In short, from one end of the Gospel intention in which the tithes originated? to the other, he preaches humility, In answering these questions we shall lowliness, an absence of all desire to arrive at a perfect conviction, that it is possess worldly riches, and he expressly just to adopt the measure in favour of enjoins his disciples "freely to give, as which I am arguing. they had freely received."

When I was a boy, or, before I had read with attention, I often wondered how our forefathers came to be such fools as to give one tenth part of all

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And, as to the apostles, what did they do? Did they not act according to the command of Christ? Did they not live in common in all cases where that the corn, hay, roots, calves, lambs was practicable? Did they not dis-wool, pigs, eggs, milk, greens, under elaim all worldly possessions? In wood, and of the profit on mills, and of Corinthians, chap. ix., Saint Paul lays the waters, and of the animals at pas-down the rule of compensation; and ture. That they should have been such what is it? Why, that as the " ox was fools as to give, in every parish, all this not to be muzzled when he was treading to one man of the parish, and that man, out the corn," the teacher was to have too, an unmarried man. I thought food, if necessary, for his teaching, for them great fools, and lamented that we that God had "ordained that they had, hitherto, been such fools, such which preach the Gospel should live of tame and stupid fellows, as to adhere to the Gospel." But, is here a word about their laws. But, upon looking into the tithes? And would the apostle have matter, I found that our old papas had omitted a thing of so much importance? done no such a thing. I found that In another part of the same chapter, he they had given only a third of the tenth asks: “Who goeth a warfare at any to the priests; another third to build time at his own charges?" Which and repair the churches; and the other clearly shows, that all that was meant third to relieve the poor, and, indeed, m was entertainment on the way, or when that third which the priest had, was to the preacher was from home; and, when enable him to keep hospitality and rethe preaching was on the spot where the lieve the stranger. Oh! said I this preacher lived, it is clear, from the whole had sense in it; it is WE, conceited we, of the Acts of the Apostles and from the enlightened we, who are the fools, who whole of the Epistles, that no such thing let the parsons take all, and who relieve as compensation, in any shape or of the poor and build and repair the any kind, was thought of. Saint Paul, churches by taxes, which we screw from in writing to the teachers in Thes- one another, and who, while we have a sen salonia, says: Study to be quiet and mutton-bone on our tables, silently se do your own business, and to work the parsons wallowing in luxury. We, "with your own hands as we command enlightened we, are the real fools. you." 1 Thess. chap. iv. ver. 11. At a meeting recently held in Kent, And again, in 2 Thess. chap. iii. ver. 8, Lord WINCHILSEA was asked whether he bids the teacher remember, "Nei- he would vote for the abolition of "ther did we eat any man's bread for tithes. To this he answered in the nought; but wrought with labour negative, observing, that tithes were "and travail, night and day, that we instituted by our PIOUS ancestors," "might not be chargeable to any." Our ancestors were pious, but they SECOND: The justice of the measure. were not tame, enlightened" fools. -It is clear, then, that tithes and clerical This is the story the parsons always o revenues rest upon no Scriptural au- tell us; but, they do not tell us the thority. What do they rest upon? whole of the story. They leave us to How came they ever to be? What believe, that our 'pious ancestors? were they founded for? And, are they were of this same church that now now applied to the uses for which they exists; and with reason; for it would were given in trust to the clergy? Do be awkward indeed in them to extol the clergy apply them agreeably to the the piety of those from whom they took

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strangers with their own hands, in mercy and humility; and reserve the "third part for themselves."

