christian assuming. Mat. xx. 20--28, and xxiii. 1-12.

66 As the law now stands in this country, the king is absolute head of the church, and the fountain of all ecclesiastical power; but so far as the patronage of benefices goes, this is more nominal than real; for there are as many heads as there are patrons of livings. A drunken, swearing, libertine lord chancellor, who is living in open fornication or adultery, contrary to every law human and divine, as has been the case, has the appointment to a large number of livings: a corrupt, vile, unbelieving, immoral, wicked minister of state, has the nomination to abundance of others.

A papist, or some of the most immoral nobility or gentry of the land, have the patronage of others. In not a few instances, ladies have the presentation to church preferments. These are all virtually and substantially so many heads of the church; while the king or queen is only nominally and partially so.

This is surely a lamentable state of things. Can any man wonder at the spread of infidelity and irreligion? Can we justly expect other than the downfal of such a system of corrupt, worldly policy? These melancholy truths sound harsh and disagreeable in the ears of interested men, and men who swallow every thing as gospel, to which they have been long accustomed; but I affirm it with all possible seriousness, that, as I understand the Scriptures, a radical reform, and the removal of all these secular circumstances alone, can save us for any length of time, from national distress. I refer our bishops -and beg they will seriously consider the awful declaration-Dan, ii. 35, 44. the time for its accomplishment fast approaching, and near at hand?

“I have spoken of the patronage of churchlivings. The church-livings of England and Wales make together, about ten thousand. Of these, near a thousand are in the ft of the king. It is customary, however,

,

Is not

for the lord chancellor, to present all the livings under the value of twenty pounds, in the king's book, and for the ministers of state to present all the rest. Those under twenty pounds are about 780, and those above, near 180. Upwards of 1600 pieces of church preferment, of different sizes and descriptions, are in the gift of the 26 bishops: more than 600 in the presentation of the two universities : about 1000 in the gift of the several cathedrals, and other clerical institutions: about 5,700 livings are in the nomination of the nobility and gentry of the land, men, women, and children; and there may be 50 or 60 of a description different from any of the above, and nearer to the propriety of things. These are all so many heads of the church, the king or queen

of the country being a kind of arch-head. *

:

“ The bishops of the establishment, are, contrary to all ancient usage, chosen by the civil power, the clergy and people over whom they are to preside, not having the least negative upon their election. When they are chosen too, they take their seats in the upper house of parliament, like unto the temporal lords: this is good human policy, supposing the kingdom of Christ to be a mere worldly sovereignty; but it is utterly inconsistent with the spirituality of our Saviour's empire, and has had for many ages a most unhappy effect upon the interests of his religion in the world.t Their emoluments are of such a nature, their worldly engagements so numerous, and the temptations to the pleasures, honours, and amusements of life so strong, that their minds become secularized, and they lose all lively relish for the peculiar duties of ministers of the gospel; which they therefore very generally commit to the inferior orders of the clergy. They are as much officers of the crown as the judges and magistrates of the land. They are chosen by the civil power, they are paid by the civil power, they are amenable to the civil power alone, the clergy and the people not possessing the least controul. And then, as to the titles, by which they are designated, they carry

pretensions, as a divine scheme, with indignation, I do not wonder the world abounds with infidels and infidelity! What pity, however, men will not distinguish between the use of the gospel, and the abuse of it! between the gospel itself, and the additions which, have been made to it by interested men!