"Having now recommended to you, and with all the earnestness in my power, the establishment of District Committees, and of Schools upon the Madras System of Education, let me avail myself of this opportunity, of pointing out a few other particulars, to which your attention may be very usefully directed. In the first place then, the Parochial Minister is now more than ever called upon, to oppose and check that Spirit of Itinerancy, which appears to be gaining ground, and to form one of the alarming symptoms of the present day. Much enquiry and consideration therefore are demanded from you, before you accede to those numerous requests which are made, for the occasional use of your Pulpits. Recollect, it is to your peculiar, to your exclusive care, that the souls of your parishioners are entrusted. In you alone is vested the dread responsibility. You are accountable therefore, not only for the doctrines which you yourselves deliver, but for those also, which, by your sufferance, are promulgated by others. In justification of this intrusion, the plea of some Charity, or the interests of some popular Society, are for the most part brought forwards: and persons unknown themselves, apply in the name of a Committee little more known, for the accommodation of Churches in populous Districts. Far be it from me, to counteract the views of any one Charitable Institution whatever: but why, I must ask, should not the regular Minister be applied to on these occasions? The desire to substitute the labors of another in his room, at least excites the suspicion, that his own would not be exerted, with equal zeal, or with equal success. If the application be complied with, a comparison is sure to be drawn, and that, from obvious circumstances, not usually advantageous to the established pastor. Thus his hearers, without any sufficient reason, become dissatisfied, and infected with a love for novelties and change. Such officious interference, while it tends to degrade the Clergy, is at the same time totally inconsistent with any System of Church Discipline and Unity," P. 21.

We could have wished to have presented the reader with a large portion of this excellent Charge; we cannot, however refrain from giving one extract more upon a very important subject, the residence of the Clergy; in which the Bishop combats with much success the injurious and most unfounded notion of the inattention of the Clergy to their pastoral duties. The facts which he states must carry conviction with them upon the mind of every unprejudiced reader.

"We have to lament, that in consequence of these bills, a very general but erroneous opinion has gone abroad, with respect to the residence of the Clergy. When non-residence is talked of, I understand by that term, an implication of neglect-the non-performance of duties- of duties which could be, and which ought to be discharged; but surely they are not to be included in this cen

7

sure,

sure, who do all they are capable of doing-who themselves constantly perform the services of their own Church, and who reside as near to it, as they possibly can. The Clergy, I must observe, have been hardly dealt by, and the list of non-residents unfairly swelled, by returning such in the number. But whatever may be the case in other Dioceses, I am happy and proud to declare, that there are not many in my own, who can fairly be classed under the description of non-residents. From the late parochial returns it appears, that though there are some who had sinned against the letter of the law, there were comparatively very few, who were real and virtual offenders-few who could be charged with wilful dereliction or neglect. In this Diocese, of so great an extent, and of such an immense population, there are not many incumbents who do not at least, serve one of their Churches.

"The total number of benefices, is five hundred and ninety-two. Upon these, there are three hundred and ninety who do their own duty-five only are absent without license, or exemption. The proportion also of those who have licenses is much diminished. Some absentees of necessity there always must be, from age, from indisposition, and various other causes of just and legal exemption. But, upon the whole, I am satisfied. There are not many, of whom, in this particular, there is just ground of complaint. At a time then, when some in whom we should have wished for and expected kinder feelings, are so very ready to malign the Clergy, when they are represented as devoted to trifling amusements, and crowding every place of public resort; happy am I to bear this testimony to the different Character of my own Clergy-a testimony due to the cause of truth, and to them." P. 27.

We trust, that from what we have already presented to our readers, their attention will be generally drawn to this temperate, able, and most important Charge.

ART. 8. The Importance of Religious Establishments to the true Interests of Civil Society. 1s. Stockdale. 1814.

So little are the rising generation impressed with the principles of civil and ecclesiastical polity, and so little is their view directed to the foundations of all order and good government, that we hail with pleasure any publication which may have a tendency to supply so fatal a deficiency. The little tract before us appears well calculated for that purpose, as it affords a clear, simple, and concise view of those civil and political principles upon which we venerate and defend our establishment. The reasoning is sound, the representations are calm and dispassionate, and are such as are peculiarly adapted, from their quiet good sense, to influence the minds of those who have thought but little as yet X &

VOL. II. DECEMBER, 1814.

upon

upon this important subject. With the experience and discerne nient of the author in the following remarks, our readers will be much pleased.

