and exalted sentiments; and I ask the more Orthodox among the Modern Dissenters, to concede, if they can, the boon now modestly solicited by the Roman Catholics, which is nothing less, than the privilege of setting up their own Religion, in the room of the Religion of the Church of England, and of the Protestant Disssenters. A few words more to

I hope I may be permitted to observe, in reference to the Dissenters, without intending to convey any thing more offensive than the interests of truth appear to demand-that it forms no matter of astonishment when Socinians, Arians, or Unitarians, refuse to admit the impropriety or impolicy of conceding the Roman Catholic claims. In the case of Dissidents of these, and other kindred classes, who only appear to exist in an atmosphere of scepticism and error, theological and political, no common ground presents itself on which the Believers in the accredited canon of Scripture can reasonably hope to discuss, with any advantageous result, either this or any other great national question of Religion and Policy, with persons who deny the Divine authority, and paramount obligation, of the Holy Scriptures, either in all, or in part. It can afford no reasonable ground for surprise, that they who would overthrow the very foundation of our common Christianity, see no injury likely to arise to the cause of Truth from conceding political power to a Church which has erected upon that foundation a superstructure of pagan impiety, and absurdity. The Religious tenets of such Dissenters as these, come about as near to the pure and unadulterated gospel of JESUS CHRIST, as do those of the Council of Trent, and,

therefore, when we witness a junction between the forces of Antichrist, no matter whether appearing under the form of Popery or Socinianism, we are at no loss to understand either the nature of such an union, or the object proposed by it. The opposition of the Pharisees and Sadducees to our Divine Lord, affords us a sufficient clue out of this Labyrinth, and so far from expecting or desiring the co-operation of such Dissenters in opposing the Roman Catholic Claims, the friends of Divine Truth would be led by their concurrence to suspect, for once, the correctness of their own views, and the integrity of their own cause. Happily, however, there are very different characters among the Dissenters-men upon whom no taint, even of suspicion, can rest-men who are the legitimate descendants of the BAXTERS, OWENS, and HENRYS of a former age, and in every way worthy of the high descent which they can trace. Pointing to that illustrious and unblemished band, I, for one, would say, in reference to the Dissenting interest at least

"In te spes omnis domûs inclinata recumbit."

I beseech such men to answer to the high hopes which every really pious man, of every party, still reposes upon them. They cannot fail to see that this is not a mere struggle for place and power, but for much more—that it is a contest between light and darkness-that it is eminently a spiritual, and not a temporal, warfare—that the ancient foes of God and his truth are inviting and heartening each other to no ordinary conflict-and that an inquiry which was made in the early age of the ancient Church, is equally appropriate at present-" Who is on the Lord's side." Let Dissenters of this holy and elevated character, consent to merge their subordinate competitions with each other, and with ourselves, in the overwhelming interests of our common salvation; and no longer hesitate to take rank under the standard of MOSES, and the LAMB. To them, as to our Evangelical friends in the Church of England, I would say the Church of Rome owes YOU no favour, but has an ancient and irreconcileable quarrel with all, who have so long, under God, resisted her spiritual tyranny, and her political pretensions. The enmity of the Church of Rome is not to Churchmen

as such, nor to Dissenters as such, but to all, in either of those bodies, as they are the real servants of HIM whose kingdom was not of this world. Whatever favour the

