and the Bishops themselves can bear me witness that many of the sentiments are not now for the first time adopted, but that on former occasions I have expressed them, (particularly three years ago,) and have most earnestly cautioned them upon what would happen, if they would not "forestall levellers in church and state," by a judicious reform. In Ireland, to be sure, they had some excuse, as they might naturally attribute much of their weakness there to the absence of poor laws; but in England, what will history say of their apathy, even till the eleventh hour? They saw the thing working worse and worse every year; they saw the Dissenters, (whom I have always considered, from their very ecclesiastical polity, more dangerous than the Papists, as witness the infatuated malignity of the Irish Dissenters in not joining the communion of the church against their common danger;) they saw them increasing every year; and, after the Corporation and Test Acts were repealed, they knew, or might have known, that many of them threw off their former comparatively decent language, and uttered language almost more virulent than the language of the Puritans of old ;* they saw all this, and

* To witness myself what I had heard from others, I remember attending a meeting of Dissenters at the London Coffee House. I think the name of the meeting was the "Society for promoting Ecclesiastical Knowledge." But let them beware! The church they so much hate, is their only protection: if that is destroyed, the Deists, who, as "wise in their generation," advocated the repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts, would then turn their batteries against them, and through infidel schemes of national education, and other means, would try to crush them. I ought to know something of Deists and Materialists; and the Dissenters may rest assured, that, next to people of their own sentiments, they, in their hearts, respect sincere churchmen, though it suits their political views to pretend to hate them; whereas they have a greater contempt for the Dissenters, (as Sir Andrew Agnew must now know,) than for the believers in the Roman Catholic faith, many of whom they think sincere, however mistaken, though, on account of the republican tendency of the dissenting systems, and their influence among women, they find it convenient to keep up a temporary alliance with them. Therefore, if religious arguments are thrown away upon them, they had as well look to their worldly interests a little, that is, if they are not Deists in disguise, and, to propagate their tenets, care not about consequences. There appears, however, to be a gratifying exception to the general shortsightedness of the Dissenters among some of the Wesleyan Methodists: if they are wise, they will not lose a moment in trying to arrange minor differences with the church, and join her against the common enemy. Let a conference of six theologians, (three of the church,) meet, and examine into the antiquity of any peculiar Wesleyan doctrines, if there be any; or, if their quarrel is only about discipline, let them

yet seemed to regard as enemies rather than friends (Galatians iv. 16) those that "told them the truth" about their danger! But enough of this, here. In some instances, the reader will think, perhaps, that I have gone too far for my own arguments about local injuries. My answer is, that I have endeavoured to propose such an arrangement, as may inflict the smallest amount of local hardship, in restoring the church to a healthier state, (and surely, for such benefit, to grudge the necessary price of some temporary inconvenience, would look as unhandsome as for an individual bishop, after illness, to grudge the payment of his medical attendants.) In some few dioceses, the plan I have proposed might, I think, be completed very soon; and in the others, when the old leases fell in, and the church lands were let at the usual annual rents, I think the plan might become general; and this way of doing only at first what the property of each diocese admitted of, would be a simpler, and a shorter, mode of accomplishing the whole, than throwing the whole into one common fund, and equally dividing it as far as it allowed, which would that way be infinitely too small, and produce the overwhelming amount of local injuries I have, in the preceding remarks, so earnestly deprecated; and it should be added, that one diocese speedily completed, forms a model for the rest. Upon the whole, therefore, I think the only practicable way is to take church property, not as sufficient for all future purposes, but as so much capital to start with, which, in that view, is of immense amount. Perhaps no one can tell what bishops', chapter, and college lands might be made fairly worth; but I suspect that, in two or three dioceses at least, the rental would in time be five or six times as much as the average of bishops' incomes, according to the present plan. In a little time, if the thing seemed to work well, the credit of the church would be sufficient to enable it to resort to a loan to complete the plan sooner. I have endeavoured to make our cathedral establishments subservient to the best interests of the public, as well as inducements to young students to distinguish

consider the suggestions made by different authors of late, and so be confirmed in, or be weaned from, (the pride of human nature notwithstanding,) their peculiar notions.

