with all manner of indignity, where they have no further power to hurt them. Of which temper, at this very day, Mr. Mungo Park has lately given us some curious facts.

For many ages after Mohammed, his successors, by the furiousness of their zeal to propagate his religion and put down idolatry, were the instruments of Providence in inflicting the most dreadful calamities upon Christians, which were observed to fall on those countries where the grossest corruptions of religion had prevailed; in Greecé and in the eastern parts of the Roman empire; and in the progress of their arms and success, they seized and possessed themselves of many of the countries they conquered. So that in the councils of heaven, and according to the methods of the divine government, by which nations as well as individuals are often observed to be deprived of the light and advantages which they slight and misuse, these fierce invaders were permitted nearly to extinguish the light of the Gospel, in many places where it had been successfully preached and planted by the apostles of Christ, and they strove to establish by force the doctrine of their false prophet in its room; where, among those of them who unhappily embraced it, it remains to this day, in all the darkness, imbecility, narrowness, and cruelty, which such intolerance in religion naturally engenders, and in which it must ever terminate.

Photinus here pausing a little, Volusian with some emotion started up, crying out, What shall we say, Photinus,

Photinus, to the system of religion which you have been exhibiting, pretending to come from God, when its first article is a direct violation of the laws of nature and of God, in compelling men by force to acknowledge and worship him?

Assuredly these horrible effects shew the pretended prophet who teaches such a doctrine, not to be of God, but the angel of the bottomless pit, of the infernal regions, as Mohammed and his successors are described, Revelation ix. 11.

Behold here the fatal consequences of forcing the consciences of men. So far from being of service in bringing them to piety and virtue, and a due reverence for and obedience to that Almighty Being, the one only God, for whose honour Mohammed and his followers profess to be particularly zealous and concerned, we may appeal to the experience and testimony of twelve hundred years (for so long this religiou has been widely spread and established), whether its numerous converts, instead of becoming wiser, and better, and happier thereby in any degree, have not been made far worse in all these respects, and at some times, and in some places, more abominably vicious and addicted to the vilest passions, and lying heavier upon the peace and happiness of their fellow creatures, and more hostile and cruel towards them, than if they had been without any religion, or belief of God at all?

Yet it becomes not Christians to condemn Mohammedans for their intolerance and cruelty, in forcing

the

the consciences of other men, or to throw the first stone at them on that account. For the spirit of domination over the minds and consciences of others; of dictating to them what they were to believe to obtain the favour of God; and of punishing them in various ways, by loss of fame and of worldly substance, by bodily tortures, imprisonment, loss of liberty and life at last, if they did not comply and submit to them, began early amongst Christians, as soon as they were permitted to assume a temporal authority over their brethren; and has continued to this hour.

To what a degree it took place in the great churches of the East and West, and their numerous dependencies, need not to be named: all ecclesiastical history is full of it. At the Reformation, those countries which separated themselves from the church of Rome, and relinquished some of its errors, retained this the greatest of all, a tyranny over the consciences of their fellow Christians. It is to be lamented, that the different congregations of Protestants among ourselves, whether those endowed by the state, or dissenters from the establishment, have not yet learned, that other Christians are equally entitled to the favour of God with themselves, though they should apprehend differently of the Divine Being, and of the person and character of Christ, and of many other points of his religion, whilst they endeavour to the best of their power to understand and practise what Christ taught.

How desirable to find a cure for this disgrace of

the Christian name, the narrowness, contempt, and hatred and jealousies of Christians of different sentiments towards one another! The allowance of no power, emolument, credit or advantage whatsoever, to persons for being of one opinion in religion more than another, would do much towards healing these selfish base passions; when it would be of no worldly benefit to them, to be of one church, or of one religious opinion, more than another.

It

But it would go farther to remove the root of the evil, if we could but prevail with and induce men to see and consider, that there is no foundation in scripture, or reason, though it is ignorantly taken for granted, that Christians only can be saved; that they alone will obtain the favour of God and eternal life. For this doctrine, wherever embraced, leads Christians to extravagant and over-high opinions of themselves, and uncharitable conclusions concerning others. tends to make them put an undue importance upon the mere belief of Christianity; to conceit that they are the favourites of Heaven solely for embracing it; and that it is meritorious to bring men over to their religious opinions, though they become not more virtuous by it. And what is worst of all; this appropriating of salvation to themselves, to their own church or sect or party, makes them of course uncharitable towards all those who do not hold with them in opinion, or who oppose their sentiments; and in the end leads them to persecute others and to do them all manner of harm, as enemies and opposers of God

and

and his truth. This is what we see every day exemplified.

The real state of the matter is this. It is an inestimable privilege and happiness to be born within. the sound of the gospel; where we have the means and opportunities of informing ourselves of its truth, and of enjoying and profiting by those powerful motives and assistances which it affords.

But those who are not so happy as to enjoy these advantages; who live where the gospel is not known; or where it is so perverted and corrupted, that instead of inviting men, it alienates their minds from it, their ignorance, or aversion even to Christianity under such circumstances will not be imputed to them; and they will only have to give an account of the right use of the light and talents and advantages they shall have received. And in this conclusion I am persuaded you will all agree with me, that in teaching Christ's religion, we should never teach young persons in particular, nor indeed teach any persons, that Christians only ean be saved; much less Christians only of this or that particular church or sect; but that all persons will be saved, who are made pious and goed by their religion; and none else.

You have gratified us all, when Volusian had ended, immediately replied Photinus, in giving such an exact though frightful picture of that religion which the Almighty seems to have permitted for the trial and punishment of corrupt Christians; and in pointing

out