neither his blind admirer nor indiscriminately his accuser.
History brings us acquainted with only a single human
being who was perfect. David incurred the guilt of some
heinous crimes: yet of these he was self-convicted; and
the bold transgressor soon became the lowly penitent.
Nor should it be forgotten, that he lived in an age far less
favoured than ours is with religious advantages.
Our ver-

dict respecting him should be formed on a consideration of
the whole of his behaviour compared with his situation;
and if we view his character with impartiality, he will
neither be entirely acquitted nor absolutely condemned.

Most readers of the Bible infer, from the circumstance of David's being called "the man after God's own heart," that his conduct was in every respect approved by God: But the phrase has a different meaning, and denotes simply that David was selected, by the Deity, to be king of Israel, in the room of Saul. In this language there is no reference to the moral character of the son of Jesse. General expressions are limited by the occasions and the subjects of them; while, on the other hand, uncandid writers have availed themselves of popular misinterpretations of Scrip ture for the purpose of arraigning the truth of revealed religion.

Tables of Toleration.

N.

[By a Correspondent: from Remarks on the Consumption of Public - Wealth by the Clergy of every Christian Nation. P. 76, 4th ed.] The Intolerant Nations,

Where men are excluded from all or part of the civil or military offices of the state, unless they be of a particular sect.

Spain. No man can fill any office, civil or military, unless he be a Roman Catholic.

Portugal. The same.

Italy. The same (except in the Austrian part).

Denmark. No man can fill any office, civil or military, unless he be a Lutheran.

Sweden and Norway. The same.

It is to be lamented that such intolerant laws should exist; but it must be observed that the intolerance of the above nations is not oppressive to any of their subjects, as in each nation the people are all to a man members of the Established Religion.

England. No man enjoys all the rights and privileges of a citizen in England and Ireland unless he be of the Church of England. More than two-thirds of the people are suffering under this intolerance, being members of other sects. The Corporations and the Universities are shut against them, and the public offices of emolument nearly so. Besides these privations, in common with others, the hearers of the Roman Catholic Church, who are full one-fourth of the population, are excluded both Houses of Parliament. This is effected by means of an anathėms or oath of abuse and condemnation which all the members take, by which they swear that those points of religion are heretical and damnable which are professed and venerated as sacred by 5,800,000 of the subjects of England, and by 160 millions of her allies, including two emperors and seven kings. Other intolerant nations are content with the candidate for office professing himself to be of the established religion; this gratuitous curse upon the religion of others is said to be without parallel. The intolerance of England is the greatest oppression now exhibited by Christianity. It oppresses two-thirds of the whole po pulation with considerable severity, in order to create monopoly of riches and of learning for the other third; and upon one fourth of the population it exercises a double portion of oppression. The practical result of the latter is, the most abject helotism, attended with perpetual insurrection and expensive military establishments, and pregnant with future danger to the empire from the geographical position of the suffering parties.

The Tolerant Nations,

Where no man is excluded from civil or military employments on account of his sect or religion.

United States. All men of every sect are eligible to fill all employments, civil or military.

France.

Russia

The same.

The same.

Christians throughout the World.

Roman Catho-
lics.

Protestants.

Greek Church.

In Great Britain and Ireland.. 5,800,000 | 15,200,000
In all the rest of the world ..118,872,000 38,856,000 41,000,000
Total....124,672,000 | 54,056,000 | 41,000,000

Total of Christians.. 219,728,000 pay to their Clergy £18,772,000, of which England, for 21 millions of people, pays more than one, half.

Expenditure on the Clergy of the people of Great Britain and Ireland, who are not hearers of the Established Church of England and Ireland.

On Religious Instruction to Classes of Young Persons.

SIR, Bridport, June 20, 1826. Ir is delightful to observe among us the indications of an increasing zeal for the religious and moral improvement of the young and the poor. Those who have been interested in the recent cominunications to the Reformer on this subject will not be unwilling to peruse a few further hints from one who is engaged heart and hand in this work.

