approve the good fenfe of that apology of his for giving up his favourite Homer, de Rep. l. x. Καίτοι φιλια γε τις με και αιδως εκ παιδος έχεσα περί ομηρος αποκώλυει λεγειν αλλ' οι γύρ προ γε της αληθείας τιμητέος

avre.

I am mistaken, if many will not be furprifed at a very recent fact, but little known, which I have had occafion to mention, concerning the ecclefiaftical authority exercifed by the english bishops over the Americans, fince they became independent of the civil power of this country. It will appear incredible to them, that in these enlightened times, the leading clergy fhould seek to put the epifcopalians upon that continent, under harrows of iron, and constrain them, as far as they could, to receive the fpurious creed of Athanafius, and to become fhackled with other religious fetters, from which Tillotson, Hoadley, Herring, &c. would have rejoiced to have delivered others, as well as to have been delivered themfelves.

Having been led to fay fomething concerning the hiftory of the fall, I have spoken without

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without referve, and I truft, not without fome proof alleged, as much as I had room for, of the non-existence of fuch evil beings, as the devil, fatan, and demons without end, mentioned in the fcriptures. I have been informed that the apparent (a) letting loose as it were of fo many of thefe laft, at the first preaching of the gospel, was one of the principal things that contributed to make the ingenious Rouleau an unbeliever; as it seemed to him, with good reason, a thing quite out of nature, and probability. But a proper inquiry, and investigation would have fhewn him,

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that

(a) One is furprized that the learned Fortin, should have paid fo little attention to this fubject, and to what Mede and Sykes had remarked upon it, (for Lardner and Farmer had not then published their fentiments) as to fall into this ftrange notion of demons having a greater license than usual to afflict mankind, in the age of the apoftles. One reason, fays he, for which the divine providence should suffer spirits 'to exert their malignant powers fo much at that time, might 'be to give a check to Sadduceifin among the jews, and to ⚫ epicurean atheism among the gentiles, and to remove in. 'fome measure thefe two impediments to the gofpel.' Rem. on Eccl. Hift. vol. i. p. 14. We may venture to pronounce, that no fudducee, or epicurean atheift, was ever converted by fuch inftrumentality, and argument.

that there was no phenomenon of the kind at that time more than at any other; and that these things being mentioned by the facred writers is no proof of their reality. They expreffed themselves on these matters agreeably to the fuperftition of the times and their own prejudices. And fo far is their representation of things, however miftaken therein, from invalidating the facred hiftory, that it is a proof of its antiquity, and genuineness.

any

It would be no difficult task, by a few remarks interspersed, and illuftrations of the feveral paffages of the bible, where the word Satan, &c. is named, to enable the commonest reader to fee, that divine revelation gives no countenance to the existence of fuch evil beings, or to any power but that of our benevolent creator being exercised over ús. And I hope this will be confidered, among many other things, in a new verfion of the bible, whenever it is undertaken without refpec to any great churches, or parties in religion.

Some little merit I will take to myself in one thing, because it is not my own, and I am merely concerned in it as a translator viz. in having produced to light the MS. of Caftellio's

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Caftellio's, published about thirty years fince by Wetstein, but never noticed that I know by any one fince, in our own or any other country. It is fo very free, that the editor feemed almost afraid of exhibiting it, left he should give offence; as you will obferve from his words in the margin (b), with which he introduces it. And yet the diftinction that the author makes, between the several parts of the fcriptures, and the different account we ought to make of each, is so just and full of good sense; that every judicious perfon will approve it. I would add, that this incomparable critic

will

(b) Animus etiam erat, ad examen revocare, quæ S. Caftellio paulo ante obitum de interpretatione fcripturæ in chartas conjecerat; cum vero nec libri ad manum fint de arte hermeneutica fcripti, quos cum fyftemate MS. conferrem, nec tantum otii nunc habeam, malui aliorum prius judicia experiri qui etiamfi forte aliter fentiant atque clariffimus ille fcripturæ interpres, non ægre tamen ferent, fpero, quæ cogitate meditatus eft, a fitu et interitu vindicata, secum communicari. Saltem quod ad me attinet, malim legere fcriptum viri docti et pii, meæ fententiæ oppofitum, quam fcriptum hominis mali et indocti pro mea fententia editum. A tali adverfario femper aliquod difcimus, &c. Wetstein. N. T. vol. ii. p. 884.

will fatisfy any one that is unprejudiced, that even greater liberties may be taken than Dr. Priestley or others have done, with relation to the characters and imperfect reafonings in the fcriptures, without hurting the evidence for the facts of the New Tef-· tament, or weakening the foundation of our faith, which refts on the well authenticated miracles of Chrift and his apoftles, and his refurrection from the dead.

Of the late bishop Butler I had fome little perfonal knowlege, not long before he was raised to the fee of Durham; but had an opportunity of knowing more of his character from a correspondence, which he had long kept up with a friend he highly respected, and to whom he communicated himfelf very freely. He had great piety, but it was of a gloomy caft, and tending to superstition; which he might have caught from reading the lives of romifh faints, fome of which I was the means of handing to him. He always appeared diffatisfied with the public ftate of things and of the world; which might originate from his views of divine providence,