deservedly held in abhorrence by all enlightened men, that any language I could apply to the whore of Babylon would be a waste of time and words upon the most worthless of all harlots, whose anger with her eldest daughter is well placed and extremely natural upon finding herself supplanted by her own progeny. But for this decayed old lady to be so destitute of shame as to call the attention of the public to legitimate descendants in the persons of the Freethinking Christians, would be perfectly unaccountable, was not the present allowed to be an age of wonders.

la their Magazine for December we are amused with what they call an account of the "origin of the Freethinking Christians." From the title much might be expected, and many judicious remarks anticipated. We could have even indulged a hope that so advanced was the information of the times, that men could now admit the existence of Freethinking Christians in the apostolic age, and that Jesus himself was their founder and sole master; but all these pleasing anticipations were at once annihilated when we recollected the Catholic Magazine lay before us-its contents only serving to strengthen our settled judgment of their principles and their talents.

But now, Mr. Editor, to come to particulars-the article in question referred alone to your society (meeting in the Crescent, Jewin Street) containing a few of the floating facts of the day, joined to their three leading statements, which are gross falshoods, 1st. That you were once called Anti-devilists. 2nd. That after your separation from Parliament Court, you disseminated your doctrines in the fields, till prevented by the magistrates. 3rd. That you drank tea publicly in your hired room, where strangers were admitted upon paying three-pence per head; but this scheme for gossiping and making converts, not answering, it was relinquished."

These misrepresentations we find in a statement that occupies only three quarters of a page. Had it emanated from any other quarter, I could not have exonerated them from the imputation of evil design; but being ready to make every allowance for the state of knowledge and information among Catholics, and judging of the performance from such actors, I am rendered less forward to cast that imputation upon them, not doubting but that their long standing and universally acknowledged thirst for truth, will cause them to make the most diligent enquiry; and when convinced, humbly confess their error, unless pride should come in the

way, and give them a hint for the purchase of an indulgence -that easy, happy method of rubbing off all bad deeds, which so peculiarly belongs to the "papal orthodoxy" of the" true church," and in an eminent manner qualified to inculcate "loyalty, patriotism, and universal benevolence."

It seems quite a novelty for Roman Catholics to notice Freethinking Christians. Two greater opposites upon any subject could not have been selected for public view. Here are the supporters of darkness attempting to ridicule the comparative luminaries of light. Here we are in one moment removed from the frigid to the torrid zone, and there witness a jackass striving to kick a lion, who looks down upon his presumption and ignorance with the most sovereign contempt.

To give a finish to this new extraordinary exhibition, we should have had Bill Soames, giving a bungling description of the principles of virtue and honesty, endeavouring to sink their value in the eyes of the public, because they undermined his "true and original" system, which has had the sanction and example of men in every age in its favour. Before I conclude, I would hint to the conductors of the Catholic Magazine, what the relation of anecdotes of Catholic benevolence and Protestant oppression has to do with the discussion of the broad principles of their emancipation. In fact, such feelings are exhibited in the publication before us, as to warrant a belief that they would not be satisfied with being put on an equality with their Protestant brethren, but that as soon as this point was obtained, they would be restless till possessed of their old superiority, commanding a submission to the "only true church and the holy papal orthodoxy." Upon viewing the collected Catholic body, there seems nothing but the inherent right of all men to worship God in what manner they please, that will in any way attach enlightened men to their cause. Now, Mr. Editor, when I assure you that I am a Christian, it seems almost unnecessary to add, London, Dec. 25, 1812.

No CATHOLIC.

EXTRACTS FROM A PORT-FOLIO.

GALILEO.--The War-whoop is said to have been first raised against this great man, in a furious sermon, preached by a mendicant friar, from a text which he at once converted into a pun on his name, and applied to the uses he had made of the telescope, then recently disCovered" Viri Galilæi quid statis," &c.--" Ye men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven?"

THE HUMAN FIGURE.-St. Pierre, in his "Studies from Nature," a work which, although containing much wild and unfounded speculation, should be read with attention by every admirer of the wonderful original from which he draws his sketches, remarks, that there is an equilibrium in the limbs of man, at once so perfect in itself, and so contrary to the laws of our mechanism, that, although every man can stand upright, yet no sculptor can form a figure, which, like man, broader and heavier above than below, shall stand on a basis so small as that formed by his feet. What skill then would be requisite to make it move like man!--To make it think like man--where shall we find words to express the stupendous difficulty?

GOOD MANNERS.-- With virtue, with capacity, and good conduct, a man may still be insupportable. The manners which we neglect as beneath our notice, are frequently those on which the world at large forms its decision of our good or bad qualities. A slight attention to the softening and polishing these, would frequently prevent the most unfavourable interpretations of our conduct. It costs a man little to be thought proud, uncivil, disdainful, and disobliging-whilst to be believed every thing that is the contrary of these, will cost him in reality still less.

FLATTERY.-Flattery is to the mind, what intoxication is to the body; it elevates for the moment, but it eventually undermines and paralyses; it gradually dispossesses the mind of every better taste, of every finer feeling, till it becomes in the end the only element in which the votary lives and moves and has its being. How revolting then is the thought! How dangerous the connection!

