means of internal peace, tranquillity, and rational obedience, the Christian, the means of salvation.

In the new-invented system of instruction, all join in beholding an instrument of matchless and never-before-imagined efficiency, for the communication of that blessing, the value of which is so universally acknowledged.

From the first, the inventor of it-Dr. Bellfrom his station in Hindostan, saw in it all these capacities: but many and many were the years that had elapsed, before any the faintest prospect of seeing these capacities ripened into act in these northern regions could have opened to his view.

Lancaster, the first adopter, and, in some particulars, the improver, of the intellectual mechanism,—saw in it an instrument of that reputation, that opulence, and that power, which he actually attained, and so notoriously and scandalously abused.

His supporters-his generous and public spirited supporters-saw in it those admirable capacities which it possesses, and pushed on the application of it to the utmost of their power.

The personal and perhaps the public views of Lancaster, concurred with the public views of those his supporters, in giving to it the utmost extension possible: in giving to it an extension, which, by no factitious limitation whatsoever, was, or was intended to be, narrowed.

The dew of royal favour-who could have thought it?-the dew of royal favour was seen at length to fall upon the head of this schismatic.

The Bishops-the rulers of that church, of the excellence of which the sole proof lies in the epithet so hardily and unweariedly bestowed upon itawakened and alarmed by this self-styled Quaker, these rulers, after a sleep of so many years,-during which the invention was experiencing that treatment, of which, at such hands, merit, in proportion to its usefulness, might, from the signs of the times, have assured to itself, saw in it, as soon as they saw any thing in it, an instrument of defensive—of defensive?-yea, and moreover, by the grace of God, offensive-prosperously offensive-warfare.

The Church was then-as it still is-and, so long as it stands, will ever be in danger. They saw it was so they said it was so they keep saying it is so: nor can falsehood be imputed to them, so long as they confine themselves to the repetition of this dirge.

The Church of England is in danger now, as the Church of Rome was three centuries ago, and exactly from the same cause. The spiritual edifice is in danger, as a wooden one is in danger when the dry-rot is in all its timbers.

The Established Church is in danger, and from all the non-established ones. Why?-Because, in England, from the very nature of the two opposite sorts of Churches, it follows, that, by their re

spective ministers, in the one case, all their useful duties should to the utmost be fulfilled, in the other that to the utmost those same duties should be neglected. But of this elsewhere.*

In the hands of Lancaster, with or without intention, the Bible, put into action by the instrument invented by Dr. Bell, worked as a batteringram against the Established Church.-What was to be done? The Bible suited not the purposes of the Church of Rome: they forbade the use of it. As little did it or does it suit the purposes of the present rulers of the Church of England. What then was to be done?-Forbid the use of it they could not. What, in that same view, they could and did was-to teach, in the new way, the old thing which they found already in use-the Catechism: the Catechism, which, having so long ago been taken in substance from the Church of Rome, was now seen to be so commodiously suited to those same purposes. The Bible was taught by Lancaster: the Church of England Catechism was not taught by him. Should the tem of Lancaster spread, and become universal,the Bible might prevail over the Catechism, and the Church of England might thus be brought to an end.-Dr. Bell was taken up,-and, with the Catechism in his hand, employed to defend the Church against the Bible.

sys

* See Appendix, No. I.

The war thus secretly carried on against the Bible, common prudence forbade to become an open one. Appearances required that some use should appear to be made of it. Selected and cooked up in the manner which was judged a proper one, the Parables, the Miracles, the Discourses of Jesus,sooner or later, (for, in the accounts published, times are throughout kept, as will be seen, in a state of the most convenient darkness)-sooner or later, some of each, at any rate, were professed at least to be taught.-Taught-but how? Taught by being caused to be repeated? Oh, no: that was a privilege, reserved (as in Part I. § 4, as hath been seen) for compositions of superior worth and use : for the Graces, the Collects, the Prayers, the Catechism, the Catechism" entire and broken"—of the Church of England. Under the impossibility of suppressing it altogether, the shortness of one short discourse-the Lord's Prayer-saved it from the exclusion, so resolutely put upon every thing else that was ever said by him.*

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By weight of metal, if employed in the working of this new engine-by weight of metal, could a sufficiency of it be provided-not only might the danger, the pressure, be stopped, but, with hopes-not only of increase of dominion, but of the complete subjugation of the enemy, and the

* Second Report of the National Society, anno 1814, p. 196.

complete extirpation of schism-the war carried into his quarters.

Open force could not be applied. The Lancaster Schools were indeed Meetings, and any meetings might be converted into Conventicles. But, every where but at Oxford, Conventicles were protected by the Toleration Act: protected in some sort, by that law, but still more effectually by the spirit of the times,-or, to speak more plainly, by the ever encreasing multitude and intelligence of the Dissenters.

Other methods were therefore to be resorted to. The rival manufacture-the manufacture of minds -was to be crushed by weight of capital. Capital was accordingly to be the instrument: competition, the mode of working it: competition, the mode; and that competition such as should be an irresistible one.

The exertions were unexampled: had the object been less scandalous, the term miraculous might almost have been ventured to be given to them.

The Convocation system was revived. The Lower House was indeed untaxable. But the Upper House-the Bishops, headed by the Archbishops-taxed themselves. Taxing themselves individually, they did in this way what they could not have done by taxing themselves collectivelythey taxed laymen along with them. The Alarm Bell rung: and all who either felt, or felt themselves under the obligation of appearing to feel,