comparison of them; they rob mankind of the unsearchable riches of Christ, yea, of present and eternal salvation. These wretched men murder the souls of their hearers, and plunge them into everlasting burnings. Well might our blessed Lord bid us beware of these false prophets; and his faithful servant exhort us to turn away from those men, who deny the power of godliness. No wonder that such enemies of God and man were expressly commanded of God to be stoned to death, under the Mosaic dispensation, as it is written, Deut. xiii. 5, "And that prophet shall be put to death because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God: thou shalt not consent unto him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: but thou shalt surely kill him, thou shalt stone him with stones that he die," So dreadfully severe was the Mosaic law, respecting false prophets; but it does not appear that they ever executed this part of the law at any time. On this account, it is a doubt with me, whether it was not owing to this very thing, that as a nation they were totally ruined, as by their neglect, false prophets increased among them to that degree that the whole nation sunk into the very dregs of abominable idolatry, till the Lord would be no more intreated. And the prophet foretells the happy time, when even the father or mother of such monsters, who shall venture to prophecy falsely, in the name of the Lord, shall thrust them through with a dart.-Zech. xiii. 3. And it shall come to pass, when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him, shall thrust him through, when he prophesieth."

Here we see what the prophet foretold would come to pass, in the purest ages of the church; but it is become so common, and so familiar to us, to hear men prophesy falsely, &c. to deliver doc trines directly contrary to the holy word of God; yea, doctrines of the most pernicious and destructive tendency, that we think but little of it, and pass over it, as if it was a matter of little or no consequence at all."

Shall we then attend upon the ministry of such deceivers as these? Would not that be to strengthen the hands of the wicked, and would it not tend to make them believe, that we look upon them as the ministers of Christ, and should we not thus far be partakers in their sin? Let us rather follow the advice of the apostle, " let us neither receive them into our houses, nor bid them God speed;" let us shew them no manner of countenance, lest we are *sharers in their evil deeds. Had this method been always taken, had the people withdrawn from these wolves, then we should not have had such swarms of them as we now have; but it has evidently been the ruin of the church of God, the countenance which has been given to those unhappy men, who have always been a plague and a curse whereso ever they have met with encouragement. That religious men,

* Original so.

This sentence is very confused and ungrammatical.

notwith

notwithstanding all this, should think it their duty to countenance such men, is truly wonderful! If we know that a thief is laying in wait to rob our neighbour of his property, and much more, if we see the murderer ready to take away his life, we justly think it our bounden duty to apprize him of his danger; but we see nothing. amiss in suffering the false prophet to murder his soul, and rob him of his eternal salvation. We pray that the Lord would not suffer us to be led into temptation, and that he would preserve us from all false doctrine; and yet we vainly think, we are doing our duty. If ever there was an age, in which these awful words were fulfilled, they are in our day, "The prophets prophecy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so, and what will ye do in the end thereof."

But it will be said, "All our teachers are not of this stamp." I answer, no; God forbid they should; but how very little better are those who bear the name of gospel ministers." How few of these have ever been converted to God, or have experienced a clear sense of his love? And wherein is an unconverted minister to be accounted of? Can the dead raise the dead?

How few of them have got ministerial gifts, either of prayer or preaching? Does the Lord send them a warfare at their own cost? Hath he, who ascended up on high and received gifts for men, forgot, or does he neglect, to impart them to his servants? Are not the general part of them as much athirst for church preferment as others? And would they not be glad to enjoy a second or a third living, if they could find a way to compass so desireable an end? And can they not give a very weighty reason for this? viz. that they may place a curate there who will preach the gospel. Yes, and let them allow him the whole income also. But do they preach the gospel themselves? They preach some part of the gospel it cannot be denied; but properly speaking, they do not preach the whole gospel; i. e. they do not lead the people to the Lord Jesus Christ, so as to experience the salvation which he hath purchased; but they make the knowledge of our disease, the cure also; and a desire after salvation to be salvation itself. Would it not be something surprizing, that a sick man, who feels that he is so, and desires a cure, should, on that account, be led to suppose, that he is quite well? And would it not be rather wonderful that the miser, who is deeply athirst for abundance of gold, should ever vainly imagine that he is actually in possession of all the gold in the universe? And is it not equally strange, that any one should suppose and teach, that the man who feels that he has got a guilty conscience, has an interest in Christ, and is in possession of the peace of God? That the man who has got a wounded spirit, or a broken and contrite heart, is notwithstanding this, already healed, and all his wounds are bound up, so that he has no need to trouble himself any further? And the man who feels himself to be carnal, and sold under sin, who with the apostle is crying out, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" is already delivered,

