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is not warmed by devotion, or roused by the consideration of religious truths, must almost necessarily sink lower and lower; for every exercise of piety must be wearisome; and what is more irksome than to turn one's thoughts to a subject which is wholly uninteresting? Thus, therefore, religion must suffer a gradual but rapid decay." I would thou wert cold or hot," says St. John to the Angel of the Church of Laodicea," so then because thon art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

We shall now consider the danger arising to the Church from the other extreine of enthusiasın.

It is a striking instance of the weakness of man, and a consideration very degrading to those who are fond of contemplating the dignity of human nature, that we rarely preserve moderation in any thing, not even upon the subject of religion. From a disgust excited by perceiving the indifference about religious matters, and the immorality, which were then very prevalent; the founders of the sect of the methodists began very innocently, nay laudably, to consider with some seriousness the importance of a strict attention to their duty, and particularly to the exercises of devotion. But they soon became as enthusiastic and extravagant as any of their followers have been; and laid the foundation of a sect which has since spread very widely, and appears still to increase in its numbers. It is well known that Whitfield and Wesley differed about the Calvinistic points. Hence they became each the head of a different party, though they are all known by the general name of Methodists. Of these, the followers of Whitfield, who are more or less inclined to Calvinism, far exceed, in point of numbers, their brethren in separation, the Arminian Methodists. They are again divided among themselves, and it is hardly possible to mark with accuracy the shades of difference which distinguish one congregation from another. In one respect they are united, that of dissenting from the Established Church.

To the danger which is to be apprehended from these sectarists, the Bishop calls the attention of his clergy in the charge before us. He indeed, touches upon the subject so slightly that we hardly feel warranted in dwelling upon it. But as it appears to us of exceeding great importance, we shall trouble our readers with a few remarks. It is difficult to deliver our sentiments without incurVol. VI, Churchm. Mag. May, 1804. Yy

ing

ing the charge of a breach of charity; and very unpleasant to our own feelings to use any harshness of language, respecting a very large body of men, many of whom are so worthy and so highly respectable, that we grieve to see them in the list of separatists from our communion, Yet we feel it necessary to state with sincerity our opi nion upon the danger which our Church undergoes, from the dissenting methodists, particularly those of the Calvinistic persuasion, with which it is every where surrounded, Now this is two-fold, arising from the nature of their doctrines, and from the style and manner of the persons who are most concerned in publishing them. The doc trines are injurious to true religion; because they substitute fanaticism in the room of sober devotion; they excite the imagination, instead of submitting themselves to the chastising judgement of cool sedate reason; hence they have in many instances driven people to madness; and

*

"Fill'd Bedlam with predestination,
And Old Street with illumination;"

they leave men in the alternative of being fully persuaded either of their certain salvation, or of irretrievable perdition; and a settled opinion of either, by producing, in the one case security, in the other despair, may lead to acts of the greatest immorality, and crimes of the blackest dye. With respect to the preachers of these doctrines, they are either regularly ordained Ministers, who preach in licensed conventicles, or men who preach without orders, or persons who go about from parish to parish, and collect a congregation wherever they think they have a fair opportunity. Those who come under the two former descriptions have generally large congregations. They aim at rousing the passions, affect a style of familiarity, and frequently degrade themselves in an unbecoming manner, and submit to little arts in order to gain popular applause, which the clergy of the established Church think to be unsuitable to the dignity of their office. The self-commissioned itinerant preachers scour the country, adapting themselves with wonderful facility

*It is a remarkable fact, and may in some measure excuse our dwel ling upon this subject, as it shews the dangerous tendency of the doctrines of which we are speaking, that of the patients which have for a short time back been received into St. Luke's Hospital, a very large proportion have been religiously mad; and of these again, a very large proportion have come from a part of the country, which abounds with Calvinists.

