to demonstrate that holy principles, and spiritual devotedness, and manly independence are most offensive to a large part of those who profess to be reformers. These dangers especially arise from the loss of that influence on the public mind, which the church formerly possessed, and to the number and clamours of those, who from various motives have joined the ranks of her opponents-but How it may be said has the Church lost her influence? Whence is it that the number of her opponents has increased? Do not these circumstances evince the insufficiency or inefficiency of the Establishment? Do they not clearly prove the necessity of a reform? Each of these questions also will be answered in a different manner by different individuals, but we are by no means ourselves satisfied with the answers generally given; nor do the remedies usually proposed appear to us adequate to the exigencies of the

case.

Pluralities, Tithes, Non-residence, the monstrous inequality in Livings, Private and Political patronage, antiquated or doubtful expressions in our Liturgy, Defective Discipline, &c. &c. are all plausible grounds of attack, and convenient pretexts for Dissent; but were all these real or supposed evils remedied, they who have set their eyes on the church property will discover fresh arguments for spoliation; the papist will still strive for ascendency and domination, and the lords of misrule and intolerance, the sovereign people, will still maintain that the minister is to become literally the servant of all. In fact, we do not believe that dissent is really owing to the causes usually assigned; when men become dissenters, they are often compelled to seek for reasons to justify a change which had previously taken place, and the old and oft refuted arguments of Baxter and Calamy, of Towgood and Palmer,

re-cast and polished by some modern dissenter, supply the new convert with a species of defence, he would never himself have imagined, and which at the same time conceals from his view, and indeed that of all parties, the real cause of the change produced. Meanwhile the evil increases, and advances with fearful rapidity, and unless its cause be detected, and appropriate remedies applied, effects of the most injurious and destructive nature may ensue. What then it may be said, is the cause? We hesitate not to reply-The ignorance, the insensibility, the indifference of our Government during a long series of years, to the religious and the spiritual wants and desires of the people at large. The full elucidation of this position would require a volume, rather than an occasional article; but we wish to throw out a few ideas at present on this important topic, and the rather since some at least of our ecclesiastical rulers appear alive to the impending danger, and may possibly be excited to those exertions and sacrifices which the urgency of the case demands.

To illustrate our position, we must turn back to a distant period. At the time of the Reformation of our church, the whole country may be regarded as having been divided into convenient districts, in each of which were found suitable places of worship, adequately supplied with clergymen, for whom a competent income was provided. We say not that this was exactly the case, but this was the case in general-difficulties arose, we are aware, in obtaining sufficient ministers, and these difficulties led to the adoption of appropriate remedies, which remedies there is reason to conclude, were adequate to the existing evil. From this first settlement of our church, though certain imperfections were confessedly still remaining, little appears to have been done till the period of the

great rebellion, that dark period of our Ecclesiastical History, when the violence and misery inflicted by the Triers of the Commonwealth on the existing incumbents, were repeated with more semblance of right, but still with grievous injustice, as well as impolicy, on the puritans; and when in consequence a tremendous schism took place, and the non-conformists were placed under an iron yoke of restraint and suffering. Meanwhile no healing measures were devised, no attempt to bring back the misguided, no concession to real, however mistaken scruples; but a decided determination to retain every thing, however offensive, to restrain rather than enlarge the terms of conformity, to relax rather than tighten the reins of discipline. Thus matters went on from bad to worse. The revolution introduced toleration, but concession to scrupulous consciences, discipline to restrain immoralities, provision for the wants of an increasing population were alike disregarded; and though doubtless there were still to be found, many splendid exceptions, yet a most lamentable decay of true religion, and a most grievous departure from pure morality appears to have taken place among the clergy at large. Then came Wesley, and Whitfield, and Methodism and Toleration Acts, and Roman Catholic Concessions, and the sweeping away of the Laws against Socinians, and the Abrogation of the Test Act, and the crowning measure of all-the Roman Catholic Relief Bill.-And now what after all has Government done during this whole period, to meet the spiritual wants of the people at large? The answer must be, for many, very many years, just nothing; for the last few years a little, but very little in comparison of the urgency of the case.

