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drudgery of travelling over the fame field, and to rakę into a ftinking dunghill? Why oblige them to fight every inch of their ground again, already fo honourably won from the foe, and fo fafely inclofed within the pale both of ecclefiaftical and civil laws?: Muft they do as the knight who cut off the heads of his enemies a fecond time, after they were raised to life by enchantment? Or muft they be compelled to perform in reality, what the Macedonian hero was made by the influence of music to perform in imagination, who

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We might further have pled, that the toleration of falfe idolatrous religion, when carried farther than mere forbearance of force and punishment, abftracting from the immediate hurt done to fociety, is in itself abfolutely unlawful. That Popery is fuch a religion may be taken for granted, when we are dealing with profeffed Proteftants. Upon what principles then of nature or religion can acts including any degree of approbation, or pofitive encouragement to it, and affording it protection and fecurity, be vindicated? If it will be allowed, that thofe are highly culpable and guilty who grant it a full and exclusive establifhment, it must be admitted to be a degree of the fame guilt to fupport it by a pofitive legal toleration, whereby its intereft may be at least partially, and fometimes very effectually and fuccefsfully promoted. And between the conduct of Popish and Proteftant governments there is this great difference, that what the former do in this refpect they account to be done to the true religion, and think they do God good fervice, and have at least the merit of confiftency, by abftaining with the greatest care from whatever hath the remoteft appearance of encouraging

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what they are convinced is erroneous or heretical: while the latter are chargeable with countenancing Popery under the notion of herefy and idolatry, known and confessed to be fuch. By the immutable principles of truth and morality, are not all under obligation to discourage, instead of countenancing evil? How can men legitimate what the fupreme Legiflator forbids, or human laws pretend to tolerate and fecure what the divine expressly enjoin to be destroyed * ?

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The word toleration is equivocal; and in many of our modern reasonings and declamations, and even in fome of the most eminent writers on the subject, the idea of it appears not to be fixed with fufficient precifion. It feems needful to preferve a distinction between negative and pofitive toleration. The former may and ought to be extended to all religions whatever, or rather to the perfons profeffing them, when public fafety and the good of society do not forbid: the latter, as well as a legal establishment, is due only to truth, and a religion intrifi ally good. It is true that the religious truth or falfehood of any system is not immediately the rule or ground of toleration, or any act of human legislation, but public utility, and political good, are to be confidered in these alone. But thefe have a very clofe and infeparable connection. Truth and utility, properly understood, must always coincide: and the laft can never be determined or fettled till the first is previously known.

We are fometimes told, that civil government ought to make no diftinction of ore religion 'rom another, but should hold them all upon a level; and that the worst and most corrupt is equally entitled to, his countenance and protection with the bett and pureft: nay, fome divines themselves feem to infinuate, that all religions, even the groffeft idolatries, if they be not directly deftructive to the fate, are therefore reconcileable even with Christianity itself; telling us, "That while the gofpel tolerates nothing immoral, nothing prejudicial to the fiate or to individuals, yet it tolerates all religions, however different from itfelf;" not fcrupling to announce to the world in broad capitals, "That "though every religion were enumerated which now exifts, from the rifing to "the fetting fun, the Chriftian religion will tolerate them all, provided they "teach no opinions which are deftructive to the flate, or dangerous to the par"ticular members of it." Not to infift on the great impropriety of confounding. civil and ecclefiaftical toleration together; and of afcribing to the gospel what is the peculiar office of civil magiftracy alone;-fuch vague doctrine is liable to the most dangerous mifconftruction. It founds as if Christianity allowed men to approve of all other religions, or to be indifferent about their fuccefs; as if there were nothing in the gofpel oppofite and hoftile unto any different religion, that might be peaceable in the state. In this fenfe, nothing can be more falfe or glaringly abfurd than the affertion. Chriftianity as well as ancient Judaism, and

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We might, moreover, have infifted, that fuch a toleration is an indirect attack upon the common faith of Proteftants, and the Scriptures themfelves, concerning the ap proaching fall and final ruin of the Antichriftian interest, and carries the appearance of an impious oppofition to the will and facred decrees of Heaven. It bears too near a refemblance to the politics of Julian styled the Apoftate, who,

