methodist stock, not connected with any of the dissenting boards. The churches, chapels, &c. open on the Lord's day for the methodists, as distinct from dissenters, will contain thirty thousand people, and are generally all crowded.

Among the dissenters, the presbyterians, excepting a few Scottish churches, have deviated widely from the way of their forefathers. Their ministers are, some of them, men of learning and abilities; but very few preach the doctrines of the Cross. Their auditories are rather polite and elegant, than numerous; and their profession of religion not very strict. Experience and observation prove, that no doctrine but Jesus Christ and him crucified, will turn the stream of the heart, or withstand the stream of the world.

The baptists are general and particular; the latter is the larger and sounder part. They are a respectable people, have many good ministers, and are tenacious of the truth. They are, I think over zealous about the point of baptism; and their numbers are more increased by proselytes from other denominations, than by conversion under their own preachers.

The independents, for the most part, retain a form of sound words; though some appear verging to a declension in doctrine. The life and glory, I apprehend, is abated among them as a body. Some of their sound, judicious, able preachers are poorly attended; and conformity to the world seems growing among these nonconformists. We have, further, in London, and in some other places, settlements of Moravians; than whom I know not a more excellent, spiritual, evangelical people.

These are my thoughts on the Lord's floor in this city. In the great abounding of profession, too many, doubtless, bear no nearer relation to the true church, than the chaff to the wheat; but I hope the number of solid, exemplary believers is very considerable; and I hope the Lord's work is growing and spreading, both in city and country. Every year adds to

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the number of evangelical clergymen, and the Lord still maintains a succession of promising young men in both the universities; some of whom are ordained every season; yet the number of serious students is still kept up by others, whose hearts he inclines to devote themselves to sanctuary service.

This is almost the only encouraging sign we have in this dark and awful day; and it does encourage me to hope, that, sinful as we are, the Lord will not give us up to the will of our enemies; because he has a remnant, and a work amongst us.

What proportion the papists bear to other dissenters, I know not; but we are more in danger of being overrun with infidelity than popery. Nor do I believe that the papists are remarkably increased. I am no friend to popish errors, but could not, in conscience, join the protestant association. I did not wish for the act in favour of the papists; I thought it granted too much. But when it had passed, I could not join in the petition for a total repeal, and to bring back all former penalties. The first movers of the association were mostly my friends. They acted, doubtless, conscientiously, but were mistaken in their principles.

I think the papists should be restrained from teaching the children of protestants. But they have as good a right to judge for themselves, and to educate their own children as I have. Our Lord's kingdom is not of this world, and his subjects have no warrant from his word to inflict pains and penalties upon any people, in matters pertaining to conscience; of which he alone is the Lord and Judge. The protestant association when it became popular, was adopted by thousands, whose whole religion consisted in a cry against popery. It sounded in my ears like the old cry, Meyaann APTEμs, and, at length, issued in those horrible riots, which will leave a lasting stain upon our history.

The better part of the association abhorred those outrages; but though they had no such design, they

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proved the occasion. And though they meant well, I consider the event as a token of the Lord's disapprobation of the methods they took. It seemed as if giving the papists more liberty, was the only sin of the nation; the only evil that called for redress. There was no association formed, nor petition thought of, for the suppression of the abominable profanation of the Lord's day, of adultery, drunkenness, profaneness, or perjury; no apprehension entertained of those evils, which, though almost universal among us, would not have been suffered in the better days of pagan Rome. But allowing liberty to papists appeared the chief thing; the one thing to be complained of, and guarded against. I did not wonder at the issue. The Lord will pour contempt upon a spirit of intolerance, even when manifested by his own people.

And in a subsequent letter, recurring to this subject, he says: I am such an enemy to popery, that I dislike it, even in a protestant form; and all parties of protestants are more or less infected with it. If I claim the liberty of seeing with my own eyes, I speak like a protestant; if I expect others to see with my eyes, or wish to punish, or despise them, if they do not, I so far, act in the spirit of popery. I do not wish to see popery prevail in England, but it is a judgment we well deserve.

As a Christian, I am not called to prevent the growth of popery, any other way, than by preaching the truth, by prayer, and by a Gospel conversation. As to what can be done by edicts and penalties, let the dead bury their dead; I leave it to the men of the world, who can see no other walls or bulwarks for the security of the church of Christ, than such as they are able to build themselves. I dare not look to any protection, but that of God. I have nothing to do with an arm of flesh in this business. At present, I must own, that infidelity, and contempt of God, appear to me more terrible, more upon the increase, and more likely to be our ruin, than popery. If

there was not a papist in the kingdom, I should still fear we are almost ripe for destruction.

How it is in Scotland, I know not; but I believe most of the loudest, in England, against popery, had little more regard for the true Gospel than the papists themselves. And though some good persons were among them, the majority of serious people were quiet in their tents, and more taken up with mourning over the general prevalence of sin, than with the liberty granted to the papists.

In March, 1783, Mr. Newton, in reference to the narrow spirit of sectarianism, asks the same correspondent: Is it not strange, that, when we profess to receive the New Testament as our rule, and to form our plans upon it, some of the plainest and most obvious precepts should be so generally overlooked? How plain is that in Rom. xv. 7! Now how does Christ receive us? Does he wait till we are all exactly of a mind? does he confine his regards, his grace, his presence, within the walls of a party? is he the God of the presbyterians, or the independents only? do not some amongst you, and some amongst us, know, with equal certainty, that he has received them? Do not they, and do not we, know what it is to taste that he is gracious? does he not smile upon your ordinances, and upon ours? are not the fruits of faith the same, on both sides of the Tweed, and in every corner of the land?

And shall zeal presume to come in, with its ifs and its buts, and to build up walls of separation between those who are joined to the Lord by one spirit; in direct contradiction to the tenor of the whole Rom. xiv.; and think it has a right to despise and censure, to judge and condemn, when it is expressly forbidden to interfere? The Lord, by his apostle, says: let every one be persuaded in his own mind; and how dares zeal say otherwise? Yet many true believers are so much under the spirit of self and prejudice, that they verily mean to do the Lord service, by sub

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stituting their own for his commands. And they say, you must think and act as I do, subscribe my paper, and worship in my way; or else, though I hope the Lord has received you, it is my duty to keep my distance from you.

This assuming, dictating spirit, is popery among us in a protestant form; indeed, the root and source whence most of the popish abominations have sprung. It is much the same to me, whether the Scriptures are locked up, or not, if I must read them with another's eyes. I think we have all an equal right to judge for ourselves, and that we are no more bound to follow implicitly the sic volumus, sic jubemus, or sic arbitramur of a bench of bishops, or a board of independents, or a general assembly, than of a conclave of cardinals.

I could fill a sheet on the mournful subject of the profligacy and calamities of the times. The Lord's hand is lifted up, but few acknowledge or are affected by it. Our public affairs are dark, and likely to be darker. I cannot but rejoice that an end is put to the destructive war abroad; but I dread the effects of our dissensions and confusions at home; especially when I see how profaneness, infidelity, and all the usual forerunners of national ruin, abound and spread. We seem to have little more union, public spirit, or sense of the hand of God over us, than the Jews had, just before the destruction of Jerusalem.

And yet I hope we shall not, like them, be given up to utter ruin. For, though the nation at large seems wicked and obstinate, to an extreme; yet the Lord has a people among us, and, I hope, upon the increase. And though too many professors are far from adorning the Gospel they profess, yet there are, I hope, a growing number of excellent Christians who sigh and mourn for the evils they cannot prevent, and are standing in the breach, in the spirit of wrestling prayer. For the elects' sake, I hope, the