the tithes away. But I will tell you, my friends, the whole story; it is short, and is as follows:-Christianity was not introduced (into England) until 600 The very motives for building years after the birth of Christ. In the churches and endowing them with tithes meanwhile it had made its way over the prove, that the constant residence of greater part of the continent of Europe, the priest, or parson, in his parish was and the Pope of Rome, as the successor his first duty; for, what was the enof St. Peter, had long been the head of dowment for else? And 1 state, upon the Church. In the year 600, the then authority as good as any that history Pope, whose name was Gregory, sent a can present, that for nearly five hundred monk, whose name was Austin, with 40 years after the introduction of Chrisothers under him, from Rome to Eng- tianity, no such custom prevailed in land, to convert the English. They England as of hiring curates, or other landed in Kent, and the king of Kent deputies, to supply the place of the (there were several kingdoms in Eng- parson who had the living. Our "pious land then) received them well, became ancestors" were, therefore, sensible as a convert, and built houses for them at well as pious: they required duties in Canterbury. The monks went preach- return for what they settled on the ing about Kent, as our missionaries do parsons. These parsons were, besides, amongst the Indians. They lived in let it be remembered, unmarried men; common, and on what people gave and if we are to impute (and which in them. As the Christian religion ex-justice we ought) the institution of tended itself over the country, other tithes to the piety of our ancestors, we such assemblages of priests as that at must also impute to their piety the esCanterbury were formed; but these tablishing of a priesthood not permitted being found insufficient, the lords of to marry! We must impute this to great landed estates built churches and their piety, and, indeed, to their wisdom parsonage-houses on them, and endowed also; for how obvious are the reasons them with lands and tithes after the that the tithes never could be applied mode in fashion on the Continent. The according to the intention of the foundestate, or district, allotted to a church, ers, if the priests had wives and families now became a parish; and in time, to maintain! dioceses arose, and the division became, as to territory, pretty much what it is

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Here, then, we learn the motives of our pious ancestors" in making these endowments of tithes. They wished to have a priest always at hand to teach the ignorant, to baptize children, to visit the sick, to administer comfort, to be the peace-maker, the kind friend and the guide of his people. Nor were these tithes to be devoured or squan-ancestors endowed with the tithes, are, dered by the priests. They were di- by our present parsons, declared to be vided thus: "Let the Priests receive the idolatrous and damnable.-2. That our "tithes of the people, and keep a writ"ten account of all that have paid them; and divide them, in the pre

Thus, then, if we be to appeal to our pious ancestors, and pious and praiseworthy we must allow them to have been; if the Lord Winchilsea and the parsons will insist upon referring us to these our ancestors as examples for us to follow as to this great matter of tithes, we have to remind it and the parsons of these eight things :-1. That the doctrines of the Catholic Church, which our pious

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parsons call the head of that church Antichrist and the whore of Babylon.3. That the "Society for Propagation

sence of such as fear God, according of Christian Knowledge" advertise no "to canonical authority. Let them set "apart the first share for the building "and ornaments of the church; and “distribute the second to the poor and

less than fourteen separate works written by our bishops and archbishops "against Popery," that is to say against that very faith to support which our

pious ancestors instituted tithes. our parsons? Is it not worth our while 4. That we may be allowed to wonder to inquire, how it came to pass, that how it can have come to pass, that, as when our parsons found the faith of the errors of our pious ancestors were our ancestors so erroneous as to be found, at the end of eleven hundred called idolatrous and damnable; when years, to be so damnable, the tithes they found the faith so bad as to require which they granted were not at all rooting out even by most cruel penal erroneous, but, as this parson now tells laws; how it came to pass, that when us, were "dedicated to God!"—5. That they found the faith so utterly abomiour pious ancestors gave only a third of nable; how it came to pass, that when the tithes to the parsons.-6. That they they were pulling down images, conrequired the parson to expend a third on | fessionals and altars, and were sweeping the building and ornaments of the away all the other memorials of the church.-7. That they required him to faith of our pious ancestors, they should distribute the other third to the poor have suffered the parsonage-houses, the and the stranger with his own hands in glebes, the tithes, and even Easter Offermercy and humility. And, 8. That ings, to remain, nay, and have taken they required him to be constantly resi- these to themselves, and to be enjoyed, dent and not to marry, and compelled too, not in third part, but in whole? him to take an oath of celibacy, in order that, divested of the cares and anxieties inseparable from a wife and family, he might wholly devote himself to the service of God, and be in very truth that which the Bible, from one end to the other, requires a priest to be, a faithful and diligent shepherd of the religious flock: and for being which merely in name, such woes are pronounced against priests both by prophets and apostles.

