hold them, with a fine open countenance, about fifteen years of age. Mr., the parfon, on difmounting, afked the boy, Do you know me? No, fir. How old are you? I believe fifteen. Don't you ever come to church? No. Have you never been there? Yes, when I was chriftened, I believe, and when Farmer Rwas buried: but I did not go into the houfe; I only faw the man with a great fmockfrock at the grave. Have you any parents? Yes. Have you any brothers? Yes; four befides me, and daddy and mammy. And do they none of them go to church? No. What do you do on a Sunday? Why, daddy and mammy lie abed all the morning, and I and my brothers go out into the foreft to gather wood." Now what muft become of thefe poor creatures, if no perfon goes into the foreft to feek them? Is it criminal in any good man to read, or fpeak to them, unlefs he is ordained and licensed by the Bishop himfelf? Will the Bishop feel light under the load of thefe perithing, neglected beings, and neither fend himself to seek them, and those who were willing to go, would he hinder? The fact is certain, that multitudes of fuch are every where to be found; who are diftant from the church, or carelefs about the fabbath, or even when they go once a week, if so often, the means of inftruction are fo fmall and inadequate to all neceffary information in divine knowledge, that ignorance and error cannot but reign uncontrouled, and with them the profanenefs and difordered manners, against which many make fo loud a cry, and yet take no effectual fteps to remove them. If the Lord hath yet mercy in ftore for this guilty land, He will revive his work, and ftir up a, fpirit of more awakened attention in minifters and people. Then none will think it a fufficient excufe to fay, "Am I my brother's keeper ?" But loving out of a pure heart fervently every good man will feek to communicate the bleffed truths he himself has been taught of God, and will not fuppofe the abufe or reproach of men a reafon for preventing him from plucking these brands from the burning. PHILOSUKOS. ON PUBLIC DINNERS. To the Editor. In Answer to a Query in our Magazine for January, p. 27. WITHOU a time like the prefent, when, as your correfpondent oba ferves," the poor are groaning under comparative famine;" I fubmit to you, whether the following and fimilar inftances be not fufficient to justify Christians dining in public; I will not fay expensively, I would hope they would do it always as frugally as poffible. Where it has been the custom in better times for the members of a Society, for fome benevolent defign, to dine together annually; at which time they bring their friends for the purpofe of promoting fuch an object, perhaps it would be very detrimental to omit,, for only one year, fuch a meeting, as on thofe occafions many new members are added to their lifts; and the good that may proceed therefrom may be permanent and greatly preponderate the evil, which may be only temporary; likewife it must be recollected, that probably the appointment was made when the times bore a more favourable afpect, the ftewards chofen, and other arrangements agreed upon, the poftponing of which would be attended with inconvenience. Let the Society for promoting Religious Knowledge among the Poor (commonly called the Book Society; be inftanced. In what way otherwife could fo large a number of the fubfcribers and their friends be brought together, and induced to encourage the inftitution? There have been of late years, I believe, from thirty to fixty new members added at the annual dinner. Alfo the Society for Educating Deaf and Dumb Children of the Poor, increase confiderably their benefactors at their Anniverfary, nor is it to be wondered at, that the exhibition on thofe occafions of the objects educated, and the apparent progrefs they have made, fhould draw forth the pity, and the pecuniary aid of thofe who have it in their power to help fo good a work; deeming the above to be to the point, I will not obtrude further. I am your's, refpectfully, A. B. C. 66 JOB ར་ར་ར་ར་ར་ར་་ར་་ར SELECT SENTENCES. OB abhorred himfelf moft when he knew himself beft. The clearer difcoveries we have had of God, the viler will every thing of felf appear." Dr. OWEN. To be meek He who dewho thinks Humility is the fource of true meekness. towards others we muft renounce ourselves. fpifes himfelf is content to be defpifed. He nothing due to him will not think himself neglected." FENELON ་་ [Concluded from our last Number.] HAVING followed his Lordship through the former part of his charge, relative to the progrefs and effects of infidelity in France, and which occupies no less then feventeen pages, we now come with him to our own country where, he fays, the enemy, bent on obliterating pure genuine christianity, and well-knowing that bold undifguifed atheifm, proceeding directly and openly to its horrid purpofe, will never be fuccefsful, is carrying on his operations" by cautious ftratagem." After fuch laboured efforts to excite alarm, the reader naturally expects to hear of the difclofure of fome nefarious plot, deeply laid and artfully conducted, with a view of forming a confpiracy of all the wit, the science, the philofophy and the politics' of