indeed every religion that is founded on truth, and hath a fyftem of faith, worship, and discipline, pofitively fixed by a divine invariable ftandard, must neceffarily, from its nature, be intolerant of all others. Light and darkpefs are not more opposite to each other than Chriftianity is to every species of falte religion; and it obliges perfons of every character and station in life, who believe and profefs it, to rer ounce, hate, and oppofe, and, by every lawful and proper mean, to fupprefs and destroy, every degree of irreligion, error, herefy, fuperstition, and idolatry, from the least to the greatest, as well as injustice, vice, and immorality; without permitting any to give them fuch fecurities as are inconfiftent with thefe duties, or which may tend to prevent the application or influence of fuch means. Wherefore Christianity, fo far from tolerating and affociating with every religion under the fun, and admitting a general communion with all forts of error and idolatry, can, in fact, tolerate no religion whatever, different from itself nor is political fafety or danger, or the mere confideration of a religion being either innocent or noxious to a state, the rule or reafon by which the tolerance or intolerance of the gospel as fuch proceeds; nor has it any thing to do in the question, about the right of perfons and communities to believe, profefs, fupport, propagate, approve or pofitively allow, or to oppofe, discountenance, hinder, or extirpate any religion as fuch; for that depends upon the truth or falfehood, the good or evil, the lawfulness or unlawfulnefs of fuch a religion in itself confidered.- To understand and explain the doctrine of toleration as fome feem to have done, is to lay the foundation-stone of deism and univerfal fcepticifm; and is indeed to make Christianity a more irrational and inconsistent system than Popery itself. It would make it every whit as abfurd as the ancient fyftem of Pagan polytheifm, which, admitting a plurality of deities, allowed an intercommunity among them and their worshippers. -But if by toleration be meant nothing more than an exemption from penal laws and sufferings purely for religious opinions and matters of faith and conscience, and if the meaning of such affertions be, that Christianity will allow those who profefs it to fuffer others to live, and to continue in their errors, undisturbed by force and punishment, until it may please God, through the use of all rational and Chriftian means, to enlighten and convert them; while there is nothing in their religion, or in the manner of their profeffing and maintaining it, inconfiftent with the peace and fafety of civil fociety, or threatening violent deftruction to the lawful inftitutions of a nation, or to the temporal or religious liberties of others,-nothing can be more true and undeniable, The DoЯrine of Toleration applied to the prefent times, &c. Glafg.

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in order craftily to weaken and undermine Christianity, proclaimed an universal toleration; restored the Pagan temples and facrifices; loaded the Jews with favours, and encouraged them in the attempt to rebuild their ruined temple, that, by its restoration, Christianity might be difparaged, and the express predictions of the Saviour on that head, refuted and convicted of falfehood; though Heaven forbad the infernal attempt, awfully demonftrated the criminality and folly of thinking to defeat the predictions, and frustrate the defigns of the Omnipotent. The fatal catastrophe and final extermination of Antichriftian Rome is an event no less expressly declared, and more fully and circumftantially defcribed in New-Teftament prophecy, than the overthrow and defolation of the temple of Jerufalem. Is it work, then, worthy of any but apoftates from Proteftantifm, and Chriftianity itself, to labour to counteract the designs of Providence, and to falfify the divine oracles, in regard to the most glorious event, which the last times are to bring forth for the general happiness of the world, and confolation of the faithful. As the language of Babel's builders was of old confounded, and their heaven-infulting work ceased; fo fhall the fame fuperintending power disconcert and baffle all fuch impious fchemes, if not purfue with fignal vengeance their authors and promoters.

Roma diu titubans, longis erroribus acta,
Corruet, et mundi definet effe caput.

But, leaving these topics, we fhall just turn our eyes for a moment to North Britain, offer our thoughts concerning the propofed repeal of the laws against Popery in that of the united kingdom, and haften to a conclufion.

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All that has been advanced in the preceding pages may be properly confidered, as it was indeed partly intended, as reafons against extending the repealing acts to that

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country, now or in any future time. And, befides the general arguments which apply in common to South and North Britain, there are fome things which plead, with peculiar and additional force, against such a repeal with regard to Scotland. In fome of the northern fhires and iflands, rudeness and barbarifm are yet too prevalent; learning and civilization are but in their infancy; the spirit of clanship, a fond attachment to the traditionary system, civil and religious, as well as to the language and drefs of their fathers, is still very strong among the inhabitants : from the nature of the country, the extraordinary extent of parishes, the thinnefs and confequent diftance of Proteftant churches, Popery has at any rate many advantages to contribute to its progrefs. Thefe favourable opportunities the Romish miffionaries have not failed to improve for feducing the people; and they must continue to do fo with redoubled vigour, and much more fuccefs, if altogether fet free from the curb of the laws. In thefe folitary and dark retreats, Popish priests can always lurk in safety; and there fuperftition naturally strikes deep its roots, and maintains and ftrengthens its gloomy empire.

Befides, in these mountainous haunts and faftneffes, fo favourable to fecret confultations and plots, the most dangerous defigns against the state may eafily be concerted, and ripened into acts; to which the Papifts, with their friends the non-jurant epifcopalians, have hitherto fhewed themselves too much addicted; of which the two laft rebellions, which had their origin in thefe parts, and from thence poured at once, like rapid torrents, through the land, are fufficient evidences. Though there are no fubjects in the three kingdoms more firmly attached from principle, intereft, affection, and gratitude, to the present civil government and reigning family, or more invariably zealous to preserve the Proteftant fucceffion inviolate, than the body of Prefbyterians in Scotland, who are by far the

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