of any protestant divines rejecting presbyte-::rian and admitting the validity of popish ordination, 82-87, 179–195.

Popery to be effectually opposed on the principles of the protestant dissenters only, 243 -247.

King James II. and Chillingworth perverted to popery by pursuing the consequences of the XXth article of the English church, which claims authority in controversies of faith, 106-109.

St. Paul and the other apostles zealous nonconformists, and strenuous opposers of the established pagan church, 11, 240–242..

The absurdity of bowing towards the east in honour of the divine being, who is acknowledged to be alike present in all places, 93, 94.

Of bowing at the name of Jesus, 94, 95.

Of the consecration of churches and churchyards. An account of the manner in which Archbishop Laud consecrated the church of St. Catharine Cree, 260-263.

The dignity of public worship disgraced by reading, as a part of the public service in the church, the lessons from the apocrypha, containing the fabulous legends of Bell and the dragon, and especially that magical romance of rescuing a fair virgin from the enchantments of her infernal lover, and conjuring away the amorous devil Asmodeus by the fumes of a fish's liver, 92-93.

The Presbyterian establishment in Scotland vindicated from the unjust aspersions which Mr. White has thrown upon it, 194, 205

-211.

SERIOUS AND FREE THOUGHTS ON THE PRE

SENT STATE OF THE CHURCH AND OF RELIGION, IN A LETTER TO THE BISHOPS, first printed in 1755, 269.

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POSTSCRIPT, containing Dr. Stebbing's honest censure of the doctrine of sacerdotal absolution, as having no foundation in Scripture; and his declaration" that, though we may use a hundred distinctions, as to its being "declaratory or ministerial, yet if we speak so as to be understood it is nothing."-Also Bishop Burnet's account and censure of the manner in which Bishop Kenn gave absolution to that most profligate Prince, Charles II. 298.

APPENDIX, No. I. Observations on the restora

tion of Charles II.-Testimonies from Burnet, Echard, Clarendon, Rapin, Hume, and the critical history of England, to shew that the Presbyterians were not enemies to monarchical government, and that they were highly instrumental in restoring Charles II. to the throne, who repaid their zeal for his service, and their ill-placed confidence in his solemn promises,with the utmost baseness and ingratitude, 301.

APPENDIX, No. II. The opinions of Mr. Serjeant Hill, Mr. Madocks, and Mr. Hargrave, respecting a clergyman's refusing to administer the Sacrament to an open and notori ous evil-liver, 310.

SUPPLEMENT. Unfeigned assent and Consent, explained by the legislature, 317.

PREFACE

TO THE NINTH EDITION,

THE established reputation of this work, and the plain and unanswerable arguments which it contains in defence of nonconformity, render it a sort of standard book with Protestant Dissenters; and, it may, perhaps, without impropriety be asserted, that no Dissenting Family ought to be without it.

That I am warranted in pronouncing the ar guments contained in this book unanswerable, appears from the conduct of the various champions of the established church, who have ventured in the field of controversy, since the days of their vanquished brother, the late Rev J. WHITE, B. D, of St. John's college, Cambridge, whose attack on the principles of Protestant Dissenters, drew forth this masterly defence: although the work has passed through eight editions, and the topics handled have been in continual discussion, no one has attempted a serious answer. It is true that about four years ago, a small pamphlet made its appearance with the title-An Answer to Mr. Towgood's Dis sent By T. ANDREWS. After perusing that pamphlet, charity to the Author induces me to suppose that he never read the work he profes ses to answer. A few quotations from a threepenny pamphlet, containing partial extracts from Mr. Towgood's book are all that are noticed; and even the remarks on these are too futile to merit attention. The public seem to agree with me in opinion, as Mr. Andrews's pamphlet is as little known as its author.

*Several large impreffions have likewife been published in America.

But although the defenders of the church establishment have not been able to answer Mr. Towgood's arguments, they have discovered no mean ability in misrepresenting his principles; two instances of which deserve to be noticed more particularly,as their authors are clergymen not unpopular in their respective connections, who profess greater spirituality than the generality of their brethren, and who are commonly, though not very correctly termed, by way of distinction-EVANGELICAL.

The Rev. T. BIDDULPH, A. M. Minister of St. James's Bristol, in a pamphlet lately published, alluding to this work, without quoting a sentence,passes the following censure:--"Tow"good's Letters are interspersed with the most

awful Socinian sentiments:* an assertion this, which I will venture to affirm,must be the offspring of either consummate ignorance, or intentional misrepresentation. There is not a single socinian sentiment to be found throughout the whole work it would be strange indeed if there were, because the author was well known to disapprove of the socinian system. His respectable biographer, observes on this subject "That "in early life Mr. Towgood embraced the ge"nerally received doctrine of the Trinity. He afterwards became dissatisfied with the explanations which were given of it; BUT

WITHOUT EVER APPROACHING TO SOCINIANISM, WHICH HE THOUGHT OBSCURED, IN A "GREAT DEGREE, THE GLORIES OF THE GOSPEL, AND ENERVATED THE FORCE AND AU

THORITY OF ITS PRECEPTS. The pre-exis"tence of our Saviour, he considered as oue "of the most evident, nnd most delightful doc"trines of the NewTestament. He thought there 66 was ample reason to believe that Jesus Christ

* Letter to the Rev. John Hey. P. 53.

"was the person that acted in the Shechinah, as "the representative of the invisibleJehovah; because the very same things are said of him in "the writings of the New Testament, which were spoken in the Old Testament of the person who appeared in the Shechinah.”*

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"The sufferings of the Mediator, (says Mr. "Towgood) we are always to consider,not as the "primary and moving cause of God's being

propitious to us, and willing to be reconciled, "but as the manner or the medium in which he "was pleased to shew himself propitious.Ante"cedent to the death ofChrist,he was gracious "and merciful, and ready to forgive. For God so "loved the world, that he gave his only begotten "son; but for infinitely wise reasons, fully "known only to himself, some of which we "clearly see, he chose to dispense his pardons "only by the hands, and as the reward of me"ritorious sufferings, of one of the human race, "that as by man came death, so by man came "also the resurrection of the dead. The pure "love of God to a sinful world was the first "mover, and original spring of the whole plan "of our redemption."+

• Manning's Sketch of the Life and Writings of the Rev. M. Towgood, P. 133.

+ Towgood's Grounds of Faith; (p. 31) in an addrefs to the two united congregations of Proteftant Diffenters, at Exeter on his refignation of the paftoral office, written in the 84th. year of his age.

Mr. Fuller of Kettering, in difcuffing the explanations which different divines have given refpecting the doctrine of the Atonement, makes the following very juft remark, and which controverfialists on this fubject would do well ever to bear in remembrance. "If we fay,-A WAY WAS OPENED BY THE 66 DEATH OF CHRIST, FOR THE FREE AND CONSISTENT EX"ERCISE OF MERCY, IN ALL THE METHODS WHICH SOVEREIGN 46 WISDOM SAW FIT TO ADOPT, perhaps we fhall include EVERY 66 MATERIAL IDEA which the SCRIPTURES GIVE US of that "important event." The Gospel its own Witness, &c, P. 261, It is impoffible, I may add, for words to convey a more precife idea of Mr. Towgood's fentiments refpecting the doctrine of the Atonement, than these used by Mr. Fuller.