In order to prove that I have not afferted any thing untrue, I have copied from the lift the following names as they appear in the work, and in another column, I have given you their real situations, viz.

F.

Fofter, Mr. Richard, Jefus College, Cambridge.-A corn-merchant, a Diffenter at Cambridge.

G.

Girling, Mr.

H.

Trinity College, Cambridge.-A taylor, a Dif fenter at Cambridge.

Hollick, Mr. William, Fellow of King's College, Cambridge.-A re

tired grocer, a Diffenter, formerly of Cam bridge, now of Whittlesford.

Hovell, Mr. Thomas, King's College, Cambridge.-A haberdasher, a

Diffenter at Cambridge.

St. Peter's College, Cam- A couple of car

Humphrey, Mr. Sen.

bridge.

Humphrey, Mr. Jun.
L.

Ditto

Lyon, Mr.

N.

Nutter, Mr.

S.

Ditto

penters at Cam. bridge.

Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.-Agra-
cer, a Diffenter at Cambridge.

Jefus College, Cambridge.-A corn-merchant, a
Diffenter at Cambridge.

Smith, Mr. Thomas, Emanuel College, Cambridge. Formerly an upholfterer in Cambridge.

If Mr. Wakefield will thus meanly impofe upon the public, what falsehoods, what mis-translations, what mifreprefentations, are we not to expect in the reft of the book? And when this imposture is fixed to the head of thofe pages which we acknowledge to be the word of truth itfelf, ought we not to take every means in our power to expose the authors of fuch impofitions, and use our utmost endeavours to counteract their wicked defigns? But I have brought the culprit to your bar, and I leave him to fuch punishment as you fhall think proper to inflict.

A Tranflation of the New Teftament, by Gilbert Wakefield, B.A. Vol. III. London: Printed at the Philanthropic Press; and fold by J. Deighton, Holborn, 1791.

From the PREFACE.

"I MUST not be withholden from declaring, that fome of my chief obligations are due to zealous individuals among the Diffenters, who made in feveral places a common caufe of my undertaking and exerted me to the completion of it. The Clergy muft not expect to maintain an authority fo complete, as heretofore, over the confciences of men. Learning and genius are deserting, in numbers, from the

NO. XXXI, VOL. VIII.

H

quarters

quarters of the Church. The damps of tyranny, the mifts of prieft craft are daily difperfing before the beams of knowledge and the gales of liberty. Weep ye inftruments of bigotry! tremble ye oppreffors of mankind! the defolation of your empire is at hand.--Some grammatical irregularities, and even inconfiftencies will be found in this Tranflation. The complacency of affurance with which Churchmen advance arguments that have been confuted over and over again, as if no answer had ever been attempted by any controverfionifts, refpectable either for talents or virtue, almoft petrifies me with astonishment. But, indeed, it is poffible, that we expect too much from poor humare nature, when we fuppofe her capable of attending to the ftill voice of religious TRUTH, amidst the noife and bustle of an elevated ftation," &c. &c.

The next Letter, we are ashamed to say, has been in our poffeffion twelve months.

SIR,

TO THE EDITOR.

FROM local and particular obfervations I proceed, according to my promife, to fome facts refpecting the general conduct of the Diffenters in my neighbourhood. One of the obfervations I had to make upon this fubject you have already anticipated in your note upon G.'s Letter, No. XVII. P. 346. This letter (part of which has called forth from you fuch fevere but justly merited animadverfions) convinces me that, either he is not one of the fecretly initiated; or, if he is, that he wrote the first part of his letter without confulting the more cautious part of his Society, as, (however bold and daring these sectaries are now become) I yet think they would hardly venture thus openly to avow, however fecretly they may inculcate opinions fo decidedly hoftile to the present Church Establishment, as those which have drawn upon him your commendable cenfures. At all events, I think, the feet will, in this inftance, be apt to exclaim" Non de fenforibus iftis, &c.

