pate one Storm, that feem'd to threaten our Government both in Church and State very loudly. How that Storm came to arife, after fuch a general Satisfaction exprefs'd at his Acceffion, is pretty unaccountable; but I am apt to believe that it might have been prevented fpreading fo wide, and extending its Terror fo far, had but a proper Invitation been given to the Subalterns of our Order (who at that time were a mighty Army of Preachers) to cry aloud and Spare not, to lift up their Voices like a Trumpet, "and fhew the People the Iniquity of what they were doing. And upon the like Emergency (if for our Sins the like Emergency fhould at any time befal us) I know no better Expedient, than to comfort and encourage thofe, whofe Office and Employment it is, to put the Tit. iii. 1. People in mind to be fubject to Principalities and Powers; tofubmit themfelves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's fake; not to speak Evil of the Ruler of the People, not to curfe the King in their Hearts, but to obey Magiftrates, and pray for thofe that are in Authority, that we may Tim. ii, live quietly and peaceably under them; and from thefe Topicks can fire the Confciences of their Hearers to take up Arms without Beat of Drum, and to die Martyrs (if Occafion be) for the prefent happy Conftitution.

AND how meanly foever fome may think of us, (if the Great and Wealthy have not engrofs'd all the Learning, and all the Loyalty in the Church) we have Men among us that are fufficient for these things; we have Men among us, who, notwithstanding the Preffure of adverfe Fortune, and the Want of many Affiftances proper for a ftudious Life, have not only approv❜d themselves to the Government, but to the Republic of Letters likewise; have stood in the Gap D 4

both

I Pet. ii.

13.

Eccl. x.

20.

2.

John v.

35.

both when the Civil Conftitution was alarm'd, and the Authority of the Church invaded; have both entertain'd the World with Tracts of Wit and Ingenuity, and inftructed it with more folid and more useful Leffons: And many more wę have, who, if they were drawn out from their Obfcurity, would become burning and shining Lights in their Generation.

BUT it is not for what we can do, but for what we fuffer, that we crave the Protection and Countenance of the Government. How it is I cannot tell, but in the prefent Situation of our Affairs, we feem not only to be cut off from the Body of the Clergy, but fallen, as it were, from the Confideration of the Legiflature. Not only the Meannefs of our Circumftances difpirits us daily, and cramps the Sinews of our Endeavours for the public Good; but what is more difcouraging, in thofe very Satutes which are purpofely made for the Maintenance of the poor Clergy, and whofe Titles promife no lefs, we find no manner of Mention made of us, or of our Condition. Every Vicar, every benefic'd Curate, that hath fomething already to truft to of his own, promises himself farther Advantage from a Royal Augmentation: We are the only Perfons that are excluded, and have nothing to hope for but the kind Quarter of fuch Mafters as pay us, and ufe us, and difmifs us as they please. The Law that is our Barrier against them (and we have but one, I mean Statute Law, that I know, provided in our Behalf) is ftinted in its Bounds, and evaded in its Execution. Tis fcandalous to fee what Shifts they are contriving daily to preclude us the Benefit of it,

Act for the better Maintenance of Curates within the Church of England, 12 Anna.

and

and to hold us under their Power, their arbitrary Power, while we are forc'd to live under their Pay.

THIS Yoke we defire, in all Humility, to have removed from our Necks, that the common Calumny of our Enemies, in time, may vanish, viz. that the Clergy of the Church of England are the greatest Tyrants to one another; and that, for the future, it may be faid with Truth, that the few that were redeemed lately, were the only Slaves of all his Majefty's Subjects.

