believe this Gentleman will not contend that there is to be no End of the Earth, and yet tell us he believes the Bible. It being notorious, that as the Scripture often by all the Earth only means the Land of Fudah, or of Ifrael; fo thofe Terms of, for ever, always, and everlasting, are frequently-made use of to exprefs a long Duration of Time which yet will have an End.

He should therefore have clear'd this Point in the firft Place, and evidently have shown why thofe Words fhou'd bear in this Cafe a different Sense.

I fhall fay no more to this Author, but leave the Reader to the following Difcourse of Mr. LE CLERC, which before he peruses, I think it proper to infert a Letter relating to this Matter, which I receiv'd from the Reverend Mr. PEARSE, Vice-Principal of Edmund-Hall in Oxford

SIR,

T

T is a common Practice with Perfons who have not Abilities fufficient to perform any Work by which they may become known to the World, to endeavour at a Name and Character, by raking into the Ashes, and blackening the Reputation of Men of real Worth, Piety, and Learning. The eminent Prelate, whofe Life you are about to publifh, has been

• afperfed,

6 afperfed, and fuffered fufficiently in this kind. One has thought fit to call him a Grave Atheist Another, a Thorough-pac'd Phanatic: And a Third, à Trifler, and a Denyer of Eternal Punishments in another World. The firft of thefe, 'tis well known, did it out of Zeal, Heat, and เ Party: The fecond, by miftaking his Piety and Moderation for Phanaticism! And the third, was acted by an ambitious Ignorance. Dr. HICKES's especial Friend, in his Life of Bishop BuLL, has recommended a Reverend Gentleman as a Pat tern to the young Preachers who are non growing up, for no other Reason that is known to the World, but for a weak Endeavour to leffen the Name of Arch Bishop TILLOTSON. Had he seriously and impartially confider'd Matters, he would have fet the Bishop's Sermons as a Pattern, whofe Genius, Method, Sense, and Language, are as much fuperior to any of his Adverfaries, as his Station was in the Church. Bishop TILLOTSON does indeed in his Sermon of Hell Torments, give the Objections their full force, but then in the Conclufion, he declares his Opinion of their eternal Duration, in the most pathetical manner imaginable. It has been a fault in feveral learned Men, not to be as large and clear in their Ant fwers as they were in their Objections:

L

• But

But then no Perfon of Honefty, Sense, or Religion, will infer from thence that they were Heterodox, and held the. wrong Side of the Queftion. A Reve⚫rend Divine in his Conference with a Deift, has for Inftance, ftated the Arguments for Deifm much stronger than his Anfwers to them, and yet no Man ever thought him inclinable to Theism, but Honest and Orthodox. I mention this of Bishop TILLOTSON's Sermon, because I have been inform'd, That I was in fome measure the Occafion of Dr. LupTON's printing his Difcourfe in answer to it, Had not a Difcourfe of Bishop BULL'S on that Subject been loft, perhaps the World would have feen all that could have been said for, and againft, the Queftion, fairly ftated.

But that which makes me write to you at prefent, chiefly is, to communicate to you, a Memorandum found in the Study of the Reverend Mr. CREECH, which a Perfon gave me fome Years fince, when his Books were Sold by Auction here in Oxford. It reflects exceedingly on the Bishop, and deferves to be taken Notice of by the Publisher of his Life. 'Tis as follows, viz.

⚫ Memorandum, That whatever. Steps • were taken, and all that was done, for the & abolifhing of Epifcopacy, and fubversion of the

the Church of Scotland, was done by the • Contrivance, Advice, and Approbation of Dr. TILLOTSON. And then he adds, This I had from Johnson, who was certain of, and knew the whole Matter, when I was down in the North *.

This, Sir, is what I thought fit to • communicate to you, upon reading your • Advertisement in the News Papers. I am, Sir,

Your obedient,

Oxford, Edmund Hall,

humble Servam,

Jan. 11th. 1715.

ROB. PEARSE.

*See Page 6. for an Answer to this Memorandum.

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