reflect on the whole genius of Christianity, without perceiving how prodigiously the present system, in England, has deviated from the original that we pretend to imitate. The faith of the Church of England is pure-the form of her Church government is pure; but the practice, the morals, the union with the State, and the gross support of tithes, law, constables, and a fixed bayonet, have rendered it the very Antichrist and bane of religion. The whole secular system tends to mischief, and is intended for mischief; the good that it does is only by accident, and by exception from the general rule: and though the evangelical Clergy have lately increased-and will, it is trusted, be daily increasing-yet we know how awfully they are out-numbered by the sycophants, by the State party, by the card-players, the fox-hunters, the game-killers, the dancers, the fiddlers, the drinkers, the flirters, the cricketers, the pigeon-shooters, and the readers of lithographic sermons.* It is in vain to say, that " as a body they are a very respectable set "of men;" for daily experience tells us that this is untrue, -untrue, taken even in a worldly sense; but, oh! how untrue when taken in the sense that the gospel of Christ attaches to respectability! The hypocritical argument used by the clerical reviewers in the Quarterly—and echoed by all the fox-hunting clergy in the kingdom-that enormous pluralities, and the scandalous riches of the Church, are

A most ingenious device, to save time, for the over-worked Clergy, has been hit upon by some friend of the gospel; namely, the publication of lithographic sermons, imitating exactly a common manuscript; so that the faithful in the galleries may not be able to discover that they are printed, and not written sermons. The advertisement of this work was inserted in the papers in Latin, that the profane might not understand the mystery; and, of course, it met with a ready and speedy sale. We know one Clergyman, in this neighbourhood, preaches from them': how many more there are, not yet discovered, that make use of this device, time will perhaps shew. A pretty notion of a priest this gives us!— Would not a steam engine do as well?

requisite as encouragements to men of birth and talents, is almost too impudent to require a remark. In the first place, Christ does not want men of birth and talents to preach his gospel; the Gospels never mention such persons: and in the next place, it is notoriously false that Church wealth is given to men of talents, or to men of deep reading in divinity. Livings are given to those that can buy them; livings are given to those that are born to them; livings are given to those who have interest with the Chancellor ; livings are given to those who are of the ministerial faction, and there is no other way known for getting livings; except, indeed, the receiving livings by seniority at the different Colleges; which, perhaps, is the best method of disposing of clerical wealth; as it is, in fact, much the same as drawing for it by lot, and does not select men according to their politics, their baseness, their birth, or their money. And what is most important as a fact, many of the great Divines of England, who once were on the ecclesiastical stage, (for such persons do not exist now) performed their great labours without reward, and passed to the grave neglected and forgotten-if livings and bishopricks are to be considered a proof of remembrance and proper reward. Did Tillotson compose his famous sermons in the hope of being Archbishop of Canterbury? Did he not stoutly refuse to accept that high dignity, when offered to him? Did he not entreat all his friends, at Court, to intercede with King William against the nomination? Did he not propose others to fill the office-feeling himself unable to take so great and so important a situation? But where is there now such a nolo episcopari? Where do we hear of such a thing?—Paley was neglected by the Court, because he compared the King to a greedy pigeon; Scott, the famous commentator on the Bible, was neglected ;-and who are remembered?-Commentators on Æschylus, tutors

to Noblemen, brothers of Lords, pamphleteers, politicians, sure-voters, cousins of Ministers, and drivellers in divinity !

XXVIII. The high Church party is now so powerful in the House of Lords, and the low Church party is so cowardly in the House of Commons, that no one dares to attack openly this odious and irreligious system; which domineers over the minds of men, and for which the country pays such enormous sums, every year. And, indeed, those who put their hand to the task, ought to be of such sound integrity, and such unabating courage, as is scarcely ever to be found in this servile and corrupt age: for the accusation of Atheism, Deism, or Socinianism-which is ever thrust in the face of those who wish well to the Christian religion-is more than a common character can bear, and much more than a common mind will venture to encounter: and as the Clergy are remarkably vindictive, spiteful, and mischievous, and have half a dozen reviews, and one half of the public papers, attached to their party,-it is inconceivable what a load of abuse they can heap upon a person, before he has time to raise his voice in his defence. Then when we remember how invariably weak and dishonest minds attach themselves to the strongest party, and how little inclined the Dissenters are to help one not addicted to their own particular sect, the ecclesiastical reformer must almost despair. at the task he takes in hand, and sink under the anticipation of disgrace, persecution, and obloquy. All this, however, will not retard an honest man; nothing can alter the abstract principles of justice; and however firmly the majority of England may be bound down by falsehood, it does not take away the necessity of declaring the truth. There have been good men, who have dared to wish well to the Christian religion, by upsetting the secular system of the Church, and by punishing the guilty. The great Latimer-(blindly quoted by the Clergy as their martyr, though not one in a

thousand knows a syllable of his sentiments)-dared to preach the following words before Edward VI., A. D. 1549 :

