CHARGE OF Thomas Lord Bishop of Oxford TO THE CLERGY of his DIOCESE, In his PRIMARY VISITATION 1738 Published at their REQUEST. LONDON: Printed for J. and J. PEMBERTON, at the Golden-Buck 1005-017 Reverend Brethren, I Am very fenfible you cannot meet together on this Occafion, without making deep Reflections on the Lofs, which you have fuffered for the publick Good; by the Removal of a Paftor, whom the Experience of so many Years hath taught you to esteem and honour fo highly. It is your farther Unhappiness, that He is fucceeded by a Perfon, very unequal to the Care of this confpicuous and important Diocese. But your Humanity and your Piety will, I doubt not, incline you, both to accept and to affift the Endeavours of one, who can affure you with very great Truth, that he is earnestly defirous of being as useful to you all as he can, and seriously concerned for the Interests of Religion and of this Church. Would to God there were lefs need of expreffing a Concern for them, than there is at prefent! MEN have always complained of their own Times: and always with too much Reason. But though it is natural, to think thofe Evils the greateft, which we feel ourselves; and therefore Mistakes are easily made, in comparing one Age with another: yet this we cannot be mistaken in, that an open and profeffed Difregard to Religion is be come, through a Variety of unhappy Causes, the distinguishing Character of the present Age; that this Evil is grown to a great Height in the Metropolis of the Nation; is daily fpreading through every Part of it; and, bad in itself as any can be, must of neceffity bring in most others after it. Indeed it hath already brought in, fuch Diffoluteness and Contempt of Principle in the Higher Part of the World, and fuch profligate Intemperance and Fearlesness of committing Crimes in the Lower, as muft, if this Torrent of Impiety ftop not, become abfolutely fatal. And God knows, far from stopping, it receives, through the ill Defigns of fome Perfons and the Inconfideratenefs of others, a continual Increase. Christianity is now ridiculed and railed at, with very little Reserve: and the Teachers of it, without any at all. Indeed with respect to us, the Rule which most of our Adverfaries appear to have set themselves is, to be, at all adventures, as bitter as they can: and they follow it, not only beyond, Truth, but beyond Probability: afferting the very worst things of us without foundation, and exaggerating every thing without mercy: imputing the Faults, and fometimes imaginary Faults, of particular Perfons to the whole Order; and then declaiming against us all promifcuously, with fuch wild Vehemence, as in any Cafe but ours, they themselves would think, in the highest degree, unjust and cruel. Or if fometimes a few Exceptions are made, they are ufually made only to divide us amongst ourselves: to deceive one Part of us, and throw throw a greater Odium upon the other. Still were these Invectives only to affect Us perfonally, dear as our Reputations are and ought to be to us, the Mischief would be small, in comparison of what it is. But the Confequence hath been, as it naturally must, that Difregard to Us hath greatly increased the Difregard to publick Worship and Inftruction: that many are grown prejudiced against Religion; many more, indifferent about it and unacquainted with it. And the Emiffaries of the Romish Church, taking the Members of ours at this unhappy Difadvantage, have begun to reap great Harvefts, in the Field which hath thus been prepared for them, by the Labours of those, who would be thought their most irreconcileable Enemies. YET, however melancholy the View before us appears, we have no reafon to be difcouraged for let us take care of our Duty, and God will take care of the Event. But we have great reafon to think seriously what our Duty on this Occafion is, and ftir up each other to the performance of it: that where-ever the Guilt of these things may fall, it may not fall on our Heads. For it must needs be Matth. that Offences come: but wo to that Man, by whom 7. the Offence cometh. Our Grief for the Decay of Religion might be attended with much Comfort in regard to ourselves, could we but truly fay, that no Faults or Infirmities of ours had ever given Advantages against it. But though, God be thanked, we are far from being what our Adversaries would represent us; whofe Reproaches perhaps were ne ver |