grandizing herself by putting whatever opposed her to the point of the sword. Burning, butchering, the horrible tribunal of the inquisition, croisades, bulls exciting subjects to rebel, seditious preachers, conspiracies, assassinations of princes, were the ordinary means which she employed against those who submitted not to her injunctions. Ought this religion to promise herself the blessing vouchsafed to the primitive church, to the gospel of peace, of patience, and love? Conversion to the true God was the best choice that the Japonese could make; but wanting sufficient light to renounce their false religion, they had no other but that of practising persecution, or suffering it. They could neither preserve their ancient government nor religion, but by destroying the Christians, who sooner or later would have destroyed both. Whenever they had been able to make war, they would have armed all their proselytes, introduced foreign succours, and the cruel maxims of the Spaniards; and by the dint of killing and banging, as in America, brought under their yoke all Japan. So that considering things in policy only, we must agree that the persecution suffered by the Christians there, was, in the course of measures, dictated by prudence, for preventing the overthrow of the monarchy, and the ravage of a whole state. The ingenuity of a certain Spaniard justifies the precautions of those infidels, and furnished the Bonzes with a specious pretence for discharging their hatred, and soliciting the extirpation of Christians: when asked by the king of Possa, bow the king of Spain was become master of such a mighty extent of dominions in each hemisphere, he answered with too much simplicity, "That he sent missionaries to preach the gospel to strange nations; and after having converted a good number of Pagans, he sent his troops, who joining the new Christians, subdued the country." This indiscretion cost the Christians dear.

NUMBER 70.

Dialogue between a Country Clergyman and a Quaker.

Cier. I am glad of this opportunity of talking with you. It was

what I wanted.

Qua. And why didst thee not take it before? I never shunned thee.

Cler. I am your minister: it became you to come to me.

Qua. I promise thee, thou art none of my minister; I'll have none but of my own chusing. Besides, if thou mindest thy pride more than my salvation, and art too great to come to thy parishioners, small is my encouragement to come to thee: the apostles stood not thus upon their dignity.

Cler. The apostles went to those who could not come to them.
Qua. And to those that would not.

Cler. A modest man would have doubted, and heard what I had

to say.

Qua. Friend, hast thou thyself no doubts about the straitness of the way that thou art in?

Cler. Certainly, no.

Qua. Then am I more modest than thou art. I often doubt, and go to God with my doubts.

Cler. But you should go to him in a proper way.

Qua. I seek him by prayer, and endeavour to understand his will from the scriptures of truth. Knowest thou a more proper way? Cler. Do you understand the holy scriptures?

Qua. It is thy fault, and the fault of thy brethren, if I do not. The clergy have translated them.

Cler. But there are still many difficult places in them which the clergy understand best.

Qua. If the clergy understand them, then are they not difficult to laymen who know languages: and why do not the clergy explain them?

Cler. That is their business.

Qua. Then they ill understand their business, since they vary and quarrel so much about it.

Cler. They only differ in controverted points.

Qua. No more don't thee and I.

Cler But I mean points controverted amongst us.

Qua. That is to say, all points. Even where you say you believe. alike, you explain differently; which sheweth a manifest difference also in believing. And art not thou unreasonable to expect, nay, to demand union amongst the people, when the clergy themselves are the authors of disunion?

Cler. Therefore we renounce such clergymen.

Qua. And they renounce thee. And do not the Quakers act wisely to renounce you all as you all do one another ?

Cler. You speak harshly, and untruly: There are numbers of us who adhere together in our sentiments.

Qua. And there are numbers who adhere together against you, and yet call themselves of the same church with you.

Cler. I am sorry for it.

Qua. So aughtest thou to be for charging me with speaking untruly, when thou thyself bearest testimony to the truth which I speak. Cler. But you go too far.

Qua. I do not, nay, I will go farther, and maintain, that the numbers thou boastest of in union with thee, were every man to explain his belief his own way, would all vary from thee, and from one anotber.

