nation, who run into Errors in Religion thro' Wilfulness, or Prejudice, or Laziness, and want of Thinking.

Thefe are fuch Objections as I have yet heard; and now what if the and now what if there were not fuch plain Proof for what I affert; and fuppofe that all the Objections made, cou'd not thus be pat in fo clear a Light, as that every Capacity might apprehend the Weakness of them; and that in that Action of Drinking to the Memory of a dead Monarch, there were no more than a great Similitude or Semblance of that Action, which all allow to be Sacramental; and that fuch a Custom were by fome abused to ill Purpofes, and may be yet farther abused; and that fuch a Practice had but an Afpect or མམསསྲས Tendency towards leffening the Veneration of our most holy Eucharift in the Hearts of People, as this plainly hath: Then I ask any plain fincere Chriftian of the Laity, who hopes for Pardon and Salvation by that Sacrament, whether if fuch an Health were propos'd to him, he would not reject it with this Anfwer; Thac he would be contented to celebrate the Memory of K. W m any way in the World, but with the fame Action, and almoft in the fame Form of Words, by which he celebrates the Glorious. Memory of his Bleffed Saviour, and which was inftituted and commanded by him for that very Purpofe?

And fince this Holy Eucharift is the moft exalted Mystery of our Religion, and become the moft folemn Act of Praife and Adoration; then let me ask you, my Brethren of the Cler Da

T

gy, who are Stewards of the Mysteries of God, Whether you can answer the Character of being found faithful to fo great a Truft, if by any Omiffion or Neglect of yours, that Veneration and Reverence Men ought to have for it, be leffened or impaired? If you fuffer that very Action, which is thus confecrated to the holy Jefus, erected into a Sacrament, and fraught with Myftery and Wonder even to the Angels, to be defecrated and prophaned to common Ufe? But efpecially, if by an eafy Compliance with a Practice fo highly finful, you lay a Stumbling-block in the Way of weaker Chriftians, and betray them into what you ought to warn them of, and give them the greatest Deteftation and Abhorrence for? Remember, it will be no fmall Article in the Account you are to give of your Stewardship, whether you exerted your felves with utmoft Zeal, to keep up a profound Regard and Deference for this Ordinance of God, in the Hearts and Consciences of Men? And I befeech you, confider how far you are like to fail in this, if you do not earnestly endeavour to undeceive, and convince all fuch as have been infenfibly led into this Practice thro' Inadvertency, or want of Understanding, or fufficiently confidering the true Nature of that moft Holy Sacramental Action, which hath been prostituted after fuch an unbecoming and unfanctified manner.

I have purposely declined infifting long upon the Tendency this Health hath to leffen that great Veneration and Efteem we ought to have for our truly Pious and GLORIOUS

QUEEN.

QUEEN. For that the perpetual, noify, clamorous Sounding out the Praises of a dead Monarch, and in a Way which hath a SEMBLANCE at least of Sacrificing to his Ghoft, must have a malignant Influence upon the Loyalty of unwary Subjects, and naturally difpofe them for Faction and Sedition, is but too plain to be difputed.

It may be faid here, That in Drinking this Health, they have nothing of that Defign. I anfwer, As far as this can be faid with more or lefs Truth, fo their Guilt is the greater, or the lefs. If they drank with that Defign, it would be plain Spreading Sedition, and Trumpeting Rebellion; and this wou'd be another grievous and horrid Aggravation of an Action, which was in its own Nature deteftable before. This would render it a Crying Sin, of an Enormous Gygantick Size, with a great Variety and Complication of Guilt, made up of Impiety and Prophaneness towards God, Difloyalty and Fa Aion towards our Prince, and Contempt of all Laws Human and Divine.

'Tis true, many have been led into this PraAice by Inadvertency, and for want of confidering those Views Men had who first fet it on foot, and promoted it with a furious Zeal. But because we are generally too apt to be miftaken in our felves, and that the Heart of Man is deceitful above all things, I fhall only make Two Obfervations in fhort, which may be of Use for the Tryal of Men's Confciences in this Point, and that they may be fure upon what Principle they have induftriously promoted this Health. Accordingly,

ift. If

ift. If Men find in themfelves a fincere Senfe of Obedience and Loyalty towards their prefent Monarch: If they Love and Honour Her MAJESTY, who is now Living, and With and Pray from their Hearts that She may be long fo: If they can hear Her juft Praifes without Regret, and that the Recital of thofe many Bleffings She hath been the Inftrument of to thefe Nations, gives them no Uneafinefs 'cis a good Sign that they did not promote and encourage this Health, with any evil Intent of cafting a Reflection upon the prefent Adminiftration of Affairs; of fowing Difcord, and fpreading Faction and Sedition; of making it a diftinguishing TEST of a Party, which may grow ftrong enough to bring all Things into Confufion, that they may get above the Crowd, and render themfelves confpicuous, by climbing up and trampling upon the Ruins of Church and State. But if they, of all People, fhould chance to be noted for Failing in their Duty to HER who now fills the THRONE; and to turn all their Demonftrations of Regard and Honour, of Refpect and Veneration, I was juft going to fay, of Loyalty and Fidelity likewife, to a Monarch in the GRAVE; this wou'd be a strong Prefumption, that 'tis all done with a very wicked Defign. And the Thought is fo natural, that People cou'd not then help imagining, that this was Adoring of Dead Kings, by way of Rebelling against the Living.

And

And here I cannot forbear obferving, that LOYALTY, a Word in Ufe to comprehend all that Honour, Obedience and Fidelity, required in Scripture to be paid to Kings and Princes, is a Duty owing to the Living, and not to the Dead. The Powers that be, the Powers in Being, are ordained of God. And therefore that they, who took either backward or forward, fo as to place their Hearts and Thoughts wholly upon any Predeceffor or Succeffor whatfoever, have great Reason to fufpect themselves, and to fear that they are flipping their Time, and lofing their Seafon for the Exercife of that Virtue of Loyalty; for the Violation of which, they will be one Day ftrictly accountable, whatever Evasion they now have from the Penalty of Human Laws. Their Time for this Duty is paft as to K. W -

m; and not yet come as to any, except our Prefent GLORIOUS QUEEN. Happy it is for them, who were not wanting in this Duty towards K. Wm, when he was Living; who are true to the Succeffion, as by Law eftablifh'd in the Houfe of HANOVER, which they are fworn to Maintain; and whenever the Providence of God fhall call them to it, are ready to pay all that Honour and Fidelity, and Loyalty to the Next in that Line, which now, by the Laws of God and Man, is entirely owing to Her Prefent Majefty. And he who cannot, from a Sincere and Loyal Heart, Pray that it may be Long fo, may well fufpect that he fails in an indifpenfible Duty to his God, and to his Prince. He is much mistaken, if he fancies

that