aver to be truth; and I will not affront Dr. Priestley by hesitating whether he would vouch it if he were appealed to by THE AUTHOR."

You fee, Gentlemen, OUR INSPECTOR is as keen and adroit in colloquial controversy, as he is reconditely dexterous in his study.

I hope he will not be offended at this attempt to shew him in a new light by his admirer, and your obedient fervant,

July 5, 1802.

A LONDON CURATE.

PS. I beg to refer OMICRON (p. 325.) to the learned work from which I have extracted the above, for fundry obfervations on the methodisms of the Devil. He will there find the entire passage of Polycarp, to which, it seems, Suicerus refers for afcertaining the different senses of the word Μεθοδεύω; and he will alfo find another threwd thrust at the Herefiarch. (p.P. 56, 57, 58, note.)

ON THE INCREASE OF POPERY.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN,

AS watchmen over the safety and peace of our venerable establishment, every friend thereto cannot but applaud your exertions in detecting and expofing the infidious artifices of the fectaries to spread error and fanaticifm among the people. But while I feel it a duty incumbent upon me to mention this part of your labours with praise, I am forry to ob1erve that you have not paid equal attention to the extraordinary efforts now making by Roman Catholicks to propagate their delusive tenets among all ranks of the community, on both fides of St. George's Channel. No man is less inclined to found the cry of "No popery" than myself, when there are no just grounds for it; but when evidences stare us in the face, in every quarter, that the advocates of that corrupt church are as affiduous and fuccessful in making proselytes, as the modern Puritans, I think there is every reason why we should exclaim "No popery," as well as "that the church is in danger."

But let us adduce a few plain facts:- In the metropolis it is well known that the number of Roman Catholick chapels has not only confiderably encreased within these few years paft, but that each new one has been built upon a larger scale than the others, a pretty strong presumption at least of the confidence of the party, that their cause was not dwindling. I have had the curiofity to go into fome of those chapels, and I was greatly surprised to fee them so uncommonly crouded as to render it difficult for a stranger to get accommodated. It is morecver certain that many chapels have been very recently erected in the populous villages around London, and one particularly at Greenwich, chiefly by the zealous liberality of a gentleman of that perfuafion, who spares no art, pains or expence, to win over proselytes to his church. The cafe is the fame in almost every part of the kingdom; and the re eftablishment of popery, under the aufpices of Bonaparte in France, has given energy to the zeal of the Romish priests, as well natives as foreigners refident amongit us.

I feel myself not adequate to the task of pursuing these inveterate enemies of Proteftantifm, through all their covert windings and ingenious devices to entrap men into their snares; but I hope that the few hints thus thrown out will influence other perfons to pay a minute attention

to

to their proceedings. We have every reason to apprehend, indeed we are almost certain, that in the ensuing parliament, the question of Catholick emancipation will be brought forward; and this is also certain, that in consequence of the number of new members returned, and likely to be returned throughout the united kingdom, great expectations are formed by the Romanists that they shall carry their cause. To this end they have taken unusual pains in the general election on behalf of those men, who they believe are friends to that measure. The Jacobins are, to a man, zealous sticklers for the emancipation, and for this obvious reason, because it will necessarily pave the way for two other objects of confiderable magnitude: -I. The admiffibility of Catholicks to feats in Parliament, and to offices under government. II. The repeal of the corporation and test acts.

The consequences of these measures to the church established are too plain to be pointed out to any man who has read hiftory, or who knows the flightest thing of the spirit of Popery and of Republicanism.

I am credibly informed that a certain perfonage of great property and high rank, who has formally abjured Popery, retains notwithstanding, none but Roman Catholicks in his household, and that he has befides priest in his own immediate confidence.

The pains taken to prevail upon Protestant parents to let their children be educated in Popish seminaries; the encouragement given to Popith assistants in boarding schools, especially in female ones; and the kind attentions shewn by the Roman Catholick gentry to fuch of their Proteftant servants and tenantry as will occafionally attend their religious worship, or submit to receive instruction in the principles of their faithadded to to the glaring evils of Romish charity schools and monafteries, all serve to excite justly an alarm in the mind of every found Proteftant, and particularly of those who are Members of the great bulwark. of Protestantism, the CHURCH OF ENGLAND. --I am, Gentlemen, your's, &c.

London, July 12, 1802.

