1 EXTRACTS FROM A PORT-FOLIO. [Communications for this Article are particularly requested.] RELIGIOUS BELIEF. the subject of religion many men dream rather than think-imagine rather On the of intellect of every individual awake, and preserved in vigorous exercise, similarity of sentiment would be much more prevalent. But mankind will not think, and hence (free) thinking has been deemed "one of the least exerted privileges of cultivated humanity." It unfortunately happens, that the idle flights indulged by enthusiasts, the burdensome rites revered by the superstitious, and the corrupt maxims adopted by worldly-minded professors, are charged on the scriptures of truth; whereas the inspired volume is fraught with rational doctrines, equitable precepts, and immaculate rules of conduct. Fanciful accommodations, distorted passages, false translations, and forced analogies, have been the despicable means employed to debase the Christian doctrine. Evans. KNAVERY OF ASTROLOGERS. Cardon was the victim of his own vanity: he calculated his own nativity, and predicted his own death at a certain time. When the appointed time drew near, and Cardon perceived no signs of any sickness, in order to preserve his repu tation, and that of judicial astrology, he starved himself to death. Scaliger and Jhoannus vouched for the truth of this fact. The same Cardon likewise calculated his son's nativity with a great deal of care; he advertized him in a long writing what his fate should be, but took no notice that he should be hanged at the age of twenty-four for poisoning his wife.-Philosophical Dissertations. RULES FOR RELIGIOUS STUDY. Dr. Taylor, the author of an Hebrew English concordance, and of many works of reputation on religious and moral subjects, was for some years the superintendent of a dissenting academy at Warrington, in Lancashire. In the fulfilment of this office, he was in the habit of delivering lectures on religious subjects to his pupils, which he always prefaced with the following charge; the perusal of which, must at once excite our admiration of it's author, and our regret that similar principles have not been more frequently avowed, and acted upon by those who undertake to teach religion to others.-1st. "I do most solemnly charge you, in the name of the God of truth, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life, and before whose judgment seat you must in no long time appear, that in all your studies and inquiries of a religious nature, present, or future, you do constantly, carefully, impartially, and conscientiously attend to evidence, as it lies in the holy scriptures, or in the nature of things, and the dictates of reason, cautiously guarding against the sallies of imagination, and the fallacy of ill-grounded conjecture."-2nd. "That you admit, embrace, or assent to no principle, or sentiment, by me taught, or advanced, but only so far as it shall appear to you to be supported, and justified by proper evidence or the, reason of things."--3rd. "That, if at any time hereafter any principle, or sentiment, by me taught or advanced, or by you admitted and embraced, shall, upon impartial and faithful examination, appear to you to be dubious, or false, you either suspect, or totally reject such principle, or sentiment."-4th. "That you keep your mind always open to evidence that you labour to banish from your breast all prejudice, prepossession and party zeal-that you study to live in peace and love with all your fellow Christians, and that you steadily assert for yourself, and freely allow to others, the unalienable rights of judgment and conscience." CHRISTIANITY TAUGHT BY MEANS OF THE PILLORY AND IMPRISONMENT. On the 21st of May, 1812, at twelve o'clock, Mr. Eaton was placed in the pillory, opposite Newgate, it being part of the sentence imposed on him for having published the Third Part of Paine's Age of Reason. If Government possess a common portion of common sense--to say nothing of humanity or justice-this will be the last time they will have recourse to such an infliction for such an act.-No sooner was Mr. Eaton brought out from prison, than he was greeted by a distinct cheer of approbation, which was repeated every ten minutes; and when he had been exhibited an hour, he was re-conducted to prison amidst the waving of hats and cheering of the assembly!-During the period of his punishment, not a single voice or arm was raised against him; on the contrary, those who were silent, appeared to take an interest in his sufferings; and those who spoke (and there were many who did) exclaimed against the harshness of the sentence, talked of its utter uselessness as to any good end, and of the folly of attempting to support the Christian faith by the prison and the pillory.--And what was the consequence of subjecting Mr. Eaton to a punishment usually bestowed on the vilest of the creation? Why a universal sympathy; and as soon as the scene closed, numbers flocked to his shop in Ave Maria-lane, to purchase the report of his trial! Such will ever be the case, when guilt and punishment are so apportioned--when error (allowing it to be error) is treated as crime-and when the putting forth speculative opinions merely is visited by penalties, rather than ex posed and corrected by arguments.--This is the last remnant of the fag got and fire system: another generation or two, and it will only be known as having disgraced the 19th century. ORIGINAL POETRY. THE APRIL SHOWER. THE fost'ring shower had spent its force, As o'er th' unruffl'd stream it bended. The rain-drops on the flow'rets hung, Seem'd new from their Creator's hand. So when rude Passion's storms are o'er, A flow'r-enamell'd path appears- Bursts on the sight in livelier glow, J. D. MAGAZINE. No. 20.] AUGUST, 1812. [VOL. 2. 