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too vehement and affectionate to be expreffed." When once,- -how long wilt thou refufe to forfake thy unrighteoufnefs-as I live, faith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of a finner, but that he should repent and live-wherefore turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for why will you die, Oh! houfe of Ifrael?”

After all, it fhould be particularly obferved, not only that this paffage is applied to the Jews of that day, with a peculiar force and propriety, when their idolatries and crimes had been so many and aggravated, that they had wearied out the patience of God, who had now determined to punish them with a feventy years captivity-and therefore it fhould, with great caution, be applied or recommended to any other perfons; this is not only to be obferved, but we must remark, that it is a proverbial expreffion; and proverbs, we all know, are never to be received or interpreted in their extenfive fenfe: they ferve to convey general truth, but applied to individuals, are often found not only falfe, but prejudicial. We might eafily produce examples enough of this from our own language, which abounds with proverbs; many of them wife and excellent, but many of them cruel and malevolent; and by which, if we were to judge or act, we fhould wander far from the paths which Chriftian truth and benevolence would approve. Indeed it is a common rule with all commentators on the Scriptures, never to ftrain proverbial expreffions, but to foften and reduce them. I remember a paffage in Archbishop Tillotfon's fermons, where, fpeaking of our text, he fays; "That this expreffion of the Ethiopian, &c. is much to be mitigated, will appear by confidering fome other like paffages of Scripture. As where our Saviour compares the difficulty of a rich man's falvation to that which is naturally impoffible, to a camel's paffing through the eye of a needle;' nay, he pitcheth his expreffion higher, and doth not only make it a thing of equal but of greater difficulty: I fay unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."" And yet when he comes to explain this to his difciples, he tells them, that he only meant that the thing was very difficult; how hard is it for thofe that have riches to be faved-and that it was not ab. folutely impoffible, but speaking according to human probability" with men this is impoffible, but not with God." And thus alfo it is reafonable to underftand that fevere paffage of the apoftle to the Hebrews, "It is impoffible for them, who were once enlightened, if they fall away, to renew

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them again to repentance." It is impoffible, that is, it is very difficult. In like manner we are to understand this high expreffion, (which is very hyperbolical,) "Can the Ethiopian change his fkin, or the leopard his spots-then may ye alfo do good who are accuftomed to do evil: that is, this moral change of men, fettled and fixed in bad habits, is very difficult; though, as the archbishop goes on to fhew, there is great ground and hope of encouragement that it may be done"

And when we confider the Chriftian religion, and the power of divine grace, there is, all the reafon in the world to believe that it will be done, when we heartily fet about it, and ufe every neceffary and proper endeavour. Indeed I remark once more, that the text itself may be tranflated and understood differently. You will obferve, by referring to your Bibles, that the word then is printed in Italic characters, which is always a certain mark that there is nothing for that word in the original Hebrew; and I conceive the paffage may well be understood thus: "Can the Ethiopian, &c." no, that is impoffible; "but you who have been accustomed to do evil, may learn to do well; and for this purpose he proceeds, "therefore will I punish you with temporal trials and afflictions, to bring you to this true repentance and he adds in conclufion, "How long-when will this true reformation and repentance take place ?"Many fimilar modes of expreffion might be produced from the prophets; but I lay no ftrefs upon this criticism, as the former arguments are quite fufficient to fhew the genuine fense of the paffage,

ACTS RELATING TO THE CLERGY.

I

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHUrchman's

SIR,

MAGAZINE.

CONSIDER your publication as a repofitory of every hint and obfervation that regards the honour and the comfort of the established clergy; and I do moft fincerely lament the modern practice of paffing new acts and explana

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tions or amendments, as they are falfely called, of old acts, without confulting the clergy at large. I alfo lament, that certain individuals, who fhould be their benevolent fathers, are ready to become themselves, and to render others, their oppreffors, perfecutors, and tyrants. The Curates' A&t of 1796, has been reprobated by the majority of the clergy, and very juftly and reasonably fo. A curate, who has officiated for fome time, can go without the confent or privity of the incumbent, and be licensed by the ordinary. What advantage can accrue from fuch an arbitrary procedure, let them explain who introduced the claufe.

There are innumerable circumftances which may induce an incumbent to withhold his confent, which yet no ordinary can take notice of in his vifitatorial capacity; and why he fhould, in any cafe, be thought a better judge than the incumbent, who has perfonal knowledge of the individual to be licensed, is not eafy to fay. A friend of mine rejoices that this law did not pass sooner; for if it had, he must have retained a curate, who was very ill qualified for the duties of the church, though of irreproachable life and conduct. There might arife alfo a mifunderstanding between the parties; and, as in the cafe of Martin verfus Hinde, the curate might remain to harrass the rector. A license would have the fame effect, in all cafes, which the title had in that.

