Disclaiming all narrow and bigotted sentiments, as well as the slightest wish to infringe the rights of toleration, he still considers, and justly, that" where a plan is brought forward, and which has for its object the general education of the lower order of the community, under the direction of a Quaker and his elevés; we should certainly be losing all the advantage which the instructive page of history is calculated to furnish, (for history, my lords, embodies truth, and proves by facts the reasonableness of opinions,) did we not pause at the threshold of such a plan, to consider what are the supposed principles of that sect, to which such an important trust is to be committed." "Your Lordships must be too well-informed not to know, that the religion of the Quaker, whatever it now may be*, was in its original institution, the religion of Deism. That it was a religion which, under the pretence of a private spirit peculiar to its professors, contained the rankest essence of enthusiasm, to wh ch the letter of Scripture proved an ineffectual barrier. Hence it followed, that both the Sacraments of the Christian church were rejected by it, whilst those fundamental doctrines of the divinity and satisfaction of Christ, which, together form the great hinge on which Christianity turns, were completely. done away. In a word, my Lords, the original religion of Quakerism constituted, if we may so say, a disgusting amalgama of all those anti-christian heresies and blasphemies which were permitted to disgrace and disturb the church in her primitive days." Mr. Lancaster openly declares, that " he shall neither be ashamed nor afraid to vindicate the religious opinions peculiar to himself and his friends;" at the same time deprecating the undertaking, by sincerely hoping that the moderation (as he calls it) of his Christian brethren in other societies will spare him the trouble." If this be so, and the religious principles of the Friends be as here stated, it follows that such a man is as improper a person as can be to form the minds of so large a proportion of the community as is proposed by his plan. The following observations are of considerable conse-quence, and certainly ought to be well-weighed by those .who have stepped forward in suppport of this project. With the exception of the ranting extravagancies, the shakings, and outrageous indecencies, which characterised the first Quakers, the religi ous sentiments of their descendants are the same as those of Fox, Penn, and Barclay. The "The great leading object which the establishment of any system of national education must be supposed to have in view, is national advantage. Every part of that system, therefore, which national wisdom may judge proper to adopt, must partake, if we may so say, in this general national bearing. On this ground, which I conceive is not to be shaken, I would ask, with what possible view to the advantage of this nation, as she is now circumstanced, and will at all times, it is to be feared, be more or less circumstanced, is the following language of Mr. Lancaster, considered in its application to the lower rank of the community, to be reconciled? It is not a desirable thing (says Mr. Laucaster) to raise the love of war and false glory in the youthful mind. The reasonable part of mankind have already seen enough of its dreadful and desolating effects, to deter them from encouraging such a spirit. It is on this ground I am careful to avoid all commands which are strictly military; therefore when it is meant that they should go to the right, it is done by a sign; instead of march, we say go on; and instead of halt, we say stop." On this absurd particularity of the Quaker, which in other respects would only deserve a laugh, the author of the letter observes: "The fallacy of Mr. Lancaster's reasoning on this subject, consists in his condemning war, as war, without discriminating between the causes which at different times give rise to it. Wars and fightings,' we are told, come from our lusts which war in our members;' and when they do so, as, it must be confessed, is too often the case, they cannot be more opposite to the spirit of Christianity, than they are disgraceful to the parties engaged in them. But when war becomes a matter of unavoidable necessity, as a defence against the ungovernable lust of others, it must, it is presumed, be seen both by God and man in a different light. And if there ever were a war which might lay just claim to this distinction; such surely is that in which this nation is at present engaged. The circumstance, therefore, which Mr. Lancaster has pointed out, of our having seen enough of the dreadful and desolating effects of war, constitutes the very reason for our encouraging that martial spirit, which, under Heaven, is. alone calculated to prevent our seeing more; and it is only with the view of averting the desolating effects of insatiable and murderous ambition from being realized in our land, that the energy which it contains, is at this time necessarily called forth. When those happy days shall arrive, in which nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and they shall not learn war any mole, Mr. Lancaster's friendly system will be a most eligible one: but in the present distracted state of the world, when the great powers of the earth are in a manner trembling under the apprehension apprehension of that sweeping deluge of destruction which may, be rolling towards them, any system of education for the lower order of the people, which tends to unnerve the firm sinews of our national strength, must ultimately lead to national slavery. .The principle by which this country is at this time unhappily constrained to be directed; that principle to which Mr. Lancaster and his friends will, humanly speaking, stand indebted for the continuance of that peaceful and uninterrupted security which they now enjoy under our envied constitution; must be this: "Ostendite bellum, pacem habebitis." The author next proceeds to the religious part of Mr. Lancaster's plan, and we here meet with many important remarks, which deserve serious consideration. "Mr. L. professes, that his school is established not to promote the religious principles of any particular sect, but setting aside all particular distinctions, its object is to instruct youth in useful learning, and in the leading and uncontroverted principles of Christianity, and to train them in the practice of moral habits, conducive