A Letter to the Right Rev. Dr. Beilby Porteus, Lord Bishop of London, on the Subject of his Citation of the Writer before the Spiritual Court, on an unfounded Charge respecting, certain Doctrines contained in his Visitation Discourse, preached before Dr. Gretton, Archdeacon of Essex, At Danbury, July 8th, 1806. By Francis Stone, M. A. F. S. A. Rector of ColdNorton, Essex. 8vo. Price 1s. 6d. pp. 42. Eaton, London, 1807. As these engagements, my lord, liberate me from all obligations to consider, whether the doctrines advanced in my visitation discourse be agreeable or disagreeable to certain theological positions maintained in "some one," or in "more, of the" thirty-nine articles, I deny their authority over my conscience in points of faith of human invention, or interpretation. Thus liberated, I have no more concern with them, than with the reveries of the Koran, or with the fables of the Talmud. It is futile, therefore, to accuse me of revolting from, impugning or depraving" them, as I am justified by these my solemn engagements with my ordaining bishop, to treat them as so many non-entities, as far as fespects my instruction" of the people commited to my charge," and to be solicitous only to teach them what I am persuaded, or convinced, is "agreeable to the Word of God," or Gospel truth, and that alone. because we suppose that he speaks not only his own sentiments, but those of his Unitarian brethren, also; and that they use the sanie subterfuge to quiet that internal monitor, which, nevertheless, now and then will lift up its head and ask a few uncivil questions. Mr. S., however, does not deny that he signed the articles; and it is but a fair request that he would explain what was the language of that signature? Did he not also read them, and declare his "assent and consent," after his induction? "to We remember that Lord Kenyon ejectMR. STONE in this letter releases him- ed a dissenting minister who was chosen self from all obedience or duty of conforby his people in the character of an Indemity to the articles of the church of Eng-pendent, but adopting Baptist principles, land, which he had repeatedly signed yet determined to hold his living. "He before he could hold his living,by saying that is not competent," said his lordship, when he was ordained priest, the bishop fulfil those offices, and discharge those asked him no question about those articles, duties, which his people expected from nor did he stipulate for any adherence to him, when they chose him to be their them : pastor. He therefore, is not the man they took him for. He has changed himself, and must go out." Mr. S. will make the application; he will remember too, that St. Paul's description of a heretic is, one who is "subverted, and sinneth, being condemned, of himself;" his sentiments do not accord with his conduct : and with what face Mr. S. could appear to join in certain parts of the liturgy or creeds, which he boasts of retaining without alteration, his persuasion being such as it is, exceeds our comprehension. If instead of designating himself "Rector of Cold Norton," he had dated his letter from the Unitarian establishment, at such a place"-we should have honoured his, integrity, as we did that of Mr. Lindsey, whose honest mind feeling the impropriety of officially patronizing opinions which he did not personally adopt, ceased from being a public teacher in that church, which held those opinions. This man might err, but he was no hypocrite. Mr. S. is not, however, on his defence before us; nor shall' we call him to account at our bar; we shall even refrain from stating our entire opinion of his conduct; but, we may safely say, that if he is able to make no better an apology than this under our perusal, he is a subject of our pity, no less than of our blame; for, if he engaged to teach " according to the scriptures," as his ordaining bishop must have understood him, and as he designed to be understood, by Rb 2 These unconditional scriptural engagements emancipate me, and all my Unitarian Christian brethren, preachers in the church of England, of the order of priest, from the otherwise galling yoke of the articles.-In our instructive discourses to the people we are required only to fulfil these obligations, which expressly enjoin us to teach nothing but that which" each individual" shall be persuaded may be concluded and proved by the Scripture," and " to banish and drive away all doctrines," which, in his judgement, are "strange and erroneous, contrary to God's word.". "To teach nothing' as so te quired, but that which" I by myself I, I individually, shall be persuaded may be" concluded and proved." We have given Mr. Stone's own words, what authority does he either add to, or India, have been especially excited, by my diminish from, that standard of mutual hearing that a Society exists in this country, chief" object of which is the "univers reference?yet this is a part of bis crime. the " sal" dissemination of the Christian Faith; Nevertheless, Mr. S. shall serve as an particularly amongst those nations of the occasion of reprimand to those who exEast to whom we possess a safe facility of acpress, what they intend as truth, so very cess, and whose minds and doctrines are incautiously, that in their language it ceases known to be most obscured by the darkness to be truth. He complains, p. 23, of of infidelity. Upon this topic, so delicate those who "declare their firm belief, and solemn, I shall for the present, make that Jesus is the self-existent Jehovah." but one observation. I shall only observe, That may be perfectly true of the Christ, that if