and also every old one that I was not before possessed of; so that at last I had got nearly the whole of this species of writing which had been published in the English language. I not only procured them, but read them, and some of them several times over, with a pencil in my hand to put marks to the most particular passages.

I also procured a Bible interleaved with blank paper, and transcribed many of the remarks and objections of infidel writers to various texts; and opposite to some texts I even wrote my own objections. Having had such a long acquaintance with the authors in favour of freethinking, I am able to remark that Thomas Paine, and other modern infidels, instead of consulting the Bible, have copied the objections to it, from those authors that preceded them, which objections have been ably answered, over and over again, by men of deep learning and great ability; those answers I, like other freethinkers, neglected to read, until a few years since. Now I have read them, I am ashamed of having been so easily duped and cheated out of my Christianity.

་

I will now relate the progress of one of my acquaintance from serious godliness to infidelity. I will call him Dick Thrifty; and I assure you, it is nearly the case with many in the infidel corps. I must first inform you, that most of the freethinkers that I have known in the lower and middle ranks of society, were once influenced by religion, at least in appearance.

Dick Thrifty was near thirty years since, like your old friend, a truly pious man; at least, I am fully persuaded he was perfectly sincere in his re

ligious profession: he being of an open, honesthearted disposition, incapable of practising any deceit. About the years 1774 and 1775, he read a good deal of polemical divinity, and by this means lost that simplicity and gentleness of disposition so essential to the Christian character. He then got acquainted with some, who having given up one point of Christian doctrine after another, had, in the end, become downright infidels. These acquaintance advised him to read the works of Chubb, Tyndal, Morgan, Collins, Shaftesbury, Voltaire, Bolingbroke, Hume, &c. Before Dick had read a quarter part of those books, he, like me and others, quitted his religious connexions. For a short time Dick boasted of being a rational Christian, and talked much of Chubb as being a very sensible, clear writer. After Dick had read Tyndal, Collins, Morgan, and Shaftesbury, he was then a Christian deist. Before Dick had gone through Voltaire's deistical pieces, he gave up Christ entirely, and was a philosophical deist; and pitied the poor ignorant Christians for suffering themselves to be kept in the dark. But Dick had not quite finished Bolingbroke's philosophical works before he was, from a dignified philosopher, sunk down to a reasoning brute. He had lost his immortal, immaterial part in the labyrinths of metaphysicks. Voltaire's Ignorant Philosopher made Dick a Sceptic; Helvetius and Hume gave the finishing stroke to the picture; poor Dick was then an atheist !

B&

Duped by fancy, erring reason stray'd

Thro' night's black gloom; and with uncertain step, Stumbled from rock to rock

1

OGILVIE'S PROVIDENCE.

Although Dick did not long remain a downright atheist, yet he long continued in a state of distracting doubt and uncertainty; at one time a deist, then doubting of every thing, even of his own existence. Now, there must be two eternal substances, matter and spirit, and then there can be but one, which must be matter. Sometimes he is quite sure that there is one self-existent being, and that he has an immaterial soul to adore him; then again he is perplexed and distracted with doubts.

Whenever I read the following lines, they affect me much, being applicable to myself, and many others, as well as to Dick.

Poor wretch! he read, and read, and read,
Till his brain turned-

He had unlawful thoughts of many things;
He never lov'd to pray

With holy men, nor in a holy place

-It is a perilous tale!

I am,

WORDSWORŢE.

Dear friend, Yours.

al

S

LETTER III.

But when no female arts his mind could move,
She turn'd to furious hate her impious love.
DRYDEN'S VIRGIL

-Hallow'd is the nuptial bed,

Of deeper sanctity than oaths, and guarded
By justice.

DEAR FRIEND,

POTTER'S AESCHYLES.

HAVING informed you in the last of the extraordinary revolution that took place in Dick's sentiments, you will not be much surprised when I inform you that a great alteration also took place in his life and conduct.

I knew Dick before he made any profession of religion, and thought him an honest well-meaning man, a facetious, sprightly companion; his temper tolerably good upon the whole; if affronted, passionate, but easily pacified, being incapable of bearing any malice to any one. He was grateful

for any favours or kindness towards him; open and unsuspecting, and friendly. I believe I may add that he was capable of the highest degree of friendship. His sociable turn of mind at times drew him into convivial parties.

Before he turned Methodist and married, he was addicted to the pleasures of lawless love; but he treated the sex in the kindest manner. After he turned Methodist he lived a strict religious life, and was, I think, as I before observed, perfectly

sincere in what he professed. I now can recollect that he had some enthusiasm, and a spice of fanaticism. Such as were acquainted with him thought that he generally lived a contented and happy life. He bore some misfortunes which befel him with fortitude. In short there was great reason to believe that religion had made a radical change in his heart and life.

Reading much religious controversy, and disputing about doctrines, has hurted many."

They dispute so much and long about it,
That even themselves begin to doubt it.

When Dick's mind was puzzled he was not so strict, nor so universally attentive to preserve the christian temper and manners as he had been; so that when he ventured on the writings of freer thinkers, he was the more casily seduced from the truth and simplicity of the gospel. For some time after Dick had become, in his own conceit, a phi losopher; he talked of the eternal rule of right; the fitness of things, of loving virtue merely for its own sake, and a great deal to the same purpose. Indeed at times he would insinuate, that the Christian had not so much reason to dread the commis, sion of sin as a free-thinker had; that infidels of all men ought to be careful how they lived, as they did not believe that there was any intercessor for transgressors; but it was remarked that he grew more relaxed in some moral duties. It is true that to all appearance he remained an honest generous tradesman, and was charitable to real objects of distress; but he would sometimes spend