a mind neither hofile to the eftablished doctrines of the church of England, nor attached to them with fuch a blind and implicit reverence as to reprobate every difcuffion of them. I have ever practifed in my own ftudies, and I would encourage in yours, a free fpirit of inquiry into the meaning of the fcriptures. This fpirit ought not, on the one hand, to degenerate into a petulant affectation of fingularity, as if nothing was right which was established; nor ought it, on the other, to be fo fhackled in its operation, as to be afraid of questioning the truth of what may have been fanctioned by public authority. There was a time when our ancéftors were pagans; there was another period during which they were papifts; and if the doctrine of fome men - that no change ought ever to be admitted in the tenets of a church established by law-had been adhered to by them, we their pofterity might at this day have been occupied with the Druids in cutting milletoe, or with the Catholics in tranfubftantiating flour and water into the fubftance of God! The gospel of Chrift has been polluted by the craft of men; it has fuffered this pollution from the earlieft ages of the church to the prefent times; and nothing, under God's Providence, feems more fitted to reftore it to its original purity than the fober zeal of learned and unprejudiced inquirers after truth. Statefmen in general, and, I am forry to add, too many churchmen, are enemies to free inquiry. It is a maxim with many of both denominations, that the religion which is eftablished in a country muft be maintained; and they are difpofed to calumniate and to punish thofe who would call in queftion any of its doctrines. This principle originates, probably, in the churchman, from an apprehenfion of the mischief which may attend innovation; and it originates, probably, in the ftatefman, either from a confined knowledge of the Chriftian fyftem, or from a belief that one mode of religion may antwer the purpofe of government as well as another, and that all religions are but ftate contrivances, to afit the impotency, and to enlarge the extent of human laws. While this principle remains in the heart of any man, free inquiry in religious concerns will, as far as his influence reaches, be checked; and if the temper of the times does not controul the temper of the man, pains and penalties will be inflicted on all thofe, who, in confcience, differ from the doctrines of the flate. The divine doctrines of our holy religion want not the aid of human laws for their fupport. When Chriftian magiftrates affume to themfelves the right of interpreting doubtful paffages of fcripture in a definite sense, they pollute the altar of the lord, though with a view, perhaps, of adorning and deferding it, and often fanctify error by the authority of civil laws. The hiftory of the church, from the time of its civil establishment, affords a thousand proofs of the truth of this remark. Examine the acts of the councils, convened by imperial or royal authority in different parts of the Chriflian world, from the council of Nice to the council of Trent, and you will find, that in many of them fuch doctrines were established as we proteftants believe to be absolute errors. Examine the confeffions of faiths of the different proteftant churches now fubfifting in Europe, and you will obferve in many of them fuch a diverfity of doctrine as will make you with that none of them had affumed any portion of that infallibility which they properly denied to the church of Rome. In fine, my brethren, you, perhaps, will think it to be your duty, In making this obfervation I have no view to individuals; and I believe it to be as little applicable to the statesmen and churchmen of this country as of any other, But the hiftory of every country in every age evinces its truth. and and I am convinced that it is mine, as by a modeft and fincere inquiry into what has been written by the Evangelists and the Apoftles, rather than into what has been delivered by Calvin or Arminius, by Sabellius or Socinus. to endeavour to fecure the protection The TEMPLE of HYMEN: A Vifion. [From Various Pieces in Verfe and Profe;' by the late Dr. Cotton. ] SOME At a little diflance from me I obferved a giddy crowd of both fexes, who were making to the temple, in order to celebrate with each other the ceremony of the god. There was fhuffled in among them a demon, whofe form was fo peculiar, and whofe fway over the multitude fo univerfal, that I fhall here give my reader a defcription of him. The name of this fury was Luft. In the upper part of his body he carried the likeness of a human figure; from his middle downward he bore the refemblance of a goat: his eyes were furgid, sparkling, and inflamed; his complexion was very irregular, attended with fudden tranfitions from a fanguine red to a livid paleness; his whole fyftem was frequently agitated with violence by the impetuofity of ungoverned paffion. His immediate follower was Diftafte, with a fickly countenance and fupercilious eye. The next, Remorse, with a hat flapped over his face, and a worm gnawing his vitals. I was greatly fhocked at thofe monftrous appearances; and the more fo, when I obferved how readily my fellow creatures gave into the hateful fuggeftions of the demon. But my furprife was abated on a nearer approach; for I difcovered that his breath was of fuch a malignant influence, as to intoxicate, and deprive of reason, all thofe unhappy perfons, who had advanced within the reach of its contagion. I was in fo great a confternation at what I had seen, that I hesitated for a while whether I fhould enter into converfation with those blithe adventurers, who had declared them felves to be votaries of the temple. In the midt of my fufpenfe, there came to-ward us a grave old gentleman, of a fteady and compofed afpect, whose name was Thought. 