a society having such objects in view, does exist, and if the leading members of that which is not true of the humanity, restrictively and it is an abuse of terms to Society are also leading members of the East India Company; and not only of the Eastapply emphatically to one part of a comIndia Company, but of the Court of Direc peund character, that description, appel-tors; nay, Sir, not only of the Court of DiĴation, or designation, which is proper rectors, but of the Board of Control; if, I to the other part of that character, and say, these alarming hypotheses are true, then, which may be applied to the union of both, Sir, are our Possessions in the East already in a situation of most imminent and unpreceby a practice sufficiently familiar, without violating either language or logic. We dented peril; and no less a danger than the threatened extermination of our eastern soshall be glad if this hint produces its effect, as it will in cultivated and considerate vereignty, commands us to step forth, and minds; as to others, they are neither fair arrest the progress of such rash and unwarrantable proceedings. standards of orthodox language, nor of correct opinion. Mr. S. was ordained in 1762. He was served with a citation on the part of the bishop of London, April 10, 1807, to answer for the errors professed ex cathedrá, as it were, in his visitation sermon, which was noticed Panorama, Vol. I. p. 255. successor to the The President is Lord Teignmouth, late Governor-General of India, and now a mem ber of the Board of Control: Mr. Grant, at present Deputy-Chairman of the East-India' Company, and, of course, chair, next year, is one of the Vice-Presi dents. Mr. Thornton, also, the Director, is one of the most distinguished members of the Society. Mr. Thornton's brother is Treasurer to the Society. Certainly, as far as respects Indian Conversion, the Society could not have had more "suitable patronage." A Letter to the Chairman of the East-India Company, on the Danger of InterferMr. T. then gives twenty pages of ex ing in the Religious Opinions of the Na- tracts from the Reports of the British and tives of India; and on the Views of the Foreign Bible Society, and Mr. Bu British and Foreign Bible Society, as di-chanan's memoir on the propagation of rected to India, By Thomas Twining, late Senior Merchant on the Company's Bengal Establishment. pp. 31. price 1s. 6d. London: Ridgway, 1807. In the preface to this second edition of his letter, Mr. T. complains of those who imputed his writing to party considerations, to motives of party resentment towards certain individuals, and of party hostility towards the East-India Company." We shall accept his protest against these imputations. But had those who thus charged him, complained of his want of argument, and his unqualified assumptions, we could not so easily have relieved him from the charge. He shall speak for himself. I must then, Sir, observe, that my fears of attempts to disturb the religious systems of Christianity in India. [He should have added others from Mr. Kerr's report, vide Panorama vol. III p. 341], and exclaims, Here, Sir, ends the second chapter which Mr. Buchanan has devoted to this subject, and here, Sir, my extracts from this work must terminate, for I really cannot cut open the leaves which contain the sequel of such sanguinary doctrine. Again, and again, Sir, I must insist upon the extreme danger to our very existence in India, from the disclosure of such opinions and views to the native inhabitants of that country. What must the natives of India think, when they shall know, as most assuredly they will, that Mr. Buchanan has been permitted to engage the National Universities of this country, in discussing and determining, the best means of diffusing the Christian religion through India. It is a fact, and, I think, a most improper, and a most alarming fact, that the Vice Provost of the Company's college at Fort William, has actually bestowed a prize of £500, at each of the Universities, for the best dissertation on the following question; viz." What are the best means of civilizing the subjects of British India, and of diffusing the light of the Christian religion through the eastern world?" Now, if Mr. T. had proved that certain regiments of devotees, vi et armis, that is to say, with swords and guns, and military weapons, had been levied, no matter by whom, for the purpose of making converts in India, we should have joined him in crying out, "shame! and murder!"-We should have thought the business "" sanguinary" indeed; and have vented our execrations accordingly. We abominate force in matters of Religion; it never did any real good to Christianity; it never can do any; and those who adopt it, are no Christians, whatever be their profession.