lible Sign of the total Decay of the true
Spirit of Christianity, and a greater Reason for the Increase of
Infidelity and Prophaneness, than all the bad Books, obscene Prints, and
Histories of Prostitutes, that have been published for this Century past.
And to shew thee, that if good Books are compiled, there is no fear of
Encouragement even from this profligate Generation, Thou needst only
recollect, that thy _little_ Letter has brought more Money to thy
Bookseller, than all the Impressions of prophane Books, of any Kind, have
brought to the whole Trade for this Twelvemonth past.

After that thou hast finished thy melancholy Declamation against prophane
Books and Prints, the Excess of our publick Diversions takes the next
Place in the List of deadly Sins. This is exaggerated by an Instance of
fifteen or sixteen Advertisements, even in the Holy Season of Lent; and
thou goest piously on to mention Idleness, Gaming, _&c._ These are
terrible Crimes indeed, Friend. But does not thee think, that there are
many others of a deeper Dye, and of which these are only trivial
Consequences? Yes, thou knowest there are; thou couldst not forget them,
being too glaring to have escaped thy Penetration. Yet, thou hast skipped
them over, or taken but very slight Notice of them. For thou hookest in
but one Crime more, before thou seemest to finish thy grand Charge, and to
begin thy Application. Verily, I could have wished in Charity, that thou
hadst left that one Crime out of thy List on this Occasion. The Crime, I
mean, is the Mention thou makest of the Increase of Popery. Thou art to
remember, Friend, that thou hast supposed the Almighty justy offended at
the Number and Heinousness of our National Transgressions, and that thou
art giving a List of the Transgressions, that thou thinkest capable of
drawing down upon us the special Judgments of the Divine Being. Now, canst
thou in Charity, as a Christian, think, that Popery could be numbered
amongst these deadly Sins? The Errors of that superstitious Church are
many; but God forbid, that we should imagine, that their Errors, in Point
of Faith, are such, as to merit these special Marks of the Divine Wrath.
Had that been the Case, this Island, and all Europe, must many Centuries
ago, have felt the most dreadful Effects of these Calamities. If thou
meanest in that Paragraph those, who continue obstinate in Error, in spite
of Conviction, and the Dictates of their own Conscience, thou sayest
righ