$22 Letters between T. Mercer, ef. 
elective by the inferior, or rather by the 
clergy and people conjunctively, they 
will approach nearer to the model of the 
primitive Chriftian Church than ever has 
been done fince its union with the civil 
‘pawers, which (i beg you will bear with 
my great freedom) has been little elfe than 
an ailiance (or, to {peak more properly, a 
combination) between fuperitition and 
tyranny. 
Nay, Sir, if the National Affembly 
fhould ‘abolifh their entire ecclefiaftical 
eltablifhment, give the prefent clergy a 
comfortable fuppert for life, leave their 
fucceflors to be chofen and paid by the 
people, and appropriate the entire reve- 
nues of the church to the ule of the ftate, 
E believe it would be difficult for the 
ableft jurift to prove, that the principles 
of reafon, or juttice, er equity, were 
thereby infringed. And if the reprefen- 
tatives of the people, that is, if the peo- 
ple, fully and properly reprefented (not 
as in this country, nor in the country you 
dwell in} fhould aptrove of fuch meaiures, 
fill would the /acred principles of property 
remain as unfhaken as the foundations of 
the earth. : 
_ This is carrying my principle to its 
full length, but not one jot further, ag I 
think, than men will go, whofe turn of 
mind inclines them to examine early im- 
prefions, and who have fufficient firength 
af mind, and fufficient difintereftednefs to 
reject thofe early impreffions, if found to 
be fallacious. 
Having thus, in a free and unreferved 
manner, delivered my fentiments cn church 
matters, I fhall beg permiffion to fay 
what I may be able on civil matters, with 
the fame_opennefs and freedom. And on 
this head I profefs to believe moft firmly, 
that the tyranny of a Monarch is no more 
facred by prefcription, than the property of 
the church. And I cannot help noticing 
in this place, that the principle on which 
you fcem to condemn the French Revo- 
lution wouid prevent every attempt of the 
kind 2 every fituation —that fubjects, how-— 
ever weighed down and, opprefled by fuch 
a government, as is much more a curfe 
than a blefling, fhould tamely acquiefce 
in it for ever; and that they fhould never 
begin, becaufe they cannot tell what pre- 
cile mealures they may be ebliged to 
adept in their progrefs, or what exact 
{cheme of reformation they may be able 
to accomplifi. SOs 
in my former letter I regretted the aéts 
of riot and crucity which have been com- 
nijted. But in the .prefent imnpertect 
fLate, where much apparent evil feems to 
&S the Rt. Hon. E Burke. [May }, 
be blended with much pofitive good, per- 
havs fuch kind of diforders are inevitably 
attached to the intervals which muft ne- 
ceflarily exift between the demolition of 
tyranny and the full eftablifhment of a 
good government. Be this as it may, I 
cannot fee the neceffity of comparing them 
with the public glaring aéts of the ld ' 
fyfiem in 4o years, or any other given 
time, and for this reafon, that the former 
are momentary, and will foon ceafe, not 
to return, whereas the latter were perma- 
nent, and flowed from an unwatting fource 
of tyranny. And let me here obferve, 
that you omitted to tpeak of the common 
and ordinary effects of the old govern- 
ment, which, I think, it behoved you ta 
fhew were promotive of general happinefs, 
or, if it was difficule to do that, you 
might have endeavoured to thew that they 
were not fo deftruétive of it as the warm 
friends of reformation and liberty pretend 
to believe and prove. But there is ne- 
thing of this fort in your letter. J have 
been in France, and my fojourning there 
was not confined to a fea-port town, for 
I have been in all the provinces between 
the frontiers of Spain and Flanders, which 
takes in a great part of the kingdom: 
and I was very fond of converfing with 
people of allranks, and had many oppor- 
tunities of gratifying mylfelf in this way 
(the upper nobility only excépted), and EF 
was as attentive and penetrating an ob- 
ferver as any man of my (cope could be; 
and every paffing day gave me occafions 
to mark the conitantly operating influence 
of atyrannic fyftem, which, as the dallett 
mah might difcern, was confuming both 
the peace and patience of the people, 
though at that time they dare not com- 
plain, fo great was their dread of thofe- 
terrible inftraments of an extremely 
ftretched prerogative, which they have 
lately feen demolifhed. And we may 
meafure the people’s fenfe of their fut- 
ferings by the boundlefs rage with which 
they broke forth-againft the principal 
manfion and inftrument of opprefiion in 
the metropolis, and againft all fuch per- 
fons as they thought to be unfriendly to 
their emancipation from arbitrary power. 
But we ought not to confound the acts of » 
an enraged multitude with the acts of the 
National Affembly, or with the fettled 
effe&ts of what [ itill hope will be a noble 
conftitution of government—which is not | 
to be a government of twenty four mil- 
lions, but will proceed (it 1s hoped) from 
the wildom of their repre/entatives, from 
whom have already proceeded many ex- 
cellent things towards the gradual and 
whe I matured - 
