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own, * and the payment of my tithe can be no check upon industry. I prefer the average price of the year, because my income will encrease or diminish with my expences, and the occupiers will, in no year, pay more than they receive, or may receive if they pleafe. I know this offer to be liberal, very much below my claim, and very greatly to your advantage, compared with what you all pay in the parishes around you.

"Lent Corn, as Oats, Barley, Peas, Beans, &c. is produced from 4 to 6 qrs. per acre, fometimes 7, and Oats have produced 8, 9, and 10 qrs. per acre; but I will confider the average of all Lent corn at four and a half, or 36 bufhels, and will reduce this to 25 bufhels per acre, and fix the tithe at two bufhels and a half, upon the fame conditions as propofed for Wheat. This alfo gives the whole of return, the effect of improvement, to the farmer, exclufive of the ftraw.

"Fruit, as Apples, Cherries, Filberds, &c. 10s. per acre, or according to crop, at the choice of the owner of the plantation. This fum, if paid by the acre, fixes the produce, taking apples, cherries, and filberds, at 51. per acre: if payment according to the crop is preferred. When the planter receives nothing, he will have nothing to pay.

"Grafs, including Meadow, Sanfoin, Clover, first and fecond cut, &c. I will only eftimate as producing 41. per acre, and reduce this to 50s. or 5s. per acre tithe. Orchards mown, only Half-a-Crown.

"Pafturage, includes all feed, Milch Cows, Calves, Lamb, Wool, and every fpecies of fmall tithes; this I fix, for the whole of fuch claims, at 3s. per acre. Orchards fed, at 1s. 6d. per acre.

"Woods, fuch as are planted, pay only when they are felled; the Rough Woods pay nothing, I believe, as being in the Weald. Planted Woods pay every where, or whole parishes might be planted, and the Minifters of Religion be wholly deprived of fupport.

"Hops are now the only produce to be confidered; it is, I believe, generally acknowledged, that, taking 20 years, the profit to the

*

As Turnip fallows, fed off by fheep for enriching the land, are productive of advantage to the occupier only, the Rector deriving no benefit from increased produce, 35. per acre for Turnips must be allowed a reafonable claim."

+"As a Minister of God's word, I would recommend to every occupier of Land, to read, with all due attention, Proverbs, chap. xi. verse 26."

"A fmall proportion of the tithe of ftraw, regulated by the land in tillage, to be delivered annually, wherever it may be appointed."

§ "Seeds cut green to feed teams working arable land in the parish of to pay no tithes. Seeds cut green to feed teams working out of the parish, for the profits of the Rectors of fuch parishes, to pay 55. per acre."

planter

planter is 151. per acre. You all know that it is not the profit, but the produce that is titheable. I do not renounce my claim to every tenth bushel when picked, but I will confider only the profit, and will reduce the 151.* down as low as 61. per acre, or 12s. for tithe, little more than one third of the tithe of the profit, and not the crop.

I have only farther to obferve, that this agreement is to be free of all taxation, affeffment, or deduction, whatever; and to be fubject to any alterations which the Legislature may fee it wife and expedient to make in the Tithe Laws, as they may affect this agreement, refpecting either the paying or receiving of Tithes."

AN ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY THE CONDUCT OF THE DISSENTERS.

N our review of Mr. Rivers's tract, in our laft number, (P. 626,)

fuffered the author to fpeak, chiefly, for himself. The inferences which we drew, admitting the accuracy of the facts on which they were founded, and that accuracy, we must observe, was no object of criticism, we defy any man to impeach. But we fubjoined fome ftatements, which we had received, as we faid, from "a moft intel. ligent and refpectable correfpondent," corroborative of Mr. Rivers's general argument. We know that correfpondent fo well, that we have not the fmallest hesitation in expreffing our decided conviction of the truth of every statement which he advances. But the statements in queftion, as well as many of the affertions of Mr. Rivers, have been impeached by a gentleman of refpectability among the Diffenters, who has called upon us, in a most folemn manner, to retract what we have advanced on the fubject. To make fuch retractation, we feel ourfelves by no means difpofed, from a consciousness of having advanced nothing that we are not able to fupport. We fhall not here enter into a difcuffion of the point; but, after premifing that we are very far from affenting to the juftice of all the pofitions laid down by this correfpondent, and that we are among those who think no men justifiable in feceding from the Established Church, on light grounds, we fhall endeavour to give due weight to his arguments, and, at the fame time, to afford thofe whom he attacks a fair opportunity for vindicating themselves, by inferting his letter at full length.

