,transcribed from the #ahcf ,j4         
,fletcher edition by ,david ,price4     
,,infant ,,schools ,,and ,,dissenters4  
99 99 99 99 99                          
,a ,,vindication                        
,,of                   8,a ,,letter ,,of
 ,,affectionate ,,remonstrance10 c4     
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,from              ,,the ,,mistakes    
,,respecting ,,it ,,made ,,by ,,william 
,,geary1 ,,esq4     ,,and ,,from ,,the  
,,misrepresentations ,,of ,,it ,,made   
,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,john ,,perowne1     
,,rector ,,of ,,st4 ,,john',s           
,,maddermarket1 ,,in ,,their            
,,respective ,,pamphlets4               
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,by ,,john ,,alexander1                
,,minister ,,of ,,prince',s ,,street    
,,chapel1 ,,norwich4                    
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,norwich3                     ,,sold   
,,by ,j4 ,,fletcher2 ,,jarrold  ,,sons2 
,,and ,,the ,,other ,,booksellers4      
,,jackson  ,,walford1 ,,london4         

#ahcf4          ,,preface4      ,,the   
following ,vindication was written      
during the week in which the ,rev4      
,john ,perowne's 8,observations0        
appeared2 and the publication of it has 
been hitherto delayed1 partly from an   
unwillingness to pursue the subject  of 
my 8,letter0 any farther1 and partly    
from a determination not to  publish    
till a fair opportunity had been given  
to obtain subscribers to  the ,new      
,infant ,school ,society4  ,in replying 
to ,mr4 ,geary it was  impossible to    
write with any other impression than    
that ,i was answering a  gentleman and a
 ,christian2 and ,i hope that such an   
impression is  manifested in my pages4  
,and though ,mr4 ,perowne has chosen to 
make my  8,letter0 on ,infant ,schools  
the pretext for a rude and personal     
attack1 as  well as for insulting the   
whole body of ,dissenters1 ,i have      
nevertheless  endeavoured to treat him  
with some degree of forbearance1 and    
have in  many instances chastised him   

with whips only1 when scorpions were at 
hand4  ,the great questions at issue    
between ,churchmen and ,dissenters      
never can be settled by slander and     
abuse4  ,mr4 ,perowne's pamphlet        
therefore must be an utter failure2 and 
,i hope that all who have read it1  or  
who may read this1 will retire from them
 both1 diligently and devoutly  to study
 the ,new ,testament1 as the only       
standard of ,christian faith1 and  of   
,ecclesiastical government4    ,norwich1
 ,june #fth1 #ahcf4          ,a         
,,vindication1 c4      ,,when ,i had    
read the pamphlet1 published by my      
esteemed friend ,mr4 ,geary1  in reply  
to my 8,letter10 it appeared to me that 
the facts1 relative to  the proposed    
,infant ,school ,society1 were          
sufficiently before the public2  and1   
therefore1 ,i determined to send him a  
few explanatory remarks in  writing1    
rather than to make any reply through   
the medium of the press4  ,having been  
induced to alter my determination1 ,i   

respectfully submit to  ,mr4 ,geary's   
consideration1 the following brief      
observations4    ,before the examination
 of the ,infant ,schools took place in  
,st4 ,andrew's  ,hall1 the public were  
informed1 by the newspapers1 that it had
 been  determined on1 at a meeting held 
in the ,guildhall1 to which none but    
members of the ,establishment were      
invited4  ,william ,moore1 ,esq4 was in 
the chair1 and the following resolution 
was passed3--8,resolved1 that the       
system of ,infant ,education might be   
beneficially extended in this city2     
and1 with a view of prominently bringing
 forward its advantages1 that  there    
should be an examination of the children
 now receiving instruction  in the      
,infant ,schools of this city40  ,the   
meeting which adopted that  resolution1 
appeared to me to originate and to      
authorize the examination  of the       
schools--and1 whatever private          
understanding there might be with  ,mr4 
,wilderspin1 all that the public knew   

was what the resolution stated2  and    
,mr4 ,wilderspin appeared to us1 not as 
accomplishing 8his own  speculation10   
but as the agent1 employed by the       
meeting1 to carry its  resolution into  
effect4  ,i think1 therefore1 that what 
,i have stated1 in  the eighth and ninth
 pages of my 8,letter10 is fully borne  
out by all the  facts of the case4    ,i
 said nothing in my 8,letter0 to        
intimate that the children of           
,dissenters  would be excluded from the 
proposed schools4  ,my explanation of   
the  8,advertisement0 which occasioned  
the 8,letter0 was this3 8,i understand  
it  to mean1 that the members of no     
other ,christian church shall be allowed
  to participate with you in the        
formation of the society1 or in its     
committee1 or in its operations40  ,if1 
however1 ,i had expressed a fear  that  
the church catechism might be           
introduced1 or that some arrangement    
might be made which would prevent       
,dissenters from sending their children 

to the schools1 the speeches at the     
public meeting1 and ,mr4 ,geary's       
pamphlet1 satisfactorily negative such  
an apprehension4  ,all parties have     
united in declaring that the schools    
will be open to all classes1 and  that  
there will be no rules nor formulas     
against which ,dissenters can  object4  
,at the public meeting1 as reported in  
the newspapers1 the ,dean  expressly    
stated1 that 8they had no desire to     
exclude the children of any  persons of 
whatever religion1 because the children 
would not be  instructed in any points  
that any person might not learn2 as they
 would  be taught to worship and adore  
,god1 to know the merits of our         
,saviour1 to  fear ,god and honour the  
,king1 and to live in peace and unity   
with one  another4  ,their rules1 said  
he1 would be open to persons of all     
denominations1 who would have the       
opportunity of sending their children1  
if they accorded with those rules40     
,mr4 ,g4 ,seppings 8stated that the     

school would be open to the children of 
persons of all denominations1  who might
 choose to send them40  ,in full        
accordance with these decisive          
statements1 ,mr4 ,geary says1 8,i cannot
 help again recurring to a mistake  into
 which my reverend friend has fallen1   
and which is throughout  implied1 in    
regard to the exclusion of the children 
of dissent4  ,he may  rest assured1 that
 nothing is decided with respect to the 
discipline of  the schools1 which can   
possibly be held to be an impediment    
with any  conscientious ,dissenter who  
desires to place his child there3--no   
impeding  tests or testimonials on      
entering the school--no offensive       
rituals when  there40  ,and in another  
part of his pamphlet he declares1 8,i   
have seen  the progress of the society  
in embryo1 first1 last1 midst1 and      
throughout  all1 without witnessing any 
symptoms of such a spirit4  ,should it  
appear1  ,i am prepared to contend with 
it hand to hand--foot to foot2 and1     

should  it unhappily prevail1 ,i should 
feel bound to quit the society40  ,the  
speeches at the public meeting are1     
however1 a sufficient guarantee that  no
 such spirit will 8unhappily prevail20  
and ,i 8rest assured10 that1 so  far as 
the schools are concerned1 they will be 
as comprehensive as those  which already
 exist1 and to which the children of    
,churchmen and  ,dissenters are admitted
 on equal terms4  ,i deeply regret1     
however1 that  my interpretation of the 
8,advertisement0 has unfortunately      
proved true1  and that1 though the      
children of ,dissenters are to be       
admitted into the  schools1 ,dissenters 
themselves are1 quite unnecessarily ,i  
think1 excluded  from the committee of  
the society1 and from all its           
operations4    ,the public meeting1 at  
which the preceding speeches were       
delivered1 was  distinguished by the    
expression of many liberal and          
,christian sentiments2  and those of us 
who were excluded from it1 were in no   