and

and is actually brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God? Might they not, with equal truth, persuade us, that darkness and light, misery and happiness, bondage and liberty, are just the same thing? In such teachers we may see Satan transformed into an angel of light, and the words of the prophet fulfilled, "They have healed the hurt of my people slightly, crying, peace, peace, when there is no peace."

SIR,

THE

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

HERE being a vacancy in the office of Vice President of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, in the Adelphi, in consequence of the death of the late Lord Rancliffe; two of the members of that Society, who are well-known literary characters, have started for the office, and, though contrary to the practice which has hitherto prevailed in the Society, have addressed printed letters to the members in town. As one of these gentlemen is so great a personage, as the most profound and learned biographer of the late Lord Chief Justice of England, and whose correct, chaste, and elegant style, has, on former occasions, drawn forth your marked approbation; I cannot, in justice to him, and to the Society, to which he so liberally, though diffidently (being at the intercession of friends) tenders his services, withhold communicating (through the medium of your invaluable publication) to those members who reside in the country, the printed letter I have received from this eminent lawyer on the occasion. I will not waste your page by commenting upon it, as I presume it will satisfactorily appear on perusal, that the ex-conveyancer's literary, are equal to his natural, abilities, and consequently that he is highly and duly qualified to fill the office of chairman in rotation, to the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. I take leave to state that no personal allusion is intended to be made to the physical defect in this gentleman's speech.†

Dec. 26. 1800.

SIR,

THE vacancy of a VICE PRESIDENT in the Society of Arts, &c. (of which I have been many years a member) and the intercession of FRIENDS, have induced me to request the favour of your vote and interest. Permit me to add, that if, by the suffrages of the members, I should have the honour of supplying that vacancy, you may be assured, (that, by a faithful discharge of the duties attached to the ap

* See Anti-Jacobin Review, Vol. III. p. 276.

The other candidate, who is the author of the Orchardist, labours under a similar impediment,

hointment,)

pointment, I shall study to promote the real interests of our useful and flourishing institution; who am,

Sir, your very humble servant,

Great Ormond-Street, Dec. 26th, 1800. JOHN HOLLIDAY.

SIR,

TO MR. POLWHELE.

IN reading Drew's Answer to your

'N reading Drew's Answer to your " Anecdotes of Methodism,'

I find the anecdote which concerns the Methodist of Camborne, and the farmer of Illogan, animadverted upon with undeserved seve-. rity on account of its inaccuracy, which was occasioned by the gentleman who gave it to me not attending to the date of its transaction and other trifling circumstances. The following communication may be relied upon, as I have investigated every document that would throw light upon this nefarious business; with such reference to the Methodist's accounts, &c. as will put every particular herein related beyond the least doubt. If any one entertains a doubt as to the authenticity of this communication, let him apply to the person aggrieved at Kanarton in Illogan, where he may examine the papers and obtain such other information as will fully prove the veracity of this.

