THE GOSPEL SUFFERS BY MISTAKEN ZEAL. Letter from W. CowrER, Esq. to the Rev. J. NEWTON. [ Extracted from Hayley's Life of Cowper, vol. iii. } "My Dear Friend, “It is indeed a melancholy consideration, that the gospel, whose direct tendency is to promote the happiness of mankind in the present life, as well as in the life to come, and which so effectually answers the design of its author, whenever it is well understood and sincerely believed, should, through the ignorance, the bigotry, the superstition of its professors, and the ambition of popes and princes, the tools of popes, have produced incidentally so much mischief; only furnishing the world with a plausible excuse to worry each other, while they sanctified the worst cause with the specious pretext of zeal for the furtherance of the best. "Angels descend from Heaven to publish peace, between man and his Maker-the Prince of Peace himself comes to confirm and establish it; and war, hated, and desolation, are the consequence. Thousands quarrel about the interpretation of a book which none of them understand. He that is slain, dies firmly persuaded that the crown of martydom expects him; and he that slew him, is equally convinced that he has done God service. In reality, they are both mistaken, and equally unentitled to the honour they arrogate to themselves. If a multitude of blind men should set out for a certain city, and dispute. about the right road till a battle ensued between them, the probable effect would be, that none of them would ever reach it; and such a fray, pieposterous and shocking in the extreme, would exhibit a picture, in some degree, resembling the original of which we have been speaking. And why is not the world thus occupied at present? Even because they have exchanged a zeal that was no better than madness, for an indifference equally pitiable and absurd. The holy sepulchre has lost its importance in the eyes of nations, called Christian, not because the light of true wisdom has delivered them from a superstitious attachment to the spot, but because he that was buried in it, is no longer regarded by them as the Saviour of the world. The exercise of reason, enlightened by philosophy, has cured them indeed of the misery of an abused understanding, but, together with the delusion, they have lost the substance, and, for the sake of the lies that were grafted upon it, have quarrelled with the truth itself. Here then we see the ne plus ultra of human wisdom, at least in affairs of religion. It enlightens the mind with respect to non-essentials; but with respect to that in which the essence of Christianity consists, leaves it perfectly in the dark. It can discover many errors that in different ages have disgraced the faith; but it is only to make way for the admission of one more fatal than them all, which represents that Y y faith itself as a delusion. Why those evils have been permitted, shall be known hereafter. One thing in the mean time is certain, that the folly and frenzy of the professed disciples of the gospel have been more dangerous to its interests than all the avowed hostilities of its adversaries; and perhaps for this cause these mischiefs might be suffered to prevail for a season, that its divine original and nature might be the more illustrated, when it should appear that it was able to stand its ground for ages against that most formidable of all attacks, the indiscretion of its friends. The outrages that have followed this perversion of the truth, have proved indeed a stumbling-block to individuals: the wise of this world, with all their wisdom, have not been able to distinguish between the blessing and the abuse of it. Voltaire was offended, and Gibbon has turned his back; but the flock of Christ is still nourished, and still increases, notwithstanding the unbelief of a philosopher is able to convert bread into a stone, and a fish into a serpent." LETTER FROM A LADY TO HER HUSBAND. The following Letter was found among the papers of a lady lately deceased, which were marked POSTHUMOUS, and directed, in her own hand, to her husband. The Rev. Dr. Hawker, to whom she was well known while living, and who is enabled to bear testimony to her Christian life and conversation now she is no more, hath obtained permission that this Letter should be made public. "My truly dearest and beloved Husband, "As I look upon my continuance here very precarious, and, from the nature of my disorder, I may not have it in my power to speak to you when the awful king of terrors brings his summons,-now, while I have the power to write and reason to reflect, I with pleasure and gratitude employ a few minutes in addressing you "In the first place, I return you my most sincere and grateful thanks for all your long, kind, affectionate, and tender care of me: I may say unremitting affection towards me amidst my many weaknesses and infirmities. I do beg of you to cast the mantle of love over my many frailties and ungrateful behaviour. I make no doubt but that my holy and unsanctified tempers have often been a trial to you. I do lament them to you now, as I have often lamented them before God and I do beg that you will follow the example of your blessed Master, and re. member that I am but dust. Whatever has been wrong, bury in oblivion. Think how the Lord hath borne with me in this wilderness. He knew that I should deal treacherously from the womb; and yet (stupendous love) he has borne with my backsliding heart, my refractory will, my rebellious spirit, my depraved polluted nature; and, after all, those dreadful aggravations hath magnified the riches of his grace by saying, "Deliver that poor creature from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom.