and trifling cavils with that contempt which they deserve.

"It is not eafy to conceive what could prompt this author to wound the reputation, and load the memory of men now in their graves, and who have hitherto been juftly accounted eminent for piety, gifts, usefulness, and zeal in maintaining, inculcating and promoting the pure truths of the gospel, with fuch a number of heavy accufations, and ftrange afperfions; unless we may fuppofe, that he and his friends finding, that their books and fermons had been amply recommended by Mr. Hervey, took the alarm, fearing that the judgment of fuch an ingenious and polite writer, one fo much applauded and admired by perfons of different denominations, might have weight with the Public, and occafion a more general propagation of thofe doctrines, which feemed to bear no favourable afpect toward the particular tenets and opinions in religion, by which they have thought proper to diftinguifh themfelves from all other profeffors of Christianity.

There was indeed fome ground to fufpect, that thus they might fuffer confiderably in their character, and find it more difficult to gain admittance to their favourite notions in this kingdom, where either an avowed contempt, or ignorance and a fupine neglect of

the

the true doctrines of the gospel almost univerfally prevailed, till of late God was pleased to raise up, and fingularly qualify fome few to appear in the defence of the fame, and attempt their revival.

The laudable endeavours of fuch, with the fuccefs that has attended them, must no doubt have given great fatisfaction to all fincere lovers of truth, and ftruck them with agreeable furprise but it appears, that any thing of this kind has had a very different effect upon the author of the letters, and his brethren; that it has only provoked their emulation, ftimulated their envy, and pushed them on to make a vigorous oppofition to those falutary doctrines that have, of late, been warmly efpoufed, judiciously explained, and zealously vindicated by fome writers of known and distinguished abilities; particularly, by the ingenious author of the Dialogues between Theron and Afpafio. They feem to be afraid of nothing more, than that the valuable and important truths taught, and inculcated in fome practical treatises recommended by that excellent writer, should meet with a more favourable reception among people of different denominations than hitherto they have obtained, especially among men of fafhion and influence.

But, were thofe Gentlemen as humble and felf denied as they pretend to be, one fhould think

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think the dread of fuch an event would have given them no difturbance. As they have been taught to think that every thing, and confequently every doctrine, every fyftem, that is highly efteemed among men, not of their communion, is an abomination in the fight of God; it might have been fuppofed, that any farther or more general propagation of thofe writings, upon which they have thought fit to pour fo much contempt, that might be procured by the means aforefaid, would have been rather matter of rejoicing to them, than a provocation of anger and incentive to emulation; as furnishing them with an additional argument to prove the falfity thereof, and their contrariety to the ancient gofpel; the true knowledge and belief of which, according to them, muft ftill be confined within the narrow limits of their little independent focieties. But it is eafy to find, upon occafion, that these men are not fuch proficients in felf-denial, nor fo much mortified to the esteem and applause, even, of thofe whom they are pleased to rank with the world, as they would make us believe they are.

A convincing proof of this we have in the very ftyle and fpirit of the letter- writer, who, it is evident, has been at no fmall pains to qualify himfelf for appearing in the character of an author, fo as to make fome

figure

figure in the polite world, and recommend himself to men of tafte and fashion. And it appears, that his endeavours this way have not been altogether unfuccefsful; for his talents as a writer are far from being contemptible, though, for his own fake, we could have wished he had improved them in another manner and to a better purpose, than he has done in his letters on Theron and Afpafio.

This Gentleman affects to be accounted a steady friend to the ancient gospel, and a zealous contender for apoftolic and primitive Christianity; but, from his manner of writing, one would rather be apt to take him for an infidel in difguife, and fufpect that he has acted in concert with fome determined enemies of the gofpel; or, at least, that by endeavouring to throw an odium on all ferious religion and practical godliness, he intended to infinuate himfelf into the good graces of thofe Gentlemen whose religion chiefly confifts in ridiculing and reviling every thing that ordinarily goes by that name. One thing appears evident, that he is no ftranger to the writings of fome modern- unbelievers, nor of a temper very different from theirs; for in managing his plea against the doctrines of Chriftianity, as explained and improved by thofe whom he is pleased to call the popular preachers, he has exactly followed their

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their example. And, indeed, he is fuch a proficient in their way of writing, as is rarely to be met with among any who fhew the lealt veneration for the Chriftian religion.

It is well known that thofe Gentlemen who affect the name of deifts and free-thinkers, though very sparing of their arguments, have usually such a copious fund of self-fuf. ficiency as abundantly furnishes them with weapons of another kind, namely, confident affertions, raillery, ridicule, and the like; which, however unfit to do execution upon their more intelligent adverfaries, not only ferve to keep them fome way in countenance, when ftript of any other armour, but alfo enable them to make a tolerably good figure in the eyes of unconcerned and indifferent fpectators, or men who never put themfeives to the trouble of inquiring, whether the Chriftian religion is true or falfe; and even render them formidable to the weak and timorous, however well-difpofed otherwife. And it must be owned, that the use of this kind of weapons, in controverfies about religion, has its own advantages, which our author feems not to have been infenfible of: for, though banter and ridicule, with ftrong and confident affertions, frequently repeated, can never convince an adverfary, and are never intended to do fo; yet they may confound, embarrass and intimidate