Dr. Eachard's Works .: to Which Are Added Five Letters

Dr. Eachard's Works.: To Which Are Added Five Letters by John Eachard presents a sharp, satirical critique of the English clergy in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The volume gathers his polemical examination of the state of the clergy, including The Grounds and Occasions of the Contempt of the Clergy Enquired into, where he argues that education, discipline, and maintenance within the church are fundamentally flawed. Eachard attacks the schooling system for producing ill-trained clergy, deplores poverty among parish ministers, and ridicules excessive and pretentious preaching that relies on flourishes of language rather than clear, practical instruction. The work also includes a preface and a sequence of letters and dialogues (notably featuring characters like Philautus and Timothy) that debate the nature of society, the state of nature, and the governance of Church and State. Overall, the book is a pointed, early Enlightenment critique advocating reform in ecclesiastical education, clerical sustenance, and preaching sincerity over rhetorical display.