O veri Principis, faid I to myself, when I faw the moving Objects of our gracious Sovereign's Bounty and Compaffion in their Proceffion, and your Lordship fo commendably employ'd in conducting them to the Altar of God, to offer up their Praises for their joyful Release:* 0 veri Principis, miferos fublevare, captivos redimere, quicquid fieri non debet infectum reddere; poftremo velociffimi fyderis more, omnia invifere, omnia audire,& undecunque, invocatum ftatim velut numen, adeffe, & affiftere! So good and gracious a Prince (continuing my Reflection, faidÏ) could not but commiferate our Calamities, if they were once fairly reprefented to him. His Charity and royal Zeal, that extends itself fo far, and into fuch diftant Countries, could not (but for want of Intimation) overlook Objects that are at home, and in the very Bofom of that Church whereof he himself is the fupreme Head and Governor. Bleed among your Brethren muit your Lordship be, for carrying to his facred Ear the Information of what his poor Clergy, under your Infpection, are known to fuffer; and for recommending with fuch Advantages, as

*PLIN. Paneg. ad Traj.

you

I.

you can easily, the Confideration of their Con-
dition to the Wisdom of the Legislature!
I decus, I noftrum.

To go on with our Pretenfions, then my
Lord,

II. THE next thing that we think we have a Right to claim, is a proper Maintenance and Support for our Labour. What Provifion God Almighty was pleas'd to make for his Ministers under his Law, is vifible to any one that looks into the Bible. The Levites indeed were excluded Deu. xviii. from having any part in the Divifion of the Land, but this, not for their Lofs, but their greater temporal Advantage. Had they been Sharers in common with the reft, a twelfth part only must have been their due; whereas in the Settlement that God made for them, they were admitted to a Tenth; and that without the Trouble or Charge of Tillage, to the intent that they might be in a Condition to attend his Service without Diftraction, and to relieve the Poor without impairing themselves. Nay, not only the Tenth of every thing, but Deu. xviii. their farther Allotment in the Sacrifices and Oblations that were daily brought in to the Altar, was a conftant additional Supply, and enabled them to live in great Affluence and Hofpitality.

9.

IN thefe Days, it is obfervable likewise, that there was no encroaching upon one another, nor any engroffing of fuch things as were of common Right and Diftribution, permitted to the 1 Sam. ii. greateft. The Sin of the Sons of Eli, and God's c. Severity against them and their whole House, is recorded for this Purpose, that none prefume to lord it over their Brethren, because they have a potent Patron to ftand by them, or to arrogate

13,

to

to themselves more of the Offerings, more of the Revenues of the Church, than comes to their Share, because they can poffibly get a Difpenfation for Encroachments.

THE Chriftian Church was founded in a great Measure upon other Maxims than the Jewish; and yet we may obferve, that the Evangelical Prophet, proclaiming the acceptable Year of the Lord, whereby he means a Gofpel-State, promifes great Plenty and Profperity to its Minifters: Ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord, Ifa. Ixi. ye hall eat the Riches of the Gentiles, and in 2,6, 10, their Glory fhall ye boaft your felves. Our bleffed Saviour, when he fent and commiffioned his Difciples to preach about Judea, forbids them to take any of the ufual Neceffaries for a Journey, and gives them this reason for it, that they had a juft Pretence to Maintenance whereever they went For the Labourer is worthy of Juke x. 7. bis Hire. St. Paul fhews very fully what Right the Clergy have to be supported by their Office, as well as Men of any other Occupations; and thereupon gives the Laity this Injunction, Let 1 Cor. ix. him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth, in all good things. He Gal. vi. 6, himself indeed, in fome Churches (particularly in that of Corinth) refus'd to accept of any thing, that he might not be burdenfome, or that his Glory 1 Cor. ix. in preaching the Gospel freely might not be made 15. void; but at the fame time he tells them, that be took Wages of the other Churches to do them Service; that thofe of Macedonia fupply'd his Phil. iv. Wants; thofe of Philippi fent frequently to his 16. Neceffities; and that he had an equal Power to demand the like of them.

In this manner, and by fuch Contributions as thefe, did the Clergy for a long while live, in the first Ages of the Church; and live fo comfortably,

Cor. xi.

8, 9.

I Cor. ix.

12.