ingly regarded as worse than useless, even these, so long as no school, from whence all religious instruction is excluded, were to be found, might still find it not inconsistent with their views to send their children to a school in which the book containing the religion of Jesus is taught: inasmuch as the same instrument, viz. the art of reading, which, in the first instance, will thus have been employed in the implanting of the supposed mischievous instruction, might, at a succeeding period, be equally made to serve in the eradicating of it:-might, -and, in their view of the matter, naturally would, and with more than equal promise of suc

cess.

Thus much then being considered as settled, viz. that the book containing the religion of Jesus is the most proper book, from which the first lessons in the arts of reading and writing can be extracted, the next question is-in that same whole, of what description are the parts, from which they may with most propriety be extracted.

Neither in this does there seem much difficulty. The religion of Jesus-and not the religion of any other person-is the religion to be taught. But the religion of Jesus-in whose words shall it be sought for, but in the words of Jesus?

Here then we have two bodies of doctrine, to which, by an altogether indisputable title, the precedence and preference seems to be due; viz.

the "Discourses "* at large, (headed by the "SERMON on the Mount");* these "Discourses" and the "Parables."*

Next to these, in the conjunct order of authenticity and importance, and thence in the order of preference, come those, in which is contained the description of the acts of Jesus, as delivered by the same biographical historians to whom we are indebted for his Discourses: and among these acts, a prominent place is naturally occupied by the miraculous ones in one word, the "Miracles."*

Thus, in a direct way, the determination, on the question, which of those parts are most proper, being made, if so it be, that, for the purpose in question, in the place of instruction in question, at the time of life in question, this portion of the religion of Jesus, to which no believer in the religion of Jesus does or can object, is sufficientand it seems difficult to say, why, in that same place, and at that same time of life, it should not be sufficient every such invidious task as that of inquiring, whether, in the consecrated miscellany, in the composition of which, in an age of darkness, the hand of the bookbinder, under the rod of the to us unknown ruling power, took so large

* Under these same names, these are the lists of books, recommended and said to be employed in their central School, by the National Society. See Part II. in which that part of the Report, made by that Society, is animadverted upon.

a part, this or that article be not more or less un fit to be placed upon a level with the undisputed words of the discourses, and the undisputed narratives of the acts of Jesus,-will thus be rendered needless.

On the other hand, a consequence, which cannot be thought of without regret, is-that, by this means, an exclusion, and that an insuperable one-seems to be put upon the whole race of the Jews: more particularly when it is considered, in how large a proportion in this fraternity are to be found those members, who, but for this means, are likely to remain altogether destitute of so many invaluable benefits: destitute not only of instruction in reading and writing, but even, with the exception of a few burthensome and worse than useless rites and ceremonies, (in a considerable proportion of modern date) from instruction in all religion--from instruction in the very religion, of which their parents are nominally professors.

On the part of the bulk of the population-on the part of the Christian subscribers to these schools, at least without some assistance and cooperation on the part of those dissidents themselves -it appears not how this cause of exclusion can admit of any remedy.

On the part of the Jewish parents themselves that is to say, on the part of such of them, if any, as have strength of mind sufficient for the application of it-a remedy, by which the

force of the exclusionary principle might, without a departure from the line of probity, be eluded, might be applied.-Fables-under the name of fables-other fables under the name of histories—such are the discourses, which, in every school, in which instruction is given in the learned languages, are employed as sources and vehicles of instruction: among these, if you are true children of our Father Abraham, will you rank whatsoever they put into your hands to read or hear, concerning that Jesus, whom with such good reason our forefathers hanged upon a tree?-To some such effect as this is, would the caution, which, on sending his child to any such place of Christian instruction, might, for keeping the imagined tares from mixing themselves with the undisputed wheat, be given to him by a conscientious and consistent father.

True it is, that, on the part of the rulers of the Christian Church of England, for leaving the door completely open to the use of any such expedient, a departure in some sort from the present practice would be necessary. At present-such is the form

of words in which the instruction is administeredon this subject, whatsoever is delivered to a child as true, he is all the while, not only taught, but compelled to declare, that he believes it to be true. Though (what in this or that part may be the case) in his eyes it may be false-though (what in a great part cannot but be the case) in his eyes it may be inconceivable-still what he is always forced to do is—

over and over again, and in relation to every part without exception, to declare, that, in his eyes, it is true. But this is neither more nor less than to take the child in hand, and force him to tell lies : and not only, as in the case of subscription to Articles, at some one moment, to utter in the lump one enormously extensive lie, but to contract the habit of lying: yea, and in that most mischievous of habits, to persevere, till all regard for truth has been expelled, and the poison of mendacity has worked itself into the very marrow of the bones.

If these observations be correct, then, to make the only advance, requisite to the opening the door of any such school, to the child of a conscientious and consistent Jew, all that is necessary on the part of the rulers of the Church of England is to cease acting in the character of suborners of juvenile mendacity. But, on this subject, occasion will present itself for speaking more largely in the sequel of this work. This is no greater nor other concession, than that which would be necessary to the removing of the bar, by which an exclusion is endeavoured to be put, even upon all Christian children, whose lot it has not been, to have had for their parents members of the Church of England.