by being angry at them for saying it, or by reproaching such as repeat it, as if they were enemies to the church; these words of heat and faction signifying nothing to work upon, or convince any. For how little strength soever there may be in this, as it is made an argument, it is certainly so strong a prejudice, that nothing but a real refutation of it, by the eminent virtues and labours of many of the elergy, will ever conquer it. To this, as a branch or

part of it, another consideration from the present state of things is to be added, to call upon the clergy to set about the duties of their calling; and that is the contempt they are generally fallen under, the injustice they daily meet with in being denied their rights, and that by some out of principle, and by others out of downright and undisguised sacrilege. I know a great deal of this is too justly, and too truly to be cast on the pốverty of the clergy: But what can we say, when we find often the poorest Clerks in the richest livings? whose incumbents not content to devour the patrimony of the church, while they feed themselves, and not the flock out of it, are so scandalously hard in their allowance to their curates, as if they intended eqally to starve both eurate and people. And is it to be supposed, that the people will think themselves under a very strict obligation of conscience, to pay religiously all that is due to one, who seems to think himself under no obligation to labour for it? And since it is a maxim founded upon natural equity, "That the benefice is given for the office;" Men will not have great scruples in denying the benefice, where the office is neglected, or ill performed. And as for the too common contempt that is brought on the clergy, how guilty soever those may be, who out of hatred to their profession, despise them for their works sake; yet we who feel ourselves under these disadvantages, ought to reflect on those words of the prophet, and see how far they are applicable to us; "The priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble at the law;

therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways but have been partial in my law," Mal. ii. 7, 8, 9. If we studied to honour God, and so to do honour to our profession, we might justly hope that he would raise it again to that credit which is due to it; and that he would make even our enemies to be at peace with us, or at least afraid to hurt or offend us. And in this we have good reason to rest assured, since we do not find many instances of clergymen, who live and labour, who preach and visit as they ought to do, that are under any eminent degrees of contempt; If some do despise those that are faithful to their trust, yet they must do it secretly; they dare not shew it, as long as their deportment procures them the esteem, which we must confess does generally follow true worth, and hearty labours in the ministry.

These are things of such consequence, that it may seem a consideration too full of ill nature, of emulation, and of jealousy, if I should urge upon the clergy the divisions and separation that is formed among us; though there is a terrible word in the prophet, that belongs but too evidently to this likewise; "The pastors are become brutish and have not sought the Lord; therefore they shall not prosper and all their flocks shall be scattered," Jer. x. 21. If we led such exemplary lives as became our character, if we applied ourselves wholly to the duties of our profession, if we studied to out-live, and out-labour those that divide from us, we might hope by the blessing of God so far to overcome their prejudices, and to gain both upon their esteem and affections, that a very small matter might go a great way towards

the healing of those wounds, which have so long weakened and distracted us. Speculative arguments do not reach the understandings of the greater part, who are only capable of sensible ones: And the strongest reasonings will not prevail, till we first force them to think the better of our church, for what they see in ourselves, and make them wish to be of a communion, in which they see so much truth, and unaffected goodness, and worth: When they are once brought so far, it will be easy to compass all the rest: If we did generally mind our duties, and discharge them faithfully, this would prepare such a mean well in their separation from us, to consider better of the grounds on which they maintain it. And that will best enforce the arguments that we have to lay before them. And as for such as divide from us with bad designs and an unrelenting spite, they will have a small party, and a feeble support, if there were no more occasion given to work on the affections of the people, by our errors and disorders.

If then either the sense of the wrath of God, or the desire of his favour and protection; if zeal for our church and country; if a sense of the progress of atheism and irreligion; if the contempt that falls on us and the injustices that are daily done us; if a desire to heal and unite, to purify and perfect this our church: If either the concerns of this world, or of the next, can work upon us, and affect us, all these things concur to call on us to apply our utmost care and industry to raise the honour of our holy profession, to walk worthy of it, to perform the engagements that we came under at the alter; when we were dedicated to the service of

God, and the church; and in all things both to adorn our religion and our church.

It is not our boasting that the church of England is the best reformed and the best constituted church in the world, that will signify much to convince others; we are too much parties to be believed in our own cause. There was a generation of men that cried;

The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord," as loud as we can cry, "The church of England; The church of England :" When yet by their sins they were pulling it down, and kindling that fire which consumed it. It will have a better grace to see others boast of our church from what they observe in us, than for us to be crying it up with our words when our deeds do decry it. Our enemies will make severe inferences from them; and our pretensions will be thought vain and impudent things, as long as our lives contradicted them.

It was on design to raise in myself, and in others, a deep sense of the obligations that we lie under, of the duties of our functions; of the extent of them, and of the rewards that follow them; and to observe the proper methods of performing them, so as they may be of the greatest advantage both to ourselves and others, that I have entered on these meditations. They have been for many years the chief subject of my thoughts; if few have writ on them among us, yet we have St. Gregory Nazianzen's Apologetic, St. Chrysostom's Books of the Priesthood, Gregory the great's Pastoral, and Bernard's book of Consideration, among the ancients, and a very great number of excellent treatises writ lately in France upon them. I began my studies in Divinity with reading these, and I never