the grossest hypocrisy. Besides, the means by which many enter these Dissenting hotbeds of vice, vanity, pride, and foppery, are not extremely pure. The only enquiry made respecting one young man, whom his Minister was determined to send through his own influence, in spite of the opposition of his Church Members, who quarrelled famously about the matter, was simply, "Is he likely to become ultimately an intelligent intelligible speaker?" Another young man, when examined on his entrance, was asked, "What can you do?" He very gravely replied, "I can play on the violin."!!! The Examiner then said, "I mean, what books have you read?" To this, he doltishly answered, “Well-I have read Pilgrim's Progress."!!! Nevertheless, this "intelligent intelligible" fiddling pilgrim was admitted, and simply because of the influence of an uncle, who was one of the Committee, and who probably thought as ? the late Dissenting Thomas Wilson, Esq. once said, on a similar occasion, that should his request be denied, "he would shake his purse at them"-a most powerful argument no doubt. A Mr. Sy, also a Dissenting Teacher, desirous of bringing his eldest son, about fourteen, up to his own trade, and taking it for granted, that he could get "the Call" for him whenever he pleased, sent him entirely against his own will to a Dissenting Academy. The boy, however, said, that "he would be Dd, if he would be subject to any restraint," and he kept his word, for with some of his hopeful and pious companions, he used to spend some of his nights in debauchery and dissipation, not returning sometimes till six o'clock in the morning. Allow me, also, to ask you, where Mr. C., once a Dissenting Teacher of Walworth, now is, and whether he or some other of your self-dubbed Reverends never turned Harlequin, and amongst other manœuvres, pretended to jump into a quart pot? And where is Mr. Mc. K., who was at one time the Teacher of a Congregation in the West-Riding of Yorkshire, not far from two Dissenting Academies? You are aware, that he kicked up a quarrel with his people, which terminated in a law-suit, to his great disappointment. And that, in consequence of this, the worthy Teacher would not return home, but sent to his wife, ordering her to sell off all their goods and chattels, and to meet him at a certain place, which was accordingly done. He immediately demanded all the money from his wife, and set sail for Van Dieman's Land, leaving her with, I believe, two children behind him, almost, if not quite pennyless to the wide world. I may, also, mention another of your pious Brotherhood, who was considered a most eloquent preacher, and who, besides, the pleasure of wearing a gown, was receiving three hundred pounds a year, with a capital residence; but having "a Call" to a Meeting-house in London, with five hundred

pounds a year, he immediately obeyed it, took leave of his dear-dear people, telling them the Lord had called him to labour in another part of his Vineyard, and in spite of many solicitations and tears started for Town. How many "Calls" might this worthy have had from three hundred a-year to one hundred before he would have heard them? He had not, however, been long in London before he was discovered to be a drunkard, in consequence of this he hung himself, but whether he designed it or not, he did not kill himself, and is yet in the · land of the living. And I perceive he has just emerged from the obscurity in which shame has compelled him ever since to remain, but instead of coming forth in the shape of a Teacher of Spiritual Democracy, he has assumed that of a Teacher of Political Democracy, both which offices are certainly very nearly allied. This pious Divine has metamorphosed himself into the Editor of one of the most Radical of all the Radical Newspapers that infest the country in these our degenerate "TIMES."

I could furnish you with several other illustrations of Dissenting Purity, but I will not pursue the unpleasant subject any further, hoping that I have gone far enough to shew you how little cause you have to find fault with the Clergy.

No. VIII.

This Doctor Bennett, they say, is a very spruce, affected, and pompous gentleman, and was some time ago a Teacher of Schism and Democracy at a Dissenting Academy at Rotherham; whence he got a "Call" to London. And as this "Call" called him to a larger salary, he being, of course, a very disinterested. man, immediately heard it even from London, and "accepted it." What the Doctor assigned as his motives for leaving his 'dear people' at Rotherham, I know not; but undoubtedly there was the usual cant of a "desire to be employed in a greater sphere of usefulness" of "trust, that the Lord had called him' to labour in another part of his vineyard," and other such 66 good words and fair speeches," to deceive the hearts of the simple.' It has often been a matter of surprise to me, that people should be so easily gulled and cheated by these "deceivers," for their pretences are so extremely flimsy, that it might be supposed any person would immediately see through them. In this instance the Doctor had a "Call" to go to London, and, of course, another from his people at Rotherham, to stay with them. Now, the souls of the people at Rotherham were of equal value to those at London, and as there were in London already several Ministers whom the Doctor would ac