themselves; and the great advantages which, I conceive, towns, under such plan, would derive from having cathedral establishments, supersede all regret at thinking it necessary to increase their number; and I flatter myself that, among sincere Christians, there will be but one opinion upon the utility of the inducements I propose to hold out to the faithful performers of the more laborious colonial, missionary, and gaol duties. Of Ireland I have said as little as possible, united as the two churches are, beyond the necessary mention of its representation in parliament, and one or two other things. It is better now not to go over that ground again, as so recently there has been a parliamentary arrangement made about it, which I sincerely hope may turn out as satisfactory to all parties as I am willing to believe it was well intended. I will only make these two remarks, first, that leaving the number of Irish sees as in the bill alluded to, the rest of my plan about the liturgy, discipline, &c., might be adopted; and, secondly, I would tell Dr. Doyle, (who once did, in a manner such as it was, suggest the idea of his, and the Established Church, arranging their differences,) I would tell him to well consider which will have the best eventual chance, if the Protestant Church in Ireland falls-the Pope, the Dissenters, or the Deists! For my part, I have no doubt of the latter being the successful party.

But, in forming these alterations in the ecclesiastical polity of this country, I have endeavoured to look at other and very extensive objects than those immediately connected with ourselves. We see no small prospect of Mahometanism being destined to one day give place to the Greek, or Russian, branch of the Catholic Church-a church, however sound in some things, yet, in the opinion of Protestants, containing many things not to be defended. On the other hand, no sincere Protestant can consistently suppose that the doctrine of the infallibility of the Pope, which virtually makes the story, of its being revealed to St. Bridget, that our Saviour, when scourged by Pilate, received five thousand stripes, an integral part of the Roman Catholic faith, can for ever prevail in now Roman Catholic countries against the spread of intelligence now existing, or that common sense will not, sooner or later, revolt against that clumsy division of the tenth command

ment into two, to make up for the omission of the second,* or, in short, that it will not revolt against numberless things in the peculiar doctrines of the Roman branch of the church. I have therefore wished to propose such a Polity, and Liturgy, as may, should an Austrian, or Russian, or Spanish, Henry the Eighth arise, do so much in the way of suggestion as to cause any of the churches of the countries I have named, or even the See of Rome itself, perhaps ages hence, to be reformed for the present, as well as future good, not injury, of religion in general, and of rational civil government. (It is well known that some of the original reformers were soon afterwards very sensible of their omissions in this respect, and Calvin, with all his fanaticism, seems to have been only prevented by death from trying to remedy them.) If my plan is good for this country, it is good for other countries; and we all ought to deplore disunion, being commanded, whenever we can conscientiously do so, to be "of one mind, and of one judgment," and to "speak the same thing.

The reader will observe the importance I have attached to choral music. I have no doubt of its being permitted to be one of the various means, (I mean Sacraments, Prayers, study of the Scriptures, &c.,) for softening the hard heart of man towards God, and his fellow-creatures. It was so highly esteemed from the commencement of the christian era, that we find our Lord and his apostles countenancing it; we find, at comparatively a late period after, St. John choosing it as the figure under which to represent the joys of heaven, as he chooses fire under which to represent the torments of hell; and we find the first Bishop of Jerusalem, St. James, justifying, on spiritual grounds of course, the unreasonably decried custom of oratorios, or concerts of sacred music: "Is any merry? Let him sing psalms." (St. James v. 13.-The reader will remember the comprehensive meaning of the word " psalms.")

With regard to the other liturgical suggestions, I have taken all the pains I could to alter nothing merely for the sake of change, but to give all due preference to antiquity, which, I flatter myself, I have rather approached than de

*I do not know the extent of the practice; but I have seen Irish Manuals to the effects mentioned.

parted from. The preface to our Prayer Books condemns "too much stiffness in refusing, and too much easiness in admitting any variation from it." Both these extremes I trust I have avoided, as much as could be done consistently with avoiding "vain repetitions," (Matthew vi. 7,) naturally arising from using as one service what were intended for three distinct services; and it will be found, that I have not hesitated to propose any thing I thought defensible, merely in accordance with these mean and unscriptural whims, which would refuse to give credit, where credit is due, and which, carried on consistently to their legitimate length, would lead us to deny the existence of a God, from fear (forsooth!) of being thought to resemble the Roman Catholics.

In conclusion, I beg the reader's indulgence, on account of the unavoidable hurry of this work, and the great variety of subjects, and important considerations, connected with it.