her Religion and her Conftitution, from the moment the underflood the attack, must pofitively contradict the false and infolent affertion, that England was their own.'

Thus have we endeavoured to fhow the gradual rifing of the second beast," to the time when it obtained its wondrous form and magnitude in the system of Voltaire, and his difciples. Till that period the operations of Infidelity were carried on fecretly-secretly at leaft, when compared with the corruptions and perfecutions of the Papal, and the avowed hoftility of the Mahometan powers-and in a defultory manner: but the publication of the fyftem of Voltaire conftituted the important Epoch in its history, which gave a new face to the world in general. Till that system had made fome progress in its work, it was usual with unbelievers to fay, that their tenets were philofophically true, but theologically falfe ; and indeed they were always ready to profess what was required of them. The writings of Infidelity were till then confined to the perufal of the learned-they were feldom mentioned in public converfation even by their adherents,

These things, faid they (as we learn from Stephen Tampier), are true in philofophy, but not according to the Catholic faith. Mofheim, vol. iii. p. 146.

The

The bulk of the people felt it to be a fort of crime to meddle with fuch poifoned darts, con fcious that their little store of knowledge would be unable to furnish an immediate antidote, if unhappily they should receive a wound. But they doubted not the existence of an antidote— they doubted not but the superior skill and knowledge of those perfons, whose business it was to defend religion, would be fully able to repel the attacks of its enemies. As foon, however, as the charms of novelty, the boldnefs of affertion, the force of ridicule, or the arts of fophistry, insinuation, and flattery, had secured a party in the higher claffes of fociety, among those whom libertine habits, metaphysical paradox, or heretical opinions had prepared for the feeds of Infidelity, the sphere of its action was enlarged in a manner unknown in any former age. It was referved for the more ingenious wickedness of modern Infidels to adapt their publications to the prejudices, pasfions, and habits of the middle and lower ranks of people. Books, pamphlets, and ballads, there have ever been, that outrage decency and common sense. But these were confined to a certain class of readers, whofe lives were al ready tainted with immorality. The publications to which I allude, more artfully attacked the principles as well as the paffions of

men,

men, by mingling profeffions of attachment to true Religion and Civil Government, with the most virulent display of corruptions in the Church and in the State-by mifreprefenting the nature of Liberty, and afferting the right of every man to think for himself upon all fubjects, and the duty of every man to act according to his own fentiments-by throwing ridicule upon the most serious fubjects; and employing flander, invective, and falfehood, whenever and wherever it seemed likely to forward their purpose.

It is indeed curious to reflect upon the progress of infolence and impiety. In 1786, the increased diffufion of Infidelity was thus noticed by a celebrated writer : "Infidelity is now ferved up in every shape that is likely to allure, furprise, or beguile the imagination; in a fable, a tale, a novel, a poem, in interfperfed. and broken hints; remote and oblique furmises; in books of travels, of philofophy, of natural history; in a word, in any form rather than that of a profeffed and regular disquifition."

In the excellent Charge before mentioned to have been delivered in 1794, the Bishop of

London fpeaks thus: "Hitherto we have had to contend only with the Tolands, the Tindals, the Bolingbrokes, and the Humes of the age; men whose writings could fall only into the hands of a few in the higher ranks of life, and were not likely to make much impreffion on well informed and well cultivated minds. But the pieces to which I allude are addreffed to the multitude, and are moft dexterously brought down to the level of their understandings. They comprefs the whole poison of Infidelity into the narrow compafs of an effence, or an extract, and render irreligion easy to the meanest capacity. They are, in fhort, most artful fnares, laid for those numerous and valuable claffes of men who have hitherto escaped the contagion either of atheism or deism; the mechanic, the manufacturer, the tradesman, the farmer, the fervant, the labourer. On thefe (to whom the subject is quite new, and who have neither time nor talents for examining questions of this nature) the bold affertions, the intrepid blafphemies, and coarfe buffooneries, which conftitute the whole merit and character of these productions, are perfectly well calculated to impose, and to ftand in the place of argument and proof. It was by fmall tracts of this fort, diffeminated among the lower orders in every part of France, that the great body of

the

the people there was prepared for that most aftonishing event (which, without fuch preparation, could never have been so fuddenly and fo generally brought about), the public renunciation of the Christian faith. In order to produce the very fame effect here, and to pave the way for a general apoftafy from the Gospel, by contaminating the principles and fhaking the faith of the inferior claffes of the people, the fame arts have been employed, the fame breviates of Infidelity have, to my knowledge, been published and dispersed with great activity, and at a confiderable expence, among the middling and lower ranks of men in this kingdom."

"At this day," obferves Dr. Priestley in 1796, "and especially fince the Revolution in France, unbelievers appear without any dif guife, openly infulting the Chriftian religion, and affailing it by wit and argument; and the writings of unbelievers, now that they can do it with impunity and even applaufe, are exceed ingly multiplied." And when we confider the profligate falfehoods, the coarse obscenity, the daring blafphemy, which now more openly than ever insult our Reason, Virtue, and Religion, in every form that art can place them, or the most shameless effrontery present themwhen

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