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yourself from, the communion-fervice of the Church?

4. I can fet my own probatum eft, to the conduct I am now recommending. For feveral years after I was made acquainted with the grace of God, I chiefly refided in a place, where I was obliged, either to starve my foul, by never fitting under the miniftry of the word; or to go for it, to a diffenting meeting-house. I made not a moment's hefitation in chufing the latter; and would again purfue the fame line, if Providence was again to place me in fimilar circumftances. But, though I heard the gospel, conftantly, at meeting (because I could hear it no where elfe,) I, conftantly and ftri&tly, communicated in the Church only. I know that this was pleafing to God, by the many happy foul-feafons I enjoyed, both at the Lord's table, and in the feparate affembly. And yet, (as you may judge from my leaving them as preachers,) the clergymen, at whofe hands I received the memorials of Chrift's dying love, knew no more of the gospel, than so many flocks or ftones.

5. Let a parifh-minifter be ever fo fpiritually blind and dead, the liturgy remains the fame. Bleffed be God, the clergy are forced to read it; and to adminifter the Lord's fupper, and other offices, according to its admirable and animating form of found words.

6. While your friend communicates in the Church of England, he is at full liberty to hear the gofpel elsewhere: But,

Should be communicate with a diffenting-church, he muft, firft, fo far become one of them, as to hear the gospel, in great meafure, if not entirely, among them only. Such a transfer of communion, therefore, would resemble tying himself by the leg (or, rather, nailing hinfelf by the ear) to a fingle tree; in preference to enjoying the full range of God's garden. I have feen fo very many inftances of this, in a courfe

courfe of more than two and twenty years obfervation, that no antecedent promifes, profeffions, or proteftations, to the contrary (made to a new convert by any of thofe religious affemblies,) would have the leaft weight on my judgement of this

matter.

Thus I have, agreeably to your defire, fignified a few of those reasons, which have long had great influence in determining my own mind. Influence fo very great and decifive, that I am thoroughly perfuaded, was the glorious company of apoftles to live again on earth, at this very time, and to live in England; not one of them, I very believe, would be a diffenter from our established Church: though they would all deeply lament the dreadful ftate of fpiritual, of doctrinal, and of moral declenfion, to which the greatest part of us are reduced.-May God inform and teach your friend, the way in which he ought to go; and, forever, guide him with his eye! With which prayer, for him, for you, and for myfelf, I remain,

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O the following notice:

N the cover of laft month's magazine, I read

the following notice: "Thanks to Minimus, for his pious Meditation." Now, as I am the only perfon, who ever appeared, in your magazine, under

the

-It

the fignature of Minimus; and as I never fent you any meditation, whether pious or impious, fince I furrendered my editorfhip of the faid magazine [in July laft], and as it is generally known, that the papers figned Minimus, were written by me : will be both ufing me extremely ill; and alfo look like a defire, on your part, to palm a deception on your readers, if you permit any future paper, of which I am not the author, to bear the fignature above-mentioned.

Not doubting, that, on further confideration, you will fee the justice and propriety of this hint, and act accordingly; 1 remain, fir,

your affectionate friend and fervant,

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THROW myself on your candour and politenefs, for your pardon of the prefent freedom, taken by a perfon who has not the honour of being known to you. The favour which I prefume to folicit, is, that you would be fo obliging as to communicate to me fuch leading particulars, as you may recollect, concerning a late friend of your's; who was one of the greateft, and yet (by a fate peculiarly frange) one of the obfcureft men, whom this ifland ever produced: I mean, Mr. Baxter, the metaphyfician, who dedicated the 3d volume of his VOL. VI. (32.) U

chief

chief work to you. I have a very cogent reafon, for wishing to acquire authentic and exact information of the times and places of his birth and death; and of fuch other principal circumftances, as may merely fuffice to perpetuate the out-lines of his perfonal hiftory: which, in point of diffusiveness, need not be more prolix, than is the letter I now address to you. I am, &c..

Auguftus Toplady.

I

LETTER LXXV.

To the Rev. Dr. PRIESTLEY.

Knightsbridge, Jan. 20, 1778.

AM much your debtor, fir, for your late polite favour from Calne: but, efpecially, for the obliging prefent of your Difquifitions concerning Matter and Spirit; and of the Appendix, concerning Neceffity. I have read them, with great attention: and, as you condescend to requeft my opinion of thofe ingenious pieces; you fhall have it, with the moft tranfparent unreserve.

I need not fay any thing, as to the article of neceffity because you well know, that I have the honour to coincide, almoft entirely, with your own view of that great fubject. Permit me, however, to afk, en paffant, in what part of any printed work of mine, I feem to think that the torments of hell will not be eternal?" You yourself, dear fir, I doubt not, will, on a calm review, be the first to condemn your own temerity, in having publicly advanced a conjecture totally unwarranted on my part: and I am equally difpofed to believe, that this will be the laft liberty of the kind, which you will venture to

take

You

take either with me, or with any other man. must be fenfible, that not a word, on the nature or the duration of future punishment, ever paft between you and me, either in writing, or in perfonal converfe. Confequently, you must be entirely unacquainted with my ideas of that awful fubject: and, as fuch, was totally unqualified to advance the infinuation, of which I have fuch just reason to complain.

With regard to your "Difquifitions," &c. I would obferve,

1. That I can fubfcribe to no more than to one moiety of them. I ftill confider materialifin, as equally abfurd in itfelf, and atheistical in its tendency..

But, 2. The perufal of your book gave me no furprife; because I have, for a confiderable time past, viewed you as a fecret materialift: whofe favourite principle, like the workings of a fubterraneous fire, would, at last, break forth into open birth.

3. Nor has this publication leffened, in the finalleft degree, my refpect and efteem for its author. You have a right, to think for yourfelf; and to publish the result of your thoughts, to the world. If my own brother was of a different judgment, as to this point, I fhould fet him down for an enemy to the indefeasible prerogatives of human nature.

4. I revere and admire real probity, wherever I fee it. Artifice, duplicity, and difguife, I cannot away with. Tranfparency is, in my opinion, the first and the most valuable of all focial virtues. Let a man's principles be black as hell, it matters not to me, fo he have but integrity to appear exactly what he is, Give me the perfon, whom I can hold up, as I can a piece of chryftal, and fee through him. For this, among many other excellencies, I regard and admire Dr. Priestley.

5. I must acknowledge, fir, that, in the foregoing part of your "Difquifitions," you throw no fmail quantity

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