small degree  gratified in learning1    
from the public papers1 that several of 
the  speakers expressed themselves so   
decidedly in favour of the liberal      
system advocated in my 8,letter10 and   
that they regretted that  circumstances 
constrained them to unite with the      
present exclusive  system4  8,mr4       
,bignold said he had not been in favour 
of any exclusive  views2 and if it had  
been thought right to establish a       
general society1  he should have with   
pleasure supported it4  ,that had not   
been agreed to1  but if the ,dissenters 
chose to establish another society1 his 
funds  should be at their service40     
8,the ,rev4 ,r4 ,hankinson spoke in     
favour of  an open society4  ,he said he
 belonged to several in the city1 all of
  which were carried on with the        
greatest unanimity4  ,he had1 however1  
yielded his opinions to those of others 
better qualified1 perhaps1 to  judge40  
,i need not add that these are also the 
sentiments of ,mr4 ,geary1  who says1 in

 reference to my wishes for an union of 
all parties1 8,i truly  sympathize with 
him in those views and feelings which1  
were it  practicable1 would suggest such
 an union20 and1 8my reverend friend    
cannot feel more intense satisfaction   
than ,i do1 in thus witnessing the      
joyful and happy state of brethren      
dwelling together in unity40    ,i most 
earnestly hope and pray that these      
sentiments1 so honourable to  the       
gentlemen who uttered them1 may more    
extensively prevail1 till they  have    
removed those 8insuperable barriers0    
which at present exist1 and  till they  
have rendered that union 8practicable10 
which so many feel to  be desirable4    
,depend upon it1 there are not half the 
difficulties really  existing1 which    
some persons imagine4  ,the united      
system1 if tried1  would1 ,i am         
persuaded1 work well--and ,i am sure    
that all who engaged in it  would be    
made better and happier by their        
combined exertions in doing  good4      

,there are some things1 connected with  
both ,church of ,englandism  and        
,dissent1 in which the two parties could
 not unite without a  compromise of     
principle4  ,as religious men1 we have1 
however1 a common  cause to promote1 and
 a common enemy to withstand4  ,we      
ought1 therefore1  as ,christians1 to   
unite in every thing that admits of an  
union2 and1 as  ,infant ,schools appear 
to me to be precisely of that character1
 ,i deeply  regret that we have not     
united in them4  ,i am somewhat         
comforted1  however1 by the persuasion1 
that an exclusive system cannot last4   
,there  is an influential and increasing
 party in the church much opposed to it1
  and who1 as is stated in my 8,letter10
 8would be glad to co-operate with      
other ,christians in educating and in   
evangelizing the people40  ,the         
adoption of the exclusive system has    
occasioned regret in the minds of  many 
persons whom the church would have done 
well to conciliate2 and ,i  much        

question whether either party is        
perfectly satisfied with the            
proceedings that have been adopted4     
,another remark or two will bring this  
part of my pamphlet to a close4  ,mr4   
,geary is mistaken in supposing that ,i 
mentioned ,leicester and ,taunton  as   
towns 8where a satisfactory union had   
been effected40  ,my extracts           
respecting them were intended to shew   
,mr4 ,wilderspin's opinion respecting   
the union of various denominations in   
the work4  ,i said nothing  respecting  
any schools at ,leicester2 and ,i quoted
 ,mr4 ,babington's speech  for the sake 
of shewing1 not only his sentiments1 but
 ,mr4 ,wilderspin's  also1 because he   
calls it 8an admirable speech40  ,and as
 to ,taunton1  after quoting what ,mr4  
,wilderspin had said in approbation of  
the mixed  committee1 ,i distinctly     
stated that 8a school was set up on     
opposite  principles40    ,having stated
 in my 8,letter0 that the extracts which
 ,i had made from ,mr4  ,wilderspin's   

book abundantly proved that he was      
8decidedly opposed to the  exclusive    
system advertised for ,norwich10 ,mr4   
,geary replies that this  appeal to the 
authority of ,mr4 ,wilderspin 8requires 
qualifying20 and  8that the cases do not
 lead to this conclusion40  ,if ,mr4    
,geary will be so  good as to turn again
 to my quotations1 ,i think he will be  
induced to  agree with me that ,mr4     
,wilderspin could scarcely have used    
stronger  language than he has used in  
reference to this subject4  ,he most    
enthusiastically admires ,joseph        
,lancaster's system1 because of 8its    
benevolent and ,catholic spirit10 which 
establishes 8schools for all20 and  he  
solemnly declares that he always has    
laboured on 8the broadest  principle10  
and that he determines to act 8on that1 
and on that alone1  through the         
remainder of his life40  ,i think1      
therefore1 ,i am authorized  in         
repeating my former declaration1 that   
8he is decidedly opposed to the         

exclusive system advertised for         
,norwich40    ,these cursory remarks are
 intended to rectify some mistakes into 
which  ,mr4 ,geary appears to me to have
 fallen in his perusal of my 8,letter40 
,after all1 ,i rejoice to believe that  
he and ,i are one in sentiment and      
feeling on this subject4  ,the          
gentlemanly and ,christian tone of his  
letter1 is an interesting evidence that 
there may be discussion and  controversy
 without violating any of the principles
 of the gospel1 or any  of the          
courtesies of life4  ,i thank him1 for  
his testimony that my  8,letter0 8is    
characterised by a spirit of mildness   
and conciliation10 and  ,i am glad to   
find that he has read it in the spirit  
in which it was  written4  ,i thank him 
also for the manner in which he has     
spoken of the  8courtesy0 manifested by 
the ,dissenters connected with the      
,infant ,schools  in this city towards  
their brethren in the ,establishment4   
,and ,i take  leave of him in the hope1 

and with the prayer that1 though we     
cannot walk  together through every path
 on earth1 we may1 through 8the precious
 blood  of ,christ10 and the sanctifying
 grace of the ,holy ,spirit1 both of us 
be  found in that heaven of light and   
love1 where we shall no longer 8see     
through a glass darkly1 but face to     
face1 and where we shall know even as   
also we are known40                     
99 99 99 99 99    ,i come now to the    
consideration of a subject on which ,i  
enter with  reluctance4  ,since ,mr4    
,geary's pamphlet appeared1             
8,observations0 on my  8,letter0 have   
been published by a person who styles   
himself1 8,the ,rev4 ,j4  ,perowne1     
,rector of ,st4 ,john's ,maddermarket1  
,norwich40  ,with some of the  members  
of his family1 ,i have1 for a long time1
 been acquainted4  ,they  have belonged 
to my congregation for nearly twenty    
years2 and one of them  has lately      
become a member of the church of which  
,i am the ,pastor4  ,with  ,mr4 ,perowne

 himself my acquaintance has been but   
slight1 and ,i am left to  gather my    
opinion of his character and ministry   
almost entirely from the                
8,observations0 which he has published4 
,those observations are of such a       
nature that it is impossible to reply to
 them either gravely or  respectfully2  
and ,i am quite of opinion that the most
 dignified course  would be1 not to     
reply to them at all4  ,i fear however  
that some of the  statements which he   
has made1 relative to the ,infant       
,schools in this  city1 and relative to 
the principles and conduct of the       
,dissenters1 may  be believed by some   
persons1 if they are not contradicted2  
and as he has  chosen to make my        
8,letter0 the occasion of propagating   
many slanders1 ,i  think it due to the  
public to submit to the humiliation of  
replying to  such an antagonist4    ,i  
am persuaded that every man who read my 
8,letter10 with an 8honest  heart10     
believed that my object in writing it   

