choose their religion from this divine and incorruptible fource of truth.-----To see them thus adorning their high birth and dignity, by becoming advocates for the fupreme authority of the King of kings; boldly oppofing the haughty and imperious claims of men, who under the characters of the church, had invaded the prerogatives of the only Saviour of mankind, generously pleading for the oppreffed liberties of the chriftian world, and kindly interefting themselves in behalf of thofe, who for the caufe of righteousness and truth were condemned to death.

Peace, everlasting peace, reft upon your spirits, O ye illustrious heroes! and let your names never be mentioned, in the protestant world, without paying the just tribute of honour and reverence to your memories!

NOR muft I forget to felicitate my fellow-proteftants in these kingdoms, that his prefent Majefty is defcended from one of thofe noble houfes, who joined in this protest against the cruelties and superstitions of the church of Rome: Happy prince! in whom the love of liberty is an hereditary virtue! born to be placed by providence at the head of that cause of liberty, his anceftors fo early embraced, fo refolutely maintained; and to be the defender of the faith, which spurns at the dictates of all human pride, and owes its being, only to the force of conviction, the evidence of reason, and the fupreme and infallible authority of the God of truth,

THESE

THESE were the principles, by adhering to which, the firft reformers obtained the name of Proteftants; and as I myself glory in this honourable name, I should now proceed, in imitation of the great examples before-mentioned, to enter my own proteft, in the name, and in the behalf of all the faithful, fteady, Confiftent Proteftants of his Majesty's dominions. But I give place to the following letter, as a teftimony of the high refpect I bear to the members of that learned university from whence it comes, and to affure them I shall be glad of their continued correfpondence.

To the Author of the OLD WHIG.

SIR,

TH

Cambridge, March 16.

HE title of your firft paper was fufficient to recommend it to our perufal; and I can affure you, Sir, for your encouragement, there are great numbers of our learned body, who perfectly approve both your performance and defign. We were all particularly pleased to see that you had falJen upon that impudent paffage in the Weekly Mifcellany, relating to Dr. R. and we could have with'd, (confidering how plainly it feems defign'd to infinuate a dishonourable reflection on his Majesty, and the administra

you

tion) that had been fomewhat more particular in your animadverfions upon it. We, who live at this distance from the bufy world, are always glad to receive information from those who live nearer the fountain-head; and therefore we intreat you to confider this matter again, and lend us your affistance.

BEFORE the promotion of Dr. R. it was the language put into the mouths of these Mifcellanifts, that their patron, when his opinion was afk'd, was obliged to fay what he thought of perfons recommended to preferment; that he claimed no farther influence, but left it to the higher powers to determine what was proper to be done. The higher powers have, it feems, at last determin'd otherwife than he prefcrib'd and dictated: and now, what is the confequence? A fort of anathema, or bull of excommunication, is immediately thunder'd out against the higher powers, by these fuffragan writers, and majefty itself is traduc'd and vilified, for having violated the rights of the christian church. "Tis impoffible, we fee, to discover the real temper and difpofition of some men, till they are once heartily provok'd. Before this difobligation, the defign of these writers was disguised under the appearance of a profound refpect for his Majef ty, and a great zeal for the fervice of the administration; but now, behold! the mask is pulled off, and their spirit and temper appear without disguise.

DR.

DR. R. (fays the Mifcellanift) who was lately disappointed of the bishoprick of G——I, bas kifs'd his Majesty's hand for a more confiderable preferment in Ireland; from whence in justice, it ought to be prefumed, that the doctor bas purged himself from what he was charged with, in relation to the faith. Now, Sir, we prefum'd, that his Majesty did indeed difbelieve the malicious and groundless reports which had been propagated against the doctor. We prefum'd, that his Majefty faw the little, bafe, defigning views of the doctor's enemies. We prefum'd it likewise to be a happy prefage, that every imperious, ambitious churchman, and his accomplices, fhould in due time receive their just reward. But it never entered into into our heads to prefume, that the doctor must have purged himself from an accufation, the exact particulars of which, few have heard, and still fewer believe. We could fee no neceffity of a purgation where the accufer wants credit, and where the credibility of his testimony must always be destroyed, by only remembring Dr. Hutchinfon.

BUT (fays the Mifcellanift) the doctor muft certainly have purged himself, fince it can never DECENTLY be fuppofed, that under a government, fo tender of the rights of fubjects, any invafion fhould be made of the effential privileges of the chriftian church, or that thofe privileges, which never yet have been violated in any part of Christendom, should be facrificed to the pleasure of any one man, in a

manner

manner that might give just offence to the whole bench of bishops, and the body of the clergy, and the orthodox members of the churches of England and Ireland, which his Majefty has fo often declared he will protect and encourage. 'Tis eafy to fee, that there is indeed an indecency in the mere fuppofition that fuch a thing would be done; and 'tis a much greater indecency furely, to infinuate that it is done. For what foundation is there for fuch an injurious fuggeftion? If Dr. R. has not purg'd himself, as the Mifcellanift would have him, yet for our parts, we see no rights of the church that are violated, unless it be a right (which the clergy indeed have been generally too fond of, and which wife princes have always abridged them of) a right to calumniate, and defame one another without caufe. We can fee no rights of fubjects invaded, unless it be the right of fubjects to dictate to their prince, and prefcribe to him rules for the distribution of his own favours. We fee no privileges facrific'd to the pleasure of one man, unless it be the privilege of another, to mifrepresent the worthieft clergymen, and by his exorbitant influence, engross the fole difpofal of all ecclefiaftical promotions. We fee no bishops, whom this can displease, and give offence to, unless there are any who defire to exalt the church above the ftate, and encroach even upon the royal prerogative itself. In short, Sir, when we confider the courfe of proceedjug, with regard to Dr. R. the character of

the