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unwary, or the deceived, to propagate the infection of their own error and delusion, is no part of Christian Spirit. Attempts have been made by vulgar personalities to frighten us from our work. But our conduct will shew how much we are affected by them. We remember, some years ago, that it was the practice of the journals which were the organs of what are called liberal politics, to revel in the most scandalous personal attacks upon those, who differed from them, They proceeded for some time undisturbed; reviling and libelling the leading individuals and the most eminent and respected characters, of their opponents; raking up their parentage, their private history, their domestic transactions, and heaping upon them insult, and libel, and ribaldry. But at length this provoked a retaliation. A newspaper appeared, which with most pungent wit, and most unsparing severity, took the same line, and exposed the characters of the so-called liberals. The windows of those, who had been so fiercely and recklessly pelting others, were found to be not less brittle than those of their opponents. But then what a sudden change came over the first dealers in personality, the first assailants of private character, to gratify party purposes, or party rancour. They, who while they had the field to themselves thought personality and private slander a very innocent and agreeable party weapon, suddenly awakened from their dreams, and opened their eyes, when they found that weapon used against themselves. Oh! what wonderful discoveries, all at once, then burst upon the liberal press! what new discoveries, what a nice sense of that which is due to private character, and of the unfairness of resorting to personal abuse for party purposes, came to life among the liberals in general. What turning up of the eyes! What shrugging up of the shoulders! what exclamations against the shocking practice of personal slander in party journals! Oh! that vile

paper! Oh! that ungenerous and base warfare! Oh! that abominable unchristian Spirit, of attempting to stifle free thought and speech in public matters, through the terror of personal abuse! All this immediately rose in their minds, when their abuse was turned upon themselves; but never occurred to them, while they were the monopolists of the mud cart, the sole mud pelters, and were not themselves pelted. We quite agree with them in their lamentations and horror; but to have believed them to be very sincere, we should have been less doubtful if they had found out the evil at first, and not required to be calumniated themselves, before they could raise their voices against calumniating others!

It is much the same with the Anti-church party now; they have, for lack of argument, dealt largely in coarse slander and reviling of the Church, and in brutal personalities against several of its ministers. The friends of the Church do not choose, though provoked, to follow them in the trade of personality. But they have both exposed the falsehoods by which the Church has been assailed, and also stepped further to look a little into the enormous abuses and absurdities of dissent. They have shown the wide difference between the pious nonconformist of other days, and the factious dissenter of the present. The former overscrupulous, but pious, gentle and candid, acknowledging and revering the Church for many excellencies, though he could not join her in some things; neither hating her, nor leaguing himself with the enemies of all religion, but rather making common cause with her against them. The latter, with some few exceptions, having no common principle with his allies, but hatred, bitter hatred of the church, joining hands with papists, infidels, revolutionists, or even atheists; and at every concession seeking to plant his foot for the purpose of her utter destruction. But the moment the Clergy, or other advocates of

the Church, have exposed these malignant and fac tious intrigues of Dissent, then the Dissenters send forth a most lamentable whine about an “unchristian Spirit." They wish to persuade people that the exposure of their conduct and principles, argues a want of Charity. They, whose principal organ made itself noted by recommending, and commonly setting the example of acting up to its recommendation of "keeping up a little ROUND ABUSE" of the Church, they could not bear their own defects to be looked into. Then, forsooth, those who drag them to the light of "Common Sense" are asked whether theirs

be

a "Christian Spirit." We answer fearlessly IT IS! A Christian Spirit is no mankish and aimless principle—it is not a spirit of compromise and deception

-it is not a spirit regardless whether truth or falsehood, wisdom or folly, hypocrisy or honesty, religion or cant, shall triumph. It is, indeed, a spirit of Charity, but of a Charity which seeks the real good, not the applause, of the people-which though it love all men will not suffer the factious to deceive-the deluded to continue the victim of deception-nor the mistaken to spread the infection of his mistakes. We are sorry to pain the feelings of any man, and especially of the pious and well-intentioned among the dissenters, who, though mistaken, are sincere in their hostility to the Church, and in their belief that she deserves hostility. But we cannot let this tenderness for such individuals shield the errors and evils, which their delusion raises against truth and religion; nor can we think it charity to let themselves remain in their delusion, without an effort to open their eyes, to shew them the prejudices with which they are entangled, the guilt and folly, of which they are made the instruments, and the profane and destuctive associates with whom they are brought into alliance. charity looks to principles as well as to persons, to society, as well as individuals. It knows no good

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worth purchasing with the sacrifice of truth-no kindness which should fear to expose impiety and disobedience to the powers that be, or to defend religion and the Church of Christ. To abandon truth or to connive at error, from a desire to avoid offence of those who pervert the former, or are in captivity of the latter is not "Christian Spirit;" it is allowing the the fear and the honour of man, to prevail over the fear and honour of God.

APPEAL TO THE "COMMON SENSE" OF THE WORKING CLASSES.

The world is nat' rally averse
To all the truth it sees or hears;
But swallows nonsense, and a lie,
With greediness and gluttony;

And though it have the pique, and long,
"Tis still for something in the wrong;
As women long when the're with child,
For things extravagant and wild;

For meats ridiculous and fulsome,

But seldom any thing that's wholesome!

Hudibras.

Some two hundred and fifty years ago there, lived a wise and good clergyman, who wrote a book on the Church, which was at that time regarded with admiration, and has caused his memory to be revered by all, who are capable of judging in matters of antiquity and sound learning. Such were the judgment and research, the piety and wisdom of this worthy man, and such the good solid "Common Sense" displayed in his works, that he gained both in his own, and in after time, the title of the "JUDICIOUS HOOKER." Among other passages of the writings of this excellent divine, so noted for his good sense, you will find the following.

"He that goeth about to persuade a multitude, that they are not so well governed as they ought to be,

shall never want attentive and favourable hearers; because they know the manifold defects whereunto every kind of regiment is subject: but the secret lets and difficulties, which in public proceedings are innumerable and inevitable, they have not ordinarily the judgment to consider. And because such as openly reprove supposed disorders of state, are taken for principal friends to the common benefit of all, and for men that carry singular freedom of mind; under this fair and plausible colour, whatsoever they utter, passeth for good and current. That which wanteth in the weight of their speech, is supplied by the aptness of men's minds to accept and believe it. Whereas on the other side, if we maintain things that are established, we have not only to strive with a number of heavy prejudices, deeply rooted in the hearts of men, who think that herein we serve the time, and speak in favour of the present state, because thereby we either hold or seek preferment; but also to bear such exceptions as minds averted beforehand, usually take against that which they are loath should be poured into them."

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Now if you will but use "COMMON SENSE you will see at a single glance, how true this is. will see how often people, who have neither time nor knowledge, to enter into a complete enquiry into measures of government, will run after some low, ignorant and unlearned man, and will greedily swallow all he tells them, and believe seriously upon his word only, that every man, who is placed in any office of Church, or State, must become (however able and upright he was before) immediately ignorant and wicked, an enemy to the people and in every respect bad and foolish. Now, friends! do use "COMMON SENSE;" for it is only for want of using common sense that you can be made to swallow such absurd falsehoods, or led away by such wicked and shameless leaders, and made to give examples of that

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