66

66

"His advice to young noblemen and gentlemen, "who by their parents commands reforted daily to him, "was always this; let it be your principal care to become "honeft men, and afterwards be as devout and religious as you will. No piety will be of any advantage to yourfelves or any body elfe, unless you are honeft and moral men. He had a great averfion to all pretences of extraordinary piety, which covered real difhonefty; but had a "fincere affection for thofe, whofe religion was attended "with integrity of manners. His worthy notions of reli"gion meeting with an excellent temper in him, gave him "that even tranquillity of mind, by which he was fill himfelf, and always the fame in adverfity, as well as profperity; and neither over-rated nor despised life, nor feared "nor wished for death, but lived agreeably to himself and "others.

66

66

"From this tranquillity of mind naturally arofe a courteous "behaviour. His converfation was eafy; he never fent any man away difcontented; among his domestics he "was both pleafant and grave, and governed his family with "authority and courtefy.' Bishop Burnet does not give him fo favourable a character: he allows him a great quicknefs of apprehenfion, and a very true judgment. He afferts him to be a generous and charitable man, of a very pleasant converfation, perhaps, fays he, too pleasant, and of the moft obliging manners. But, fays he, he seemed not to have a deep fenfe of religion, if any at all. *

What the bishop means by this is hard to guefs, unless it was as the authors of the Biographia Britannica twery fhrewdly fufpect, because he did not cant about it fo much as bishop Burnet and perfons of his cast,

*Hist. of his own time, v. 1. p. 147. + Biog. Brit. Art. Sheldon Rem, N,

Mifcellanies.

ACT FOR RESIDENCE OF THE CLERGY.

H

(Concluded from p. 14.)

AVING then taken a view of the particular provisions of our legislature for fecuring a due Refidence of the clergy, it will be the lefs prefumptuous to take a more comprehenfive view, firft of the Act, and next of the subject of clerical Refidence, independent of written laws.

With regard to the Act, taken upon the whole, there feems reafon to apprehend, that it may prove, in practice, more favourable to the higher ranks than to the lower. Should that be the cafe, it would be hurtful, as far as it did fo, to the public; befides that its depreffing the lower ranks, if only comparatively, fhould be itself accounted an evil. Generally speaking, clergy taken out of the higher ranks, as younger fons of nobility, who not unfrequently become nobles themselves, will have more favour with bifhops than clergy of the lower ranks; every one being naturally most inclined to favour, and moft averfe to affront or disgust, those with whom he has the most intercourse. And perfons of rank will be the leaft afraid of asking favours of bifhops, as they will gain the greatest attention, and will be the leaft degraded and enslaved by accepting them.-To produce inftances in which any particular bishop has refufed to give way to the folicitations of rank (and fuch inftances might be produced) would not materially affect this general reafoning. Then as clergymen of great families moft eafily rife to dignities and chapter preferments, fuch clergymen would, by thofe dignities, be drawn from country or even from town, benefices, and from parochial duty in general. How far younger fons of great families enter the church as a provifion, must be left to every man's private judgment to determine; but any thing that tended to fet perfons of fashion above parochial duties, and to lay their burthens

upon

upon those of inferior rank, however learned, able, and pious they might be, would excite a very hurtful kind of ambition and affectation in the church, and would leffen the respect due to every thing facred, amongst the people at Jarge.

The A&t before ùs feems to want a proper power of remitting punishment, when circumftances occur, fo favourable to the non-refident, that every candid perfon would wish to have him excufed. Suppose, for inftance, a rector to have been non-refident very nearly three months, and to return home with a full intention to refide the remainder of the year. A parent falls ill at a great diftance; a will of the deceased friend requires him to undertake the important duty of an Executor in his earneftness to perform the most interesting duties of humanity, he flies to the fpot where his presence is required. There he is detained by bufinefs of moment; perhaps in the end by illness. Is fuch a man to be punished? I cannot fuppofe his diocefan unwilling to excuse him, but has he the power? So unable are we to forefee all circumstances, that I cannot conceive any penal law to be perfect, which does not provide fuch a power of remitting punishment occafionally as our English law lodges in the crown.*-Nor can it be faid, that every rector should always leave fome part of his liberty unused, as a provifion for fuch cafes; then no rector would ever have three months liberty; for our parents are always liable to fickness, and our friends to death. Nor could any moderate time, fet afide with fuch a view, enfure the purpose for which it was forfeited; it might, after all, be infufficient to fatisfy very preffing obligations. Perhaps the Act may contain fome power of remiffion, which may have escaped my notice; in fuch cafe (which indeed may occur repeatedly) a candid remark of a more attentive reader may occafion what has been fomewhat obfcure, to be brought into full view. Section zo trufts much to the bifhop's lenity and difcretion, but if any one fued the rector for non-refidence, be his excufe ever fo good, I do not fee that the diocefan can flop the fuit, or that the judge can leflon the penalty.-Before this law was made, the judges fometimes expreffed reluctance to put the