The anecdote is inaccurate in the following particulars, when it asserts, that the transaction which respects the croft or common hap pened a few months ago; it happened prior to March 1792, (which may be seen by the date of the assignment.) The application was not made by the brother, but by the sister; at which time the farmer was confined by a bad hand, and his wife and family by a fever. [This is the farmer's communication] The sum advanced

on the mortgage, in 1792, was 1961. 1s. 10d. [See the accounts] The farmer waits upon the mortgagee as soon as he is able to get out, and requests the loan of 11. Is. advanced on the estate, but is refused: [the estate of the farmer being at this time worth 351.] Tregajorean having been sold, some time after this transaction to the Methodist in question, for 1071. and the other to another person for 2501. in the year 1799 or 1800. [this is the farmer's communication] The common then becomes the object for which this loan is to be advanced; but whether the tender was made by the farmer, or requested by the Methodist, the farmer cannot recollect. The farmer, however, is obliged to sell an acre and quarter of the common for 11. 1s. [see assignment, March 1792] The year following, his circumstances oblige him to make the same application, and such was his situation that he was compelled to sell the remainder to the Methodist for 31. 11s. [see assignment, Feb. 1793] which was about 3 acres and of ground. The sum, therefore, given for the common, was 41. 12s. and, after the deduction for high rent and amercement (which is 12s.) this charitable brother pockets more than 30 per cent. by the bargain. The objection to his advancing more money on the mortgage, stated in the reply, is, that the person, in question, discovered

discovered that this estate was entailed upon a former will, and a further advance would be on an uncertainty. [see "Observation," Pr. 48, 49.] How false this is, the fact of himself buying Tregajorean for 1071. a gentleman interfering by the desire of a neighbour of this poor farmer, and paying off the mortgage, and purchasing the estate afterwards as above stated, will fully prove. [The mortgage was paid off by this gentleman, June 3d. 1799] This will expose another falsehood, that the farmer, on a change of circumstances, redeemed the estate. [see p. 48] It is, moreover, asserted that the spot has become desirable; but it must not be understood by any cultivation made by the reduced farmer, on the conscientious purchaser; for the outlet has undergone no improvement whatever; and it has only become desirable because it is an indispensible appendage to the estate, and would give the proprietor an advantage in the sale of the estate; as it would sell considerably beneath its value, by the common being in the hands of another. The person, who afterwards bought the premises, had likewise an outlet adjoining to the ground, and seeing the finesse and other oppressive means practised to procure the estate for less than its value, came forward and gave for it a fair price. Since which time, the Methodist, in question, has sold the same Common to the purchaser of the estate for eleven guineas, the price originally demanded by the reduced farmer, and so late as the year 1800. The next palpable falsehood in this answer is, the Methodist being paid his interest, and having a little advantage on the commonground aforesaid, GAVE the farmer about six pounds on the settling the account, a more infamous falsehood was never obtruded on the public; as the 61. 2s. 11d. he was obliged to allow for illegal interest. This affair was transacted June 3d. 1799, four or five years after he became a methodist, if we adopt the date two years after the sale of the second part of the common in 1793. Yet it is triumphantly asserted, that this business happened two years before he became connected with the Methodists. It is a notorious fact, that prior to the war 1792, he was in the habit of attending the Methodist meeting. But this was, possibly, during his noviciate; which time was employed in such works of love and charity, as rendered him a distinguished ornament of Tucking-Mill preaching-house, and no doubt, will in due time entitle him to be canonized a saint of the same.

With regard to the other anecdotes you had from this part of the world, no person, who has had an opportunity of enquiring into the facts, entertains a doubt about the truth of them. Amongst the numerous signatures of the newly baptized Messrs. there is only one respectable man, who is a really good man; to whose unassuming piety, your correspondent is as ready to bear testimony, as the St. Austle cobler. I have been thus particular, in correcting Drew's misrepresentations, to expose the arts used to invalidate the authen- ' ticity of your Anecdotes; which, in this instance, (as it often happens) have been the means of establishing their credit. One of the men, if I mistake not, whose signature stands to rescue the Methodists from the imputation of political restlessness, as evinced during the riots at Camborne, made himself pretty conspicuous by

his