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knowledge to be quite as holy, pious, and devoted as himself, the people at Rotherham were likely to be in much greater danger for want of his disinterested services, than those in London. And besides, if this disinterested Doctor felt desirous of making himself more useful in "the Cause," why did he not go to some one of the very numerous places which are entirely destitute of what he calls the Gospel, he would then have had abundant opportunity for the display of his holy zeal and devotedness? The Holy and Blessed Spirit called St. Paul to preach amongst the Heathen, and those destitute of the Gospel, without the prospect of a higher salary, or of any salary at all, and the blessed Apostle cheerfully obeyed. But according to the cant of this disinterested Doctor, and his disinterested coadjutors, the Holy Spirit is far more favourable to them, always calling them to higher salaries. It certainly seems rather remarkable, that they should never be called to less salaries, at least if they be, they always take care never to hear, for I never knew one in my life to leave a greater for a less salary. There are, generally, two "Calls," one richer than the other, as in the case of Doctor Bennett; he had a five hundred pound "Call" from London, and a three hundred pound "Call" at Rotherham, the one considerably louder than the other, and as "weak" Calls and "weak consciences" are so widely different, it is not very difficult to divine which the Doctor heard, the weakest always goes to the wall, and so it was with the Rotherham "Call." The Doctor listened to the five hundred pound " Call," satisfied his "tender conscience" that he heard it very distinctly; and soon after went to London, leaving the good easy folks at Rotherham perfectly satisfied, no doubt, as to the disinterestedness of his motives and movement. Thus do such men, "speaking lies in hypocrisy," 66 serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly."

The engineer of one of the Yorkshire manufactories for making Dissenting Preachers, to supply the country shops in the neighbourhood, attempted a few years ago, by craft, and even bribery, to root a respected old Minister out of his Meeting-house, in order to foist in a lad, whom he had been manufacturing into a " pulpit fop," but he could not succeed by direct and honest means. He, therefore, knowing that if he could not find a market for his traffic, that part of his trade must fail, in connexion with some of his comrades, hired the theatre, and opened a shop in opposition to the whiteheaded old man, who had been the Teacher at the place nearly, if not quite, thirty years; and thus the pious engineer, by sowing the seeds of division and discord amongst the old man's hearers, accomplished his holy purposes. The rent of the theatre went, of course, to the support of the "theatrical

interest," which caused some of the "Brethren" to whisper that it was doing evil that good might come. Had Dr. Bennett, the pious and loyal Dr. Bennett, any hand in this dirty piece of business? Does he recollect whether Barnsley, in the neighbourhood of Rotherham, is the town where this accomplished trick was transacted? This Mr. Bennett, D.D. is a trans-atlantic Doctor, and the worthy coadjutor of Mr. Cox, L.L.D. in the Secretaryship of the infamous Ecclesiastical Knowledge Society. And they are truly a " par nobile (mobile ?) fratrum."

No. IX.

[Page 43. "How many thousands" pugiades Acts xxi. 20.] I added what is here said in reference to this text, and the argument founded upon it, at the request of a friend. Not that I did not consider the argument legitimate and good, for of this I have not a doubt; but because as there were strangers at Jerusalem at that time, it is not possible to say whether any of them were or were not included in the number signified by "how many thousands," or tens of thousands, and because I considered my point fully established without it, and my argu. ments fairly unanswerable.

REAL POSITION OF DISSENT.

The following, from "the Standard," contains much useful information concerning the relative numbers of Churchmen and Dissenters:

"Our contemporary (The Morning Chronicle) asserted that, in the manufacturing districts, the proportion of Dissenters to Churchmen was four, or at least three to one; and that we replied that the proportion of Dissenters to Churchmen in the district alluded to was not even a proportion of equality, the Churchmen being a majority. It is one of the difficulties against which we have to struggle, that many of the best friends of the Religious and Political Institutions of England have their understandings so completely sophisticated by the everlasting reiteration of falsehood from the ranks of the enemy, that they are unable, almost unwilling, to believe the truth, except upon the very strongest, indeed, upon irresistible evidence. Such evidence, however, we are happily this day able to offer. It will not be denied, that the County of Lancaster constitutes the most exclusively manufacturing district in the kingdom; if, therefore, we are able to prove, upon indisputable testimony, that the proportion of Dissenters to Churchmen in Lancashire is nothing like equal, we presume that we shall be allowed to have redeemed our pledge. We have before us a return, ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, on the 8th of July, 1830. This return is entitled as follows:-" Churches and Chapels-Return of the Number of Parish Churches and Chapels, and Chapels of Ease, of the Church of England, and of the Number of Places of Worship, not of the Church of England, so far as regards the County of