the nation" for the extirpation of the chriftian name." Inftead of which, he is prefented with three pages of invective against the religious people of various denominations, Calvinifts or Arminians, Churchmen or Diffenters, whofe fingular devotedness to God, and zeal for the falvation of others, have procured for them, from the world, the general appellation of Methodists. Nor does it appear that any thing in their conduct has provoked this abufe, but the great exertions they have fo laudably made to ftem the torrent of infidelity and anarchy, by diffufing the knowledge of Chrift among the numerous claffes of the poor, and teaching their children to read the fcriptures. But as we defire to manifeft the ftri&cft impartiality towards this Rev. Prelate, and the people he has ventured fo boldly to attack, we will quote the paragraph itself, notwithstanding the length of it, and accompany it with a few remarks. Glancing at the Socinians, whom his Lordfhip confiders' as atheifts in difguife, and claiming the honour of having completely foiled them in their first attempts, by unmasking their defign; "Still," fays he, "the operations of the enemy are going on. Still going on by firatagem. The ftratagem ftill a pretence of reformation. But the reformation the very reverfe of what was before attempted. Inftead of divesting religion of its mysteries, and reducing it to a mere philosophy in fpeculation, and to a mere morality in practice, the plan is now to affect a great zeal for orthodoxy; to make great pretenfions to an extraordinary measure of the Holy Spirit's influence; to alienate the minds of the people from the established clergy by reprefenting them as fordid worldlings; without any concern about the fouls of men; indifferent to the religion which they ought to teach, and to which the laity are attached, and deftitute of the Spirit of God. In many parts of the kingdom new conventicles have been opened in great number, and congregations formed of one knows not what denomination. The Paflor is often, in appearance at leaft, an illiterate peasant or mechanic. The congregation is vifited occafionally by preachers from a distance. Sunday fchools are opened in connection, with thefe conventicles. There is much reafon to fufpect, that the expences of thefe fchools and conventicles are defrayed by affociations formed in different places. For the preachers and schoolmasters are observed to engage in expences, for the fupport and advancement of their inftitutions, to which, if we may judge from appearance, their own means must be altogether inadequate. The poor are even bribed by fmall pecuniary gifts from time to time, to send their children to these fchools of they know not what, rather than to thofe connected with the VOL. IX. Established A a Established Church, in which they would be bred in the principles of true religion and loyalty. It is very remarkable, that thefe new congregations of non-defcripts have been moftly formed, fince the Jacobins have been laid under the restraint of those two moft falutary ftatutes, commonly known by the names of the fedition and the treafon bill. A circumstance which gives much ground for fufpicion, that fedition and atheifim are the real objects of thefe inftitutions, rather than religion. Indeed in fome places, this is known to be the cafe. In one topic the teachers of all thefe congregations agree, abuse of the established clergy, as negligent of their flocks, cold in their preaching, and deftitute of the Spirit. In this they are joined by perfons of a very different caft, whom a candour, of which they on their part fet but a poor example, is unwilling to fufpect of any ill defign, though it is difficult to acquit them of the imputation of an indifcretion in their zeal, which in its confequences may be productive of mifchief very remote, I believe, from their intentions. It is a dreadful aggravation of the dangers of the prefent critis in this country, that persons of real piety thould, without knowing it, be lending their aid to the common enemy, and making themfelves in effect accomplices in a confpiracy againit the Lord and againit his Chrift. The Jacobins of this country, I very much fear, are at this moment making a tool of Methodism, juft as the illuminees of Bavaria made a tool of Free Mafonry, while the real Methodist, like the real Free Mafon, is kept in utter ignorance of the wicked enterprize the counterfeit has in hand.""" To every candid liberal mind this passage will carry with it its own refutation, because there is nothing to be found in it, but uncharitable conjectures, dark infinuations, and bold affertions, deftitute of proof. The general argument of it feems to be, that whatever the Methodists were before the Socinian difcomfiture, they are now compofed of fools and knaves, atheists and the tools of atheists, and are all, without exception, either defignedly or undefignedly accomplices in a confpiracy against the Lord and his Chrift." But what ground is there for fuch a dreadful charge? Suppofe the defeated Socinians had all been atheis, and did not believe their avowed creed, as this Prelate peremptorily affirms, does it neceffarily follow that they have joined themselves to the Methodilts? Can a fingle inftance of this kind be adduced? Has the Patriarch of the fect" been preaching at the Tabernacle of the Foundery, or have "the orators and oracles of Birming ham and Effex-ftrect" been itinerating in the villages, and publifhing the Gofpel to the poor? Or what is there faid to be taught or done in their numerous conventicles, which would countenance the fuppofition that they are the refources of atheifts, or that the ends of infidelity are promoted in them by ftratagem? 