"In confirmation of this remark, we need only look to the valuable publications on matters of religion and morality, which have proceeded from the pens of fo many of the reverend bench, and to their patronage and fupport of almost every charitable inftitution in the kingdom, for the laudable and public fpirited use which they make of the greater part of their revenues. Reafon. ing from this laft fact, the labourer and artizan would have seen through that deteftable cant of hypocrify which would perfuade them, that it fo deeply compattionated their ftate, as to hope the period would come, when the whole of epifcopal property might be confifcated for their benefit; but which, at the fame time," could drain them of their laft fhilling, for the ufe of the Tabernacle. Can any rational being read, and not be filled with indignation and horror, at the dangerous influence gained over the minds of ignorant people, by thefe fanaticifts, that a poor man with a family, earning only twenty eight fillings a week, had made two donations, of ten guineas each, to the miffionary fund.* This total indifference to the first of all tender and focial ties, in the cafe of this infatuated individual, forcibly reminds us of the methodif tical exclamations of old Lady Lambeth, in the Hypocrite : How has he weaned me from all temporal connections! My heart is now fet upon nothing fublunary, and I thank Heaven, I am fo infenfible to every thing in this vain world, that I could fee my fon, my daughters, my brothers, my grand-children, all expire before me, and mind it no more than the going out of fo many fouffs of a candle.' P. 136.

With refpect to their favourite doctrine of the immediate interference of Divine Providence, he obferves,

"The clergyman of the established church but feldom dwells in his difcourfes upon the interference of Divine Providence in particular inftances, unless they are clofely interwoven with the downfall of empires, or any other revolution which may affect the happiness or mifery of millions. Not that he affirms the univerfe to be ruled only by general laws, or denies the infpection and regard to terreftrial affairs, of Him, "who is about our path, and about our bed, and fpieth out all our ways;" "without whom, not a fparrow falls to the ground, and with whom the very hairs of our head are all numbered." He knows God to be omniprefent, all-wife, and all-powerful; capable of governing and directing all things upon earth, with equal eafe, whether they be great or fmall. But that he thinks to infiit upon the immediate interpofition of his Almighty Power, upon every trifling occafion, would lead to the adoption of opinions, repugnant to his moral justice, and, therefore, to true piety.

"The methodist preacher, however, thuts his ears against this fort of reafoning. What enlightened minds have confidered as the in nocent amufements of a leifure hour, his gloomy foul turns from

See the Evangelical Magazine for this extraordinary fact...

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with as much pious horror, as if they were polluted with the ftain of idolatry. Nay, God's avenging providence, if we liften to his narrations, would feem to follow thofe indulgences. In the Evangelical Magazine, which feems to be established for no other purpose but the admiffion of the most extravagant fictions of the children of light and grace, the dear people, the elect, the people of God, the pharafaical names by which the votaries of Methodifi diftinguish themfelves from the reft of mankind, we are inftructed to believe, that a clergyman, for committing the heinous fin of playing a game of cards, was punifhed by inflant death. "And

it is worthy of remark," fays the writer, "that, within a very few years, this was the third character in the neighbourhood, which had been fummoned from the card-table to the bar of God." P. 138.

In his obfervations upon the other fuppofed caufes of the increafe of Methodifm, and, particularly, while combating the methodist doćtrines of experience, inward emotions, &c. Mr. Card has unveiled many of the profound arcana of that enthusiastic fect; and many curious anecdotes, taken for the moft part from their own publications, relative to their felect bands, love feafts, and other extravagant inflitutions, are reJated with much humour, blended occafionally with fevere invective, and merited reprobation. A fpecimen, alfo, is given of the hymns fung at thofe feafts of love, compofed in the warm myftical language of the Canticles, and admirably adapted to keep alive the ardour of fuperftitious zeal, among a people who mistake the fallies of paflion for the ecftacies of devotion. P. 161,

On the extemporaneous preaching of their minifters, and the fuccefs of the bold undaunted manner in which they address their audience, there occur fone good remarks at p. 161, and he concludes that head with obferving,

"It is not, we contend, the rhapfodical nonfenfe which the methodist preachers pour forth, for one or two hours, without the affiftance of book or paper, and the confequent notion among the ignorant, that God's fpirit refides in them, and fpeaks from their mouth; no; nor it is not the fulminations which thefe ecclefiaftical mountebanks let fly, without mercy or prudence, of eternal tortures to the lukewarm, and wavering, nor that difgulting bitternefs of fpirit, which leads them to deal damnation around the land, that half fo much has brought over the multitude to their party, as the fervour and animation with which their perfect cant is delivered *." P. 166.

In

"In a printed fermon of Mr. Adam Clark's, a man of great authority, we believe, among the methodists, and certainly deemed

In regard to what is advanced at p. 177, concerning the imperfect refidence of the clergy, operating as one of the caufes of the growth of methodifin, we muft fuppose this part of the difcourfe to have been written before the paffing of the late act enjoining refidence; if this ever were a caufe, it has, we truft, now in great part ceafed to exift. The folid advantages, however, arifing to a parifh from the conflant refidence of an enlightened clergyman, are too well depicted in the following paffage to be omitted.