was what ,i avowed2 and that  ,i wished 
my fellow-christians in this city to    
unite in educating ,infants1  because ,i
 thought that such an union would       
promote the interests of true  religion4
  ,from the testimony of ,mr4 ,geary's  
pamphlet1 and from several              
communications which have been made to  
me1 ,i am gratified with knowing  that  
the 8,letter0 has been received1 by many
 religious and intelligent  persons1 in 
the spirit in which it professed to be  
written4  ,with their  testimony ,i am  
satisfied2 and therefore ,mr4 ,perowne  
must excuse me if ,i  do not strive to  
vindicate myself from his charges of    
hypocrisy and  falsehood4  ,as he is the
 accuser1 ,i have no need to become the 
vindicator4  ,and all that ,i intend to 
do is to gather1 from his own           
8,observations10 the evidence which they
 afford of his character and            
competency4    ,as ,mr4 ,perowne is a   
clergyman who claims the attribute of   
8reverence10  and who has solemnly      

declared that he was 8inwardly moved by 
the ,holy  ,ghost to take upon him this 
office10 and 8that he will maintain and 
set  forward quietness1 peace1 and love 
among all ,christian people10 it was    
not unreasonable to expect that his     
8,observations0 would be in accordance  
with his vows and professions4  ,i      
think1 however1 that ,i do not          
misrepresent his publication when ,i say
 that none of the fruits of that        
,spirit1 with which he professes to be  
8inwardly moved10 are to be found  in   
it--that it is abundantly fruitful in   
rude personalities1 in wanton  attacks  
on motives1 in wilful distortions of the
 plainest language1 in  pompous         
ignorance1 and in supercilious          
pretensions--and that all these         
qualities are left unredeemed even by   
the occasional introduction of  better  
sentiments and feelings4  ,sometimes a  
man will use hard words1 or  manifest   
intemperate passions1 under the         
influence of strongly exciting          

circumstances4  ,but here a calm and    
dark spirit of evil reigns throughout   
the whole of a pamphlet1 which was      
written in the retirement of his  study1
 and which he had no occasion to write  
at all4  ,this1 however1 is  mere       
description1 and we must analyze the    
8,observations0 themselves in  order to 
ascertain whether it be truth4    ,one  
prominent feature of the pamphlet is its
 utter dissimilarity1 not  only to the  
,christian spirit which pervades ,mr4   
,geary's ,defence1 but also  to the     
speeches delivered at the ,public       
,meeting1 when the ,infant ,school      
,society was formed4  ,in them there is 
nothing ferocious1 or insulting to  any 
class of the community2 but1 on the     
other hand1 an expression of  respectful
 regret that certain obstacles          
prevented1 in the opinion of the        
speakers1 the formation of a more       
comprehensive society1 which some of    
them would certainly have preferred4    
,whether1 in the course of ,mr4 ,p's4   

pamphlet1 he alludes personally to any  
of those speakers1 ,i will not take     
upon myself to determine4  ,but he      
vehemently denounces all ,churchmen1 who
  would unite with ,dissenters in an    
,infant ,school1 as 8traitors to the    
church10 and as 8encouragers of         
dissimulation10 8who help forward the   
ruin of the church by echoing the       
sentiments of liberalism40  ,not being  
acquainted with the gradations in the   
ecclesiastical hierarchy1 ,i am  unable 
to decide what rank he may hold among   
his brethren1 or what  authority he may 
derive from the rectory of 8,st4        
,john's40  ,but he  evidently speaks of 
himself1 and addresses himself to       
clergymen and  others oraculously1 as if
 he were the ,polyphemus of a party4    
8,i tell  them10 says he1 8in the name  
of every true son of the church40  8,i  
assure them that no true son of the     
church would listen to them40  8,,we    
say to every churchman1 profit by the   
lesson here taught you40  ,these1       

however1 may be merely 8great swelling  
words of vanity10 and ,i may be         
perfectly right in the conjecture that  
his brethren disown alike his  authority
 and his spirit1 and are disposed to    
8leave him alone with his  glory40    ,a
 considerable portion of ,mr4 ,perowne's
 pamphlet1 consists of  vituperations   
against the ,dissenters4  ,dissent1 it  
is well known1 is a  relative term1 and 
is applied to such persons1 in this     
country1 as  profess to derive their    
doctrines and forms of church government
 from the  ,scriptures1 rather than from
 the liturgy and canons of the ,church  
of  ,england4  ,they believe that the   
,scriptures are sufficient to direct    
them  in these matters2 and they believe
 that their allegiance to ,jesus ,christ
  requires them to submit to his supreme
 dominion as the only head of the       
church1 and to reject the ecclesiastical
 authority which either  ,protestants or
 ,papists may claim1 but which ,christ  
alone possesses4  ,on  this great       

principle they dissent from all         
establishments of religion by  the civil
 power2 and they desire to stand quite  
independent of state  endowments1 and of
 state interference in their spiritual  
concerns1 so as  to constitute a        
8kingdom which is not of this world40   
,dissent therefore  can only be found in
 those countries where some particular  
form of  religion is established by the 
civil power4  ,there is no dissent in   
,america1 because there is no           
,established ,church there4  ,the       
government of  that country protects all
 denominations of ,christians in the    
profession  of their religion1 but it   
does not elevate one denomination above 
the  rest1 nor does it prescribe to any 
denomination what forms of prayer they  
shall adopt1 what doctrines they shall  
believe1 or what bishops or  pastors    
they shall choose4  ,viewing the term1  
dissent1 chronologically1  there are in 
this country two classes of ,dissenters4
  ,the first class  includes the ,church

 of ,england1 which some time ago       
dissented from the  ,church of ,rome1   
which had been1 for several centuries   
established in this  country2 and the   
other class is composed of those who    
have gone still  farther from the       
,church of ,rome1 and have dissented    
from the ,church of  ,england4  ,in     
,scotland1 the ,established ,church is  
not ,episcopalian1 as in  this country1 
but ,presbyterian2 so that when ,dr4    
,chalmers1 who belongs to  the          
,established ,church in ,scotland1 comes
 into ,england1 he is a ,dissenter      
during his stay1 and is not permitted to
 preach in any of the pulpits of  the   
church2 and if ,mr4 ,perowne were to    
cross the ,tweed1 he would  instantly   
become a ,dissenter1 and might find it  
necessary to defend  himself against the
 attacks of the 8,apostolical           
,establishment0 #ae of  that country1   
which binds all her sons 8to root out   
and destroy all  prelacy40  ,using the  
term dissent in its general acceptation1

