joice in the hope furnished by present prospects, that the necessity of non-conformity will be diminished, and cheerfully anticipate the time when all shall become "one fold under one Shepherd." It is by an accordance with these sentiments, that we wish the " Eclectic Review" to be characterized.

The decorous silence, which the writers in different Reviews have long observed with regard to each other, has, of late, been broken, and, we think, with propriety. We consider ourselves now called upon to break the silence we have hitherto kept, with respect to the "Quarterly Review;" a work whose principles we in the main approve, and many of the articles in which we have perused with cordial satisfaction. A few, however, of their disquisitions have been of a nature which we cannot possibly commend; especially such as contain sneers at vital religion, or illiberal strictures upon conscientious dissent. In the 19th number of that publication there was an amusing, though a very desultory, and, in some respects, very uncandid article, occasioned by Messrs. Bogue and Bennett's History of Dissenters, a work, which, it is well-known, is not to be regarded as an authorized organ of modern Non-conformists, but as sometimes developing sentiments and exhibiting a spirit, which by many are highly disapproved of. From this " Gossip's story," in the Quarterly, we shall take the liberty of transcribing three or four passages.

"It is humiliating to recollect what has been suffered for no "weightier ground of dispute in the beginning than the surplice and the sign of the cross in baptism! Schism which "originated in no better cause could have no good effect."

"Had the Dissenters been as liberal as they are opulent, "their colleges would have vied with ours; their endowments "would have been (comparatively with their numbers) as rich; "their education as complete; their degrees as honorable." "But the spirit of sectarianism is narrow and sullen; it starves "its own cause; and the dissenting clergy are now, as they "ever have been, soured by their situation, like plants which grow in the shade."

"This spirit of profession necessarily produces a system of "gloomy and ungracious manners."

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The spirit of dissent is as little favourable to literature as to manners: the muses, as well as the graces are heathen"ish, and therefore an abomination to the professors."

On each of these strange sentences we shall make a few remarks. And first, we would ask this Reviewer of the History of Dissenters, with what attention he has examined the work he professes to criticize, or, indeed, any history of the reign of the second Charles, that he can insinuate that the

most weighty of the earlier "grounds of dispute" related to "the surplice and the sign of the cross?" Is he really ignorant of the true occasion of the expulsion of so many excellent clergymen from the English Church? Does he imagine that they were all men of like or inferior character to the Thomas Cartwright who drew from Hooker his erudite and valuable "Ecclesiastical Polity?" If so, we would request his attention to a passage from Burnet, who thus speaks of the "act of uniformity."

"The act passed by no great majority [in the Commons the "numbers were 186 to 180,] and by it all who did not con"form to the liturgy by the 24th of August, St. Bartholomew's "day, 1662, were deprived of all ecclesiastical benefices, "without leaving any discretional power with the king, in

the execution of it, and without making provision for the "maintenance of those who should be so deprived: a se"verity neither practised by Queen Elizabeth in the enacting "her liturgy, nor by Cromwell in ejecting the loyalists, in "both which a fifth part of the benefice was reserved for their "subsistence !" "The book of Common Prayer, with the new corrections, was that to which they were to subscribe. "But the corrections were so long preparing, that there were "few books printed ready for sale when the day came.

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was

So

many, that were well affected to the Church, but that made "conscience of subscribing to a book that they had not seen, left their benefices on that very account. Some made a journey to London on purpose to see it. With so much precipitation was that matter driven on, that it seemed expected, "that the clergy should subscribe implicitly to a book that they had never seen. This was done by too many, as I informed by some of the bishops. But the Presbyterians were now in great difficulties. Calamy and Baxter refused "the sees of Litchfield and Hereford; and about two thousand of them fell under the parliamentary deprivation as they gave out. This raised a grievous outcry over the nation. "Some few, and but few, of the episcopal party were troubled at this severity, or apprehensive of the very ill effects it was "like to have. Here were many men much valued, who were 66 now cast out ignominiously, reduced to great poverty, pro"voked by much spiteful usage, and cast upon those popular "practices that both their principles and their circumstances "seemed to justify, of forming separate congregations and of diverting men from the public worship, and from considering "their successors as the lawful pastors of those churches in which they had served"

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* Burnet's Own Time, vol. i. pp. 266–269. See also Locke's

Let the Quarterly Reviewer meditate upon this statement, and then consider whether it be not "humiliating" to his own mental and moral character, to represent two thousand men cast out thus unjustifiably, as having "no weightier grounds for their nonconformity than "the surplice and the sign of the cross." Let him peruse Baxter's liberal and able work, entitled "Catholic Communion defended against both extremes: and unnecessary division confuted, by reasons against both the active and passive ways of separation," a work in which he defends his practice of frequent communion in the parish churches; next let him turn to the performance of Mr. Toombs, a contemporary Baptist Minister, in favour of the same practice; and then determine how nearly allied to calumny is that language, which charges such men with separation upon the trifling grounds which he specifies. "Nay," says Baxter, in the book just mentioned, in 1660 and 1661, when we attempted a concord with the bishops in vain, we never said a word against a form of prayer [we employ his own Italics], nor the most of the liturgy, nor holy-days, nor kneeling at the sacrament, (but only against excommunicating the faithful that scruple it), nor the surplice, nor the ring in marriage, nor laying the hand on a book in swearing, and other such; because, at least, much may be said for them; and if we laid our stress on doubtful things, many would think the rest were no other."*

