the religious wants of the whole island.' But, admitting this to be the real ftate of the Church of Ireland, can any friend of that Church confider it as a state of profpérity?"" The method by which the Catholics of Ireland are, perhaps, moft likely to be induced to embrace the established religion, is that which has the teftimony of experience in its favour; I mean, the endeavouring to enlighten the understandings of the great body of the people by an improved mode of education. This was the chief inftrument, by which in this Ifland, and in the several countries of the Continent in which the reformed religion prevails, the principles of the Reformation were at first enabled to make their way; and this, in the case of the Irish, though it might not, any more than in England or in Scotland, bring them to what is exactly right, would probably, rescue them from their fubjection to the abfurdities of Popery. Poffibly alfo, by making the office of a schoolmaster, even though that schoolmaster should be a Catholic, more advantageous than that of a Catholic priest, this inftrument might be fo employed, as to afford a present relief, and produce an immediate fpirit of content, and of attachment to the State *. But, taking the fituation of the Church of Ireland as it now is, and as it has been for (1 may fay) ages paft, can Dr. Aikin, as I have already asked, hold out that Church as an inftance which is adapted to afford any confolation to those who are apprehenfive that the Church of England is in danger? Can it be faid, that the Church is not in danger, if there be any probability, from the increase of Sectarifts among us, of its being reduced to a fituation fimilar to that of the Church of Ireland?" (pp. 31-33.)

"When I fay, then, that the Church is in danger, I speak of those dangers, which confist in the increasing defection of her members, and which, by diminishing her means and opportunities of benefiting the publick, and answering the end of her inftitution, eventually threaten her exiftence. I confider these dangers to arife, not so much from the increating strength of any particular sect, as from the increasing and combined trength of all, or at least of the generality

of sects; for, though many of the sects differ as much from each other as they do from the Church, they agree in hoftility to the Church, and are ready, cach with the hope of obtaining the afcendency, to co-operate against her."" When, therefore, the lately projected meafure relating to the Catholics, purporting to be an extenfion of the Irish Act of Parliament paffed in 1793, to English Catholics, was first talked of, I cannot say that it excited in me much alarm. I did not imagine that a privilege, which was granted to Irish Catholics in 1793, and from which no ill effects had arisen, could be productive of any fuch effects, if granted to English Catholics in 1807. I was, however, alarmed at the form which this measure had affumed when it was introduced into the House of Com mons in a feparate ftate, and ftill more alarmed at the principles which were avowed in the difcuffion of it."" But, fuppofing it to have been right for the Legiflature to grant the indulgence to Catholics which was intended by Minifters, there was, I think, according to the prinples of found policy, no fufficient reafon, from any confiderations relating to Diffenters, for not granting it; and, in this cafe, it would perhaps have been more safely attempted, and certainly more fafely done, by the paffing of a mere Declaratory At, to the effect that, in confequence of the union between Great Britain and Ireland, the Act of the Irish Parliament on the subject referred to, paffed in 1793, extended to Irish Catholics employed in Great Britain, and alfo (if that had been thought advifeable) to English Catholics. The Diffenters might have complained of this; but they would have had no juft. reason to complain. It will readily be admitted, that the religion of the generality of Diffenters in this part of the United Kingdom is nearer to the truth than that of Catholics; but the principle upon which indulgences ought to be granted or refufed to those who are not of the established religion, is not truth, but fafety; that is, a regard is to be had, not to the degree in which any fect claiming indulgences differs in opinion from the established religion, but to the degree in which it affects the

