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there contained, means, a belief, that the Scriptures were written under the influence of divine inspiration; that they are the word of God conveyed to men by his command; and, of course, that they are, in all their parts, true.That is the meaning of the Act of Parliament, which Act would still remain in force; and, then, I should be glad to know what relief the "tender conscience" of this gentleman will receive from a repeal of the Act relative to a belief in the Trinity. If their consciences require that they should be at full liberty to ridicule the doctrine of the Tri

reading the wranglings of Theologians; or in endeavouring to settle points of faith; and the more especially, as there are settled -laws, and, indeed, express acts of parliament, to regulate my faith and my worship. Aye, say the Unitarians, but every rational creature ought to think for himself. Well, and so do I; but, of what use is it for me to waste much thought upon a subject that has split the whole world into sects, who, not unfrequently, have cut each other's throats, for the sake of a pretended love of God?—It is much better for me to hold my tongue as to the matter; and, I should not now have med-nity because they disbelieve in that docdled with it, if it had not, as I have shown, trine; will they not also want liberty openly been so closely connected with political to deny the divine origin of the Scriptures consequences.But, now again, as to altogether?—I said that it must lead to Mr. Smith's Bill. It will be remembered, this. To this it has led; and, for my that that Gentleman said, that the UNITA- part, I can see nothing now to be done, RIANS had no objection to the other act of but, to put down such publications as deny parliament, which required a declaration the Scriptures to be holy; or, to pass an of belief in the Holy Scriptures generally. Act to do away all penal statutes whatever We see, however, that my antagonist does relative to religion, or to discussions relanot believe in the Holy Scriptures; and tive to religion.It ought to be borne in that he speaks, too, in the name of his mind, too, that our Judges have uniformly sect.- I knew I should bring this out. laid it down, that Christianity is a part of He was compelled to deny the Scriptures the law of the land; and that it was not to be the word of God; or, he must have under any statute, but under the interprelaid down his arms at once before me, tations of the Common Law that Mr. Eato who, by the help of Crutwell's Concord- was found guilty and punished. Now, ance, could have poured out upon him what did Mr. Eaton do? Why, he pubsuch broadsides of texts as would have relished a book, denying the truth of the duced him to his native dust in a minute. Scriptures generally; and, does not the Uni-Well, here he is, then. Here is one tarian do the same? This Gentleman, who atof the High Priests (for such I am told he tacks me in so rude a manner, does not, inis) of the sect, in whose behalf Mr. Smith's deed, deny the truth of the whole of the Bill was to operate, or is to operate, de- Scriptures, neither did Mr. Eaton's book. claring that he does not believe the Scrip. It did not deny the truth of those assertures to be the word of God, while Mr. | tions, that men ought to love one another; Smith, in the introducing of his Bill, says, that we ought to do as we would be done that they have no objection to the declara- unto; that we ought not to lie or steal, e: tion of a belief in the Scriptures generally; covet our neighbour's goods; that we ought so that, it appears, that the "tender con- to be charitable and forgiving; that ser"sciences" of this sect only wanted to be vants ought to be faithful to their masters, released from all prohibition to deny, in and wives obedient to their husbands; the: fact, the divine origin of the Scriptures. we should abstain from shedding innocent What is believing in the Scriptures? blood; that, in short, we ought to be kind and What does the phrase mean? Does it just.- -Mr. Eaton's book denied none of mean that the believer thinks that there are this; if it had, it must have quarrelled with such writings? Does it mean, that he be- the religion of the Bramins, and with a lieves that they are the works of mere men, other religions in the world, as well and that some part of them are true and with that of Jesus Christ. But, it did a some false? If this be the meaning of the such thing. It denied the divine origin phrase, it is of no more amount than to say Christ, and that was all. It attempted that he believes in Hume, or any other support this denial by endeavouring). historian.No. This is not the mean- prove, that the prophecies in the Old T ing of the phrase, as contained in the Act tament, relative to the birth, life, dea: of Parliament which Mr. Smith did not and resurrection of Christ, apply to ç want to be repealed. The phrase, as other matters, and not at all to those eve

