most of those who set up their judgments against them; and that some degree of deference to their superior abilities, learning, judgment, and piety, could not be withheld without a great degree of self-conceit, presumption, and pride. In fact, I began to suspect that there might be guilt in our schism.

At the same time, I thought there were great evils in the Church of which I could not approve, independently of her Episcopal form of government; on the other hand also, I knew that there were great evils amongst Dissenters. I saw, and had seen, a great deal of spiritual pride, hypocrisy, self-willedness, and wickedness amongst them; and but very little real unvarnished godliness. I was acquainted with several of their Congregations, and with many instances of gross immorality both amongst Ministers and Members. I saw a great deal of towering profession, and heard a great deal of religious talk* amongst them; but I also saw that all this was very often flatly contradicted by their more private conduct. To those but superficially acquainted with them, and who have never been wound up, as it were, with them, they undoubtedly appear very pious people; and if great profession and great talking constitute sterling godliness, they certainly are the most pious people on the face of the whole earth.

But although I had seen so much hypocrisy and wickedness, yet I still believed the system of Congregational Independency to be in perfect harmony with the Scriptures, and therefore could not abandon it. I believed the system to be right, though I knew the conduct of the people in general, and particularly the conduct of some of the Ministers, whom I discovered to be little else than mere political demagogues, to be any thing but what their great pretensions would lead one to suppose.

After some little time had transpired, during which I remained nearly in statu quo, I almost accidentally

See Appendix No. V.

met with the "Review of Mr. James's Church Member's Guide," published in a small pamphlet entitled "The Church of England and Dissent," and on perusing it, such a flood of light poured into my mind upon the subjects of Congregational Independency and Episcopacy, that I was completely staggered. I saw the truth, and felt the force of the Author's remarks, and yet was unwilling to believe them. The sentiments I had so long held-with which I had become so familiar, and the truth of which I had never for a moment doubted, seemed so firmly rivetted to my very nature, that I felt as though I could not give them up. But being determined to be guided by truth, and not to be afraid of discovering the falsehood of my own opinions, I gave the pamphlet another perusal, weighing every argument as carefully and as impartially as my pre-conceived notions and prejudices would allow me. I then resolved to examine the New Testament in reference to these subjects; I, therefore, read over the Acts of the Apostles and all the Epistles. To the Epistles of St. Paul to Timothy and Titus I gave particular attention; I read them, and read them, and read them again, and was astonished that my pre-conceived sentiments had so blinded me, that I had never been able to see that which is written in these Epistles, and in other parts of the Word of God, as it were with a sun beam. The result, however, of this examination was, that I became fully convinced, although against my own will as it were, that Episcopacy was the only form of Church Government revealed in the Word of God, and observed by the Apostles of Christ and by their successors; and that Congregational Independency had not, as some of its strenuous adherents and advocates have been obliged to confess, the slightest shadow of a foundation in the Sacred Scriptures. Being, therefore, overpowered by the force of these truths, I felt bound in conscience, however reluctantly, and how much soever it was opposed to my own habits and feelings, entirely to leave the Dissenters, to solicit

baptism at the hands of a duly authorized Clergyman,: and regularly to attend the Church, which I now began to do. But on this being discovered, I was beset on all sides by my old Dissenting associates. "Towgood's Letters*," which I had read some time before, and other Dissenting Works, were put into my hands. In letters written to me, the Church was ridiculed, and I was very liberally and charitably accused of ignorance and inconsistency, and of misunderstanding and of misapplying the Scriptures, and other means of annoyance were also resorted to; but as I was pretty firmly established in some of the fundamental truths, all in the end proved ineffectual.