fafety

fafety of that religion. It is upon this principle, that Quakers are more indulged than perfons of any other sect of Proteftant, Dissenters. Their religious opinions are, perhaps, more abfurd, i. e. farther from the truth, than those of most other Dissenters; but in conformity, if not in confequence of these opinions, their demeanour is to peaceable, and their defire of making proselytes fo restrained, that the established religion is in little or no danger from them." "Now, if Catholics be so attached to the State, and so devoid of hoftility to the Church, as the declarations of those respectable persons who have lately, under, taken, and in the most folemn manner, to speak the fentiments of Catholics, represent them to be, there would, I think, be no danger in granting them the privilege which the late Ministers intended to grant them. On the other hand, if Diffenters, though friendly to the State, retain that hoftility to the Church of which they have always been suspected, and which they have never difavowed, there would be great danger in admitting them to fituations of authority and influ, ense, by which their ability to interfere with the fafety of the Church, and eventu ally with that of the State, would be indennitely augmented. Whether your opinion on this fubject, Sir, entirely agrees with mine, I do not know; but, so far as I can judge from news-paper reports of speeches made in Parliament, I flatter mytelf that it does. This at least feems certain, that you are not deficient in a readiness to concede to Non-conformifts every thing which can be conceded with difcretion; for, though you were the member of the House who first and moft strongly objected to the meafure referred to, you objected less to the measure itfelf, than to the principles upon which it was attempted to be defended. Suppofing you, therefore, to express the sentiments entertained on this fubject by those who now form the Ministry of which you are a part, we may indulge the pleafing hope, that while the confcientious Catholics and Diflenters are permitted to enjoy every privilege which they can enjoy consistently with the fafety of the established religion, the established religion sttelf will not, through mistaken notions of liberality, be deprived of any fupport which is neceffary to its existence or profperity.

"It is impossiible for me to write on the dangers of the Church, without adverting to that divifion among the members of the Church itself, on the Calvinistic points, which has, perhaps, fubfitted, in fome degree or other, ever fince its first establishment, but which, within a few years patt, has arifen to a

more alarming height than ufual. Many clergymen of the Church of England, adopting the peculiar notions of Calvin, or however of the late Mr. Whitefield, who was a Calvinist, have affumed to themfelves the title of Evangelical or Gospel ministers, and have not only afferted these doctrines to be doctrines of the Church of England, but encouraged the belief, that the Clergy of the Church of England, being by far the majority of them, who omit to follow their example, neither preach the doctrines of the Church, nor the doctrines of the Gospel. In confequence of this, the Church is exposed to that danger which must ne ceffarily arife from a degradation of the character of her Ministers, for, if this allegation were true, it would follow, that the ministers of the Church are falfe to their most folemn engagements, and preach doctrines contrary to those which they have subscribed to as, true. But this is not all: for, mitled by such suggestions as thefe, the people are drawn off from the Church (in which, with a few exceptions, they are thus taught to believe that the Gospel is not preached) not only to the Methodistic focieties which, were instituted by Mr. Whitefield, and in which the doctrines acknowledged to be Calvinistic are more particularly infifted on; but alfo to those Methodiftic focieties which were instituted by Mr. Wesley, and which, though denominated Arminian, retain the doctrines of juftification by faith exclusively of works, the new birth (or infiantaneous and fenfille converfion), and offsurance of falvation, which are either the concomitants or confequences of Calvinifm, and which, to the generality of the people, are probably the greatest inducements to adopt Calvinism. though I entirely abfolve the perfons to whom I refer from the design of being enemies to the Church, I am obliged to contend, that their conduct is as injurious to the Church as that of enemies can be, and in fome respects more so." (pp. 41-49.) "Having thus explained what I mean by the dangers of the Church and ftated the caufes from which I conceive thein to arife; I go on to propose the methods by which I think it poffible for them to be averted. In doing this, I shall have occafion to mention some things, to which I would call your more particular attention as a legislator and a minijier; and others, which may be confidered as addressed to you in common with all other perfons of rank and influence.