-But, if no such regiments have been raised, nor have any orders been given for raising them; nor, in fact, any other orders by the Court of Directors, except those for indigoes and cottons, as usual, nor by the Board of Controul, then we think Mr. T.'s terrors might have been postponed, till a future day. In our judgment Mr. T. has overshot his mark he accuses of violence, when his purpose required he should accase of insidiousness: had he argued that it is best to crush a viper in the egg, that to prevent the operation of that leaven which may silently spread its effects, un noticed and almost unknown, is good policy, we might have considered his inference as valid: but to infer, that because the chairman of the India Company is a member of a certain society, that society designs to raise a rebellion in India, appears to us preposterous. We should rather have concluded that to whatever society the chairman of the India Company belonged, that society by such a circumstance, itself, was safe enough, from designing any injury to India. We think it a very poor compliment to the sagacity of Lord Teignmouth and Mr. Grant, to suppose that they would patronize any measures contrary to the true welfare of India; or that any society under their sanction should even be so much as per mitted to suggest such measures. We purposely refrain from considering the main question, since that will have been determined by the votes at Leadenhall-street, before our publication appears. An Address to the Chairman of the East India Company, occasioned by Mr. Twining's Letter to that Gentleman, &c. By the Rev. John Owen, M. A. Curate of Fulham, and one of the Gratuitous Secretaries of the British and Foreign Bible Society. 8vo. pp. 27. Price 1s. 6d. Hatchard, London, 1807. MR. TWINING closed his letter, which we have noticed in the foregoing article, and to which this is an answer, by hoping "that our native subjects in every part of the East will be permitted quietly to follow their own religious prejudices and absurdities, until it shall please the Omnipotent Power of Heaven to lead them into the paths of LIGHT and TRUTH." The hope is worthy of an apostle; for till the paths of light and truth be pointed out, of what use were any interruption of those peoples' quiet? The question at issue, is, whether the means taken by the Bible Society, be such as promise to lead into the paths of light and truth? On this subject we shelter ourselves under the authority of Sir William Jones, who desired that certain parts of scripture, (as the prophecies.of Isaiah, with such extracts from the gospels as shewed their fulfilment) should be translated into the language of Hindoostan, and be left to work their effect on the minds of the natives. Time in such a case, he thought, might accomplish much. In his answer to Mr. Twining, Mr. Owen adop principles not wholly unallied to those we have stated. He says, The society which I undertake to defend, which he accuses it; nor does it belong to does not answer to the designation under that class in which he has placed it. Whatever may be the end which the society contemplates, that only can be considered as its object, towards which its means are directed, and in which they all converge and terminate. That central, that ultimate point, in the case of the society under consideration, is, as we "the dissemination of have seen, Sir,---not of the Scriptures." In this respect, Sir, the the Christian faith,"--but "the circulation society possesses a characteristic feature, which discriminates it from every voluntary association on an extensive scale for religious purpo ses now in existence, and brings the question of its merits or demerits within very narrow and convenient bounds. It can do but one act for the propagation of Christianity; it can distribute but one Book; and that Book-the Bible. It can support no missionaries, erect no churches, endow no schools, disseminate no tracts; it cannot issue even a dissertation to recommend the Bible, nor annex a single note to explain it. Its designation and its object confine it to the circulation of the Scriptures: it can do nothing out of these limits, it can do nothing beyond them. Speaking of the Indian patronage enjoyed by the society, Mr. O. thus expresses himself, I believe in my conscience that they have the interest of the institution at heart, and would gladly embrace every opportunity to promote it. But it does so happen, that neither of these gentlemen has, to my knowledge, attended a single committee-meeting of the society during a period of more than three years and a half, that it has existed though they are severally qualified to do so, but I think, Sir, it must be obvious, that they would never have allowed such a privilege to lie dormant, had they entertained the design insinuated by their accuser, of influencing the society to particular measures, and employing it as an instrument to disturb the religious systems of India,” He also observes that His present Majesty's great grandfather, to his immortal honour, patronized the first mission that went among the Hindoos; and if the nerves of your correspondent will allow him to ent open a few more pages of Dr. Buchanan's " Sanguinary" Memoir, he will find copies of two letters from that truly Christian monarch to the primitive missionaries, written in a spirit very different from that which it is the ject of Mr. Twining's letter to infuse into the Court of Proprietors. His present Majesty is not less distinguished than was his royal ancestor, by the encouragement which he has given to Religion. It will not, I should think, be very easy to persuade him, that he has endangered his governinent, either at home or abroad, by admitting, or rather adopting, into his councils, a nobleman whose only fault is that he loves the Scriptures, presides over a society that promotes their circulation, and differs from certain individuals in thinking, that their translation and distribution in the vernacular tongues of India, will strengthen the allegiance, exalt the morals, and improve the happiness of our Hindoo and Mahometan subjects. We hinted on Mr. Twining's pamphlet, that he had been ill provided with facts; and that his apprehensions were both more numerous and more weighty than his arguments. The present writer has not failed to expose this deficiency in a spirited manner. The pamphlet is the production of a capable mind, roused hastily to exertion. The