on fome time, in making the arrangements, the Duke faid, what fhall we do with Mr. Fox? Mr. Pitt replied, "he may have, the Pay-office." This was a triumph to Mr. Pitt-to put Mr. Fox below him, and into the office he had left. But it was a triumph too diminutive for the dignity of Mr. Pitt's mind. However, he enjoyed it; which fhews the influence of little paffions in men of the firft abilities. Lord Anfon was propofed for the Admiralty. Mr. Pitt declared, that Lord Anfon fhould never have the Correfpondence. The Duke replied, that would be fuch an alteration of the Board, as could not be made without his Majesty's confent. Here the conference broke off. Mr. Pitt had an audience of the King. He laid before his Majefty, the difference between the Duke of Newcastle and himfelf, concerning the Admiralty. The King confented, that the Correfpondence with the naval officers, ufually in the Board of Admiralty, fhould be given to Mr. Pitt, and that the Board fhould only fign the difpatches, without being privy to their contents. It was at this audience that the following remarkable words were fpoken, which Lord Nugent repeated in the Houfe of Commons in the year 1784; Mr. Pitt faid, "Sire, give me your confidence, and I will deferve it." The King replied without hefitation, "Deferve my confidence, and you fhall have it." Lord Nugent added, "that Mr. Pitt at laft fo won upon the King, that he was able to turn his very partialities in favour of Germany to the benefit of his country." Lord Anfon took the Admiralty, under Mr. Pitt's limitation; and Mr. Fox took the Pay-office. Mr. Legge had the Exchequer. All the arrangements being fettled, the parties all kiffed hands in July 1757; and this nation was thereby reftored to tranquility and fatisfaction.' (Vol. I. P. 150, &c.)

The most curious part of this arrangement is the following note respecting Mr. Pitt's mode of tranfacting bufinefs with the Admiralty Board:

The rule, or custom is, The Secretary of State fends all the orders respecting the navy, which have been agreed to in the Ca binet, to the Admiralty, and the Secretary to the Board writes thofe orders again, in the form of inftructions, from the Admiralty, to the Admiral, or Captain of the fleet, expedition, &c. for whom they are defigned: which inftructions must be figned by three of the Board. But during Mr. Pitt's Administration, he wrote the InAtructions himself, and fent them to their Lordships to be figned; always ordering his Secretary to put a fheet of white paper over the writing. Thus they were kept in perfect ignorance of what they had figned. And the Secretary and Clerks of the Board were all in the fame ftate of exclufion.'

It is fcarcely credible that men, whose rank in life recom mended them to feats at the board of admiralty, would, for the fake of fuch feats, and even of the emoluments annexed to them, ftoop to fuch contemptuous treatment! Indeed, on Mr. Pitt's part, it was perfectly confiftent with his declaration, in

a debate

a debate on the lofs of Minorca, that Lord Anson was not fit to command a cock boat upon the river Thames *.' Yet, the fame authority, in detailing the debate in the Houfe of Lords. on the feizure of Falkland Islands, records the following paffage as part of Lord Chatham's fpeech, without the leaft remark on it!

My Lords, upon this fubject I can fpeak with knowledge-I have been converfant in thefe matters, and draw my information from the greatest and most refpectable naval authority that ever exifted in this country-I mean the late Lord Anfon. The merits of that great man are not fo univerfally known, nor his memory fo warmly refpected as he deferved. To his wifdom, to his experience, and care, (and I fpeak it with pleafure,) the nation owes the glorious naval fucceffes of the laft war. The fate of facts laid before Parliament in the year 1756, fo entirely convinced me of the injuftice done to his character, that in fpite of the popular clamours raised against him, in direct oppofition to the complaints of the merchants, and of the whole city, (whofe favour I am fuppofed to court upon all occafions,) I replaced him at the head of the Admiralty; and I thank God that I had refolution enough to do fo.' (Vol. II. p. 75, &c.)

