to tread on firm ground, and to advance with cautious step, where the Sacred Records give no explicit path for our footsteps.

The book of Job, probably one of the moft ancient records which exift, if not the firft, gives a beautiful and ftriking defcription, which but to read, produces a measure of the fame facred awe and effect which Eliphaz describes. (Chap. iv. 13, &c.) All the particulars are wonderfully picturefque; and while the image, clouded with the veil of obfcurity, eludes our diftin&t perception, it commands our reverence and attention.

The whole Old Teftament is full of hiftories of angels, both good and bad, affuming the human form; and confequently of the generally received opinion of the capability of thofe fpirits to hold communication with the children of men.

I mention not the apparition of Samuel to Saul, because I have never fuppofed that a reality, but a juggle: nor do I imagine an evil fpirit affumed the departed prophet's garb to hurry Saul to defperation; but it contains a proof, that fuch appearances were then fuppofed poffible; and that dif embodied fpirits might vifibly or audibly communicate by fome means with the living.

The prefence of Mofes and Elias on mount Tabor, converfing with Jefus in the hearing of the difciples, conveys undoubted evidence of the practicability of their rendering themselves vifible to mortal eyes.

The request of the rich man to fend the departed Lazarus to warn his brethren, and the reply of Abraham, fuppofe no doubt of the poffibility of the thing, but of the efficacy of fuch a method of warning.

When Jefus came to his difciples, walking on the sea, he was fuppofed a parlaque, an apparition; fuch was their general conclufion and when he quiets their fears, by faying, "It is 1, be not afraid," he adds nothing to prove that their idea of an apparition was groundless.

The departed faints, who at the refurrection arose and appeared to many of their acquaintance, were among the real witneffes of their Lord being rifen; and as fuch, are produced in Scripture.

The deliverance of Peter by an angel, who miftook it at firft for a vifion, and foon found it a reality, is strongly evidential on the point; and the report made by the damfel when he knocked at the gate, and the obfervation by the

brethren

brethren that it was his angel, feem to speak the generally received opinion on this fubject.

I fhall not enlarge on other particulars which might be adduced, but only fay, that as to the poffibility of fuch apparitions, I fee nothing contrary to found philosophy, or inconfiftent with Divine Revelation.

The many foolish or unfupported ftories which have been told, have in general brought the whole into fufpicion; yet, fome have come within my own knowledge fo well authenticated, and attended with fuch circumftances, as, though little difpofed to credulity, I am unable to refufe my affent to the narrative; and, granting the poffibility of the thing, we should not exercife unqualified rejection, where the reporter is worthy of credit, and the circumftances fpeak the beneficial effects produced.

I remain yours,

FANTASMA.

❖ར་་ར••རབ་ཐབར་བ«

A FIFTH VILLAGE DIALOGUE,

ON THE EVIL NATURE AND EFFECTS OF STAGE-PLAYS.

[Concluded from our laft. ]

Farmer. NOW, let us have the Bible.

(Nancy brings it.

Mijs Nancy. Father, I can fhew all the places we turned down while my fifters and the minifters were at the play, which Mr. Lovegood made ufe of when he preached against these wickedneffes.

F. Well, then, let us fee: Here is Eph. iv. 29." Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the ufe of edifying, that it may adminifter grace to the hearers."-To the Minifters-Did the play run in that ftyle to-night, gentlemen ? Brifk. Go on, Sir; we will answer you by and by.

F. Why, then, it is faid," That for every idle word men shall speak, they fhall give an account in the day of judgment. Why, Nancy, it would not do for you and me to die in a playhoufe; for there is nothing but idle words there. And then again, we are forbidden " foolish talking and jefting, which is not convenicat." And there we have nothing elle but foolish talking and jefting all the way through; aye, and if poffible, worfe ftill; for if they prefent us with any good, they are almoft fure to make a scoff at it; and as for pride, anger, re enge, and fuch like paffions, these they drefs up in fuch a manner as though there was little or no evil in them, and as though nobody could live without them. In a thousand inftances they reprefent virtue to be vice, and vice to be virtue, or it would not be fo pleafing to the fort of customers who attend them.After this you know, Mr. Lovegood mentioned that text againft" profane and vain babblings;" and their babblings are profane enough, I am fure; and thefe we are" to avoid." And here it is again," Let your converfation be as becometh the gospel of Chrift." And here again, "Our converfation is in Heaven."

Nancy.

Nancy. And you know, father, it is faid, "that the righteous foul of Lot was vexed with the filthy converfation of the wicked." And I am fure, in all the plays that you and I have feen, there is enough of the filthy conversation of the wicked.

