christian community, who will concentrate his intellectual faculties to oppose a society which has for its object the suppression of intemperance, &c."

So then, my dear Friend we are unchristianized at once, and must in future be classed with dram-drinkers and topers! There is no difference between us, and the worst drunkards, only in degree; we all love drink for its own sake, and reason and conscience must be sacrificed to our favourite propensity. I, of course am unworthy of being a teacher of others, since I willingly sell their souls for drink ; and you have gained no benefit by my instructions, since I have not made you a tee-totaler! Happily for us, we care not for the scoff of this witling; we can say with an Apostle, "it is a very small thing with me that I should be judg ed of you, or of man's judgment; he that judgeth me is the Lord.'

Words cannot convey the abhorrence I feel for this temper, which seeks for any and every motive but the right, to which to ascribe the course of conduct pursued by an opponent. You know how I have protested against this in political and religious controversy, and you know how carefully we are guarded against such a spirit in holy writ. But leaving the morality of this temper out of the question, just reflect for a moment on its inexpediency. I will handle this anonymous scribler with his own weapons, for a few minutes, and you shall see how ridiculous a figure he will appear.

"My good Sir," imagine me saying to him, "you have taken the liberty of prying into my heart, and have discovered that my love of drink induced me to write a few words against your favourite plan of total-abstinence. As, of course, you will allow me the same liberty you exercise yourself, I shall just look into your heart, and find out why you are a tee-totaler. There can be no doubt whatever, from this inspection of your secret recesses, that covetousness is the main-spring of your efforts against drunkenness ;

yours is a saving system, and therefore I can give you credit for no higher motive than parsimony in all your attempts. If you are a man of family, the little sups of your children will be converted into hard cash by your doctrine, and if you have an establishment of servants, the curtailment of their customary draught from what you call the "river of death" will still further enrich your coffers. I see clearly how it is; you are a very thrifty, saving man, Sir; you remind me 'of one of whom we have somewhere read, who was pleased on a particular occasion to spend his plaintive orations on behalf of the poor; not, as was pointedly said, that he cared for the poor,' but to serve a purpose of his own selfish motives; because, in fact, he had the bag, and bear that which was put therein."

If I was allowed to proceed thus far in drubbing my antagonist with his own sword, he would certainly now exclaim, "Hold! you have no right to judge of my motives; I espouse total abstinence for the good of my species.' "Very well," I should rejoin, "then if you expect me to believe you, you must believe me when I say, I cannot agree with abstinence, not because I am a drinker, but because I do not think it will ultimately favour temperance. I hope you feel the sharpness of your own weapon, and will, for the future be more cautious in using it against others."

You see how foolish it is to endeavour to promote a cause by dishonest means, for both sides can avail themselves of them. My conviction respecting the members of the Luton Temperance Society is, that they have joined it generally from principle, and therefore I respect them. But if they say I am too much of a sensualist to espouse their views, as this writer has done, they could not complain if I were to say that covetousness made them tee-totalers.

I hope my dear Friend we shall be on our guard against that "hatred, malice, and uncharitableness" by which so many attempt to further their plans, and which can neither

serve a good cause, nor save a bad one. You will have observed, in the case of this writer, how easily one sin when expelled is succeeded by another. Perhaps he is safe from drunkenness, but how lamentably is he under the influence of pride and uncharitableness! In some minds, satan indeed appears to cast out satan;-a weaker passion only gives way to make room for a stronger. I know not how you feel, but I must express my conviction, that a world of drunkards would be no worse than a world filled with the malicious. May we pray and strive, as conscience shall dictate, for the subversion of all sins, which devastate the fair field of the soul!

Luton, July 29th, 1837.

Yours sincerely

Henry Burgess.

Higgins, Printer, Dunstable.

THE above terms designate the whole of the inhabitants of Britain. The subdivisions of each class are very numerous, and widely different in their religious and political aspects, yet they revolve around these watchwords as common centres; every man is either an advocate of the religious establishment of his country, or a seceder from it; the former has by general consent and by choice, the appellation of CHURCHMAN; the latter is known by the rather invidious epithet, DISSENTER. The Wesleyan Methodists indeed, as represented by their clergy, will not appropriate the latter term to themselves, but it really belongs to them; if they are not Dissenters, it will be difficult to point to any that are.

S

These two parties are opposed to each other in their modes of thinking and acting. This in itself would be of no importance in the social system; since the society of Friends, and Baptists, for example, differ materially in theory and practice, and yet live in harmony. But the question of Establishments and Dissent is one of property, involving pecuniary considerations on both sides. It follows from this, that the discussion of this subject is carried on as all matters affecting the pockets of men will be, with acrimony and bitterness. The emotions felt towards each other by two rival tradesmen, are, it is to be feared, too much like those with which the heart is warmed when engaged in this religio-political controversy. This consideration should make the champions of either party very guarded in their statements and proceedings, lest a zeal for the truth should degenerate into a mere conflict of a sordid and mercenary character. A Dissenter, for instance, may find himself in ardent opposition to Church-rates, not from principle but interest; and a Churchman, in the same manner, may veil a love of property and precedence, by an apparent and ostensible defence of the rites and ceremonies of episcopacy. We make this remark from a deep consciousness of the indiscretions of each class of partisans, and from personal observation and experience of the evil we have pointed out.