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ing letter, and to Dr. Ofwald for his valuable prefent. The fundamental principle of his Appeal is not only right, but of the greatest importance, and he hath treated the subject with great justice and perfpicuity; great mildness and decency towards thofe whom he confutes, great feriousness and propriety towards thofe whom he exhorts. I long to fee that application of his doctrine to the primary truths of revealed religion particularly, which, in his conclufion, he fignifies his intention of making; for the fhort fpecimens of it which he hath given in one or two places, only excite defires of more. His Sermon is an excellent one. The Letters which follow it are incomparable, and inexpreffibly adapted to the present state of these nations. But though their connection with the Sermon is very natural, I want to have them freed from it, and printed feparately, that they may get into more hands, and be confidered by thofe who difdain to read fermons. God be thanked for the many good performances in fupport of religion which we have had from Scotland, whilft the English clergy feemed of late to fail of contributing their fhare! Dr. Ofwald's language is no lefs pure and elegant than his fentiments are juft and ftriking. In fome few places he ufes will and would, where an Englishman would fay shall and fhould; as in Appeal, p. 138, 139, 164, 300, 305. Letter II. p. 353. Sermon, p. 39, 40. Letter VIII. p. 35, twice; and, on the other hand, fhall where we should fay will, Appeal, p. 163. But our manner of speaking may appear as wrong to you, as your's to us; and perhaps there is no fure ground in the nature of the language for prefer ring either. Inftead of fet afide, p. 153, which amongst us fignifies not employing, we would fay Jet apart, which intimates a purpofe of employing; but this is altogether arbitrary. Sustain, Letter II. p. 53, and elsewhere, I believe is a term of law in Scotland of merely the fame meaning with maintain. We alfo ufe the word, but not in the fame sense. Give me leave to afk the two perfons meant in the Appeal, p. 38. I defire you and Dr. Ofwald to accept each of you a copy of the little matters which I have printed: my bookfeller will fend them down to you. The doctor and I have spoken fomewhat differently of Charles I. and I think may allow one another fo to do. Your faithful friend and fervant, THO. CANT,"

. Lambeth, Sept. 10, 1767.

"An Appeal to Common Sense, in Behalf of Religion," 8vo. 1767. Printed at Edinburgh.

A

Mifcellanies.

LETTERS to a YOUNG GENTLEMAN, &c.

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LETTER V.

Some further Remarks on Reading; and on adminiftering

I

the Sacraments.

AM pleased, my dear brother, with the fatisfaction you exprefs at my last: Your remarks upon my hint refpecting decency of drefs and appearance, are very juft; and the inftances you mention of the disgusting effects of a difregard to it, are very ftriking,

Happening to dip into bishop Burnet's Paftoral Care, I fell upon a paffage, which will ferve to ftrengthen what I have urged in other parts of that letter: "From his study, fays the bishop, I go next to the public functions of the clergyman: he muft bring his mind to an inward and feeling fenfe of thofe things which are prayed for in our offices: that will make him pronounce them with an equal measure of gravity and affection, and with a due flowness and emphafis. Í do not love the theatrical way of the church of Rome, in which it is a great ftudy and a long practice to learn in every one of their offices, how they ought to compose their looks, gefture, and voice: yet a light wandering of the eyes, and a hafty running through the prayers, are things highly unbecoming: they do very much leffen the majesty of the worfhip, and give our enemies advantage to call it dead and formal, when they fee plainly, that he who officiates, is dead and formal in it. A deep fenfe of the things prayed for, a true recollection and attention of spirit, and a holy earnestness of foul, will give a compofure to the looks, and a weight to the pronunciation, which will be tempered between affectation on the one hand, and levity on the other."

Before I attend you to the pulpit, and from thence, as I propofe, to the chambers of the fick, permit me to offer a

few

few hints refpecting the administration of the Sacraments, and the other public offices. If you are caft into a parifh where the indecent practice of baptizing at home prevails, you will do well, candidly and fully to reprefent your objections to your people, as well from the pulpit as in ordinary discourfe, where you have an opportunity. After which, if they chufe to perfift in the method, it will be better quietly and peaceably to acquiefce, than to make any obstinate refiftance, which will produce no good effects, and will tend only to your uneafinefs and difquietude. Whether you baptize in the church or at home, keep up by all means that awful seriousness, which our office is fo well calculated to exprefs and in particular, addrefs the fponfors, with the utmost folemnity, to give them a proper fenfe of the important duty which they undertake; and which alas! is in general fo fhamefully neglected! A bow or curtfey implies affent, it is true, as much as yes, or no; but I could wish, that in conformity to the office, you would always demand the answers from the fponfors; which are weighty, and which, perhaps, gravely delivered, may lead fome of them to think. You will do well too, if poffible, to throw in a word or two, where you can with propriety, upon this point; and to that end it might not be amifs to be provided with fome little tract on this subject, to give away to your parishioners, whom I doubt not you will take care to advise of this duty, from the pulpit. Perhaps to a neglect of it, and to the abfurd manner in which it is generally performed, much of the present neglect of religion may be affigned. A fponfor now is feldom confidered in any other light than as a person who will make fuch and fuch prefents! Scandalous abuse!

