of the earth and if this salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

The scripture will teach you, that the worship of the golden calf was a grievous sin, though Aaron, who was a clergyman, had the making of it. And there was a time, when the whole body of the clergy, I mean the Jewish, determined Christ himself to be a blasphemer and deceiver, and were instant with loud voices requiring that he might be crucified.

Those clergymen, who, like Dr. Clarke and his followers, the author of the Appeal, do by their own confession believe two different Gods, while they falsely accuse us of believing three, would undoubtedly be very glad to be well rid of a trinity in unity; as the Turks were, when they took the religion of Mahomet into the place of it. And if they should at length prevail, by dint of popular clamor and importunity, of which some wonderful effects have been seen in this kingdom, the Turks, and the Jews too, would congratulate them upon their victory; and so would every determined Deist and Atheist in the nation. Yet, after all, none of them would worship that imagined inferior deity, whom this author would persuade you to wor ship.

I believe it also to be very true, that they would, as their advocate tells you, be very glad of your asistance. And I have been considering with myself in what form and manner your assistance can be administered. They can hardly mean, that you should assist them with the pen,

and write books upon reformation; for very few

nor with the tongue, And I know not how

amongst you are scholars for you are no orators. you can assist them otherwise, except it be with fire and sword, as the reforming clergy were assisted in the last century, when loyalty was malignity, and episcopacy was antichristianity, and the most miserable oppression and slavery of two thirds of the people, was celebrated as a state of Christian liberty to the prevailing party.

We know, but too well, that the gospel, with all its doctrines, is an insupportable burden to those who do not believe it; and so is the law of the land to those who do not like to be under the restraint of it. Some men are fond of li berty in one shape, and some in another. Some think as they please; and others act as they please. This latter sort of people, many of whom are groaning under the weight of political forms, would also be very glad of your assistance toward amending the constitution, and restoring gentlemen to that state of freedom, in which they might follow their consciences without any danger. And, perhaps, they would not object to your assistance as unwarrantable in the sacred cause of liberty, though you should accomplish their purposes by pulling the magistrate from his chair, the judge from his bench, the two houses of parliament from their seats, and the king from his throne.

These are the propects I have before my eyes, when I hear Deists and Socinians haranguing the public upon the subjects of conscience

T

and imposition: which prospects having been once realized in this church and kingdom, cannot be deemed altogether chimerical. Such popular reasonings as I have now been contending with, have already produced the most fatal consequences, to the triumph of the Papists, and the scandal of the reformation; they have deceived you once and unless you are upon your guard, they will deceive you again: and the last error shall be worse than the first; worse in itself, and worse in its consequences. It pleased God to deliver the church from its captivity under the Puritans and the people from their infatuation : but if experiments, when they have been tried, leave us no wiser, or, perhaps, not so wise as they found us, it is much to be questioned whether we shall again meet with the like indulgence: at least, it will be safest always to bear in mind that course of divine providence in a similar instance proposed as a warning to all Christians by the apostle St. Jude, how that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed them that believed not.

Those authors who would stir you up to seditious motions, make you so many fair speeches, and lay claim to so much candor and charity, that you may easily mistake them for your best friends. But I must now leave you to judge for yourselves, whether a writer, who lies sculking in the dark, under a nameless titlepage, can really love you better than one, who is not afraid to subscribe his name at length to what he has written, and is exposing himself for your sakes to be reviled and persecuted in

the monthly publications of infidel critics, who on account of the information I have here given you with a desire to clear away some of that dust, which they and their friends are perpetually throwing into your eyes, will find, if possible, some worse names for me than they have ever done yet. They have expressed their wrath against me more than once or twice; and probably they will now do it again. But a little more ill language will do me no harm; and if I can do you any good at such an expense, it will all be cheerfully taken by your

Very sincere friend,

And most affectionate

Brother in Christ,

PLUCKLEY, Dec. 16, 1766.

WILLIAM JONES.