"To the Editor of the Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine.

SIR,

"I am encouraged to hope, from various parts of your Review, that you would not, intentionally, mifreprefent the conduct of truly

"This is the average of twenty-..There are certainly years of blight, wherein, fo far from profit, great expence is incurred, but there are alfo years, wherein the profit is from 30 to 50l. per acre."

NO, VII, VOL. II,

religious

religious people. To do fo, muft, indeed, be heinous in the fight of God, the Judge of all, and is likely to be extremely hurtful to man. kind in every refpect. Miftakes of perfons, acting conscientiously, have, however, been productive of very fatal confequences. The perfecutors of the Apoftles thought they were doing fervice to God, Jefus Chrift himself was crucified upon a charge of treafon.

"Thefe obfervations are occafioned by fome expreffions in the third article of your Original Criticifm, for December, which afcribes the exertions, now made in moft parts of the kingdom, to inftruct poor villagers in the knowledge of the Scriptures, to political, that is to fay, feditious and treasonable, motives.

"Surely, Sir, you ought to be very cautious in advancing, or admitting, infinuations of this kind. Suppofe it poffible that nothing but the pureft doctrines of the Gospel are inculcated by them who make thefe efforts. Suppofe that they do this with the most upright and benevolent motives, folely to bring glory to Chrift, and falvation to finners. Suppofe, moreover, that they are actually very ufeful by thefe means, not only to profligate people, who are faved from deftructive vices, but, alfo, to the general peace and fecurity, and the mutual comfort and usefulness, of their fellow-fubjects. Then, Sir, fuppofe that, by the fufpicion and alarm which you, or others, may excite, fo defirable an object may be fruftrated, and they, who are labouring difintereftedly and zealoufly to ferve God and mankind, fhould be, through your means, requited with perfecution and deftruction, Suppofing, I fay, this to be the cafe, would not God avenge for fuch things?

"I befeech you, Sir, for the fake of God, your own foul, and the welfare of your King and Country, to proceed no farther in fo dan gerous a road as that of furmize, upon fuch a fubject; but tread back the path you have trod, by a public acknowledgement that you have already gone too far, without having any thing more than prefumption for your guide. Examine the fact, whether, in any of the prayers, readings, exhortations, or fermons, in the village meetings, a fingle feditious expreffion has been uttered, or any thing of a political tendency fuggefted. If the fact be proved, render to the ftate the fervice that you owe to it, by bringing to public punishment the wretch that has dared to cloak iniquity under the garb of devotion and benevolence; but, even then, do not venture to brand all who preach in villages with the fame charge. Ex uno difce omnes,' is a most dangerous maxim, if applied to the claffes of mankind. What rank is there, among which may not be found fome bad men? Is there any lawful and neceffary occupation of life that has not been turned to the worst of purposes? Let every one bear his own burden. But I greatly doubt, Sir, whether the minuteft enquiry would detect, in any part of the kingdom, a fingle inftance, in which religious meetings in villages, have been perverted to political purpofes. Many are held in this neighbourhood; but, fo far from being adapted to alienate people from the ftate, they are earneftly exhorted to attend divine worthip, in their parish churches; and not only the King, the Royal

Family,

Family, and all in authority, are prayed for, but the welfare and ufefulness of the Parochial Clergy are ufual fubjects of folemn interceffion. We do not aim to make people Diffenters, but real Chrif tians: if we can direct thein in the way to Heaven, what is it, in comparison, whether they go to a church or a meeting?

"I do not mean to take up the political defence of the Diffenters, as a body, but I am well aware that many of M. Rivers's affertions, refpecting Diffenters, both of the prefent, and of the former, age, are groundlefs. The weakness of his argument is fufficiently plain, from the extract given in P. 632 of your last number. Of all the perfons there introduced as Diffenters, only one, Mr. Flower, of Cambridge, is entitled to that denomination. You will find, Sir, a much more authentic statement in An Apology for Village Preach. ing, by the Rev. W. Kingfbury, A. M. of Southampton,' (not Benj. Kingsbury, formerly of Warwick.) You, Sir, allow of honourable exceptions, as individuals, and one of those whom you name, I well knew, and highly refpected-the late Mr. Brewer of Stepney. But it is an unfortunate mistake that ranks all people, who do not profefs the eftablished form of religion, among Diflenters. Why, Sir, fhould you call Atheists and Deifts, either Prefbyterians, Independents, or Baptifts, any more than Churchmen? They attend no divine worship, and neither practice, nor profefs, any religion. It is to this clafs, that they who have been moft active, and violent, on the political ftage, have chiefly belonged, whether in England, France, or America.

