London, May 18, 1793

DEAR SIR,

I HAVE hardly time to acknowledge your letter, but know not when I shall have more. As you desire it I will send you my thoughts very briefly.

So far as popery may concern the civil state of the nations, I apprehend no great danger from it. Infidelity and scepticism seem to me the spreading popery at present. The spirit and strength of popery seem quite broken, and the pope himself I think is little more regarded by the bulk of the Roman church, than by the Protestants. The heavy penal laws, formerly in force, however politically necessary, do not appear to me consistent either with the letter or spirit of the new testament.

In a religious view I cannot see why a papist has not as good a right to worship God according to his conscience, though erroneous, to educate his children, &c. as I have myself. I am no friend to persecution or restraint in matters of conscience.

The stir made in 1T80, at a time when protestants were gaining more liberty in popish countries, I thought was a reproach to our national character, both as Britons and protestants. And I was not surprised at the event, by which

I thought the Lord poured contempt upon it. I hope we shall never see such a time again, upon such a pretext.

I cannot see that an unprincipled or wicked protestant is a whit better than a bigoted papist. Yet these, of all sorts, are tolerated.

The spirit of the times is quite altered since fires were lighted in Smithfield; and, humanlyspeaking, I think it morally impossible for things to revert into that channel.

Therefore whatever liberty the papists may obtain by law, that of sitting in parliament chiefly excepted, will give me no pain.

Perhaps if I had lived in Scotland, the opinion of many wise and good men might have outweighed my private judgment, and given it a different bias. The Jews, while a separate people and under a theocracy, had a peculiar rule, the application of which to christian societies, I think has been productive of much mischief and misery; and quite unsupported, as I judge, by any precept or precedent in the new testament.

I have only time to add my best wishes. The Lord bless you, and bless us all with his precious peace, and that philanthropy which his example teaches. I am

Your sincere friend and servant.

J. N.