The tithes were, as we have seen, given to, and enjoyed, or, rather, administered by, the Catholic parsons for about ten out of the twelve hundred years of their existence in England. For the first five out of the ten, no such thing as non-residence, or stipendiary curating, was known. After the Normans invaded England these things began; and, in time, by one means or another, by kings, nobles and monasteries, the parishes were greatly robbed of their tithes, and miserable vicars and curates were placed in the Churches in numerous cases. At last that event which is called the Reformation took place; and the struggle ended in the overthrow of the Catholic and the establishment of the Protestant Church, that is to say, a Church which

Of these eight things we have to remind the parsons, when they tell us to look at the conduct of our pious ancestors; and especially when they tell us to follow the example of those ancestors with regard to tithes. These were the conditions on which the tithes were given, and this might be truly said to be dedicating them to God. Accord-protests against the Catholic faith to ingly we find that, as long as the uphold which the tithes had been institithes were applied to these purposes,tuted. there were no poor rates; no vagrant The new parsons, though they proact was required; no church-rates were tested against the faith of the Catholic demanded of the people; and yet all parsons, did by no means protest against those magnificent cathedrals and those the tithes which had been granted to churches were built, the beauty and uphold it. They professed to keep all solidity of which are now the monu- that was good, and to cast off all that ments of their great, and of our little, was bad, of the old church. What was minds. good and what bad, we laymen may, perhaps, not be competent judges of; but we know that they kept very care fully all the parsonage houses, all the glebes, all the tithes, all the Easter Offerings, all the surplice fees; and that

But is it not worth our while, even if it were only for the curiosity of the thing, to inquire how the tithes, dedicated to a faith which our parsons hold in abhorrence, came to be possessed by

they cast off constant residence, division] "to the flock of Christ, and that they of tithes into thirds, keeping the churches" will maintain and set forwards quietin repair, living unmarried, and reliev ness, peace and love among all ing the poor and the stranger with their "Christians, but specially among them own hands, in mercy aud humility." that are or shall be committed to their Such, indeed, was their keeping and "charge." And they most solemnly such their casting off, that the Catholics ratify and confirm these declarations said, that protestant parson meant a and promises by receiving the holy comperson who protested against anybody munion. having the Church property but himself!

If, indeed, the parsons did the duty, which their vows oblige them to do, it would then be another matter. What is the contract which they make with the nation? What is the obligation which they take upon them? What are the duties that they most solemnly engage to perform? At their ordination they solemnly profess, that they "believe that they are moved by "the Holy Ghost to take upon them "the office, to serve God for the pro"moting of his glory and the edifying "of his people." They declare also, that they are "determined with the Scriptures to instruct the people that "shall be committed to their charge; "they promise that they will give their "faithful diligence always so to minis"ter the doctrine and sacraments and "the discipline of Christ, as the Lord "hath commanded, and as this realm "hath received the same, according to "the commandment of God; that they "will teach the people committed to "their cure and charge with all diligence to keep and observe the same, "that they will be ready with all faith

Now, how are they to do these things, or, indeed, any part of these things, unless they be at the places where they have so solemnly promised to do them? How are they to promote God's glory and edify his people; how are they to instruct the people committed to their charge; how are they to explain the word to the people of their cure; how are they to be ready with faithful diligence to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrine contrary to God's word, and especially from amongst them that are committed to their charge: how are they to fulfil any of these solemn promises, if they absent themselves from the very spot where the people committed to their charge reside? And if, having already one living, they grasp at another or two, how do they obey the injunction of the Apostle, to avoid filthy lucre; how do they obey Christ, who bids them freely give; how do they fulfil their own promise, made at the altar and with such awful solemnity, to lay aside the study of the world; and how do they show themselves followers of the Apostle, who bids them "be subject one to

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ful diligence to banish and drive" another, and be clothed with humility, 66 away all erroneous and strange doc-" seeing that God resisteth the proud "trines contrary to God's word; and to" and giveth grace to the humble?"

