The National Register.
London, England, 1813-11-07 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGPSTER...

NOV.

at war. with reason, which assertion does not prove" that the,
man acts from unreasonable motives who acts under the in-

fluence of gratitude, love, hope," &c. but if be does not re-
gulate those passions by reason, they cease to be .7ratitude,
lore, hope, Site or at least they lase that amiable part c‘f their

character which entitles them to admiration, and become l' i
prejudicial to their possessor. The quotation from ('grin- I i
thians certainly does not prove that• St. Paul addressed only
the passions (and it is a remarkable negative to that supposi- '
tion that St. Paul reasons even to metaphysical distinctions,
and strives more than any other Aros-tle, to impress the minds
of the pi imitive believers with the rati..notity as well as divinity i
of the Christian code), but it appears to prove that the Co.
rinthians had made use of their reason, which occasioned that 1
carefulness, clearing themselves, &c. (which term clearing im- 1
plies reasoning in sonic degree) be commends in them. If
V.-A. can possibly imagine that I conceive religion has no- I
thing to do with the passions, he mast have read what I wrote j
very hastily ; but I would make a distinction, and soften I,
passions into alTertio.,s when they concern celestial objects,
and me theta as passions when applied to terrestrial. That
the affections must be deeply engaged in religi,n is too pal- I
rble a truth for any one to deny (and I am glad V. A. !
allows reason as necessary to direct them), but this does not i
prove that preaching to the passions alone is most service-
able to religion; iedeed it is to that custom we perhaps owe 1
so much of the evil animadverted upon by Onesims in the
paragraph I have alltided to. V A. observes " vain arc that
man's professions," &c. (page (36, line ,1, of your paper) I I'
believe, search all hearts, the" hope of 1 ew at d," and the " fear I
of puoishment," are the great instruments that excite to re- ,
ligious and mota! actions, and these, by some of the first I
polemical writers, ate acknowledged" good" and not " vain." 1
I ant afraid without them there would he little, if any, reli- 1,
giott. Chr:st and his disciples make strong use of them. ij
A man who "-breaks tirst through one band of sin and then
another" from this " hope and 'fear," certainly cannot be I.
said to act in " vain," because bore and fear are given to I
make us " grow in grace," (that is, gradually glow in vi, tue ; i
far gradual reformation seldom, if ever, relapses), and it' we I
do bre ik a bond of sin, the promised reward must follow ; a
hatred of that sin will eventually succeed, and a love of ho-
liness, which is simply, a state of virtue. " A habit of vir-
tue acquired," is more likely to be permanent than virtue in
any other way obtained. The very term habit, implies con-
stancy, and constancy in virtue cannot be " vain," atql %% bete
virtue is, the heart niu.i be concerned: no man can accom-
plish a habit of virtue without that necessary requisite ; and
1 believe most pious men will agree that " hope and feat-
are:the grounds of all real religion. In fact, no man can
have that hope and fear really without a cot respoedio4 love
for virtue and distaste of vice. V. A. acknowledge s that the
discourses of Chi ist were chiefly ethical, and sa3s " a satis
factory and conclusive reason may be given"----true, that
he thought them most eminently necessairy to film Chris
thins If V. A. fancies I Inca» that moral discourses are
alone to be preached, he misanderstarids me. I iowever ex-
cellent morality is, and without it religion is iii vain, yet
morality alone cannot open a man's eyes to the light of
Christianity. Our doctrine, in the la% e of our Cod, com-
bines two branches. Lore of God, which is rel'gion, lore of
our. neighbour, &c. which is morality ; but in the yaiious
Napes which I have sent to your u'.eful raise:ha:ly, V. A.
may read my opinions on this head at large, for neither have
J time nor von room to detail them h:•re. That preachers
• a: e never to addle, .s the atfeetioos or passions, 1 never as-
serted ; I'. only assert that preachers who rest all their labours
ton them, are most likely to labour in vain.. To excite a po-

