that I want to overturn the constitution of church and state' altogether. Far from it. If we admit the present established church of England to be a part of the civil constitution, I find no fault with her: I believe she is as good as any other of the kind, and could not give place to a better. But then I would not have her to pretend to be what she is not, a New-Testament church. She may be necessary to political government, and may serve the same purpose to the state that any political church ever did; and I make no doubt but archbishops and bishops, and their clergy, are as useful to the English government, as the Roman Pontifex Maximus, with all the tribe of his clergy, were to the Roman. The Christian religion is as much concerned with the one as the other. As the Apostles of Jesus Christ never found any fault with the civil government of Rome, nor interfered with the state religion, farther than by telling them that pleased to hear them that it was idolatry, nor gave themselves any trouble concerning it, except when the civil power wanted them to comply with their worship, which they never would do; so the followers of the Apostles ought to imitate them, and suffer the state to have what religion it pleaseth, providing it does not impose it upon them. If, indeed, that part of the civil constitution called the church seek to impose its worship and rituals, by authority, upon those who cannot in conscience observe them, they have an undoubted right to give their reasons why they cannot, and may safely affirm their reasons are such, whatever they are. There is no warrant in the New Testament for any party to impose their religion upon another; nor have Christians any right to say that a state should conform to them. But when they are called to give the reasons of their non-conformity, they have no cause to be ashamed or afraid to do it. When any establishment makes laws to compel non-conformists to comply with the political religion, upon the pain of loss or suffering, it is a plain evidence it is not a New-Testament church; for in the Christian religion there is no compulsion. If the present national religion be essential to civil government in England, it seems abundantly evident that none should be admitted to any share in the government, but such as are of that communion. But then they ought not to be called by authority to exercise any offices under it, when their consciences will not allow them to observe the requisites that are needful to qualify them. Churches established by law are not even satisfied with enjoying all the profits of their settlement, unless they can bring other people to defile their consciences, by endeavouring to compel them to do what they believe to be sinful. It is supposing non-conformists to be worse than asses, to endeavour to compel them to serve in offices both civil and religious, where they must at first instance join in worshipping God in a waytheir consciences remonstrate against. When men are allowed állowed to have their own method of religion, and are not compelled to any thing against their consciences, they have no reason to find fault with the established religion. But when they are compelled to support it by their means, and forced to comply with its rituals, or suffer loss, they have certainly reason to com plain of want of Christian liberty. The leaders of religion do certainly account Dissenters infidels, or intend to make them so, when they endeavour to make them conform to modes of worship they can see no authority for in the word of God. This shews something like a stated purpose to ruin both their souls and bodies. The Apostle tells us, that he that doubteth is damned if he eat; and non-conformists have this alternative to eat and be damned, or forbear and be punished. If the alliance between church and state make it lawful for the church to impose her principles and worship upon Dissenters, upon the same principle it will be lawful for any church whatsoever to oblige all Dissenters to comply, or punish them less or more. If this be a good principle, the Protestants in France have no reason to complain of Roman Catholic imposition, when a church of their own persuasion does the same thing. There are many simple slavish asses among Dissenters, who can, without any hesitation, conform to the church, and take on their burdens for some small worldly advantage, or, to please their friends, profanely tamper with their consciences. Some of them, who have got near the top of the fashion, are coming every day nearer to embrace their old mother, notwithstanding that they have so often said that she hath played the harlot; and many of them seem to have little other objection against her, but that she is not yet far enough departed from the truth. From some aversion they have conceived at the articles and creeds of the church, for their supposed likeness to Scripture, they rave against them, but from no other principle but their enmity at the New Testament, which through some mistake they conceive them to be like. They have still a strong inclination to go to heaven within the trammels of a liturgy; and some of them have of late been making zealous attempts to bring in organs into their meetings, that they may have as wanton a way of worshipping their Maker, as their neighbours of the establishment. These wellrefined Dissenters seem to agree with the establishment in thinking that the Almighty should be worshipped after the Jewish manner; and seem disposed to make the New Testament conform to the Old, as decently as they can. Perhaps, after some little consideration, they may agree to introduce circumcision, as well as they have done white robes, altars, and organs. They would find some asses that would submit. If the civil powers would be so condescending as to make a law for circumcision, and annex emoluments to it, the prophets of the church would do their best endeavours to train asses to submit to the slavery. But as the pain would be most likely more than a counterpart to the profit, and the priesthood themselves could not decently neglect to observe a religious ordinance established by law, it is highly probable this piece of church reformation will remain unattempted, among the rest of the things the people are not yet ripe for. I shall conclude with observing, that there is scarce a man that assumes the character