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party he may be, who shall conduct us into port with safety andwith honour! t My Lords, I have trespassed too long on yourtime. I conclude with giving my hearty concurrence to themotion of the noble Duke.”

Previously to this speech, the Duke of Portland and someothers, whose political principles I had, through life, been accustomedto revere, became supporters of Mr. Pitt’s measures, and it wasgenerally expected that I should have joined this second (un-principled I thought it) great coalition. I had always protestedagainst being a party-man, and this speech effectually silencedthose who, measuring other men by their own standard, hadquestioned the sincerity of my avowal of parliamentary inde-pendence.

In the following summer I published a Charge and two Ser-mons, one of them entitled “ Atheism and Infidelity refutedfrom Reason and Scripture;” the other, “ The Christian Religionno Imposture,” These sermons were at their first publication ofsome use in confirming the faith of the wavering, and they mayalways be serviceable for that purpose, as they appear to me, ona re-examination, to be solidly written.

In the beginning of the year 1796, I published “ An Apologyfor the Bible,” being a defence of that Holy Book against thescurrilous abuse of Thomas Paine . This little book, I have rea-son to believe, was of singular service in stopping that torrent ofirreligion which had been excited by his writings. David Dale ofPaisley , (I mention his name to his honour, his person I never