the other is our common bond of religion,
I wish it were out of my power to perse-
He has as
cute any Roman Catholic.
much a right to my benevolence as even
you, Sir, and no man can have a better
claim to universal esteem and regard. I
hope, too, that you will not think it any
sort of derogation from the deference
which I ought to pay to your judgment,
that I think myself obliged, in conscience,
to take my opinions of men's principles
rather from themselves than from you. I
keep at the same time, I assure you, very
just weights and measures, and as i do not
take my ideas of the churches of France
and Italy from the pulpits at Edinburgh,
so I shall most certainly not apply to the
Consistory at Rome, or the Sorbonne at
Paris, for the doctrines and genius of the
Church of Scotland."

“To represent a man as immoral by his religion, perfidious by his principles, a murderer on a point of conscience, an enemy even from piety to the foundations of all social intercourse, and then tell us that we are to offer no violence to such a person, under favour appears to me rather an additional insult and mockery, than any sort of corrective of the injury we do our neighbour, by the character we give him."

"I cannot by any means allow, that nen, when they wish to free themselves from the terror of penal laws, and the odium of being supposed the just object of them, when they earnestly solicit to have that stigma taken off, and to recommend themselves to their government by dutiful applications, can be said to bring their misfortunes on themselves, if, on that account, a furious and bigoted set of miscreants choose to rob them of their goods,

and to burn their houses."

How far Burke afterwards acted on these noble principles, especially towards Dr. Priestley, or whether the rioters of 1791 were not equally furious and bigoted with those of 1780, let the reader judge for himself.

Dr. Erskine was of the popular party in the Church of Scotland, who wished a call from the elders to be considered as uecessary to the induction of a minister. In this he was opposed to Dr. Robertson, who wished the right of patrons to present to be always maintained. An Appendix to this book gives a sketch of the history of the Scotch Church, from the Revolution to the year 1780. It is by no means impartial, and in some parts obscure. Sir Henry is by no means so well qualified to write such a history as Mr. Cooke, whose conti

nuation of his History of the Scotch
Church, which he has hitherto only
brought down to the time of the Re-
volution, is much desired by all who
are interested in the subject. A few
facts concerning the different secessions
from the Scotch Church may be inte-
resting. In the year 1733, Mr. Ralph
Erskine, of Dumferuline, and a few
other ministers, were rebuked by the
Assembly, and afterwards expelled
from the Church, for refusing to join in
the induction of a minister who was
disapproved by the people. This occa-
sioned the secession, from which have
arisen the Burghers and Autiburghers,
who afterwards separated on account
of a dispute, whether or not it was
allowable to take the oath required
of burgesses; the Burghers leaving it
to each individual to do as he pleased,
the Autiburghers expelling from their
communion all who took the oath.
These two bodies, it is probable, will
now unite, the Antiburghers giving
up their exclusive principle. In order
to favour this union, the magistrates
of many burghs in Scotland have
resolved, that the oath objected to
shall not be required of Burgesses in
their towns. In 1752, Mr. Thomas
Gillespie, minister of Carnock, was
deprived for a similar reason.
sentence of deposition was passed
upon him, as he stood at the bar of
the Assembly, he replied, "I thank
God, that to me it is given not only
to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
but also to suffer for his sake." This
gave rise to the party of Seceders
called "the Relief." All these Se-
ceders are Presbyterians, and govern
themselves by presbyteries and synods,
but allow the people to choose their
owu ministers, who must, however,
be persons ordained by their presby
teries. Subscription to the Westmin
ster Confession of Faith and Catechisms
is required from every minister of
these classes of Seceders, as well as of
the Church. These form the principal
body of Scotch Dissenters. Besides
these, there are a considerable num
ber of Episcopalians who agree with
the Church of England, of Roman
Catholics, of Independents, a few
Wesleian Methodists, a few Came
rouians, principally in the south of
Scotland, a few Sandemaniaus, very
few Quakers and Swedenborgians,
some congregations of Universalists,

When

chiefly in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, a few Baptists, and the small number of Unitarians, whose congre gations must be well known to the readers of the Repository. All the Dissenters in Scotland, it is probable, do not exceed one fourth of the population. Sir Henry's style is very diffuse, often obscure, and full of Scotticisms.