 ,mr4 ,perowne  says1 8the only doctrine
 in which all ,dissenters agree is that 
of  dissenting from the church40  ,now  
whether 8dissenting from the church0 be 
a 8doctrine0 or a practice is not of    
much consequence1 nor is it a very      
wonderful discovery1 that all           
,dissenters should agree to dissent4    
,but  ,mr4 ,perowne is not aware that he
 has brought the same argument against  
dissent1 that the ,roman ,catholics     
bring against ,protestantism2 and one   
argument is worth just as much as the   
other1 which is just nothing at  all4   
,the 8,rector of ,st4 ,john's           
,maddermarket10 when that church        
belonged  to the ,papists1 might have   
said to the ,protestants1 8,i should    
like to  know what doctrines            
,protestantism considers essential4     
,the only  doctrine in which all        
,protestants agree1 is that of          
protesting  against the church4  ,that  
is #8essential' to their religion1 and  
that  alone40  ,these1 the reader will  

perceive1 are precisely ,mr4 ,perowne's 
words1 if the term dissent be           
substituted for ,protestant2 and though 
he  has endeavoured to make many of them
 look impressive1 by printing them in   
italics1 ,i consider them too puerile to
 admit of any serious refutation4       
,but the object of ,mr4 ,perowne1 in the
 paragraph from which ,i have quoted1   
is to shew that1 while ,dissenters agree
 in practical dissent1 they widely      
differ in doctrine4  8,in other         
respects1 says he1 a man may be a       
,socinian1 an ,arian1 a ,quaker1 an     
,anabaptist1 an ,irvingite1 a           
,calvanist1  an ,armenian1 #af or a     
,baxterian4  ,he may hold any notions he
 pleases4  ,if he do but dissent1 he has
 the essential doctrine of their        
religion40  ,now how blind a man must   
be1 not to perceive that all this       
language is as  much against ,mr4       
,perowne and his church1 as it is       
against ,dissenters1 and  that he       
himself falls into the very ditch into  

which he attempts to throw  dissent4    
,are there not doctrines believed1 and  
even taught in the ,church  of ,england1
 8wide as the poles asunder80  ,are     
there not some heresies  within her pale
 from which ,dissenters are happily     
free8  ,may not  millenarianism be found
 in some of her clergy1 as well as among
 the  ,irvingites8  ,does not ,mr4      
,perowne himself sanction persons who   
leave  their own parish churches to     
attend at 8,st4 ,john's ,maddermarket10 
because  he preaches a gospel which is  
opposed to the preaching of the other   
clergy8  ,is not this acting on one of  
the leading principles of dissent1      
which asserts the right of ,christians  
to choose their own ministers8  ,and  if
 these things be so--and ,i could       
enumerate perhaps quite as many         
varieties of doctrine in the church as  
,mr4 ,p4 can find out of it--why  should
 he 8cast the first stone0 at           
,dissenters1 for the very sin of which  
he himself is guilty8 and why should he 

attempt to 8pull out the mote  from his 
brother's eye1 when there is a beam in  
his own80    ,mr4 ,perowne speaks very  
contemptuously of all professors of     
religion who  are not members of his own
 community2 and especially of ,roman    
,catholics  and ,socinians4  ,the       
doctrines1 which are held by both these 
denominations1 appear to me to be       
subversive1 in different ways1 of the   
gospel of ,christ4  ,they probably      
consider me to be in equal error2 and   
though we cannot have communion together
 in religious worship1 ,i think  that ,i
 should be acting an unchristian part1  
were ,i to refuse to unite  with them in
 any works of benevolence1 in which we  
can unite without the  compromise of    
religious principle4  ,mr4 ,p's4 object 
in referring to these  persons is to    
bring our ,infant ,school ,system into  
disrepute2 and  therefore we must       
examine his statements4  8,if ,i am     
rightly informed10  says he1 8the school
 in ,crook's ,place and that in ,st4    

,miles' have  ,socinians among the most 
regular and active superintendents40  ,i
 am not  much acquainted with the school
 in ,crook's ,place2 but ,i once visited
 it1  for the purpose of examining the  
children on ,scripture subjects2 and1   
with the exception of a little girl1 who
 said that 8the ,high ,priest of  the   
church was the king of ,england10 they  
gave very satisfactory answers  to my   
questions relative to the great         
doctrines of redemption2 so that        
heterodoxy was not perceptible there4   
,with the school in ,st4 ,miles' ,i am  
more intimately connected2 having been  
accustomed to visit it monthly4  ,there 
are ,dissenters on the committee1 but   
none of them are ,socinians4  ,there are
 also members of the ,establishment on  
the committee1 and in the  office of    
treasurer and secretary2 and1 though ,i 
am not acquainted with  their individual
 sentiments1 yet ,i have no reason to   
suspect that any of  them entertain     
,socinian doctrine--and ,i fully believe

 that ,mr4 ,perowne's  charge has not   
the slightest foundation in fact4       
,but even if ,socinians were 8among the 
most regular and active                 
superintendents10 with what consistency 
can they be objected to on that  account
 by ,mr4 ,perowne8  8,if a man will but 
leave the ,church of ,england10  says   
he1 8or assist in pulling it down1 he is
 a ,christian brother1 even  though he  
denies the ,lord who bought him1 or bow 
before an idol40  ,now1  to say nothing 
of the grammar of this sentence1 or of  
the 8false  accusation0 which it        
involves1 ,i would ask whether ,mr4     
,perowne himself1  as a minister of the 
,established ,church1 does not          
acknowledge both  8,papists and         
,socinians0 to be ,christian brethren8  
,does he not recognise  the validity of 
popish baptism1 and acknowledge its     
regenerating  qualities to be as        
effectual as his own8  ,would he not    
admit a ,roman  ,catholic priest1 who   
had recanted1 to his pulpit without     

re-ordination1  and thereby acknowledge 
that a popish bishop is able to         
communicate the  ,holy ,ghost8  ,but1   
without proceeding in these inquiries1  
relative to the  ,catholic who 8bow     
before an idol10 let us notice the case 
of the  ,socinians1 who 8deny the ,lord 
that bought them40  ,has ,mr4 ,perowne1 
who  renounces all communion with them  
as a church1 no communion with them     
individually8  ,most assuredly he has2  
and there is not a ,socinian in the     
kingdom whom he would hesitate to       
receive and to acknowledge1 under       
certain circumstances1 as 8a ,christian 
brother60  ,he receives tithes and      
church rates from them2 and thereby has 
communion with them in the  support of  
the 8,apostolical ,establishment40  ,he 
admits ,socinians to speak  and vote    
amidst the 8peaceful and loving scenes0 
which are witnessed at  vestry meetings2
 and ,mr4 ,perowne himself1 being in the
 chair1 would act  upon a resolution    
which had been carried by a ,socinian   

majority1 and  thereby permit ,socinians
 to bear rule in the church4  ,were a   
,socinian to  be seen kneeling at the   
altar of the church1 ,mr4 ,perowne would
 not dare  to refuse him the bread and  
wine1 if he were not 8an open and       
notorious  evil liver40  ,and when the  
,socinian1 who dies in the very act of  
8denying  the ,lord that bought him10 is
 conveyed in a coffin to ,st4 ,john's   
,maddermarket1 ,mr4 ,perowne clothes    
himself in white1 and solemnly          
declares1 8,i heard a voice from heaven 
saying unto me1 ,blessed are the  dead  
which die in the ,lord2 even so saith   
the ,spirit2 for they rest from  their  
labours40  ,mr4 ,perowne then calls this
 same ,socinian his 8dear  brother0--he 
gives ,god 8hearty thanks that it hath  
pleased him to deliver  this brother out
 of the miseries of this sinful         
world0--he declares that  8it hath      
pleased ,almighty ,god of his great     
mercy to take unto himself  the soul of 
our dear brother here departed0--he     

prays that1 when he  himself dies1 and  
that when those around him 8shall depart
 this life1  they may rest in ,christ as
 our hope is this our brother doth0--and
 then  he completes and crowns the whole
 by declaring1 8,we therefore commit his
  body to the ground2 earth to earth2   
ashes to ashes2 dust to dust2 ,,in      
,,sure  ,,and ,,certain ,,hope ,,of     
,,the ,,resurrection ,,to ,,eternal     
,,life1 ,,through ,,our ,,lord  ,,jesus 
,,christ60  ,and yet this very ,mr4     
,perowne rails against the orthodox     
,dissenters for associating with        
,socinians1 and solemnly anathematizes  
all  ,bible ,societies and ,infant      
,schools which permit ,socinians to     
become  members6  8,ye blind guides1    
which strain at a gnat1 and swallow a   
camel60    ,were the ,dissenters of this
 country to abstain from all            
interference in  8contested elections10 
and to leave both church and state to   
the care of  others1 such a course of   
proceeding might be very agreeable to   

