properties which we are every day discovering lying dormant and unsuspected in the creation, but which, when once achieved, we seize with ardour, and bless the benevolent power, that, occasionally departing from the common-place routine of nature, has added yet one more to the prolific springs of human happiness. The phenomena the thing presents, it is true, are singular; but they are important-its properties are peculiar, but then they are essential to its very being, and their existence unnecessary in other instances. And shall man reject the blessing, because never conferred by other means, or pronounce that contrary to nature, which it is plain his ignorance alone has rendered remarkable? As well might the mariner deny to the needle its polarity, because the property is not possessed by the mast and by the rudder, or return the loadstone to the earth, upon the plea that its removal was contrary to the express and undeviating laws of nature, which evidently formed and placed it ever to remain there.

But the Deist asks, and he says he asks with great submission, "where the advocates of religion gained their intelligence, as to the intentions of the Deity with regard to the disclosures alluded to?"* Where (let me ask, in turn) do we gain our intelligence of the intentions of the Deity with regard to the material creation? The cases, it is true, are not similar, but they are strictly analogous-we judge in both of the intention from the effect, and reasoning upwards from effect to cause, alike in both cases we attribute the phenomena to the interference: of an all-wise and omnipotent God. The mode of proof, and the nature of the evidence, it is also true, are different; but that is a necessary consequence ofa difference in the thing to be proved, and the fact to be substantiated. When our senses inform us, that man is a material being, do we doubt his being a rational one also, because his rationality is not, like his form, rendered visible to the eye and tangible to the touch? And yet this, or something very like it, is the mode of reasoning adopted by your correspondent, who says, that "we know nothing of God, or his plans of present and future administration, except from the visible marks of the creation." And this, besides, is neither more nor less, than begging the question in dispute, which simply is, whether we really do not know more than he is thus pleased to define as the extent of our knowledge, and whether, by means of certain remarkable events, such as the resurrection of Jesus, &c. the Almighty has not left the marks of his benign and benevolent interference as fully and visibly impressed on the mind of man, as on the inanimate creation by which he has been pleased to surround him; and the probability that this is really the case, will perhaps • Vol. ii. page 64.

+ Ibid.

be somewhat heightened, when we take into consideration what your correspondent has so justly termed, "the essential attributes of God, and the analogy which is everywhere conspicuous between the natural and the moral worlds."* When

the question, therefore, is one of moral interference and endowment, as is the case in the instance of revelation, we must not refuse to listen to the evidence, because it is not similar to that which embraces the every-day-occurrences of the physical world.

Revealed religion may indeed be regarded as a species of mental creation, and its history and phenomena have been detailed at length by Christophilus in your Magazine, where he has distinctly called upon those who deny the divinity of its origin, to suggest any other adequate cause for its extent and existence, than that which he has himself assigned. He has hitherto called in vain-no one has yet attempted to subvert the truth of the premises he has laid down, or deny the justness of the conclusions which he has, with such an appearance of fairness, deduced from them.

The "Deist," indeed, has, on a former occasion,† dismissed the general subject in a very abrupt and decisive manner, by saying, that "we should do well to fix our attention immediately on the ordinary course of events, and to discard as fabulous and incredible every story which implies a state of the world, and an order of things, essentially different from the present.

Now it unluckily happens, that as "a Deist," and a "disclaimer of the notion that the world is eternal," he necessarily must believe an occurrence "contrary to the ordinary course of events, and an order of things essentially different from the present;" for he must believe, that there was a time when man, together with the globe which he inhabits, did not exist, and must give credit to an actual interference on the part of the Deity, in order to their being called into existence, and rendered subject to those laws, the "undisturbed and regular operation" of which he is so eager to contend for, and I am so ready to allow. These are things not of every-day-occur rence, and which may perhaps in some degree tend to bear Mr. Teulon out in his observation, " that if the laws of hature are stable, he must believe, that the past and future order of things have been, and will be, essentially different from the present. It is in fact the Atheist alone, and the defender of " the notion that the world is eternal," who can, with any degree of plausibility, attempt to support the absolutely undisturbed and regular operation of the laws of nature; and the Christian, in believing that the Deity exercised a peculiar interference for the institution of revealed religion, is not a whit more cre* Vol. i. page 410. + Vol. i. p. 403. + Vol. ii. p. 65.

The

dulous than is the Deist, when he gives credit to a similar interference for the purposes of the physicial creation. usual and common course of nature is, indeed, in both instances departed from; but these very deviations may, in fact, be but the actual fulfilment of the general laws of the universe-at any rate, of this at least we may rest well assured, that they are in perfect conformity to the will of that all-wise and omnipotent being, who has made each the vehicle of unbounded beneficence to his creatures, and even caused the apparent errors, and real deviations from the general laws of his creation, to teem with fresh bounties and unexampled benefits to the human race-causing virtue to spring from the consequences of indulgence in crimes, and conferring religion, with all its attendant and invaluable blessings, on mankind, by those very means which man has ignorantly dared to consider as inconsistent with his wisdom, and at variance with the plans he has laid down for his conduct.

"From seeming evil still educing good,

And better thence again--and better still,
In infinite progression."

