There is a class of persons who, after long familiarity with divine things, find themselves in a sort of solemn darkness. They read, and hear, and pray: but they are not happy and alive in religion as they would wish to be. There is a class of persons who receive many right tenets in religion, but who retain also many errors, and in whose apprehensions much defect respecting the cardinal points of the Gospel is very perceptible. Their life is correct: but yet they do not exhibit many of the peculiar excellences, of the Christian character. Why should I mention the lukewarm, the stationary, the garrulous, the worldly, the indulgent, the latitudinarian, the feeble Chris tian? These are populous classes in all the walks of rational exist ence. Where, I might also ask, shall I put the class of persons who, descended from pious parents, or favoured with a religious education, know, esteem, and do something like profess religion? Who condemn folly, and love the folly they condemn who value religion, and neglect the thing they value. But I fear these remarks are becoming too prolix: it is time to bring them to a close. To a man of reflection and intelligence the world continually appears a mysterious and perplexing scene. A common observer may suppose that all is known at once, and that every thing may be said in a few sweeping sentences. But a wise man sees around him an exhaustless variety; different moral elements united in all possible combinations. Hence he learns to think, and feel, and speak respecting man, with deliberation and modesty, and, pitying the rashness of those whose judgment cannot keep pace with their zeal, sees the propriety of leaving much to the Judge of all men, who alone can discern the heart. My ideas of actually existing characters may, perhaps, startle some, and appear strange to others: but I would ask the wisest, if I wished to make him feel his ignorance, How much do we know of the world? I am of opinion that all real characters ought to be openly described with fidelity, skill, and judgment. The mere disciple of a system may attend to such a subject with impatience: but we must take the world as it is, and men as they are; and if we mean to do good, we must not merely sit down with the feelings of self-congratulation on our own proud eminence, even though it should be gilded with the light of truth; but must humbly descend into the vale among the rude and low-thoughted myriads of mankind; we must patiently and firmly hold the mirror to every individual, and must say with gentleness and affection, "Mortal, behold thy self." Uniformity in religion is most truly desirable. Our labours ought to be directed to the promotion of the "unity of the faith:" and surely this can never be done better than by making men see themselves; that, instructed in what they ought to be, they may be earnest in seeking to correct their errors and supply their defects. The difficulty that attends the task to which this paper relates, is unquestionable: and it may be admitted, that in unskilful hands much evil might ensue from an inadequate or wrong attempt at its performance. In fact, no one who is not deeply conversant with three important volumes-the Bible, the human heart, and the world-can ever hope to acquit himself in any respect, as a sound and able teacher of mankind, in moral and religious truth. I leave it, however, to persons of wisdom and experience to reflect on the subject as they judge proper. I only give it as a private opinion, that if statements of sacred truth were made with greater reference to real characters, the interests of true religion would be considerably promoted. The paragraphs of the preacher, and the pages of the author would be so many pictures in which different individuals would recognize their own peculiar features, and, consequently, instruction would make and leave such powerful and lasting impressions on the mind, as might lead to the most beneficial results.. "PENSATOR. THE British Critic for July, 1816, (Art. 10), contains the following passage: "This is the only true mode of propagating the Gospel; namely, by establishing a church and a clergy, as a rallying point of sound and active union. All the visionary schemes of fanaticism—all the wild and discordant efforts of unauthorised missions-can be productive of little permanent good, The Missionary Societies, with which this kingdom at present so unfortunately abounds, build their hopes upon sand: theirs is a foundation, which the winds and waves will soon dissipate, and the edifice will fall upon the head of its deluded builders." Now in considering that the British Critic professes to be a Christian and a Church-of-England work, I would inquire, and I do it with unfeigned sorrow, whether a real, earnest, and ardent love of Godbreathes in such sentiments; or whether pride and bigotry do not pervade and deform the whole passage? It cannot fail to strike the most inattentive reader, that all the Missionary Societies established in this kingdom are the object of this writer's scorn and derision. His censures are levelled with such intemperate zeal, that friends and foes are equally involved in one universal clause of ban and anathema, and are loaded indiscriminately with the opprobrium of promoting "visionary schemes of fana, ticism." No exception is made in favour of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, much less in favour of the Church Missionary Society. All are alike condemned as incapable of producing