1768. REFLECTION S. delivered. There seems to be at this time not only a general coolnefs towards the proteftant religion, as diftinguifhed from the spirit and practices of popery, but likewife a general inattention to thofe interests of the temporal as well as of the fpiritual kind, which it was the glory and praise of our ancestors to support. Unhappily for the public, as well as individuals, the fashion of the times prevails too often in religion, as well as in matters of lefs importance. The word of God, for which the poor people hungred and thirfted in the beginning of the reformation, now that it is fet open to every one with the greateft freedom, feems, in too many inftances, to be defpifed and neglected, like other things, which lofe their value, when they lofe their novelty. Many feem, now, even to pride themfelves in their ignorance, and to think themselves happy in being able to excufe their ungodly, fraudulent, or immoral practices, on the pretence of wanting learning, or what they call scholarship; unmindful that he who is wilfully ignorant of his Lord's will, when he may have the opportunity of learning it, will be beaten with as many ftripes, as he who knows it, and doth it not; and that the few ftripes mentioned in the parable are allotted to thofe only, from whom their mafter's will is concealed by fome unavoidable obftruction or incapacity. "The On another hand, it has been observed, that a selfish spirit prevails too much in thofe concerns wherein our very conftitution is at ftake. public, fay fome people, is the last thing that is cared for, even by those claffes of men, who, both by their station and abilities, are under the higheft obligations to confult its welfare, without which individuals can have no fecurity for their peace, their property, or even their very existence." This ftate of the cafe must turn the eyes and expectations, of those who perceive the approaching effects of this indifference, upon the clergy, of courfe. Their conduct will be marked by the judicious few, though the fecular and flothful among them may be indulged and even applauded for conforming to the fashion of the times, by those who, fhunning the light of the Gospel themselves, neither understand July, 1768. 361 their own duty nor that of their teachers, and who, defiring to be indulged in their turn, are ready enough to fcreen themfelves under examples, who, they will fay, would certainly direct them to a better practice, if a better practice was neceflary. But let no man deceive himself with vain words. In any general calamity, fuch as a return of popery would bring upon us, even thefe thoughtless men muft fuffer as well as others, either by fubmitting to a remorfelefs ecclefiaftical tyranny, or by a merciless vengeance for oppofing it, and will then be fufficiently awake to fee clearly from whence their fufferings are derived; and would be the first to reproach those who have flattered them in their flumfollies and diffipations, which now bers, and complied with them in those keep them fecure and infenfible of the common danger. It will be our happinefs and our comfort in fuch an evil day, to have the testimony of our confciences, that we have not ceased to departments, of the juft judgments of warn every one, within our respective God upon those who either neglect the care of their salvation in the world to come, or undervalue the means of working it out to the greatest advantage, which have been fo bountifully afforded and so repeatedly preserved and rescued from the deftructive jaws of popish tyranny and arbitrary power, dence, over this particular country, by the vigilance of a gracious proviperhaps without example in any other." The Bat. From British Zoology, lately publifbed. Tby Plin, Gefner, AldrovanHIS fingular animal was placed dus, and fome other naturalifts, among the birds they did not confider, that it wanted every character of that order of animals, except the power of flying: if the irregular, uncertain, and jerking motion of the bat in the air, can merit the name of flight. No birds whatsoever are furnished with teeth or bring forth their young alive, and fuckle them: Were other notes wanting, these would be fufficient to determine that the bat is a quadruped. larger of the two kinds found in EngThe fpecies now defcribed, is the land; and the most common: the ufual Z z length Gillam, Efq; for Murder. July of it, is about two inches and a half: A curfory Sketch of the Trial of Samuel the wings, are nothing more than the four interior toes of the fore-feet, produced to a great length, and connected by a thin membrane; which extends alfo to the hind legs; and from them to the tail: The firft toe is quite loofe, 1 and ferves as a heel, when the bat walks or as a hook, when