and yet that profession may be very absurd! The Indian may die under the firm expectation of enjoying another world, his dog, his bottle, and his wife; and yet he may be mistaken. Your mother was good, and therefore you argue her religious belief was so too. But surely every mode of faith can boast of being believed by some virtuous, some amiable devotee; and will it follow that all the jarring and contradictory creeds which the superstition of man has devised, and his credulity received, are therefore true? If the truth of certain doctrines is to be argued from the character of your mother, their falsehood may also be inferred from that of your father. 1 speak it not reproachfully--your father seems to me to have drunk into the very spirit of his system, and to have exhibited in himselfits natural effects on the mind; whilst your mother is a rare and striking instance of a mild and generous nature preserving its inherent goodness in spite of an absurd and illiberal creed. She was an amiable enthusiast, but what would such a women have been had she seen the Christian religion in all its beauty and simplicity! I certainly allow that the actions of men are determined by their opinions, or it would be useless to cherish a love of truth, and to teach great and noble sentiments; but then every individual imbibes in his passage through life such a multiplicity of opinions, so heterogeneous in their nature, and dissimilar in their consequences, that the ill effects of one opinion may frequently be supposed to be counteracted by the beneficial tendency of another-truth and error separating and uniting in endless variety. And farther, it is so difficult to say what in reality we do believe, and what not, that this may be one reason why we sometimes see bad men professing enlightened sentiments, and good men holding ridiculous ones. believe, after all, that if the supporters of unreasonable creeds, and senseless dogmas are taken in the aggregate, they will prove no very great recommendation of their principles. But I "I am not surprised, my friend, that you should feel an attachment to sentiments taught by so good a mother; but remember, that your mother was liable to err in her judgment, and she only impressed her sentiments on your mind because she thought them true. But the moment you discover them to be otherwise, you should discard them from your bosom, as you would a false friend whom the insuspicion of a parent had recommended to your love. And be not alarmed at the idea of examining the opinions which have grown up with you from infancy; for if they are true, by examination their truth is most likely to appear: if false, you would hardly wish to retain them. "I have admitted, Henry, that our moral character is influ enced by our opinions, and it is on this account I am the more anxious to give you clear and distinct notions of Christianity -to teach you to think honourably of God, and seriously of religion; for though I will ever lash superstition, and laugh at fanaticism, yet I hold true religion to be above derision-I reckon it the most sublime of all sciences--the most valuable of all acquisitions-a comfort to age, and an inestimable blessing to youth. A sense of the greatness, the goodness, and the wisdom of Deity, a knowledge of the dependant situation of man, and an estimation of the end and destiny of his being, must be the perfection of human knowledge; and this is religion! It is to worship God as a beneficent parent-to honour and preserve the dignity of our nature, and to fit ourselves for that happiness for which we were designed. Let these feelings occupy your mind whilst young, they will guard you from a thousand evils, and secure to you ten thousand blessings-health of body-peace of mind-evenness of temperregulated passions-patience in affliction-stability in prosperity-consequence among men-dignity of character the approbation of the heart, and the esteem of the virtuousthese! these! are thy blessings, O religion! "Think of these things, Henry, and you will preserve yourself free from the contagion of vice-you will be proof against the soft allurements of folly, and above whatever is mean and dishonourable. And how sadly does he who dictates these lines lament that he had not learnt in his youth the lessons he now gives to his Henry-as the sentences flow from his pen the busily accusing memory retraces a life checquered with misfortune, and embittered with woe, occasioned by one fatal act of giddy thoughtless folly. "Your mother, it is certain, attempted to the best of her knowledge to implant the seeds of virtue in your breast; but I, who consider virtue to be so intimately connected with opinion, and particularly religious opinion, am conscious that certain narrow and irrational tenets of religion will often spring up like thorns, and choak the goodly seed; and sometimes it may happen, that as the reasoning powers expand, the puerile dogmas of orthodoxy become too ridiculous for belief; and the passions gaining strength, all restraint on the actions is by degrees given up, the simplicity of the Christian religion being unseen, its animating principles unfelt-often when a pious parent weeps over a licentious child, the fault is in himself! "Learn to think of sound theology as something different from all the solemn trifling, the learned sophistry, and the idle quibbling, which has assumed its name-carry all the powers of your mind into your religious inquiries-the search after truth is an ennobling pursuit! - it exalts the intellect, and strengthens the judgment-it simplifies the ideas, and opens the eyes of the understanding.-But this subject affords a greater scope for amplification than I can at present take. "I rely on seeing you in November, and shall hope to detain you for a few days. The country, it is true, will be gloomy, and the trees naked and leafless; but then my cot is warm and snug, and my fire-side shall be as social as an old man can make it. Here for a while you may leave the trammels of trade, and forget the busy pursuits of man; or, if you please, you may bring the world into my kitchen, and laugh at kings, pity ambition, execrate statesmen, and satirise ecclesiastics, over a dish of tea. "Under the anticipation of again meeting, concludes, "Your's sincerely, "C. CLAIRMONT." ON METHODIST SOCIETIES. "The bricklayer throws his trowel by, With prayers, long sermons, groans, and creeds." Distinguished as the popular minister of the time, the glory of the old, and the wonder of the young, he is followed day after day, and night after night, by crowds of persons of both sexes; beloved by womankind, while astonishment gaped at him, affection doated upon him."