"A refident incumbent, if the qualifications of his heart be equal to thofe of his head, is naturally impelled, from a variety of motives, to feck the promotion of the fpiritual interests of his flock, by the different means of infpection and remonstrance. The cure of fouls with him, is a charge of no fmall refponfibility. The command of St. Paul to Timothy, to "be inftant in fea fon, and out of season," is conftantly fresh in his remembrance. He confiders it, therefore, as effential a part of his duty as preaching, to lose no favourable opportunity of cultivating a friendly intercourfe between him, and thofe who are committed to his charge, in order that he might be enabled to remedy certain dif orders and irregularities, which are of fuch complexion, as can

deemed by them of great talents, the following expreffions, we fuppofe, are defigned at once to terrify, and fubdue into an im plicit obedience, thofe whofe vices, or, we fhould rather fay, frailties, have been confidered by the preacher to affect the cha racter of the fociety." A damned fpirit.-A devil damned in the abyss of perdition, in the burning pool which fpouts cataracts of fire!-Sinners may lofe their time in difputing against the reality of hell-fire, till awakened to a fenfe of their folly, by finding themselves plunged into what God calls the lake that burns with fire and brimftone.-Many are defirous of feeing an inhabitant of the other world, or they wish to converfe with one, to know what paffes there; curiofity and infidelity are as infatiable as they are unreasonable. Here, however, God fteps out of the common way to indulge them, You wish to fee a difembodied fpirit! Make way! Here is a damned foul, which Chrift has waked from the hell of fire! Hear him! Hear him tell of his torments! Hear him utter his anguifh! Listen to the fighs and groans, which are wrung from his foul by the torture he endures ! Hear him afking for a drop of water, to cool his burning tongue! Telling you, that he is tormented in that flame, and warning you to repent, that you may come not into that place of torture! How folemn is this warning! How awful this voice.-Hear the groans of this damned foul, and be alarmed!”

not

not be openly redreffed; and especially for the fake of acquiring that honourable fort of influence over their minds, which will gradually difpofe them to read religious books, to ftrengthen and enlarge their faith, by private and family devotion, and not to forget, in the commerce and bufinefs of active life, the unalter able principles of christian charity and love. This, and much more good, will be found, on examination, to be done by many of our refident parochial clergy, and we may confidently add, that those who poffefs good means of information respecting that valuable clafs of men, will likewife perceive that this fpiritual acquaintance with their parishioners, is not effected by any of those low arts, by which the Romish priests obtained fuch an absolute fway over their laity; and by which, the religionists who form the fubject of this effay, have fuch a furprifing afcendancy over their followers, but by thofe free and unconstrained methods, equally fuitable to their characters as gentlemen, and to their reputation for learning, common fenfe, and rational piety.”*, P. 179.

The laft caufe affigned for the growth of methodifin, the domeftic irreligion of the great, as affecting dependants, and fervants, and rendering them either incurably wicked, or elfe, if driven by ficknefs and affliction to the houfe of prayer, confirmed methodifts, from their ignorance of the distinction exifting between found religion, and fanaticifin, is ably dif cuffed, and well deferves the attention of those who are the fubjects of it. There are, however, to the honour of Britain, be it recorded, fplendid exceptions among our nobility to thefe, perhaps, too general cenfures of Mr. Card, men as diftinguifhed for their piety as their rank, who follow the bright example of their virtuous Sovereign. May their num bers increafe, and their example be effective. Mr. Card concludes his ufeful ftrictures on this important topic with the following reflections, in which we fear there is too much truth, as the unwearied efforts of this powerful and numerous feft, feem equally directed against the established church, and government of thefe realms.

"From this imperfect, but impartial view of the rapid growth of Methodifm, it will appear, this pernicious heefy has taken

"It is the remark of Bishop Watfon, whofe liberal fpirit correfponds with his folid judgment, and extenfive erudition, "that there are many among the pooreft of the parochial clergy, whofe merits as fcholars, as chriftians, and as men, would be no difgrace to the most deferving prelate on the beach."-See his admirable Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1783.

fuch

fuch deep root, that its fpreading branches even threaten to overfhadow the established church. Cottages, huts, woods, moors, and even mines, have been vifited by the profelytizing activity of its profeffors. In the ariny and navy + they have infinuated their doctrines with moft unexampled fuccefs; and as it is alike indifferent to them whether they accomplish the downfal of our eftablishment by open violence, or fecret ftratagem, provided it be accomplished, it is a part of their policy, we understand, to have a large fund for the purchase of livings, to which minifters. of their own perfuafion are of courfe always prefented. Many wife and pious divines are of opinion, that every fect of chriftians have their ufe; inafmuch, as by their means, each important religious truth has the advantage of being fet in a full light by fome party or other. But furely the propriety of that opinion cannot be admitted refpecting a fect, which unceasingly labours to blacken and difcredit all thofe who do not adopt its tenets, which, wretchedly deftitute of intellectual culture, requires its votaries. to be hovering on the precipice of infanity, before they can be rightly prepared to come to the New Birth; a fect which without reftraint, and without remorfe, abufes the liberal indulgence of our chutch, by profeffing to belong to it, while it acts in open defiance to all established rules, and laftly, which has impioufly dared to confine the future rewards of true piety folely to its followers.

"Of fuch a fect then, we fhall not be afraid to make this coneluding remark, that while we readily allow fome individuals among the methodists to be of the moft refpectable reputation in private fociety, yet as a body, their clofe hypocrify and frand, their violent and malignant zeal, their arrogant pretenfions to the true character of primitive chriftians, and their limited notions of the mercy of the Almighty, entitle them to the pity and contempt of every man of liberal education and understand. ing." P. 184.

From the effays of minor importance in this volume, we could extract many entertaining paffages, but the length of the foregoing quotation prevents us; and, for further information, we must refer the curious reader to the volume itself, which is ftored with variety fuited to every tafte.

"In delineating the particular doctrines of thefe felf-fent apostles,' and in expofing their ambitious hopes, the Bishop of Bangor [now Bp. of London] has indeed juftly remarked, "that profelytifm, not doctrine, is their great object."-P. 19. See the Charge of this most found and learned Prelate, to his Diocese, in 1808.

+"For their activity in those two departments of the ftate, fee the Methodist and Evangelical Magazines.”

ART.