A CASE OF CONSCIENCE. To the Editor of the Freethinking Christians' Magazine. SIR, BY inserting the following case, if it meets with your approbation, in your useful Magazine, you will confer a favour on Your's, &c. Wills, November 24, 1812. A LOVER OF CONSISTENCY, A Case of Conscience, submitted to the Consideration of the Clergy of the Establishment, especially William Dealtry, M. A. Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of Bristol, and Professor of Mathematics in the East India College, Herts. SIR, Lately looking over one of the numbers of the Monthly Review, my attention was fixed on your" Vindication of the Bris tish and Foreign Bible Society, in a letter addressed to the Rev. Dr. Wordsworth." A quotation from that vindication particularly delighted me: you are represented as saying, "I belong to the church of England, because I think it the most. pure church in the world; because I think it possesses all the requisites of a church; because I think it contains better helps and more excellent directions than any other; because it is established, and wanton separation cannot be vindicated on a good principle." On reading the above, thinks I to myself, this is just the thing; I now shall get my doubts resolved. Mr. Dealtry will satisfactorily answer my queries, and resolve my case of conscience, especially as he is examining chaplain to the Bishop of Bristol, and professor of mathematics. The case, Sir, is this-if your church is the most pure church in the world, I am clearly convinced it would not only be a duty incumbent on me to join its communion, but it would be very much to my advantage; but I have my doubts. It seems to me at present that its practice contradicts its profession; and should I unite with its head, and become a member of its body, I should subject myself to heavy fines and penalties, from the informing crew belonging to the society instituted for the suppression of vice and immorality. But to the point The 6th article saith, "Holy scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation, so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proves thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." Again, article 7th," the Old Testament is not contrary to the New. Although the Jaw given from God by Moses, as touching ceremonies and rites, do not bind Christian men; yet notwithstanding, no Christian man whatsoever is free from obedience of the com mandments which are called moral." Now, Sir, what I want to be resolved in is this-are the ten commandments given by Moses, moral--particularly the fourth? Is it binding on Christian men? I am led to think your church believes it is, because it is inserted in the catechism to be learnt by all children belonging to that communion; because it is read before the administration of the holy communion; because it is fixed in every parish church near the altar table; and because, after the minister has thus repeated it, "Remember that thou'keep holy the Sabbath day, sir days shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt do,no manner of work, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, thy cattle, and the stran ger within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day and hallowed it)"-the people are in the babit of saying "Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law," Now, Sir, in the late editions of the authorised version of the Bible, on the last leaf, there is an account of the week, and Sunday is mentioned as the first day, and Saturday as the seventh. Of this I want to be certified. If Sunday is not the seventh day, then it is a working day; for the scripture says, six days shalt thou labour!-Saturday (the seventh) then must be the day of rest. Again, Hearn from "Cave's Primitive Chrisstianity," that Sunday was commanded as a day of rest by Constantine the Great, that he commanded it to be solemnly ob served, and that by all persous whatsoever: and thus from him as head of the church, the seventh day, even the sabbath of the Lord, was abrogated, and Sunday, the first day of the week, instituted in its stead!!! Now, my good Sir, what must I do? your church, in its articles, sends me to the scripture to know what the will of the Lord is; and tells me that what cannot be" proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of the faith." I obey its dictate-I search the scripture, but neither Prophet nor Apostle, Moses or Christ, say a word about Sunday being the sabbath of the Lord.-If, therefore, there is a sabbath for Christian people, I should be glad to know what day of the week it is; and if you can demonstrate to me that one day is more holy than another, whether Saturday or Sunday-that the fourth command is moral, and binding on Gentiles as well as Jews-by establishing this point I shall bow with reverence, and run no hazard of offending against human laws, so I may keep a conscience void of offence towards God. N. B. If I were to receive the Bible with note or comment, perhaps cunning deceitful men might make the worse appear the better reason; but as you are a firm advocate for persons reading the scripture without either, I submit the above case to your consideration-and according to your answer, either see it my duty to join a church that believes one thing and practises the contrary, or still continue on the search for consistency amongst the professors of Christianity. And if 1 cannot find them, conclude, however unwillingly, that to join a church, whether of the establishment or not, is not a reasonable service. A LOVER OF CONSISTENCY. REMARKS ON THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF EDUCATION. To the Editor of the Freethinking Christians' Magazine. SIR, TO point out defects is at all times an ungrateful task, and when youth assumes to itself the office of discovering and delineating the errors of its superiors in age and experience, its observations are too generally received with prejudice, and a suspicion that arrogance or presumption dictate its remarks. The writer of the present article trusts that she may escape this censure, for reasons stated in her last, that all her observations are the result of the experience of a parent, and a mere recitation of his instructions; and that any confidence of assertion which may have fallen from her pen, will be excused on this ground. Having thus premised, she will continue the observations that have been