cured them the protection of God, but a deviation from that state of purity left them at laft open to the fuccefsful invafions of many nations.Thefe fignal inftances, with many more which might be cited to the fame purpose, prove, that no nation can expect or hope to profper, or be happy, but by perfevering in righteousness; and that the stake, although great, may be eafily won.

159. Piety and Virtue, with tears and loud laments, call out for a reform throughout all the earth!Reformation must be gin fomewhere.-Europe, the most enlightened portion of it at prefent, prefumptuously ufurps the title of CHRISTIAN, until she exert all her powers to effect this great work the way is cleared for her,

the reign of fuperftition and fanaticifm are nearly extinct, the curfed fpirit of religious perfecution (that wicked weapon in the hands of Satan) is laid,philofophy has enlarged the minds of the fuperior ranks of people, and a dawn of unprejudiced reafon begins to fhine upon the inferior, leaving them open to the reception of truth, when conveyed to them free from unintelligible myfteries.Great Britain ftands in the first rank of religious reformers; she has now an opportunity of taking the lead to Europe in the reform and restoration of mo

rals.

1

rals,- All reforms which men may meditate in matters of religion, are purely ideal and vague; and will prove, alas! no reform at all, but a mere pretence to one, without a reform in morals; as faith without works will affuredly ftand us in little ftead. Great Britain and her refpectable clergy have it now in their power to fhine forth in celestial luftre, a new star of guidance and inftruction to Europe; and, by the reflection of her example, to enlighten the rest of the world:-in order to this, we most anxiously recommend the confideration of this moft important of all fubjects TO THE BEST OF KINGS AND MEN, and to the Legislature and people of Great Britain and Ireland in general; but our first hope refts on the pious example and preaching of our Moft Reverend, Right Reverend, and Reverend Paftors: by their unwearied endeavors, we doubt not but we fhall foon fee effectually (although not literally) verified, the spirit of that remarkable prophecy of the famous wandering few, recorded in the Turkish Spy, which conveys a fuggeftion fo greatly honorable to the British nation *.

160. As a reform in fpiritual matters (as above hinted) without a previous reform of

Vide Turkish Spy, vol. vii. p. 216.

morals,

47

morals, as the ftate of human nature now stands, is, as it were, beginning at the wrong end of things; fo, when our Reverend Clergy obferve, that, by a return to natural aliments, the return of reafon and morals make a rapid progrefs amongst their countrymen; then will be the happy time to make a thorough reform in the ceremonials and principles of religious worship; for then, and not before, will they be in a proper frame of mind to receive it; their bodies being temperate and cool, their fouls will not be inflamed nor excited to irregular and violent paffions or defires; but in their place calm and unclouded reafon and rectitude will take the rule,Our Reverend Paftors will then doubtless abolish, not only the ufe of the Athanafian Creed, but the Nicene alfo, and correct that commonly called The Apoftles.- -They will pay fome regard to the injunctions of Chrift, who fays, "But when ye pray, do not ufe vain repetitions, as the Heathens do, for they "think they fhall be heard by much speak

ing," and cut fhort the tedious tautology and worrying of the Deity in the course of the Liturgy, and leave not the smallest femblance of polytheifm in any part of our worship. They will ftudiously garble the unintelligible Thirty-nine Articles of

Faith,

Faith, and correct the modes of ordination and abfolution; and no longer fwear to the belief and obfervance of tenets which they neither can, or do believe or obferve; nor prefume to be endued with powers which they know they have not, and which they alfo know belong to no being on earth.Thefe, and many more dregs of Paganism and Popery, which we ftill erroneously retain, they will affuredly caft away from us; and thus-on the whole, we should become a new people: by quick gradations the pure fpirit of Chrift's doctrines would take root in our hearts; power would no longer conftitute the rule of juftice; the primitive truths and the primitive age would be restored; mankind, who has from that period hitherto been, by nature, principle, and practice, very devils, would revert to a perfect sense of their original dignity and angelic fource, and no longer difgrace it; all jarring fects would be reconciled; peace and harmony would return to the earth; an effectual ftop would be put to the carnage of man and brute; and all united, would produce a fure and happy tranfmigration to eternity.

GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND Would blaze out as the torch of righteousness to all the world; her nations would profper; her people be happy; their pious flame would be

caught

caught by their neighboring ftates, and from thence be spread over the face of the whole earth; and THE KINGDOM OF SA

TAN WOULD BE NO MORE.

161. We are most sensible, that in this age of diftipation, infidelity, and fenfuality, our labors and fyftem will be deemed by the diffolute and unthinking part of mankind, utterly chimerical and impracticable: be it fo; it is not from those we expect a reform: our hopes rest on the efforts of the many, who, although they fwim with the current of vice, have yet at heart a reverence for the fublime truths of religion and morality, and would gladly join in stemming the tide, how foever they are, by a fatal complacence, borne down by the prevailing torrent of folly and fashion: would thefe but exert their powers in the cause of virtue; thofe would foon be afhamed of being out of the mode. The marks of the divine difpleasure which hovers round us are tremendous! we know not how foon they may light upon us; therefore let us, by a general reform, effectually deprecate the "peftilence that walketh in darkness," and thereby excite our God to give his "angels charge over us."

162. Thus