IOTA,

MISSIONARY SOCIETY, AND SPREAD OF SCHISM. TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE.. GENTLEMEN,

THE observations of your worthy correfpondent the London Curate on the methodistical miffionaries, are very striking and judicious*. How the leading men at the head of what is called the London Miffionary Society, could have the assurance to present to his Majesty a volume so hoftile to the established church, as the "Account of the first Voyage of the Ship Duff," is aftonishing. If I recollect rightly, one of the gentlemen who attended the levee on that occafion, was the Reverend Dr. Haweis, rector of Aldwinkle, in Northamptonshire. There can be little, if any doubt, that the above mentioned volume was in part digested by him; and I believe the articles of faith were of his manufacturing. At all events, his connection with the society, his attending with the committee to present their book to the King, and his frequent harangues in meeting houses to fet forth the state of the miffion, are indubitable evidences, that the articles so properly exposed by your cor.

refpondent, and the ordinations of missionaries, have met with the fulleft approbation and concurrence of the rector of Aldwinkle. Now in compari. on of him I have no fcruple in holding up Mr. Theophilus Lindsey and Dr. Disney, the leaders of the Socinian conventicle, as more commendable and confiftent characters. These men have renounced their church preferments, and have freely seceded from the establishment; but the rector of Aldwinckle holds fast his living, while he stands at the head of a sect, and draws up, or assists in drawing up a plan of government, and articles of faith for its miffionaries, directly repugnant to the faith and difcipline of the established church. Whether he has actually gone to the length of laying his hands upon the heads of these preachers, I will not take upon me to pronounce: but there can be no doubt of his having commiffioned many of them to officiate in the chapels of the Countess of Huntingdon.

It is a fact that these lay preachers assume the canonical vestments in his prefence, as well as in that of several other beneficed clergymen, who occafionally officiate in those conventicles. I fcruple not to call these places conventicles, for they are not regular chapels acknowledged by the establishment, nor are they regular meeting houses. The readers are not in orders, and many, if not most of the preachers are mechanics.

Lately the public attention was roused to the expectation of a converfion of the Jews, and a forward conceited boy was set up by the fectaries to preach to them in Duke's Place. But this project fell to the ground, and the puppet after being exhibited by the Doctor and his party, funk into contempt. They have fince formed a society for propagating the gospel at home: itinerant missionaries are fent into the villages to draw people from the parish churches, and thus confufion is engendered where peace and uniformity were wont to dwell.

The spread of schism is lamentable, and it is fill more afficting to confider that the present relaxed state of ecclefiaftical difcipline is one great cause of its spreading*.

BISHOP HORNE's LETTERS ON INFIDELITY.
LETTER V.

I SHALL not purfue any farther, at present, the wild ramblings of the spirit of scepticism in the Dialogues on Natural Religion. If your diforder should return hereafter, dear fir, we may take another handful or two of the hafty-pudding. Let us advert in the mean time to something more mischievous than the dialogues, because more intelligible to the generality of readers, I mean an Effay on Suicide, in which that practice is vindicated, and recommended to his majesty's liege subjects, not only as lawful and in nocent, but as containing and comprehending, in many cafes, almost the whole duty of man.

The Effay opens with a panegyric on philosophy, as the only remedy for fuperftition. But may not the remedy prove worse than the disease? A young gentleman, fome years ago, fuffered himself to be seduced to Popery. His friends fent him to the fage of Ferney, for a cure: and a most effectual one indeed was wrought. He came home a confirmed infidel,

* This letter should have appeared long fince, according to promife, but that it

was miflaid. † Gibbon.

P

EDITORS.

and

L

and has employed himself ever fince in writing against Chriftianity. Po pery may be bad; but irreligion is not better.

P. 1. Mr. H. Jaments that " men endowed with the strongest capacity for business and affairs crouch all their lives under flavery to the groffeft fuperftition."

Superftition furely is not the failing of the present age, in Great Britain. We have reason to wish there was a little more of it than there is; fince by "the grossest superftition," philosophers often mean neither more nor less than the Christian Religion.

P. 2. "The fair sex feel many of their joys blasted by this importunate intruder."

And lo, Mr. H. in his panoply of "found philosophy," fallies forth as their champion, to flay the giant, and deliver the captive damsels.-But of what kind are the female "joys" here alluded to? Innocent ones are heightened by religion; and those that are otherwife ought to be "blasted." Mr. H. we have been told, delighted much in the company of women that were modeft, though the system of morals, with which he favoured the world, was by no means calculated to make, or to keep them fuch. If they were edified by his converfation, I am heartily glad of it-" I do rejoice, yea and will rejoice."

P. 2.

Superftition being founded on false opinion, muft immediately vanish, when true philofophy has inspired juster sentiments of fuperior powers."