"I will be a suitor to your Grace, that ye will give your Bishops "charge, ere they go home, upon their allegiance, to look better to their "flock, and to see your Majesty's injunctions better kept,-and send

your visitors in their tails. And if they be negligent and faulty in "their duties, out with them. I require it in God's behalf, make them "quondams all the pack of them. But peradventure ye will say, where "shall we have any to put in their rooms? Indeed I were a presumptuous fellow, to move your Grace to put them out, if there were not "other to put in their places. But your Majesty hath divers of your "chaplains well learned men, and of good knowledge; and yet ye have "some that be bad enough, hangers-on of the court; I mean not these, "But if your Majesty's chaplains, and my Lord Protectors, be not able to "furnish their places, there is in this realm, thanks be to God, a great "sight of laymen, well learned in the scriptures, and of virtuous and godly conversations, better learned than a great sight of us Clergy."

This is bold enough: but let the reader conceive a Bishop preaching thus before George IV.!!! The clamour that it would raise would be inconceivable; the Quarterly would set its parson-reviewers at work; and Southey, and Milman, and Bankes, and all the coterie, would write, and squib, and echo, one to another; and Canning would sophisticate in the House; and Eschylus would mouth before the Lords; and the whole pack of the Courier, the New Times, John Bull, &c. &c. would open full mouthed upon him; and in six weeks, the immortal Latimer would be ranked with Carlile, Tom Paine, and Voltaire. Such is the force of party, when truth is not attended to; and when such a priesthood as Latimer describes, has the power to raise the passions and the prejudices of the nation.

XXIX. Latimer has, however, left us still more of his sentiments on this subject; and they are too valuable not to be quoted:

"But now me thinketh I hear one say unto me; wot ye what you say? "It is a work, it is a labour! How then hath it happened that we have

"had, so many years, unpreaching prelates, lording loiterers, and idle "ministers? Ye would have me here to make answer, and to shew the "cause thereof. Nay, this land is not for me to plough,-it is too "strong, too thorny, too hard for me to plough, They have so many "things to make for them, so many things to say for themselves, that it "is not for my weak team to plough them. They have to say for them"selves long customs, ceremonies, and authority, placing in parliament, "and many things more. And I fear me, this land is not yet ripe to be "ploughed: for, as the saying is, it lacketh weathering; this gear lacketh "weathering; at least, way it is not for me to plough. For what shall "I look for among thorns, but pricking and scratching? what among "stones but stumbling? what, I had almost said, amongst serpents "but stinging? But this much I dare say, that since lording and loiter❝ing hath come up, preaching hath come down, contrary to the Apostle's "times; for they preached and lorded not; and now they lord and "preach not. For they that be Lords will ill go to the plough; it is no "meet office for them, it is not seeming for their estate. Thus came up "lording loiterers; thus creeped in unpreaching prelates; and so they "have long continued. For how many unlearned prelates have we at "this day! and no marvel: for if the ploughmen that now be were "made Lords, they would clean give over ploughing; they would leave "off their labour, and fall to lording outright, and let the plough stand; "and then both ploughs not walking, nothing should be in the common, "weal but hunger. For ever since the prelates were made Lords and "Nobles, the plough standeth; there is no work done,-the people "starve. They hawk, they hunt, they card, they dice, they pastime in "their prelacies with gallant gentlemen, with their dancing minions, and "with their fresh companions; so that ploughing is set aside; and by the "lording and loitering, preaching and ploughing is clean gone.....But "now for the fault of unpreaching prelates,-methink I could guess "what might be said for excusing of them: they are so troubled with "lordly living, they be so placed in palaces, couched in Courts, ruffling "in their rents, dancing in their dominions, burdened with ambassages, "pampering of their paunches-like a monk that maketh his jubilee— "munching in their mangers, and moiling in their gay manors and man❝sions, and so troubled with loitering in their lordships, that they can "not attend it."-Sermon of the Plough, A. D. 1548.

Now, Bishop Eschylus, read this through and through, and turn it into Greek, and add a copious glossary, and notes, and prefaces, and indexes;-it will do the Bench a