remembrance of it, it is but natural that he should feel himself assured by satisfactory and unsuspected evidence. But this blamelessness-it will soon be seen, whether it be of any long continuance.

(2). [Wherein I was made, &c.]-Already the contempt of truth, pregnant with those incongruities, of which that corrupt affection is so naturally productive, begins to manifest itself. In this formulary, styled a Catechism, will be found involved, though many of them tacitly, in a manner and without any sufficient warning, a system of assertions, prodigious in extent and variety, contained in another formulary, being the verbal part of a ceremony of prior date, called baptism. Of this anterior ceremony, the examinee, a child, commonly but just able to speak-a child, in which the faculty of name has as yet scarcely begun to develope itself-a child completely incompetent to the forming of any judgment, or so much as a conception, in relation to the matter contained in it, is made to take upon himself to pronounce the effect.

Here, then, the first lesson which he is made to learn, and that under the notion of forming his mind to the sentiment of piety, is a lesson, which, if it amount to any thing, and has any meaning, is a lesson of insincerity: and which, in as far as it forms him to any thing, forms him to insincerity. For hereby what is the declaration which he is made to utter?-a declaration, asserting in the character of a true fact, the fact of his entertaining a persuasion which in truth he does not entertain, and which that he should entertain, is, in the nature of the case, not possible. When by Rousseau, on the occasion of the stories commonly put into the hands of children, under the name of fables, the practice, of thus drawing from the fountain of falsehood and misrepresentation the first aliment presented to the infant mind, was held up to view, and the

absurdity and mischievous tendency of it displayed, deep and extensive was the sensation produced by the remark, not less so the conviction and recognition of the justice of it. But if, in any such profane book of instruction, the admission of falsehood be incongruous, and the habit of regarding it not only with indifference but with approbation pernicious, how much more so in a book of religious instruction?-in a book professing to introduce men to the favour of the God of truth?

Yes, if by misrepresentation-yes, if by falsehood, any real and preponderant good effect could be produced, such as could not be produced by any other means. But by this or any other of the falsehoods, so plentifully strewed all over this Catechism, and which will successively be held up to view, in what imaginable shape can any good be seen to flow?

Question 3.-What did your Godfathers and Godmothers then for you?

Answer. They did promise and vow three things in my name (1): First, that I should renounce the devil and all his works (2), the pomps and vanity of this wicked world (3), and all the sinful lusts of the flesh (4): Secondly, that I should believe all the articles of the Christian faith (5): And, thirdly, that I should keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my life (6).

OBSERVATIONS.

1. Things is the name given to the courses of conduct, which are he subjects of the vow here spoken of. But

1

before we enter upon the consideration of these things, one thing presents itself as calling for consideration,—and that is the implied-the necessarily implied-assumption, that it is in the power of any person,-not only with the consent of the father or other guardian, but even without any such consent, to fasten upon a child at its birth, and long before it is itself capable of giving consent to any thing, with the concurrence of two other persons, alike self-appointed, load it with a set of obligations-obligations of a most terrific and appalling character-obligations of the nature of oaths, of which just so much and no more is rendered visible, as is sufficient to render them terrific,-obligations, to which neither in quantity, nor in quality, are any limits attempted to be, or capable of being assigned.

Every child, at its birth, is cast into bondage, under the power of three persons, who, for any provision that is made to the contrary, may have been self-chosen, and in practice frequently are. Even though these bonds were not more coercive than those of temporal slavery-of slavery in the temporal sense-this surely would be bad enough-the notion of a power, derived from the Almighty, to cast men into such bondage, absurd and indefensible enough. But such bondage, what is it in comparison of the bondage actually supposed to be thus imposable and imposed? It is as the space covered by human life, to eternity: to that eternity over which the effects, here supposed to be produced by this bondage, are here supposed to extend.

Oh but, by our wisdom and our care (say the lawgivers, by whom this formulary was devised and imposed),—by our wisdom and our care, against abuse of this power, provisioneffectual provision-has, in and by this very instrument, been made....

Answer.-Yes: such provision as will be seen. But, in the mean time, and to authorize you to make this provision, what you have assumed,-and what for that purpose it was necessary for you to assume,-and that in the character of an universal proposition, is-that, by the Almighty, in consideration of that particular portion of wisdom, which, to you in particular, it has happened to be blest with such power not only is fit to be given to rulers in general, but has actually been given to them :and this, be they who they may, to all rulers: and sure enough, if, to the extent to which, to the purpose of the argument, it is necessary it should be assumed, this general proposition is granted, every proposition, necessary to the establishment of your own aptitude in particular, may be thrown into the bargain, as not being worth disputing about.

But, any such power-when, and on what occasion, was it ever given? where is any the least evidence, of any such gift, to be found?

A job for the casuists. Here is an engagement taken→ an engagement taken in the solemn and awful form of a vow-a vow made by the sponsors-that the child shall do so and so: a vow made by A, not that he himself, but that B, shall do so and so. B, in process of time, breaks the vow for this transgression-for this breach of a vow-of a promissory oath-for this species of perjury, who is it that is to be punished? A or B? or some one else, and who else? If punished, in what mode and to what amount, punished? by everlasting flames in hell, or by any and what milder punishment?-Questions these, which, whenever this formulary is considered as any thing better than a parcel of words without meaning, will surely, now that, perhaps, for the first time the suggestion is made, be regarded as having some claim to answers, The persons

thus dealing out eventual punishment at their own pleasure-viz. the sponsors-are they the persons, by whom, in case of a breach of the vow, the punishment is to be borne,-suppose the ordinary one of everlasting burning in hell fire?-if so, quere, of the whole number of persons who have been inveigled into the taking upon themselves this office, what is the number that will be saved?-What is the number?-Answer. None. For, whether its being kept inviolate is not as far from being possible as from being desirable, is what any rational eye will presently be in a condition to perceive. Upon the person, whom, under the direction of the

in a state of helpless infancy, Church of England hierarchy, they have thus fastened upon and loaded with this burthen-is it upon this Jonas, that the lot of punishment will fall?—What a case is his! and, in its effect, what sort of a boon is this, which is thus magnified!

11. Thus much as to the general principle of the alleged engagement-now as to the subject matter of it.

Three, and but three, is the number here spoken of as the number of the things vowed and promised. But, of these three things, the first-mentioned is of itself a TRIPLE one, speaking of three things, or sets of things, as so many things which are to be renounced: as so many things, for the renunciation of which by the child (whatsoever be meant by renunciation), undertakers, under the name of sponsors, (or the child can not be a Christian), must be found, that will pledge themselves.

Mean time, without stopping as yet to take any clear view of the preceding things, no sooner is the last of them brought to view, than a question very naturally presents itself. Supposing this engagement fulfilled, can any thing else be wanting? "God's holy will and commandments"