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and circumstances.--Now, pray, what | The Catholics will tell them, that they act did this book do more than the Unitarians do? And, why should an act be passed to enable them to do with impunity that which Mr. Eaton has been so heavily punished for doing?—As being intimately connected with this subject, let me notice the petitions now before parliament, from divers religious sects, to be at liberty to go and teach the people, under the sway of the East India Company in Hindostan. Church people, Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics, and I know not how many more, are running this race of conversion. If these petitions were granted, it must, of course, be with a view of giving effect to the prayers of the petitioners; and, can it possibly enter into the head of any wise legislator, to lay, thus, the foundation of everlasting divisions and feuds in a country, for which he has to make laws? It is one thing to tolerate these several sects, in a country, where, for the sake of its peace and happiness, it is unfortunate that they already exist; this is one thing, but to create such divisions is quite another thing. -What is to become of the souls of all the Hindostanians, who have heretofore died, if a belief in Christianity be necessary to the salvation of those who are now alive, and of those hereafter to be born, is a question which I must leave for theologians to settle. But, if Christianity be necessary to the Hindostanians now, and that it is so the petitioners assert, will any man say, that, before missionaries are sent to convert them, it ought not be settled what Christianity is? It is well known, that the sects, which have petitioned Parliament, differ as widely from one another in their belief as it is possible for men to differ. The Calvinists will tell their hearers, that it was decreed, by an all-powerful being, before they were born, that they should either go to heaven, or to hell; and, that, though it was so decreed, their going to hell, if they do go thither, will be their own fault.--The preachers of free-will will tell their hearers (who may be the same persons), that this doctrine was hatched in the brain of a morose, savage, treacherous, tyrannical, bloodyminded man of Geneva, who seems to have fashioned his God after his own image, and cursed with the same disposition and passions.The Protestants will tell the Hindostanians, that the Catholics are idolaters; and the Catholics will tell them that the Protestants are heretics. Yet both will be sent to convert them to Christianity.

under the authority of the Pope, who is God's vice-gerent upon earth; and the Protestants will tell them that this Pope is no other than a poor decrepit old man, and withal, not much better than a cheat. The Catholics will tell them, that each of their wafers contains the real body and blood and limbs of Jesus Christ; and, if this should be too much for them to swallow, the Protestants will quickly open their throats by most solemnly assuring them that each wafer is really nothing. more than a little innocent flour and water. The Trinitarians will tell them, that, on account of the original sin in eating of the forbidden fruit, all the people of the whole world, the progeny of the original sinners, became worthy of damnation; but that the Almighty Father and Maker of all things, in pity to mankind, sent his only begotten Son into the world, who offered himself as a sacrifice to appease his Father's wrath; that he, being God himself too, was executed between two thieves; and that this operated as a redemption in favour of the people in the world, and also in favour of those that had died and were to be thereafter born. But, if the Unitarians get amongst them, they will tell them, that the whole of this is a ridiculous story from beginning to end; and that they are not to believe in any of those parts of the Bible which relate to it; though, by the bye, I see that the Unitarians are joining with other sects in the printing and circulating, without any commentary, the whole of this same Bible.The Churchmen will teach them that Bishops derive their office from those men whom Christ himself set over his people; and the Presbyterians will declare to them, with equal positiveness, that this office is a remnant of the trappings of the old scarlet whore of Babylon.Amongst them all, let us suppose, that there will be men, animated with real benevolence, and under the guidance of sound. sense, who will, as a good and sensible man in the Church always does, endeavour to wean their hearers from those notions and prejudices which lead to the commission of cruelty and injustice; who will teach them, that the road to happiness, here and hereafter, is the road of good works; that to be well is to do well; and that the reward, in the case of either good or bad, is pretty certain to follow the desert.- Let us suppose, that some such men will find their way to India; and, if I could be assured that no other sort of men