Such inftances of weak memory, or ftrong confidence, are now fo familiar to us in popular declaimers, that we alfo fhall pafs it without farther remark ;-and fhall now, leaving the upper houfe, attend the author into the lower house, to which we all look for the protection of our rights and property:

Parliament met on the 25th of November 1762. The most extraordinary provifion was made for this event. The Royal Houfhold had been encreafed beyond all former example. The Lords and Grooms of the Bedchamber were doubled. Penfions were thrown about indifcriminately. Five and twenty thousand pounds were iffued in one day, in bank notes of one hundred pounds each. The only ftipulation was, Give us your vote. A corruption of such notoriety and extent had never been feen before. There is no example, in any age or country, that in any degree approaches to it. The dole was lavish beyond the probability of account, or poffibility of credit. Mr. Fox had the management of the Houfe of Com mons, with unlimited powers.' (Vol. I. p. 236.)

This management is thus defcribed:

The management of the House of Commons, as it is called, is a confidential department, unknown to the Conftitution. In the public accounts, it is immerfed under the head of Secret Service. It is ufually given to the Secretary of State, when that poft is filled by a Commoner. The bufinefs of the department is to distribute, with art and policy, amongst the members, who have no oftenfible.. places, fums of money for their fupport during the feffion; befides contracts, lottery tickets, and other douceurs. It is no uncommon

circumftance at the end of a feffion, for a gentleman to receive five hundred or a thousand pounds for his fervices. (Vol. I. p. 121.) Once more on this head :

6

The management of the Houfe of Commons is become fo perfectly mechanical, that it requires only a small knowledge of the principles of the machine, to be able to transfer the majority at almoft any time, from the most able Statefman, to the Favourite of the Crown, or the Confident of the enemy; who may have no other recommendation, than the fmiles of the firft, or the money of the last; with the fame facility, that an India bond, or any other negotiable property, is transferred every day.' (Vol. I. p. 202.) Whither shall we turn our defponding eyes, when legislative affemblies expofe themselves to fuch open contempt?

This article is too long already to extend farther concerning a perfonage and events fo well known. The author's character of Lord Chatham is collected from feveral contemporary writers but one trait of it in his own words, is, that he was not born for fubordination.' (Vol. II. p. 183.) This affertion, ftanding as a detached fentence, is another inftance of the author's dashing * manner of writing; for if this were really the cafe, the Earl was totally unfit to tread British ground, in any capacity whatever: or indeed any other ground, where he could not fay, flet pro ratione voluntas.

The author's relations, however true, are often difagreeable truths, generally conveyed in harsh terms, of which a variety of examples might be cited; and while they frequently bear very hard on great names, they require the fanction of the name of the writer; which is always eflential to the establishment of bold anecdotes and unqualified affertions. The intelligent author, however, is well known, and his opportunties of information must be allowed.

N.

A Sermon

ART. IV. A Defence of Public or Social Worship. preached in the Unitarian Chapel, in Effex Street, London, on Sunday, December 4, 1791. By John Difney, D. D. F. S. A. 8vo. pp. 23. 61. Johnfon. 1792.

ON the interesting inquiry which has been started by Mr. Wakefield, whether public worship be authorized by Chrift and his Apoftles, or be in itself expedient, as we have (in our laft Number,) fully reported his objections, we think it our duty to give, at fome length, an account of what is of fered in reply.

* We have adopted, perhaps too hastily, this mushroom expreffion, a more fignificant term not inftantly occurring.

REV. MAY 1792.

D

Dr.

Dr. Difney, confining his objections within the limits of a fhort fermon, fuggefts only a few curfory hints on the subject. On the paffage produced by Mr. Wakefield, to prove that our Lord himfelf did not join in public worship, he remarks:

That Chrift frequently retired to pray alone, instead of joining in focial worship, is very true; but we are not from thence to conclude that he was averfe to public prayer. On these occafions, he may have been determined by the circumstances of the cafe; the fubject of his prayer might have reference to his particular miffion, or he may have been influenced by the ftate of his own mind, the fatigue of body, the defire to leave his difciples for a while without the restraint of his prefence; or the peculiar trials to which he was, at different times, particularly expofed, which required his ftrengthening his mind by devout application to God, independent of those who were then with him. All, or any of, these confiderations, may have disposed him to retire alone, without intending in the leaft degree to difcountenance focial prayer.

