dently not effential to Chriftianity, the civil magiftrate ought not to interfere at all." The real words of Mr. M. are, "it would foon be agreed, that in matters of fubordinate confequence, which are evidently not effential to Chriftianity, the civil magiftrate ought not to interfere at all, by reftraining or punishing fuch perfons as differ from the establishment, but that he fhould fuffer them to enjoy a complete toleration, and to ferve God in their own way."-" Not to interfere at all," with a period after the word ALL;-and not to interfere at all, by reftraining &c. are expreffions nearly as different in their meaning, as the following; Dr. H. has hardly quoted a fingle fentence from Mr. M.-. and Dr. H. has hardly quoted a fingle fentence from Mr. M., FAITHFULLY. § 9. In page 357, Dr. H. addreffes Mr. M. in thefe words, You afk, "May a magiftrate compel by pains and penalties to receive a national religion, and restrain others from the exercife of his own judgment? Would not this encourage per"fecution and be a tyranny over the confciences of "men ?" — And why, continues Dr. H. evade anfwering, clearly and diftinctly, your own questions? By this quotation, connected with Dr. H.'s accufation of evafion, the Reader is led to conclude that Mr. M. maintained a doctrine of compulfion' in religious concerns, than which nothing can be more repugnant to his real fentiments. In feveral places he expreffes himself on this head with the utmoft precifion.-Among others, in The expreffion "reftrain others from the exercise of HIS own judgment," founds oddly;-nor are these the words of Mr. M., notwithstanding the inverted commas.-The writer of thefe animadverfions, however, would in no cafe be understood to cavil at any flight and obvious mistake, either in quotation or in grammar, which did not affect the sense materially. in his fecond volume*, immediately after the paffage mutilated by Dr. H., he has these remarkable words: "I endeavour to feparate what is certain and important in this matter from what is doubtful and of lefs moment. I fay without the leaft hesitation, Let no man be compelled to be a Chriftian; in ftrict truth, he cannot. Every man not only ought to have, but must have the right of private judgment."-And a little after he adds, "It is contrary to duty that men fhould be forced to profels what they do not believe, because hypocrify will be the certain, and an augmented enmity, the probable confequence."-In regard to the paffage itself, it is altered in feveral refpects from Mr. M.'s expreffions; and, moreover, there is again an actual interpolation of the words PAINS and PENALTIES. Thus by leaving out fome words,-by inferting others, by totally fuppreffing a moft important part of the author's anfwer to the queftions, and by accufing him of evafion, Dr. H. infinuates, to the Reader's mind, fentiments the very oppofite to thofe, which Mr. M.'s two pages are calculated to imprefs: He infinuates, that Mr. M. really thought, though he might judge it inexpedient to speak out, that in religious concerns the magiftrate had a right to reftrain the fubject from the exercife of his own judgment by pains and penalties, and to compel him to receive the national religion in fuch a way as to hurt his confcience. It is true Mr. M. does not pretend to fatisfy completely every enquiry that may be imagined in this difficult fubject: He explains clearly how far he can go; and if he do not go the full length, which Dr. H. thinks he ought to do, that will be a very infufficient reafon for telling the public, that he has really faid things, which he never did fay. * P. 231. But But, doubtlefs, in future, Dr. H.'s evidences, -his inverted commas-will be cross examined very closely by all perfons who, fhall read this Preface. 10. The laft inftances of this odious fort of perverfion, the laft, which the Editor means to notice, but by no means the laft of the many, which deferve fevere animadverfion,-are to be found in page 370 of Dr. H.'s first volume:Where he fays,-Mr. M. fuppofes*,-" That without a ftate-eftablishment there would be no religion among us."-Let not the Reader forget the inverted commas; and then let him perufe the place referred to by Dr. H.-Mr. M.'s words are, "Without an establishment provided by the ftate, the greater part will fcarce have any religion at all; wickedness will be practifed on the boldeft fcale; and, if the form of government have a large portion of liberty in its texture, the manners will be egregioufly diffolute." § 11. In the fame 370th page, Dr. H. fays, "If bigotry can dwell in fuch minds as Mr. Milner's, what may we not expect from other men? Why fhould God fet his face against every government, which does not fence religion with penal fanctions." The letters here printed in Italics are alfo in Italics in Dr. H.'s book; but the reader, who turns to the bottom of Mr. M.'s 240th page, will perceive that Dr. H.'s Italics are as little difpofed to obferve the rules of veracity as his inverted commas.-Mr. M.'s expreffion is," Even if the government were, in other refpects, the foundeft and the wifeft effort of human fagacity, it will probably prove only a curfe to its citizens, unless fome legal provifion • Page 240. be be made for religion.-God himself, there is the highest reason to conclude, WILL SET HIS FACE AGAINST IT, and confound it." Let this fentence be compared with Dr. H.'s representation of it. § 12. Since the above was written, a judicious friend of the Editor, who had read Dr. H.'s first differtation, fuggefted, that the 378th page of his first volume ought by no means to pass unnoticed.Perhaps, in no page ever yet printed was there fo much mifrepresentation crowded together. Dr. H. fays, I truft I have now proved, "that the propofitions you fet out with, (meaning "Mr. M.) are utterly unfounded, and the very "reverse of them, truth." He then proceeds to make his readers understand what were Mr. M.'s propofitions, which, he fays, are the reverse of the truth." That Theodofius had no right to "make his religion, that of the ftate univerfally, "with pains and penalties on the diffenters from "his impofitions.-That every man in this matter "is to be left to his own confcience, undisturbed, as long as he is a peaceable fubject. That it is an unwarranted violation of the right of private judgment to impofe religious fentiments on the "fubjects of any government with pains and pe"nalties for non-conformity; and that, there"fore, Theodofius, and all others who have acted "like him, are chargeable with a criminal abufe "of authority." 66 The word No is in Italics: all the reft of the propofitions are marked with inverted commas; and, it is impoffible that the reader should make any other inference than that they are Mr. M.'s very words, with the fingle exception of the word No. It It is really painful to remark, that this whole reprefentation is contrary to truth, both as it refpects the words and their meaning. § 13. The Editor of this Volume of Mr. M.'s hiftory, wifhes it moft explicitly to be understood that, in printing thefe animadverfions, his object is not, in the smallest degree, either to confute the dangerous and impracticable notions of Dr. H., or to defend what he conceives to be the conftitutional and Scriptural fyftem of Mr. M.-The latter tafk has already been executed frequently by the ableft writers:-In regard to the former, he feels as little inclined to attempt it as he would be to undertake a confutation of the Jacobinical principles of the present day;-to which indeed the fundamental maxims of Dr. H., in ecclefiaftical matters, feem but too nearly allied. When a Clergyman of the Church of England can fo far forget the dictates of plain fenfe, and the duties of his facred profeffion, as to afk the queftion, why atheism fhould not be tolerated *, the Editor makes no fcruple to own, that fo MARKED a circumftance, even if it ftood fingle, would to him be a fufficient admonition not to lofe time in fruit lefs controverfy with that Clergyman concerning ecclefiaftical polity, or ecclefiaftical toleration. He may hope, by thefe few, pages of animadverfion to stop the practice of politive mifquotation; but not, by a volume, to correct inveterate habits of mifreprefentation, or determined prejudices against all kind of reftraint in the diffemination of opinions. Mr. M. with great judgment and knowledge of human nature, obferves, "I do not think it fufficient to fay, the truth will take care of itfelf: The unlearned and Dr. H. Vol. i. p. 367. the |