Sh 
thet ‘everal others on the venerable bench 
ha.e entertained the fame fentiments. 
Y-i:—nothing is done. Not only have 
liturgies and articles remained juft as they 
were ; but church policy, church claims, 
and the fpirit of the church, have not un- 
dergone the leaft alteration, except it be 
in rendering them more rigorous, and 
lefs difpofed to any compromife with the 
rifing fpirit which 1s fo heflile to them. 
‘Some, perhaps, may think this conduct 
to be politically right ; but before fuch 
a conclufion is admitted, it may be proper 
to make a few reflections. 
And, firft, is it of no confequence to 
render religion more rational ? Has all 
the talk about it been idle wrangle ? Are 
the ends in view, fuch as may be effected 
by error as well as truth, by authority as 
well as argument, by compulficn as well 
as perfuafion? It is prefumed, that few 
will chocfe to give the adverfary fuch an 
advantage as to allow all this. Then, 
with reipeét to the proper feafon —will 
the eternally repeated plea ‘this is not 
the time,”’ avail any longer? What! is it 
not time to do every thing towards ren- 
dering religion pure and amiable, when 
fo many are aiming at her very exiftence ? 
Ought fhe new to affociate herielf with 
force cr fraud, when every eftabliihment . 
founded on thefe bad principles totters to 
its bafis > 
To be very explicit, I fhall fay, that 
the admirably fkilfui defences of Chrif- 
tianity upon general grounds which have 
lately proceeded from churchmen high in 
ftdtion and charaéter, muft lofe a great 
deal of their efficacy, as long as their au- 
thors are in a fituation of being incapable 
of giving a plain anfwer to the quefticn, 
s¢ What is this religion that you are per- 
fuading us to receive—is it faithfully re- 
prefented in the articles you have fub- 
fcribed, in the forms your duty obliges 
youtoufe? It fignihes little to tell me, 
(an occupied and‘unlearned man) where 
it is to be found ; have you fatisfied your- 
felves with what is to be found there 3? 
is your clofet fyftem the fame with your 
pulpit one? 0+, do you join in deluding 
us about a matter which you reprefent as 
of infinite importance?’ Such queftions 
as thefe wz// be afked ; and furely the re- 
ply fhould be at hand. 
I know, the fafhionable do&rine of the 
day is, that every eftablithed religion, in 
its union with common morality and or- 
cerly government, poffeffes futhcient 
claims tothe attachment and fupport of 
all good members of fociety; and the 
Warburton, 
and Hurd. 
mutual civilities which have of late paffed 
betwecn popery and proteftantifm, fufh- 
ciently fhow that they are, at prefent, 
defirous to difplay to the world their 
points of agreement, rather than of dif- 
ference. Buttruth is not of fo compliant 
a difpofition as policy; and the appeal 
having been once made to her, cannot 
now with confiftency be fhifted off to an 
inferior court. 1t may be depended upon, 
that from the moment in which all reli- 
gions are confideréd as equal, and are 
fupported upon common grounds, the 
real influence of all is near its end, 
Among the numerous alarms France has 
afforded, ¢hzs ought to be added; that a re- 
ligion, kept up with all the circumftances 
ot pomp and parade, and allied to ever 
thing great and powerful in the ftate, 
may fo entirely have loft its hold on the 
belief and affection of its nominal pro- 
feflors, that when its operation is moft 
wanted, it fhall be found no longer to 
have an exiitence. It has ftalked about, 
magni nominis unbra, the ghoft-of its for- 
mer felf ; and when preffed by the hand 
that would lean upon it, it fhrinks from 
the touch, a mere air-blown form of fa- 
cerdotal vefiments. 
I believe there is no way of preventing 
this cataftrophe, but by removing from 
the clergy all fufpicion of their ading a 
[ June 
‘ 
pert; by a difunton of the intereits of 
truth from thofe of temporary and partial 
expedience ; and by a manly coniiftency 
and undifguifed opennefs in thofe who 
undertake the defence of ' a revelation, 
which, if true, can admit no artifice or 
concealment. 
London, May 29th. MOoNITOR. 
: 
For te Monthly Magazine. 
LETTER TO A FRIEND, OX WAR- 
BURTON, AND Hurpb.- No.II. 
My dear F. “ 
THEN I tock leave of you in my 
lafi, I had been endeavouring, you 
will recolleét, to remove any fufpicion of 
defigned detraétion which ,might arife 
from the application of a certain epithet 
to a celebrated critic. ‘Thus prepared, 
allow me to fay, that it is impoflible the 
learned Commentator on. Horace could 
mean to under-value, in the fimalleft de- 
gree, azy, nay, that he fhould not vene- 
rate in the higheft, every obfervation, 
which, at any time, in any manner, on 
any fubjeét, fell from the pen, or from 
the lips of his revered friend, who not 
only 