Upon the argument of our author we ought not only to confine ourfelves to private prayer, but follow the example of Christ in retreating to a mountain, or a wilderness, or to reserve the evening or night feafon for this delightful intercourfe with God.-Or, we might, with the fame propriety, apply the injunction, "not to let our left hand know what our right hand doeth," as prohibiting our concurrence in any public charities for the relief and comfort of the more diftreffed part of our brethren, because fuch acts must be feen and known by men.

We are challenged, by our author, to produce "one fingle pofitive proof of the existence of focial worship among Chrift and his apoftles +." Let us, therefore, try, though we fhould fail to fatisfy fome inquirers, at leaft to justify ourfelves to others, by producing fufficient reafonable evidence of the fact.

Luke records (ix. 28.) that, previous to Chrift's transfiguration, when he went into a mountain to pray, he took with him Peter, and John, and James; and thefe, it may as reafonably be prefumed, were felected to join with him in prayer, as well as to be witneffes of what paffed on that occafion.

Of that prayer of Jefus, recorded in the feventeenth chapter of John, it is faid by our objector, that "no mention is made of any invitation to his apoftles to join or affift him in thefe devotions ." But, is it not equally obfervable, and as probable, that no invitation was thought neceffary,-or that the evangelift might omit to write it down? The example of Chrift, and the refpect his difciples entertained for him, would moft probably lead them to join him in every afpiration to God, in his behalf, without requiring to be bidden to do that, which their own minds would involuntarily prompt them to.'

In reply to Mr. Wakefield's challenge "to produce one fingle pofitive proof of the existence of social worship among Ibid. p. 14.

Matt. vi. 3. + Wakefield's Enquiry, p. 13.

Chrift and his apoftles," Dr. D. refers (as above,) to Luke, ix. 28. where it is recorded, that, previously to Chrift's transfiguration, he went up to a mountain to pray, and took with him Peter, John, and James; a reference which will fcarcely be admit ted as the pofitive proof that he demands. Dr. D. farther remarks, that the difciples would naturally, from their own inclination, without any command, join in our Saviour's prayer, recorded in the 17th of John to have been made by Chrift in their prefence; that the promife, Matt xviii. 20. appears to have been confined to that firft age of the Gofpel, when miraculous powers were difpenfed, and to have been made to encourage the difciples to join in prayer for that purpose; and that, previously to the railing of Lazarus, Chrift not only prayed in public, and before his difciples, but for them, and probably. with their affent.

On our Saviour's precept for fecret prayer, on which Mr. W. chiefly refts his argument, Dr. Difney's reply is, that our Saviour's reprehenfion of the Pharifees was intended to reform, not to fupprefs, their public meetings for focial worship:

Parade and oftentation are not. neceffarily connected with focial worship, neither is it always a mere lip-fervice. Humility of mind, unfeigned repentance, and the most fervent devotion, are as attainable in public, as in private prayer. The act of meeting our fellow-chriftians in the ordinary way of affembling ourselves together, no more nourishes hypocrify or pride, than retiring into our own clofets, apart from all focial intercourfe, for the fame purpose may beget pride or felf conceit. And further, we may either receive confiderable improvement from the example of others, or communicate it by our own, not in the way of enthufiaftic or fuperftitious influences, but in the rational exercife of our faculties, and in the pleafing contemplation that in chriftian love for each other, we, the creatures of God, are paying the homage of the whole heart to the one God and Father of all.'

Many inftances of focial prayer, among the apoftles, are given, in paffages cited from the Acts. See chap. ii. 42. iv. 24. xiii. 3. xx. 36. i. 24. iii. 1. vi. 6. x. 2. xxi. 45.

With refpect to the utility and expediency of public worship, Dr. D. properly fays,

• What individual, it may be asked, can take upon himself to fay, that all focial worship confifts of outward exhibition, oppofed to inward influence; in the honour of the lips, opposed to the afpiration of the heart; in the vain oblations of ceremonial homage, oppofed to the facrifice of the whole man, body and spirit, on the altar of the divine will ?" Nay, let me make my appeal to every one, who now hears me, whether he has not known the devotion of the heart affitted by focial worship, and the love of his fellow-creatures fpread abroad in his heart, by joining with them in the acts of public worship. And when, or where, can "genuine

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Spiritual