poisonous and destructive ;—do, I repeat, these persons really think, that from this moment, “ the true know. ledge of God, of his holy law, and of the Gospel of life and salvation, through Jesus Christ," has been more fully known and more implicitly obeyed by reason of these means? Do they know what they believe themselves, and do they really believe that without the Bible, " Christ, the Power of God, and Wisdom of God," intercedes not, or intercedes in vain for the sinner? for such is the inevitable and monstrous conclusion to which this doctrine drives its supporters.

It was my intention to have gone into a moral analysis of the motives to action, amongst mankind in their various civilized and uncivilized states, and to have endeavoured to have brought before the minds of my readers in these different aspects, the distinct operation of that active powerful principle of life-that bright emanation of the Spirit of Almighty God, which John declares to be " the Light of the world, which enlighteneth every man, that cometh into the world." But I must reserve it for another occasion and curtail the observations, upon this important point, with just remarking, that amongst the most savage tribes, even the most barbarous canibals, neither Isaac Crewdson nor the Reviewers, can give us any thing better than their impressions and suggestions," as to the amount of responsibility which they incur, or how far they stand condemned in the sight of their Maker. They deny the immediate influence and teachings of God's Spirit upon their own hearts, and deride the idea of its illuminating the hearts of others; but I am convinced, if they were to bring their opinions, as well as their deeds

"to the light," it would be made manifest to them, as it was to the inspired writer of the book, called "Ecclesiasticus, that however heinous may be the sins of man, they cannot be charged upon him who is "a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he"-which high and holy attributes are completely denied in that doctrine, which maintains transgression without law, and precipitates man headlong to eternal destruction, whose sins from the corruption of his nature, or the influence of the evil one, were perpetrated without a single compunction, or the faintest sense of a counteracting power. And I may observe, that the frequent repetition, and constant commission of the grossest sins, that disgrace humanity amongst the most barbarous nations, is no proof that they sin not against the " light;" for in all those countries where the Bible is freely circulated and easy of access to all, the vilest and most unnatural sins are committed;-lies-theftsmurders-adulteries-and the whole black catalogue of direful crime stands over the guilty heads of nations who boast of the special favour of Heaven, and flatter themselves, that salvation is for them alone, because they possess what they call the “ highest standard,”"the ultimate appeal,"- "the Word of God,"-" the written revelation of his will," &c. But I will not at present dilate farther upon this point, but conclude this chapter with a quotation from the book called Ecclesiasticus, to which I have just alluded. I beg the serious attention of my readers to it, and let them, after the bestowal of such attention, say whether it does not give a more correct, rational, apostolic, and Christian definition of the relation in which mankind en

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masse, stand towards their Maker, than is conveyed in the narrow, selfish, uncharitable and revolting doctrine of exclusive salvation. "Say not thou, it is through the Lord that I fell away, for thou oughtest not to do the things that he hateth. Say not thou, He hath caused me to err, for He hath no need of sinful men. The Lord hateth all abomination; and they that fear God love it not. He himself made man from the beginning; and left him in the hand of his counsel: if thou wilt to keep the commandments, and to perform acceptable faithfulness. He hath set fire and water before thee: stretch forth thy hand unto whither thou wilt. Before man is life and death, and whether him liketh shall be given him. For the wisdom of the Lord is great and he is mighty in power, and beholdeth all things and his eyes are upon them that fear him, and he knoweth every work of man. He hath commanded no man to do wickedly, neither hath he given any man licence to sin."-Ec. chap. 15, ver. 11–20.

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LAST CHAPTER.

I SHALL now shortly conclude this little volume, by a few general remarks directed against the prevailing doctrine, which pervades the whole of the different articles, "From Periodical Works." Want of space, and a wish to expedite the publication, have induced me to abandon my original intention of replying seriatim to those articles, as they appear in the

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Extracts." The more I have perused these articles, the more have I been convinced, if possible, of the weakness of the foundation they acknowledge, and the strength of ours. A scoffing, jeering, uncharitable spirit prevails in the most of them. They grossly, for the most part, misrepresent the views and opinions of the Society, and that with a degree of assurance and pharisaical conceit, which are always the most prominent characteristics of Sectarian" publications. And yet, these are the men that complain of the partial and exclusive bearings of what is called the National Protestant Church Establishment. Why they never persecuted others for their opinions with half the rigour-they never possessed, I believe, one-tenth part of the intolerance that the cruel, ignorant, and selfish Presbyterians, and Independents, as they call themselves, evinced, whenever political power chanced to fall into their hands. Some of these Professors, who,

in the time of the Commonwealth and the Charleses, fled to New England to escape persecution, became themselves the most furious of bigots, and the most bloody of persecutors, and actually hanged both men and women Friends, for preaching the Gospel of Christ freely. Oh! but the Presbyterians and Independents of those days, were very different to the Presbyterians and Independents of these, it will be said. I reply, they do not commit the same atrocious acts certainly, and for one very good reason, they have not the power. But that spirit from which all intolerance and persecution springs, ever has sprung, and ever will spring, has not been transformed to a spirit of peace and good will, and never will be, however its deadly operations may be restricted by the will of Almighty Power, or the secondary influence of legal controul. Why should we suppose, that this spirit to which I allude, would be less mischievous, odious, and tyrannical, in its Papistical form than it used to be, if it had political power, and was permitted to work without controul, the mighty engine of human legislation? In all countries of the present day where it commands it, cruelty and oppression, of almost every description exists in the extreme. And so with any of the different sects, I believe, would it be in this country, the ministers of which, are like so many petty Popes amongst their several followers, who abandon their own judgments, and reject the impulses of even a higher nature, to what the Reverend Mr. this, or the Reverend Mr. that, happened to say last Sabbath evening, although it were in direct opposition to what the so called reverend personage said on the last Sabbath morning. There