trines are so blended, that one knows not how to separate them, even in idea. The soul's immortality,' 'the glad tidings of the gospel,' are not they doctrines convertible. Much is attempted in the volume of the confessionalist, in the way of illustration of the former doctrine. A poet, who has wrote little, but well, not directly writing on this subject, i. e. the immortality of the soul, yet on topics nearly allied to that, has a fine flight of justly-excited imagination, which, in unfolding with the various horrific beauties of his ascent, he has made to skirt the regions of an 'HEREAFTER,'

"If death was nothing, and nought after death; If, when men died, at once they ceas'd to be, Returning to the barren womb of nothing

Whence first they sprang; then might the debauchee Untrembling mouth the heavens; then might the drunkard

Reel over his full bowl, and when 'tis drain'd

Fill

up another to the brim, and laugh

At the poor bug-bear death; then might the wretch
That's weary of the world, and tir'd of life,
At once give each inquietude the slip,
By stealing out of being when he pleas'd,
And by what way, whether by hemp or steel;
Death's thousand doors stand open. Who could force
The ill-pleas'd guest to sit out his full time,
Or blame him if he goes? Sure he does well
That helps himself as timely as he can,
When able. But if there is an HEREAFTER,
And that there is, conscience, UNINFLUENC'D

And SUFFER'D TO SPEAK OUT, tells ev'ry man,
Then must it be an awful thing to die;

More horrid yet to die by one's own hand.
Self-murder! name it not; our island's shame;
That makes her the reproach of neighbouring states.
Shall nature, swerving from her earliest dictates,
Self-preservation, fall by her own act?
Forbid it, heaven! let not upon disgust

The shameless hand be foully crimson'd o'er
With blood of its own lord. Dreadful attempt!
Just reeking from self-slaughter, in a rage
To rush into the presence of our Judge*!"

Noble lines! Does the infidel not start back with horror at the sound? Who would be an infidel? The poor souls who have been, with so multiplyingly recurrent a frequency introduced into his letters by the confessionalist, had they been taught in youth these so irresistible truths, our lamentations for their deplorable situation would never have been excited. Had they been initiated, as Secker would have had them, in the sublime truths of the Bible-that book only for which we should be now in an Egyptian darkness-had they been only required to contemplate (knowing not even more than what is in appearance) the starry heavens, they would not have been the miserable victims of a

* We have given the whole of this boldly animated passage: our motive is obvious. We would connect with the doctrine of the text the horrors abhorred by the poet, as concomitant to that unbelief which we would root out from the minds of

men.

contagion, the ravager and subverter of all generous qualities and of all worthy virtues. The confessionalist himself would have been, in such case, in the number of the fortunate many, who should have never imbibed the poisons, or the vices, of Atheism and AntiChrist. The Thriftys, the Jollies, the Denises, the whole tribe of the seducing and seduced of the acquaintance of Mr. Lackington would never have lost. the religion of their fathers, had instruction concerning divine truths formed, as it ever ought, the rudimental exercise of their juvenile minds.

We have seen, that it was by the means, neglected early, that the confessionalist became, what he did late, a Christian-a pious, holy man. What was so good for himself he has ardently recommended to others; and we recommend it-it is the panacea of diseased souls! Unquestionably, the task of regeneration will abound in obstacles. That conduct of life, which is the result of infidelity, will prove what it is, a very great, great obstacle. Yet, no habit is so inveterate, as nothing is so difficult; but diligence-diligence of resistance in the one, like diligence of perseverance in the other, case—will overcome.

This was proved in the case of the confessionalist. His return was rendered more difficult by his conduct in life; for, he had fallen into some of the vices of the age, and vice never fails to drive us further from truth and God;-if one, who indulges in sinful practices, should, like Pilate, ask what is truth, he does not wait for an answer, but dissolves the court of conscience.

Yet, as we have said, no habit is so inveterate but diligence may overcome. Although for years, and years of prosperity, taken up with the concerns of a large, and, as he seems sorry to add, a business of so great profits, as to have driven out from his thoughts the important concerns of religion; yet he overcame, or rather God's word and works prevailed!

Astonishing, that there are infidels!

SO

Besides what we have cited from, the learned Watson, do we not know that, however the shallow, superficial, pretended philosophers of our day affect to disbelieve the Christian doctrines, many of the philosophers of Greece and Rome, who lived in the time of the apostles and their immediate successors, who had every opportunity of enquiring into the truth of what they asserted concerning Christ, his miracles, death, resurrection, ascension, his sending down the Holy Spirit, miraculous gift, and all his other beneficent dispensations, were believers; they were thoroughly convinced of the truth of Christianity, of the truth of what the apostles and followers of Christ asserted, and of the doctrines they taught, that they openly professed themselves to be Christians, although they well knew that by so doing, they should be deprived of their riches, pomp, and grandeur; they gladly embraced a life of poverty, ignominy, and suffering; and, faithful to their principles, earnest in their persuasion, the fear of God, love of Christ, and hope of heaven to animate them, they at last shed their blood in the glorious cause. Were these not martyrs, whose

self-devotedness to the interests of our religion, proved that it was "of above."

It is true, that our religion is founded on miracles; but when the freethinker would press this, let him be reminded, that he too believes in a miracle-what would be, of all other miracles, the greatest-that Jesus Christ, the son of a poor carpenter, (according to the freethinker, of a carpenter), was without books, without habitation, a mendicant, and an outcast, supported by half a dozen of fishermen, was to establish for mankind a system of morals not paralleled by any of the systems of any of those great, wise, profound lawgivers, statesmen, and philosophers who had been. the teachers of the Heathen world. There is no reason in the opinions, the conceits rather, of the freethinker.

The confessionalist is good authority on this topic: he knew, of necessity, hundreds of freethinkers, they were all of them exceptionable moral characters.

In a letter to Tom Thoughtless*, an infidel, he relates the melancholy fate of several of his freethinking acquaintance-some who, before their dereliction from the faith, were prosperous in their various lines of business, turning freethinkers, became knaves, and cheats, and debauchees, and profligates of all descriptions. Persons, whom he designates by "A. B." "D. C."

* Not knowing who are meant, (we do not wish to know,) we adopt the fictious names employed by the confessionalist; but they are such names as we should not of ourselves have employed.

E