permanent good. It is frequently difficult to realize in practice that which is excellent in theory: it is sometimes impossible to controul all the contingent events which are requisite for carrying ingenious speculations into successful execution; but that, which has been already accomplished, it is senseless to controvert. It may be undervalued; it may be distorted by misrepresentation; it may be made the object of scorn for a season; but facts are too stubborn to bend to the wishes of those who dislike them, or to lose their effect upon the mind of a candid inquirer by passing through the medium of bigotry and prejudice. If the British Critic will not condescend to read the Reports of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, or, reading, is disposed to reproach the Society with pursuing "visionary schemes of fanaticism," it is scarcely to be expected that the Reports of the Church .Missionary Society will be viewed with less jealousy and distrust. On the contrary, as the latter devote the whole of their funds to these visionary schemes, which Bishop Horne (good easy man) would have called the laudable promotion of the extension of Messiah's kingdom,-nay the very fulfilment of the gracious purposes of His exaltation, (see Com. on Ps. xlvii. 8,) it is probable that they will only incur from the British Critic a heavier condemnation. ...But this sagacious writer will, doubtless, say, that I mis-state his opinions; or, at any rate, misap prehend his meaning. What! the British Critic offended with the diffusion of the blessings of Christianity? Monstrous supposition! Is there no difference betwixt op: posing the diffusion of Christianity, and ridiculing the mode in which it is attempted? Now to say nothing of the indecency of ridiculing the deliberate and long practised plans of Missionary Societies, will the British Critic have the goodness to point out what there is of delusion and fanaticism in the following statements? "In foreign parts, the. Society has for many years, and at very great expense, sent out, supported, and aided Missionaries to preach the Gospel to Europeans and Natives in the East Indies: and it has from time to time contributed largely towards the translating and printing of the Scriptures and other books in several Eastern languages; and also to the establishment and encouragement of charity schools, and the erection of churches in that quarter of the world.......To the assistance derived from this Society by its regular transmission of money, printing paper, presses, and other requisite materials, it has like wise been in a great degree owing, that, the Missionaries have been enabled at different times to translate and publish several editions of the whole, or parts, of the holy Scriptures, the Book of Common CHRIST. OBSERV, No. 186. Prayer, Psalter, and many books and tracts connected with religion and civilization in the Tamulian, Bengalee, and Portuguese languages."-See Report of Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, 1816. "The Church Missionary Society has established schools and other institutions for the diffusion of religious knowledge at eleven dif ferent stations in Africa, and at nine stations in India. In some places, translations of the Scriptures have been effected with considerable labour and expense, and printing presses have been established for the general dispersion of the Gospel in many different languages. Upwards of one thousand native children are receiving. the benefits of Christian education in the East, and a number greatly exceeding six hundred in Western Africa. The whole expenditure of the Society in the promotion of these objects, amounts annually to the sum of 17,000l. At one settlement (that of Kissey Town), Go vernment contributes to the support of the Mission. At another, the Bishop of Calcutta has borne testimony to the happy combination of zeal and judgment' exercised in the cause of Missions by Mr. Corrie, Chaplain to the East India Company at Agra." (Bishop of Calcutta's Primary Charge.)-See Report of Church Missionary Society, 1816. "We envy not (Quarterly Review, November, 1816, Art. III.) the feelings of those who find amusement in holding up to ridicule the labours of the Baptist Missionaries: ours, we confess, have received a very different im pression, which tells us we shall not err greatly in placing the names of Marshman, Carey, Ward, and the rest of the Serampore missionaries among the benefactors of the human race.....' .....The sum expended by them annually in the three departments of missionary stations, translations, and schools, amounts to 3 C about 14,000/. sterling. From this sum, in the year 1813, were supported fifty-three Missionaries of various nations, with their families; nineteen translations of Scripture were carried on, six thousand volumes printed, with nearly twenty thousand volumes of Gospels, and twenty-five thousand smaller books; and above one thousand children of various nations were instructed in useful knowledge." "It is said that the distribution of the Scriptures, and of religious tracts, in the vernacular tongue, has had the effect of exciting a lively interest in the knowledge of the Gospel; and that of late many instances have occurred of conversion, by means of these translations alone, without the intervention of any Missionary: that many Brahmins, and others, of high cast, have recently been baptized, and that a great number of native preachers have met with the greatest success