F. But Nancy, we must not forget that text which pins it all down to a point, which Mr. Lovegood explained to us against thefe abominable doings, in Gal. v. 19-22; in which, after a long lift of wickedneffes forbidden to chriftiaus, "revellings, and fuch like," are mentioned; and thefe are again forbidden, 1 Pet. iv. 3. Now, Mr. Lovegood told us they meant mafk-dances and fongs, much after the fafhion of our plays. And then, you know, he told us that all horfe-racings, bull-baitings, ufelefs fairs and wakes, cock-fights and dancings, were all of them revels. And again, he obferved, that midnight revels were the worft fort of revels, because it gave a more convenient opportunity to the fons of darkness to practise their works of darkness. And we all know what fort of innocent amufements people are fure to have among themfelves at these times; curfing, fwearing, fighting, whoring, drunkennefs, and every other abominable evil. Fine fort of fights thefe for minifters to attend! Gentlemen, have you had fupper enough?

Minifters. No more, we thank you, Sir. But we must be moving.

F. Why, you would not be running away because the Bible is fetched; that would be strange indeed for minifters. You have been near three hours at the play: we fhould, at leaft, fpend one over the Bible.-Patty, take away every thing but the Bible.-Now, gentlemen, can you shew us any place in fcripture that countenances your fort of proceedings?

Brifk. Why, did I not mention that the fcripture says, there is a time to dance and did not David dance before the ark ?

F. Yes; and he danced with holy joy before the Lord, praifing and bleffing his name all the time; quite in a rapture of thanksgiving for his great mercies to Ifrael. Surely, you won't compare your fort of dancings to that of David, where God is quite forgotten, and thruft out of the queftion, that all of you may make merry in fin?

Smirking But then, Sir, we are forbidden to be righteous over much. Mifs Polly. There, father; I am fure that is as much to the point as any of your texts.

F. Aye, and many a drunken, worldly-minded farmer and grazier has told me of that text before now.⚫ As though the Lord was afraid that we poor finful creatures might be too righteous and holy; left we should repent too much, pray too much, or love God too much. Now, though I am but a country farmer, yet I can give you a properer meaning to it than that, if ever you chufe to make a fermon on it. For it means, Don't be too rigorous and over levere in your judgment and dealings with your fellow creatures; but let mercy and forbearance, be mixed with judgment. I think this founds more confiftent, than to fuppofe that a moft righteous God fhould forbid us to be over-righteous. And would not fuch notions make the Bible appear to be all contradiction and nonsense? while we are commanded in that bleffed book to be "holy in all manner of converfation;" to "perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord ;" and to be " perfect, even as our Father who is in heaven is perfect."

Smirking. Ifuppofe, Mr. Littleworth, you are frequently going down to Mr. Lovegood's for fresh lectures in divinity, for you can quite outdo us. F. O yes, Sir. I am with him as often as my bafinefs will permit ; and when I heard him the Sunday before laft preach his excellent fermon against this ribaldry that you, gentlemen, have thus been fupporting, I femember he told us, how much such farcical nonfenfes were against the fpirit and temper of real Chriftianity. (To his daughter) Nancy, my • VOL. IX.

shild,

child, you know, we marked down his proof texts on that head alfo, as foon as we came home. Let us fee which they were.

Nancy. Why, the firft text was this, "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye prefent your bodies a living facrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service; and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that we may prove what is that good, and perfect, and acceptable will of God." And he asked, where could be the chriftianity of those who were entirely conformed to the world, and who ran after all its vanities; and were “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God."

F. And then, you know, he brought out these texts: "Mortify therefore, your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupifcence," &c. "Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him;" for "the friendship of the world is enmity with God." Now, pray young gentlemen, to be plain with you, though you are fo much more learneder than I am, is it possible for any one to be more in friendship with the world than you are? And is it poffible that they who attend where you have been to-night, can be among the pure in heart, who unfeignedly fay, "lead us not into temptation;" and who watch and pray, left they should enter into temptation, when they seem to tempt the very devil to tempt them?

Mrs. Littleworth. I am fadly afraid, gentlemen, my husband bears a little too hard upon you. Let me give you another glafs of wine.

Smirking. Thank you, madam, but we are in no great fear of an anfwer, after Mr. Littleworth has brought out all his texts.

Mifs Polly. I am afraid that will be a long time first; for nothing now goes down with my father but the Bible: for morning, noon, and night, he is always at it; breakfast, dinner, and fupper, he must have his Bible, He feems Bible mad.