,mr4  ,perowne1 but ,i question whether 
it would be serviceable to civil and    
religious liberty4  ,if1 however1 there 
be any guilt in this matter1 it  does   
not lie exclusively at the door of      
nonconformist 8teachers and  members10  
and when ,mr4 ,p4 offers to feel their  
pulse1 and to write out  prescriptions  
for them1 he ought to remember the      
proverb1 8,physician heal  thyself40    
,party politics have1 ,i confess1 no    
charms for me2 and ,i very  earnestly   
desire that all religious men who come  
in contact with them1  whether          
,church-people or ,dissenters1 may so   
conduct themselves as to give  no       
8occasion to the enemies of ,god to     
blaspheme40    ,utterly forgetful of the
 strife which is often manifested at the
 8vestry  meetings0 of his own church1  
he ventures to attack our 8church       
meetings10  at which1 he says1 8peaceful
 and loving scenes sometimes take       
place40  ,i  dare say that if ,mr4      
,perowne knew much of the history of    

8church  meetings10 from those which    
were held in ,corinth1 during the       
apostolic  times1 down to our own days1 
he might tell of some in which peace and
  love were not very apparent4  ,a      
thinking mind will perceive1 however1   
that an ecclesiastical system may be    
good in itself1 and even divine in  its 
origin1 as that at ,corinth was1 and yet
 it may be very imperfectly  and        
improperly exhibited and administered by
 human beings4  ,in such a  case the    
fault is not in the system1 but in the  
men4  ,but whatever  exceptions to peace
 and love may have occasionally appeared
 in our church  meetings1 ,i deny that  
,mr4 ,perowne's description is          
applicable to their  general character4 
,our churches are formed on the         
principle that none  but those who      
profess and practise the gospel of      
,christ are eligible for  membership2   
and when any person of contrary         
character is discovered among  us1 he is
 excluded from the society1 and1 as a   

matter of course1 falls  into the       
,establishment4  ,taking them with all  
their imperfections1 ,i  believe not    
only that they are formed according to  
the apostolic model1  but that they are 
among the best societies of men to be   
found in this  sinful world--8and no man
 shall stop me of this boasting0 on     
their behalf4  ,the church of which ,i  
am the pastor1 was formed about sixteen 
years ago4  ,it then contained thirteen 
members1 and since then between three   
and four  hundred have been added4  ,our
 church meetings are held monthly1 for  
the  purposes of devotion1 of receiving 
additional members1 and1 occasionally1  
for the transaction of business1        
necessary to preserve the order and     
purity of the church4  ,i do not1 of    
course1 expect that ,mr4 ,perowne will  
believe my testimony on this subject1   
but ,i confidently appeal to the        
members of my church for evidence       
respecting the character of our         
meetings4  ,those 8hallowed influences10

 to which ,mr4 ,perowne so              
contemptuously refers1 have abundantly  
blessed them1 nor do ,i expect to       
witness any scenes more truly 8peaceful 
and loving10 till 8the general  assembly
 and church of the first born0 appears  
in heaven4    ,another charge1 which    
,mr4 ,perowne vehemently urges against  
,dissenters1 is  that they are aiming to
 destroy the church to which he belongs4
  8,the  leading organs of dissent10    
says he1 8openly avow that nothing but  
the  destruction of our church will     
satisfy them40  ,i should think my own  
church destroyed1 if it were to be      
overrun with infidelity or heresy1 or   
if it were to be broken up and dispersed
 as a society of ,christians4  ,but1 as 
,mr4 ,perowne is acquainted with 8the   
leading organs of dissent10  he knows   
very well that ,dissenters have no      
desire to see the ,church of  ,england  
brought into such a condition2 and that 
all they wish is that the  ,established 
,church would support its own ministers1

 and pay its own  expenses1 without     
taxing other churches4  ,and this1 if ,i
 understand him  rightly1 he would call 
8the destruction of the church40  ,if   
so1 all the  dissenting churches are    
destroyed already4  ,they have no       
connection with  the state1 as a        
controlling power--they choose their own
 ministers--and  they pay their own     
expenses4  ,they are therefore1         
according to ,mr4  ,perowne1 in a state 
of 8destruction0--they are 8things which
 are not10 and  he may perhaps be aware 
that such things are sometimes employed 
8to bring  to nought things which are40 
,but the wholesale charge which he      
brings against the ,nonconformists is1  
that their system 8leads men to tear in 
pieces the body of ,christ--to set  at  
nought the powers that be--to speak evil
 of dignities--to imbibe and  inculcate 
a disloyal1 republican1 revolutionary   
spirit40  ,and he might  have added1    
with equal truth1 that it is productive 
of hydrophobia1 that  it brought the    

cholera into the country a short time   
ago1 and that it  turned all the members
 of our churches into cannibals4        
,charges such as  he has brought1 false 
and ridiculous as they are1 have been   
incessantly  repeated since the day when
 the ,head of our churches was himself  
reviled  by the priests1 as 8a fellow   
perverting the nation1 and forbidding to
  give tribute to ,csar40  ,and they    
will no doubt continue to be repeated1  
till 8the accuser of the brethren is    
cast out40  ,they are always freely     
used by those who find it more          
convenient to revile than to argue2 and 
they are as useful to such persons1 as  
the broken lantern was to the  watchman1
 who always kept it by him to exhibit as
 a proof that his  victims had been     
guilty of a riot4    ,i now proceed to  
select some specimens of the manner in  
which he has  perverted the language of 
my letter1 and also some specimens of   
the  literature and logic with which his
 8,observations0 are interspersed4      

,alluding to the title of my letter he  
asks1 8,what right a ,dissenter has  to 
remonstrate with the members of the     
church1 on any steps they think  proper 
to take with regard to the education of 
the children belonging to  their own    
communion80  ,the proper answer to this 
question is1 that ,i had  no right at   
all to remonstrate on such a subject4   
,but what will the  reader think1 when  
,i tell him that ,i never did           
remonstrate on such a  subject1 and that
 ,mr4 ,perowne's apparent object in     
giving such a form to  his question is  
to excite a prejudice against my ,letter
 at the very  beginning of his          
8,observations40  ,he knows that the    
,infant ,schools1 which  the members of 
the ,establishment projected1 were not  
for 8the education  of children         
belonging to their own communion10 but  
for 8the children of  persons of all    
denominations40  ,and he knows that my  
remonstrance was  directed against those
 who wished to make the members of one  

church the  ,instructors of ,infants1 to
 the exclusion of the members of all    
other  churches4  ,the artifice which he
 has adopted may have answered the      
purpose which he had in view1 but it is 
not the result of an upright and        
honourable mind1 and it manifests much  
more of the subtilty of the  serpent    
than of the harmlessness of the dove4   
,mr4 ,perowne1 having remarked that ,i  
had advised the ,establishment to act   
on 8the principles on which the ,infant 
,schools in ,norwich have hitherto  been
 conducted10 asks1 8,what are those     
principles80  ,and professing to  gather
 his reply from my ,letter1 he answers1 
8,that the ,dissenters should  have the 
chief management of them10 while 8the   
members of the  ,established ,church1   
afford help in directing the concerns1  
and in  defraying the expenses40  ,such 
8counsel10 ,i admit1 is as impertinent  
as  to deny to ,churchmen the right 8to 
educate the children belonging to  their
 own communion40  ,but ,i never gave    