37.9 THE PRIMITIVE MODE OF PROMULGATING CHRISTIANITY IT To the Editor of the Freethinking Christians' Magazine. SIR, T has long appeared to me desirable to have a simple, clear, and scriptural view of the manner in which Christianity was first promulgated by Jesus and his apostles, as also after their decease, together with the primitive order and constitution of the Christian church. Under this impres sion, I shall not think my time wholly wasted in attempting to elucidate this subject, and it shall be the business of these essays to shew the manner in which Jesus and his apostles acted to convert men to the faith, by quotations from the scripture; and to compare their method of proceeding with that practised by their pretended successors in the present day. But first, Sir, let me premise that scriptural authority shall alone have any weight with me, should any persons attempt to controvert what I write, as all human authority, expediency, or utility, can in my mind be of no importance, unless it can be shewn that we have no clue whatever from the sacred how to to the angina writings. I acknowledge that the New Testament does not profess to give us a regular system respecting these things because Christianity was never intended to depend upon ут writing; but the historical and epistolary parts do, in my 233opinion, clearly shew what were the practice and opinions of Jesus and his apostles in all these particulars, and that as far wi as they related to the Christian church, they are generally examples to be followed by Christians in all ages. Now it appears that the apostles appointed no successors, and that no men have been qualified to perform their office, to make new laws, or abrogate any they had sanctioned; but that the church alone was to be the depository of their instructions and institutions, and to be the means of spreading Christianity; yet we find in all ages an order of men have claimed to be either the succes-> sors of the apostles, or upon a more humble claim, have taken upon themselves the task of propagating what they call Christianity, and building up the Christian church, and have demanded support and reverence for so doing; most, if not all of them, justify their practice, by referring to an express command given to the apostles for that purpose (Matt. xxviii. 20); and therefore, if they make the New Testament the ground of their authority, they can have no objection to bring it to that touchstone, to whose authority I will always bow submissive. To have a right understanding of the subject in dispute, it will be necessary to shew the method pursued by the most ra tional of these teachers, in propagating Christianity, or instructing the church, and then compare it with the conduct and doctrine of Jesus and his apostles; and I shall not content myself merely with shewing that they are diametrically contrary to each other; but that the plan proposed and pursued by the latter was, on the ground of expediency, utility, and reason, far supe rior to the present practice, for promoting its avowed object. And, first, with respect to modern teachers, they are fre quently young men, without experience in religion, who, because of their learning or volubility of speech, are ordained, or set apart by some of the clergy, or called upon by a congregation of professed Christians, to be ministers. Their object, in either case, is not to teach Christianity, or any thing new; for were they suspected of any thing of this kind, the clergy would not sanction, nor the people accept them. Their business is, eloquently to support and maintain the opinions of the congregation over whom they are placed; and were they to discover the most important truth, contrary to the general opinion, they dare not promulgate it, lest they should lose their bread. It is a very common case (or we should expect it was, if these men were not entirely useless), that the congregation over whom they are chosen or appointed to preside, are as well if not better informed than the teacher, as they in general take upon themselves to be the judges of his orthodoxy. As a proof of what I have just asserted, I will state a case which occurred in one of the most enlightened congregations in this kingdom, or that ought to be so, if pulpit preaching, by men of the greatest talents, is capable of making men so-I mean the Unitarian congregation, meeting at the Gravel Pits, Hackney; a congregation who had sat under the teaching of Dr. Price, Dr. Priestley, and Mr. Belsham; yet these people, notwithstanding the instruction of these confessedly learned men, upon the secession, or expected secession of Mr. Belsham, had not one man among themselves who was capable of supplying his place. Surely if teaching in the primitive church had produced no better effect, Christianity would soon have been lost to the world. However, it so happened that a young man of the name of Aspland, who had been educated for the ministry, and had for some time vacillated as to what party he should seek employment among, or whether he should desert religious teaching altogether, and follow a secular employment, was, what Isuppose they would call it, providentially thrown in their way; and it will not be amiss to point out some of the links of the great chain by which Providence accomplished this important work. While Mr. Aspland was unsettled as to what line of conduct he should pursue, or how he should turn his learning and talents to the best account, he was invited to take the charge of a congregation in the Isle of Wight. In this place he continued till a better offer presented, of being tutor in a gen tleman's family. He then left that congregation without a pastor, but in his way to take possession of his new employment, though he had deserted his former congregation, and left them to seek a teacher where they could-he was invited to accept a much more eligible situation, the people being richer and the salary more liberal at Hackney, than those he had left in a widowed state. After some feigned reluctance of, "I won't be a bishop," he was constrained to accept their earnest invitation, and with the consent of his new employers, he suc ceeded Mr. Belsham, who went to officiate at Essex Street. These then are the links by which this great and learned man became the teacher of those who had before been taught by Messrs. Price, Priestley, and Belsham; and who, if Mr. Aspland was to leave them, must again look out for some other stranger who had eloquence enough to tickle their vitiated ears, or learning to defend their doctrines. Here then is a proof of the blessings of modern practice; but I would ask what principle must those men possess who would chuse for a teacher of their duty, a man who, if a public preacher is a necessary article for a congregation, had so forgotten or misunderstood his own duty as to leave those people destitute over whom he was first appointed? and why, if they had any principle at all, did they not send him back to the Isle of Wight, when they had prevailed upon him again to resume the ministerial office? The answer is obvious, they loved themselves better than their neighbour; "they did not do as they would be done by ;" and he never thought of doing so himself, because his talents being his merchantable commodity, he sold them of course to the best bidder. His conduct reminds me of an anecdote of a preacher in America, who told his congregation he had a call from God to become the minister of another set of people. A black man (aye! a negro slave) had sense enough to ask him these questions. "Massa, you say God call you to go to another people; pray, massa, what you get in this place?" "One hundred pounds per year," said the priest; "and, pray, |
