Page 215.  “They who gave estates to, rather than they who took them from, the clergy, were guilty of sacrilege.”  Then the people are the Church, and the clergy not; another part of his scheme.

Page 219.  “The clergy, as they subsisted by the alms of the people, &c.”  This he would have still.  Shew the folly of it.  Not possible to shew any civilized nation ever did it Who would be clergymen then?  The absurdity appears by putting the case, that none were to be statesmen, lawyers, or physicians, but who were to subsist by alms.

Page 222.  “These subtle clergymen work their designs, who lately cut out such a tacking job for them, &c.”  He is mistaken—­Everybody was for the bill almost:  though not for the tack.  The Bishop of Sarum was for it, as appears by his speech against it.  But it seems, the tacking is owing to metaphysical speculations.  I wonder whether is most perplexed, this author in his style, or the writings of our divines.  In the judgment of all people our divines have carried practical preaching and writing to the greatest perfection it ever arrived to; which shews, that we may affirm in general, our clergy is excellent, although this or that man be faulty.  As if an army be constantly victorious, regular, &c. we may say, it is an excellent victorious army:  But Tindal; to disparage it, would say, such a serjeant ran away; such an ensign hid himself in a ditch; nay, one colonel turned his back, therefore, it is a corrupt, cowardly army, &c.

Page 224.  “They were as apprehensive of the works of Aristotle, as some men are of the works of a late philosopher, which, they are afraid, will let too much light into the world.”  Yet just such, another; only a commentator on Aristotle.  People are likely to improve their understanding much with Locke; It is not his “Human Understanding,” but other works that people dislike, although in that there are some dangerous tenets, as that of [no] innate ideas.

Page 226.  “Could they, like the popish priests, add to this a restraint on the press, their business would be done.”  So it ought:  For example, to hinder his book, because it is written to justify the vices and infidelity of the age.  There can be no other design in it.  For, is this a way or manner to do good?  Railing doth but provoke.  The opinion of the whole parliament is, the clergy are too poor.

Ibid.  “When some nations could be no longer kept from prying into learning, this miserable gibberish of the schools was contrived.”  We have exploded schoolmen as much as he, and in some people’s opinion too much, since the liberty of embracing any opinion is allowed.  They following Aristotle, who is doubtless the greatest master of arguing in the world:  But it hath been a fashion of late years to explode Aristotle, and therefore this man hath fallen into it like others, for that reason, without understanding him.  Aristotle’s poetry, rhetoric, and politics, are admirable, and therefore, it is likely, so are his logics.