in various parts of India....... And yet (says Dr. Carey) we are sneeringly told that these Missionaries make only rice Christians in India."" -See Quarterly Review, November, 1816. I profess myself utterly at a loss to comprehend why such methods of diffusing the blessings of Christianity are to be branded as "visionary schemes of fanaticism," as "wild and discordant efforts of unauthorized missions," because, forsooth, what the British Critic calls the only true "rallying point of sound and active union" is wanting. I would beg leave to suggest to the readers and admirers of the British Critic the following questions: Does the nation generally feel the importance and necessity of establishing "a church and a clergy" in every part of the world where such an establishment is required? And, if it does, is the country enabled to carry such an extended measure into effect? And if all that is desirable cannot be accomplished, is that a sound reason for attempting nothing? I readily allow that the best way to propagate the Gospel would be to establish "a church and a clergy" as "a rallying point of sound and active union;" but the British Critic knows, or ought to know, that such a measure, considered as a general plan, is not easy of attainment. We are, therefore, compelled to adopt the next best method of proceed. ing, which he is pleased to call "fanaticism." Fanaticism indeed! Every real and genuine endeavour to regulate our lives, and to try our actions by the Gospel-standard, is now-a days branded with the appellation of enthusiasm or bypocrisy ; and all attempts to promote, by the only practicable means, the extension of Christianity is called fanaticism. As a great maritime and commercial people, we have the opportunity of diffusing the blessings of the Gospel beyond the ability of any other nation in Europe: and as masters of a large portion of India, we have not only the oppor tunity, but (as experience proves) the power of extending those blessings to millions. Do we then want the inclination, or do we undervalue the gift? Or, because it is utterly impracticable to accomplish this event in the mode prescribed by the British Critic, are we to abandon the fruits of our present success, and to begin the work afresh at some distant and undefinable period of time? It has been sensibly remarked, that, whilst we nominally prize the doctrines of our religion; whilst we talk for them, write for them, squabble, fight, hate, and calumniate our fellow-creatures for their sake," we are too often so far from making them the foundation of our practice, that we adopt a rule of conduct directly at variance with them; I mean the current maxims of the world; forgetting that "the friendship of the world is enmity with God." I am afraid that some 66 such feeling is at the root of our enmity to missions and mission aries. In the Scriptures, we are never suffered (says Bishop Horne) to forget, that the end of Messiah's exaltation to the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, was the conversion and salvation of the world; so continually do the Prophets and Apostles delight to dwell upon that most interesting topic, the conversion of the 'nations' to the Gospel of Christ. Why do we vainly imagine that we belong to Him, unless his spirit reign in our hearts by faith?" (Commentary on Psalms, p. 280.-When shall we learn to soften, rather than foment, "the unhappy disputes of the present day; disputes, which serve only to irritate the minds of the contending parties, to grieve all moderate men, and to delight the advocates for schism and infidelity 2" PAULINUS. 1 the cause, by the general decision of the Christian public; and that to move, at this late period of time, for a new trial, either suppoзes the judges to have been since corrupted; or, that the defeated parties have transferred the matter to another and more liberal court, where they calculate upon a definitive reversion of judgment. It is, however, my own suspicion, that the court which originally decided, and which still retains a posi tive opinion on the general demerit of the writers interested in the decision, does yet incline to view them now with far more lenity than formerly; and, it must be conceded, that this decrease of severity is so far justifiable, as the offenders have corrected the tone of their compositious. If the individual who now records this concession, were allowed to appear as counsel for the plaintiffs, he would act, as he presumes, the Attorney General would act under parallel circumstances. To illustrate this, let us suppose that officer to be addressing a jury in a prosecution implicating the circulation of seditious writings. We might imagine him, among other allegations, to say;-"It is true, gentlemen, that the accused party is not formally charged with high treason; nor even with having achieved the seditious depravity of the Paines of a former crisis, or of the Cobbetts who have more recently degraded the political stage. The law has nevertheless been violated; and, although no statutes can provide penalties exactly corresponding with the varied shades of human guilt; yet, the object of the law is practically obtained, in a case like the present, when its decisions tend to the subversion of the principle of disaffection; when the infliction of its penalties restrains an offender from future deviations; and so menaces his associates as to awe them into silence, and furnish them with a beneficial opportunity of discovering what |