aries, and other helps to the flothful ftudent. He is now able, at a very small expence, to join the beau and the scholar, and triumphs in the taste of this enlightened age, of which he hath the comfort to reflect, that he himself makes a part. But, for our mortification, let us recollect, that as feveral writers have obferved, human things never continue long at a stand. There is commonly a revolution of knowledge and learning, as of riches and power. For as ftates grow up from poverty to industry, wealth, and power; fo, from these they proceed to luxury and vice; and by them are brought back to poverty and fubjection. In the fame manner, with respect to learning, men rife from ignorance to application; from application to knowledge; this ripens into tafte and judgment; then, from a defire of distinguishing themselves, they fuperadd affected ornaments, become more fanciful than folid; their taste corrupts with their manners, and they fall back into the gulph of ignorance. The feveral fteps of thefe gradations commonly correfpond; and if we defire to know in what period of each, we of this nation are at prefent, it is probable, we are in the age of luxury as to the firft, and, in the eve at leaft, of a falfe and frothy tafte as to learning, and may therefore fear, that as a late very elegant writer expreffes it, We fhall relapfe faft into barbarifm. Another

F 6

Another argument produced by this author, is, that the apostle Paul, in preaching at Athens, quotes a fentence from one of the Greek poets, and, in writing to the Corinthians, has inferted into the facred text a line from a Greek play which now fubfifts." This (he fays) is fuf"ficient to connect the defence of plays with "the honour of Scripture itself." The fact is not denied, though he has given but a poor fpecimen of the knowledge of this age, by miftaking, in the first of these remarks, the expreffion quoted by the apostle: for this sentence, “In

him we live, and move, and have our being," which, he fays, is a very fublime expreffion, and beautifully applied by the apoftle, was not cited from the poet, but the following, "For we "are alfo his offspring." But fuppofing he had, (as he eafily might) have hit upon the true citation, what follows from it? Did ever any body affirm, that no poet could write, or no player could speak any thing that was true? And what is to hinder an inspired writer from judging them out of their own mouths? What concern has this with the stage? If it implies any defence of the ftage in general, it must imply a stronger defence of the particular play and poem, from which the citations are taken. Now, I dare fay, neither this author, nor any other will affert,

that

that these are in all refpects agreeable to the Chriftian character. Thefe citations do no other way connect the defence of the ftage with the honour of Scripture, than a minifter's citing, in writing or difcourfe, a paffage from Horace or Juvenal, would connect the defence of all the obscenity that is to be found in the rest of their works, with the honour of preaching.

The only thing further in this effay not obviated in the preceding discourse, is what he fays on the fubject of the poor. "That the expence. "laid out on the ftage does not hinder the "charitable supply of the poor, and that they "fuffer no lofs by it, for it comes at last into "the hands of the poor, and is paid as the price of "their labour.-Every player must be maintain"ed, clothed and lodged." It does not suit with my prefent purpose to enter into controverfial altercation, or to treat this author with that feverity he deferves; and therefore I fhall only fay, that his reasoning upon this subject is the very fame from which Doctor Mandeville draws this abfurd and hated confequence, "Private vices "are public benefits."

The truth is, a ferious perfon can scarce have a ftronger evidence of the immorality of the ftage, than the perufal of these little pieces of fatyr, which have been published, in fo great a variety,

against the presbytery of Edinburgh, within these few weeks, because of their public admonition against it. They offer no other defence, but deriding the preaching of the gofpel, blafphemously comparing the pulpit with the stage, and recrimination upon fome who are supposed to live inconfiftently with their character. It is not worth while to spend three words in determining whether drunkennefs, deceit and hypocrify are worse than the stage or not; but if that is the ftrongest argument that can be offered in its fupport, wo to all those who attend it. The new reformed tragedy has indeed been very unlucky in its advocates. There is an old faying, that a man is known by his company. If this be true also of a play, which one would think it should, as it must be chiefly to the taste of congenial minds, by thofe who have appeared in defence of Douglafs, it is a work of very little merit.

It may be expected, that, having brought this performance on the field, I fhould add fome further reflections, upon the aggravated fin of Minifters writing plays, or attending the ftage. But though it is a very plain point, and indeed because it is fo, it would draw out this treatise to an immoderate length. If any man makes a question of this, he must be wholly ignorant of the nature and importance of the minifterial character and office. Thefe therefore it would be neceffary

neceffary to open distinctly, and to confider the folemn charge given to ministers in Scripture, to watch over the fouls of their people, as thofe "who must give on account unto God;" to give themselves wholly to their duty, since fome of thofe committed to them are, from day to day, entering on an unchangeable state, whose blood, when they die unconverted, fhall be required at the hand of the unfaithful paftor. None can entertain the leaft doubt upon this fubject, who believe the teftimony of Mofes and the prophets, of Chrift and his apoftles, and, if they believe not their writings, neither will they believe my words.

Inftead therefore of endeavouring to prove, I will make bold to affirm, that writing plays is an employment wholly foreign to the office, and attending theatrical reprefentations an entertainment unbecoming the character of a minifter of Chrift? And must not both, or either of them, be a facrilegious abstraction of that time and pains, which ought to have been laid out for the benefit of his people? Is it not also flying in the face of a clear and late act of parliament, agreeably to which the lords of council and feffion not long ago found the stage contrary to law in this country? And though the law is eluded, and the penalty evaded, by advertising a concert, after which will be performed, gratis, a tragedy, &c.