But where is this fame "infpiring true philofophy" to be found? In the writings of the ancient heathens? Affuredly not. They were not agreed whether there were many Gods, one God, or no God. In the writings of Mr. H? Alas, his famous Dialogues on Natural Religion shew, that, by studying their works, he had brought himself, and wished to bring his readers, into the very fame uncertainty. "Juft fentiments of superior powers" can be infpired" only by those powers. From the apoftacy of the nations to the coming of Chrift, philofophy laboured at the taik in vain, and if she has fuceceded in any respect better fince, it is because the has borrowed light from revelation, and not been honeft enough to own it. Chriftianity is founded not upon "false opinions," but facts, the truth of which all Mr. H-'s philofophy has never been able to difprove.

P. 3. To the direful effects of fuperftition, enumerated by Cicero, Mr. H. adds one still more direful; that a man under it's dominion, "though death alone can put a full period to his mifery, dares not fly to this refuge, but ftill prolongs a miferable existence, from a vain fear lest he offend his Maker, by using the power with which that beneficent Being has endowed him. The prefence of God and nature are ravished from us by this cruel. enemy, and notwithstanding that one step would remove us from the regions of pain and forrow, her menaces still chain him down to a hated being, which she herself chiefly contributes to render miferable."

The fuperftition intended by Ciceró is pagan fuperftition. But what is that fuperftition which in these times is understood to prohibit fuicide? Evidently it is the Christian Religion. It is this therefore which by Mr. H. is called "the modern European fuperftition." This is the " virulent poifon;" the "cruel enemy," the "inhuman tyrant," that " chiefly contributes to render life miferable;" and the Deity is complimented by him as a "beneficent Being," because he has " endowed a man with power" to

cut

cut his throat, or blow out his brains, in order to escape. The fame beneficent Being has endowed a man with "power" (if that be all which is wanted) to cut the throat, or blow out the brains of his neighbour, should he judge that neighbour to be the cause of his misery. Upon the principles advanced by Mr. H. it is no eafy matter to give a good and fufficient reason why he should not do fo. For if he has a right to kill himself when any great evil befalls him, or when he is under the apprehenfion of it, why may he not have an equal right to kill another, who, as he apprehends, has brought evil upon him, or who, as he fears, will do it? - So again, if he may kill himself because he seems no longer of any use to fociety, why not, out of charity, kill another, whom he finds or fancies to be in the fame predicament? If fuch be Mr. H-'s philosophy, the Lord defend us from it, and bless us with a little common sense, and common honesty!

P. 5. Mr. H. undertakes to prove that fuicide is no breach of our duty to God: and now let us attend to him.

"In order to govern the material world, the Almighty Creator has eftablished general and immutable laws, by which all bodies are "maintained in their proper sphere and function.

Without doubt he has established an agency of second caufes, which we call the course of nature, operating, under his own fuperintendency, regu-. larly and uniformly, unless when, for fpecial reasons, he fees fit to alter or fuspend it, as on many occafions he has done-Very well; now to proceed.

"To govern the animal world, he has endowed all living creatures with bodily and mental powers; with senses, paffions, appetites, memory, and judgement, by which they are impelled or regulated in that course of life to which they are deftined."

Here we must stop a little. And first, we will dismiss the other "animals" from their attendance, because the question proceeds folely upon man. This done, we ask, whether there be really no difference between the two cafes; whether man be not endowed with a will to chuse and refufe; and whether he be not accountable for his actions? If not-if he be neceffarily "impelled and regulated in his course," as a planet is in that marked out for it, by "general and immutable laws," there is at once an end of the morality of human actions, and neither fuicide nor any thing else can be a crime. You will judge from what follows, how far it is Mr. H-'s intention to inculcate this idea.

P. 7. "All events, in one sense, may be pronounced the action of the Almighty; they all proceed from those powers with which he has endowed his creatures."

८८

The murder of Abel proceeded from those powers with which God had endowed his creature" Cain; fince if Cain had not poffefsed such powers, he could not have exerted them. But what is the "one sense," in which "that event may be pronounced the action of the Almighty?"The power is from God: but let man be anfwerable for the use and abuse

of it.

P. 7. "When the paffions play, when the judgement dictates, when the limbs obey; this is all the operation of God."

The fame fallacy. That the paffions can play, the judgement can dictate, and the limbs can obey, is of God; but that these several faculties operate by righteousness unto life, and not by fin unto death, man, affifted by divine grace, is competent to provide; and it is at his peril that he do provide. Otherwise, God is made the author of all the evil in the world.