deficiency in the liberal duties of charity and humanity? No, Sir, the experience which all defcriptions have had of her forbearance and mild de meanour, even in these turbulent times, ought to endear her alike to the courtier and the peasant; to her own children, and those who have to answer to Omniscience for the purity of the motives which have induced them to profess themfelves diffenters from her communion. I wish the foureft moralift upon earth, after contemplating her weakneffes, for she is not infallible, would take as fevere a view of the other profeffions, the law, the army, and medicine; I wish he would fcan the vices of our present commercial fyftem, to know if the fad refults of human depravity are not to be met with only too prominent in them all. We must not exterminate for every failing, forbearance ought to be the characteristic of finful man. The wealthy banker fhould not be fo quickfighted in finding out the impolicy of tythes, nor fhould the priest be so very exact in peeping into the iniquity of banking*." Thefe are not the times for government to fanction the reflections which are caft by defigning men upon the Hierarchy; the hands of the clergy must not be weakened; genuine Chistianity ought not for one moment to be dispensed with. With you, Sir, I am convinced that we are all of us too much indebted to Mr. Pitt, to decide haftily upon his conduct in any inftance. The opinion of what I fhall call the intellect of the people of England, has evidently been the principle of action to which he has upon arduous occafions always adverted, and the polar ftar by which he has fteered his courfe. He has indeed found Tome difficulty of late in diftinguifhing this from the voice of faction; but he has difcriminated with unparalleled ability, and has been generally right. There is only one recent inftance, and that yet remains enveloped in mystery, in which I cannot fully exculpate him from any intentions of vio lating the fundamental principles of the British Conftitution. Upon that queftion 1 have no doubt; but the opinion of the nation will be eventually decifive in favour of the conflitution's remaining unaltered." The fophiftry urged againft tythes, the odium excited by the diffenters against the articles, canons, and liturgy; and the laugh raised by the fame description of men against the clergy by their indecent prints, and caricatures, will be all traced to the noify kennel of democracy from whence they have recently emerged, and will be once more compelled, by the ftrong reafoning of genuine patriots, to retire from St. Stephen's Chapel in difgrace; and be again forced to seek an audience in the pious malignity of the conventicle. I have the honour to remain, under great obligation for the fidelity which you have manifested to our original principles,

Yorkshire.

Yours, moft fincerely,

W. A.

P. S. The moft ardent wifh of my heart is, that Britons would once more rally round the conftitution, and fwear that they will defend it one and indivifible; and that they will support no measures which tend in the fmalleft degree to weaken its bulwarks. If there even was a crifis when the voice of the nation fhould be heard, distinct from the bravadoes of faction, it is now; and, depend upon it, it would, thus collected, give an immediate efficacy to our enfeebled measures, and renovate the whole fystem.

*Vide two late publications.

ΤΟ

I HAVE paid great attention to the difcuffions which have taken place relative to the subject of tythes; and am convinced that not a fingle argument has been advanced, in favour of commutation in lieu of them, which does not hold much stronger in favour of a commutation in lieu of rents. Are the clergy a less useful body than our gentry, that jacobinical measures should firft commence with those who seem the least disposed to countenance them? Let our Legiflature be exceedingly careful of countenancing one fingle idea that has a tendency to render property of any defcription lefs facred than it is. Indeed, Sir, I fear that a commutation has, in many inftances, been fuggefted by the very worst of motives. It appears firft to have originated with the Diffenters and Jacobins, from their averfion to the hierarchy; and is now adopted by a few felfifh landholders, from, I hope, the fallacious idea, that the clergy, flattered by the appearance of prefent emolument, will facrifice the interefts of the Church for a moft difgraceful compenfation.. I fear that the beft defign, on the anvil, embraces very closely the reprehenfible hope, that the clergy may be cajoled, or compelled to accept of a commutation for the compofition which is at prefent paid, instead of the real value of the tithes; for moft affuredly the landholders would be very great lofers indeed by a fair commutation. I wish that through the medium of your Review, a number of different statements of the cafes of the clergy could be fubmitted to the public, for I am convinced that the prejudice raised by their adversaries would, by such a measure, be effectually feparated from the queftion. It is about nine or ten years fince my moft intimate friend was prefented to a fmall rectory. He had been the Fellow of a College, was the youngest son of a reputable clergyman, whofe family was uncommonly numerous; and of course he was a man of no fortune. His predeceffor was in eafy, not to fay affluent circumftances, for he kept his carriage, and had no children: in addition to this he was exceedingly intimate with the principal landholder in the parish who was a gentleman of very large fortune, a Member of Parliament; and generally voted with oppofition. In confequence of thefe circumstances, probably, the tithes were let fo low as one fhilling and fixpence an acre. At my friend's firft going he was a perfect ftranger at the place, and knew little about matters of this kind. He waited upon the gentleman in queftion, who received him with politenefs, and affability. Encouraged by this, the clergyman stated his cafe; but the member affured him that he had fet his face against tithes; and even faid that it was the wish of the oppofition of that day that a commutation might foon take place. The clergyman afked him if two thillings and fixpence would be too much to expect from his farmers? He faid, in return, that he would have nothing to do with the bufinefs, only if the clergyman would say that he was not a man of fortune, he would not oppofe him if his demands, were reasonable; and faid further, he could only add that tithes belonging to him were all let at two fhillings and fixpence an acre. Thus uncomfortably circumstanced the clergyman determined to take a ride into the country with a view of making further inquiries. He stopped to dinner about twenty miles from his living; and had the great good luck to meet with a very intelligent innkeeper to whom, without the fmalleft referve, he told his ftory. The innkeeper, with as little