agents and allies of a system of darkness may be, at first, inclined to shew those simple hearted Dissenters who are now holding the ladder by which Vicars Apostolic, Romish Priests, and English Jesuits, may ascend to the object of their wishes, let such Dissenters be assured (I speak only to those of them who will understand), that the only privilege which will be conceded to them by the one immutable and infallible Church of antiquity, will be the privilege of being devoured last. Whoever is not with her, is, in her estimation, against her, and I know you too well not to know that you never can be with the Church of Rome. Be wise then in time. The points in dispute between yourselves and the Church of England are inconsiderable and unimportant; but the Church of Rome and yourselves are, and must be, at antipodes with each other. Your differences with the Church of England, are what BURNET calls "the heats concerning things indifferent," but your differences with the Church of Rome are upon great essentials, and are wholly incapable of adjustment, so long as you shall continue to retain any sense of the eternal distinction between forms, and realities-between shades, and substances between right, and wrong. They who are wise among you, well know that the Church of England, " with all her imperfections on her head," is still the accredited rallying point, and the best defence, even of Dissenters themselves, against the exorbitant and unfounded pretensions of the Romish Church on the one hand, and the indefinite and shoreless latitudinarianism of no Church at all, on the other hand. Many among you are willing to admit that her Articles are consonant with Scripture, and are liberal enough to quote and use her Liturgy, while, upon all the main and distinguishing doctrines of our common faith, all of you, who are yet untainted with the blast and mildew of Polemical Infidelity, are, "of one heart and one mind" with the National Establishment. Rely upon it you have nothing to gain, and every thing

to lose, by the introduction of Popery either into the Church or the State. I am, however, warned to conclude, and shall close this series of Letters by a few remarks on the arguments publicly adduced by you, Sir, for the Claims.

I am, Dear Sir,

Your most obedient, faithful Servant,

AMICUS PROTESTANS.

DEAR SIR,

LETTER XXI.

Nothing is more easy than to fly a kite; and however problematical may be the utility of such an employment, nothing, certainly, can be more safe, provided the sky be only calm and serene. I have, however, somewhere read of a great experimental Philosopher, who sent up a kite in a clouded state of atmosphere, the consequence of which was, that he was the first to fall a victim to the electric matter, of which his kite became the conductor, an event, which had never once entered into his calculations. In this case, however, the evil rested with the individual himself; but we read in the records of Truth, of one ACHAN, of whom it is said, "This man perished not alone." As moral evils are never confined to the individual transgressor, so it is not in the nature of any great Political error, that it should affect only the Politician who may have fallen into it. If, Sir, you have not conferred a signal blessing upon your own Church, and your own Country, by your late public declaration for the Romish Claims, you will, if my preceding reasoning be worth any thing, have inflicted the most serious wound on the vitals of the Church of England, and entailed the severest calamity upon our Protestant Constitution, which they have ever yet received from one of their own Household. There is absolutely, no neutral, or negative course, for such a Senator as yourself. Every-day Statesmen, and ordinary Legislators, have it not in their power to do the good or evil, on this and other great ques-

tions of National Polity, either by their speeches or votes, which any one must have, who stands in your peculiar relation to the Church of CHRIST, and to the world at large. It is on this account, that I am still unwilling to suppose you so irretrievably lost to the interests of this Protestant Empire, as to believe, you can continue to advocate these uudefined and indefinable, Claims, or despair of your even now retracing your steps. If you are right, then have the Martyrs died "as fools die"-then did LUTHER live and die under a grievous error, and WICKLIFFE preached and wrote in vain!

While your decided declaration, on the night of the 16th March, 1821, for laying our Protestant Constitution at the feet of the Church of Rome, produced affliction and dismay in many hearts, which had before beat only in unison with your own-the manner in which you then supported the Romish Claims, excited the utmost astonishment, among those who had always regarded you, as a RELIGIOUS Statesman. It was reasonably to be expected, that whenever, after the throes of three years, you should deliver your mature judgment on the Popish Claims, the Religious part of this momentous question, would, at least, have commanded the largest portion of your attention. So far from supposing it likely, that you would have absolutely omitted all notice of the bearings of this solemn question, upon the Religion of Holy Scripture, and upon the Professors of that Religion; those Members of our Reformed Church, who were opposed to the Claims, had a right to expect, that you should honestly have examined their arguments, and at least, have attempted, to allay their fears, as springing from, and connected with, their attachment to the Word of GOD, and their abhorrence of a Creed, which they believe to be in direct opposition to that Word; instead of this course of proceeding, you thought fit to treat this mixed and complicated question, almost exclusively, as one of Human Expediency, and condescended, in your discussion of it, to stoop so low, as to that Secular arena, which is invariably occupied by "the children of this world."

L