The great argument for these civil establishments of chriftianity is that religion promotes good morals, and that good morals are neceffary to the well being of civil fociety. Now I am far from denying the usefulness of religion, and especially of chriftianity, in this refpect; and on this account. I have written so much (more, I believe, than any other perfon in this country) to prove its divine authority, and to explain its principles. But the friends of church establishments have made a great deal too much of this argument. Civil fociety has fubfifted very well under all forms of religion, even the heathen ones. For the Roman empire was well regulated before the knowledge of chriftianity, yea better than feveral chriftian countries fince. And chriftianity will operate in favour of good morals without being established, and even more fo than when it is. The man who truly fears God, and believes a future ftate, will be a good moral man, and an useful member of society, though the prince and the state should not concern themselvs about it. Nay he will be virtuous, when they are wicked.

Befides, though religion, or the belief of a God, a providence, and a future ftate, have its ufe with respect to society, it is not absolutely necessary for that purpose. Good laws, and a proper adminiftration of civil government, will be sufficient to keep men from injuring one another. It is a common intereft to restrain thofe vices which are injurious to the community, and the force of the community may easily be applied for this purpose. Only let there be a good legiflature, good judges, and good civil officers (which the temporal interest of all states will provide) and you need not fear but that the internal peace of any country, which is the only proper object of civil government, will be fufficiently fecured.

Great numbers of perfons in this country, and many more abroad, are actually without religion. They believe in no God, or future state; they frequent no place of public worship, and they know no more of the Bible than they do of the Koran; and yet, with respect of the peace of society, they

E 4

they behave like other people, and are no more difpofed to disturb others, than others are to disturb them.

Besides, there is no danger of mankind in general being without religion. Nay, I am well perfuaded there would be much more of it without any establishment than with one; and that religion which men will voluntarily adopt and support, will have more influence on their morals, and be more favourable to the good of fociety, than any which any state will adopt and enforce.

Be perfuaded, my countrymen, to think a little for yourfelves, on this fubject, as well as on every other in which you are interested, as the reformers from popery did before you, and confider not fo much what you find established, as what is right in itself, and beneficial to fociety; and whether innovations, which your clergy dread so much, may not be improvements. Time was when christianity itself was an innovation. The reformation by Luther was a great innovation. At one time prefbyterianism was established by law in this country, and then the introduction of epifcopacy was an innovation. The Act of Toleration, which the clergy now think to be an honour to their church, though they were very much averse to the measure, was an innovation. The Corporation and Test Acts, which they now consider as the great bulwarks of their church, were originally nothing more than innovations; and if the repeal of them be an innovation alfo, there is nothing to be apprehended from the measure as fuch. Whenever things are got into a bad state, there can be no amendment without innovation; and furely you will not fay that any thing human is perfect, and requires no amendment, that is, no innovation. Do not then partake of the fears of your clergy, who feel for themselves more than for you; and if you find abuses, either in the church or the ftate, have the good fenfe, and the fpirit, to rectify them, without any dread of innovation.

The conftitution, they tell you, consists of two parts, the church and the state. In fact, it confifts of many parts, and the laws relating to the prerogatives of the king, the privileges

privileges of the lords, those of the people, even those relating to the poor, to debtors, and to criminals, are as much parts of the conftitution, as thofe relating to religion, and the clergy. There are as many parts of the constitution as there are different objects which government embraces; and why should any one of these be confidered as more facred, and exempt from innovation, than another?

But admitting for the prefent, that the conftitution has but two parts, the church and the state; all that can be pretended is that they are equally facred, and not one more than the other. But the clergy would perfuade you that the church is infinitely more facred than the other part of the conftitution. It is a thing that must never more be touched by the hand of man, though it was as much the crcature of man, as the ftate; and this requires continual alterations. For never a year paffes without many acts of parliament calculated to reform abufes in the ftate; and abuses, we find, will creep in, let men do all they can to keep them out.