-Onesimus. IN To the Editor of the Freethinking Christians' Magazine. SIR, N the latter end of the year 1739, eight or ten persons waited on Mr. Wesley in London, who appeared deeply convinced of sin, and earnestly groaning for redemption! They desired, that he would spend some time with them in prayer, and advise them how to flee from the wrath to come, which they saw continually hanging over their heads." There had, Sir, been various enquiries of this kind long before Mr. Wesley was born, and as the subject of them are to be found in the New Testament, "our venerable father" could not be at a loss how to proceed in this case. That we may judge correctly respecting his conduct in this particular, let us compare his reply with that of two or three persons who were divinely inspired to give religious instruction. Mr. Wesley's applicants. "Advise us how to flee from the wrath to come?"Mr. Wesley's Reply, (vide Rules). "That we may have more time for this great work, I appoint a day when you may all come together, and come every week, viz. Thursday in the evening." Do not forget to bring some money with you! The Gaoler over Paul and Silas. "Sirs, what must 1, do to be saved?" (Acts xvi. 30.)-Do! why call on "Thursday evening, and come once a-week." No! (they replied), "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house. (Acts xvi. 31.) "Master, what shall I do The Lawyer's question to Jesus. to inherit eternal life ?" (Luke x. 25.) Jesus. "What is written in the law? How readest thou?" (ver. 26.) Lawyer. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God," &c. (ver. 27.) All very true, but "that we may have more time,' you had better call on " Thursday evening." No, Sir! Jesus said, (O! blessed reply,) "This do, and thou shalt live." (ver. 28.) The opinions of Jesus, the Gaoler, and Mr. Wesley, seem at variance with each other. They come at once to the point. Mr. Wesley wishes you to serve an apprenticeship to that which may be done immediately, and what is still worse, you must pay money for it! Pocket-picking is a king to it! One thing, however, appears conspicuous in this conduct of the "dear departed saint"-Ambition; not merely a design, but a determination to become the head of a party; no matter by what means. Methinks 1 hear some "dear minister in holy things," saying, "why rake up the actions of a man who is not alive to refute your errors?" Here, Mr. Editor, I crave permission to give the living ones a chance, and, therefore aver, that all "reverend gentlemen" feel the same ambition. Thus, Sir! the gospel (which was intended to be free as air) is sold out at different prices, from one shilling per quarter to one pound and upwards; by which means laziness is encouraged, and many children's bread taken out of their mouths by these hungry fellows, who never call upon their hearers, except at dinner time. If 1 am wrong, Sir, I shall sure find one out of several thousands to contradict me; but I am afraid they will content themselves with the language they have used against your Magazine, and which is quoted by your correspondent F. H. Vol. I. p. 499. "To attempt to refute him by a chain of arguments, we judge unnecessary." Perhaps F. H. is not aware, that unnecessary and impossible, are often synonimous terms with the Methodists. The Rules say, "that it may the more easily be discerned whether they are indeed working out their own salvation with fear and trembling, each society is divided into smaller com panies called classes," &c. It is not in the power of any one man to describe all the evils these meetings have already created, and are daily causing in many families; let a few therefore suffice. A woman, for instance, has a husband, a little more rational than herself. He requests that she may not spend her time in these assemblies; but as "dear Mr. Wesley" ordered that "all persons shall meet in class once a week, at least;" she neglects her household affairs-leaves her children to take care of themselves, and her husband to mend the heels of his own stockings, if he does not choose to wear them full of holes; and, thus, week after week, idle away her time, at a game which I call, Who can tell the greatest falsehood? For it is remarkable, that the greatest liar always wins the best name!" Our dear sister in faith" tells the leader she has a husband in the gall of bitterness;" that he abuses her, because she will meet the sanctified;" then they all fall on their knees, and pray for this "rebellious wretch," at the end of every sentence bawling Amen, and making faces not to be equalled at a grinning match. As it is the duty of the leader to reprove, comfort, or exhort, as occasion may require, at the end of this creeping ceremony he advises "the dear woman" to come to class in spite of husband or devil, assuring her "The weakest saint shall win the day, Tho' death and hell obstruct the way." He reproves her, if she has not confidence enough to tell her husband, that he will one day" broil in hell" for his persecution; yet he comforts her with an "holy kiss" (don't be alarmed, gentle reader, I have seen it done, and have often done it myself), and he exhorts her to "give what she can spare towards the support of the gospel." So she picks her husband's pocket, to feed a parcel of scarecrows, who ought to work for their living, like honest men. But (says Mr Griffee) these are ridiculous remarks." This is one reason, Sir, why 1 have made them. If my nuts are too hard, Mr. G. need not try to crack them : he is welcome to speak out, and say what, he pleases. I am neither A. B. C. D. E. with a dash, Philo- Veritas, Christophilus, Obed, or Nobed; I don't want to grace the cant and flash dictionary; I am plain John Moor, willing to be convinced of my errors by James Griffee, and when he does this, I will cry out, “Griffee, I yield, I yield, I can hold out no more; And own thee conqueror." |