commenced on the present system of education. The encouragement of the liberal arts, and their professors, is doubtless of importance, as they tend to humanize mankind, to refine the manners, and to soften the heart; but whether the present taste of almost overwhelming the youthful mind with these ornamental studies, in lieu of those more solid accquirements, which, though less brilliant, render their possessors useful members of society, is questionable; where both the elegant and the useful can be attained, the advantages must be doubled, but if one must be neglected, surely it should be the former. Young people, who possess only the shining accomplishments, feel a vacuum in their minds which nothing but dissipation can fill up their talents are intended for show-they want spectators-they are fitted only for a crowd, like a : garden entirely laid out in pleasure grounds agreeable to the eye, but producing nothing that can be useful to its inhabitants, who pine in want and wretchedness in the midst of elegance and splendour. But such is the taste of the present day; and the education of his children is estimated by the pa rent, in proportion to the sums of money which have been lavished on the teachers of the different arts and allowing that children attain to a proficiency in one or all of the multifarious pursuits, in which they have been so carefully instructed, how far do they fall short in value, to a few lessons of virtue and religion, aided by the example of the parents themselves! But it is pleaded, that such a knowledge of the arts may enable its possessors, if in the middle rank of life, to gain a livelihood by the instruction of others; and in the higher classes, that they afford an elegant accomplishment, and a safe recreation. In the former case, without those foundation lessons of morality and piety, industry and integrity, the ground work of all success in any undertaking, of how little avail would be the most brilliant talents! Without industry and integrity, how precarious would be their success; and without morality and piety, the most unwished-for prosperity could not yield the possessors the great aid of all human endeavours, happiness. In the higher ranks of life, without the previous preparative of a virtuous education, do we find them satisfied with these innocent and elegant amusements? When reclining on the thorny couch of disease, occasioned by intemperance or folly, does not music forget to charm, and the landscape even of a Claude cease to greet the eye with extatic delight? Is the pencil well placed in a hand trembling and unnerved by the dissipations of the preceding day? Are these elegant accomplishments sufficient to preserve them from that unsupportable ennui to which they are the victims? While those who have imbibed a love of reading and reflection, whose minds have been well stored with useful knowledge, and deeply imbued with moral principles and religious truths, are more calculated to enjoy happiness, and to obtain the esteem of the wise. Then self complacency depends not on the applause of others-they are more fitted to perform those sober duties which fill up the round of every-day happiness. Among the numerous errors which crowd upon our view, none are more striking than the extravagance and useless expence in which children are indulged, in the sums of money which are lavished in the purchase of sweetmeats and toys; not only by those whose opulence might seem an excuse (if there can be any excuse for extravagance); but it is, if possible, still greater in those whose circumstances are limited. This useless profusion, and its incapability of affording pleasure to children, is so ably pointed out by Miss Edgeworth in her chapter on toys, that it is needless to say more on the subject. How frequently do we see children, of the best natural abili ties at first, entirely disgusted by literature, from the improper methods which are taken to render them attached to it! The reward for industry in learning is usually a cessation of application; whereas, if learning was not made an object of dislike, the discontinuing it would not occasion such immediate pleasure. Do we not observe the eagerness, the joy almost amounting to rapture, with which children hail the time of their release from school? What gives such zest to the vacation? not so much the pleasure of which they anticipate the enjoyment, as the freedom from studies and restraint. Every real and fancied notion of liberty, the darling goddess of childhood, is associated in the mind with the farewell to books, to tutors, to school hours, with the long train of hated tasks and exercises; and thus a foundation is laid for an aversion to every species of knowledge that is connected with literature, and too often to virtue and wisdom, which are the result of knowledge. Whereas pupils to whom study has not been made an object of disgust and abhorrencewith whom no injudicious mode of instruction has been usedfeel no painful sensations awakened by the sight of booksthey see, they feel the progress of their mind-the improvement of their intellectual powers-they are interested in their own advancement-their instructors, instead of having to force them to application, find them assistants in their own education-they feel the unspeakable value of knowledge, and are assiduous to acquire it. As their minds expand, they apply what they have gained to practice-they see more and more the ascendancy which wisdom united to virtue in every age and climate has over ignorance-the power which great minds have over little ones. They learn to know and venerate the majesty of virtue-the dignity of intellect! 66 It is too often to be observed and regretted, that if children commit any fault, parents are apt, instead of reproving only for the present error, to say, you are always doing this ;" and thus taking off the offender's attention from the fault committed, to consider whether he is always doing it. Sometimes if a child exhibits any little trait, though foreign to its natural disposition, it will give the cast and colour to its fu ture character, if taken up in an injudicious manner. A pu pil discovers in some trifling action à disposition to obstinacy, perhaps a mistaken fortitude-with an ignorant preceptor, he is branded with the crime of obstinacy for ever. The character once given, the hopeless victim thus stigmatised, feels no ener VOL. II. 4 E |