it would adhere to any thing. The hind feet are difengaged from the membrane, and divided into five toes, furnished with pretty ftrong claws. The membranes are of a dufky colour: The body is covered with fhort fur, of a moufe-colour, tinged with red. The eyes, are very small: the ears like thofe of the moufe. This fpecies of bat is very common in England: It makes its first appearance early in the fummer, and begins its fight in the dusk of the evening: It principally frequents the fides of woods, glades, and hady walks; and is alfo frequently obferved to skim along the furface of pieces of water, in queft of gnats and infects: thefe are not its only food; for it will eat meat of any kind that it happens to find hanging up, in a larder. The bat brings only two young at a time; which it fuckles from two teats placed on the breaft, like thofe of the human race: For this reafon, Linnæus has claffed this animal in the fame order with mankind; and has honoured both with the common title of Primates, or the chiefs of the creation. Towards the latter end of fummer, the bat retires into caves, ruined buildings, the roofs of houtes, or hollow trees; where it remains the whole winter in a ftate of inaction; fufpended by the hind feet, and clofely wrapped up in the membranes of the fore-feet. The voice of the bat is fomewhat like that of the moufe; but very low, and weak. Ovid takes notice both of that, and the derivation of its Latin Dame. Lucemque perof Mout ten o'clock, Samuel Gillam, Efq; one of his majesty's The profecution on this trial was conducted in the name of Redburn's widow, and in the course of the evidence against the prifoner it appeared, that a prodigious concourfe of diforderly people had affembled on Monday the 9th of May, in St. George's Fields, where after they had continued a confiderable time, exclaiming Wilkes and Liberty, they made an attack upon the King's-Bench prifon, threw ftones into the marshal's houfe, and at length burft open the outward gate of the prifon, to the inexpreffible terror of the keepers, who not only apprehended that the prifoners would, in this confufion, make their efcape, but imagined that their own lives muft be inevitably endangered if they refifted the ungovernable fury of the rioters. Notwithstanding thefe apprehenfions, however, the keepers guard. ed the inner doors of the prifon fo fuccefsfuily, that the mob difperfed without effecting their purpose. But the marthal dreading their return the next day, and fearing ftill greater outrages from their turbulence, applied to the magiftrates for affistance, and a party both of horse and foot guards was ordered to be in conftant readiness to give every neceflary fupport to the civil authority. Next Day, as the marshal fufpected, the mob came, encreafed greatly in number, to St. George's Fields, exclaiming as before, Wilkes and Liberty; and appearing not only from the cir Nocte volante, ftroque tenent a vef- cumftance of their increafe, but from pere nomen. Minimam pro corpore vocem Emittunt peraguntque levi ftridore querelas. the tenor of their exclamation, to be determined upon a repetition of their outrages, the magiftrates, attended by the guards, judged it abfolutely neceflary to ftand forth for the pre Met. lib. iv. 10. fervation 1768. OF JUSTICE GILLAM. 363 fervation of the peace, the honour of fubjects who are capable of bearing the laws, and the fecurity of govern- arms; that he is empowered to arm ment. Among the magiftrates, thus them with fuch weapons as are molt difcharging their duty, Mr. Gillam likely to quell any riot, and that conwas very much diftinguished.-He fequently if he has a right to give expoftulated in the gentleft terms with them arms, he has a right to direct the populace, on the dangers which the ufe of thefe arms, as he judges rewere likely to arife from fuch an ille quifite for the prefervation of the peace. gal aflembly, and made ufe of every His lordship moreover obferved, that argument to difperfe them, which a magiftrate upon proper application could be offered by reafon, or urged to him, was obliged to take every poffby humanity.Uahappily, how- ble method to fupprefs riots, which ever, his expoftulations, as well as are, of all other things, the moft difthofe of the other juftices, were whol- graceful as well as the most dangerous ly difregarded-they preached to the infractions of the laws of the commuwinds and were reduced to the difa- nity: Unless the peace was preserved, greeable neceffity of reading the pro- he judiciously added, that we hati no clamation: But though the confe- fecurity for our property, our lives quences were fully explained to the or what was ftill more valuable, our inconfiderate rioters, though they were liberty; and therefore as the