and with the advice and opinion of each and every one of my affeffors, the reverend perfons beforenamed, do expel the faid Thomas Grove from the faid Hall, and hereby pronounce him also expelled.

SUCH, Sir, was the fentence, which you represent to be the most cruel and unjust that ever was paffed; and fuch the reasons on which it was founded. I fhall not stay to make any general observations on it, but haften to answer the particular objections you have urged against it, article by article.

BUT before I proceed, I cannot help obferving that under a pretence of a greater method and perfpicuity you have inverted the order of the charge, even as it stands in your own articles of accufation. The order in which it ftood on the examination, and which is moft natural, was this ift, the accufation of fome of them being brought up to trade; which would have had no weight, had it not been connected with the second-viz. that they were totally illiterate, and incapable of performing the statutable exercises of the University, and their Hall-then followed the third- viz. that they had frequented illicit conventicles, in which they had preached, and prayed extempore; and that one

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of them had officiated as a minifter in holy Orders, though a layman; — the 4th was, that they held and maintained tenets contrary to the doctrine of the church of England; however, that I may not be obliged to turn over your book backwards and forwards to reduce it to regularity and method, I shall take it as it stands, and attend you page by page, as nearly as I can, through the whole labyrinth of your work.

THE firft charge you confider is that of attending illicit conventicles. To ascertain what is a conventicle you quote Jacob's law dictionary, but with great partiality, and want of fidelity; you adopt only what may best serve your turn, leaving out what makes against you, though immediately connected with what you quote: thus, you drop the definition of a conventicle, which is "a private affembly for the exercife of religion," but take the words immediately following it; and here you ftop; paying no regard to Mr. Jacob's quotation from 22 Car. II. which declares what conventicles are illegal. Nor are you more faithful in quoting that act of parliament; you give us the preamble, but conceal the part, which alone relates to the point in question, where it is enacted that, if any person above the age of fixteen shall be present at any asfembly, conventicle, or meeting, under colour or pretence of any exercise of religion in other manner than according to the liturgy and practice of the

church of England, at which conventicle there fhall be five perfons or more affembled together over and befides those of the fame houfhold, if it be a house where there is a family inhabiting; or if it be in a house, or field, or place where there is no family inhabiting, then, when any five persons or more are fo affembled, every one shall be subject to the penalty of five fhillings for the firft offence, and ten fhillings for the fecond.

SECT. 3. Every perfon, who fhall take upon him to preach or teach in any fuch meeting, affembly, or conventicle, fhall forfeit twenty pounds for the first offence, and forty pounds for the fecond.

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SECT. 4. If any perfon fhall fuffer any venticle, affembly, or unlawful meeting, as aforefaid, to be held in his house, out-house, barn, yard, or back-fide, fhall forfeit twenty pounds.

THIS act, as the author of the remarks upon Mr. Whitefield's letter obferves, is indeed in fome degree altered by the toleration-act; by which fome conventicles are permitted under certain restrictions; but all other conventicles, which come not under the description given of fuch as are thereby permitted, are still continued to be forbidden by the 22 Car. II.

THUS fect. 19. No congregation, or affembly for religious worship shall be permitted or allowed by this act, until fuch place of meeting fhall be cer

tified to the Bishop of the diocefe, or Arch-deacon of the arch-deaconry, or to the Juftices of the peace at their general quarter-feffions for the county, city, or place, in which fuch meetings fhall be held, and registered in the said Bishop's or Archdeacon's court, or recorded at the faid general quarter-feffions of the peace. Hence all conventicles, affemblies, or meetings, as described in 22 Car. II. chap. 1. and not registered or recorded according the toleration-act, are illicit and prohibited. The meetings therefore which these gentlemen attended were certainly conventicles, being "private affemblies for the exercise of religion;" and they were illicit conventicles, "there being more than five perfons affembled there, besides those of the fame houfhold." Nor does the law require proof of any dangerous practices carried on at fuch meetings; it provides a speedy remedy against the dangers, which may poffibly, and will probably, arife from fuch meetings; and forbids them, because fectaries have, or may, at fuch meetings, contrive infurrections.

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NOT being acquainted with the Kentish story to which you appeal as decifive in this point, I cannot contradict you with regard to the fact itself, but have great reason to fuppofe it did not turn on that hinge, on which you reft it. The conventicle might be illicit, and yet the Juftice of peace become liable to punishment for having taken unwarrantable and illegal measures to fupprefs it; he might therefore

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be glad to compound matters, and make them up in the manner you relate; a cafe which, I apprehend, frequently happens. And as to the religious focieties in Queen Anne's time; if they were composed of Lords fpiritual and temporal, &c. I will take upon me to pronounce that they did not permit laymen, barbers, weavers, ftaymakers, &c. to pray extempore, or to preach, and expound the fcriptures to them-But that members of the church of England may be, and actually have been, cenfured for frequenting illicit conventicles is very evident from Queen Elizabeth's circular letter to the Bishops throughout England; in which your meetings are exactly described, and the pernicious tendency of them fully fet forth-The following is a copy of it, taken from Stripe's life of Archbishop Grindal-Appendix P. 85

THE Queen to the Bishops throughout England for the fuppreffing the exercise called prophefying, &c.

RIGHT Reverend Father in GOD, we greet you well. We hear to our great grief, that in fundry parts of our realm there are no fmall number of perfons prefuming to be teachers and preachers of the church (though neither lawfully thereunto called, nor yet fit for the fame) which, contrary to our laws established for the public divine fervice of