Another curious act of the present day, is that which annexes a penalty of difqualification to every one ordained deacon, under the age of twenty-three. Practice and experience convince me, that no evil ever did, or ever can, arife from the custom of admitting deacons half a year fooner. Indeed, no harm would enfue, if fome indulgence beyond this were allowed in particular cafes. I once converfed with a prelate who has been long dead, but whose diocese was very extenfive; and he had the good nature to fay," whenever particular neceffity is pointed out, I admit under the age of two and twenty and a half; but without proof of fuch a neceffity, I cannot do it, because I should be fubject to innumerable folicitations." Let thofe who have fabricated this rigorous act, fay what evil there existed before. I fet them at defiance to prove any. But let me alfo remind them, that the prefent times demand all reafonable indulgence; there are fewer perfons educated for the church, and curates are difficult to be found. In each univerfity, earlier attention is paid to theology. Books havé been printed, lectures are read, and the way is much more

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fmooth and eafy than it was two centuries ago. But we fhall be told, nay we have been told, what a wonderful effect the additional half year's ftudy has had upon candidates for orders. The lofs and inconvenience they fuftain, must be abforbed in the contemplation of their improvement. Now, fir, the degrees of competency need not be fo ftriatly examined into, if a perfon take care to be moderately competent. It is not confidered, that he is to undergo a fecond trial for priest's orders, when his qualifications will be the fame, whether he became a deacon at the one age or the other. How many are obliged to affift in schools, and if their pittance can be improved by a curacy, even the falary of half a year would be an object. How many more, after taking their first degree, are obliged to live with their friends, who, perhaps, have already laid out more than they could well afford? Nor is the want of ftated employment more detrimental at any age than at this.

For many years, the old refidence act was an engine of tyranny and oppreffion. I will allow, that the judges are not to inculpate, but adminifter the law; but, in the course of time, they were rigorous beyond the ftatute. Refidence any where but in the parfonage-house, was non-residence, when thousands of houfes were too fmall for a family, and the incomes alfo too fmall to admit of enlarging them. The operation of what is called Gilbert's act, cannot extend to fuch cases as thefe to which I allude. But the incumbent is to keep hofpitality.-What a fenfeless individual muft he be who does not confider, that the hofpitality which the aft intended, is done away by a regular and stated pro-vifion for the poor, that in hard times fwallows up a confiderable part of the clergyman's income. I might alfo mention, that the obligation to this duty is diminished, by the marriages of the clergy, notwithstanding the malevolent publication of Thomas Thomson of Hull. It was also laid down as law, that for an incumbent to board in his parfonage-house, was not refidence, because this was not keeping hofpitality. But, where was it learnt, that boarders live neceffarily without hofpitality; in myfelf, and in many others, I can prove the contrary. But fublatâ caufâ, tolletur effectus; and therefore, what time has abolished in the origi nal fenfe of hofpitality, a judge fhould not attempt to revive, And is a clergyman to be dragooned into house-keeping, when his income is contracted; and decent furniture would fwallow up the receipts of three or four years. By the way, under the new refidence act, an incumbent of a living, in Somersetshire,

Somerfetfhire, has been convicted in the penalty of thirty pounds, one-third of his income, for not living in the parfonage-houfe, which was let to the patron of his church, from which the incumbent resides about the distance of two miles, and does his own duty. Let any man fay, what fort of hofpitality can be kept in thefe days for ninety pounds per annum; and further, let him explain why it is not fair and equitable, that fuch an income fhould be improved by the rent of the house and premises. It may be faid, that a licence might be had.-I contend, that it ought never to be neceffary, where, a perfon refides fo near, and under a narrow appointment. Is there no other method of taking care of parfonage-houses, than by enforcing the refidence of the incumbent? Of what ufe are parochial vifitations? Of what use are prefentments at the common vifitations? An opulent tenant will often be able to do more than a poor owner, as was the cafe in the living of Farleigh, above alluded to. Suppofe 1 fhould admit this exploded idea of hofpitality, the more commodious a house is, the better reception will all the guefls experience. An incumbent, with a private fortune, has a right to all the comforts which his good fortune will justify. If the parfonage be kept in repair, it will neither infure the bodies or fouls of his parishioners, that he refides where he can receive them with more fatisfaction. The licence of the bifhop, we are told, is the panacea. I do not like fo much of this fchool-boy treatment; neither, for the fame reafon, do I approve of the injunction from the privy council. Where was it learnt that the bishops are inattentive to their duty? Why are they to be treated like fchool-boys alfo? In contempt of these martinets, whoever they may be, and who make dupes of the candid, humane, and unfufpecting part of their associates, I contend, that there are many inftances wherein. abfence is not culpable, and yet cannot be pofitively admitted and allowed. I therefore hope that the bishops will not be intimidated into any rigorous monitions, and that benignity will fupply the omiffions of the act.

I must now advert to another inftance of harsh interpretation of the old act. It was laid down as law, that, when there is no parfonage-house, the incumbent muft refide in the parith. I know many inftances where that is impoffible and if the incumbent be near, of what moment is it whether in the parish, or out of it? Will not the usefulness of his example and labours extend to several miles around

VOL. XIV.

Chm. Mag. March 1808.

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