to their future welfare as virtuous men, and useful members of society." The letter-writer observes on this: "I should humbly conceive, that, before your Lordships give countenance to Mr. Lancaster's plan, it should be required of him to specify particularly, what are "those sacred truths of our holy religion, and those general uncontroverted principles of Christianity," which he considers necessary to constitute the whole ground of that religious education which he has in view to institute. Mr. Lancaster having without ceremony discarded the creed of the national church, the least your lordships, as governors of that church, have to expect, is, that Mr. Lancaster should unequivocally inform you what creed or set of religious opinions he means to substitute in its place. For my own part, I must confess, I meet with no decided traces of the great fundamental doctrines of Christianity in Mr. Lancaster's book. I lament that I see nothing that leads me to think that either the fall of man, or (unless Christianity be a fiction) that great sheetanchor of the Christian's hope, the doctrine of atonement, constitute any part of Mr. Lancaster's religious persuasion. Mr. Lancaster talks, indeed of knowing 'Jesus Christwhom God hath sent;" and so may the Socinian, and even the Mahometan, talk: for both these religionists do not hesitate to acknowledge Jesus Christ in his character of a Prophet. But the plain question is, does Mr. Lancaster profess to acknowlege Jesus Christ in his mediatorial character, as the Lamb of God slain for the sins of man▾ kind? If he does, why does he reject our creed? This we con sider to be the jugulum causa, by the proper cutting of which, the life or death of Mr. Lancaster's plan, so far as the religious part of it is concerned, ought in a Christian country to be de termined." Before we close our notice of this truly excellent per formance, we shall make another extract. "It is obvious to remark," says the judicious writer, "that whilst Mr. Lancaster considers the propagation of the particular tenets of any sect to be an improper violation of the private religious sanctuary of individuals, his proposal for a system of education which excludes our national creeds, is at the same time the most direct violation of that public sanctuary, which the constitution of the country has established. From whence it should seem that, in Mr. Lancaster's opinion, more respect is to be paid to the natural ignorance of young individuals in religious matters, than to the collective wisdom and piety of the church; "the pillar and ground of the truth." Were Iin Mr. Lancaster's situation, living in a country which not only refrained from all interference with my religious persuasion, but granted moreover even legal indulgence to any particularities; I should think,, that a proposal for a system of education in any degree hostile to the religious establishment of such a country, was not only the most unreasonable, the most indecent, but a'so e most ungrateful proposal that I could make: a proposal, we are sorry to say, which appears to justify the conclusion, that those who are most tolerated themselves, would not, had they the power, be found most indulgent of toleration to others; a principle, than which nothing would more effectually militate against that brotherly kindness, which Mr. Lancaster is so desirous to propagate." The letter writer is not for utterly rejecting the plan proposed, nor for depriving Mr. Lancaster of his due honour; but as a national plan, he conceives that it should be carried on under national authority; this being the only probable way of securing to the constitution its proper direction." Having been so copious in our account of, and extracts from, this interesting and well-written pamphlet, we are precluded from saying so much as we could wish upon the subject of it. We shall, however, take an early opportunity of returning to the consideration of this boasted plan, and to some circumstances connected with it, which are very Jittle known. Considerations Considerations on the Life and Death of ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. By GEORGE HORNE, D. D. President of Magdalen College, and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty. The Third Edition. 12mo. Rivingtons. TH HE title-page might as well have stated, that the author of this inestimable little volume, was " Bishop of Norwich." It was the intention of the late excellent Mr. Jones to have re-published the Considerations on the Baptist, with some other of the bishop's smaller pieces, which are become extremely scarce. We wish that this design had been executed, in which case, no doubt, the bishop's printed sermon, entitled, " Repentance the Forerunner of Faith," preached in Magdalen College Chapel, on St. John Baptist's day, 1755, would have made part of the collection. That excellent sermon, with another, on "Christ the Light of the World," are omitted, we know not why, in the bishop's `five volumes of discourses. They are of great merit and breathe the same pious spirit with the author's other works; it is therefore to be lamented, that they should be suffered to remain in obscurity. On the little volume now before us, we need not bestow any encomium. It is superior to all praise; and the reader must be as devoid of taste as of religion, who can lay it aside with indifference. We gave, in our last volume, page 272, the whole of the second section, "On the Hymn of Zacharias;" and to that extract we might, with propriety, have referred as a specimen of the bishop's performance. But the book is so great a favourite with us, and we have derived so much additional pleasure from the re-perusal of it, that we shall venture to lay before our readers one or two passages more. The nécessity of occasional retirement is thus beautifully enforced : "Who shall be able to fix his attention amidst the hurry and dissipation of life? Who can meditate on wisdom, with the noise of folly sounding incessantly in his ears? That blessed person who could suffer no distraction of thought from the objects around him, withdrew from the multitude, that he might teach us to do the same, who, alas! are often unable, when alone, to confine our thoughts, for a few minutes together, to one subject. The world, like Martha, is "troubled about many things," and most about those which are of least concern; so that, besides the prophane, the unseemly, and uncharitable discourses, |