Belsham to be guilty of falsehood. There, then, is the morality of the latter done for at once. If they took the side of Mr. Belsham, away would go "vital christianity" in the character of its preacher.But, the probability is, that some of the audience would believe one, and some of them the other. There are, then, two hostile sects to begin with; and, as people are usually violent in proportion to their ignorance, quarrels and bloodshed might reasonably be expected.-Now, then, I ask, can there be any good arise from yielding to the prayers of these petitioners ?—Infinitely worse would it be, when the contending parties came to talk of the Bible. Mr. Wilberforce would say, that it is the word of God. The Unitarian would deny the fact. This passage, says Mr. Wilberforce, means thus and thus; and the other would tell them that it meant no such thing. This is spurious, says one; that is an interpolation, says another. And, yet, this is called teaching of Christianity!The worst sect of all, however, is that of the Methodists, and, for that very reason, they are increasing the fastest. It is a religion which dispenses with every virtue. It preaches up grace, as the sovereign healer of all wounds; as the coverer of all sorts of wickedness; and is beyond all measure more mischievous in its effects than the Catholic doctrine of forgiving of sins, because it dispenses with oral confession. The Catholic must tell his priest the truth of his crime before he can be forgiven, and, in case of theft, or other reparable wrong, he must make restitution before forgiveness. But the Metho

would go, I should be for granting the prayer of the petitioners; but, on the side of such men, and, indeed, before them in the race of proselytism, would go the ranting, roaring, canting, bellowing Methodist, who would tell them, that good works, that honesty, sebriety, industry, benevolence, were nothing at all; that faith was every thing; that good works, in place of saving thein, might tend to their damnation; that the blacker the sinner the brighter the saint; that, in the words of one of their favourite leaders, a man, to be regenerated, must first be more than nine-tenths damned; that they need not trouble their heads about what they do, so that they get grace, which they will feel come into them by the agitation of their bodies.Now, reader, I put it to your good sense, whether any member of parliament, in his sober senses, can reconcile it to his conscience to let loose such a scourge upon a people? I, for my part, would as soon consent to let loose upon them, if I could have the power, all the plagues of Egypt- -I should say to these petitioners, before I let you go to India to teach Christianity, let me see that you are of one mind as to what you propose to teach. First agree amongst yourselves as to what Christianity is; and then I may let you go on the work of conversion. Aye, say they, but we all agree as to the morality of the Christian system. Gentlemen, you cannot separate the morality from the dogmas; and while the Indians hear you abusing each other; accusing each other of fally, and of deception; while they hear you, who are all come to them upon the same errand, calling each other all manner of vile names, is it pro-distical robber or murderer may keep the bable, nay, is it possible, that they will listen to your morality, even supposing it to be better than that which they now have amongst them? -Suppose, for instance, that Mr. WILBERFORCE and Mr. BELSHAM were to go, and were to choose, as the scene of their operations, some Indian village, and, in a friendly way, were to take turns in teaching the same audience. Mr. Wilberforce tells us, and, of course, he would tell the Hindostanians, that Mr. Belsham is half an infidel, and that his doctrine tends to a laxity of morals; while Mr. Belsham would, doubtless, retort upon his antagonist, as he is doing here. Mr. Wil-people to commit robbery and murder?— berforce would tell them that Jesus Christ was, and is, God. Mr. Belsham would tell them that he was a mere man. If the Hindostanians believed My Wilberforce to assert the trul must believe Mr.

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secret and the wages of his sin, and still
obtain full remission for all by the means of
grace, which every ruffian, who is terrified.
into a praying fit, easily imagines that be
has got. To proclaim, that good works are
of no avail; that faith alone is of any use in
the ensuring of salvation; that the greater
a man's sins are, the greater hope there is
of him when he repents; that the blood of
Christ instantly washes away all crimes
from any one who chooses to call upon his
name, without any restitution or previous
open confession of such crimes; what is this
but to invite all the ignorant part of the

And these, amongst others, are the sects, that wish to go to convert the Hindostanians! -The Methodists call it "coming to Christ," when any one, after no matter what crimes, begins to turn up his eyes and