But what it may be said has this to do with the existing danger? Observe, we reply, the gradual

In

progress of events, and especially keep in view the immense increase of population in later years. looking at our old churches, we observe they are much larger than according to general ideas the necessities of the population required, but they are fitted up on a plan entirely contrary to the present. The whole body of the church is occupied by open seats, common to all the parishioners; in some instances, the women occupy one side, the men the other; but there are no doors to the pews, and the church is common to all; it was therefore erected sufficiently large to accommodate all the parishioners; there was also room for occasional visitors. Such appears to have been the case with all our churches throughout the land. As population however increased, and luxury advanced, Faculty Pews were introduced into our churches, doors were gradually affixed to the once open pews, that which was formerly common, became private property; in many instances it was a grand object with the churchwarden during his year of office, tó secure, contrive, or erect a pew, which his family might afterwards possess. Each succeeding churchwarden sanctioned such encroachment, intending to follow the precedent, until at length the common property of all became appropriated to the wealthier and more influential parishioners. But what becomes of the rest? Where do the poorer classes find room? They gradually recede from the common pews, they take possession of the aisles, of remote and neglected corners, of back places in the galleries. At length they begin to remit their attendance; the old, indeed, continue to linger at the accustomed place, but the young and the indifferent become neglecters of public worship, and assign as a plea, they have no room. The Meeting House is however open, and though prejudice may be strong, yet occasional

attendance takes place, the more hopeful of those who could find no accommodation at church go to meeting, the remainder neglect religion altogether.

Proceed a step farther. Among those who cannot find accommodation for themselves and their families at the church, there are some warmly attached to its services, and desirous of continuing in its communion. These look round and seeing many in the same situation with themselves, consider whether an additional place of worship might not be provided; they arrange their plans, they subscribe, and take the necessary preliminary steps, but they are checked in their career by a most unexpected veto. The incumbent of the parish does_not approve of their undertaking; or he has some project of his own to be carried into effect some time; or he has some stipulation on which he is advised to insist; or he has some petty, paltry, pecuniary end to answer; or he has not been consulted in the way which he ought to have been, or supposes he ought to have been, and he will not consent to any arrangement; and his negative is final; no place of worship in connexion with the church of England can be opened in any parish without the consent of the incumbent; even the Bishop's consent is insufficient; nay an Ecclesiastical Court has just decided against an individual appointed to a new church by the Parliamentary Commissioners, and under the authority of the Bishop, because he had not the consent of the incumbent. By the interposition of this veto, the pious intentions of many valuable persons have been disappointed, their exertions havet erminated in disgust; or what has not unfrequently been the case, having proceeded zealously in so unquestionably a good work, without conceiving the possibility of any objection, still less of any insurmountable hindrance, they found themselves at length saddled

SEPTEMBER 1831.

with an expensive building, which could not possibly be applied for the purpose for which it was intended, and were led eventually to give it up to that body of dissenters which at the moment they had reason to conclude more favourable to the establishment than any other. This process, varied in innumerable different ways, has been going on for at least a century, and has conduced exceedingly to the promotion of dissent. While every difficulty in the way of churchmen has thus been allowed to remain, increasing facilities have been given to dissenters. Their places can be registered in a few hours for a trifling fee, and are thus protected from every insult. We repine not at their freedom, we only regret that churchmen are denied some approximation to such a privilege.

We have taken the plainest, the most indisputable case. Yet this is one only of many instances wherein apathy and inattention to the wants of the people has powerfully promoted the cause of dissent.

Let

us however advert to another class. About 50 or 60 years ago a most eminently useful minister in a populous manufacturing town was induced to accept of preferment at a distance and vacate his living. The living was presented to another whose discourses were eagerly listened to by a numerous congregation, but the sound was different from that to which they had been accustomed the life also was different-the conversation vain-the amusements and recreations such as they felt inconsistent. After some time, if we mistake not about two years, they felt it their duty, whether right or wrong is not the question, to separate and provide a Teacher more according to the views they had been induced to entertain; they were desirous of erecting an episcopal Chapel, and obtaining a clergyman to officiate, this however was impossible. An Independent Meeting was erected, and a very

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large proportion of the townsmen, including almost all who were at that time eminent for piety, talent, or respectability, quitted the church, a powerful dissenting interest was thus established, and not only still continues, but has extended its influence in various ways throughout the neighbourhood. Instances of this kind are also exceedingly numerous, and from this cause alone vast accessions have been made to the party hostile to the church of England. It in no wise alters the case to say that persons ought to have acted in a different way, that the parties above referred to ought to have accused their new incumbent to the diocesan, or proceeded against him in an Ecclesiastical Court; our business at present is merely to call attention to facts, to point out how persons in numerous instances have acted, and, to show that the immense increase of hostility to the establishment is the natural consequence of such a system operating through a long period. The persons here spoken of were once churchmen, under the pressure of a real or supposed grievance they provided and joined a separate place of worship, still retaining a feeling of respect and attachment to the church; their children have grown up dissenters, and many of their descendants are now hostile to our establishment both in church and state.

