CELEB S. CHAP. XXVII. In the morning Mr. Stanley, Sir John Belfield and I took a walk to call on our valuable rector. On our return home, amidst that fort of defultory conversation which a walk often produces,-" Since we left the parfonage, Sir," faid I, addreffing myself to Mr. Stanley, "I have been thinking how little juftice has been done to the clerical character in those popular works of imagination which are intended to exhibit a picture of living manners. There are, indeed, a very few happy exceptions. Yet I cannot but regret that so many fair occafions have been loft of advancing the interests of religion VOL. II. B 7 I religion by personifying her amiable graces in the character of her minifters. allude not to the attack of the open infi del, nor the fly infinuation of the concealed fceptic, nor do I advert to the broad affault of the enemy of good government, who, falling foul of every established inftitution, would naturally be expected to fhew little favour to the minifters of the church. But I advert to those lefs preju diced and lefs hoftile writers, who having, as I would hopé, no political nor moral motive for undermining the order, would rather defire to be confidered as among its friends and advocates.' "I understand you," replied replied Mr. Stanley, "I believe that this is often done not from any difrefpect to the facred function, nor from any wish to depreciate an order which even common fenfe and common prudence, without the intervention of religion, tell cannot be fet in too refpectable us a light. I believe it commonly arifes from from a different caufe. The writer himfelf having, but a low idea of the requirements of Chriftianity, is confequently neither able nor willing to affix a very elevated ftandard for the character of its ministers. Some of these writers, however, defcribe a clergyman, in gene ral terms, as a paragon of piety, but they feldom make him act up to the descrip tion with which he fets out. He is reprefented, in the grofs, as adorned with all the attributes of perfection, but when he comes to be drawn out in detail he ✓ is found to exhibit little of that fuperiority which had been afcribed to him. in the lump. You are told how religious he is, but when you come to hear him converse, you are not always quite certain whether he profeffes the religion of the Shafter or the Bible. You hear of his moral excellence, but you find him adopting the maxims of the world, and living in the purfuits of ordinary men. In fhort, you will find, that he has little of the clergyman, except the name." |