to

to the taste of their audience; always ready to vilify and calumniate the minister of the parish; but at the same time, if they find that he is beloved by his flock, they assume a different character, profess that they teach the same doctrine, and sometimes insinuate themselves into favour by recommending to their hearers to attend to their Pastor. Charity itself will hardly allow us to ascribe the conduct of these bold intruders into another person's fold to any thing but a desire of doing mischief. To foment divisions in places where there are any already, and create them where there are none; to lower the shepherd in the eyes of his flock; to go out, as servants from the master of the feast, into the highways and hedges, not to bring those whom they find to the supper of their Lord; but to disseminate their own principles, and set them against those who would bring them thither; not to clothe them in wedding garments, but to turn their brains. and give them such ideas that they never shall be able to put them on, is itself such a breach of charity that we can hardly help addressing them in the language which St. Paul used to Elymas, "O full of subtilty, and of all wickedness, will ye not cease to pervert the ways of the Lord?" There is a society established in London for the purpose of sending those missionaries through the country. The mischief that may ensue is incalculable. No institution can be better calculated for the preservation of religion and good order than that of ministers regularly appointed to superintend the parishes into which the whole kingdom is divided. In proportion to the benefit which must be derived from hence, is the evil which will arise from sowing divisions among the people and teaching them to disrespect their minister. The bane of every thing that is good, is pride; and this, strange as it may appear, is the effect produced by the Calvinistic doctrines as they are now inculcated. For though they seem to impress men with a sense of their weakness, and of the necessity of that grace and help which are to be derived from above, they likewise fill the mind with strange notions, with an opinion of possessing superior light, and a contempt for their fellow-christians; and the preachers generally bring into disrepute those of the Clergy who differ with them; and thus make those persons in society judges for themselves, who have neither knowledge nor understanding capable of any thing more than of following the Spiritual Guide who is set over

them.

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To repel, then, the dangers arising from luke-warmness and enthusiasm, as well as from the dissemination of deistical principles, let us consider the means of defence which are in our hands. Of these the excellent Bishop mentions two, the necessity and use of which he discusses with great ability, as far as they can be discussed in so short a compass, and presses upon his 'Clergy with the most earnest and affectionate solicitude. The one is the constant residence of parochial ministers upon their cures; the other, the instruction of children in Sunday Schools. The necessity of the former appears very strongly from the slight remarks which have just been made. If one of the most powerful weapons in the hands of itinerant preachers, be the calumniating of the regu larly ordained and appointed parish priests, how is that weapon sharpened and made more dangerous by their being able to point out to parishioners the neglect of their Minister which is so visible that it must strike all of them? If the flock be always disposed to follow any intruder who expresses a concern for their welfare, what an additional advantage does he possess, when he can add to his own solicitude for them, the shameful indifference and desertion of their Shepherd? But not only should the parochial Clergy be constantly resident on their benefices; a consideration of their own duty, and a regard for the persous committed to their care, should lead them first to the diligent "discharge of their ordinary occupations and stated functions;" and secondly to "6 enter with zeal and with ardour into all the various private duties of the pastoral care."

In their public preaching, they should not despise the severe reflections which are constantly made, by persons who are not indeed authorized to make them; but whese sentiments are frequently just, and their censures sonictimes we fear well-founded. They may adopt, in some degree at least, the style by which the Calvinists, both within and without our Church, attract such crowded cougregations. They should consult the anderstanding, and as far as may be, the taste of their hearers; they should preach "out of the Scriptures," as they engage to do at their ordination; they should address themselves to the affections of their audience, not indeed in the rapturous and extravagant language of enthusiasm; but in the moving and animating style, of persons conviuced of the importance of the subject, and with that warmth of

piety which Christianity approves and excites. But in their private intercourse with their parishioners, they may have very great influence.

"For it is inconceivable how much may be done in this way how much vice and misery may be prevented, how much virtue and happiness may be produced, by a truly laborious, conscientious, exemplary clergyman, residing constantly on his benefice, whose great business and delight it is to advance the welfare and save the souls of his parishioners; who, like his blessed Master, goes about doing good, watching over his people with paternal tenderness and anxiety, conversing with them familiarly and affectionately, instructing them carefully and assiduously in the ground and foundation of their faith in Christ, and in the doctrines of that truly apostolical church in which they have the happiness to be born and educated; impressing strongly on their minds all the various duties of their high and heavenly calling, rebuking the bold impenitent offender, encouraging the humble and the penitent, seizing eagerly every opportunity, that sickness or misfortune or affliction affords, of softening and subduing their hearts with the power of religion, and inspiring them with a resolution to repel with vigour every attempt that shall be made to seduce them from their belief in the Gospel, and their allegiance to their heavenly Sovereign." pp. 5—6.

The effects which are likely to attend the exertion of the parochial Clergy, may be judged of in some measure from the behaviour of the lower classes in the course of the last war. The conduct of the Clergy during the perilous times when both Church and State were in the utmost danger, was truly deserving of the praise which the Bishop bestows upon it. "It was firm, steady, loyal, active, zealous in support of the constitution;" and to them, no doubt, must in a great measure be ascribed the successful opposition which was made to the most destructive principles that ever were introduced into the country; and the zealous spirit of loyalty, which was then excited, and again spreads itself through all the people of

the land.

The second obstacle which is to be opposed to the inroads of evil principles is the establishment of charityschools and Sunday schools, in which the children of the poor should be taught to read, and instructed in the first principles of religion. To this institution it is objected that a bad use may be made of it, and that this has actually happened. It is answered, that we must never argue against the use of any thing from any possi

bility

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