name, urged that king to embrace the Chriftian religion.

I

am surprised," said his Majesty of Siam, "that the King of "France, my good friend, fhould interest himself fo warmly in "what concerns God only. He hath given to his creatures dif"ferent minds and different inclinations, which naturally lead "them to differ in opinion. We admire variety in the material "world: why not equally admire it in matters of religion? "Have we not then reafon to believe, that God takes pleafure in "all the different forms of worship? Had it been the intention "of God to produce uniformity in religion, he would have form"ed all men with the fame mind." Bernier introduces fome Gentiles of Hindoftan defending their religion much in the same manner : That they did not pretend their law to be universal ; "that they did not hold ours to be falfe, as, for ought they knew, "it might be a good law for us; and that God probably made many roads to heaven."

With respect to the other caufe above mentioned, viz. the defire of putting people in the right road. To reafon others into our religious principles, is natural; but it is not always prudent, I wish my neighbour to be of my opinion, because I think my opinion right but is there no danger of undermining his religious principles, without establishing better in their stead ? Ought I not to restrain my desire of making converts, when the attempt may poffibly reduce them to abandon religion altogether, as a matter of utter uncertainty? If a man of clear understanding has by fome unhappy means been led into error, that man be fet right by fair reafoning: but beware of endeavouring to convert people of low parts, who are indebted for their creed to parents, to education, or to example: it is fafer to let them rest as they are.

may

At any rate, let us never attempt to gain profelytes by rewards nor by terror: what other effect can fuch motives produce, but diffimulation

diffimulation and lying, parents of every fecret crime. The Emprefs of Ruffia ufes a method for converting her Pagan fubjects of Kamfkatka, no lefs agreeable than effectual; which is, to exempt from taxes for ten years, fuch of them as profefs the Christian religion. This practice may be political; but it tends not to advance religion, and is destructive of morality. Terror, on the other hand, may be equally effectual, but is not altogether fo agreeable. The people of Rum, one of the Hebrides, were Papists till the beginning of the prefent century, when in one day they were all profelyted to the Proteftant faith. Maclean of Coll, their chieftain, went to the island with a Protestant minister, and ordered all the inhabitants to appear on Sunday at public worship. They came, but refused to hear a Proteftant minifter. The chieftain reafoned with them: but finding that his reasonings made no impreffion, he laid hold of the most forward; and having made a deep impreffion on him with his cane, pufh'd him into the church. The rest followed like meek lambs; and from that day have continued firm Proteftants. The Proteftantifm of Rum is styled by their Popish neighbours, the faith of the yellow flick.

To apply rewards, terror, or any other means, for making profelytes, except fair reasoning, appears to me a strange perversion. Can God be pleafed with fuch means, or can any rational man justify them? What then should move any one to put them in practice? I fhould be utterly at a lofs to answer the question, but for a fact mentioned more than once above, that the rude and illiterate, judge by fight only, and not by reflection, which makes them lay weight on the external visible act, without thinking of intention, because it is not visible. In truth, the bulk of mankind reft upon the external profeffion of religion: they never dip into the heart, nor confider how that stands affected. What elfe is it but the external act merely, that moves the Romish miffionaries to baptize the infants of favages even at the moment of expiring?

expiring? which they profecute with much pious ardour. Their zeal merits applaufe, but by no means their judgement. Can any rational person seriously believe, that the dipping a favage or an infant in water, will make either of them a Chriftian, or that the want of this ceremony will precipitate them into hell? The Lithuanians, before their converfion to Christianity, worshipped ferpents, every family entertaining one as a household god. Sigismundus, in his commentaries of Mufcovy, reports the following incident. A converted Christian having perfuaded a neighbour to follow his example, and in token of his converfion to kill his ferpent, was furprised at his next vifit, to find his convert in the deepest melancholy, bitterly lamenting that he had murdered his god, and that the most dreadful calamities would befal him. Was this person a Christian more than nominally? At the end of the laft century when Kempfer was in Japan, there remained but about fifty Japan Christians, who were locked up in prison for life. These poor people knew no more of the Chriftian religion, but the names only of our Saviour and of the Virgin Mary; and yet fo zealous Chriftians were they, as rather to die miferably in jail, than to renounce the name of Christ, and be set at liberty.

I cannot with fatisfaction conclude this sketch, without congratulating my prefent countrymen of Britain, upon their knowledge of the intimate connection that true religion has with morality. May the importance of that connection, always at heart, excite us to govern every action of our lives by the united principles of morality and religion :—what a happy people would we be!

AP

APPENDIX.

Sketches

concerning SCOTLAND.

SKETCH I.

SCOTCH ENTAILS confidered in Moral and Political views.

M

AN is by nature a hoarding animal; and to fecure to men what they acquire by honeft industry, the sense of property is made a branch of human nature (a). During the infancy of nations, when artificial wants are unknown, the hoarding appetite makes no figure. The use of money produced a great change in the human heart. Money having at command the goods of fortune, introduced inequality of rank, luxury, and artificial wants without end. No bounds are fet to hoarding,, where an appetite for artificial wants is indulged: love of money becomes the ruling paffion: it is coveted by many in order to

(a) Book 1. fketch 3. VOL. II.

3 P

be