F. You fee, gentlemen, my daughter has brought home, no great deal of mannerly or chriftian-like behaviour to her father, by going with you to the play to-night. We will, however, bring a few more texts to confirm our point; for, pray, when you were with all the giggling thoughtlefs fet that were with you at the play, were you with thofe who were heavenly minded, and spiritually minded; who were led by the fpirit;" who had the love of God fhed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghoft which was given them;" who were "giving all diligence before God to make their calling and election fure, left a promife being left to enter into his reft, any of them fhould feem to come fhort;" who were " ftriving to enter in at the straight gate; "who were "working out their falvation. with fear and trembling;" who were "crucified to the world, who were even dead to it, and whofe lives were hid with Chrift in God;" who had "Chrift dwelling in their hearts by faith;" who were panting after God; who were "hungering and thirsting after righteoufnels;" who were "preffing towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus ;" who were " redeeming the time, because the days were evil;” who are "thro' the Spirit, mortifying the deeds of the body;" who are blamelefs and harmlefs, the fons of God;" who "let their light shine before men, that they may fee their good works, and glorify their Father which is in heaven?" Were you among thofe who,“ in whatsoever they do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus Chrift, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" and who," whether they eat, or whether they drink, or whatsoever they do, do all to the glory of God?" If fo, you have all been at the play to the glory of God." Nów, gentlemen, this is not the hundredth part of the

Bible against fuch loofe amufements; and the Lord make you fenfible what you fhould be, and then you will know where you should be, and what you fhould do.

Smirking. Well, Sir, if you admire nothing elfe in us, at leaft, you fhould admire our patience to hear you fay fo much, and, after all, nothing to the purpose; for all thefe texts were only defigned for primitive times. For, where will you find Chriftians in this day of fuch a stamp, excepting a few narrow-minded people of Mr. Lovegood's caft.

F. And fo the Bible is to be no more to us now-a-days than an old Almanac. Mr. Brifk, can't you help Mr. Smirking out, by fome prcper texts of fcripture to prove his point? Here is the Bible for you, Sir. Brifk. It cannot be expected that my recollection should be fufficiently clear, having but just come from the play.

F. Why then, Sir, to my mind, it should feem very odd that time Thould alter the mind of God, and that what was neceffary, in a way of holiness, a thousand years ago, is not neceffary now; and if we go on, as we have done of late, in about five hundred years longer, even by the approbation of God himself, men may be devils outright. Why, gentlemen, where have you been for fuch doctrine as this? According to this rate, the Bible is nothing better than an old lease that is now run out, and whofe covenants and agreements can bind no longer; and if this be the cafe, how are we to come at the truth? And who is to draw us out a new rule for the prefent times? I am afraid, if done according to the fashion of the times, it will be a desperate wide one. Well, gentlemen, till you can fhew me a reafon to the contrary, I shall always fuppofe that good old Book is the standard for my faith and practice; and as God cannot alter in himself, so he cannot alter in that holy word of his, which he has given us to make us wife unto falvation.

Smirking. Tho' I like your method very well, Mr. Brifk, of taking thefe troublesome texts and putting them up, out of the way of thefe mo dern enthusiasts, by confining them to primitive times; yet, I think, the fame bufinefs is better accomplished among rational Diffenters, by calling them strong eastern expreffions, and representing them as abftruie meta phors; that being born again, or being new creatures, only means being brought from the old Jewish religion into the Chriftian, which was then a new one. And being led by the Spirit, only means, led by a good dif pofition. And as for all these other ftrong expreffions that Mr. Littleworth feems fo fond of, they now only mean, that we, Christians, should not be remifs in the fober practice of virtue and morality.

F. Now, gentlemen, if you with me to believe all this, you must fur nish me with a new set of brains: for it was but about three weeks ago that Mr. Dolittle was here, and then I was to believe that all our good old church books were to be understood according to a double meaning, for and against, or contrary to their meaning. And now all that the Bible means, is to mean nothing. Do any of us think that we are at liberty, after the fame fashion, to explain away other mens books as we explain away the book of God? And now, gentlemen, you must give me leave to fpeak to you the thoughts of my heart in a homely manner. You have been encouraging a fet of thefe loofe fellows, whofe lives, you know, are ge nerally wicked, and whofe conversation is profane, so that you would be ashamed to make them your companions, or take them into your houfes and these are the men you hire to play the fool to please you, and fpread corruption wherever they go. Would either of you, gentlemen, have thought it proper to have gone upon the stage and acted for them, had any of them been fick, and there feigned the character of a filthy whore. monger, or a fwearing failor? Or would it have become you, Mr. Brisk (for you have a good voice) to have fung one of their nafty foolish songs?

002

Brifk