such counsel2 and ,mr4 ,perowne's       
interpretation of my language is both   
unjust and absurd4  ,the statement  in  
my letter is this4  ,the committees of  
the ,infant ,schools 8are composed  of  
members of the ,establishment and of    
other ,christian churches0--and1 as  it 
respects the school in ,st4 ,miles'1    
8repeated efforts have been made to     
induce members of the ,established      
,church to afford greater help in       
directing its concerns1 as well as in   
defraying its expenses40  ,now mark  the
 injustice of my commentator4  ,in      
professing to quote my language1 he     
leaves out the word 8greater10 which is 
an important word in the  sentence1 and 
then he tells his readers that my       
counsel is 8that the  ,dissenters should
 have the chief management of the       
schools0 about to be  instituted4  ,and 
now mark his reasoning4  ,the           
,dissenters have made  repeated efforts 
to induce ,churchmen 8to afford greater 
help in  directing the schools20        

therefore ,dissenters desire to have    
8the  chief management of them60        
,admirable logic6  ,if 8a supposed      
second  ,solomon0 be needed in the      
schools of ,dissent1 no such prodigy is 
required  in the ,establishment4  ,her  
8mountains have laboured10 and her      
,solomon is  born6    ,the next specimen
 is of a similar character4  ,i had     
said1 in my ,letter1  that as the       
promoters of the public examination in  
,st4 ,andrew's ,hall had1  in order to  
effect it1 8received assistance from    
their dissenting fellow  citizens1 as   
well as from others10 our 8friendly     
proceedings0 would be  8used against    
ourselves10 if they 8were to be rewarded
 by our utter  exclusion from all future
 participation with ,churchmen in the   
system of  ,infant ,education40         
8,brethren60 exclaims ,mr4 ,perowne1    
8,brethren6 here you  have a truth of   
the utmost importance1 plainly told you 
from the pen of a  ,dissenter40  ,and   
what is the truth that my dissenting pen

 has told8  ,why1  that the conduct of  
the church1 in excluding ,dissenters1   
would be  8against0 those 8friendly     
proceedings0 which we had shewn towards 
the  church4  ,but because it would be  
against our courtesy1 ,mr4 ,perowne1 in 
the might and majesty of his logic1     
jumps to the conclusion that it would   
be against our nonconformity6  ,and     
then1 having made this notable          
discovery1 for which he certainly       
deserves a patent1 he blows his 8penny  
trumpet10 and summons the whole         
hierarchy to listen to his proclamation1
  that if the church will uniformly     
treat ,dissenters as they have been     
treated in this business1 the 8venerable
 ,establishment0 is secure4  8,brethren6
 here you have a truth of the utmost    
importance60    ,mr4 ,perowne complains 
of the pain which ,i have produced in   
him1 by what ,i  have said 8about love  
and union40  8,such things10 says he    
8painfully  remind us of the days of    
,charles the first40  ,this ,charles1 it

 will be  remembered1 as the 8head of   
the church10 in his days1 and 8out of a 
like  pious care for the service of     
,god1 as had his blessed father10       
published the 8,book of ,sports10 which 
authorized the people to amuse          
themselves with all sorts of games1 c4  
on the ,lord's day1 and which the       
clergy read to their congregations after
 divine service4  ,i have no wish1      
however1 to mention 8,charles the first0
 to any man of acute sensibility1  and  
,i was not aware that my recommendation 
of 8love and union0 would  remind any   
one of that ill-fated monarch4  ,mr4    
,perowne's peculiar  sensibility on this
 subject1 and the remarkable fact that1 
in writing a  pamphlet on ,infant       
,schools1 he should twice refer to      
8,charles the first10  and 8our martyred
 ,charles10 is calculated to excite     
strange suspicions in  the mind of a    
believer in the doctrine of             
metempsychosis4  ,why should  ,mr4      
,perowne feel pain when he is reminded  

of 8,charles the first80 or  why should 
8love and union0 remind him of 8our     
martyred ,charles0 at all1  except on   
the principle of the ,bramins1 that 8we 
should never kill a  flea1 lest we      
inflict pain on the soul of some of our 
ancestors40  ,it  is true that ,charles 
frequently boasted that he was 8a true  
son of the  church40  ,it is true that  
,charles entertained the very same      
feelings  against ,puritans1 as ,mr4    
,perowne does against ,dissenters4  ,it 
is true  that some of the sentiments in 
,mr4 ,p's4 pamphlet are as precisely    
,icn  ,basilik as if they had been      
dictated by the soul of the headless    
monarch4  ,it is true1 as ,bishop       
,burnet says1 that ,charles the first   
8loved high and rough measures1 but had 
neither skill to conduct them1  nor     
height of genius to manage them4  ,he   
hated all that offered prudent  and     
moderate counsels2 and1 even when it was
 necessary to follow such  advices1 he  
hated those that gave them40  ,it is    

true--but1 to use ,mr4  ,perowne's      
language1 8,i forbear to finish a       
picture so painful to  contemplate10 and
 shall only add1 that ,david ,hume1 in  
his history of  ,england1 states that   
the last word the king said1 was1       
8,,remember0--and  that 8great mysteries
 were supposed to be concealed under    
that  expression40    ,mr4 ,p4 appeals  
to the ,collect which ,i quoted1 and    
which he says ,i have  8mutilated10 as  
affording evidence that 8exclusive      
,churchmen1 are  consistent ,churchmen20
 thereby leading us to infer that the   
church  teaches her members to shew     
their consistency by their              
exclusiveness1  even in the exercise of 
prayer1 and in the presence of ,deity6  
,supposing1  however1 that the ,collect 
afforded evidence of the charity of the 
church1  rather than of her bigotry1 ,i 
advised her members to act in accordance
  with its spirit1 and thereby to 8add  
practice to profession and to  prayer40 
,this advice1 ,mr4 ,p4 intimates1 is1 on

 my part1 an assumption of              
infallibility--as if none but a ,papist 
could consistently enjoin  practical    
piety1 or admonish his hearers to shew  
their faith by their  works4  8,is ,mr4 
,a4 infallible80 my inquisitor asks1 and
 immediately adds1  8,the ,pope of ,rome
 could not have gone further60  ,i have 
not heard much of  the ,pope lately1 but
 in former times he was a tolerably far 
traveller1  especially when he was in   
the pursuit of ,dissenting heretics4    
,but as ,mr4  ,p4 may perhaps claim an  
acquaintance1 as well as a relationship 
with his  ,holiness1 ,i shall not       
dispute the matter1 but humbly submit to
 the  decision1 that the ,pope of ,rome 
never went further than ,i have gone in 
my  8,letter40    ,the next paragraph1  
in ,mr4 ,p's4 8,observations10 is       
chiefly historical1  and he has         
contrived to give us 8a bird's eye view0
 of the state of  religion in this      
country1 from the days of 8our martyred 
#bh ,charles0  downwards4  ,it thus     