I have now, Sir, ventured to lay before you my sentiments on the subject in question. To yourself-to your correspondent, "A Deist"-and to your readers in general, no apology can be necessary, except perhaps for the want of ability with which the undertaking has been executed--in every other point of view, as the attainment of truth is your object, and discussion the means which you have adopted for the arrival at it, you will not consider the communications of any one who wishes to assist you in your researches, as misplaced or intrusive. Under that impression I sat down to address you, and with similar feelings, and every wish for success in your arduous enterprise, now beg leave to subscribe myself, Your's, &c. JUVENIS.

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF YORK-THE ARCH BISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND CLERGY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND E. K. FORDHAM, ESQ.

IT

Who builds a church to God and not to fame,
Will never grace the marble with his name.

To the Editor of the Freethinking Christians' Magazine.

SIR,

T is a strange world we live in, and we frequently find the strangest combinations of men of different character, interest, and principle, united to promote one common cause, and all acting from motives as opposite as the northern and

southern poles. I was led to these reflections from the characters named above, all professing to act together for the purpose of promoting Christianity-his Royal Highness undoubtedly from the most disinterested motives, as every one must allow; for what interest can he have in promoting the knowledge of Christianity? he has issued orders to the army of a most pious nature, and particularly enjoins that the children of soldiers shall be instructed very early to say their Catechism, to repeat the Lord's Prayer, and to learn the graces before and after meat. 1 don't know that he has enjoined the fathers to say grace before they enter on the bloody work of the field of battle, though I think a good one might be extracted from our fast-day forms of prayer, especially if they would admit of this little addition -"Oh! Lord, we are of the same flesh and blood as those we are going to fight, but as we are more pure, more holy, and more pious than they are, and as our rulers are so just and humane as never to command us to slay our fellow men but in a righteous cause, we beseech thee to sharpen our swords, strengthen our arms in using them, and direct our bullets, that none of these our (and of course thine) enemies, may escape the field of slaughter! And may the punishment thus inflicted not rest here, but extend to their widows and orphans, and may they feel all that poignant anguish which such wretches deserve, who oppose our invariably religious cause! All we ask, oh thou God of love and mercy, is in the name, and as the disciples, of the meek and merciful Jesus, who by thy direction has commanded us to love our enemies and to do good for evil. Amen."

It does my heart good to see soldiers pious, but much more his Royal Highness, who, having been so grievous a sinner, by thus acting gives the most infallible proofs of repentance and conversion, as it can only have arisen from a conviction that the calamities which the nation now suffers, and the danger the church is now in, have originated from those grievous sins and iniquities of which his have formed a part, and he is now determined to "redeem the time, because the days are evil."

I did not observe (but it must have been an oversight) that he particularly recommended an attention to the 5th and 10th commandments-Thou shalt not commit adultery, and thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife-as it is natural for the man who sees the folly of any particular line of conduct he has been pursuing to be very tenacious in guarding others from the same. This reformation of his Royal Highness I must presume, or he certainly would not be meddling with religion; for a conduct more vile, base, and detestable, cannot be conceived, than that of a man enforcing the duties of religion upon others, while he himself is living in open violation of all its laws.

Archbishops, bishops, and clergy, have now awakened to a sense of the danger that threatens-religion! or, their establishment. They have seen an obscure individual do that which they are paid so much to perform, viz. instruct the people; and, oh! dreadful! teach them to read and write without teaching them the church catechism. They fear that they will read the Bible without this bias; and of course they think, or one would suppose they thought, that nobody could read the Bible without being a dissenter from their church. However they determine to make the best of a bad bargain; and if the people must learn to read, why they will take care to make it as little injurious to their craft as possible. They therefore call all the rich, the ignorant, and the bigotted, to their aid, and determine to make the article of reading of as little use as possible, by excluding all from their instructions who will not be educated in the principles of the church of England-thus polluting the pure fountain of education with their defiled and bitter waters.

In support of this contracted and bigotted purpose, a Mr. D. whose father was a Dissenter, and a very pious man-so pious that the meanest servant in the house must fear the Lord ; and who, if I am not misinformed, as a proof of his humanity and piety, advertised for a porter that feared the Lord, and could carry 500 cwt.-I say a son of this man moved in the Common Council, that £500 should be given in support of this system of making education useless; but to the honor of that court, they were too wise and too liberal to sanction such intolerance. And I trust every liberal-minded churchman, but particularly every Dissenter, will set his face against such an impious fraud.

The clergy of the church must naturally feel alarmed-they know how tottering it stands, and that it wants but an univer sal spread of knowledge to blow its dust to the four corners of heaven; but when I see Dissenters, especially Unitarians, from whatever motive they may act, at any time, but more particularly the present, joining themselves with such men in any way to support their craft, my mind is filled with indignation and contempt. Judge then of my surprise, when reading the advertisement of the Hertford meeting for distributing Bibles of the present version only, without note or comment, evidently for the same purpose of supporting the church, to see the name of E. K. Fordham, esq. taking so conspicuous a part as to move a vote of thanks on the occasion. Surely he must be not only a conspicuous, but a very active man in this business. But there are some men who must be publishing their name and virtues to the world; and whether it is a show of cattle, or a show of Bibles, it matters not-their zeal and enthusiasm