documents harfh and four. But because the spirit of man cannot demean it self lively in "this body without fom recreating intermiffion of "labor and ferious things, it were happy for the

commonwealth, if our magiftrats, as in those "famous governments of old, would take into "their care not only the deciding of our conten"tious law cafes or brauls, but the managing of "our public sports and festival paftimes; that they might not be fuch as were authoriz'd a while "fince, the provocations of drunkenness and luft, "but fuch as may inure and harden our bodies by "martial exercises to all warlike fkill and per"formances; and may civilize, adorn, and make "difcrete our minds by the learned and affable

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meeting of frequent academies, and the procure"ment of wife and artful recitations, fweeten'd "with eloquent and graceful inticements to the "love and practice of juftice, temperance and "fortitude, inftructing and bettering the nation "at all opportunities, that the voice of wifdom

and virtue may be heard every where. Whether "this may not be don, not only in pulpits, but "after another perfuafive method, at fet and fo"lemn paneguries, in theatres, porticos, or what "other place or way may win most upon the peo"ple to receive at once both recreation and inftruc"tion, let them in authority consult.”

ANOTHER eminent * bishop having written against SMECTYMNUUS, our author publifh'd animadverfions on his book; and to the reasons alleg'd from councils for fubftituting a conftant form to occafional

prayers in public, he gives the following anfwer. "Set the grave councils, fays he, upon their "fhelves again, and ftring them hard, left their "various and jangling opinions put their leaves I fhall not intend this hot feafon

into a flutter. "to lead you a course thro the wide and dufty champain of the councils; but fhall take counfel of that which counsel'd them, reafon : and "tho I know there is an obfolete reprehenfion now

at your tongues end, yet I fhall be bold to say, "that reason is the gift of God in one man as well "as in a thousand. By that which we have tafted already of their cifterns, we may find that reafon "was the only thing, and not any divine com"mand, that mov'd them to injoin the fet forms "of a liturgy. First, left any thing in general might be miffaid in their public prayers, thro ignorance or want of care, contrary to the faith: and next, left the Arians and Pelagians in par"ticular fhould infect the people by their hymns "and forms of prayer. But by the good leave of thefe antient fathers, this was no folid "tion of fpreading herefy, to debar the minifters "of God the ufe of their nobleft talent, prayer in "the congregation; unless they had forbid the ufe of all fermons and lectures too, but fuch as "were ready made to their hands like our homi"lies or elfe he that was heretically dispos'd had

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:

preven

as fair an opportunity of infecting in his dif"course, as in his prayer or hymn. As infuffi"ciently, and, to fay truth, as imprudently did "they provide by their contriv'd liturgies, left $6 any thing fhould be pray'd thro ignorance or '' want

want of care in the minifters for if they were "carelefs and ignorant in their prayers, certainly

they would be more careless in their preaching,

and ftill more careless in watching over their "flock; and what prescription could reach to "bound them in both thefe? What if reason, (6 now illustrated by the word of God, fhall be "able to produce a better prevention than these "councils have left us against herefy, ignorance, "or want of care in the miniftry, to wit, that "fuch wisdom and diligence be us'd in the educa"tion of those that would be ministers, and fuch

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a ftrict and serious examination to be undergon "before their admiffion, as St. Paul to Timothy "fets down at large; and then they need not carry "fuch an unworthy fufpicion over the preachers "of God's word, as to tutor their unfoundness “with the a, b, c, of a liturgy, or to diet their

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ignorance and want of care with the limited draught of a mattin and evenfong drench." What his opinion was of the fathers he further declares, when he calls them thofe more antient "than trufty fathers, whom cuftom and fond

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opinion, weak principles, and the neglect of founder knowlege, has exalted fo high, as to "have gain'd them a blind reverence; whofe "books in bignefs and number endless and immeasurable, I cannot think that either God or nature, either divine or human wisdom, did 66 ever mean fhould be a rule or reliance to us in the decifion of any weighty and pofitive doctrins: for certainly every rule and inftrument of neceffary knowlege that God has given us,

"ought

"ought to be fo in proportion as may be wielded " and manag'd by the life of man, without penning him up from the duties of human fo"ciety. But he that shall bind himself to make

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"antiquity his rule, if he reads but part (besides "the difficulty of choice) his rule is deficient, "and utterly unfatisfying; for there may be "other writers of another mind, which he has not seen And if he undertakes all, the length "of mans life cannot extend to give him a full "and requifit knowlege of what was don in antiquity.-Go therfore and ufe all your art, apply your fledges, your leavers, and your iron crows, to heave and hale your mighty POLYPHEMUS Of "antiquity, to the delufion of novices and unex"perienc'd Christians." The prefent ecclefiaftical revenues, he fays, were not at firft the effects of

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ડ

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juft policy or wholefom laws, but of the super"ftitious devotion of princes and great men that "knew no better, or of the bafe importunity of beg"ging friars, haunting and harraffing the death"beds of men departing this life in a blind and "wretched condition of hope to merit heaven for "the building of churches, cloysters, and convents; the black revenues of purgatory, the price of abus'd and murder'd fouls, the damn'd fimony of trentals, and the hire of indulgences "to commit mortal fin."

MILTON's next book was his Apology against the fame reverend person, who tax'd his Animadverfions with being a fcurrilous libel. This adversary, as it has always bin the custom of fom people when they can neither anfwer well nor defend, had re

courfe

L

courfe to diffamation and perfonal reflections, which, had they bin true, could not derogat from the force of his arguments; but, being false, muft be cal'd by their true names of lying and flander. Our author therfore intreats thofe who have found the leisure to read his name unworthily diffam'd, that they would be fo good and fo patient as to hear the fame perfon not unneedfully defended. Being accus'd of having bin an inordinat and riotous youth vomited out of the university, he makes this reply: "For this commodious ly I "thank him; for it has given me an apt occafion

cr

to acknowlege publicly with all grateful mind “that more than ordinary favor and respect which "I found above any of my equals at the hands "of those courteous and learned men, the fellows "of that college wherin I spent fom years: who 66 at my parting, after having taken two de

grees (as the manner is) fignify'd many ways "how much better it would content them that I "should stay, as by many letters full of kindness " and loving refpect, both before that time and "long after, I was affur'd of their fingular good "affection towards me. Which being likewise

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propenfe to all fuch as were for their ftudious

and civil life worthy of esteem, I could not "wrong their judgments and upright intentions "fo much as to think I had that regard from them "for any other cause than that I might be still in"courag'd to procede in the honeft and laudable "courfe, of which they apprehended I had given "good proof.-As for the common approbation or "diflike of that place, as now it is, that I should

"efteem