reserve,

referve, told him in return, that he was at that moment in the habit of paying five fillings an acre for that gentleman's tythes; he further faid it might be true that the gentleman let them at half a crown an acre; but that his farmers let them again at five fhillings; and he threwdly obferved, that not the black coated tithe-holders, but the grey coated were the oppreffors. Satisfied with this intelligence the clergyman, upon his return, asked the farmers three fhillings an acre; and after much trouble and with great difficulty brought them into thefe terms, at which they have fince remained, though he is very certain that the tithes for the two laft years have been well worth eight fillings an acre. This, Sir, I moft folemnly declare is the true statement of a very studious and laborious Minister's fituation with respect to tithes, who has a numerous and increafing family, for whom, with all poffible œconomy and self denial, he can make little or no provifion, though he is apparently declining to the grave under a complication of diforders altogether induced by a ftudious and fedentary life. I am finally perfuaded, Sir, if all the inftances of this kind, which the kingdom affords, were only fairly laid before the public they would compofe fuch a mass of evidence in favour of the clergy as would doom the fatellites of the Board of Agriculture to no litttle infamy. I remain your's,

C. W. A.

SIR,

TO THE EDITOR.

HE new religious confpiracy as it has been improperly termed, for there is not one grain of genuine Christianity about it, is at length completely expofed, and many documents. relative to it are, no doubt, in the hands of Government. I cannot however help obferving, that your Correfpondents upon this fubject have not by any means done their caufe complete juftice. You will find the attack upon the clergy generally attended with one equally fevere upon the higher orders of fociety. Thus Mr. Cockin is not only fevere upon lawn-fleeves, but likewife informs us that God is abolishing the idols of filver and gold; and Mr. Pawfon is not content with sending the clergy ad inferos, but almost every man of refpectability in the kingdom, as we find in the page immediately preceding those you have introduced into your useful publication. "And if we confider the state of our great men," he obferves, " may we not fay, with the Prophet, that these have altogether broken the yoke, and burft the bonds? Religion in the prefent age very feldom rifes higher than a middling tradefman; there may be a capital tradesman here and there who has a regard for religion, but these are very few: there are fewer ftill among the merchants who love religon; but amongst the nobility and gentry where thall we find a real Cbriftian? Thefe almoft univerfally, like Gallio, care for none of these things. Wholly taken up with the gayeft fcenes of life; and highly diverted with the diverfions, pleasures, and entertainments, of this poor, vain, tranfitory world, they look upon religion as a mere trifle, quite beneath their notice; hence they treat the one thing needful with the greatest neglect; and leave it entirely to the ignorant vulgar, to thofe whom they think have nothing elfe to amufe themselves with. Thefe are eminently without God in the world being totally estranged from him." So much for the rich is to be met with in the extentive charity of this thoughtleís old man; and

:

I am told by gentlemen, admitted into conversation with certain wolves in fheep's cloathing, that they do not hesitate to obferve, "what a fhame it is that fuch worthlefs beings fhould be indulging in all the luxuries of life, while they, the only worthy beings, are dealt almoft without." Mr. Pav fon's affection for the learned may be gathered from the following extracts. "If we go to our wife and learned men, the comparison too nearly holds good for if thefe have neglected the word of the Lord, what wifdom can there be in them? If they will not fo much as believe the truth of God, how then will they underftand, or experience the faving power of it? Here with the Prophet we may take up a lamentation, in that many of our wife men have rejected that bleffed book of God which muft ever be acknowledged to be the pillar and ground of truth; and must be confidered as the fountain of all wifdom; and have fet up their own wifdom in oppofition to the wisdom of God, faying, in effect, are not we wifer than he? Have they not also rejected the eternal Son of God, the only Redeemer and Saviour of finners, who in infinite pity and love came down from Heaven and gave his own life in order to fave them? Do not these vain men attempt to rob him of his eternal power and godhead, reject the atonement which, by his precious blood, he hath made for their fins; and neglect that precious falvation which he hath dearly purchased for them?" In another place, page 81, he writes, "Are then our wife and learned men the most spiritual, and heavenly minded? Are they of all others the moft meek and low in heart? or, Are they not the very reverfe of this? Are they not in general the most proud and paffionate, the most self-fufficient and self-willed? in a word, Are they not at the greatest distance from God and true religion?"-Is not this man exerting his utmoft powers in the caufe of democracy; and is he not anfwerable at the bar of the public for fuch exertions as thefe? I am convinced that his fermons have already done incalculable mifchief amongst the lower orders, for four hundred of them were given away; and after that lent from one to another; and we now obferve fome of the bleffed fruits of fuch religion in the attacks which have been recently made upon the windows of St. Peter's Church, at Leeds, and the reftlefs conduct of the lower orders of the people. I remain your's, &c.

