NOTE.

Dr. Matthew Tindal, of whom a short account has already been given (see note, p. 9), issued his “Rights of the Christian Church” in 1706.  In 1707 it had already gone through three editions.  The full title of the work is:  “The Rights of the Christian Church asserted, against the Romish and all other Priests, who claim an independent Power over it:  with a Preface concerning the Government of the Church of England, as by law established.”  Ostensibly the book was an attack on the Roman Catholic Church, but the attack was so cleverly veiled that it included in its criticisms the Church of England also; and must take its place among the works of the deistical writers of the time who aimed at subverting the foundations of the relationships between the Church and the State.  According to Dr. Hicks, who wrote several works in reply to Tindal’s book, Tindal told a gentleman, who found him at work on it, that “he was writing a book which would make the clergy mad.”  If so, he did not fall short of his intention; for not only the clergy, but even learned laymen became “mad.”  In addition to Dr. Hicks of Oxford, the Church of England found champions in Dr. William Wotton, Samuel Hill, Conyers-Place, Mr. Oldisworth, and Swift.  Swift delayed the preparation of the materials for his reply, or else he found other matters to occupy his time—­the Sacheverel business came on soon after, and the Tindal controversy lost interest in this more immediate and more important affair.  So that Swift’s criticism remained unfinished, and was only published when his editors came to search among his papers.  In 1710 Tindal’s work was ordered, by a vote of the House of Commons, to be publicly burned by the hangman.  The grand jury of Middlesex were presented that the author, printer, and publisher of “The Rights of the Christian Church” to be dangerous and disaffected persons, and promoters of sedition and profaneness; and this charge was grounded on the following extracts.  I take these from Scott’s note, and I find that the page references are to the second edition of Tindal’s work issued in 1706.

“The church is a private society, and no more power belonging to it than to other private companies and clubs, and, consequently, all the right anyone has to be an ecclesiastical officer, and the power he is entrusted with, depends on the consent of the parties concerned, and is no greater than they can bestow.”  Preface, p. xxx.

“The Scriptures nowhere make the receiving the Lord’s Supper from the hands of a priest necessary.” p. 104.

“The remembrance of Christ’s sufferings a mere grace-cup delivered to be handed about.” p. 105.

“Among Christians, one no more than another can be reckoned a priest from Scripture”—­“And the clerk has as good a title to the priesthood as the parson ...  Every one, as well as the minister, rightly consecrateth the elements to himself ...  Anything farther than this, may rather be called Conjuration than Consecration.” p. 108.