begins4  8,it is said that our church   
ought to set an  example of meekness and
 conciliation4  ,i ,,say she has done so
 to an extent  unparalleled in modern   
times40  ,in proof of this oracular     
declaration1 he  shews in the first     
place1 what the church has done4  8,and 
what has been  her conduct while        
attacked by the army of the aliens80    
,to this question1  ,i will first give  
my own answer1 and then ,mr4 ,perowne's4
  ,my own answer  is this4  ,she        
8excommunicated1 ipso facto10 whosoever 
affirmed 8that the  ,church of ,england1
 by law established under the ,king's   
,majesty1 is not a  true and an         
apostolical church40  ,she erected a    
spiritual court1 in which  her ministers
 sat in judgment on men's consciences4  
,she maintained a  star chamber1 where  
she slit men's noses1 and cut off their 
ears4  ,she  passed corporation and test
 acts2 and an act of uniformity1 by     
which two  thousand godly ministers were
 driven from her pulpits1 and in some   

cases  persecuted unto death by her     
virulence4  ,mr4 ,perowne's account of  
her  conduct amidst all these           
transactions is this4  8,confiding in   
her ,god1  she has continued her labour 
of love1 scarcely raising her hand to   
ward off the blows that have been aimed 
at her60  ,but her historian goes  on to
 inform us that her acts of 8meekness   
and conciliation10 in former  days1 are 
far surpassed by her present conduct2   
for this is what ,i  suppose ,mr4 ,p4   
intended to mean when he said1 8,she has
 done so to an  extent unparalleled in  
modern times40  ,whatever his ambiguity 
may mean1  he certainly endeavours to   
represent the church as greatly         
increasing in  8meekness and            
conciliation20 for now1 when she sees   
the wicked ,dissenters  attempting to   
assassinate her1 she does not even 8lift
 her hand0 as she  did formerly2 but1   
like a true member of 8the ,peace       
,society10 she merely  8withdraws from  
such0 persons2 and she thus withdraws1  

says her  historian1 8not in a spirit of
 revenge and bitterness1 but in the     
spirit  of ,him who prayed for his      
enemies60  ,i shall refrain from        
commenting on  this concluding          
declaration1 any farther than to ask1   
whether the  remotest comparison between
 the spirit breathed throughout ,mr4    
,perowne's  pamphlet1 and the dying     
prayer of the ,redeemer1 is not an      
insult to the  8meek and lowly0 ,jesus4 
,we now proceed to what may be          
appropriately called 8the patronage     
paragraph40  ,it was occasioned by the  
following sentences in my ,letter1      
8addressed to the members of the        
,established ,church40  8,i know well   
that  such an exclusive system is not   
the desire of you all4  ,there are some 
among you who wish to see the ,church of
 ,england #8national' in her  feelings  
and in her philanthropy1 as well as in  
her name1 and who would  be glad to     
co-operate with other ,christians in    
educating and in  evangelizing the      

people2 but who at the same time deem it
 desirable1 on  the whole1 to submit to 
other parties in the church1 whose      
patronage and  support are valued40     
8,this passage10 says ,mr4 ,perowne1 8,i
 consider in  itself a sufficient reason
 for my publishing to the world my own  
views and feelings on the subject in    
question4  ,the parties alluded to  must
 be clergymen40  ,why must they be      
clergymen8  ,merely because ,i had  used
 the words 8patronage and support40  ,i 
used the words in their  general        
acceptation1 just as any person1 in     
8pretended holy orders0 would  use them1
 little thinking of the ecclesiastical  
meaning which 8a real  reverend0 might  
put upon them4  ,i knew that if         
,dissenters were excluded  from the     
committee of ,infant ,schools1 such a   
proceeding would obtain for  the schools
 the 8patronage and support0 of such    
persons in the church as  would unite   
only with ,episcopalians2 and as some of
 those persons have  influence and      

property wherewith to help the schools1 
,i supposed that  such 8patronage and   
support0 would be 8valued40  ,but my    
words happened to  be read by a man who 
understands by 8patronage and support0  
the means of  obtaining a better living 
than 8,saint ,john's ,maddermarket40    
,and1 with  this idea in his mind1 he   
begins to reason on the subject with a  
sagacity  all his own4  8,the parties   
alluded to10 says he1 8must be          
clergymen40  ,and his argument in proof 
is this--8,patronage0 is no temptation  
to laymen4  ,they therefore never act   
dishonestly to gain it4  ,it never      
deters them  8from following out the    
convictions of their own minds40  ,none 
but  clergymen can be guilty of this4   
,now ,i1 8the ,rev4 ,john ,perowne10 am 
a  clergyman--and1 referring perhaps to 
the principle that 8blessings  brighten 
as they take their flight10 he adds1 8my
 character is of some  value to me0--and
 then1 wishing to be thought as pure as 
,csar's wife1 he  declares1 8,i cannot  

allow myself to be even suspected40     
,no1 indeed4  ,were a patron to become  
suspicious1 it might prevent the desired
  8patronage0 from being bestowed4  ,and
 should any 8exclusive ,churchman0  ever
 offer this 8senior wrangler0 a better  
living than he now possesses1  we shall 
all see the triumph of principle1 and   
the 8value0 of  8character10 displayed1 
by his declining it4  ,he will say1     
8,nolo  ,episcopari0 in the presence of 
a mitre--whenever it is offered to him4 
,but to proceed with this 8patronage    
paragraph40  ,i had said1 in my         
,letter1 8,i know well1 that such an    
exclusive system is not the desire of   
you all40  ,now this 8exclusive system0 
is the desire of ,mr4 ,perowne1  and he 
has put himself forward as its great    
champion4  ,he therefore  concludes     
that1 as ,i have described a class of   
persons whose views are  directly       
opposed to his1 ,i must have meant      
himself6  ,his argument is--,mr4  ,a4   
says that some persons do not approve of

 this 8exclusive system40  ,i  do       
approve of it4  ,therefore he refers to 
me6  ,q4,e4,d4  ,whether such           
syllogisms come from ,oxford or from    
,cambridge1 ,i am unable to determine1  
as ,i know not at which of the          
,universities ,mr4 ,perowne was         
educated1 and  as ,dissenters are       
8excluded0 from them both4    ,in the   
course of this immortal paragraph1 two  
things yet remain to be  briefly        
noticed4  ,first1 he charges me with    
uttering a direct falsehood1  and says  
that he will not believe my statements  
unless they are  8authenticated by at   
least two witnesses40  ,i have already  
intimated that  ,i shall not trouble    
myself to gain his assent to any        
statements ,i have  made4  ,he had      
before him the speeches made at the     
public meeting2 he had  before him ,mr4 
,geary's pamphlet2 in both of which the 
statements ,i have  made are reiterated2
 and yet1 though he had before him the  
testimony of  these three or four       

witnesses1 he says he will not believe1 
till he has  8at least two witnesses40  
,let him disbelieve it then4  ,and1     
secondly1 in  his note to the paragraph1
 he charges some of the clergy with     
consenting  to 8unite with ,dissenters  
in the ,bible ,society10 8on condition0 
that a  ,dissenter should pay their     
subscriptions4  ,i hope it is distinctly
  understood that1 in these pages1 ,i   
make no attack upon the clergy1 and     
that ,i have to do with ,mr4 ,perowne   
only2 yet1 though the clergy do not     
need me as their defender1 ,i am bound  
to declare that1 having associated  with
 several of them in the ,bible ,society 
for nearly twenty years1 ,i  believe    
that they joined it from true           
conviction1 and not from such a  base   
and paltry 8condition0 as that which    
,mr4 ,perowne alleges4  ,he has1        
however1 carefully abstained from       
mentioning names1 and from advancing    
proofs1 both of which ought to have     
accompanied such a disreputable         