West-Riding, Yorkshire, April 13.

A.

GENTLEMEN,

TO THE EDITORS.

EETING the other day with a prayer, in a publication, entitled "An Help to Devotion," printed in the year 1737. It appeared fo peculiarly applicable to our prefent feafon of diftrefs, that I much wished for its general circulation, and could think of no method fo likely to effect that, or fo proper as your excellent magazine, which undertaken for the glory of God in the advancement of his true religion, will, I truft, meet with the fuccefs you and all fiucere Chriftians muft devoutly hope for.-That God may profper this "your work and labour of love," is the prayer of, Gentlemen, your obedient humble fervant,

A MEMBER of the CHURCH of ENGLAND. "DECAY OF PIETY.

"The lefs appearance there is of univerfal reformation, the more jealoufly ought every perfon to look to himself, left he be one that obftruct

it s

it; for fo he does, who ftays till it be a fashion, but neglects to contribute his part to make it fo. He who confiders himself but as one, fhould not fuffer himfelf to grow into lefs; to fall from that unit to a cypher, by permitting floth or cowardice to enfeeble him but, on the contrary, should recollect his fpirits, actuate all his ftrength, and therefore be sure to do his utmost, becaule that utmost is but a little.

"If there be any Jacobs among us; any who can wrestle and prevail with God, there never was fo prefling a need of their interceffion. O, let all that are thus prepared for it, vigorously undertake this pious work; let no Moles' hands ever wax heavy, but be always held up in a devout importunity."

A PRAYER to be used in private, deploring the national fins, and depricating thofe dreadful judgments that feem to hang over this church and

nation.

"O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth, I defire humbly to confels before thee, both on the behalf of myfelf, and of this nation; that we have grievously finned against thee: that all orders of men amongst us have tranfgreffed thy righteous laws, and have hitherto rendered both thy mercies and thy judgments ineffectual to amendment of our lives. It is of thy mercy alone, that we are not utterly confumed; that thy goodnefs hath yet fpared us-and yet, O Lord, who is there that regardeth the power of thy wrath? How few amongst us who repent of their wretchedness. Thou, Lord, hath spoken by thy word to our ears, by thy judgments even to all our fenfes but unless thou fpeak by thy fpirits to our hearts, all thy other calls will be ineffectual. O fend out this thy mighty voice, and awaken us out of our lethargy.-Thou who didft call Lazarus out of the grave, be pleased to call us who are dead in trefpafs and fins, and make us to awake unto righteousness. Though, Lord, our frequent refiftances even of thy inward calls, have juftly provoked thee to give us up to our own hearts' pefts--yet thou art good even above what we can wish from the boundless ocean of thy mercy; therefore, withdraw not the influence of thy grace, and take not thy holy spirit from us-thou hast been found by them that fought thee not, let that act of mercy be extended to others, who are infenfibly fick, and do not so much as look after a physician; and by how much their cafe is the more dangerous, fo much the more fovereign remedies thou apply. Lord help us all; and confider not fo much our unworthyness of thy aid, as our irremediable ruin if we want it. Save, Lord, or we perish eternally.

"Once, when thou flepft in a fhip, and a tempeft arifing threatened death to all in the fhip, thou awakedft at the cry of a few difciples; and ftraitway, at thy almighty word, the waters couched, the winds fell, the ftorm was fuddenly turned into a calm; the dumb waters knew their Maker's voice. Thou feeft Lord with what storms thy weak fhip is toffed; the ship wherein thy little flock is in peril to be drowned and we all perish. For this tempeft we may thank our own folly and madness, our own vileness and finful living. I confefs it, and acknowledge thy righteousness, and I bewail our unrighteousness: but I appeal to thy mercy, which furmounteth all thy works. We have fuffered much punishment, and now reap the fad fruits of our own mifdoings. Yet appears there no where any haven or port unto us; but still more and more grievous punishments seem to hang over our heads. Lord, I adore thy juftice herein; foraf much as we have deferved this evil, because we have finned against thee.

But,