715

'pular tumult, cunning men • address the passions exclusively-
and what is the•consequence ? Why •a tumuit—neer to be
defended, for it is always mischit sous in its effect. Religion
stands in the same predicament ; for religion, not depending
on the uncle' standing, is but a passion itself; and like all pas-
sions nest founded on reason, must expand itself; and this
it is occasions so many etohusiasts to become in the end
Deists and Atheists.
.The man who works-upon the passions
may make many instantaneous and violent converts. lie
who addresses the undervanding mill not make them so
fast, nor pet haps sn many, but those he does make will con-
tinue; those the other mskes will, many, if not most uf
them, fail. Fruit raised in hot-houses never reaches that
perfection or flavour fruit naturally produced dies. It is to
be remarked that time passions always betray us into vice, the
understanding cannot be so accused ; for the understanding
is on'the side of virtue. In shot t, as the age of miracles is
passed, no one can he converted that is not convinced ; and
cotiVietion refers to the understanding. St. Paul, '' who
lahoured more than all the Apostles," directs most of his
wi tints, as I before obsetved, to the understanding,. No
man can truly accomplish that which he does not understand.
and the man Who founds his religion on passion %%Akita con-.
suiting reason, professes what be is unacquainted with. In- .
deed, human love, where it is the curet of passion, that is,
when a man falls in love with a woman from a fine face and
person and manner, without consulting the mind, is a pas.'
sion simply, and such love neither produces happiness nor
on•tancv ; but if a man becomes it) love with a woman's
mind, then it is a passion founded on reason and unde;stand-
ing, and hence it is permanent, and produces happiness. 11e- •
ligion is much the same; a man to be enamoured of it must
understand its excellence; it is true be may he zealous about
it from passion, but that zeal has no lasting foundation, for
the passion gill expire, and the zeal with it. Zeal girt inging
from the understanding, becomes a habit ; which term de-
notes active constancy. Passion never told us theme was a
God, hot Reason ever did; because Reason observed that Na-
ture existed by depeedencies, and these dependencies na-
ttCsalls were tiaeed to a first cause, and that first cause Rea-
son concluded must be a superior power: Revelation came to
her assistance, and acquainted her with who and what that
first muse was, and the actions of Reassai atising flow her
contemplation of revelation were religion. 1 agree with
V. Ai, that the affections must go with religion, if it is reli-
gion ; but I must retrial k, that the pine affections never go
with any object till first influenced by reason ; and the love
of God never proceeded from any thing but the unders'aud-
ing directing the rassionF. V. A. must imagine I would make
telitsion a cold, formal, prudential affection, though I would
have all the heart in it and all the (,cosed) passions; but 1
would likewise have all the understanding, for in proportion
as the understanding is deficient in its action, will the heart
and passions err. I wou:d h;ive piety, as Addison observes,
" a good masculine piety," ai:d then it will be effective. . If
I have mistAen any of V. A.'s opinions, I apologize, as I
ought to you, for intruding so long on your time; and to
Your pi inter for the trouble he may have to make out this
scribble w+ itten at the irttwilt, am i which I have no time
to tianscribe. ! Lone my reasoning is not confused, for
haste wil! prod•ice incorrectness and tautology. To V. A.
I can only sequin the same respectful notice he has addressed
to me, and hope, that though we differ in opi"ion,
the unfortunate cawe of u;ost dissensions, we may,
at the grand constomraticto he found sincere in our trust,
and meet to4ether where opinion is lost in certainty, and
hope in enjoyment. I am, Sir, your obedient set vant,
A LAI MAN.

THE WATCHMAN

(RES ;.ORIL:1))

No. I.

Iflud If fw Night! OLD TESTAMENT.
Ye ectis diacd-rn thelaa of the sky ; but, edit yc not discern lkt Signs of
the riots ?• • • • NEW TESTAMENT.
C ATHOLICS. AND DISSENTERS.

Since it has been requested of the " pulpit critic" that
he would extend his range of observation, beyond the mere
limits of the Pulpit, he is induced once more to appear in the
character of WATc It M AN, in doing which he presumes it
may not be altogether inexpedient to offer some explanation
.of the title he has again thought proper to assume. And
this explanation is foi tunately at hand. lie who stands for-
ward in the responsible situation of Watchman to the bode
of Israel,' according to the paraphrase of a Jewish Rabbi, is
to look out on all occurrences, and forecast their effects:—
he is to understand, by the comprehension bestowed on him,
all matters which shall come to his ears ; and if he foresee
any evil, likely to result, be is not to hesitate as to his part,
but boldly to give warning of the same. It now remains
forlhe present writer to endeavour faithfully to discharge
the (tusks of the station lie thus aspires to fill.
Amongsit the more important subjects which at this mo-
ment press on the attention of every friend to the corstitu-
tion of this kind, and concerning which the warning voice'
cannot be too loudly heard, what is commonly called the
Catholic Question seem: immediately entitled to deep con-
siderivion. Pa' liament has assembled ; and will in all pro-
bability have to decide, before the termination' of its Ses-
sion, whether the Plotestant Ascendancy is to he maintained
as the gusraniee of our Political rights; or, in other wot ds,
whrther Catholics and Dissenters ern hereafter to legislate for
Prote-stant Fpiscapalians?
Here the question narrows itself at once. Without first
ascertaining the peculiar bent of the Roman Catholic Re-
ligion, respecting its tolerance towards our petsuasion,
this
ss•eins perfectly clear, that---if the Catholics are once admitted
within the of the Coastihttion, then the Dissenters can hat
'to means he e,icladed. Our dissenters, to say the truth. ap-
pear to be pet fectly aware of this ; since they have, almost
without exception, shewn themselves to he either strenuous
ipporters or complacent encouragers of the catholic claims.
titrality concerning those chims was the just ground for
'otes!ant disseuters. Instead of taking such ground, which
best became them to take. we behold them courting an
liance t'iom which their foiefathers would have started;
Al resorting to the dangerous experiment of serving those
'horn they fel medy con,idered as their enemies, in the
iubtful hope of being eventually benefiited by their success.
,ach arc striving for that mastery which cannot he shared,
pposing it obtained by either, and •which must terminate
the subjugation of one.
Englishtten can no longer rest mere spectators of this
contest, unless they arc grown perfectly insensible to the
blessings they have so long enjoyed, and, therefore, lament-
ably indifferent to the preservation of their Constitution !
While clainis..so evidently injurious to that Constitution
have already nearly passed the (louse of Commons, having
been there resisted by a majority of four only, what have we
not to apprehend, should those claims be presently allowed
to their extent, and should we find the popular branch of
our legislature to consist of persons who have avowed them-
selves favourable to such claims? Resistance would be then
uoasailing. When the dissenter that! have Altroycd our re-

NOV.

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