The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-09-29 00:00:00

‘OViIA'I4.N tEerUkES.

*it have been accuato►ned, merely as auditors of
'these Lector's, end after the delivery of Ilwat:by
the Lecturer, to extract such portions as Might
convey to the public a just notion of their Moore
and object. We shall now resort to the more
snivel methoa, which has Keen 'placed in our power,
by otir having had access to one Grit yet dilivered-
1'
•iiairiely, the Sixth, which sell he said to coutplets•
the Course. and, With the preceding mire, to form
done I saiffscirsit genet's' developement a the views
of the Society, in resrard to the interesting vuliject
which has hitherto Sr7lely employed their exertions.
" Add/sr the massythodes of fretalsilent cerctunvention
(for 'flagitious acts argue dark and selfish motives) employed
to Avowl the measures adopted by horn who would enter
the often blissful state we' legitimately approve, one his
onty'conte to the knowledge Of the Outiniau Society, though
ever ou the watch fur examples of this sprit, since the 2llth
of Angell last In the present year..lBl9. Tie object is
'Manifested in some advice communicated, through Tot
•Alt INSIMUNI Mit AP INISITCAL •NONYMOUS LtITTN of
that date, addressed to one who May be reasonably termed
the printird member of oar Society, and earnestly, in that
style of dell monotony and canting tautology, which, even
'unaided by the nasal todowntion tonally raided to enforce it
in deceitful speech, intelligibly esiessets Indicates particular
well-known erroneous views of religion—eonSurifig our
rounder, with all that seal of enmity towards thri avoid-
ance of sin by marriage, which marks the sect denominated
' SHAKTRe (liviut, as the writer professes to have done, its
America), to discontinue, strange to sax! his laudable en-
ileavuers to promote this Christian obedience thiough our
Lectures. Not a few proofs justify us in averring, that 1,.,
seemingly religious motives ilidnevice them, but those of a
false and spurious kind. For let the tree he judged by it%
fruit., and they will be found to discover to it, at once three
assertions, intended to wound the feelings and thwart the
views of our beneficent Founder; the first of which demon.
pirates falsehood with its own prejudices, or the passim
for untruth; the second, falsehood with Ilse prejudices
1
Mr rapacity. With respect to the Ant of that ./3114011 MI.
blushing character, careless of correcting itself, there are
two instances: the first is, that of imputing obscenity to the

Immune of our Lectures, notwithstanding. the numlwrleois
witnesses of the total absence of any le ho have heard them
all delivered, or read that which is published. The steeped
instance is of little moment, as only relating to the age of
the person addressed; but as, with that happy tautology,
which has been remarked, it deliberately repeats, Ogren, if
not four times, a statement, positively describing leis age, as
if to the writer's knowledge somewhat more advanced than
it really ia, it must be difficult not to infer the notable pro-
pensity, fixed gradually by an habitual carelessness tef trade.
In respect to the second falsehood, growing out of enihn.
:num, 1 shall, I doubt not, awaken the sensibility, and rouse
the indignation in behalf of our friend, of many excellent
auditors of our Lectures, ley the following opeotstion from
the ymous letter:—' He has heard 'het the wilede of
your life has been devoted to try ice what mender, and in what
manner only, you can make your present eyelike t tend hap.
,Mess, without the slightest regard to your future happe
aeon, which, you know, is aunt esseutial'—' The time ClllllOl
be far distant when you lutist inevitably appear in the pre.
sauce of your God, and when all your worldly affairs will
instantly be at an end, then you well grieve you had met
p esseei you life in a better manner than you are now do-
ing.' This, I have observed, is in the true tone of modern
enthusiasm, to which it seems necessery that fools should lie
perpetually reminded Ref the religions character of a meet%
motives by tomething analuemes in the images and Writs
his actious excite, though not what sincere religion inspires;
just as it appears sometimes eligible to the enthusessen i.e
favour of liberty, to look contemptuously upon, and hence
disregard the chill and little awakening provisions of the
law, by which true British liberty eau atone be fitted and de.
hard. But our Founder is, unforionalely fur the credibility
of this tale of slander, a flofelieneeChrisieso, and, as such,
likely to have regulated the general conduct of his whole
life by a close eansideratlou of those v..ry pious maxims,
on which the supra fiCi3l nederstandine, seed at best) censo-
rious character of the enonyrtions letter-write, causes him to
dwell so little worthily of them—tea such, I sav, likely never to
hare forgotten the promises of t Another and a better mole'
" A note in our Point on Marriage refers renders, slot,
we flatter onnelves, unhappily, to Perneles Peens of The
Hermit ; the mural of wheels forbids us to arraign the de-
signs of Providence, through a rash confidence its outward
ampearaseem, and, from the immutable feature of Justice, ex-
tends its application, most imexceptiorrably, to actions of
particular aerie which though, as human, teeter uuaccom-
pained with sin, are liable to be miwepresented from much
greater sin in their fellow-creatures. For is it nothing that
our Coadjutor, the preuripal prop of our good MIAOW, lens
never hail any action impel trot to him that could, if examin-
ed, justly injure him in the public estimation? • Is it nothing
that the supposed unprofitable life, ill-observed or ill-repre.
muted by this talking dreamer, has regularly neauifested
itself no the employeneeet of breutifyiesg the country with the
aid of distinguished artists, where the expense would best
allow the remuneration of the public-sp. d benefactor, by
tire pule contemplation of any consequent itterea,e of its
reputation; endeavouring In draw of the mind from the I
grovelling views of self.Mierest, and persuade them that
Liereetianity is of a character humble ante suboreimite Molted,
yet nut ignoble? Is it outhiug that, contrary to the vile in-
• 00000 aline: of this stickler fur mere outward ',hews of mo-
rality, the poor have always invariably relied spun him no
their steady friend, to be depended upon, as ever found ser-
viceable in thew emergencies where they are the principal
bufferers; and that not only they, bet those of higher sure,
have learned by experience that his attention to human
wants is Oct only premiums!, but permanent aced systematic!
Is it nothing, that his patriotism and loyalty have mmuifeated
themselves by tee most dissimilar sacrifices of ierivate
fetes! ; and that, if the polio lent stud literary leave exempt,.
tied the tardiness ol injustice in making a candid return for
them, they should be considered rather as hem-eons, kindled
to emotion us against the must fungous of all quicksands,
than as pilots ready to Kahle us into the best of havens ! Is
it, finally, :imbue* (yet I own this blunderer, who vilifies
these already popular labours, must consider them as worse
than teething:, that helots at length found out talents in him.
self (ef he hid not before exerted them), destined to reflect
on himself the tumour which extraordinary utility roofers
on its designer ; 'erne; that, however generally preferable
that regular utility mothering to estehltsbed custom may be,
and of Which the whole life of our late gracious Queer' now
(weights the moat observable axsuipse, yet there are
a'riuda when rape improvements, suell as the Reformation,
are called fur, to he cautiously undertaken ; and that as Luther
liberated the marriageable, cooped up in monasteries and con-
vents through the tyranny of superstitious custom, so this sup-
plements' labour seemed to await the Outiniae Society, by
which a moral liberty would be superadded to a physical
one, to venire to neat! the fruits meditated in this important
respect by the meat Reformer ? It is true, our zealous
Coadjutor and our Society entertain this Mirticalir opinion,
that the truets of false plellusOphy were more unexcepteon.
ably cumbated, forty or fifty years ago, in the time of sumo
eminent cleamplOnt, as *elf as common Of the Church; and
that certifies ultra-marline! princip,M have beets dint/erne
tested of late years, equally Intending against reason and
against justice.. Rat this hinders mil, that all that inter-