T. C. H.

ART. IV. A Letter to The Protestant, occasioned by his Attack upon the Gentlemen of the Coffee-Room, and the Lower Classes of Society in Glasgow. By a Layman. Glasgow, Hedderwick. London, Hunter. 8vo. pp. 23. 1s.

HE pamphlet bearing this title is an exposure of the prevailing system of Christianity, by one who, though not engaged in ministerial duties, has evidently made theology a favourite study. The Protestant appears to be one of those strait-laced believers whose standard of Christi

see of that Church; but under the protection, and with the assistance of the civil magistrate, they all established church governments of their own, in which little conscience, and the promotion of that more regard was paid to the rights of liberty with which Christ hath made us free, than in the Church of Rome; while the fatal tree of Anti-christian superstition continued to be cherished and cultivated with the same zeal as formerly, stripped only of a few of those boughs which obstructed the exercise of that worldly wisdom and crafty policy, which was but too visible in the conduct of even Luther and Calvin themselves."-P. 19.

M.

ART. V.-A plain Discourse on Excommunication, occasioned by the Death of a Person under sentence of Excommunication, in the Parish of Wye, on the 17th of April, 1819, and preacked in the adjoining Parish Church of Godmersham, on Sunday the 25th of the same Month. By the Rev. Joseph Godfrey Sherer, M. A., Vicar of Godmersham, &c. 1819. Canterbury.

anity is perfectly equivalent to a sub-the burial, occasioned this disperson whose death, or ra

scription to all the articles of their
fanciful creed; and upon this prin-
ciple, he has preferred the charge of
religious ignorance against a very re-
spectable class of a Christian commu-
nity. The Layman, breathing a much
freer spirit, volunteers his efforts to
expose The Protestant's illiberality.
He takes occasion to inquire, whether
the system presumed by The Pro-
testant to be taught in the word of
God, be any more reconcileable to
Scripture than it is consistent with
the first principles of reason. His
present inquiry is confined to the
doctrine of Original Sin, conceiving,
probably, that if this basis of Cal-
vinism be removed, the whole super-
structure must fall to the ground.
The line of argument pursued by him
is similar to that of Taylor and Cogan.
The Layman has admirably com-
pressed some of the best sentiments
of these writers.
His own style is
highly energetic. We subjoin a spe-

cimen :

course was a poor man, aged about 70, who died in the workhouse of the parish of Wye. His name was Tabrams, and about thirty years ago he was dealt with according to the rules of the sect established by law, and excommunicated. The grounds of this sentence have not come to our knowledge, but they are supposed to concern the administration of a will, Be they what they may, the poor man's body was buried at night, we suppose not in consecrated ground, without any funeral service being read over him, and the earth was levelled over the grave, so that no trace might remain of the spot where he was interred. The neighbourhood, we presume, was not a little shocked at this indignity offered to the poor man's remains; for the Author of this Discourse states, that though it did not take place in his parish, yet the fact fell under the knowledge of most of his parishioners, and as they seem to have entertained some misapprehensions of the case, he has been induced to notice it, and to shew that excommunication is enjoined, as a necessary measure of Christian discipline, by apostolical example and authority.

gospel into rules of political expedi. Madaptation of Christianity to

the condition of humanity, and ably and satisfactorily shews its inestimable value to man as a being who is destined to death and exposed to suffering. The sermon is characterized by a seriousness of spirit and plaintiveness of tone well suited to the melancholy occasion. After the copious Review which we have taken of the Author's two volumes of Sermons, [pp. 257 and 323,] we cannot better describe or more effectually recommend this discourse, than by saying that it is in his best manner.

POETRY.