If we descend from the eventful period in which Baxter and so many other excellent men, as Burnet testifies, were expelled from the church,- to much more recent times, we shall find, without entering upon the various difficult questions, which relate to the source of ecclesiastical power, the number and nature of church officers, &c. that men may absent themselves from their parish churches, and worship among dissenters, although they think clerical yestments, the use of the sign of the cross, and many other ceremonies, matters of extreme indifference. We adverted to one or two of these in a late critique on Dr. Marsh's Reply to Dean Milner's Strictures; we here present another, not in the language of "a sectary," but in that of an Episcopalian Clergyman.

"The service appointed by law requires prayers and sermon in "the morning, and prayers and catechising or instruction in "the afternoon, and that in every parish.” But how is this

Works, vol. iv. p. 540. edit. 1777, where we are informed that "not one man in forty could have seen and read the book they did so perfectly assent and consent to."

Baxter's Cath. Commu. part iv. p. 21.

"to be done, even if a clergyman undertakes the care of only "two churches? It cannot be. How then is it possible for him "to perform the legal duty, if he undertakes the charge of three or four parishes? I am aware that this is connived at, "or dispensed with, and that it is become a custom to omit prayers and catechising, or other instruction, the second part "of the day, in most parishes in the kingdom; but I know "not who has any authority to dispense with this; and I believe "that the inhabitants of every parish can insist on its being "performed. I am sure it is necessary."

"God will have his work done; and if they who undertake "it will not do it, he will certainly employ others; for his "counsel shall stand, and all that he has determined shall as"suredly come to pass. For the last fifty years, at least, there "has been such a departure from the doctrines and spirit of "Christianity, among those who undertook and were re"gularly sent to be builders, that, like the Jewish priests of "old, they have refused that stone which is become the head "of the corner." What has taken place in the mean time? "God has raised up others. 'He has chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise; and God hath chosen "the weak things of the world, to confound the things which are mighty.' Many have gone forth and declared publicly "the way of salvation through Jesus Christ; and though they "were not regularly ordained to the work of the ministry, God "has blessed his truth delivered by them, so that they have "been the instruments of bringing many to the knowledge and "practice of the gospel."+

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Sectarianism (says this Quarterly critic) starves its own cause." Here a novel kind of accusation is brought against the unfortunate Non-cons. The usual charge has been, that however freely they may contribute to the furtherance of party purposes, they exercise no true benevolence. But this has been refuted by the fact, that congregations of not more than 500 persons, and with no opulent men among them, have raised £150 by way

* Matters are by no means so bad in 1814 as they were twenty years ago, when this author wrote. There is now great reason to hope that more than one tenth of the Episcopal clergymen actually preach the doctrines of the Church to which they belong. Many would think this is a meagre source of congratulation; but things, we trust, are rapidly improving.

+See "Three Letters to a Clergyman," prefixed to the "Principles of Christianity," by Thomas Bowman, M.A, Vicar of Martham, Norfolk.

of collection, after a sermon delivered in favour of the suffering Germans, and other objects of benevolence equally remote from the promotion of sectarian interests. The ground is, therefore changed; and though it may seem a waste of time to meet charges so idle, yet, as they make their impression on a certain class of readers, we cannot in justice pass them over silently. Such readers, among whom probably is this writer, need to be informed, that there are funds among the several denominations of dissenters, by which the annual incomes of several hundreds of their ministers are augmented; that there are also other funds, by which comfortable pensions are allowed to the widows and orphans of ministers. And with regard to stipend, if such dissenting ministers as are placed over opulent congregations (not a very small proportion)" are soured by their situation," they must have the quality of shewing a "vinegar aspect" under a very warm sun. But, suppose the fact to be as this gentleman represents, that the majority pine under "the shade" of a "narrow and sullen" policy; still the taunting tone in which it is stated, and which we here principally note, is assumed with a very ill grace by a writer in a publication, from which we learn, that out of 1766 curates of the Episcopal Church, whose salaries are known, no fewer than 1498 thrive and fatten upon incomes that do not amount to £70 per annum, and nearly 1000 upon stipends of less than £50!!*

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But let us proceed to this writer's references to the " fessor's gloomy and ungracious manners," Dull wretches! they neither dance at public assemblies, nor play at cards for money, nor frequent the theatre three times a week! they are as ignorant of Hoyle as an infant is of Hebrew, know no more what to do with a chapeau bras, than with the club of Hercules, and never touch any dramatic work but a "purified Shakespeare!" their manners must be "ungracious." Well, be it so,

we have no inclination to defend them from the charge. Let us be permitted, however, to tell this modern "Christian" of the Quarterly Review, that his mode of caricaturing methodistic visages and habits, is very like what was fashionable among ancient heathens when ridiculing the "professors" of their times. In proof of this, we subjoin the following parallel.

Quarterly Review, vol. x. p. 45.