those who had too little religion:" As if that could be deemed a crime! Would this doctor have the colleges to ftand empty, think you? But we learn that this motion was over-ruled, the V-C-r and Heads of Houses did not think proper to come into it; from which after ages will have a very refpectable idea of the prefent piety of that learned body.

Thus, my beloved, I have gone through the first part of my plan, and fhall proceed, to the fecond.

II. Namely, to raise a notable point of doctrine from it; which is this, viz. That the conduct of the Heads of the Houses, in expelling the fix young men for praying, reading, and expounding the tcriptures, is defenfible, from the conduct of the clergy of all ages and countries, whatsoever fnarling perfons may fay.

To clear this I fhall produce four inftances; most of which I fhall take out of that old antiquated book called the fcripture. A book which fets forth the true fpirit of the University doctors to the very life. The

Ift. Of these inftances we have in the book of Daniel, chap. iii. wherein fome tranfactions of the Doctors of the established church at Babylon are recorded; concerning which I would make the following notes.

I. That the religion, by law eftablished, was the religion of the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar, at the request of the clergy, made and fet up in the plains of Dura. A place, my beloved, which, if we may give credit to travellers, very much resembles the plains of Oxford.

II. The

II. The clergy, who you know have always been wonderfully fond of a golden god, would by no means fuffer an act of toleration to be paffed in favour of methodifts and dif fenters: but, on the contrary, got an act of parliament on their own fide, enjoining the strictest uniformity in religion, and threatening death to all diffenters: It seems this prince was too eafy; and like fome of our for- · mer princes in England, was fo much afraid of the clergy, that he was obliged to conform, and fo efpoufed an act of uniformity which the clergy hoped would bring good grift to their mill, verse 6.

III. This law established, the clergy were very impatient to have the fubjects of this great king brought to the teft; which they thought beft to do by appointing a public feaft, on which it was required that every man and mother's fon fhould fall down before, and worship this golden god fet up by the king, as the tool of the parfons.

IV. That there were four degrees of learned men, whom I fuppofe, dwelt in the university at Babylon: first there were magicians, with them, the fame as doctors of divinity are with us in our universities: fecondly, there were aftrologers, or men of learned fciences, much the fame with our mafters of arts: thirdly, there were forcerers, who, I fuppofe, were either fellows of the college, or bachelors of arts, appointed to be tythe-gatherers: and, fourthly, there were chaldeans or student of their divinity, and other fine arts: and,

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V. That

V. That all those gentry were very vigilant in difcovering and informing against diffenters, verfe 8. Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and accufed the Jews. That is to fay, certain young ftudents, being fpurred on to it by their tutors who cared not to appear in fuch a dirty affair themselves, and fo forth; by which they appear to have been rather more honourable, than the reverend tutor of Ed Hall.

VI. Strict as the law was, there were fome who took upon them to pray to God, like thofe fix young gentlemen who were expelled the university for praying. But what were they think you; why truly, they were dif fenters and methodifts, for they would not conform to the Babylonifh prayer book, and other forms of worship by law established, therefore were diffenters; and they were methodists, if praying to God, and refusing to pin his faith on the fleeve of the parfons gown, denominates a man a methodift. But what followed, trow ye? why as foon as they were found out to be nonconformists, the clergy accufed them of rebellion; and had the king been as fond of burning diffenters, as their reverences were, these men had in a trice been executed, without having another chance for their lives. But he was not quite fo fiery, but gave them another trial, and ftrove to bring them over to the church by gentleness, intermixed with feverity. The gentleness was his, and the feverity belonged to their reverences. But the methodists continued obftinate, and at last overcame the parfons,

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parfons. If you'll read the chapter through, you'll fee the upfhot of it, and how the doctors of the univerfity were confounded, and the diffenters re-admitted to the king's favour; for God did work for them.

I pafs on to the days of Darius; a prince who had a praying nobleman for his firft minifter of ftate, and, for ought I know to the contrary, he might be first lord of the treafury, as well as chancellor of the empire. His name was Daniel, and by birth a Jew. Well, my beloved, being fo very great, he was grievously envied by the inferior placemen, though they kept it fecret, and spoke him fair to his face; and he was very much abused by thofe who were out of place. If we may judge of ancient things from what appears in ages more modern, we may fuppofe that the times took a turn fomething like the following:

One man cries out against his being a favourite, and too intimate with the queen or queen's mother, as their kinfmen do upon fimilar occafions; another complains of his being a foreigner, and a captive, fo highly dignified, whilst the natives were neglected: perhaps their news-papers might be stuffed with clamours against the exotic favourite; and the incenfed mob might be taught to cry out, liberty and Babylon for ever-but no Jew-no favourite-no captive. Well, my beloved, all the inns and outs might have fretted themselves to death, without being able to do any thing against this prime minifter, this fame Daniel, the king's favourite,

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if they had not applied to the principal clergy, the Heads of Houfes. But I trow, the reverend doctors the magicians, the mafters of the art of aftrology, &c. &c. no fooner embarked in the popular caufe, but they were more than a match for the favourite, who had fallen by means of their reverences, if the Almighty had had as little to do with him as he has to do with the greatest part of the clergy.

Well, my beloved, the Heads of Houses and the difaffected ftatefinen met altogether, and confulted which was the best way to overturn the state of this praying favourite. But the conduct of Daniel was fo exemplary, that they knew they fhould be able to find nothing wrong in him unlefs they could entrap him in matters of religion. Therefore having first perfuaded the king, that the church was in danger, they urged the neceffity of a law being made, prohibiting any man's praying unto God. Well, Darius the king was not fuch a novice in politics, but he knew the neceffity of having the clergy on his side, and therefore, though he could not fee into that part of their myfterious divinity, made the decree according to the plan concerted by that learned body.

But it is thought that he would have ftrained a point with them, if he had known that they were aiming at the life of his faithful favourite.

But how ftiff these biblifts are! for this Daniel went on praying to God, reading and expounding the fcriptures in a private house,

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