World as a Blafphemer, a Debafer of the Ordinances of God, and Maker of a New Sin. That I have been by Another declared Ignorant of a Fundamental Point of Salvation; to be Abandoned to all Modefty; and to be In horrid and amazing Danger. That I have been accused of being In a miferable Delufion; Of Spreading a Foul, and Grofs, and Damnable Error, and in fhort Branded for an Heretick, and threatned with Ruin of Body and Soul. And yet my good Reader the Treatifes from whence thefe Heavy Accufations are extracted, are written with an Air of Religion and Piety, and obferve a good Decorum in Comparifon of those before fpoke of, on this and another Subject, by nameless Authors, tho' too well alafs known to be likewife in Holy Orders: But who have for that Turn intirely laid afide the Chriftian, and expreffed themselves in the Language neither of a Scholar nor a Gentleman. There is in thofe Pamphlets from Beginning to Ending fuch a continued Strein of Inveterate Railing, without any diftinct Reasoning or Argument; without Touching upon the Subject, or coming home to any one Point by a rational or direct Application, that it cannot be fufficiently admired where any Tem

per

per

could be found fo fear'd and harden'd to Calumny, as to hold it out fo long without the leaft Regret or Qualm of Conscience. I speak it cooly, and without Concern for my own Character, that I verily believe, that confider'd in all Refpects, and in Defence of fo glaring and palpable an Error as well as of fo abominable and impious a Practice, they are fuch Writings as no Age of Chriftianity can Parallel.

And yet these are the Books which are Applauded and Extoll'd, which are Bought up and Difperfed, and Gloried in by one Sort of People, as if they were extraordinary Performances; and the Authors of them are Encouraged and Careffed and Rewarded. It is by these Discourses that many of the Laity especially, have been Incited to the conftant daily Univerfal Drinking of that Health; and stirred up to the abetting and promoting of it with Noife and Clamour, with Rage and Fury, with Rudeness and Infults, and with frequent Drinking Con fufion and Damnation to all who decline it, or oppofe them. And they are now fo confirmed by their Teachers in an Opinion not only of the Lawfulness of that Health, but of its being Commendable and Praifeworthy; that they make open Declarations

they will never read any Thing written against it; and give this Reason for it, because they never will be Convinced. Which I must confefs is the lefs to be wonder'd at, because, what was never heard of till now, Answers have been publifh'd to my Dif courses by fuch as do, at the fame Time, declare they never read them,

If complaining only of fuch Treatment, without making any other Return give Offence; I fhall leave off here, tho' there is much behind. Only I cannot help obferving how all this abundantly fhews what Spirit thofe Men are of who eagerly promote and encourage fuch Practices as thefe; or at best wink at them; and fuffer fuch Things to pafs off in Silence, and without just Expreffions of their Dislike and Indignation, as they could not fufficiently exprefs their Abhorrence of, did they not come recommended with the Infcription and Stamp of a Party. The uncommon Labour and Struggle for the Support of that Practice of Drinking in Remembrance of King William, by a Set of People who profefs it all to be out of Zeal for the Honour of that Sacrament wherein they Drink in Remembrance of Chrift; And their engroffing to themfelves the only Character of true Loyalty and

and unfeigned Obedience to their Sovereign, nay even from those who affirm Paffive Obedience, and adhere to it; at the fame Time that they induftriously Preach up and propagate the Doctrine of Refiftance; Thefe I fay will tranfmit them down to Pofterity with Two fuch unerring Marks of Diftinction, that they can never be mistaken for any other Race of Men wherever the Gof pel hath prevailed.

PART II.

CHAP. I.

HE other Queftion in Relation to Healths in General is, whether upon Suppofition that the Drinking of them were a Thing in its own Nature perfectly Indifferent, it is not however the Duty of all Good Chriftians, and more especially of the Clergy, by their Example and utmost Endeavour to Check and Discountenance this prevailing Custom, and Banish it out of the Chriftian World?

In order to the clearing up the Affirmative of this Question,I must premise that no Action but that which is Purely Natural is, or can be perfectly Indifferent; and when we Difcourfe of Actions in themselves Purely Indifferent it is in Theory only,and for Diftinction

finition Sake; nor can they ever come under that Notion when confider'd in Respect to Men's Confciences. Whenever they are reduced into Act fo as to have the Concurrence of the Will, to be performed with Deliberation, and to be cloth'd with Circumstances they pass from Nature into Morality; as they do from thence into Grace when they proceed upon an Evangelical Principle, and neceffarily have fome Degree of Good or Evil adhering to them. 'Tis a trite Axiom, No Action of the Will is Indifferent; infomuch that when the most Natural Actions, and perfectly Indifferent in themselves, come under Deliberation and Choice; to be tran facted to fome End or Purpofe; and to be invested with Circumstances, they become Morally Good or Bad in Proportion to the Confent of the Will, and the Condition of thofe Circumstances which attend them.

I wish they who have this Word Indifferent very much in their Mouths on many Occafions, wou'd confider this well; I cannot stay to apply the Observation to other Inftances of Things in their own Nature Indifferent, but are intirely alter'd and cease to be so, when once reduced to Practice, and that they fall under Men's Choice and Deliberation; But fhall make a fhort Application of it to the Cafe of Healths,

and