§ 6.-VII. Announced, and remaining to be executed. From Christians and others of all persuasions, money to be exacted, sufficient to render the number of Church-ofEngland Churches “commensurate to the whole population." Of the announcement here in question, the evidence may be seen in No. IV. of this Appendix, p. 266. Great, and every day increasing, is the number of churches, provided by the piety and liberality of so many congregations of the sincere and zealous followers of Jesus. But, the contributions of which the fund is composed, being purely and exclusively voluntary, one capital one among Excellent Church's maxims, viz. maxim the 7th, (p. 237) is violated. In the collection of the money, no power is exercised. Moreover, the congregation,-being mostly schismatics,―are, as such, men of "guilt;" worshippers of God, and not of the English hierarchy. Hence the determination already announced-announced at this season of unprecedented distress-the determination to exact more money, for the erection of more of these costly edifices. But, to every new Church there must be an Incumbent at least, if not an Incumbent and a Curate. For every Incumbent there must be a Parsonage House, with Out Houses, Garden, Field more or less ample, and other ap purtenances: nor can the House be habitable without furniture. For the number of the new Churches requisite, the Population Tables will of course be the standard of reference resorted to: for,-whatsoever knowledge there may be to the contrary, the presumption will of course be-so many inhabitants of a certain age and upwards, so many members of the Established Church, all eager to crowd into the new Churches. Before building and after building, the Churches and the Parsonages will form a foundation for more wholesome and coercive laws :-laws for forcing the unwilling to pay Ministers for serving in them;-laws for forcing the Ministers to give unnecessary pay to their Curates: laws for preventing Ministers, when they have received the pay, from going off with it to spend it elsewhere:-to spend it elsewhere without service,—without rendering that service, which, wherever rendered, is, if rendered, in the very nature of it so unprofitable. A prophecy will here be hazarded. No such application will ever be made. How unable so ever to procure removal of established abuse, reason is sometimes sufficient for preventing, or at any rate for checking, in crease. Spontaneously on this subject the lips of the Noble Reformer will never open themselves: interrogated at any time, his answer will be-this is not the time. Unhappily, from no inspired pen does this prophecy come. Should it be disfulfilled, then will be the time, for all men, in whose eyes waste is indefensible,-hypocrisy, fraud, and extortion, odious,-to come forward and remonstrate! Presbyterians, Independents, Quakers, Baptists, Unitarians, Catholics, Jews-all worshippers of God according to conscience-all these, but above all, all honest Church of Englandists-then will be the time for them to make themselves seen and heard. Prepare for that day, Earl of Harrowby! Prepare for that day, Lord Viscount Sidmouth! Prepare for that day, Commander of the faithful, Duke of York! FINIS. J. M'Creery, Printer, Black-Horse-Court, London. |