to God the homage of an upright heart, or with gross negligence and solemn mockery, publicly repeat what we cannot understand, and join in professing what we do not believe; are subjects of enquiry, which (however easy to determine) every Christian, of whatever denomination, must acknowledge to be of high concern."

THE CONCLUSION.

I HAVE now, Victorin, complied with your request, and given you a full account of the conversation held by our friends at ****** ; which had so much raised your curiosity, and that of the persons you mention. But I shall be sorry, and much disappointed, if it do not answer some better end with them, than that of mere amusement. I hope it will excite them, if they have never yet seriously made the enquiry, to search, and satisfy their own minds, who the true God is, and to worship him only, and no other.

You will perceive, that the idolatry laid to the charge of, and as the company all agreed, proved against all the great churches, and almost all Christians, in all countries, not excepting our own, is not any thing sinful, or wicked; but a most lamentable error concerning the Deity, which has been long a reproach to the gospel, and a bar to its reception and progress in the world; and which therefore all that wish well to it should make haste to remove out of the

way.

It will be no small satisfaction to you also to see that the famous Dr. Clarke, and other great ornaments of the church of England, since his time, were very desirous to discard out of the Liturgy, not only all direct worship of Jesus Christ, and the holy spirit ; but every word that implied divine honours to belong to them this may afford a strong presumption, which for my part I believe to be well-grounded, that the like sentiments are entertained now, by many other thinking and learned persons in the church; who would be ready to come forth, and declare themselves, upon any proposals and prospect of such alterations to take place in the service, as are exhibited in Dr. Clarke's reformed Liturgy. That eminent person did not indeed express himself in such strong terms concerning the worship of Christ, and of the holy spirit, which he sought to have abolished, as to call it idolatry; but his entire rejection of it amounted to much the same thing. Of this, however, whether it be idolatrous or not, you will be able to form your own judgment from the third day's debate.

It is a reflection, which falls heavy upon our nation, that boasts of being so highly enlightened, that, whilst the Jews, by the testimony of Christ himself, worshipped Jehovah, the Father, the one true God, and still worship him; and Mahometans, who worship the God of Abraham, do the same; Christians, in this country, in the judgment of the excellent persons above-named, worship two other divine persons,

two

two other gods, upon a line of equality with the Supreme Father, who alone was worshipped by Moses and the prophets, by Jesus and his apostles, and who alone ought to be worshipped.

In the heathen world, if there were any true Theists, as it might seem there were, whatever were their private sentiments, they universally conformed to the established Polytheism, and joined in the worship of a rabble of gods, many of whom had confessedly been men and women of bad characters.

It will be well, if the same be not now the situation and conduct of men of sense and enquiry, who have not thrown off all religion, and who attend the established worship, in different Christian countries. They worship one God in private; three divine persons, three gods, or more, in public. Can there be a louder call for a review and reformation of such establishments, from time to time, than this offers ?

Amidst the unavoidable instances of partial, temporary hardship, suffering, loss and confusion, attending the wonderful revolution which Divine Providence hath brought about in a neighbouring country, we rejoice, (who will not rejoice ?) at the Bastile destroyed, at the dread of Lettres de cachét, and of an undefined, uncontrouled arbitrary power removed; and in the pleasing prospect of a constitution settled, where liberty will be secured, where the sound of offensive war will no more be heard, and where religion will become placed on its only just and solid basis, that of free and rational enquiry. Under God, nothing that

he

he had promised, tending to promote virtue and human happiness, is to be despaired of. Pure Christianity, which has no other aim, we are persuaded, was at first planted by the Almighty; and being under his protection, will prevail. Five years ago, what human sagacity could have calculated, that within so short a space, such a rational scheme of public Christian worship, as is exhibited in Dr. Clarke's reformed Common-prayer Book, should have made its way into France, and become quietly settled? Read only the account in the margin, (a) taken from one of our

public

(a) Extract of a letter from an English Gentleman at Dunkirk, dated Aug. 10, 1791.

"We now hope to enjoy the best benefits of the new constitution, in the exercise of our own religion. On Sunday last an English Protestant church was opened here, an object that has been long in contemplation, but never before accomplished. The number of Protestants in this place is very great, and the English are so numerous that the church was full, and many stood in the passage throughout the service, whilst others returned home for want of room. We have every appearance of forming a large and respectable society; for the plan that is adopted has a view to the union of all the English Protestants, whether they have formerly been Episcopalians, Presbyterians, or other Dissenters. The church of England liturgy is made use of, reformed upon the plan proposed by the late Dr. Samuel Clarke, Rector of St. James's, Westminster, in which all the exceptionable parts of the Common-prayer are omitted. It is a plan that gives very general satisfaction, and many of all parties interest themselves greatly in the cause.

"The National Assembly has provided very generously for those

who

public prints, and which is otherwise well known to be authentic. How honourable to a government, that all

who dissent from the established church: all sects have the liberty of conducting burials, baptisms, and marriages, according to their own forms, and a register of them is kept in the chamber of the Tribunal. There are, in this town, two Dutch chapels, and one Quaker meeting-house, but the English church will probably be far more numerous than either of the others.

"The agreeable society kept up amongst the English families here, the cheapness of all sorts of provisions, the constant intercourse we have with England, the ease with which our few taxes are borne, and the liberality of sentiment which prevails amongst all ranks of men, added to the full and free exercise of all religions; will probably induce many of our countrymen, from different places, to settle in this town, whose commerce is in a flourishing state."

"N. B. It is with great pleasure that I see the above letter produced in a valuable work, just published, as this sheet is printing off; together with the following additional information upon the subject, which I am glad to insert:

"In the same town another church has been opened by a clergyman of the church of England, in which the common service is used. A mistake was however made, which, as it was the first of the kind in France, I wish it may be the last. The minister, unluckily, brought over some of his high church prejudices with him, and attempted to sow his tares amongst the wheat, by urging some of the congregation not to be married by their own minister; Because he was not ordained by a bishop. This wise admonition was treated as it deserved, and served only to create a smile. I have thought it right to mention this circumstance, as I am a sincere friend to the spread of Christianity, under any of its forms. Any thing of religion is better than indolence, and vice, and that stupidest of all stupid ignorance, attachment to prejudices because they are

prejudices.