"

as the encouragers and supporters of all that is false, of all that is unholy, of all that is mean and servile, and cruel, unjust and tyrannical, of every thing bad in religion, of everything unrighteous in government, of everything low and filthy and miserable in society at large.' "Not a few of these priests are drunkards. All of them are liars, except such of them as have not sense sufficient to make their falsehoods lies; all of them are perjured false swearing men.' "Even sup posing them to be Christians, which is not the case."-"The priests of the Church of England are hired to mock God, and they do mock him every week. They are hired to support iniquity, and they do support it."-"Priests seem to have neither common sense, nor common delicacy."-"The clergy are amongst the most unprincipled of their race. "Cursed are the men, who hire themselves to a government to preach what they know to be false-to use forms which they know to be unchristian-and thus prostitute their souls to falsehood and to lies for filthy lucre."-It is a horrible and devilish article; it is as full of priestly rage and intolerance as it can hold.""They are wishful that men should believe that the interests of their souls are entirely in their hands, and that God has appointed them to be the absolute masters and disposers of the souls of men.' "One part of their business is to teach children insincerity, to train them to falsehood and hypocrisy, to render them heartless and reckless formalists."-"The clergy of the Church of England are amongst the greatest infidelmakers on earth."-The Church of England, then, is one of the chief props of infidelity."-" All those of the clergy of the Church of England who have common sense are hypocrites and false swearers." "Why are not books and teachers, and other means of knowledge, supplied to every child of man? A curse upon priestcraft! A curse upon kingcraft! God blight and wither them eternally, and rid the earth of them for ever."- "Away, then, with your silly forms, your appointed times, your solemn places, your unnatural tones, your foolish gestures, your hypocritical ostentation, your public mummeries, your priestly impositions, and all your superstitious rant, and cant, and mockery. Away with them all." And what shall be put in their place? The fruits of the spirit? What a perfect heaven of "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance," must be the breast of the man who wrote the above; and who habitually writes and speaks thus! "Can a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?" No: but to one without spiritual discernment, it may appear to do so; "for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light; therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness." 2 Cor. xi. 14.

66

These remarkable words of an inspired Apostle may perhaps remove the difficulty felt by some with regard to the virtuous lives of many unbelievers; especially in connexion with the saying, "By their fruits ye shall know them." It must also be remembered, that, instead of testing a man's doctrine by the rest of his conduct, which is the common notion, his doctrine is one essential part of that very conduct by which he is to be tested. This is plainly told us by St. Paul in the 8th chapter of his Epistle to the Galatians. He there gives a list of "the works of the flesh," which he says are manifest," and which they who do "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Now amongst these we find "heresies" or false doctrines. So that according to him, a man's belief, or opinion as some call it, about the way of salvation is no uncertain doubtful thing, which has to be tried by his other works; but is itself one of those "works," which "manifestly" shew whether he is carnally or spiritually minded. This however can only be manifest to an enlightened believer; because none but he can be confidently assured of the truth. "He that is spiritual judgeth all things.' "Ye have an Unction from the Holy one, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you, because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth." 1 John ii. 20.

"There must be also heresies among you" writes the same Apostle, "that they which are approved may be made manifest."