Cler. I do not think so: however, their varying in belief is no reason for believing.

Qua. But it is a good reason why every man should have his own belief.

Cler. Then there will be no end of confusions.

Qua. No more there is not in opinions and doctrines.

Cler. And is not that a deplorable case?

Qua. So is the fall of Adam: canst thou cure it?

Cler. They are not parallel cases.

Qua. Depend upon it, thou may'st as easily bring back Adam inte a state of innocence, as all his posterity into one mind.

Cler. What, can't I reason a man into my opinion?

Qua. Yes, if he like thy opinion, and thy reasoning: Perhaps be will think them both stark naught.

Cler. That may be his fault.

Qua. And it may be thine. How are thy opinions better than mine? I think them worse.

Cler. They are warranted by the holy Scriptures.

Qua. I think mine are: I'll promise thee I'll try them by the Scriptures, which I think I can interpret as well as thou can'st. I'll tell thee further, that I am satisfied the God of mercy never damned any man for mistaking it; for I take it, that in revealing his word he mocketh not men, by giving them a riddle instead of a revelation.

Cler. You know little of Scripture, if you do not know that there are in it places which you cannot understand.

Qua. Nor can'st thou. As to those places, though they may be his will, yet I am sure they are not his revealed will, because he bath not revealed it; and if I take thy interpretation and conjectures for his word, then do I believe in thy word, and not in his. Now, where bath he commanded me to believe in thee?

Cler. He has commanded you to believe me, when I speak in his

name.

Qua. And so art thou to believe me when I speak in his name.
Cler. But I am his ambassador.

Qua. There I do not believe thee, because thou speakest in thy own

name.

Cler. Why, does not St. Paul say, we are ambassadors in his stead' Qua. Yes; art thou Paul?

Cler. No, I am only his successor; he himself is dead.

Qua. So are his gifts and miracles: canst thou work miracles? If not, how dost thou succeed him?

Cler. I preach the gospel which he preached.

Qua. So do I, and bear my own charges as he did his; and why should I pay thee for doing what I can do as well myself? I do not find that Paul has left thee any wages, and I am sure he has left thee nothing else; his epistles are left to every man.'

Cler. Yes, he has left ministers to wait upon God's ordinances in the house of God. I am one of those ministers.

Qua. Friend, as thou art a Christian, thou must needs know that every house is alike to Almighty God, who filleth heaven and earth, and dwelleth not in houses made with hands. And as to what you call ordinances, thou knowest that the appostles administered none. Every man did it for himself, and it was done from house to house. There were no bloody sacrifices in the religion of Jesus, and consequently no priests, their only office being to slay beasts.

Cler. Dare you say that God has appointed no body in his church to preach and explain his word ?

Qua. No; I neither do nor dare say it; and thou may'st spare thy big words. He hath left every man to preach it to another; nor doth it appear that thou hast any more call from him than every one of thy

parish hath. If thou wouldest resemble the apostles, go and preach to the unconverted without money, and without price. Thy whole parish 'believe in Christ already, as much as thou doest, and did before they knew thee. They have the Bible themselves; and if thou bringest them any tidings that are not in it, and that they themselves see not in it, they ought not to believe thee.

Cler. You argue very insincerely with me. Just now you contended that I had none of St. Paul's gifts; and now you would have me go without those gifts, and do what he did with them; namely, travel over the world, and convert the unconverted.

Qua. No, I only would shew thee, that as thou dost not resemble him, thou art vain in pretending to succeed him; and so far I reason consistently, as thou dost weakly, if thou claimest all his reverence without any of his merit.

Cler. I do not set up for the abilities of St. Paul; but still have qualifications superior to laymen.

Qua. What are those qualifications?

