Shall burft its bag; and fighting out their way The prefbyter puff'd up with spiritual pride, But short shall be his reign: his rigid yoke Chiefs fhall be grudg'd the part which they pretend; -Pudet hæc opprobria, vobis Et dici potuiffe, & non potuiffe refelli. } RELI THE PREFACE. A Poem with fo bold a title, and a name prefixed from which the handling of fo ferious a subjec would not be expected, may reasonably oblige the author to say somewhat in defence, both of himfelf and of his undertaking. In the first place, if it be objected to me that being a layman, I ought not to have concerned myfelf with fpeculations, which belong to the profeffion of divinity; I could anfwer, that perhaps laymen, with equal advantages of parts and knowledge, are not the moft incompetent judges of facred things; but in the due fenfe of my own weakness and want of learning I plead not this: I pretend not to make myself a judge of faith in others, but only to make a confeffion of my own. I lay no unhallowed hand upon the ark, but wait on it with the reverence that becomes me at a distance. In the next place I will ingenuously confefs, that the helps I have used in this fmall treatife, were many of them taken from the works of our own reverend divines of the church of England; fo that the weapons with which I combat irreligion, are already confecrated; though I fuppofe they may be taken down as lawfully as the fword of Goliah was by David, when they are to be employed for the common caufe again the enemies of piety. I intend not by this to intitle them to any of my errors, which, yet I hope are only thofe of charity to mankind; and fuch as my own charity has caufed me to commit, that of others may more easily excufe. Being naturally inclined to fcepticifm in philofophy, I have no reafon to impofe my opinions |