The anxiety fo obfervable in people to have their children baptized, and their folicitude, in cafes of danger, to obtain this Sacrament for them, will give you many good opportunities to imprefs upon their minds the high obligations which this important facrament lays upon all Chriftians: and the baptifmal vow will be a topic always proper and always forcible to urge with your people.

You cannot be too frequent or too earneft in recommending to your parishioners, a conftant and regular attendance upon the bleffed Sacrament of the Eucharift. It is the higheft duty in which Chriftians can engage: and I know not, for my part, how any of those who affume that venerable name, can imagine themselves excufable for their negiect of so positive and fo neceffary a duty. In the admi

niftering

niftering of it, my dear Brother, your own fincerity and piety will lead you, I truft, to that demeanour, which is requifite for fo folemn a fervice. Be careful to avoid the leaft inattention here; let your whole deportment shew, that your heart is entirely engaged in the fervice. The office for the Communion is one of the finest compofitions I am acquainted with: and it cannot fail to influence the minds of the hearers with proper affections, if it be repeated with that feriousness and attention which it fo well deferves. Study it, and endeavour to attune your foul to thofe feelings of contrition and joy, which it is fo well calculated to raise; and if your foul feels, certain it is, that your voice will exprefs thofe feelings with due modulation. A certain tragedian excels all his cotemporaries in acting, because he excels them all in feeling.-Happy Chriftian minifter, who so excels! For the feelings of a Christian may well be avowed!

Let the order and method of your Communion be settled with the utmost exactnefs, that there may be no confufion or interruption in the fervice: and endeavour to preserve through the whole, the greatest decency and seriousness, as well in yourself as in every thing around.

For the other parts of your function, make it a rule, my dear Brother, never to perform them carelessly this will lead to bad habits. When you bury the body of the meaneft pauper, do not, as fome are apt, huddle over the fervice 'with an unfeemly neglect; but confider yourself, as committing to the duft, the body of a fellow creature, and as addreffing the great God of all flesh. And I am fure there are fome fentences in the Burial-fervice, which will bear the most frequent repeating; and from which a man may be the better every time he repeats them.

The cafe is this: Every eye can difcern a perfunctory difcharge of duty: fuch a difcharge is odious in a clergyman, whofe duties are all, ferious. Remember this; and remember, that in all, you are acting for God:-and then you will never do amiss.'

I am ever, yours, &c.

J. G.

VINDICATION OF THE CLERGY.

IN

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S

SIR,

MAGAZINE.

N common with your correfpondent Clericus, pp. 174179, of your last month's magazine, I confider your mifcellany "as a repofitory of every hint and obfervation that regards the honour and the comfort of the established clergy;" and permit me alfo to add, the profperity and wellbeing of the established religion. Under this idea, I efteem it as an invaluable treasure to every fincere orthodox churchman, who has the honour of his master Jesus Christ, and the purity of his religion, at heart. In this light it has been confidered by me from its first commencement, and its claims to regard and confideration, appear to me to increase with time. I fpeak this, Mr. Editor, in the truth and fimplicity of my heart, and I wish it were valued by all my brethren as much as it is by me.

Your correfpondent, Clericus, hath in his letter made fome very fenfible obfervations on feveral late acts relating. to the clergy, which have given me the more pleafure, becaufe I perfectly agree with him in opinion; and had intended fending you fomething of the fame kind myself, had not his letter in a great measure made it now unneceffary, However, a remark or two on the subject may not be altogether useless.

To take off any prejudice, which the fignature I intend on this occafion to affume may otherwife create, allow me to ftate that I am not only A Country Vicar, but a refident one alfo; and, ftill further, that I refide from the twofold confideration of duty, and the pleasure which I have in the performance of that duty; independent of any bias from the operation of penal ftatutes.

There are two things, Sir, which I have feen for a long time paft in the conduct of the legislature refpecting the established religion, with the deepest forrow and regret: one is, the apparent defign of our governors to depreciate the minifters of the established religion in the eyes of the public, by degrading and severe ftatutes; the other, that prinX X

VOL. XIV.'

Chm. Mag. May 1808.

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