ways of Providence are so intricate, and the present sithation of the world is so mysterious, that we know not what to think of any determined means as necessary to accomplish a certain end. Yet if Mr. T. intends we should wait for miracles, we must beg leave to prefer rational proceedings for the present, Gulliver and Munchausen outdone, by Peter Vandergoose. A Truth to try the Patience of a Stoick. sm. 8vo. pp. 260. Price 4s. 6d. Jordan and Maxwell. London, 1807. THAT man undertakes a bold task who attempts to outdo Gulliver; and, indeed, the writer before us appears to have been sensible of this truth, though rather late, and when the knowledge of it was of little advantage to him. It is not every genius that can "exceed the bounds of place and time," or under the guidance of "a muse of fire ascend the very Heaven of invention." Mr. Vandergoose will not be placed by the judicious on the same rank with Swift: his knowledge of nature and of the human mind is more limited, his satire less pungent, and his representations of the ridi. point of extravagance however, we shall culous less provocative of laughter. In allow him to rival Munchausen; and if any wish to enjoy a specimen of impossi bilities, Mr. Van, may furnish it. Knowing that the work was derived from the pen of a very intelligent foreigner, we were in hopes to have profited by his remarks on our manners and institutions as he has depicted the order of our courts of a people. This the writer intended: but law, and the principles of our criminal justice, without a perfect knowledge of their character. He has brought his hero to trial for a murder, from which he is acquitted under very dubious cir cumstances; and has contrived that he should be condemned for stealing a game cock, under circumstances, which most certainly were never submitted to a jury, and terminated fatally. We might remind Mr. Van. that one instance of the game cock law being enforced, was in the case of the famous Turpin, called "the flying Highwayman." He had shot a man, but, that fact though well known, could not be proved, for want of evidence: where, then, was the injustice of delivering society from such a disgrace and detriment by executing strictly the law which he had broken by shooting a game cock? Nevertheless, and to those who delight in extravaganzas, Mr. Peter Vandergoose may prove acceptable and amusing. Another Word or Two; or, Architectural Hints continued, in Lines to those Royal Academicians who are Painters, addressed to them on the Re-election of Benjamin West, Esq. to the President's chair, 10th December, 1806. By Fabricia Nunnez, Spinster. 8vo. pp. 90. Thomas Payne, London, 1807. Price 3s. FALSE colours never are favourable to those who display them. The writer of this pamphlet is neither a Spaniard, however Spanish he may think his name, nor a lady, however he may affect the dress of the sex. He has indulged his fancy, no doubt, in assuming the character under which he appears: but though truth may be told under a masque, yet it is not generally expected from the wearer of that disguise. The purpose of this poem is, to congratulate the Royal Academy, on its return to rationality, which it has evinced by re-electing Mr. West into the President's chair. We ought not to expect extraordinary merit in the composition of a trifle, run up to serve a transitory purpose. If the author, like Zeuxis, rist of Mr.West, an artist in whose works, we have always found much to admire, though we do not profess to be enraptured with all his large pictures, or his portraits.. Mr. West has distinguished himself sufficiently, whether the Academy places him in its chair, or not; he is also a gentleman; in manner's respectable, and of acknowledged integrity; a man of virtue, and a man of wisdom, too, since he prefers the decorums of private life before the envied dignities of office. As we expect to be favoured by a friend to our work, with a narrative in which the unhappy result of divisions among the artists, will be strongly marked, we shall do no more on this occasion, than give a sample of the Poetry of Mrs. Fabricia Nunnez, with an extract or two from her notes. Such of our readers as desire further acquaintance with the interior of the Royal Academy, will buy the book; in which they will find remarks not undeserving the attention of the R. A.'s, and also, of other public and popular bodies. Most worthy Sirs, each Squire and Knight, Did you not find Fabricia right? Did not her words, from truth, prevail? Did not she tell a candid tale? True as the dial to the sun, Trace out the way your course would run? To summon you to former glory. Which found him, on a close inspection, sions: You've stamp'd! she speaks it with compassion What ills arise from heated passion! NOTES. paints for eternity," he does not write for eternity. If he had not trusted to his power of embellishing bis poem with a series of amusing notes, by way of chitchat on his canter, he would not have bestridden his Pegasus. We perfectly agree From jealousy and baneful strife.]-Jeawith him, that discord is ruinous to the lousy seems to be an inherent passion in the Arts, or rather among Artists-the Arts inarts, as it is to institutions of every kind; spire more elevated sentiments. The antient and as his intention is, to banish that acMasters indeed set the example to the mocursed spirit from the regions of taste, we derns;-Giorgione, for instance, was hall applaud his principles, and honour his jealous of Titian's abilities, that he forbade endeavours. He appears, as the panegy-him his house, fearful lest he should have SO |