The last stumbling block in the way of my conforming to the Established Church was, the alleged "immoral conduct of the Clergy," which was now perpetually rung in my ears. And I confess, that as I did not then know, but that the Clergy were immoral to the extent which the Dissenters insinuate; and did not then perceive that it is in virtue of his office, and not in virtue of his own moral character, that a Minister performs his ministerial functions; this accusation had great weight with me, and it was some time before my mind became settled upon the subject. But I began at length, every time I heard it mentioned, to enquire for instances of it in the neighbourhood wherever I happened to be at the time; and upon the names of the surrounding Clergy being called over, the result was always attended with shame and confusion to the parties laying the charge; one instance excepted; and in that the Clergyman had been prevented from performing any spiritual functions above four years. So that I soon saw very evidently that such a sweeping charge was nothing but a most wilful and malicious falsehood, fabricated by Dissenters for the express purpose of stabbing the Church through the sides of her Clergy; and every day confirms me more strongly

*See Appendix No. VI.

than ever in the conviction of this truth. And when I recollect that Dissenters piously recommend "a KEEN HATRED, and now and then a little ROUND ABUSE OF THE CHURCH," in order" to keep up PURE attachment to Dissenting principles,"* I perfectly understand their reasons for indulging in such purely false accusations; these are, indeed, at present, the very life and soul of Dissent; it avowedly cannot be "kept up," without them. But before they attempt to cast the mote out of their brother's eye, they assuredly ought to cast the beam out of their own;before they accuse the Clergy of immorality, they ought to be sure that Dissenting Teachers are all strictly moral. This I know they wish to be taken for granted, as it too frequently is; for people naturally think, that those who so boldly accuse others of a crime, can surely never be guilty of the same themselves; especially when they are perpetually talking about their "tender consciences," and modestly declaring that they are already purified." Dissenters, however, above all persons in the world, should be careful of provoking recriminations of this nature. Before they throw stones at the windows of their neighbours, they would do well to consider that their own are made of the same brittle. material. For I will readily undertake, at any time, to point out as many instances-I might say more— of immoral Dissenting Teachers, in proportion, as you or any other Dissenter can, of immoral Clergymen. There are above twelve thousand Clergymen in England, and about two thousand Dissenting Teachers; if, therefore, I can produce one immoral Dissenting Teacher to six immoral Clergymen produced by you, my task would be accomplished, and I should consider that a very easy task indeed. I hate the conduct of a fox-hunting Parson as much as any person can do; but allow me to say, that I hate the conduct of a gossipping, tattling, backbiting, lying, and slandering

* See the Eclectic Review, a Dissenting Periodical, 1832, p. 144.

Dissenting Teacher a vast deal more. I would not screen an immoral Clergyman, nor palliate his guilt in the slightest degree, but punish him most severely. At the same time, a man must be utterly destitute of even a grain of common sense, to believe even a twentieth part of the instances of immorality alleged against the Clergy by Dissenters. For only let a Clergyman expose some of their false doctrines and extravagancies in his sermon on the Sunday, and as sure as pos-sible some gross crime-some heinous offence will be -imputed to him by those pious people before the week is out. Instances of immorality amongst such a numerous body of men there will be, and considering the nature of things we need not expect it to be otherwise; they are, however, I rejoice to say, comparatively speaking, extremely rare. Even Mr. James, himself a bitter enemy of the Church, speaking of worthy and excellent Clergymen, says-" they are continually multiplying in every part of the country, and to such a degree, that if the reasons of Dissent were to be found only in the conduct of the Clergy, instead of the principles of the Establishment, it would soon be difficult indeed to withdraw from the communion of the Church of England."* Let us, therefore, hear no more about the immoral conduct of the Clergy, for that disgracefully false accusation has been sufficiently hacknied+.

My mind having now become comfortably settled with regard to all matters of importance concerning the Church, I entirely left the Dissenters and became a regular Churchman, in practice, as I already was in principle. This was, however, altogether, as all my relatives, friends and connexions, without a single exception, were Dissenters, a very up-hill piece of business, and nothing but pure conviction either would or could have ever induced me to have taken such a step. All my old friends, with but one or two very respected exceptions, turned very shy: I had, therefore, entirely

* James, p. 13, Note.

+ See Appendix No, VII.