accusation of his brethren4    ,the     
bishops1 of whom he speaks in the next  
paragraph1 were 8immured in a  prison0  
on a charge of high treason2 and a bill1
 to exclude them from the  ,house of    
,lords1 passed both houses of           
parliament1 and received the  signature 
of 8our martyred ,charles40  ,and1 if it
 was ever 8made unlawful  for an        
,episcopalian to worship ,god according 
to the dictates of his own  conscience10
 ,mr4 ,perowne ought to know that this  
was done by  parliamentary authority1   
and that the church might even now visit
 every  ,dissenter with pains and       
penalties1 for not worshipping within   
her walls1  were she not mercifully     
prevented by the ,act of ,toleration4   
,one more paragraph yet remains4  ,i had
 said in my ,letter1 that 8the          
essential doctrines and hallowed        
influences0 of religion 8ought to be far
  dearer to us all than any forms of    
ecclesiastical government4  ,for the    
kingdom of ,god is not meat and drink2  

but righteousness1 and peace1 and  joy  
in the ,holy ,ghost40  ,this1 he        
intimates1 is equivalent to saying that 
8forms of ecclesiastical government0 are
 8matters of little moment40  ,i  did   
not say so4  ,i said that doctrines and 
influences ought to be 8far  dearer0 to 
us than such forms4  ,having1 however1  
made me say that they  are 8matters of  
little moment10 he asks1 why then do we 
separate from the  church8  ,i ask in   
reply1 why does the church impose them8 
and why does  he write a pamphlet       
against those who conscientiously refuse
 to comply  with them8  ,let ,mr4       
,perowne regenerate a child by baptism1 
and cross its  forehead1 if he pleases4 
,let him kneel at the table1 around     
which ,christ  and his disciples sat1 if
 he pleases4  ,let him call a ,socinian 
his 8dear  brother10 and bury him 8in   
sure and certain hope of the            
resurrection to  eternal life10 if he   
pleases4  ,but let him not attempt to   
compel me to  adopt such practices2 let 

him not anathematize me for not         
conforming to a  church which declares  
that it 8hath power to decree rites and 
ceremonies10 when ,i believe that such  
8power0 is possessed by ,christ  alone4 
,i am not the separatist4  ,i 8stand    
fast in the liberty with which  ,christ 
hath made me free40  ,he is the         
schismatic who insists upon the         
practice of unscriptural and popish     
ceremonies1 as the terms of communion   
with the church of ,christ4  8,the      
schism10 says ,archbishop ,laud1 in     
addressing ,papists1 and in justifying  
the church of ,england in her  dissent  
from the church of ,rome1 8,the schism  
is theirs whose the cause of  it is2 and
 he makes the separation who gives the  
first cause of it1 not  he that makes an
 actual separation upon a just cause    
preceding40  ,let  ,mr4 ,perowne talk no
 more about separation1 but remember    
that 8those who  live in a house of     
glass should never throw stones40       
,mr4 ,perowne denounces the application 

which ,i have made of the passage of    
,scripture1 which ,i quoted for the     
purpose of illustration4  8,i did not   
before know10 says he1 8that #8forms of 
ecclesiastical government1' and  #8meat 
and drink' were synonimous terms40  ,and
 what of that8  ,there are  many things 
which ,mr4 ,perowne does not know4  ,he 
does not know1 for  instance1 how to    
spell synonymous1 and until he has      
learned that1 ,i  shall not undertake to
 instruct him in higher matters4        
,several of the extracts which ,i have  
made1 from the observations in this     
wretched pamphlet1 place the writer of  
them in a most unfortunate  predicament4
  ,he either believes that his          
interpretations of my language  are the 
true meaning1 or he does not so believe4
  ,in the former case1 his              
8,observations0 manifest a want of      
sense2 in the latter case1 a want of    
honesty4  ,it is impossible to go       
through his pamphlet without lamenting  
over the condition of a church which is 

compelled to submit to such  incompetent
 or unprincipled instructors4  ,what    
must be the follies or  fanaticism of   
disciples who are taught to explain     
passages of ,scripture  on the          
principles on which 8this true son of   
the church0 has explained my  ,letter4  
,this1 however1 is a subject on which we
 are not left to mere  conjecture4  ,in 
the volume which contains some of the   
8,sermons0 with  which ,mr4 ,perowne has
 edified his flock1 he teaches that     
,jesus ,christ is  shortly coming in    
person to reign in ,jerusalem--that the 
saints will be  raised from the dead1 at
 least a thousand years before the      
general  resurrection1 for the purpose  
of reigning together with ,christ--that 
,jerusalem will be to them 8what        
,windsor castle is to our king and his  
family0--and that they will have        
8various enjoyments through the medium  
of  the senses10 8meat and drink0       
included4  ,he also declares1 8,i have  
said  nothing of the new division of the

 ,holy land1 of the rebuilding of the   
,temple1 or of the re-institution of the
 ,temple service2 ,,though ,,all ,,this 
,,will ,,certainly ,,take ,,place660    
,there now4  ,let any ,irvingite or     
,swedenborgian beat that if he can4     
,and let all ,dissenters take joyfully  
the abuse which ,mr4 ,perowne has heaped
 upon them1 so long as the law          
tolerates them in leaving ,st4 ,john's  
,maddermarket1 in order to be           
instructed by those who 8understand what
 they say1 and whereof they  affirm40   
,i have now done with 8,the ,reverend   
,john ,perowne1 ,rector of ,st4 ,john's 
,maddermarket1 ,norwich40  ,i have      
examined his reasonings4  ,i have       
corrected his mistakes4  ,i have exposed
 his misrepresentations4  ,in so  doing 
,i have endeavoured to comply with the  
motto which he has inserted  in his     
title page1 and to 8,,mark them which   
cause divisions and offences20  and ,i  
now retire from the study of his        
8,observations10 deeply impressed  with 

the conviction1 that fallen indeed must 
that cause be1 which either  needs1 or  
accepts such a defender4                
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,the ,,end4                            
99 99 99 99 99                          
,norwich3                 ,,printed ,,by
 ,,josiah ,,fletcher1 ,,upper           
,,haymarket4          ,,footnotes4      
#ae  ,mr4 ,perowne uses the expression1 
8our apostolical establishment10  as if 
there had been an ,established ,church  
in the days of the apostles4  ,the      
establishment of religion by the state1 
did not take place till the  reign of   
,constantine1 which was three hundred   
years after ,christ1 and  when the      
church had become grossly corrupted by  
8the mystery of  iniquity40  ,it is     
still more erroneous to speak of 8our   
apostolical  establishment10 for the    
,protestant ,church of ,england was not 
established  till the time of ,henry the
 ,eighth4    #af  ,a man who writes     
himself 8reverend10 and who intermeddles

 with  latin and logic1 ought to be able
 to spell correctly4  8,calvanist0 and  
8,armenian10 are wrong4  ,the former    
should be ,calvinist1 and the latter    
should be ,arminian4  ,i hope that the  
,infant ,school system1 which ,mr4      
,perowne patronises1 will not be so     
8exclusive0 as to exclude spelling  from
 its literature4  ,let ,mr4 ,p4 take    
advantage of this hint--for he          
learnedly remarks1 8,licet vel ab hoste 
doceri40    #bh  ,mr4 ,warner1 a        
clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 in
 his  8,conformist's ,plea for the      
,nonconformists10 observes 8,it is      
absurd to  call him a martyr1 for there 
was too great a complication of causes  
which led to his execution1 to ascribe  
it wholly or principally to  religion4  
,the vice which ruined him was          
insincerity2 so that his enemies  saw   
that they could not trust him to perform
 his insincere though liberal           
promises40