"Next to the Atheists and Deifts, in the political fcale, ftand the Socinians; who, indeed, appear to me to differ very little, as to religion, from the Deifts. Yet, admitting Socinians to be claffed among Diffenters, you, Sir, are, .probably, not ignorant, that there' is a greater difference between them and the orthodox Diffenters, than there is between the latter and the ferious part of the established Clergy. You may not, however, be aware, that the endeavours to inftruct, reform, and convert, the poor villagers, are carried on by thofe Diffenters only who believe and preach the principal doctrines contained in the Church of England. I believe there is not an inftance of a Socinian exifting, who is engaged in labours of this kind. If there were, it would not be in concert with the orthodox, (or, as, they are more ufually called, evangelical,) Diffenters; who would as foon concur in propagating Mahometifm as Socinianifin.

I

"It may, however, be urged, that feveral among the orthodox Diffenters have been active and ftrenuous in political concerns. am forry that it is true, in fome inftances, but I maintain that they are very few, compared with the body of orthodox Diffenters; and I rejoice in having obferved, for feveral years paft, that the attention of thofe few has been increafingly turned from political to religious objects. I am certain that the efforts which have been made to fpread pure and undefiled religion, at home and abroad, have had a very happy influence on the minds of many who are zealously occupied in promoting them. No real friend to his King and Country

О г

will

will wish to prevent Diffenters from being engroffed by purfuits of a truly religious nature. What is fo likely to alienate them who are friendly to government, to provoke them who are peaceable, and o render them inveterate who are difaffected, as to perfecute them for righteoufnefs fake?

"To conclude, irreligion and immorality have been the ruin of France. If England be ever brought to the fame ftate, (which God forbid,) it will be by the fame means. Whilft there are many excellent men among the eftablished clergy, there are so many of a different ftamp, that there is but too much occafion for Diffenters to do their utmoft in ftopping the progrefs of vice and infidelity. For this purpose they vifit hamlets where there are no churches, and thofe villages, chiefly, where no clergyman refides. They avoid thofe places where there are pious and zealous Minifters in the church. Strange as it may feem to you, they do not receive one farthing for their labour; excepting a very few, perhaps, a dozen in all England, whofe whole. time is occupied with itinerant preaching, and whofe whole fupport is a small falary raised by subscriptions in their neighbourhood. Others have only their unavoidable expences, in going about, difcharged at the general cost of focieties formed for the purpose, who also purchase Bibles, and religious tracts, of an unexceptionable nature, to give to thofe poor people who can read.

"G."

To the Editor of the Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine.

SIR,

THE

HE avocations of a 'compting-houfe have little leifure for the difcuffion of political fubjects; but I cannot forbear expreffing, as a plain domestic man, the gratification I have felt on reading your ftrictures on Dr. Alexander Geddes' doctrines, and your expofition of their tendency to deftroy the moral, and, of course, political bonds of fociety, by his attempt (feeble, I fondly truft,) to ftrip the Scriptures of the garb of infpiration which has hitherto covered them, and long, I hope, will continue to add to their weight.

You will not be furprized at this addrefs when I tell you, that having many years ago been perfuaded to become a fubfcriber to the Doctor's Tranflation of the Bible, I was favoured in due time with his fecond volume; and, although I confefs there were fome pecu liarities both in the tranflation and notes of the first volume, which imparted an aukwardness of feeling to my mind; yet, it was not till I perufed the Preface to the fecond volume, that the reverend divineftood fully confeffed.

I am really incapable of giving you the ideas with which my mind was harraffed, on thus feeing a man, under the facerdotal habit, the conftituted guardian of religion, virtue, morality, and every thing which is dear to the focial state, betraying his truft, and, under that habit and so constituted, with much greater efficacy, more certainty

of

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