'Tis faid, their "plan is now to affe& a great zeal for orthodoxy;" that is, to preach found doctrine, or pure Chriftianity. And, will Christianity jacobinize the world? Or is it an indication of any ftratagem, but that blefed ftratagem that Jefus recommended to his Apostles for catching men? The accuracy of the ftatements refpe&ting their pretensions to great degrees of divine influence, and their reviling the clergy, may fairly be quettioned without impeaching his Lordship's veracity, as it is hardly to Te fuppoled that he frequents the conventicles, and mult therefore rely on the reports brought him by others. Admitting them, however, to be true, the point in queftion would not be thereby efiablished. God forbid ! that a pretention to any degree of divine influence should fubject the party to the imputation of atheifin. For had his Lordship been at an ordination in ftead ftead of a vifitation, he would have been reminded of one who would keenly refent the charge of atheifm, and yet pretends to fuch an extraordi. nary meature of the Holy Spirit's influence, as to impart it to as many as he pleafes by the intpolition of his hands. And, as to their reprefenta tion of the established clergy, it perfectly coincides with the account his Lord/hip gives of their conduct in this very charge, (p. 27).—“ Take heed how you give the laity reafon to fufpect that you defire to make the mt of your livings, and to do as little for it as you can. Nothing hath done jo much hurt to the interests of Religion, or the established Church, as the lazy practice which of late years has gained ground in county parishes, of opening the Church for divine fer vice on one part only of the Lord's Day. The Sectaries take great advange of this; and, what is much worse, the devil alfo takes advantage of it. On that half of the day on which there is no admiffion at the parish church, good inclinations carry the industrious part of your parishoners to the Conventicles and the devil invites thofe of another cait to the ale-houfe." While we lament with his Lordhip this crying fin and scandal, we are happy to find that the devil and the Sectaries are not agreed, as the danger might be greater if they both pulled the fame way: and we fuppofe this disagreement muft be the reafon that Satan itirs up fo much hatred against thefe Sectaries; for if the pari prieit but the church door, and the devil opens the alehouses, it must be an unpardonaule fin against both for the Sectaries to interfere. But among thefe Sectaries, it feems, "the paftor is often, in appearance. at least, an illiterate pafant, or mechanic;" implying that these men are more than they appear to be-men of confequence, probably; fuch as interetted themielves in the fpreading of infidelity abroad-“ Men of Letters, Magiftrates, 'Nobles, Minifters of State, fovereign Princes.” “Surely, my Lord is wife, according to the wildom of an angel of God;" for no man living, we believe, ever before fufpected thefe men to be a whit more learned than they appear, and we with his Lordhip, on examination, may not be disappointed. The fufpicion, that the expences of the fchools opened in connection with there conventicles, are defrayed by affociations formed in different places, his Lordfhip may find fubftantiated, if he will do us the honour of turning over the pages of the Evangelical Magazine. But does he mean to ftate it as a crime, or a proof of infidelity, that affociations pay the expences of Sunday Schools? Or, does the in confift in fupporting fchools that are not under the management of the parochial clergy? Surely it is very hard, if it be a crime in his clergy not to inftruct the people, and care for their fouls, and an equal or greater crime in others to do what they neglect. That atheism and fedition are taught in thefe fchools is by no means credible, fince the fchools are always open, and children are not remarkable for keeping fecrets; nor can we conceive how his Lordfhip fhound make the difcovery, unless prelates fometimes affume the appearance of illiterate mechanics, and vifit thefe fchools of fedition in difguile; or unlets fome noble confpirator has made his Lordship his confeffor, and authorized him to speak in fuch strong and de ifive terms; if fo, we hope his Lordship will do his country the justice to bring forward the evidence; and not en deavour to fix an odium upon the whole body of Methodiits and Diffenters, for a fact known only to himfelf. A principal caufe of this. Prelate's jealoufy feems to arife from the a' undant increale of thefe congregations lince the fuppreffion of jacobinical alemblies; but his Lordship fhou à recollet, that when the alarm was A a 2 founded |