magiftrate informed that all, who remained an was obliged to ftand forth in times of hour after the proclamation was read, neceflity, for the fupport of the laws, would be guilty of felony, without be- the laws had exprefsly declared, that nefit of the clergy, they were as in- he fhould be indemnified for any perfenfible to threats as to exhortations, fonal injuries, which, in the execution and not only hiffed, hooted, and re- of his duty, fhould happen to the viled the foldiers, who endeavoured to difturbers of the public tranquility.fcatter them, but actually threw ftones To this purport, but in arguments at the magiftrates. They were the moft forcible, and in language then told, that the Guards would cer- the moft correct, Sir Henry Gould detainly be ordered to fire, unless they livered his opinion-and was immedidefifted from fuch wanton, fuch fcan-ately feconded by that great ornament dalous outrages; but this information of his profeffion, the Lord Chief Bahad no effect whatsoever; and Mr. ron Parker. Gillam, immediately after, receiving a violent blow from a ftone, the order for their firing was accordingly given, in which the unfortunate Redburn loft his life. Such was the general fubftance of the evidence given against Mr. Gillam; though one or two of the witneffes put the most unfavourable construction on his conduct, and declared, that, to the best of their judgments, there was no abfolute neceflity for firing. As Mr. Gillam neither called a fingle witness in his favour, nor made the minutest defence, either by himself or his council, the moment the evidence for the profecution was clofed, the Hon. Mr. Juftice Gould stood up, and declared, that he thought Mr. Gillam perfectly juftifiable in the whole of his proceedings; his lordthip quoted feveral eftablished authorities, which proved, beyond a doubt, that a magiftrate, when there is any occafion to fupport the laws, has a right to demand affistance from all his majesty's The Lord Chief Baron, befides expreffing the warmest approbation of the arguments made ufe of by the very learned judge who spoke before him, faid, that he was old enough to remember the occafion on which the riot act was made, in the reign of George the firft; and knew that it was drawn up by two lawyers, perhaps as able as any that ever appeared in this country. He remarked, that if any mob continued together an hour after it was read, they had nobody but themselves to blame for difagreeable confequences; and added, that if in cafes of this nature, where the laws were refifted, an innocent perion fhould even fuffer, it was to be lamented as a misfortune, and not imputed to the magistrate as a crime. To fhew the propriety of this reafoning, his lordfhip was pleafed to put the following cafes: Suppofe, obferved he, that a man should fire at a perlon to whom he bore fome implacable hatred, and milling his perfon, the ball fhould Z z 2 kill 364 Letter to the Author of An Appeal, &c. After the L. C. Baron, Sir Richard Afton, fo eminent for his abilities, and fo diftinguished for his humanity, delivered his fentiments: He agreed, he faid, entirely with the two learned judges who had spoken, and gave feveral inftances where, from a want of attention to fupprefs riots in their commencement, the conftitution of this country was in danger of being totally fubverted.-Particularly in Richard II's time by Wat Tyler, where though the matter of difpute was originally no more than the payment of a groat, the iffue threatened inevitable ruin to the kingdom. His lordship obferved, that if the affembly in St. George's Fields was not a riotous one, he knew not by what name to call it. The populace there, had attacked one of our principal prifons, continued their unlawful affembly, after the time limited by the riot act, and not only infulted, but threw Stones at the magiftrates, who were attempting to difperfe them.-As to the introduction of the military, in preference to the Poffe Comitatus, he took notice that the juftices were no way reprehenfible.The law made no difference between a red coat and white one; foldiers were no more exempted by their military character from affifting the magiftrate in quelling riots, than any other members of the community.The law obliged all his majefty's fubjects indifcriminately to affift upon thefe occafions; and, confequently, as there was a neceffity for fome affittance, none could be more proper than the military, who are always in readinefs, more eafily collected, more fubject to command, and more capable of defence, than any other parts of the people. Upon the whole, his lordship was of July opinion, that Mr. Gillam had not only The court was uncommonly full upon this occafion; Mr. Gillam bowed with great refpect to the Bench, and the