My LORD,

AM fenfible of the Prefumption of this Address; and nothing could have encouraged me to undertake it, but the Importance I apprehend the Subject of this Letter to be of to the Welfare of our National Church, in the Guardianship of which your Lordship fo worthily bears a confiderable Share, and for the excellent Principles whereof you have always fo feasonably and fuccessfully expreffed the greatest Zeal. Two lafting Inftances of which are, the good Effects of your Lordship's truly PASTORAL LETTERS in general, and the many learned and ingenious Detections of the Errors of the Romish Church, wrote in confequence of your Apprehenfion of Danger to thefe Nations from the Affiduity of her numerous and peftilent Emiffaries. Such Examples of your Lordship's Influ ence, are fufficient Motives to determine those who conceive our Church in Danger, from any other Quarter, to whom they ought to apply, and from whom there is the greatest Probability of Redrefs.-Thefe Confiderations have induced me to take the Liberty of prefenting to your Lordship's Perufal the Subftance of a private Converfation; being confcious that, though, merely as fuch, it cannot hope for your Lordship's Notice, B

yet

yet when it appears to have been on a Subject of the greatest Weight to the artlefs Difputants, and of the fame Nature with what at prefent are frequent in moft Companies where Religion happens. to be the Topick of Difcourfe; I trust, from your Lordship's known Candor and Impartiality, that it will not be thought unworthy your Regard, though prefented in a Drefs much inferior to what I wish myself capable of offering your Lordship: Nor have I any Hope of Excufe for this Freedom, but what flows from a Perfuafion that the Sincerity of my Design will atone for the many Imperfections which may attend its Execution.

THE Progrefs of the Opinions of the QUAKERS within thefe few Years, and that favourable Judgment of their Tenets, which at present seems fo generally to prevail among the Members of our Eftablished Church, and fhewed itself so openly on occafion of the late Tythe Bill, is yet far from being fubfided; and calls for the Attention of all who have any Regard to the excellent Doctrines of the Church of England, and the Ecclefiaftical Conftitution of this Kingdom: For the Industry of thefe People feems not at all equalled by the Defenders of our Church, our best Writers being. wholly filent on that Head; unless we except a few Tracts lately publifhed on the fingle Article of TYTHES; which, I am.afraid, betray as ftrong a Regard in the Authors to their own Temporal Interefts, as for the Caufe of Christianity.

I MUST beg leave to inform your Lordship, that, for fome Years, I have lived near a Quaker, with whom I have had a good Correfpondence; and we have mutually endeavoured to oblige each other, our Genius's being nearly of the fame Caft,

and.

and our Leifure Hours much alike. In converfing with him I took the greater Pleasure, as he is a Man of too much Senfe to obferve thofe trifling Singularities in Speech and Deportment, which seem now chiefly to diftinguish the weaker Members of that Community. He appeared always well confirmed in his own Opinions, but a Contemner of none. For eight Years, I do not remember we talked as many Minutes on Religion; being both unwilling to start a Subject, from which we had little Hopes of reaping that reciprocal Satisfaction which any other Topick feldom failed to afford us: Nor had it ever, I believe, become the Theme of our Difcourfe, had not a very near Relation of mine lately declared himself of their Profeffion. I was not able to conceal my Concern on this Occafion, nor to avoid expreffing myself fomewhat warmly to 'my Kinfman on account of his Change; which happening fometimes when my Friend was in Company, he always endeavoured to palliate Matters with all the Tenderness to us both that could poffibly be expreffed. In one of thefe Lectures, my Apoftate Kinfman, as I called him, propofed, if we both approved, to set an Evening apart for a Converfation wholly on Religion, or on the Principles and Practices in which the Communities we were Members of moft differed from each other: And at the fame time he affured me, that, whatever I might imagine, he was yet fo unbyaffed as to be influenced in his future Profeffion entirely by the Event of the Dif pute; which, he faid, he thought he might very fafely promife, as he believed us both Men of equally good Intentions, and of fufficient Knowledge in the defigned Subject to give the best Reasons of our refpective Parties for the Effentials in which they differed; and more than that, he added, B 2 could

could be of little Signification in refpect to Duty, however material fome might think it in point of Speculation.

THERE was fomething fo candid in this Offer, that I could not, without the Appearance of Weakness or Prejudice, reject it; and it was alfo accepted by my Friend. I faid, indeed, that fuch a Conference might be rather a Contest between the Talents and Reading of the Difputants, than a fair Representation of the Pleas of the Parties they undertook to defend; but my Opponent answered, in order to remove that Objection, it would be beft for us both, previous to our appointed Meeting, to take a Survey of the feveral Arguments on either Side, from the moft generally approved Authors on thofe Heads that would probably fall under our Confideration ; which he thought might not only add much to our Obfervations, but be a Means of avoiding the many unnatural Digreffions which generally fruftrate the Defign of Converfations on religious Subjects. With this View we deferred our Meeting for two Months; and agreed to bring with us Notes, or Memorandums, of whatever we judged neceffary.

DURING this time I furnished myself with every thing of any Credit relating to the Quakers that I was not already poffeffed of, and very carefully reviewed fome Treatifes which I had formerly haftily read over: I perufed all the Pieces against the Quakers, written by Mr. Bug, Mr. Keith, Mr. Lefley, &c. and read, with very great Attention, the learned Dr. Bennet's Confutation of Quakerism, Mr. Patrick Smith's Prefervative against it, and the feveral Tracts occafioned by the Right Reverend the prefent Bishop of Durbam's Defence of Christianity,

and

and the late Bishop Burnet's Second Volume of the Hiftory of his own Times: And as I proceeded, I carefully minuted down whatever I thought pertinent and conclufive on any Point of Difference between our Church and the Opinions of the Quakers, the better to be prepared for what might occur in the Pursuit of our Design.

THE appointed Evening being come, we met according to Agreement; and, that we might avoid the many Repetitions which commonly attend extempore Arguments of this Nature, I propofed, That, as we were furnished, in Writing, with the principal Authorities for what we were preparing to defend, it would not be amifs to allow each the Liberty of taking, in Writing alfo, as much of his Opponent's Objections and Answers as he thought fit. This my Friend agreed to, provided a Liberty was likewife granted of making what Ufe we pleafed of fuch Obfervations; to which I confented; and by virtue of that Condition I offer the Subftance of our Difpute to your Lordship; humbly hoping you will excuse the want of Eloquence in a Difcourse on Religion, ́a Subject which, however it may attract our Eyes, and feaft our Fancies in an elegant Drefs, has always been obferved to fubdue moft Hearts in its natural Plainnefs and Simplicity.

THE Attributes of the ALMIGHTY being mutually affented to, it next followed to confider, What Rule be has given to inform us of his Will, and to render our Conduct agreeable to the End for which we were created?

THIS Rule I afferted to be the SCRIPTURES; which were written under divine Influence for that

End,