Now,

"Wah respect to new laws which may be neceflary for the defence of the Church, as I do not think it defirable that any, at least any which relate to things within the Church, thould be paffed paffed but by the advice, and with the confent, of Convocation; I muft, in the first place, express my with, that the Convocation were permitted to fit for the difpatch of business, or at least for the purpose of deliberating whether any bufiness relating to the Church may not require to be difpatched. I think it scarcely poffible that, in the present ftate of things, the fitting of the Convocation could be productive of any harm; and it is reafonable to suppose that it would be productive of much good. It cannot be denied that the service of the Church ought to be rendered as excellent in itself, and as acceptable to the people, as possible. But, as this implies a certain adaptation of it to the manners, cuftoms, and language of the people, which, in some respects, are always changing, an opportunity of a correfpondent change in the service of the Church, and the rites and ceremonies observed in it, ought not only to be left open in form, but, as occafions offer, made use of in fact.""Bishop Butler observes, that a great part of what our Reformers directed for preferving a sense of religion upon the minds of the people, is neglected by the generality among us; for instance, the fervice of the Church, not only upon common days, but also upon Saints' days; and feveral other things might be mentioned. Thus, they have no customary admonition, no public call to recollect the thoughts of God and religion, from one Sunday to anosher.' The ground of this complaint, and the confequent evil, might eafily be removed, if Convocation would authorize a daily service, which, by its brevity, might be more fuited to the prefent convenience of the people, and direct that the minister of every parish should, if not daily, yet as nearly so as he well could, perform it in his church or chapel." (p.54.) Another instance, in which the interference of Convocation feems neceffary, relates to the Athanafian Creed."-"The authority of Convocation might also, as I conceive, be very profitably employed in authorizing improvements in our tranflation of the Scriptures."-" The Convocasion, if affembled for the dispatch of bufiness, would have it in their power to benefit the Church by other methods besides the recommendation of what is new, and might be no lefs useful in preventing innovations, than in promoting alterations. On many occafions, a declaration of their opinion would be as effectual a remedy for an exifting evil, as the enacting of a law. Not long fince, Mr. Overton, a Clergyman, ventured to charge the great body of the Clergy of the Church of England with being Diffenters from the Church, affirming himself and those mi

nifters and members of the Church who are usually styled Evangelical or Gospel, to be the only true minifters and members of it." "Since, however, the generality of men are more influenced by authority than they are by reasoning, it is greatly to be wished that this affirmation had been authoritatively reprobated. If the Convocation had folemnly pronounced it to be, what it undoubtedly was, a libel on the great body of the clergy, it would, in all probability, have been reiterated with much less confidence than it has been, and the mischievous effects which it was calculated to produce, would have been more completely counteracted.

"Lastly, the very idea, that the Convocation did, from time to time, deliberate whether the Church, by certain alterations, might not be brought nearer to perfection, would tend to produce the belief that she was either as near to perfection as poffible, or that no alterations were adviscable for the present; whereas, when every thing relating to the Church is fuffered to remain the fame, without even a deliberation about alterations, for a hundred years together, it will not easily be credited that she is so ready to admit improvements, and to go on towards perfection, as she professes to be.