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beginning in this world. And this is a sect, is it, to be sent out to convert the Hindostanians!—I have thus stated, in plain terms, my objections to granting the prayer of these petitioners. I do not know

to groan in their meeting-houses. His blood they have at hand to wash out all stains in an instant; and, as far as religion has any influence on the actions of men, there can be no doubt that this doctrine must have a terrible effect. It is remark-precisely what is the religion or what the ed, that the Methodistical congregations consist of those, generally, who have been amongst the most profligate and wicked of men and of women. In an hour of fear, they fly thither for salvation; and, in a short time, if they do not get the better of their fears, and relapse into their former practices, they usually become Saints, setting themselves down as of the number of the elect. Such notions as these must produce bad effects. They must encourage robbery and murder. And yet, this sect would fain go to convert the Hindostanians! -This, too, is the sect, in which a man, who cannot read, may become a teacher, and, by that means, escape from his fair share of service in the militia

morality of the inhabitants of Hindostan ; bat, I am quite sure, that they can never be mended by sending amongst them missionaries from these numerous hostile sects, who would be more anxious to defeat each other than to overcome any injurious prejudices that they might find existing in the country.- -Missionaries from some one sect might possibly do good; but, from them all, mischief of some sort must be the consequence. I feel no interest at all in the matter as affects our political power, thinking the possession of India to be an injury to England; but, in addition to all the rest that we have done to that unoffending people, I do hope that we shall not sow the seeds of everlasting religious discord.

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-Amongst all the rest of mankind, -I want to see no laws passed to put that I have ever heard of, every one takes down by force any of these sects in Engas much care as possible to keep out of sight land; but, as I said before, it is one thing the sins of his past life. He is content to to tolerate, and another to create, a nuibehave well now, without talking of the sance. -I am well aware of what a corchange in his deportment. Not so the respondent reminds me, namely, that to Methodist. He openly boasts of his wick- publish these and the like remarks is to exed acts, except, indeed, such as would put pose myself to the "animosity and execra him in jail. He relates what a state Christ, "tions of great numbers of knaves and as he pretends, found him in. Whence "fools;" but, being convinced of the his hearers are to infer, that he has been truth, and of the public utility of such refavoured with a large portion of grace, and marks, I am resolved to make them are to look up to him accordingly. I once whenever the occasion appears to me to heard a Black man preaching at Frederick- call for them. There are, I know, perton, in New Brunswick, who treated us sons who look upon the Methodists, for to a catalogue of his sins, under their seve- instance, as friends of freedom. ral heads of theft, fornication, adultery, is impossible they should be. They are and desertion; and told us, that his soul either fools or tricksters, or so nearly allied was blacker than his face, till Christ came thereto, as to be worthy of no consideration. with his precious blood and washed it till Their heavenly gifts, their calls, their init was as white as the river St. John, spirations, their feelings of grace at work which was then covered with snow. An within them, and the rest of their canting old Yankee farmer, who stood near me, gibberish, are a gross and outrageous insult said, in a low tone of voice, "I would not to common sense, and a great scandal to the "trust you in my barn, for all that, country. It is in vain that we boast of our "Cuffee."Cuffee told us the particu-enlightened state, while a sect like this is lars of all his amours; and I have heard the same of some of the impudent pretenders to heavenly gifts in this country. It is notorious that this sect are less honest, less sincere, and less industrious than other working people. They are taught to believe (a belief very flattering to their pride), that they are vessels selected for salvation; whence they very easily go on to believe that it is little or no harm to cheat the reprobate vessels, whose suffer ings they think may as well have a little

increasing daily. It would seem, that, at last, men had fallen in love with ignorance of the most vulgar kind. The very sound of the bellowings of one of these pretended sons of inspiration is enough to create disgust in a hearer of sense. The incoherent trash, the downright balderdash, that these gifted brethren send forth surpasses all description, and it really is a stain upon the national character, that they should find such multitudes to follow at their heels.