The principal defign of all itinerant Methodists, Mr. Editor, is to withdraw the populace from the Church, and to diminish or deftroy the refpect due to the regular Clergymen. And this they endeavour to effect by various means. Firt, they earnestly impress upon their hearers G's doctrine of " The divine operation of the Holy Spirit," that is to fay, they maintain that unless a Minifter can tell the very inftant he faw or perceived the influence of the Holy Spirit, and was commanded by it to go forth and preach, he is not a true Minifter of the Gofpel of Chrift. This "divine operation" they (I had almost faid impioufly) affert that they have felt or feen, and thus arrogantly affume a more than Popish tyranny over the reafon and confciences of their deluded hearers. The preacher unblushingly affures them, that what he utters is through the immediate communication of the Holy Spirit, and that without its facred influence he can say nothing; fo that having once convinced them of his divine miffion, the ignorant and impudent fanatic can, at leifure, from under cover of this feven

fold

fold fhield, difcharge among the unthinking multitude the envenomed arrows of civil difcord and religious fchifm. This grand point once gained, it is no difficult matter to perfuade his audience that the parochial Clergy, who differ from him in their mode of teaching, are not properly authorized to preach the Gofpel. That is to fay, that a Clergyman, however pious, regular, decent, and affiduous he may be in the discharge of his public duty; however willing and able he may be to teach his flock the moral and religious duties of the holy Gofpel, is not worthy the attention of his parishioners if he wants that command of countenance and volubility of tongue which will enable him to deliver extempore, at any time, and on any thefis, a random difcourfe (however unconnected) upon texts of Scripture, and if he is moreover deficient in respect of those stentorian lungs, that frantic ftare and demeanour which peculiarly distinguish these spiritual reformers, It is fufficient to obferve here, that the most voluble are not always the most wife; or the moft violent, the beft reafoners. The general competency of the Parish Priest to inftruct his flock being thus denied, they proceed to undermine his private conduct. If, from the difference of clocks, or any other caufe, he is five minutes before or after the ufual time of fervice, he is, they fay, negligent and inattentive to his duty. If his mode of delivery be flow and emphatic, he is tedious; if it be quick and fpirited, he is in too great a hurry, and wants that impreffive energy which a teacher fhould poffefs. In fhort, Sir, no established Clergyman can, according to their rules, attain the happy medium. But fhould it by chance be admitted, that he in unexceptionable in these respects, he is still to undergo another ordeal before the tribunal of thefe felf-created judges. The moft private transactions of his life, the most minute occurrences of his domeftic conduct are infidiously pried into, and the flightest deviation, from what they think right, held out as an object of public ridic ile or cen fure. If there be in his conduct or difpofition one fingle fault or foible, (and where is the man who has not one at leaft ?) fuch is immedi ately blazoned abroad among the enthufiaftic throng as an unpardonable fin, and a violation of his facred character. Nay, Sir, the most common and innocent amufements of life are made vehicles for the abufe of our cloth; not (I am convinced) because they themselves ferioufly think fuch finful, but that they occafionally happen to be prac tifed by members of our Church. Thus, according to thefe new morality-mongers, a harmlefs game of cards is "dealing with the devils books," a play or an opera is," a Heathenish and unchristian. like performance," and fo on, until every little recreation that the mind indulges in, is transformed, by the magic talifman of these morofe Cynics, into a crime of the greatest magnitude and deepest dye.* In order

* A reverend Gentleman of very correct life and manners, happening to be prefent when fome friends of his were amufing themselves with the diverfion of hunting, was accofted by a Methodist, and defired to obferve the nature of the chace, "That," said this infolent

H 2

hypocrite,

order that I may not tresspass too much upon your indulgence at once, I fhall poftpone all further obfervations until another opportunity; but, in the mean time, I think it neceffary to state, that, upon no account, will I enter into a controverfy with any perfon upon this fubject. My object is not controverfy, but to give a plain ftatement of facts-facts which may be denied but cannot be refuted, as they are fufficiently obvious to every perfon who has at all observed the conduct of the Diffenters.

I am, Sir, with much refpect,

Your obedient fervant,

VERAX.

ANECDOTES.