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We have received another Letter from our friend" JUVENIS," in defence of "PULPIT PREACHING;" and we now think it necessary to say, that our good nature has bounds, and our patience has limits!! But we will even at. tend to Juvenis's question-Admitting as he does, that Pulpit Preaching is not a Christian institution, he wishes to be informed, whether he may not practise it on account of its utility? We answer, that as long as the practice is considered to be of scripture authority by believers in general, and by the honest (we had almost said silly) folks, before whom Juvenis exhibits so long, by his actions he sanctions it to be what it is not, and tends to uphold and perpetuate the delusion. Secondly, to justify any practice on the ground of utility, it must be proved to produce a preponderance of good; and not only a preponderance of good, but to be the most useful practice that could be adopted, otherwise it must be considered an evil, inasmuch as it prevents a greater good. According to any other mode of calculation Catholicism itself may be justified; for there have been good men Catholics, and that system, we sincerely believe, may have been useful, inasmuch as it has weaned the world from Paganism, which was worse; but who, but a hypocrite, a bigot, or a Juvenis, would on that account consent to condnet the devotions of a Catholic congregation? We were about to express our surprize, that this wise, useful, and salutary practice of Pulpit Preaching should never have come into the contemplation of Jesus or his apostles; but, to use the thought of a penetrating writer, we fear we might as well expect to spread quicksilver with the thumb as to fix Juvenis by argument.

J. D.'s Article, on this life being a state of probation, shall appear in our

next.

MAGAZINE.

No. 26.]

FEBRUARY, 1813.

[VOL. 3.

ON THE NATURE AND CONDITION OF MAN.-ESSAY II. ON FREEDOM.

FREE

REEDOM is a negative term, which, in its strict and abstract sense, is expressive of an absence or indepen dence of every kind of hindrance, subjection, and restraint. The Deity, therefore, and none other, is absolutely freenothing can occur to prevent his choosing among all the possible modes of action, for he is omniscient-nothing can hinder him from carrying that choice into full and immediate execution, for he is omnipotent. Every other being is imperfect, and imperfection, as far as it extends, necessarily implies restraint. Every other being has been created, and the idea of creation as necessarily includes a subjection to, and dependence upon, the laws and will of the creator, As finite and bounded in their faculties, therefore, they are prevented from doing that which they have not the means of performing; and as deriving their existence from a source exterior to themselves, they must necessarily be subservient, not only to the being himself, who actually made them, but also to those laws of their own nature which that being has employed for their individual production and preservation. These are, in fact, the secondary causes, from which the effects in question (viz. the existence and perception of animated and sensitive creatures), are immediately to flow; and it would be as idle to pretend, that any created being could be at li berty to depart from such laws, or to act contrary to or independent of their influence, as it would be to expect that mat ter should not obey the power of attraction, or that motion should commence without impulse..

What then, it will be asked, of liberty remains to such creatures? we answer simply this-the full and free exercise of the powers and faculties they actually possess, unrestrained by external force, and uninterrupted by foreign interference. The laws and regulations which actually produce and govern those powers and faculties, must ne cessarily, when discussing the extent of freedom enjoyed by their possessor, be put wholly out of the question,

VOL. III

H

for to them they must necessarily be subservient, in order to exist or operate at all.

Let us then apply these arguments to man, and upon the data here laid down, examine into the nature and extent of kuman liberty. And first, from what has been already said, it would appear that the greatest degree of freedom of which man, as a created and naturally imperfect being, is susceptible, is the liberty of acting, and proceeding in per fect accordance with all the laws, both bodily and mental, with which he has actually been endowed by his Maker; and further, should it be generally asked, "Is man a free agent, that is, are his actions free?" all we have to do is first to ascertain the mental, or other laws on which he acts, and putting them (as being absolutely necessary to produce action, and call it into being at all) out of the question, we may boldly venture to pronounce, that man's actions are in other respects capable of being free.

We will endeavour to illustrate this by means of a familiar example.-Let us suppose it asked, whether man is at liberty to perform any of the common functions of life-to eat, for instance, we will say, such good and wholesome food as may happen to be set before him? To this we answer, that provided his limbs be not bound, and no external impediment presents itself, he certainly is at liberty to do so if he pleases; that is, if his will induces him to the action, but not otherwise. Will is plainly here then the cause of action, and of free action it is the only possible cause; of that therefore those actions can in no case be independent, and their liberty must wholly refer to, and be expressive of the absence of all external and preventive re straint.

The question now occurs, is the will free, or what is the nature and the degree of liberty of which that faculty is susceptible? Proceeding here upon the plan before established, we reply, the will or power of determination may be free, may be independent of every thing, except the causes that are actually employed for its own production. Now those causes are the desires, the wishes, and the appetites of the individual willing or determining, as will appear evident from the instance already given; where the man is induced to resolve on the action of eating, by the mere force of the appetite of hunger, and the consequent desire of its gratification: to these his conduct is subservient, and, if he resolves at all, it is evident that of these he cannot be free.

We will go further-having traced up the actions of man