A

DEFENCE

O F

Archbishop TILLOTSON,

AND HIS

WRITINGS.

By Monfieur LE CLERC.

Y Design in fpeaking of the late Archbishop TILLOT MSON, is not, either to praise him, or to make his Works known on this fide of the Water. All that have any

knowledge of the English Tongue, cannot but be acquainted with them. Besides, the Merit of this great Man is far above

B

my

my Praises; and to write the Elogium of a Person to whom every Body gives a good Character, is not the way to afford my Readers much Satisfaction. Should I go about to do it, I muft defcribe a Man excellent for a clear Head, great Penetration, exquifite Reasoning, profound Knowledge of true Divinity, and folid Piety, for a peculiar Plainnefs and Elegance of Stile without any Affectation; and in fhort, endow'd with all that could be wifh'd in one of that Order. To crown his good Qualities, I ought to add, that they were too eminent not to draw on him Envy and Calumny; which very feldom attack the common People, or Men of ordinary Qualifications. I ought alfo to put the World in mind that he has been accus'd of Socinianifm; which has commonly been laid to the Charge of fuch as have reafon'd better than the Vulgar, and preferr'd the Scripture Phrafe to the School-Terms. These Calumnies, inftead of tarnishing the Reputation of fuch Men as Archbishop TILLOTSON, are Foils to fet it off, and only heighten it, like Shades in a Picture ; efpecially when repell'd after his manner. I fhall not examine thofe Accufations, but only tell the World, that after his Death there was found a bundle of bitter Libels that had been vented against him, on which he had wrote with his own Hand,

Hand,

I FORGIVE THE AUTHORS OF THESE BOOKS, AND PRAY GOD THAT HE MAY ALSO FORGIVE THEM. All thofe Calumnies did him little hurt during his Life, for he attain'd to the higheft Dignities of the Church of England; and fince his Death they are all fallen to the Ground.

Every Body knows that Sermons are commonly fill'd with a flafhy Rhetoric, which takes much better from the Pulpit than the Prefs; but Archbishop TILLOT SON's are for the most part exact Differtations, which will bear being examin'd by the ftricteft Reafoners. Tho' fuch of them as he publish'd during his Life, with his Treatife of The Rule of Faith, are the exactest, and the most labour'd, yet those that have been publifh'd fince his Death, have been extremely lik'd, and deservedly efteemed.

As few of his Sermons have been seen here, I shall give an Extract of the Thirty Fifth, which treats of the Eternity of Hell Torments; this fome of my Friends have defir'd to fee, on Account of a Quotation I formerly made out of it.

I fhall alfo add a few Remarks, and draw fome Confequences which appear proper for the Defence of the Chriftian Religion, against those that reject it upon account of its teaching the Eternity of the Pains of the next Life. B 2

This

'This eternal State of Rewards and • Punishments in another World (fays Archbishop TILLOTSON) our Bleffed Saviour hath clearly revealed to us. And as to one part of it, viz. That good 'Men fhall be eternally happy in another 'World, every one gladly admits it: But ( many are loth that the other part should ' be true, concerning the eternal Punishment of wicked Men. And therefore "they pretend that it is contrary to the Juftice of God to punish temporary Crimes 'with eternal Torments: Because Juftice

always obferves a proportion between 'Offences and Punishments; but between " temporary Sins and eternal Punishments there is no proportion. And as this feems hard to be reconciled with Justice, fo much more with that excess of Goodness which we suppose to be in God.

And therefore they fay, that though • God feems to have declared that impenitent Sinners fhall be everlastingly punifh'd, yet thefe Declarations of Scrip"ture are so to be mollified and understood, 'as that we may be able to reconcile them • with the effential Perfections of the Di'vine Nature.

This is the full Force and Strength of the Objection. And my Work at this • Time shall be to clear, if I can, this dif ficult Point. And that for these two • Rea

Reasons. First, For the Vindication of the Divine Juftice and Goodness: That "God may be juftified in his Sayings, and appear Righteous when he judgeth, And Secondly, Becaufe the Belief of the Threat'nings of God in their utmost extent is of fo great a moment to a good Life, and fo great a difcouragement to Sin; for 'the Sting of Sin is the Terror of eternal Punishment; and if Men were once fet free from the fear and belief of this, the 'moft powerful restraint from Sin would be taken away.

So that in answer to that Objection, I 'fhall endeavour to prove these two • Things.

Firft, That the eternal Punishment of wicked Men in another World is plainly 'threatned in Scripture.

Secondly, That this is not inconsistent either with the Juftice or the Goodness of • God.

Firft, That the eternal Punishment of wicked Men in another World, is plainly threatned in Scripture, namely, in ⚫ these following Texts, Mat. 18. 18. It is better for thee to enter into Life halt and " maimed, than having two hands or two feet to be caft into everlasting Fire. And Mat. 25. 41. Depart ye curfed into ever• lafting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. And here in the Text, thefe, B 3 'that