of a prophet, but will find plenty of asses among the people to answer his purpose. Though Balaam and his ass are dead many years ago, yet their offspring are very numerous. But who would think that any of this character could be found in Britain, the very toast of the nations for pretensions to freedom and liberty? Yet true it is, that there are many false prophets, and many asses, in this free nation. Even here we shall find slaves in abundance: here we shall find men called freeholders bearing civil burdens, like Issachar, through their own slothfulness and want of spirit: here we may find men who are called Free-Thinkers giving up their liberty, and conforming to other men's creeds, at the expence of their own consciences: here you may find offices appointed by spiritual authority to break the stubborn and perverse temper of untractable asses, under the management of the sons of Balaam, who have in custody all the trapping that is fit to keep them in order. In Britain you may find some burdened with taxes, some with articles of religion, some with creeds, and others with oaths and covenants; and upon the top of these burdens, on purpose to rule their asses, always some of Balak's or Balaam's children sitting; and these poor humble creatures, at every threatening of their tyrannical masters, after they have started a little, returning and saying, Are not we thine asses, upon which thou hast ridden ever since we were thine? THE END OF SERMONS TO ASSES. ADDITIONAL SERMON NOT INCLUDED IN THE FIRST EDITION OF SERMONS TO ASSES. SERMON V. GENESIS, Xviii. 28. And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. THIS HIS was a number perhaps too large to be expected so near a king's court-for they are righteous persons that are understood here, as we learn from verse 24-but far too few for such a large city as Sodom. If this city was any thing near as large as London or Paris, there could not be fewer than five hundred thousand souls in it; and to have no more righteous persons in it than forty and five, was a melancholy circumstance. One would willingly wish there had been more, for their own sakes. Perhaps it is the court that is meant, and not the whole community. In this sense forty and five would be a great number of righteous persons in such a situation. There have been fewer in more splendid courts since the days of Sodom. There were but two in the court of king Ahasuerus-the queen and her uncle, and both foreigners too. When one reads this passage of holy writ, they would willingly wish to find this number, and have the city preserved. But, alas! the fourth part of the sum cannot be found. There were not ten. My heart fails me, to think a fine city, a populous city, and a city that had lately been preserved out of the hands of its formidable enemies, should be lost for the want of number forty-five. From the history of this city and her sisters, there is some reason to believe there were forty-five hundred fornicators, fortyfive score adulterers, and forty-five oppressors, and likely some place-men. But these were not the persons the Almighty was inquiring after they were righteous persons that he wanted. This is the point, the main point, the sticking point, forty-five righteous persons! Had drunkenness, gluttony, and gallantry, been any constituent branches of righteousness, thou, O Sodom! had been standing to this day! What a flourishing city hadst thou been, had uncleanness been righteousness, and fornication been the fear of the Lord. No doubt, there were in thee many noblemen that had ravished virgius, and defiled the bed of his neighbour. In thee no lord had any occasion to fear the law for committing a rape, when all thy judges were whoremongers. But, alas for thee! none but the devil and his disciples call this righteousness; the Almighty calls it wickedness;-and for this thou wert destroyed. Ten righteous persons for Sodom might, for aught we know, be as great a number as forty and five for London; and if the one be as far to seek as the other was, there is reason to say, Miserere, Domine! How unwilling is the Almighty to destroy a fine city! He comes down and down in his account to ten. Forty and five could not be found, nor ten either. One cannot but commend Abraham for his good-will to Sodom; he ventured far to intercede so much for a wicked people;-but who would have thought but forty and five might have been found in such a large city. Though one could not well have expected such a number about the king's court, nor among the grandees of the city and country, who generally serve their ambition, their private interest, and their lusts;-yet among the merchants and members of the corporation, in the lower crafts, forty and five might have been hoped for. But, alas! these are all carried away down the stream of wicked imitation. The inferiors aspire after the imitation of their superiors; all are carried away in the torrent of iniquity. "This," says Ezekiel," was the iniquity of Sodom; pride, and fulness of bread, und abundance of idleness, were in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hands of the poor and needy." Every ordinary shopkeeper attempted to rival the mayor and the aldermen of the city in diet, dress, luxury, and extravagance of every kind. Scarcely a clerk who could stand at a counter but must have his kept mistress like a first Ld of the Ty, and shine in gorgeous raiment like a justice of the quorum. Every mechanic, who could but once or twice pay his bills, and get credit, must have his country-house, where his wife and children riot in all kind of extravagance and wantonness. How could righteousness be expected in such a city? Perhaps there might be ten parishes in Sodom, and to be sure every one would have a clergyman to do service in them. These, no doubt, might all be expected to be righteous persons. Or likely there might be only one cathedral church, and a college of twelve Ds: these we might well suppose to be righteous persons. But, ah! this is not always the case! The scripture tells us there was idleness in Sodom too. The Ds did not mind their duty, but perhaps preached but once a month, and the Bp once a year, and the people were lost for lack of knowledge, It will be hard to find this number forty and five righteous persons in any large populous city or trading town, in most • Ezekiel, xvi. 49. countries, |