About a month ago I delivered a small parcel of Books (addressed for you) to the care of Mr. Solomon Drown, a Student in Physic, from Providence in Rhode Island) who was then setting out for Holland to vizit Leyden &ca. and proposed afterwards to make a Tour in France before his return to America. And I took the liberty to give him a Letter of recommendation to you, because he was very highly recommended to me by the Revd Mr. Manning, President of the College at Providence, where he was bred, and of which he is now a Member. The above mentioned Parcel contains (1st.) a Volume of Tracts against Slavery in which I have placed a paper of reference to a proposal of mine for the gradual enfranchisement of the Slaves in America. 2dly A small volume consisting of several Tracts on “National Defence”; some of which, I believe, you have already seen. But the 3d. Volume is a new work, not yet published (in the Bookseller-sense of that word) tho’ I have already given away the greatest part of the impression, and sent many Copies of it to America: for, indeed, my chief inducement to compile it was a desire to render an essential service to the British Americans, by pointing out to them the most effectual System of popular Government, that was ever planned by human wisdom: I mean the ancient System of Frankpledge in regular numerical divisions of the people; whereby the whole Body of Inhabitants in any Country may be united for Council, or for military Action and Defence in the most equal and impartial manner. It is a System the most effectual for the establishment of true Liberty, Justice, and Common Right, as well as for military Defence, and the security of peace from internal and external enemies. And though I have drawn up my book on congregational Courts as if it was intended for the reformation of this Kingdom, by declaring that the obsolete System is the true foundation of our Common Law, and is still the Constitution of our limited Monarchy, yet I had no hope of effecting any good by it here: my view was only to promote the adoption of it by the American States in the Infancy of their Independence; and I trust I have proved that the System is equally applicable to a Republican, or popular Government, as to a limited monarchy, like that of England; and that it wou’d be equally beneficial to all nations and countries, if once fairly established; as it was really the polity of the Commonwealth of Israel under the Theocracy, which was an example for all the world. Two of the Tracts in the said Book relate to the laying out new Settlements on uncultivated Lands; a subject of very important consideration for the American States; and had I not been afraid of shewing too plainly that I wrote chiefly for the sake of America, I would have added an earnest exhortation to promote the adoption of some agrarian Law for the limitation of Landed Property; because the monopoly of vast Tracts of Land in the possession of a few families is one of the most baneful evils at this time in the world; as it increases pride and aristocratical arrogance, and introduces a dangerous inequality a[mong] the members of every state where it is permitted, so that the bulk of the people, who cultivate the Lands, are thereby rendered dependent and servile and an internal national weakness is the necessary consequence! The accumulation of some landed possessions in England is become enormous, through the total neglect of the old salutary Law of Gavelkind, and through the fatal partiality of Lawyers for the aggrandisement of Families by presuming an exclusive right of inheritance in the eldest Son of a Family even when there is no entail: the fatal effects of this in England ought to warn America to avoid it in due time; and to provide for the division Landed Property in a reasonable proportion amongst all the Children of Intestates, and to limit the quantity of Land in bequests, whereby rich Landholders would be compelled to divide their Landed property amongst their friends and relations, or to sell whatever proportion of it should be thought superfluous. A timely reservation of Common Land and Cottage Land round e very] Town will procure a multitude of useful Labourers; and if these are regulated as proposed in one of the Tracts concerning new Settlements, an ample provision may be made for them without burthening the neighbourhood by a poors-rate as in England. This should be considered with the proposal beforementioned for the gradual enfranchisement of Slaves.

The Book also contains a distinct Tract on Episcopacy as being necessarily connected with the Rights of a Christian Society; and howsoever you and I may differ on some points of religious knowledge, yet, I trust we shall both agree that true Religion is more compendiously efficacious for the forming useful Citizens and sincere Patriots in every State than any other principle that can be inculcated; and of all the various modes of professing it, there is none (I am thoroughly convinced by the examples of primitive times) that would be so effectual for the maintenance of sound Doctrine and purity of manners in a Christian Society, as the primitive apostolic Form of Episcopal Government provided than the ancient freedom of Election to ecclesiastical Offices was amply restored and duly maintained.

I have been informed, that several years ago you revised the Liturgy of the Church of England, with a view, by some few alterations, to promote the more general use of it: but I have never yet been able to see a Copy of the form you proposed. Our present public Service is certainly upon the whole, much too long, as it is commonly used; so that a prudent revision of it, by the common consent of the Members of the Episcopal Church in America might be very advantageous; though, for my own part, I conceive that the addition of one single Rubric from the Gospel would be amply sufficient to direct the revisers to the only corrections that seem to be necessary at present: I mean, a general Rule, illustrated by proper examples, references and marks, to warn officiating Ministers how they may avoid [al]l useless repetitions and tautology in reading the service. As, for instance, after the Lord’s Prayer has been read in one of the Offices, the Minister should be directed to omit it in all the others; ’tho perhaps the solemn repetition of it by the Communicants, after returning from the Lords Table, may be deemed a proper exception to the general Rule. That the Collect for the day should not be read in the first Office, but rather in the 2d Service, or vice versa, at the Ministers discretion; but, by no means, in both, as it occasions so plainly a “vain repetition”. In like manner every other Prayer that contains nearly the same petition in substance as any of those that have already been read in the first Office, ought to be omitted in the subsequent Offices. And it will require a very careful and attentive revision of the whole Liturgy to discover all the repetitions and to point them out with marginal Notes of reference, that the Officiating Clergyman may be more easily enabled to avoid tautology. Such a prudent abridgement of the Service, if it were done with common consent to preserve order and uniformity, would afford great relief to the Clergy as well as to their Congregations, and both would be better enabled to fix their attention to their duty during the Service; because the human mind cannot easily be restrained, for any long time together, from wandering, or absence of thought; so that nothing can be more pernicious to devotion than long Prayers and needless repetitions. This Opinion is sufficiently justified by an injunction of our Lord himself respecting prayer, which therefore I propose as the one additional Rubric necessary to direct us in the use of our Liturgy. vizt. “When ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye, therefore, like unto them”. (Matth. VI.7.).

The Repetitions and consequent unnecessary length of our Church service, are faults however, which have crept in unawares and without design, by an inconsiderate use of several Offices in immediate succession which seem to have been originally intended for separate times of Assembling. But in every other respect the Liturgy of the Church of England is an excellent form, both for expression of the most exalted piety, and for general edification in point of doctrine; for, after the most careful examination, I am thoroughly convinced that it is strictly conformable to “the Faith once delivered to the Saints”, which we ought to “holdfast”. I remain with great esteem and respect Dear Sir Your most obedient humble Servant