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from those sins and frailties the unconverted are daily guilty of. But H. More has been proved, by the letters of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and of Dr. Crossman, to be guilty of "secret "accusations," with a view to displace the Curate of Blagdon, and actually procured her own disciple to be nominated and licensed to that cure ; and her name is put to the vol. 5, which contains this story of a conversion: Ergo Mrs. H. More is not herself yet converted, and this species of conversion is but a system.

There is one observation I must not omit to make in this place, and it is a fact I cannot and never could account for. I have uniformly remarked, that all those who adopt this system of non-descriptism, in or out of the church, have no charity for those without their own society. They not only do not love them, but they hate them, and when they dare or can, persecute them. It is for this "mark," I chiefly suspect their christianity. All religions hitherto have, being too frequently engines of states, had but little charity for the professors of different faiths, and there is no hope that it will ever be otherwise, until there is a universal religion, universally professed, i. e. rational christianity.

Let not my reader imagine, that I mean to ridicule this story of Hester Wilmot, or discourage any endeavours or attempts to reform the wicked. In any thing rationally pious, I would unite even with Mrs. More, to promote the good of man, provided there was no danger of fanaticism, or hy

pocrisy and pride. But this story, pious and good as it may appear, and it really appears so, I consider, and not unreasonably, as the platform of the institution of " Sunday schools," the declared proximate object of which is not children only, but adults also, to puritanize the people, and its ultimate object is a revolution, or at least a schism, in the church. Reforms, however, should be gradual, not upon non-descript principles, but effected by the wisdom of those eminently learned and pious men, the prelates, the other dignitaries, with the assistance of others in inferior situations, sanctioned by the authority of the legislature, and not riotously forced upon us by the blind zeal and violence of a sect, whose principles are not yet known, and remarkable, rather for their cunning and hypocrisy, than their learning or love of truth. Its first fruits have shewn themselves at Blagdon, when the regular clergyman was literally dismissed with disgrace, and a follower of this system of H. More's actually licensed, and declared himself in possession. The regular curate was then down, and, in his person, the church of England. It puts me in mind of a story told by a man in a higher station, who, when some puritan (if I recollect it right) remarked, that the church had had a fall a century and a half ago, replied, yes! but this church has a trick of getting up again. This trick has been repeated in the person of Mr. Bere; he was re-instated, the Bishop's eyes being opened by the publications of the friends of the establishment; the church was down,

non-descripts were uppermost, but the church rose up again, and will, I hope, always continue to play them this trick.

The GRAND ASSIZES, is an allegorical description of the general judgment, in which I find nothing remarkable. The FAIR-WEATHER CHRISTIAN is another allegory. The temper of the Mac Sarcasm family compels me to make the following quotation :-" Difficulties unmask him "(the fair-weather christian) to others; tempta"tions unmask him to himself; he discovers, that though he is a high professor, he is not a chris"tian." "Secret accusations!"

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The ST. GILES'S ORANGE GIRL is a good story, the idea of which seems to have been suggested by Dr. Colquhoun's" Police of the city of London;" and a short account is given of the Philanthropic Society, who pick up children in the streets, and lodge, board, and educate them. Betty is at last converted, and, like all the saints in real life, finding godliness profitable for the present state, gets forward in the world, is well married to a man of the converted, and instead of a barrow, keeps a good sausage shop.

BLACK GILES THE POACHER, is what every poacher is, a thief. Jack Weston, against whom Giles had lodged an information, for unlawfully taking game, delivers Giles from death, being overwhelmed in the ruins of a wall, and reminds the unfortunate poacher, that instead of suffering him to perish," the revenge a christian takes is "to deliver him." A Mr. Wilson, is taught by.

our author to say, that

"Such an action is worth a whole volume of comments "on that precept of our blessed Lord, 'Love your enemies, "do good to them that hate you."

The poacher dies in a state of penitence.

TAWNEY RACHEL is a fortune-teller, who, for her thefts and tricks, is sent to Botany Bay.

VOL. VI.

THE easy circumstances in which her ännuity, the returns from her publications, increased by the popularity of her prudent connection with the methodistical societies, the dividends of the family property, acquired in the school in ParkStreet, redoubled by purchase in the funds during the American war, and now sold out, had placed Mrs. More and her sisters, enabled them to settle at Cowslip-Green, west of Bristol, on the Bridgwater road, and to take a house at Bath, where they spend the winter. Thus comfortably disposed, their acquaintance was extended, their visitants multiplied, and no means were omitted to gain popularity, to purchase fame; and (after all her connection with plays, tragedies, comedians and theatres) by frequenting religious societies, and meetings of all descriptions, and no description, to purify herself for apotheosis, and become the dagon of methodism. The heretical sects became proud of this "elect lady;" her praises were re-echoed from one conventicle to another; but to the real dissenters she never

attempted to unite herself, who, I doubt not, will disown her. With Mr. Jay, of Bath, who, I believe, is not of any ancient class of dissenters, she certainly joined in communion, associated with him, and "entertained him at her house."

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Religion now appeared a more direct and certain road to consequence, and the gratification of her ambition, than poetry and the drama. The connection with the established church, however, was neither forgotten nor neglected. An acquaintance had been made, and sedulously cultivated with more than one Bishop, to whom she appeared no " Proteus," but an admirer of the church liturgy, and devoted to her hierarchy. The good of mankind is not only the professed, but the real object of all religious persuasions, and the benefit of "Sunday" schools, now in their infancy, was a topic on which people of different religious opinions were generally agreed. All her former "egarements du cœur" were forgotten; and mildness, goodness, piety, benevolence, all the virtues, were predicated of H. More. A kind of sacred pride regulated her dress, address, and even tone of voice. Her sisters felt the restraint somewhat uneasy; but they had intervals, when alone, which relieved them from these austere and ascetic habits.

The frequent little alms-deeds, which as a steward for the Crane-Court Society, and other friends of Sunday schools, she distributed in the country amongst children and their parents, at

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