Bellers, Book S. Part 1. sect 5. makes Remissions, &c. a necessary part of civil government. The subject he thus proposes; "Of the nature and use of Remissions or Suspensions, of punishment, and absolute Pardons, with their proper objects and laws in general."

old

old law in execution, but they wanted power of remiffion. -With whom fuch power should be lodged, respecting clerical non-refidence, a private man muft not prefume to advise. Poffibly in fuch diftreffes as have juft now been proposed, a rector might foon get a Licence; yet if his excufe was not one of those specified in lection 19. it would have to pafs through the hands of the archbishop's officers; and whether it had or not, it might come too late.

After this view of the Act, we may proceed to the fubje& of Refidence, confidered only in itfelf. We may fuppofe the Act never to have been made; and only the question to be, whether Incumbents fhould be confined by a law to refide upon their benefices. On fuch a question let us endeavour to find out what reafon and utility would dictate.

I think there is a Fallacy which is apt to obtrude itself upon the minds of many worthy perfons. Seeing the very great benefits which accrue to a parish from the voluntary Refidence of a good paftor, properly appointed, they too haftily conclude, that the fame benefits would refult from forced Refidence. But furely thofe advantages upon which fo high and fo juft value is fet, do not arife mechanically from mere Refidence, but from the difpofition of him who refides. Now the difpofition of one who confcientiously refides upon his benefice, and makes his chief pleasure to confift in doing good to thofe committed to his care, is widely different from that of the man who must be compelled to Refidence by law. I pity from my foul the taste of him who can prefer the frivolous fauntering of Bath, or the uninterefting confufion and perpetual buffle of those who live in London for the fake of amufement, to the folid fatisfaction of feeing a set of parishioners continually improving in every virtue; and finding them repay, by fincere respect and attachment, every kind endeavour to inftruct, and direct and affift them; but at the fame time, if a patron will fo far betray his truft as, through indirect motives, to appoint a man to a benefice who has no turn for paftoral duties, no relifh for fimplicity, plain fenfe, useful knowledge, and unaffuming benevolence and fidelity, it by no means follows, that I think it advisable for such a one to be fettered in a fituation for which he is wholly difqualified; where he would enjoy nothing; and would do no good, except what might accidentally arife from his fpending fome money; but where he would do great harm, by his manner of life, and by his falling fhort of what was reasonably expected from him, by the fenfible and worthy part of his parish.

A rector

A rector who has been fo mifplaced as to be named to a benefice, the duties of which he hates, will do lefs moral and religious harm by fending a regular and conscientious Curate to refide, than by refiding himself. Indeed, whatever evils arife, in fuch a cafe, are really chargeable on the Patron; and it seems a species of injuftice to punish others for his fault, even though they be blameable. But if fuch a rector must be tied to Refidence, confider what is the kind of life which he may be expected to lead. He has no relish for fuch intercourfe with his parishioners as has a tendency to improve their conduct, or their fentiments and principles of action: if therefore he is focial, he will pass his time in convivial entertainments with thofe chiefly who do not belong to his parish; in idle vifitings, and fruitless diverfions:-if he is not careffed in fociety, he will fall into folitary lounging and unprofitable reading; nay, poffibly into pernicious indulgencies of various forts. It may be urged, that fuch a one has leifure to improve himself and others; fuch as would be highly valued by many men in active life; but it is not leisure that makes men good authors or preachers, if they have not a right fpring or energy of mind; which it is very difficult to maintain when nothing preffes to be done. With moft men leisure should be occafional, to answer any good end; at intervals, and after they have learned its value by experience. In vulgar minds leifure tends to relaxation or ftagnation, if not to peevishness or fottifhnefs. To make the minds of the generality of men active, there fhould be fomething animating; fome emulation, fome applaufe, &c. with accefs to good books and good converfation. The rector who ftudies and enjoys the improvements of his parishioners, is in no danger of wanting employment; whereas, he who lives amongst them without fuch a turn, will find his leisure of very little fervice; if not an evil upon the whole.

One might obferve generally, that many things are to be defred, which it would be very dangerous to force: and amongst moralifts, as I recollect, it is a general principle, not to confine men in things where it would be very desirable that they should confine themselves, left the evils arifing from refraint fhould in fact prove greater than thofe arifing from abufe of liberty. Thus fome laws are lax, or loosely executed, against Fornication, in order not to impell men to offences fill more abhorred. Indeed the Divine Governor of the world feems to juflify fome degree of patience and toleration, by not depriving men of their liberty, even when