obedience may varnish their theories, they must of necessity be enemies to the british constitution. Its spirit they detest, its corruptions they cherish ; and if at present they affect a zeal for its preservation, it is only because they despair of any form of government ever being erected in its stead, which will give equal permanence to abuses. Afraid to destroy it at once, they take a malignant pleasure in seeing it waste by degrees, under the pressure of internal disease." The writer then turns from this disgusting picture of sanctimonious hypocrisy and priestly insolence, to address a warning voice to the nation that may "disturb its slumbers; if it cannot heal its lethargy."

Of all the writers who have exposed the evils arising out of the alliance of church and state, no one has done it so effectually, and with such invincible arguments, as the author of this celebrated pamphlet. "The only pretense," he observes, "for uniting christianity with civil government, is the support it yields to the peace and good order of society. But this benefit will be derived from it, at least in as great a degree without an establishment as with it. Religion, if it has any power, operates on the consciences of men. Resting solely on the belief of invisible realities, and having for its object the good and evil of eternity, it can derive no additional weight or solemnity from human sanctions; but will appear to the most advantage upon hallowed ground, remote from the noise and

tumult of worldly policy. Human laws may debase christianity, but can never improve it; and being able to add nothing to its evidence, they can add nothing to its force."

The writer proceeds to demonstrate, not only the absolute inutility of a national establishment, in reference to the interests of true religion, but its injurious effects upon those interests, by the price it pays for defending and perpetuating its corruptions, the negative it puts upon all improvement, the arrogance it claims to arraign those as enemies of the state who are not convinced of the divine right of episcopacy, its tendency to inflame the animosity of parties by the undue ascendency of its own members, and its general hostility to the genuine spirit of christianity. "Wherever we turn our eyes, we shall see the depression of religion is in proportion to the elevation of the hierarchy. In France, where the establishment had attained the utmost splendour, piety had utterly decayed. In England, where the hierarchy is less splendid, more remains of the latter: and in Scotland, whose national church is one of the poorest in the world, a greater sense of religion appears among the inhabitants than in either of the former. It must likewise be plain to every observer, that piety flourishes much more among dissenters, than among the members of any establishment whatever. This progress of things is so natural, that nothing seems wanting in any country, to render the thinking part of the people infidels but a splendid establish

ment. It will always ultimately debase the clerical character, and perpetuate both in discipline and doctrine every error and abuse."

Its tendency to lower the christian ministry, by rendering it subservient to secular purposes is too evident to be denied. "Considering themselves as allies of the state, yet having no civil department, its ministers will be disposed on all occasions to strike in with the current of the court; nor are they likely to confine the obligation to obedience within any just and reasonable bounds. They will insensibly become an army of spiritual Janizaries. Depending, as they everywhere must, upon the sovereign, his prerogative can never be exalted too high for their emolument, nor can any better instruments be contrived for the accomplishment of arbitrary designs. Their compact and united form, composing a chain of various links which hang suspended from the throne, admirably fits them for conveying that impression which may soothe, inflame, or mislead the people.

"On abuses in the church, it is to little purpose to expatiate; they are too numerous to be detailed, and too inveterate to be corrected. Unless it be a maxim, that honesty will endanger her existence, her creeds ought in all reason to correspond with the sentiments of her members. The world it is to be feared will be little edified by the example of a church, which in compelling its members to subscribe opinions that few of them believe, is a discipline of fraud. But no reform it seems must

H

take place in the church, any more than in the state, that its corruptions may keep pace with the progress of its ally. The act of toleration has indeed abated the violence of persecution, but so long as a church with chartered and exclusive rights is to be kept up, the source and spring of intolerance can never be exhausted; the stream from the infernal pit will issue through the crevices, until they are filled up with the ruins of all human establishments."

Many years elapsed before Mr. Hall permitted another edition of this work to be published, not that he at any time retracted his opinions on the main points in discussion, but because he did not wish to repeat some of the personal reflections, nor to perpetuate all the pointed expressions he had used on this occasion, many of which were elicited by the extraordinary state of the times. He felt that interests of high moment were at stake; and though he modestly regretted the use of strong language, no one ought to regret that he bent the whole energy of his mind to the subject, and defended the liberties of his country with fervour and vehemence. His conduct in this instance requires neither vindication nor apology; his high intellectual powers, his natural ardour and undaunted spirit, eminently fitted him for such an undertaking, and he needed no urging in the path his judgment compelled him to pursue. In a great crisis he was not likely to conceal his political

opinions, nor can they be hidden or explained away; they are emblazoned on nearly every page of his writings, and remained unaltered to the latest period of his life.

It is observed by an able writer, that there is constantly going on in the world a conflict between good and evil; persons are evermore to be found adverse to all improvement, and the cause of human nature is not to be sustained without a struggle. This is especially true of those great periods which have been distinguished by revolutions in the government of nations, when the movements of the human mind have been more energetic and more rapid, and when men gifted with great power of thought and loftiness of sentiment have been summoned to the conflict. Thus commissioned, and bringing with them a passionate devotion to truth and freedom, they must and will speak with an indignant energy, and ought not to be measured by the standard of ordinary men in ordinary times.*

Though the author judged it expedient to retire from the scene of political contention, chiefly because it interfered too much with higher engagements, and brought him into contact with secular characters more than he wished; his Apology for the Freedom of the press will always be the admiration of those who desire to nourish in their breasts magnanimity of sentiment and an unquenchable love of liberty. Some of the clergy, and others

* Dr. Channing's Character of Milton.