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And can we then refign these privileges for any other ać quifitions whatever?-Give up the fubftance for the fhadow, realities for fictions, the durable treasures of eternity for the things of time? Shall the wife man glory in his wif dom?The mighty man glory in his might ?-The rich man glory in his riches ?-The man of gallantry glory in his folly,-fhall every finner glory in his fhame ?-Shall not we much more glory in what is truly glorious, our being Chriflians? For who hath caufe of boafting, and have not we much more? What is the name of Greek or Roman ? Or, what is the name of Briton, when contradiftinguifhed from that of Chriftian? what are all their highly applauded liberties when put in competition with the liberty of the fons of God? All other nominal diftinctions are the offspring of pride, or ignorance, or folly, and not at all to be defired to make one wife. But Chriftian, is a name that is above every name; truly excellent and praife-worthy; more precious than rubies; more honourable than all the enfigns of royalty; and every one who is poffeffed of the leaft mark of glory will aspire after it, will contend for it, will rejoice in it more than in any other name.

But here I do not mean merely the being called Chriftians. This is of as little importance as the being called by any other name: nay, inftead of being an honour, it is a name of the greatest ignominy and reproach. For what is implied in the expreffion, when we fay, there is a man who profeffeth himself, indeed, a follower of Chrift, but, at the fame time, he is none of his: a nominal Christian? Do we not evidently declare, there is one of the most infamous of all beings; a traitor, falfe and hypocritical beyond all parallel; a monster of human kind, who infults over the tender indulgence of the best of masters; One, in fhort, who folemnly vows allegiance to his Saviour, at the fame time that he renounceth fubjection to his laws?-Surely, there is no character fo odious, fo much to be detefted, and abhorred; none fo juftly hateful in the fight of God and man. It is a mockery offered to the King of Kings; to profefs obedience to his Son, and, at the fame time, daringly rebel against him. How fcandalous, and unpardonable! Iniquity of iniquities! defervedly branded with the moft opprobrious epithets, and july liable to the most exemplary punishment in another world. For a man to call himself a Chriftian, who pays no regard to any one duty of Chriftianity! to call Jefus Chrift, Lord! Lord! though he doth not the will of his heavenly

Father!

Father! Amazing, and unaccountable! How can we reflect upon it without a generous difdain and indignation?

Have we then enlifted ourselves under the facred banners of truth and righteoufnefs, and peace? Let our lives be a ftanding demonftration to whom we belong. "We who preach a man fhould not fleal, let us not fleal. We who say a man fhould not commit adultery, let us not commit adultery."-We who make our boaft of the gofpel, let us not, through tranfgreffion of the gofpel, difhonour God. We who profefs to embrace that religion which defcended from above, let us not give occafion to Jews and Mohammedans, through our vices, to blafpheme it's bleffed author. Verily, Christianity profiteth if we keep the laws of Chriflianity : otherwife, our Chriftianity is as no Chriftianity. "For, to whomsoever we yield ourselves fervants to obey; his fervants we are to whom we obey; whether of life unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness."

A DISCIPLE.

THE PRAYER OF LORD CLARENDON IN HIS

EXILE.

A

LMIGHTY God, and most merciful Father! to whofe gracious influence we owe every good thought of our hearts, and every action that we perform with any kind of integrity thou knoweft well, that many years fince, when I was under a general and public calamity, and banished from my country, I took great delight, and found great comfort in reading and confidering the divine pfalms and meditations of that man after thine own heart, the prophet David; infomuch, as I began to exercife myself in devout contemplations upon the feveral fubjects of that king's devotion, and found enough of comfort in them to raise my spirits to a confidence, that as thou hadft raised him from many unworthy and unjust perfecutions and preffures, fo thou wouldeft preferve the king, my poor country, and myfelf, from that wicked confpiracy which was then against us all and I continued thofe comfortable confiderations and reflexions with a

