the most indisputable marks of the antichristian apostacy. His grace, the most reverend father in God, William, by divine providence, lord archbishop of Canterbury! -The right reverend father in God, John, by divine permission, lord bishop of London!-What is there in the titles of the pope of Rome, that is more magnificent than the sound of these words? How unlike is all this to the spirit of the gospel, and the character and conduct of the lowly Saviour of mankind? Mat. xi. 28-30; xxiii. 1-12. How much calculated are such high sounding titles to swell the pride of frail mortals? Popes, bishops,

* Paine, speaking of the reformation, says, "A multiplicity of national popes grew out of the downfal of the pope of Christendom."-Rome itself scarcely ever had a more bloody, libidinous, and detestable head of the church, than was Henry the VIII. the self-created pope of our own ecclesiastical constitu

tion.

and parsons are made of like stuff with other men!

"And then, what shall we say to the secular, and lukewarm condition of the generality of the clergy of the land?-to the patronage of benefices?-to the common and abominable sale of livings?—to our simoniacal contracts?—our sinecures, pluralities, non-residences ?*—to our declar

and

* The curates in many cases are as culpable with respect to non-residence, as the bishops, the rectors, vicars. In my own neighbourhood, and mostly in my own parish, we have upwards of twelve chapels, where there is no resident clergyman. It is much the same in other parts of the kingdom.

The reader will find several of these defects of the church of England touched upon by Burnet.-I add,

My lord S-h has got a mistresss, of whom he has grown weary. On condition the rev. A. B. will marry her, and make her an honest woman, he shall be rector of such a living in the gift of his lordship.

The living of C-h is in the gift of Mr. G-t; he has got a daughter; if the rev. Ch. P-s will marry her, he shall be presented to the church.

1

ing we are moved by the Holy Ghost to preach the gospel, when we are moved by

Mr. G-n has a son, who is neither fit for law, physic, nor the army. He has such a living in his patronage. This son shall be trained to the church, and be incumbent of the family rectory.

My lord D-n has got four sons; one shall enjoy the title and estate; another shall go into the army, and be made a general; another shall go to sea, and become an admiral; the fourth shall be trained for the church, and be promoted to a bishoprick.

Sir Pr Pr, has in his gift a rectory of the value of 2000 pounds a year. The rev. G. W. agrees to give him five thousand pounds in hand, and five hundred a year, for ten years.

In this manner are daily bartered the souls of men, like sheep in a market !—Is it probable that such a state of things should be maintained for many ages or years longer? If there be a God, who judgeth the earth, he cannot look upon such abominations with indifference. Abuses of a similar kind have brought destruction upon other countries, and shall England alone be permitted thus to play the devil, and no notice be taken of us by the moral Governor of the word? Such things are indefensible, and make one blush for the church in which it is possible they should take place.

nothing more than a desire to obtain a good living, and, perhaps, even deny that there is any Holy Ghost ?-to our reading one species of doctrines in the desk, and preaching directly opposite in the pulpit ?

“ Abundance of persons object to several things in the 39 articles of religion—to several things in the book of homilies and to the imposition of subscription to any human creeds and explications of doctrines whatever.* No man, or set of men upon earth,

The valuable preferments in our church, are almost universally obtained by money, or by interest; merit having little or nothing to do in the business. My indignation constrains me to state, that Maurice, author of Indian Antiquities, &c. &c.-0 shame to a venal age! is left to starve upon a distant and laborious curacy of fifty pounds a year.

" Ye bards of Britain break the useless lyre,

And rend, disdainful, your detested lays;
Who now shall dare to letter'd fame aspire,

Devotes to penury his hapless days.” * Subscription to the 39 articles liath kept many a good man out of the church, but no bad ones.

has a right to demand any such thing of a fellow Christian.

“Can any thing in the whole absurd system of popery be more improper, than to make every young man, without exception, subscribe, when he becomes a member of either of our English universities, that he believes from his soul, ex animo, some late trifling alterations at Cambridge, excepted, that every thing contained in the articles,

Burnet says,

“The requiring subscription to the 39 articles,"

" is a great imposition.” Whiston being one day in discourse with lord chancellor King, who was brought up a Dissenter at Exeter, but had conformed; a dispute arose about signing articles which we do not believe, for the sake of preferment. This the chancellor openly justified,

«because," said he, “we must not lose our usefulness for scruples.” Whiston, who was quite of an opposite opinion, asked his lordshsp, “If in his court they allowed of such prevarication ?" He answered, “We do not." " Then,” said Whiston, “suppose God Almighty should be as just in the next world as my