YOU may perceive by the inclosed Brief for rebuilding the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, how much His Majesty is concerned to have this Work carried on, and in what particu­lar manner He recommends it to the City of London; and therefore I am commanded, not only to send you the Briefs, but to excite you to a more than ordinary care and dili­gence in promoting so good a Work, and which tends so much to the Honour of this City.

I am sensible what Objections a Work of this nature is like to meet with in our Age; wherein some love to cavil at whatever relates to God and his Worship; and especially if it be like to cost them any thing; others who seem very zealous for some kind of Religion, are for enjoying it on as cheap and easie terms as may be; and many of those who declare a good will to this Work, yet express great dissatisfaction both as to this method of proceeding, and the time we have chosen, which they think very unsuitable to such a design, if we either respect the present State of the City or Nation. So that till such Objections be removed out of mens minds, there is little reason to expect they should make any free and chearful Contributions; and if I can be any waies ser­viceable therein, I shall think my time and pains well employed in writing and sending this Let­ter to you.

It is a principle among those who love a thrifty and parsimonious Religion, that whatever is be­yond the bounds and measures of necessity and conveniency in the Worship of God, is vain and superstitious, and therefore deserves no encouragement at all. I do not wonder at this principle in those men who measure their Religion by their Interest, and choose that which brings them the best Trade, and saves them the most expence. But there are many well meaning persons among us, who look on what is great and Magnificent as unsuitable to the times of the Gospel, and only pro­per for that dispensation, wherein God declared, That he loved the Gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. But I desire such to consider that we Worship the same God, who gave order for the Building of Solomon's Temple; not meerly for the conveniency of that way of Worship; but with all the Splendour and Greatness which was agreeable to the Majesty of that God who was Worshipped therein. For since it was the House of God, the sense of nature did teach the Jews as well as Gentiles, that it ought to bear some proportion to the Greatness of Him who dwelt in it: And that is the reason given by Solomon to King Hiram, And the House which I build is great, for great is our God above all gods. Hath not God made the most glori­ous Temple for himself in Heaven, and adorned it after such a manner, as all the Wit and Art of His Creatures can never exactly describe or imitate? And the Jews think, not without reason, that the fashion of their Temple was designed on purpose to represent in little, the far more Mag­nificent Temple which God had framed for His own Glory in the Fabrick of the World. And certainly, it is no part of the Ceremonial Law, to Worship God in a way agreeable to those con­ceptions of His Greatness, which the Works of His Hands suggest unto us. Under the Gospel, I grant, that Christ hath altered the way of Worship which was used among the Jews; and now we are no longer tied to make any part of the places dedicated to God's Worship, a kind of Shambles by slaying the Beasts for sacrifice, but must we therefore make them Stables? There is a natural Decency and Fitness to be observed in these things which Christ hath never taken away, no more than he hath their separation from common use; the destroying whereof brings such rude­ness and Barbarism into Religion, as even the Turks and Scythians abhorr. And although Christ ap­peared in a low and mean condition in the World, as most suitable to the design of His coming, yet even when He lay in the Manger, He had Gold, and Frankincense, and Myrrhe offered him (which were all rich and costly presents) and that by Wise Men too. And when He was to be bu­ried, His Body was Embalmed before-hand with a costly Oyntment; and we know what a severe check Christ himself gave to him that said, To what purpose is all this Waste? although at the same time he pretended great Charity to the Poor. It was the Poverty and Persecution of the Pri­mitive Christians, which made them at any time to Worship God in Chambers and Grotts: For as soon as they had any respite and ease, they erected lofty and beautiful Churches, as Eusebius relates; and the first Christian Emperours shewed their zeal in the Splendour and Magnificence of the Churches which they built; and not only the Emperours themselves, but the best Christians of those times thought this to be for the Honour of Christ and of the Christian Religion. And do these men indeed think, that building great Houses for themselves, and adorning them with the richest Furniture, or raising of Families, and heaping up vast Treasures, is more agreeable to the De­sign of the Gospel, than serving God in a Beautiful and Magnificent Church?

[Page] But if none of these things will move them, let them consider this Work, as a Design which will employ many poor men for many years (and this they cannot deny to be a Work of Chari­ty.) Let them look on it as an Ornament of the City, as an Honour of the Nation, as like to be a standing Monument of Protestant Affection to good and publick Works; and on such Ac­counts as these, we are sure there can be no scruple of Conscience against it.