Formerly we had many acts of parliament to reform abuses in the church alfo. This part of the conftitution, the liturgy, and the articles of the church of England, were not fettled at once, but at different periods, and all by Acts of parliament. Your present hierarchy was not the immediate appointment of God, or of an angel, but the production of fallible men; and can you fee nothing clearer than your ancestors, just emerging from the darkness of popery? In their most difadvantageous circumftances, had they the wisdom to fettle every thing in fuch a manner, as that there should never more be any occafion for change or improvement ?

Your church of England was not a thing that exifted from the beginning of christianity. Our ancestors were all Roman Catholics, and at the time of the reformation had been fo for many centuries; fo that Churchmen are only Diffenters from the church of Rome. Now in this ancient and long established church of Rome (to which, according

to

to Mr. Madan, you ought to have remained in quiet fubjection to this very day) were many corruptions of pure christianity, which had been accumulating for ages; and some reformed churches corrected fome of them, and others more. In like manner, we are Diffenters from your church; but we did not arrive to what we now are all at once. My ancestors did not teach me what I teach others; and I am far from fuppofing that all improvement will end with me. In all cafes in which men determine, room should be left for the revifion, and fubfequent determinations, of other men, who may fee farther than they do.

Suppofing that at the fame time in which your present ecclefiaftical establishment was fixed, which was about two centuries ago, laws had been made to determine in what manner all houses fhould be built, grounds cultivated, and all manufactures carried on. Suppofe that when public provifion was made for an order of clergy, to take care of your fouls, as it is called, an order of physicians had also been established to take care of your bodies (in which the state is certainly as much concerned) and that these state physicians had been obliged to adminifter certain prescribed medicines in all difeafes; and the king and parliament who fixed your church establishment were certainly as well qualified to judge of matters of this kind as of those of religion. If this fyftem had actually taken place, it is most probable that the great bulk of the nation, having been accustomed to these inftitutions, and seeing no others, might have ap- plauded the wisdom of their ancestors, and might have ex[ claimed as loudly against all innovation in things temporal, as your clergy now do with respect to things fpiritual.

The ftate physicians would certainly have been as much alarmed at any alteration in that part of the system which refpected them, as the clergy have always been about things in which they are interested. They would have exclaimed that the conftitution was in danger of being violated, if fo much as a new medicine had been introduced; faying that if innovations once began to be made, no man could tell

where

where they would stop; and that if fo material a part of the conftitution as that in which medicine, and the bodily health of all the subjects of the state should be changed, the whole fystem being settled at the fame time, and being firmly compacted together, it would fall at once, and universal ruin be the iffue.

This is the very thing the clergy are faying now. But, my friends, there is no more reafon in their cafe at prefent, than there would have been in that of the phyficians I have been fuppofing. As to the court, and the minifter of the day; having had the appointment of these physicians, and having of courfe been ferved by them (as, for the fame reason, they now are by the generality of the clergy, who must look up to the court for any great preferment) they would have found as good reasons for supporting the system which fupported them, as Mr. Pitt can now find for the support of the church, and the continuance of the Corporation and Test Acts.

But when changes have begun to be made in things of greater or less confequence, and mankind are at liberty to make use of their reason, and confult their own convenience, they will foon find that, having had the experience of others before them, they will be able to do better for themselves than their wife ancestors did.

After the establishment of fuch a fyftem as I have before supposed, if, in confequence of any great convulfion of state (for great and beneficial changes are feldom made without them) you had been at liberty to pull down your old wooden houses, and to build more convenient and elegant ones, of brick or ftone, or whatever materials you pleased; if you had been allowed to make a few trials of new methods of cultivating your grounds, to diverfify your manufactures, and to employ what physicians you pleased, giving them liberty to try new medicines, and new modes of treating diseases; you would wonder at your ftupidity in bearing with the aukward and inconvenient fyftem of your fathers fo long as you did.

Now,