'He was one of the principal agents belonging to the fanctuary; and fo high in the god's efteem, that Hymen was never, or but rarely, known to give his benediction, at the conclufion of the ceremony, to any couple, who had not been afhered into his prefence by this venerable officer. Upon his joining the company, to the majority of whom I found he was a perfect ftranger, there were expreffed an univerfal unçafinefs and difcontent and many of them induftriously avoided all converfation with him. But it is remarkable, that all thofe who hadi thus imprudently turned their backs upon him, were laid hold of, in their return from the temple, by one or both of the melancholy attendants of the demon. Hymen now appeared, marching with great dignity and ftate. The firft in the proceffion was Love, in the form of a cupid, who was continually prafting a thousand little arts and graces to draw upon him the fimiles of of the god; and, by the tender regards which he manifefted to the child, it was plain that he was a great favourite. Hymen followed, holding in his hand a flaming torch, which fhone with the brighter luftre the longer it burned. He was fupported by Virtue, a lady of the most engaging mien I had ever beheld. She was cloathed with a white refulgent garment, having her head encirled with glory. The next attendant was Beauty, arrayed in the most gorgeous apparel, and full of herself almoft to distraction. She was handed along by Youth, a gay ftripling, wearing a chaplet of flowers upon his head, and wings on his fhoulders. Then was discovered to view Money, an old man, meanly attired. His eyes were the eyes of a hawk," and the nails of his fingers were curved, pointing inward like the talons of a raven. He was noify, impudent, and prefuming. The retinue was brought up by Fancy, a lady ever varying her features and her drefs; and, what methought was very extraordinary, fhe charmed under every appearance. The deity, immediately on his entrance into the temple, afcended his throne, and fat with his head gently reclined on Virtue's bofom. Love and Beauty took their stations on the right hand; and on the left were difpofed Money and Fancy. The god quickly proceeded to the celebration of the nuptial rites; but there was such a confufed found of fighs and laughter, that I could not give the attention which was requifite, in order to furnish an account of the feveral circumstances which occurred. I noticed only, that many of the matches were very unequal; infomuch, that Hymen joined the refpective couples with reluctance, and but half confented to his own inftitution. After the ceremony was over, filence was proclaimed in the temple, for the god was determined to decide a conteft, which had been of long ftanding between the perfonages who attended about the altar. Upon this declaration the multitude divided; and, according to the various impulses of their paffions, they took the refpective parts of the feveral competitors. The young ranked themselves on the right fide of the throne; while thofe of more advanced years pofted themselves behind the difputants on the left. Love began with entering a complaint against money, fetting forth that his antagonist had feduced fuch large numbers to his party, that as to himself his intereft vifibly declined every day, to the great prejudice of that ftate, in which the god had always defigned him the pre-eminence. While he was pursuing his argument with great warmth, Poverty stepped out from amid the crowd, and ftared the young plaintiff full in the face; who was fo frightented at his rueful countenance, that he fluttered his pinions in order for flight. At which period Money rofe up, and addreffed the judge, with fhewing the neceffity of his prefence for making the married ftate as replete with happiness, as it was originally intended by its inftitutor; with other arguments, which, if they had been delivered with the fame modefty as force, could not have failed to create many converts to his fide. This his fpeech was followed with a thunder of applause from the company behind him." Upon which incident the old man began to triumph, and reinforce his allegations; when in the violence of his emotions his coat flew open, and betrayed to fight Cares, in the form of ferpents, hanging at his breast. Hereupon Love food up, and would fain have re-affumed his caufe. But Hymen, who well knew the importance of their joint prefence to render matrimonial life comfortable, ended the controverfy, by propofing the union of their families; to which propofition they chearfully accorded. No fooner were their hands joined, as the fignal of |