ΤΟ

HIS GRACE

GEORGE,

LORD PRIMATE

OF ALL

IRELAND: (St George Stone. )

MY LORD,

A$

S I am a Clergyman of the established Church, and have for fome Years been poffeffed

of an Ecclefiaftical Preferment, into which, before I could be admit

ted, I was obliged to fubfcribe the four firft Canons, which include my Affent to the Articles of our Religion, and also to declare publicly my unfeigned Affent and Confent to all and every thing, contained in The Book of Common-Prayer: And, as I have not been fo much employed about my temporal Affairs, but that I have found Leifure to apply fome Time to my Books, and to think as well as read; I find that I do not how agree exactly in Sentiment, either with my former Opinions, or with those Perfons who drew up the Articles of our Religion, or with the Compilers of our Liturgy, and, in particular, with the Athanafian Creed: And therefore I have laboured un

der

der fome Difficulties, how to direct myself in these Circumstances.

There was a Sermon preached, not many Years ago, by Dr. Conybear, before the Univerfity of Oxford, which feems to have been approved of by them; and which hath fince been reprinted in Ireland, wherein he afferts, that every one who subscribes the Articles of Religion, does thereby engage, not only not to difpute or contradict them; but that his Subfcription amounts to an Approbation of, and an Affent to the Truth of the Doctrine therein contained, in the very Sense which the Compilers thereof are supposed to have understood them: That they are not to be

confidered as Articles of Peace, but of Doctrine, as the very Title denotes, which is, For the avoiding Diverfities of Opinions, and for establishing Confent touching true Religion. Whereas I apprehend any Attempt towards avoiding Diversity of Opinions, not only to be an useless, but also an impracticable Scheme; fince I do not only doubt whether the Compilers of the Articles, but even whether any two thinking Men ever agreed exactly in their Opinion, not only with regard to All the Articles, but even with Regard to any One of them; fo that if they were to give their own Interpretation of them, there would be found as many different Sentiments as there were Interpreters: The Difference indeed

would