jury, on his entrance and on his acquittal. He was dreffed in a fuit of black full trimmed, and wore a tyewig; a chair was ordered for him clofe to the council, but he fainted once through the exceffive heat of the place, as the crowd preffed very much about him, from motives of curiofity. I mention thefe little circumftances be- A Lover of Liberty, but a To the Author of An Appeal, &c. att, you are pleased to say that N the London Magazine for April "T.I. appears to hold a peculiar notion of 1768. Letter to the Author of An Appeal, &c. of the trinity, which you never met with in any modern writer, viz. that the trinity means no more than three diftin&t attributes of the deity, infinite goodness, wisdom, and power: That you gave a particular and distinct, anfwer to his notion, and pointed out the abfurdity of it, and likewise its being condemned by Unitarian and Athanafian writers." You was, Sir, particularly fortunate in finding Unitarian and Athanafian writers condemning a notion of whose existence they had no knowledge, which must neceffarily be the cafe if this notion be, as you fay, peculiar to T. I. ill-fated notion, to be condemned before it was found guilty, nay, before it was known to exist. Your affertion is altogether incredible; I could as foon believe you, if you was to tell me of a man who was executed for felony before he was born. We will now enquire if you speak truth when you say this is a peculiar notion of T. I. In p. 103 of a volume entitled, Christian liberty afferted, and the doctrine of the trinity vindicated against a book written by Dr. Waterland, may be found the following paragraph. "Mat. 19, v. 17. Why calleft thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God. This text was understood by all the antients as spoken of God the Father, the original, fupreme, underived good; the Son being the image, as of the perfon, fo of the goodness of God the Father." According to this writer, who I am told was the famous Mr. Jackfon, all the antients held original, fupreme, underived goodness to be God the Father. Confequently all the antients held Goodness to be a perfon, provided they held the Father to be a perfon. But I cannot agree with Mr. Jackson that the antients held goodnefs, mêre goodness, to be God the Father: This would be denying the Father to be 365 wife and powerful. Doubtless God the Father is infinitely wife and powerful; but infinite goodness is not infinitely wife without infinite wifdom, nor omnipotent without infinite power. Infi, nite goodness is a divine perfon, and the greatest perfon of the three, but no one perfon is God exclufive of the other two. The fame Mr. Jackson in clares it to have been the opinion of the p. 126 deantients, that Chrift (the Logos) is the Son of God, and that the Son of God, is the wisdom of God. It is from hence apparent that the antients held Wildom to be a person, unless they denied the Son to be a perfon. It appears likewife from hence that they did not by the word perfon is, indeed, intelligent, but power is mean an intelligent agent. Wildom the agent: Wildom knows, power acts, notion you oppofe is not peculiar to T.I. It is, by this time, evident that the except the reafon he gives why a divine hypoftafis is called Rotation a perfon; which reafon you have his permiflion to reject, if you diflike it, or can find a better. But you have never met with this notion in a modern writer. This may be; it has nevertheless been entertained by many moderns. It was entertained by the modern Mr. Jackfon, unless we fuppofe him to to have quoted authorities against Dr. Waterland which in his own opinion had no weight. But then, perhaps, fiftent, with himself: I grant it; but you will fay, Mr. Jackson was incon how can you or I help that he was an Arian *. : Dr. Cudworth entertained the fame notion of the trinity and declares it to have been the christian doctrine: And for the truth of what I affert I appeal obligeth me to own that in one place to his Intellectual fyftem. Candour the Dr. feems to speak with some doubt; but in other places he is very positive. * I would not be underflood to affirm that Mr. Jackson in the above paffages intended to speak the exact language of the Trinitarians. According to Mr. Jackson, the Father is Goodness, the Son is Wifdom. According to Mr. Jackfon, Goodness is a ferfon, Wisdom is a perfon. Thus far the Trinitarians and Mr. Jackson agree. But Mr. Jackfon proceeds, and fays the Father, or Goodness is a fuperior God, the Son, or Wisdom is an inferior God. Here Mr. Jackson and the Trinitarians differ. According to the Trinitarians, there is but one God, which one God is both good and wife. The Father is the goodness, the Son, or eternal emanation from the Father, is the wisdom of God, The |