"It may still be asked, whether, as the sole object, in requiring conformity with the Established Church as a qualification for power, is the security of that Church, some portion of power may not be allowed to glide into the hands of Dissenters, without danger to the establishment? If this be possible, it ought certainly to be done. For exclusion ought not to be carried a step beyond the bounds of necessity. But it should be remembered, that power is necessarily productive of influence; and though the quantum of power, actually possessed by Dissenters, may not enable them to enter upon any open or direct attack on the Church, yet the influence thence derived may be employed, imperceptibly perhaps, in undermining its foundations. But if the exclusive-principle be once allowed to be relaxed, who shall prescribe any bounds to its relaxation?-who shall presume to draw the line of indulgence, and to say to importunity, thus far and no farther? On the moderation of any human beings, when so fascinating an object as power is in view, what réliance can be placed? Besides the ordinary motives which lead men to seek that object with avidity, the persons in question will find an additional inducement to pursue it, in those feelings of jealousy with which they ever view an Established Church; whilst every step they advance in that pursuit, will facilitate their farther progress. But to induce them to exert all their efforts for its attainment, nothing more can be necessary than to know, that they are not totally excluded. Finding that the door is not shut upon them, they will be incessantly pressing to open it wider; and, unless the resistance from within be fully equal to the pressure from without, they must be gradually gaining on their opponents. There is, indeed, reason to fear, that those who are within may not be disposed, in time, to put forth their strength, in resisting the external pressure-Confiding in their numerical majority, they may be led, by indolence or by liberality, to persuade themselves, that the necessity for strenuous resistance does not yet exist; and under the persuasion, that it will be in their power to shut the door whenever they please, they may procrastinate their defensive efforts, until it shall become impossible to prevent its being thrown wide open to all. Thus it is, that those who defend establishments are characterized by confidence, supineness, and dilatoriness; while their assailants are ever distinguished by zeal, activity, and promptitude.

"Such are the dangers which an Established Church has to fear from a relaxation of the exclusive principle of the Test-Laws. It may, indeed, be considered as a general maxim, (and happy would it be for mankind, if the maxim were never lost sight of,) that in no instance can relaxation of principle be unaccompanied with danger. For the human mind is sure to lose its respect for prin

eiple, when it ceases to regard it as inviolable; and it is soon led to view with indifference, what it before looked upon as sacred. Fixed to no rule, but deeming itself at liberty to follow the dictates of its own discretion, it becomes unsettled and wavering; it changes its opinions and its views according to the fluctuation of circumstances; it loses the manly qualities of firmness and decision; it knows not what to oppose to solicitation, to which it gradually gives way, in the vain hope of conciliation; at length, enfeebled by irresolution and compliance, it finds itself utterly unable to withstand the hostile force, which, during its period of vacillation, has been accumulating; and it is compelled to abandon, if, from a sense of weakness, it do not voluntarily sacrifice, what, in the first instance, it considered as out of the reach of danger." P. 41.

ART. 9.

Dissuasive from Socinianism, by a Layman: 12mo. 24 pp. Rivingtons. 1814.

This is a very dispassionate, clear, and able tract, upon a subject which in these days demands the attention of the clergy. Socinianism, may not be a generally growing evil, yet in par ticular districts the numbers of Unitarians have been considerably augmented. To the clergy, where these perversions prevail, we strongly recommend this little tract, which may, under the blessing of Providence, be effectual in arresting the progress of so fatal an error. The various arguments are urged with much calmness, but at the same time in a manner so earnest, that they must find their way to every heart, which is not closed by selfconceit to the voice of reason and Revelation. The author has, with much propriety, adopted the form of an address. The following extract will serve as a speciinen of the reasoning of our author:

"But the union of the divine and human nature, in ore person, is a mystery which you cannot comprehend, and which, therefore, you will not believe. Do you, then, reject from your faith whatever is beyond your comprehension? If so, of what articles is your creed composed? Can you comprehend the infinite perfections of the Deity? Can you conceive how the Almighty exists from eternity? How he fills all space? Can you by searching find out God? Nay, can you comprehend the union of spirit and matter in your own composition? Have you, then, such confidence in your reasoning powers, of the origin of which, and of the manner of their operation, you can form no idea, as to set up your own conclusions against the express authority of Revelation, which informs you that the Word was God-and that the Word was made flesh; and which clearly unfolds the twofold nature of Christ, by giving him the twofold appellation of Son of God, and

X X 2

Son

Son of Man? That in the latter character, he was very man, you yourselves allow. That in the former, he must be very God, it seems impossible to doubt. That the Son of man must be man, and that the Son of God must be God, are truths apparently too obvious to be disputed. And, as if to warn you against a disposition to doubt this great truth, because it is mysterious and incomprehensible, the inspired Scriptures tell you expressly, that great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.’ It were endless, however, to quote the many passages in which those Scriptures assert the divinity of Him, in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; who spake of the glory which He had with the Father before the world was; and whom we are required to honour, even as we honour the Father."

ART. 10 Proofs of Christianity. 12mo. Mawman. 1814.

This is a full, clear, and satisfactory display of the evidences of our holy religion, in the form of question and answer. It is clearly the work of a scholar, and is peculiarly adapted for the use of those, whose studies are directed towards the same end. While we have such excellent books of every description for teaching the lower classes the first principles of religion, we are happy to find a book that we can so strongly recommend to those, 'whose attention is directed towards the education of the higher 'orders. We should consider this little tract as admirably fitted for those, who have attained a place in the upper forms of our public schools. Carefully instructed as they already are, for who can be bold enough to express even a suspicion that they are not, both collectively and individually in the articles and the evidences of that religion in whose faith they are to live and in whose hope they are to die, they may still stand in need of a short and able compendium, of all the religious instruction which has been so carefully impressed upon their minds. A more concise and masterly statement of these important truths cannot be found, than in the tract before us. The part, however, of this work which we most admire, is the caution and ability with which the author has armed the young Christian against the first attacks of infidelity, by engaging his reason in the service of his Redeemer. At a certain age, when the powers of miad begin to develope themselves, it is of the utmost importance to show, that reason and philosophy are employed in a much more dignified and appropriate manner in the defence, than in the attack of our holy faith. We were therefore peculiarly pleased with the following extract :

"Q. With