But others say, Their own Parish Churches are not built, and therefore it cannot be expected they should do any thing yet towards the Cathedral. I am heartily sorry for the occasion of this Objecti­on in any parts of the City; and God forbid that we should hinder the Building of any of the Pa­rochial Churches; but I do not understand how this will do it. All that we desire is, That the Mother-Church may not be forgotten, while the others are rising so fast out of their Ruines, and so many of them are already finished with extraordinary beauty and conveniency. For, how­ever length of time hath made the relation to be almost forgotten between the Mother-Church and the rest; yet for some Ages of the Christian Church, whatever other conveniencies they might have for assembling together, there was but one Church in a City which had a Baptistery belonging to it, that all the Christians being there Baptized, might own their relation to the Mother-Church. And although, since the great increase of the number of Christians, it hath been thought fit to have the Sacraments Administred in Parochial Churches, yet it ought to be considered, that this Church is properly the City Church, to which our Princes on extraordinary occasions, and the Go­vernours of the City have alwaies resorted, and where the Worship of God hath been more so­lemnly performed, and the Word of God set forth by Preachers chosen out from the Universities, and all parts of the Kingdom, to the great Honour as well as satisfaction of this City. And it ought not to be forgotten, that the emulous City to this for Trade and Riches, hath not only built a Stathouse, but a Magnificent Church too at their own Charges; and it will be no great re­putation to London to fall so much short of Amsterdam in zeal for the publick Worship of God.

But why should the burden lie on the City which hath suffered so much of late by a dreadful Fire? This were indeed a terrible Objection, if it had been made in the Ruines of the City; but thanks be to the Wonderful Providence of God Almighty, we have lived to see the City rise with a Splen­dour and Greatness so far surpassing whatever it had before, that this were enough to put us in mind of building the House of God in a way suitable to the present Grandeur of the City. I do not think that in all respects the Prophet's Argument will reach our case, Is it time for You, O ye, to dwell in your Cieled Houses, and this House lie Waste? but yet methinks, those who have already laid out so many thousands on a Monument of the dreadful Fire, should think themselves as much concerned to contribute freely towards a Monument of the Resurrection of the City after it, and what can be more proper for that, that the Re-building St. Pauls?

Lastly, Those who have nothing else to Object against this Work, find fault with the Season, as very ill chosen by us, when so many Burdens and Taxes lie already on the City, and men are still afraid of more. As though the Season were of our own choosing! Whereas the true state of the Case is this: As long as our Stock held out any waies proportionably to the expence, we went on chearfully and with great diligence; and we may say it without vanity, the Stock we had hath been managed with as much care and good Husbandry, as of any publick Buildng whatsoever: But when we found that we could not carry on the Work without farther Supplies; What should we do? should we let the Work stand still without trying other waies? Then we might have justly suffered under the Clamours which would have been made against us, that the Work might have gone on, if we had not been careless and negligent; that the City would, no doubt, give very considerable Supplies, if they were but asked; that in the former repairs the Chamber of London gave two hundred pounds per annum for ten years; besides the liberal Contributions of the Alder­men and of the Wards, and Companies; that it was not to be supposed, the City should be less able, or less willing than it was at that time; that a very easie Rate upon the New-built and Inhabited Houses would serve to sinish the Choire; that but a fourth part of the Rate for the Poor in all the Parishes of England would go very far towards the Body of the Church; that no Citizen of Lon­don would ever refuse doing something towards it; that at least it was but our trying this Way, and if it did not succeed, we need not doubt at last of the Kindness both of King and Parliament. Upon such Discourses as these, it was thought fit by the Commissioners to make an Address to His Majesty, for Authority to gather Contributions, which out of His Royal Clemency and great readiness to promote this Work, He was pleased to grant us. And now the time is Ʋnseasonable! as though it were ever otherwise, to those who have no mind to it! But is it ever unseasonable to do Praise-worthy, pious and generous actions? We do not desire men to impoverish themselves to Re-build St. Paul's, but to give freely and chearfully, and in such a proportion as other publick occasions will permit, and as will be no hindrance to the concernment of their Trade or Families. For our Fears of future burdens and Troubles, can we do better to prevent them than to be full of good Works? And if we were as full of Troubles, as we are of Fears, we may remember that the City and Temple of Jerusalem were fore-told to be Built in troublous times: but thanks be to God, we yet enjoy Peace and Tranquillity; our Port is full of Ships, our City of Trade, and there is great store of Riches among many, who without any considerable diminution to their Stock, may contribute freely to this great Work.

[Page] I am glad the Clergy of this City have already shewed so good an Example to others by their own Subscriptions; and therefore we are the more encouraged to hope for your chearful as­sistance in procuring Subscriptions and Contributions from others, and your diligence in pursuing the Directions contained in the Brief it self. I am

For the better satisfaction of all Persons concerning the present state of the Building, I have Annexed a brief Abstract of it; and for the encouragement of others to Subscribe now, I have adjoyned some of the Subscriptions made in this City towards the former Repairs.