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fortune is, the cause of image-worship and churchfopperies will not bear a fair trial.

To conclude,

When men, in any cause, avoid calm and fair reasoning, when they grow angry in defence of their opinions, and treat with ill words and ill manners those who oppose them; let them not lie for God, Chrift and religion, and fay, It was for him: But let the zealots answer for that pride, revenge, railing, cruelty, which their own paffion has produced.

And let us all join in admiring praise to that God, who hath so oft delivered us from the hellish fury of the Romish priests; men as void of truth, as they are of charity: Let us acknowledge his goodness, who yet delivereth, and live in hope that he will still deliver us.

The End of the SERMON.

THE

THE

Extraordinary CLAIMS

OF THE

CLERGY

Repugnant to

Reason and Christianity;

AND THE

ARGUMENTs advanced in their Defence, in a late APOLOGY for the Clergy of the Church of England, Examined.

In a LETTER from a LAYMAN to the Revd. Dr. STEBBING.

First printed in the Year 1735

E 3

[79]

Reverend Sir,

I

Some time ago read a fmall tract, intitled,
An Apology for the Clergy of the church of

England, touching their claims of Spiritual powers, as derived from Chrift, addreffed to the Laity of Great Britain; without thinking it worth any farther notice: Suppofing it the production of fome diffatisfied curate, wrote either to please his patron, or to revenge fome trifling affront fupposed to be given his gown. But, on my being lately affured it came from a no lefs masterly hand than your own, I prevailed with myself to make a few curfory remarks on it; in order to convince you how far beneath yourself the near relation of the fubject has unwarily carried you; and, to prevent your thinking it beyond answer,, because no better pen has thought it deserved one.. And I judge it proper here to declare that no bafe or personal view whatever was the occafion of this addrefs; but a difinterested zeal for

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truth; to which, you will certainly agree with me, all confiderations ought to give place.

The title you have chofe is grand and pompous, An Apology for the Clergy, addressed to the Laity. On reading this, one would imagine the clergy, at least in your opinion, willing to fubmit their claims to our decifion: But, at your beginning, you tell us the causes of your writing:

(P. 3.) The English clergy have of late "been treated in fo extraordinary a manner, "that it is high time the public fhould be made fenfible, what rights they have to the many ci"vilities that are daily bestowed upon them."

If, Sir, the public are, till this time o'day, ignorant of the rights of the clergy, they have hitherto paid them extraordinary reverence and money to a fine purpose: For the public here, I apprehend, means the whole nation, except the clergy; and whence we poor laymen of all conditions may judge your opinion of our favours.However, our knowing fo little before, will render us the more obliged for your useful difcoveries.

(P. 4.) " As the title of my book speaks good"will to that order of men (priefts), I foresee "that many prejudices will lie against it; yet I "will not fo far despair of the justice of man"kind, as not to believe, that truth (by whom"foever offered) will somewhere meet with

friends; especially when it fhall appear, that the

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