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live peaceably with them, and not to torment them on account of any fyftem of belief they have adopted. If we forcibly enlift men into the Church, we fhall only make them prevaricators and hypocrites. The power of the Church is purely Spiritual; and this is so true, that the firft Chriftians fuffered themselves to be butchered, rather than rebel against the edicts of the heathen Emperors: and our bleffed Redeemer himself, when he prayed for his executioners, taught us how his caufe is to be avenged. Had the minifters of the gospel been always careful to follow that divine model, the enemies of Chriftianity had not been able to bring against it the unjuft reproach of being a perfecutor. The Church always difavowed. those impetuous men, who stirred up by indifcreet zeal, treat those who go aftray with afperity and its most holy Bishops, in all times, folicited the pardon of apoftates, defiring only their converfion. Men therefore ought not to impute to the Church, thofe exceffes of which hiftory has preserved the memory, and which are repugnant to the maxims of the Gospel. Ganganelli, Lett. 5. 4. See his difcourfe on the spirit of the Church, and on Religion.

Some

Some of my reader's cannot be perfuaded that the Inquifition has been abolished in Spain. For their fatisfaction, I give them the following extract from the Annual Regifter.

"The King of Spain has at length stripped the Inquifition of those powers which rendered it odious and terrible. It will for the future be little more than a college of enquiry into reliligious matters. Its jurifdiction and prifons. are taken from it, and those powers happily reftored to the civil tribunals. This measure will have an extraordinary effect in promoting arts, manufactures, commerce, and learning. Spain, in future, will be a fecure and happy refidence to ftrangers." Annual Register for the year 1774, page 39.

"The regency of Milan has given a late inftance of that general difpofition to reduce the powers of the Church, by abolishing for ever the tribunal of the Inquifition in that Dutchy, and appropriating its eftates for the fupport of an Hofpital of Orphans." Annual Register, page 149, for the year 1775.

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ADVERTISEMENT.

SEVERAL perfons requested I would give a history of the London riots: I promised to undertake the task, and in confequence began to digeft my materials. I afterwards reflected, that the duty of the hiftorian, bound him to arraign at the impartial tribunal of truth, both men and actions; unmask the leading characters; examine into their motives; lay open the hidden fprings of proceedings, whether worthy of applause, or deferving to be doomed to cenfure; embellish his narrative with fuitable reflections; and, by spreading the wide theatre, without respect to time or perfons, inform the living, and become the monitor of the unborn. I afterwards confidered my own state, exposed, in confequence of the penal laws, to the infult of every ruffian; and, comparing the defenceless fituation of the priest with the duty of the hiftorian, I dropped the attempt.

No perfon is obliged to write a history; but when he writes it he muft tell the truth: and when we tell the truth in talking of the living, it is hard to avoid giving offence.

If my correfpondents be not satisfied with this ароlogy, let them point out a method whereby I can remove the difficulty, and I shall publish a history of the riots, in London itself, with my name to it: for I difclaim anonymous productions.

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