There is, in the first volume of Dr. Priestley's Institutes of Natural and Revealed Religion, "An Essay on the best Method of communicating Religious Knowledge to the Members of Christian Societies," which ought to be attentively perused by all who wish for the prosperity of our churches and the amelioration of mankind. In the remarks

which I proceed to offer, it will be taken for granted that this Essay has been referred to, and that the general principles on which it proceeds are acknowledged to be just.

The class of persons for whom it is our immediate concern to provide instruction are those whom Dr. Priestley places in a middle station between children, (to whom he would teach a plain catechism,) and those who are sufficiently advanced in age and knowledge to be fitted for a course of lectures on the institutes of religion. In this middle class, he says, "I would teach the knowledge of the Scriptures only," and for this purpose recommends the use of his Scripture Catechism, which consists of questions with references to those places in the Bible where the proper answers may be found. Since the publication of Dr. Priestley's work the instructor of the young has been furnished with additional means of accomplishing the end in view. I allude to Mr. Turner's Abstract of the Bible History, which the experience of many among us can testify, is well adapted to communicate the knowledge of religious truth in the most engaging manner, to inform the learner as to the events of scripture history, and at the same time to impress the grand principles of religion on the heart. As to the benefits which may be derived from the study of this truly cheap and excellent little work, “ we speak what we do know, and testify what we have seen." The writer of this letter has had opportunities of observing its utility in the instruction of a class of youths whose previous means of improvement had been very limited, some of whom were almost entirely destitute of religious ideas, and were indeed very deficient in the art of reading. The class met regularly on a Sunday evening, each member was provided with a copy of Mr. Turner's Abstract,* a portion was read either by each in succession, or by the teacher, an attempt was made to illustrate and impress the facts and principles therein contained, attention was paid to the particulars of time and place, and after a devotional exercise the class separated. At the next meeting the

This seems essential to the success of the plan, and ought to be done, even if it were needful for this purpose to supply the books gratis. It is of essential importance that the persons under instruction should be enabled and induced to study at home the lessons delivered to them at the place of meeting. They will otherwise be found to make little progress. What they read or hear at one meeting will seldom be retained during the space of a week.

same portion of the Abstract was made the subject of examination, and it was thus ascertained how far it had been understood and retained in the mind. This being done, and such additional remarks made as appeared to be seasonable, the class proceeded to the perusal of another portion of the work, which was treated in the same manner as before. The result has been satisfactory beyond the expectation of those who were the most sanguine at the commencement of the course. It is obvious that the prosecution of this plan may be advantageously combined with a frequent reference to the Scriptures, and with the employment of Dr. Priestley's Scripture Catechism above referred to. It ought likewise to be remarked, that an occasional recapitulation of the most important facts and dates is highly advisable. The progress thus made will be slow, and the course of instruction limited, but with young per sons, whose minds have not been previously cultivated and whose daily occupations afford them little leisure for reading, if more were attempted less would be accomplished. *

Supposing the class to have completed the study of Mr. Turner's work, and to be disposed for further instruction, a few very low-priced, but very valuable pamphlets, might be gone through in the same way, and might be so arranged as to form something like a regular course of familiar instruction. I trust I shall not be deemed presumptuous in specifying those which appear to me best calculated to instruct and to discipline the youthful mind, and thus to prepare the learner for the profitable perusal of the controversial as well as practical publications which now abound.

1. Dr. Clarke's "Answer to the Question, Why are you a Christian?".

2. Wright's pamphlet on "The Necessity and Utility of adhering to First Principles." This invaluable little work is admirably adapted to qualify the inquirer for pursuing the work of investigation."

3. Dr. Carpenter's Unitarians' Appeal. This tract is too well known and appreciated to need a recommendation. It supplies a candid statement of the Unitarian doctrine with a mass of scripture proof in its support.

4. Priestley's Appeal to the Serious and Candid Professor of the Gospel.

5. Ditto's Familiar Illustrations of certain Passages of