1809.] 
it was founded, and by which it received 
its first footing in the earth ? Ought there 
not to appear in the servant, some portion, 
some traces of the spirit of the master? 
To the dispensation of the gospel, which 
is the dispensation of grace, mercy, and 
peace, ouvht there not to be w suitable- 
ness in the methodsemployed to pro- 
mote it? Shall we then think of any ex- 
pedient for defending the cause of Christ, 
different from those which: be bimselt and 
his apostles so »successlully employed ? 
Nay, it were well, if all that could be 
said were, that we employ dilferent mea- 
sures from those employed by them: 
some of ours, Lam afraid, on exannnation, 
will be found to be the reverse of then’s. 
Christ engaged by being lovely, we would 
constrain by being frightful. ‘The former 
conquers the heart, the latter at most but 
forces an external and hypocritical com- 
pliance, a thing hateful to God, aud dis- 
honourable to the cause of his son. 
“« But, say our opponents in this argu- 
ment, Popery is a superstition so banetul 
as not to deserve any favour, especialy 
at the hands of Protestants. Its intole- 
rance to them, and persecuting spint, if 
there was nothing else we had to accuse 
it of, would be sufficient to justify the 
the severest treatment we could give it. 
This treatment to Papists could not be 
called persecution, but just retaliation, 
orthe necessary means of preventing per- 
ditionto ourselves. I do not say that either 
_ Popery or Papists deserve favor from us ; 
on the contrary, I admit the truth of the 
charge against them, but not the conse- 
quence ye would draw trom it. Let pope- 
ry be as bad as it will—call it Beelzebuh 
at you please; itis not by Beelzebub that 
fam for casting out Reelzebub, but by 
the spiit of God. We exclaim against 
Popery, and in exclauning agaist it we 
betray bat too manifestiy, that we have 
imbibed of the charaeter, fur which we 
detest it. In the mostunlovely spirit of 
Popery, and with the unhallowed arms of 
Popery, we would‘fight agaist Popery. 
tis not by such weapons that God bath 
promised to consume the man of sim, but 
itis by the breath of his mouth, that 1s des 
word. As for us, though weve often loud 
enough in our pretensions to faith, our 
faith is not in his word; we have vo faith 
now in weapons invisib'e and impalpable, 
. fire aud steel suit us a great deal better. 
Christiansin ancient times confided in the 
divine promises, we in these days confide 
inacts of parliament. They trusted to 
the sword of the spirit for the defence of 
truth and the defeat of error, we 
trust to the sword of the: magistcate. 
God's prosiiges do well enough, when the 
Vindication of the late Dr. Campbell of Aberdeen. 
13 
legislature istheir surety. ~ Bat if ye de 
stroy the hedges and the bulwarks which 
the laws have raised, we shall cry witta 
Israel in the days of Ezekiel, ‘behold our 
bones are dried, our hepe is lost, te are 
cut off for our parts.’ There is no more 
security for the true religion. Protestane 
tism is gone! All is lost! We shall all 
be Papists presently! Shall we never re- 
flect on the denunciation of the prophet: 
cursed be the man that trusteth in man, 
and maketh flesh his arm, aud whose 
heart departeth from the Lord.’ Let me 
tell those people so distrustful in God’s 
providence and promises, and so confi- 
dent in the arm of flesh, that the true 
relicion never flourished so much, never 
spread so rapidly, as when, instead of per- 
secuung, it was persecuted; instead of 
obtaining support from haman sanctions, 
it hadall the terrors of the magistrate and 
of the Jaws armed against it. “Doe we 
provoke the Lord to jealousy; are we 
stronger than he?” p.-114, 12. 
The title of the second chapter of the 
pamphlet is, “Vhe Conclusion to which 
sound Policy would lead us in Regard to 
the Voleration of Papists.” In page 28 
of this chapter, he observes: “Aste the 
aspect which: their (the Papists’) tenets — 
hear to civil society (for itis totin a re- 
gious nor in a moral view, but solely ia 
w political, that I am here considering 
them) it must be acknowledged that to. 
sucial union their tenets are no wise ad- 
verse, witness those kingdoms and states 
in Hurope, wherethe whole or the greater 
part of the people are popish, It has 
been remarked however, that the Romish 
rehzion is not equally favourable to a 
free goverment, as the Protestant. But 
though there be something like a servility 
of spirit tn unplicit faith, or the belief of 
infallibility ia any human tribunal, which 
is ore congenial to political slavery; it 
cannot be said that the farmer is 1ucompa- 
uble with civil freedom. This country, as 
well as others, was free even when Rowan 
Catholic: and it would not be just to deuy 
that there have been of that communion 
eminent patrons of the liberties of the 
people.” 
And again in page 40, “But jest or 
UOTUGL, Say some, itis better to have it 
UST, ; 
(the law against popery) as a rod: over 
their beads; that isin other words, ‘Thougy 
we have no mind to do injustice at pre- 
sent, we wish to have it in our power to 
be unjust with impunity when we pleases 
nay to bribe others to be villains. (for the 
law gives a high reward to informers) that 
those who have no religion at all, no sense 
of virtue ov honor may be tempted by 
avarice.’ Is this aiaw becoming. a Chris- 
man 