A BANKER, who, for some years, had been at the head of the Dissenters in Suffolk, lately failed, and, not appearing to the statute, was outlawed: the eldest son being intended for the bar, had taken a degree at Cambridge; but, having the offer of a living, applied for ordination; unfortunately, however, he had not been baptized, he therefore applied to a clergyman, his friend. The ceremony was performed without the notices, &c. prescribed; and a certificate given him, in which the two last figures, in 1799, were made so much like the seven, that the Bishop thought the gentleman had been received into the church in 1777. By some means, however, his lordship discovered the deception; the clergyman was severely reprimanded, and the young man refused ordination in Sept. last; (1799) but as some interest is making, it is supposed he will be finally

successful.

About a year since a clergyman, on a visit in S********, assisted at the sacrament in the parish church in the morning, and went publicly to the conventicle in the afternoon; the impropriety of the action was delicately hinted to his connections. A few months after, however, upon his next visit, he repaired again publicly to the same conventicle.

On the 30th of Jan. last, the bells at S******** were ringing most of the evening; while, on the 29th of May last, the corporation was as silent as the grave; even the union flag at the fort was not r, who commands at the signal-stadisplayed; Lieutenant B tion, in the adjoining parish, was so astonished and displeased that he noted this very pointed omission in his journal. This gentleman is highly to be respected for his loyalty and attachment to the civil

hypocrite," is an exact reprefentation of what will be your lot here. after; for as the dogs purfue and torment this poor hare, fo fhall the evil fpirits torment and tear in pieces your foul in hell for your wickedness in partaking of fo unholy a diverfion,”

and

and religious establishments of his country, as well as for his unremitting attention to the duties of his station.

These anecdotes need no comment from us; we shall only observe in respect of the second, that the clergyman followed the example of Dr. HAWES, the rector of Aldwinkle, who had, some time before, opened the Dissenting Meeting-House, in Canonbury Lane, Islington. Dr. Hawes's curate, too, a Mr. CHEW, has preached several times in LADY HUNTINGDON'S Chapel at Bath; such things are; but we have no scruple to say, that such things ought not to be, and that our Bishops should attend to them.

In the third volume of our Review P. 51, we had occasion to speak, in terms of highly-merited commendation, of a sermon preached at Dunmore, in Essex, by the Rev. J. Howlett, on the consecration of the colours of the yeomanry cavalry of that district. Soon after the appearance of our remarks upon that discourse, the worthy preacher received the following letter by the post, bearing the Manchester post-mark.

"To Mr. J. Howlett, Vicar of Great Dunmore, Essex.

" In your inflammatory sermon, you say you are happy to find it has become a sort of fashion upon raising any military force to consecrate its arms and its banners, to the Lord of Hosts, the God of battles; thereby appealing to heaven for the justice of our cause. Surely you have not considered that war is so bad a thing, that nothing but a mixture of religion can make it worse. Oh! do not again prostitute the venerable name of religion, or of the holy name of God to such impious purposes; for such conduct it is that so much irreligion prevails. Do you think that any soldier, who has the least reflection, will not despise and ridicule inwardly the nonsensical and unmeaning parade of consecrating, (I used the term consecrate, though improper) a rag. Priests of every country and of every denomination are the pests of society when they act thus."

To shew what a coincidence there is between the sentiments of Dissenters and PROFESSED DEISTS, on the subject of consecration and fast sermons, and on imploring the favour of the "God of Bat; tles" on our arms, when urged in a just and upright cause, we have extracted the following passage from one of the well-known lectures of the REVEREND DAVID WILLIAMS, which were delivered at a chapel in Margaret-Street, Cavendish Square, in 1776 and 1777, and were afterwards published in a quarto volume.

"It is presumed no person, accustomed to attend here, will think it improper to interrupt the series of our moral enquiries, for one day, when the nation has been so lately called upon to humble itself before God for its sins,* and to pray for success, in destroying those

"This lecture was read a second time on Sunday the first of March, 1778. The preceding Friday had been appointed as a public fast, on account of the American war."