"The methods of contributing to the fafety of the Church which I have hitherto mentioned, relate to things which may be confidered as within the Church, and which, therefore, would probably be employed with more effect, if they originated with the Convocation. There are others, in which the Convocation cannot, perhaps, with propriety take a leading part. Among these is the review, if it should be thought neceffary, of the Act of Toleration. It is certainly to be wished that defection from the Church should be prevented by the cordial attachment which the people have to it, rather than by any other method. Other methods, however, may fometimes be neceffary; and the question, whether it would not be adviseable to lessen the facility with which licences to teach are now granted? is, in the opinion of many, a proper futject for the confideration of the Legislature. Certain it is, that these licences are often granted to perfons who are totally unqualified for the office with which they are thus entrusted; and though, in matters of religion, great care ought to be taken not to interfere with liberty of confcience, it would be both impolitic and cruel to expose the people unneceffarily to dangerous delufions. Many regulations indeed of this kind might take place, without at all interfering with liberty of confcience, though they would, perhaps, be misinterpreted to do fo; for, with respect to the great mass of Diffenters from the Church, particularly the Methodiftic Diffenters, whether of the Wesleian or Whitfieldian class, confcience has less to do with their diffent than almost any other principle of human.conduct. As it feems probable that many perfons become Licensed teachers for the fake of the privileges to which licensed teachers are entitled, it might have a good effect to grant licences of two forts; one which should merely shield diffenting teachers and their hearers from the penalties of the statute 22 Cha. II. c. 1.; another which should excuse the teachers from ferving in the militia, or on juries, &c. or confer on them any other privileges which might be deemed proper; and that the latter fort should be granted only on certain conditions. Thefe conditions might be, that a year's notice should be given of an intention to apply for fuch a licence, that the per-sons who apply for it should either produce fatisfactory certificates of their qualifications for being teachers of religion, or Thould be fubjected to an examination in the Gofpels of the Greek Testament; and that a place or places should be fixed upon, in which alone, till a fresh licence were applied for and obtained, they should be permitted to exercise their miniftry. These regulations, particularly that relating to a teft of qualification, which is the most important, and would probably be the most effectual of all, could not reasonably be complained of as an infringement of the Act of Toleration; for the great body of ignorant and self-appointed teachers, who now so much abound among the Methodists and Baptists, and especially among the former, were not in the contemplation of the Legislature when the Ast of Toleration was first framed; neither, as I conceive, do such Diffenters as were intended to be protected by the Act of Toleration, at all wish that perfons who are so unlearned, as not to be able to read the Gofpels in the original language, should be permitted to become teachers of religion. In any cafe, it cannot juftly be deemed an infringement on useful or rational liberty to adopt measures, by which, without the probability of any ill consequences arifing from them, the people will be rendered less liable to be enticed from the Church, and become lefs exposed to delufions on the fubject of religion. "If the Church of England were to profper in the degree in which every friend of it must wish it to profper, that is, in proportion to the increasing population and profperity of the country, a great deal would be requifite to be done in the building or rebuilding of places of public worship, and in augmenting, reftoring, or fecuring the revenues of the

GENT. MAG. January, 1828,

Church."-"With respect to the first of them, notwithstanding the general defection from the Church, which is com plained of, there are instances in which, in confequence of increased population, the place or places of public worship provided by the Church of England, would by no means be sufficient to accommodate all the inhabitants, if they were inclined to attend her service; and cafes might be mentioned, in which perfons have in a manner been driven to diffenting affemblies by this circumstance alone. So alfo with respect to the revenues of the Church there are many cafes in which the endowment is not fufficient to provide for the regular service being performed even once on a Sunday, whereas it is defirable that full service (by which I mean the prayers and a fermon) should be regularly performed in every church and chapel twice on every Sunday." -" I know a cafe in which, for the public worship and religious instruction of the inhabitants of four contiguous parishes, divine service is performed only once on the Sunday. The tithes in this cafe, as in many others, are in lay hands; and the stipend which is allowed for the performance of Divine Service feems not more than adequate to the service actually performed.

"As the Church of England ought to be ever attentive to the intrinsic excellence of her fervice, so ought the also to take care that this excellence be rendered confpicuous to the people. This can no otherwise be effected than by providing that the various offices of the Church be conftantly performed, not only with decorum and regularity, according to the directions of the Rubricks, but alfo with propriety and effect. It seems to me a matter of the most effential importance, that every perfon who is intended for the Ministry of the Church should, from the earliest period at which that intention is formed, and at which education can commence, be instructed in the art of reading or delivery, and conftantly trained up in the exercife of it, under fome judicious guide. This, however, is not all: I muft, under this head, express my with that, by theinstitution, in each of our Universities, of a new profefforship or lectureship, fome permanent provision were made for the instructing of young men, who are intended for the service of the Church, in the practical knowledge of the various duties of their profeffion, and in training them up by exercises, as well as by precept and example, in the actual performance of those duties. - With the view of promoting an attention to what is here recommended, a public-fpirited individual, who requested his name to be concealed, lately offered to secure to the University