Cler. I know languages; I have had an university education, and

If I

Qua. All these are civil qualifications, common to all men, who would be at the pains and charge. Laymen understand Latin and Greek as well as thou dost. The gospel wanteth no embellishment from those whom thou callest Virgil and Horace; and Christ crucified, is not sought nor found in universities, nor indeed the flesh crucified. am not misinformed, they abound with young men who are too often sinners, and with old men who are no saints. They are schools of words; but the gospel hath nothing to do with thy logic and vain philosophy.

Cler. I was going to tell you too, that I have studied divinity.

Qua. Knowest thou any divinity but what is in the Bible? and have not I the Bible? I think, and am sure, that it is a plain and intelligible book, at least as much of it as is meet for a Christian, and to turn it into doubtfulness, and disputation, and science, and gain, savoureth not of Christianity.

Cler. This is insolently said: who turns it into gain ?

Qua. He who maketh a gain of it; which is worse than insolence, whereof thou dost groundlessly accuse me.

Cler. What, do you not declare against preachers?

Qua. I have already told thee, I do not: I would have all men preachers.

Cler. Ay, tinkers, and taylors, and coblers.

Qua. Friend, beware of thy words: what were the apostles? They were no university gentry.

Cler. But you say that we want the apostles' gifts.

Qua. I wish thou couldest confute me. However, we have all of us the apostles' books; and can'st thou mend them?

Cler. No but I can enforce them; and the labourer is worthy of bis hire, if you will believe St. Paul.

Qua. But if he laboureth for himself, why should I pay him; I profit not by thy labour; why should'st thou profit by my substance. I believe Paul; but Paul bath given thee no property in my pigs and barley.

H

Cler. But the law has.

Qua. The law is not Paul. But I perceive, whoever is the giver, thou wilt be the taker.

Cler. Sir, you are rude.

Qua. How? Because I do thee justice.

Cler. Let me tell you, sir, there is reason in it, as well as law. Qua. Thy interest may be reason to thee: but thou wilt be put to it, to give me a reason for giving thee something for nothing.

Cler. Don't you know that under the law, the priests had their lot in the land?

Qua. Yes: But they were Jewish priests, or sacrificers. Art thou a Jew? and dost thou kill cattle as they did? and would'st thou reconcile Judaism to Christianity?

Cler. No; I would only shew that it is reasonable that priests should have a proper appointment.

Qua. I have already shewn thee the unreasonableness of having any priests in Christianity.

Cler. In this you saucily differ from all the societies of Christians in the world.

Qua. I do not differ from Christianity; nor am I saucy in differing from those that do. The blessed Jesus hath left thee no legacy, that I know of, nor so much as named thee in his will.

Cler. The man grows profane.

Qua. Thou meanest unanswerable. Is it any article of thy creed, that truth is profane ?

Cler. Your having no established ministers amongst you, is enough to render your sect odious to all sorts of Christians.

Qua. We have religion established amongst us. Is religion odious in the eyes, where there is not a livelihood to be got out of it? We establish no clergy, lest they should disestablish the peace and purity of the gospel; and whilst our preachers are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we reckon they will seek no money. We therefore do not keep in pay men who sell speech.

Cler. The truth is, the speeches uttered amongst you are not worth buying.

Qua. Friend, no speeches in the house of God ought to be bought, nor the tabernacle be turned into a shop. Why sellest thou thine, which, as report saith, are not alluring? Freely you have received, freely give. Friend, what did the gospel cost thee? or why should we purchase it at thy dear price, when we have it in our houses in more purity and plainness than thou can'st give it?

Cler. Yes, and you understand it by the Spirit.

Qua. Thou sayest it. We trust to the Spirit to direct us, who is promised to all that ask him. Thou trusteth to Henry Hammond and Daniel Whitby for direction. Whether art thou or we best directed?

Cler. I shall not believe that the Spirit is the author of the enthusi asm and dreams that are found amongst you.

Qua. "The carnal man discerneth not the things of God." Paul was called a babbler by the Athenians, whose priests, who were many had no illumination, but being men of dark and voluptuous minds, and