-HAMBURGH.

and as the Russians were last year? When
we talk of a people rising, we always seem
to have in our memory the rising of the
French people. We remember how they
rose to meet their invaders, and we seem
always to have that fact in our minds. But,
if we were to consider the wide difference
in the character of the people, and in the
circumstances, we should not reason in the
way we do. It has been remarked by
our sagacious news writers, that Buona-
parté does not get on as he used to do. I
really do not know what they mean.
beats the enemy, and drives him before
him.

He

What want they more? He cannot win battles oftener than the enemy will meet him.

NORTHERN WAR. This town, which, as we were promised, was to be defended to the last extremity; which was protected by the DANES; and then by the Swedes; this town, of such vast importance to us, in a commercial point of view, is again in the hands of the French Emperor. What will "the think"ing people" say to this? They will say nothing to it; for they will not be suffered to have time to think of it. They were told, in the very same newspapers that announced the event, that it was of very little consequence; for that the Swedes, who were expected to defend it, were better employed in marching against Buonaparté himself. And thus goes Hamburgh back to the French without a groan; and the famous Hamburgh newspaper, which, only a few days ago, abused Napoleon and sang the praises of those deliverers, the Cossacks, now praises the former and execrates the latter! -To be sure, this is the age, of humbug! Below I have inserted some most curious papers, which have been published in London, regarding this event; and, if any one, after reading thein, can ever believe in the accounts of our hired newspapers, he is too staring an idiot to talk to.The Prussian proclamation," too, calling out the levy-en-masse, is worthy of particular attention. It tells the people, that Berlin is in no danger at all. To be sure, it says, that the great ministers of state, the Princes of the Royal Blood, and the archives, have been removed; but, that is not through any fear, but merely as a measure of prudence! Now, what would an Englishman think, if, upon the arrival of a French army at Canterbury, the Princes of the Royal Blood and the archives, were to be removed to Bristol? I fancy he would look upon it as the result of a conviction in the minds of those Princes, that the French would soon be in London.

The hope now seems to be, that Austria will join the Allies. It is possible, to be sure; but, not at all likely. The hatred of this power towards Prussia, whom it always remembers as the first formidable assailant of the House, is far greater than its hatred of France. Perhaps the Emperor of Austria is bargaining for his assistance; but, in any case, I think, the French are Jikely to reduce Russia to such terms as they may dictate; and I think so, because I see no opposition to them on the part of the people. If France were invaded, does any one imagine, that they would be as quiet as the Germans and the Prussians now are,

There is one thing that I have often thought of noticing, namely, the great change in the language of our newspapers as to the Crown Prince of Sweden, formerly Marshal Bernadotte, Prince of Ponte Corvo, and who now signs himself, CHARLES, JEAN. ——— -The Morning Post of the 6th or 7th of September, 1810, when the Prince of Ponte Corvo had just been elevated to his present rank, called him "this infamous satellite of the "common tyrant of the Continent;" and asked, " is it possible, that the once noble and proudly independent Swedes will permit so base and unprincipled an upstart to ascend the throne ?" It, in the same article, called the Prince "a miscreant." In the Courier news-paper of the 28th of September, the present King of Sweden was called "a criminal, a silly

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man, an usurper, a puppel;" and in the Morning Post of the 12th of October, he was called " a trailerous King."—At the time (See Vol. xviii. p. 631), I reproved these writers for their language towards these distinguished persons; and, I have the pleasure to see, that they have, at last, completely changed their tone. They now not only approve of the conduct of CHARLES JEAN; they now not only call him the Crown Prince of Sweden; but, they seem to build their chief hope upon his particular exertions. They seem to look up to him as the real bona fide deliverer of Europe! "Hang them jades," says Cassia, when he is told that the girls of the town shed tears at Cæsar's fainting,

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they would have done no less if Cæsar had murdered their mothers."—Is it not astonishing that these writers are not ashamed to look each other in the face!

-Well, but, after all, here is a Frenchman, and one of Buonaparte's generals too, become Crown Prince of Swe

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