While the church remains stationary the cause of dissent proceeds. We have not forgotten our new churches, our church building acts, &c. but while we distinctly remember, that one or two hundred new churches have been erected in our own time, we have reason to believe that five or ten times the number of separate places of worship have arisen in the same period. We are told also that while the separate places are full, many of the new churches are very thinly attended, some even in or near the metropolis have been relinquished

by their first incumbents as unprofitable in a pecuniary point of view, and in the country several have been so injudiciously placed and erected, as to be comparatively speaking of little use, while all or at least almost all recognize the dissenting princi. ple of dependance on popularity for support, and are thus very nearly identified with the proprietary chapels and parochial lectureships which some of the most zealous advocates for new churches are with equal folly and inconsistency endeavouring to destroy. The whole accommodation provided by the new churches bears no proportion to the increase of population during the period in which they have been erected; and is very far less than what has been provided by dissenters and methodists in the same time.

Another cause of the increase of dissent arises from the qualifications of dissenting ministers, and the line of policy in many cases adopted. Every one must be sensible that the different dissenting bodies have of late years taken a much more lively interest in education than formerly; their schools and their colleges have been much better conducted, and have in consequence sent forth many able men. The most temperate and judicious of these occupy important stations. In the metropolis and its environs, in our larger towns and fashionable watering places, are chapels where the Liturgy is read, and the service conducted, so that the occasional visitor is apt to imagine the place connected with the establishment; the want of accommodation in the church induces many to attend such places for the few weeks of their residence, and when they return home, it is often with a favourable disposition towards those with whom they have worshipped and whom they have heard. The barrier is broken down, and the parties are prepared in the case of events such as are above referred

to, to join the dissenting party. Nor should it be forgotten, that in all our Colonial possessions, the large proportion of religious instruction has been left in the hands of persons unconnected with, if not hostile to, the established church.

It may farther be observed, that the schoolmaster is abroad; there has been for many years a very extensive diffusion of knowledge, and a very large proportion of the knowledge communicated by our public press, and especially by the daily or Sunday newspapers, is hostile to religion in general, and to the establishment in particular. It has indeed been contended that our best conducted national schools, where great exertions have been made to inculcate moral and religious instruction are producing results unfavourable to the church. Many of the scholars on leaving school can find no accommodation in our churches, some discover defects and improprieties in the reading of the Liturgy, &c. for which they feel or fancy the officiating parties should be taken down, others are sought out as teachers in Sunday Schools, visitors of sick, occasional expounders, and eventually as preachers, and though more may have been said on this head than facts may justify, yet we are far from thinking the observations unfounded. The better our youth are instructed at school, the larger will be their expectations and requirements from the ministers of religion; great improvement has unquestionably of late years appeared amongst the clergy, but whether that improvement is at all proportioned to the advancing knowledge of the lower orders may admit of considerable doubt.

Now if such be the causes of that increasing hostility to which the church is exposed, it follows almost as a matter of course, that the reforms generally proposed will not materially obviate or retard the danger. All Mr. Riland's pro

jected corrections in our Liturgy, some of which we think very unnecessary, would not obviate the want of church-room. The abrogation of pluralities, and the equalization of livings, and the compounding for tithes, would not meet their case who are unfortunately placed under a careless and trifling clergyman; while the sudden adoption of some of these measures would remove many valuable men from the situations they now usefully occupy as curates. The fervent earnest preaching, recommended by Mr. Bickersteth, in his valuable Visitation Sermon, would, if generally adopted, produce most beneficial results; but who that looks around, and carefully observes the character and conduct of the influential persons in our establishment, can expect any very cordial cooperation in attempts at a scriptural reformation. We have on

our

table an episcopal publication, in which it is gravely argued, That the Homilies contain a godly and wholesome doctrine necessary for the times of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth, but not suitable to these times. The new town of the city from whence the author derives his title, containing three thousand Protestants and an immense number of Catholics, has only one poor chapel in the establishment, and his Lordship determinately opposes every attempt to erect another, on the alleged ground, indeed, that he hopes for a parish church, of which, at the same time, he knows that there is not the least prospect, and that, from peculiar circumstances, such a church can never be expected.Who indeed that reads the tracts or commentary circulated by the professedly high churchmen, and compares them with our Articles and Homilies, can anticipate much benefit from any attempted correction of our Liturgy. While our modern ecclesiastical enactments have almost invariably failed of the pro