Answer.-Yes: such provision as will be seen. But, in the mean time, and to authorize you to make this provision, what you have assumed,-and what for that purpose it was necessary for you to assume, and that in the character of an universal proposition, is-that, by the Almighty, in consideration of that particular portion of wisdom, which, to you in particular, it has happened to be blest with such power not only is fit to be given to rulers in general, but has actually been given to them :and this, be they who they may, to all rulers: and sure enough, if, to the extent to which, to the purpose of the argument, it is necessary it should be assumed, this general proposition is granted, every proposition, necessary to the establishment of your own aptitude in particular, may be thrown into the bargain, as not being worth disputing about,

But, any such power-when, and on what occasion, was it ever given? where is any the least evidence, of any such gift, to be found?

A job for the casuists. Here is an engagement takenan engagement taken in the solemn and awful form of a vow-a vow made by the sponsors-that the child shall do so and so; a vow made by A, not that he himself, but that B, shall do so and so. B, in process of time, breaks the yow for this transgression-for this breach of a vow-of a promissory oath for this species of perjury, who is it that is to be punished? A or B? or some one else, and who else? If punished, in what mode and to what amount, punished? by everlasting flames in hell, or by any and what milder punishment?-Questions these, which, whenever this formulary is considered as any thing better than a parcel of words without meaning, will surely, now that, perhaps, for the first time the suggestion is made, be regarded as having some claim to answers. The persons

thus dealing out eventual punishment at their own pleasure-viz. the sponsors-are they the persons, by whom, in case of a breach of the vow, the punishment is to be borne, suppose the ordinary one of everlasting burning in hell fire?-if so, quere, of the whole number of persons who have been inveigled into the taking upon themselves this office, what is the number that will be saved?-What is the number?-Answer. None. For, whether its being kept inviolate is not as far from being possible as from being desirable, is what any rational eye will presently be in a condition to perceive. Upon the person, whom, in a state of helpless infancy, under the direction of the Church of England hierarchy, they have thus fastened upon and loaded with this burthen-is it upon this Jonas, that the lot of punishment will fall?—What a case is his! and, in its effect, what sort of a boon is this, which is thus magnified!

11. Thus much as to the general principle of the alleged engagement-now as to the subject matter of it.

Three, and but three, is the number here spoken of as the number of the things vowed and promised. But, of these three things, the first-mentioned is of itself a TRIPLE one, speaking of three things, or sets of things, as so many things which are to be renounced: as so many things, for the renunciation of which by the child (whatsoever be meant by renunciation), undertakers, under the name of sponsors, (or the child can not be a Christian), must be found, that will pledge themselves.

Mean time, without stopping as yet to take any clear view of the preceding things, no sooner is the last of them brought to view, than a question very naturally presents itself. Supposing this engagement fulfilled, can any thing else be wanting? "God's holy will and commandments"

kept, can any thing more be necessary? Is it in the nature of the case that even God himself should will or desire any thing more? The terms of the phrase, it must be confessed, are general; at the same time, for terms so comprehensive, few can be clearer or more easily intelligible.-"A commandment”—what sort of a thing that is, is among those things, which, by daily and hourly reference, are made known to every body. Sure enough, if every thing else had been equally clear, no such commentary as the present would ever have made its appearance.

Come we now to those other "things," by which this last is so unnecessarily preceded.

In relation to these first-mentioned things, numbered first and second, the first observation that strikes the eye is-that, presented as they are in this manner to view, the child is bid to look upon them as so many distinct things:upon each of them as something, which in its nature is distinct, and on this occasion specially contradistinguished, from the thing last-mentioned, viz. " the keeping God's holy will and commandments." If, all the days of his life, so it is that a man has been keeping this holy will, and these holy commandments, what he has thus been doing, is he to understand then that it will be accepted as sufficient? Not he, indeed :-remain for him to do all these other things, whatsoever they may be.

These things, whatever they are, if so it be that it is in pursuance, as well as in consequence, of the engagement thus taken, that they are to be done by him, then so it is that to his doing them one thing more is necessary; which is, that he understand what they are: unfortunately, here, it will be seen, lies the difficulty,-and that, to an ordinary understanding, not to speak of extraordinary ones, it is much to be feared, an insuperable one.

Among the three things, or sets of things, that are to be

renounced, first come "the Devil and all his works."-The Devil, who or what is he, and how is it that he is renounced?—The works of the Devil, what are they-and how is it that they are renounced?-Applied to the Devil, who or whatever he is,-applied to the Devil's works, whatever they are,—what sort of an operation is renouncement, or renunciation ?

To all these several words,―to one of them in particular, by which an idea, no less terrific than obscure and indeter minate, is wont to be excited,-what tolerably distinct ideas can rationally be expected to be attached, in the mind of infant simplicity and ignorance? When the holy person, whose name is next under the Sovereign's, seated on the pinnacle of theological science,-when the Archbishop of Canterbury himself is able to tell us who or what the Devil is, what are his works, and by what operation they are renounced,―they being all the while things distinct, all of them, as well from "the sinful lusts of the "flesh," as from "the pomps and vanity of this wicked "world," then it is that it may be time enough to expect any tolerably clear, and practically useful idea, of all these mysteries, to stand attached to these words, in the infant mind, for the nourishment of which this composition, such as we see it, is the morsel first administered.

"The Devil and all his works."--And in the first place, the Devil himself,-of whom so decided and familiar a mention, as of one whom every body knows, is made.— Where lives he? Who is he? What is he? The child itself, did it ever see him? by any one, to whom, for the purpose of the inquiry, the child has access, was he ever seen? The child, has it ever happened to it to have any sort of dealings with him? Is it in any such danger as that of having, at any time, to his knowledge, any sort of dealings with him?-If not, then to what purpose is this

renouncement? and, once more, what is it that is meant by it? Suppose him, however, to have actually renounced this Devil-that is, speaking of this Devil, to have said, I renounce him-in what condition is he, other than that which he would have been in, had no such renouncement been made?—The engagement, whatever it be, if any, which by this renunciation has been taken, by what act or acts is it that it would be violated?-This is surely among the things that would be worth knowing, were it only that a man might have it in his power to avoid the violating— the breaking-of this his engagement, without knowing, and for want of knowing, what it is.

"The Devil and all his works!"-Exists there any where any real being to which this name is applicable? If yes, exists there any sufficient reason for supposing that he ever made his appearance upon this earth?—ever made his presence sensible to, exhibited his person to the senses of, any human being that ever lived?

Not by unbelievers only, but by many a pious Christian, is the existence of any such being not merely doubted of, but, for such reasons as to them have been satisfactory, utterly denied:-the sort of being mentioned under this name, being, in their notion of the matter, no other than an allegorical one; the passages, in which mention is made of him, so many purely allegorical or figurative expressions.

Figurative, and nothing more, was and is, according to them, the existence of this personage: figurative, and upon a line with that of Jupiter and Juno, and the other inhabitants of the classical heaven, subjects or colleagues to those celestial potentates.

True, say certain fathers of the primitive Christian church. Yes; most exactly indeed upon a par were and are the Devils, great and small, with those Gods and