Page 183.  “How could the Christians have asserted the disinterestedness of those who first preached the Gospel, particularly their having a right to the tenth part.”  Yes, that would have passed easy enough; for they could not imagine teachers could live on air; and their heathen priests were much more unreasonable.

Page 184.  “Men’s suffering for such opinions is not sufficient to support the weight of them.”  This is a glance against Christianity.  State the case of converting infidels; the converters are supposed few; the bulk of the priests must be of the converted country.  It is their own people therefore they maintain.  What project or end can a few converters propose? they can leave no power to their families, &c.  State this, I say, at length, and give it a true turn.  Princes give corporations power to purchase lands.

Page 187.  “That it became an easy prey to the barbarous nations.”  Ignorance in Tindal.  The empire long declined before Christianity was introduced.  This a wrong cause, if ever there was one.

Page 190, “It is the clergy’s interest to have religion corrupted.”  Quite the contrary; prove it.  How is it the interest of the English clergy to corrupt religion?  The more justice and piety the people have, the better it is for them; for that would prevent the penury of farmers, and the oppression of exacting covetous landlords, &c.  That which hath corrupted religion, is the liberty unlimited of professing all opinions.  Do not lawyers render law intricate by their speculations, &c.  And physicians, &c.

Page 209.  “The spirit and temper of the clergy, &c.”  What does this man think the clergy are made of?  Answer generally to what he says against councils in the ten pages before.  Suppose I should bring quotations in their praise.

Page 211.  “As the clergy, though few in comparison of the laity, were the inventors of corruptions.”  His scheme is, that the fewer and poorer the clergy the better, and the contrary among the laity.  A noble principle; and delicate consequences from it.

Page 207.  “Men are not always condemned for the sake of opinions, but opinions sometimes for the sake of men.”  And so, he hopes, that if his opinions are condemned, people will think, it is a spite against him, as having been always scandalous.

Page 210.  “The meanest layman as good a judge as the greatest priest, for the meanest man is as much interested in the truth of religion as the greatest priest.”  As if one should say, the meanest sick man hath as much interest in health as a physician, therefore is as good a judge of physic as a physician, &c.

Ibid.  “Had synods been composed of laymen, none of those corruptions which tend to advance the interest of the clergy, &c.”  True, but the part the laity had in reforming, was little more than plundering.  He should understand, that the nature of things is this, that the clergy are made of men, and, without some encouragement, they will not have the best, but the worst.