religion, and lives, than the pleasure of governing.

But to bring this discourse towards a conclufion: if the diffenters will be fatisfied with fuch a toleration by law, as hath been granted them in England, I believe the majority of both houses will fall readily in with it; farther it will be hard to perfuade this houfe of commons, and perhaps much harder the next. For, to fay the truth, we make a mighty difference here between fuffering thistles to grow among us, and wearing them for pofies. We are fully convinced in our confciences, that we fhall always tolerate them; but not quite fo fully that they will always tolerate us, when it comes to their turn; and we are the majority, and we are in poffeffion.

He who argues in defence of a law in force, not antiquated or obfolete, but lately enacted, is certainly on the fafer fide, and may be allowed to point out the dangers he conceives to foresee in the abrogation of it.

For, if the confequences of repealing this claufe fhould at fome time or other ena

ble

able the prefbyterians to work themselves up into the national church; inftead of uniting proteftants, it would fow eternal divifions among them. Firft, their own fects, which now lie dormant, would be soon at cuffs again with each other about power and preferment; and the diffenting epifcopals, perhaps difcontented to fuch a degree, as upon fome fair unhappy occafion, would be able to fhake the firmeft loyalty, which none can deny theirs to be.

Neither is it very difficult to conjecture, from fome late proceedings, at what a rate this faction is like to drive, whereever it gets the whip and the feat. They have already set up courts of fpiritual judicature in open contempt of the laws : they fend miffionaries every where, without being invited, in order to convert the church of England folks to chriftianity. They are as vigilant as I know who, to attend perfons on their death-beds, and for purposes much alike. And what practices fuch principles as thefe (with many other that might be invidious to mention) may fpawn,

spawn, when they are laid out to the fun, you may determine at leifure.

Lastly, Whether we are so entirely fure of their loyalty upon the prefent foot of government as you may imagine, their detractors make a queftion, which however does, I think, by no means affect the body of diffenters; but the instance produced is of fome among their leading teachers in the north, who having refused the abduration oath, yet continue their preaching, and have abundance of followers. The particulars are out of my head; but the fact is notorious enough, and I believe hath been published; I think it a pity, it hath not been remedied.

Thus I have fairly given you, fir, my own opinion, as well as that of a great majority in both houses here, relating to this weighty affair; upon which I am confident you may fecurely reckon. I will leave you to make what use of it you please.

Dublin, Dec. 4,

I am, with great respect,

1708.

Sir,

Yours, &c.

A

TRITICAL ESSAY

UPON THE

FACULTIES OF THE MIND.

SIR,

B

be

Το

EING fo great a lover of antiquities, it was reafonable to fuppofe, you would very much obliged with any thing, that was new. I have been of late offended with many writers of effays and moral difcourfes for running into tale topicks and threadbare quotations, and not handling their Subject fully and clofely: all which errors I have carefully avoided in the following essay, which I have propofed as a pattern for young writers to imitate. The thoughts and obfervations being entirely new, the quotations untouched by others, the fubject of mighty importance, and treated with much order and perfpicuity, it hath coft me a great deal of time; and I defire you will accept and confider it as the utmost effort of my genius.

VOL. III.

S

Philo

or

Hilofophers fay, that man is a microcofm, or little world, resembling in miniature every part of the great: and, in my opinion, the body natural may be compared to the body politick: and if this be fo, how can the Epicurean's opinion be true, that the univerfe was formed by a fortuitous concourfe of atoms; which I will no more believe, than that the accidental jumbling of the letters of the alphabet could fall by chance into a moft ingenious and learned treatife of philofophy. Rifum teneatis amici? [HOR. This falfe opinion must needs create many more; it is like an error in the firft concoction, which cannot be corrected in the fecond; the foundation is weak, and whatever

fuperftructure you raife upon it, muft of neceffity fall to the ground. Thus men are led from one error to another, until with Ixion they embrace a cloud instead of Juno; or like the dog in the fable, lofe the substance in gaping at the fhadow. For fuch opinions cannot cohere; but like the iron and clay in the toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image, muft feparate and break in pieces. I have read in a certain author,

that

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