blessed

bleffed ferenity of mind for many years, whilft that affliction was heavy upon me. Thou waft pleafed, after many years of grievous calamity, to hear the cries and prayers of a miferable oppreffed nation, and to free them from the tyranny they groaned under, by reftoring them to their true and natural fovereign; in whose restoration thou didst affign me a full measure of happine's, which I enjoyed many years in a proportion above other men. In this time of peace and plenty, I did not remember thee as I ought to have done, nor the vows and promifes I made to thee in the time of my adverfity; I fuffered myfelf to be carried away with the ambition and vanity of the world; tired and wearied my fpirits and faculties in the agitation of thofe bufineffes, which were incumbent upon me by the place and office which I held, without referving fo much time to my felf, as had been neceffary to revolve what thou hadst done for me, and why thou haft done fo much. I difcontinued thofe good meditations and reflexions, in which I had found fo much refreshment, and deferred proceeding therein, till I might have more leifure, and be more vacant to thofe thoughts, which ought to have been preferred before all other. Out of this lethargy thou haft been pleafed to awaken me by a new, fevere, and unexpected affliction; by withdrawing the king's favour from me, whom thou knoweft I have ferved with all industry and fidelity; and fuffering the kingdom to entertain jealoufies of me, which I have always loved with more paffion than my life; and by thefe unjust and unreafonable jealoufies, I am again become a banished person from my country, my children, and relations, when I am grey, headed, and drawing to my grave. But in this difconfolate, condition thou haft, in foine degree, renewed the fate of my health, and made me lefs infirm than I have been. Thou haft given me grace to renew fome vows, which I hope thou wilt give me opportunity to perform; and thou haft given, me inclination and leifure again to betake myfelf to my old reflexions upon the pfalms, and to gather out of them the fame hopes and confidence which I had done formerly; to finifh thofe contemplations, which I had fo long fince begun, and for which I do give thee moft humble thanks; and do humbly befeech thy divine majefty, that I may never, in thought, word, or deed, commit any crime that, may make thefe meditations to rifp up in judgment against me." Make me fill to take delight in that facred part of fcripture indied by thy holy fpirit, and to reap comfort out of it;

VOL. XIV.

Chm Mag. March 1808.

BB

and

and

and, if it be thy bleffed will, who knoweft my heart, make me an inftrument to do thee fome fervice in my native country, and restore me to the grace of the king, and vindicate me from those unjuft afperfions, which thou knowest I unjustly fuffer under. Amen. Montpelier, Feb. 27, 1670.

ON DILAPIDATIONS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S

SIR,

TH

MAGAZINE.

HE many miferies which the families of clergymen fuffer in confequence of dilapidations, seriously call aloud upon the legiflature for redrefs and interpofition in their behalf. Though careleffness and inattention in our brethren may sometimes justly be allowed, yet I do not conceive that this is always the cafe. A ftrange doctrine has gone forth and been fupported by great civil authority, though at the fame time, it appears to me arbitrary, unjuft, and tyrannical, in the extreme. It has been declared, that if an incumbent at his firft entering on a living find his parfonage to confift of lath and plaifter, and fhould be able to raise his living to double its value, or greatly improve it, he may then be called upon to rebuild his parfonage with brick or stone. This is not mere affertion on my part, the declaration proceeded from an eminent furveyor who was called upon to make an eflimate of the dilapidations in a parfonage house in my neighbourhood, and which, from motives of humanity and refpect to the relatives of the deceased, I requested him to make as light as in confcience to his employer he should feel himself warranted. I am happy to fay that his humanity was no less conspicuous than his profeffional integrity was great.

But to prevent dilapidations falling fo heavy as they frequently do upon many clergymen's families, and thereby reducing them to a state of distress not far fhort of 'beggary,

I could

I could with that a plan was adopted obliging every clergyman upon his induction to a living to pay into an office eftablished by the bishop of the diocefe a certain fum, according to the reputed value of the living, but not according to the value as it ftands in the Liber Regis, and that a percentage should be annually paid. Then upon his demife, or removal to a fuperior preferment, the money accumu lated during his incumbency, with the intereft due thereon, to be paid into the hands of his fucceffor, who fhould give a receipt for the fame, but not be entitled to any fum whatever on the score of dilapidations. Motives of humanity alone, and an acute fenfe of feeling for the diftreffes of my clerical brethren, have induced me to fuggeft this idea. Many of them, I might rather fay the greatest part of them, do not come into the poffeffion of a living (unless they are bleffed with parliamentary intereft, or ftrong and powerful family connections) till very late in life. When they are fo fortunate as to meet with preferment, perhaps they find the parfonage a perfect ruin, and the incumbent's family totally unable to pay for the dilapidations required; what then is to be done, the new incumbent muft either appear an inexorable tyrant in exacting his juft demands, or to the prejudice of his own family and fortune undertake to make good the dilapidations himself, whereas if this plan or fomething fimilar to it fhould be adopted it would relieve many a clergyman from a difagreeable dilemma, and caufe the heart of many mournful widows to fing for joy.

I remain, Sir,

Your humble Servant, CLERICUS CANTIENSIS.

RELIGION ON THE CONTINENT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S

SIR,

HAV

MAGAZINE.

AVING travelled fome time on the Continent, I had an opportunity of observing the general levity of the inhabitants, and their great neglect of Chriftian duties, ef

pecially

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