CHAP. XIV.] AND RELIGION. 427 



rica, who are duly and amply rewarded for 

 their diligence, arid very justly respected for 

 the piety, talent, and zeal which they discover; 

 but, who have no tenure of their places other 

 than that of the will of the congregation. Hence 

 it rarely indeed happens, that there is seen 

 amongst them an impious, an immoral, or a 

 despicable man. Whether the teaching of even 

 these Reverend persons have any very great 

 effect in producing virtue and happiness amongst 

 men is a question upon which men may, with 

 out deserving to be burnt alive, take the liberty 

 to differ; especially since the world has con 

 stantly before its eyes a society, who excel in 

 all the Christian virtues, who practise that 

 simplicity which others teach, who, in the great 

 work of charity, really and truly hide from the 

 left hand that which the right hand doeth ; and 

 who know nothing of Bishop, Priest, Deacon, 

 or Teacher of any description. Yes, since we 

 have the Quakers constantly before our eyes, 

 we may, without deserving to be burnt alive, 

 question the utility of paying any parsons or 

 religious teachers at all. But, the worst of it 

 is, we are apt to confound things ; as we have, 

 by a figure of speech, got to call a building a 

 church, when a church really means a body of 

 people; so we are apt to look upon the priest 

 as being religious, and especially when we call 