-Oh! to grace how great a debtor !" [Here she ended.] REMARKS ON SOME PLAY-WRITERS. Videsne tragadiarum scriptores quid mali afferant? Lamentantes inducunt fortissimos viros: molliunt animos nostros: ita sunt deinde dulces, ut non audiantur modò et legantur, sed etiam ediscantur. CICERO. AMONG other arguments brought forward by some Professors of Religion, in defence of theatrical amusements, it has been said, that some of our celebrated moralists and divines have written plays. The names of Mr. Addison, Dr. Johnson, and Dr. Young, have particularly been mentioned. These eminent authors, it has been asserted, which we readily admit, have been the strenuous friends of morality in their respective writings; and their having composéd some dramatic works for the stage, is considered as a proof that they saw no moral evil in such compositions and representations. This mode of argument, however, is certainly erroneous, and of dangerous tendency. Some parts of the character and conduct of the best of men, might, with equal propriety, be adduced by some persons as examples for imitation, which ought rather to be considered as warnings for our caution. The names of Abraham, of David, of Solomon, and Peter, might be produced in defence of very bad actions, when those eminent saints acted unlike themselves, in some unhappy circumstances of their lives. Addison, Johnson, and Young, were fallible and imperfect men, like all other mere men; and, if they wrote for the stage, it only proves that they might, as has been observed, pull down with one hand, what they endeavoured to build up with the other. Judge Bulstrode, in a charge to the Grand Jury of Middlesex, uses these striking words:"One playhouse ruins more souls than fifty churches can save!" There are, however, some circumstances connected with the histories of those eminent writers and their plays, which ought to be known when their names are adduced in defence of theatrical amusements. With respect to Addison's Cato, it may be asked, if any serious professor of Christianity can really approve of the spirit and design which pervade the performance? Was not the hero a suicide? and is not his conduct honoured with the eulogium of the tragic writer? To this play, moreover, there hangs a tale, which is in itself more than sufficient to confute the argument brought in defence of dramatic representations, from the example of Addison. . Eustace Budgel, Esq. a very ingenious writer, who was concerned with Addison and Steele in writing the Tatler, and had likewise a considerable share in the Spectator and Guardian, being afterwards reduced to difficulties and distresses, put an end to his life, by throwing himself from a boat into the Thames. Upon his bureau was found a slip of paper, on which were written these words, "What Cato did, and Addison approv❜d, "Cannot be wrong. Dr. Johnson wrote one play only; which, as appears from Boswell's Life of the Moralist, was not favourably received on its first representation. There was a scene in it too shocking for the feelings and patience of the audience; who, when the heroine of the piece was to be strangled upon the stage, and was to speak two lines with the bow-string round her neck, cried out, "Murder! murder!" This passage was afterwards struck out; and she was carried off to be put to death behind the scenes, as the play now has it. The tragedy of Irene did not please the public; and Johnson never made another attempt in that species of compositiont. It is to be observed, that when Dr. Johnson wrote his play, he had not yet come forth in the character of "a majestic teacher of moral and religious wisdom." It was one of his early performances. It appears from Boswell's Biography, that our great moralist, at all periods of his life, used to talk contemptuously of players. Take the following instances of his conversation :— Players, Sir!" said he, "I look on them as no better than creatures set upon tables and joint-stools, to make faces and produce laughter, like dancing-dogs." But, Sir, you will allow that some players are better than others?' Johnson. "Yes, Sir, as some dogs dance better than others. Now, Sir, to talk of respect for a player!" (smiling disdainfully) — Boswell. There, Sir, you are always heretical: you never allow merit to a player.' -Johnson. "Merit, Sir! what merit? Do you respect a rope-dancer, or a ballad-singer?" - Boswell. No, Sir; but we respect a great player as a man who can conceive lofty sentiments, and can express them gracefully.'-Johnson. "What, Sir, a fellow who claps a hump on his back and a Jump on his leg, and cries I am Richard the Third? Nay, Sir, a ballad-singer is a higher man, for he does two things; * Jones's Biog. Dict. vol. III. p. 201. ↑ Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson, vol. 1. p. 169, fourth edition. he repeats and he sings: there is both recitation and music in his performance: the player only recites." If Dr. Young wrote tragedies, we are to recollect, it was in the early part of his life, when the amusements of the world and the objects of ambition had more charms for him than they afterward had. As yet, he was not the venerable and pions author of The Night Thoughts. The following quotation from Davies's Life of Garrick, a work written at the desire of Dr. Johnson, who contributed many anecdotes recorded in it, deserves to be known. "The Brothers, a Tragedy, by Dr. Young, was written about the year 1726, and rehearsed at Drury-lane soon after; but the author going into holy orders, occasioned the sudden withdrawing of his tragedy: great expectations had been formed of it; and it was with some reluctance the managers gave it up. Near thirty years after, Dr. Young consented to have the Brothers acted at the same theatre. He had formed a design of giving a thousand pounds to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel; and hoped that the profits arising from the acting of the play, would enable him to prosecute his scheme. Whatever success the play met with in the acting, the money raised by it was not adequate to the sum which was intended to be given away; nevertheless, the author made up the deficiency, and accomplished his pious intention." Some circumstances in the Doctor's conduct, as exhibited in the above quotation, may not meet with the entire approbation of some readers. Many, however, will think that the Author of the Night Thoughts cannot be adduced, with propriety, as the writer of plays, however he might be induced, after so many years, to consent that one of them might be acted, with the pious intention" of devoting the profits to the aid of religion. The first three Nights were not published till 1742. The preface to the Seventh Night is dated July, 1744. There is a passage in the Ninth and Lust Night of this valuable work, which must be considered as expressive of Dr. Young's senti ments in more advanced life, with respect to theatrical representations, and which certainly contains a strong disapprobation of such amusements. "Profess'd diversions! cannot these escape " Boswell's Life of Johnson, vol. ir. p. 415, |