of

of Cambridge the payment of 2001. a year for five years, on the condition that an experiment should be made of giving Ritual Lectures in that University for that period. As the Heads of Houses declined to accept this liberal offer, the experi ment could not be made with any hopes of success. (See the Orthodox Churchman's Magazine for November and December 1806, and for March 1807.) Another method, by which the dangers of the Church may be averted, is, the care of its profeffed Members, and especially of those who are in situations of rank and influence, to shew, by their conduct, that they confider the prefervation and profperity of it as a matter of importance. On inveftigation they would difcover, if I miftake not, that true Religion is a much more simple as well as a more fublime thing than it is often conceived to be; and that there is ample room, within the limits prescribed by the Church of England, to make as great advances, in both the theory and practice of it, as either need or can be made. Of this at least they may be certain: that it is not neceffary to be Calvinistic in order to be religious; for there was a great deal of true Religion in the world before any thing like Calvinism was ever thought of. The unity of the Catholic or Univerfal Church will be fufficiently preserved, so long as the different National Churches, of which the Catholic or Univerfal Church is composed, shall acknowledge the divine mission of our Saviour, and the divine authority of Scripture: but the unity of a National Church, which is of a much stricter nature, can no otherwise be preserved, than by the voluntary fubmiffion of all the individuals of the nation to the fame regulations in religious matters, and their joining in the same form of public worship. After what I have faid under the last head, if what I have faid shall be attended to, it will not he necessary to dwell much on the subject of patronage, or the principle on which exclefiaftical preferments ought to be dif• posed of. The importance of the subject however, induces me to say a word or two particularly upon it. In practice, the confiderations upon which ecclefiaftical preferments are disposed of must, I fear, be of a mixed nature; yet it is to be hoped that a regard to the welfare of the Church may ftill form a very confiderable, if not a prevailing, part of the mixture. The misfortune is, that the power or privilege of bestowing fuch preferments is too often confidered as a right which may be freely exercised according to the inclination of the poffeffor, rather than as a duty which is to be performed in a certain implied manner, and with a view to certain implied purposes. In its original design, this power er privilege was

1

not a gift, which might be employed to the perfonal advantage of the individual who poffeffed it; but a trust, which was committed to him for the benefit of the publick. This defign, therefore, ought ever to be kept in view, and, as far as exifting circumstances will allow, confcientiously acted upon. It might be too much to say, that family, friendly or political confiderations ought to have no weight in the disposal of ecclefiaftical preferments; but it is certain that they ought not to be difpofed of from thefe confiderations only; that is, without any regard to the qualifications of the perfons on whom they are bestowed. This is a strong if not a conclufive argument against the practice, which too much prevails, of purchasing the power or privilege of bestowing ecclefiaftical preferments. For, not to mention that the very circumstance of purchasing is apt to give the idea of uncontroulable right, the purchase is generally made, not with the view of bestowing the preferments on the moft propes perfons, but with the view of fo bestowing them as rather to preclude consideration of the qualifications of those on whom they are to be bestowed. This is at leaft preparing the way for a temptation, with which it may not be eafy to avoid complying, to bestow ecclesiastical preferments on improper perfons, and to do an effential injury to the Church. I will not pretend to specify the qualifications of those who are the most proper objects of patronage. These indeed must vary, in some degree, according to the particular fituation to which any one is to be appointed. It may be fufficient to fay, in general, that, if a patron be defirous of employing his patronage to the greatest benefit of the Church, he must not be content with selecting the objects of it from those candidates for preferment who may happen to fall in his way, but must take some pains, and exercise some judgment, in the difcevery of them.

"Such, Sir, is my idea of the dangers of the Church; and fuch are the methods by which, as I conceive, these dangers may be most effectually averted. As I had no defire of exciting apprehenfion, any farther than might be necessary to direct to the means of fafety, I have stated no dangers which I did not think real, and have proposed no methods of averting them which I did not think neceffary. Happy shall I be, if what I have faid shall in any degree contribute to the employment of those methods; for fure I am, that whoever does a fervice to the Church of England, which I consider as the eye of the Christian World, does a service to the cause of true Religion. Nor am I, amidst the apprehenfions in which I have indulged,