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use public and private admonitions "and exhortations, as well to the sick as "to the whole, within their cures, as "need shall require and occasion be given; that they will be diligent in the prayers and in the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and in such studies "as help to the knowledge of the same, "laying aside the study of the world " and the flesh; that they will be diligent to frame and fashion themselves "and their families according to the "doctrine of Christ, that they may be "wholesome examples and spectacles

Is it not notorious, that of the eleven thousand livings, in England and Wales, one half are without resident incumbents; and, is it not equally notorious, that there are thousands of parsons each of whom has more than one living; is it not also notorious, that those who do the work of the church have hardly a bare sufficiency to eat and drink; is it not notorious, that while there are bishopricks worth from ten to forty thousand a year, one million and six hundred thousand pounds have, within the last thirty years, been voted out of

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the taxes on our malt, soap, candles, read it attentively. But read it now; sugar, &c., "for the relief of the see what it says about parsons who do poor clergy of this Church"; is it not not reside on their livings. The Pronotorious, that many of the present phet Zechariah says, "Woe to the idle beneficed clergy received military and shepherd that leaveth the flock." "Woe" naval half-pay, for many years, and " says the prophet EZEKIEL, "woe be the income of their benefices at the" to the shepherds of Israel that do feed same time; and is it not notorious that," themselves! Should not the shepin Ireland, the case is still more flagrant" herds feed the flocks? Ye eat the than it is here? How, then, do the "fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, parsons fulfil the promises made at " ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed their ordination? How do they obey "not the flock. The diseased have ye the injunctions of the Apostle, "Preach" not strengthened, neither have ye "the word; be instant in season, out" healed that which was sick, neither "of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort" have ye bound up that which was "with all long-suffering and doc-" broken, neither have ye brought again. trine." The Apostle tells the teachers" that which was driven away, neither to teach publicly "from house to house;" have ye sought that which was lost;

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to show themselves in all things pat-" but with force and with cruelty have terns of good works; to be examples ye ruled them. And they were scattered "in word, in conversation, in charity," because there is no shepherd." And "in faith, in purity; to warn every is not the flock scattered in England man, to teach every man in wisdom, now? Are not the country churches "that they may present every man per- empty, and do not the people wander "fect in Jesus Christ." The teachers about after all sorts of sects? There is, of the Gospel are called ambassa- in reality, no longer any flock. The dors, stewards, shepherds, watchmen, prophet, contemplating such a case, guides, lights, examples. But how adds: "Thus saith the Lord God; beare they to be any of these, if they sel-" hold I am against the shepherds; and dom or never see any of those whom I will require my flock at their hand, they have pledged themselves to teach?" and cause them to cease feeding the Jesus Christ says, "Go ye into the flock; neither shall the shepherds "world, and preach the Gospel unto" feed themselves any more; for I will 66 every creature; and lo! I am with "deliver my flock from their mouth, you always, even unto the end of the that they may not be meat for them." "world." And the Apostle Paul, a- It is clear, from all that we behold, mongst his numerous urgent and so- that the Church, as by law established, lemn exhortations, says, "I take you to has not answered, or, at least, that it does "record this day, that I am pure from not now answer, the purposes for which "the blood of all men; for I have shun- it was intended. It does not hold the "ned not to declare unto you the coun-people in the bond of faith; it does not "sel of God. Take heed, therefore, promote peace and good-will; but, on "unto yourselves, and to all the flock the contrary, creates internal divisions "over which the Holy Ghost hath made and feuds, while it consumes uselessly a you overseers, to feed the Church of large part of the produce of the land, "God, which he hath purchased with and takes from the farmer the means of "his own blood.' And he exhorts, too, giving you, the labourers, wages sufthat the teachers should do their duty ficient for you to support your wives for religion's sake, and not for the sake and children. Besides this, its establishof gain. A bishop is not to be "greedy ment is a hot-bed for breeding gentlemen of filthy lucre, nor covetous." and ladies, who must be kept without The parsons tell you to read the work all their lives, somehow or other; Bible, and there are 'plenty of Bible- and taxes must be raised, and are raised, Societies to put the book into your upon you and upon all of us, to pay hands. The worst of it is, you do not them salaries, stipends, pensions, or

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