what greater evil can arife? Nay, confinement must lower and debase the fentiments and principles of the clergy themfelves and whatever does fo, muft materially hurt the fpring which fets in motion all the most valuable efforts of the good paftor. Let a peaceable and modeft man be ever fo fubmiflive to authority, his mind under confinement, cannot have that noble energy, that divine love of beneficence, which a confcioufnefs of freedom and choice would constantly supply. As a member of the Church of England I fhould be the lefs afraid to hazard the experiment of liberty, as I think it may have been faid to have been already tried, (that is, freedom from restraints of governors) and as it does not appear that the mischiefs of it (though liberty will always be attended with many abuses) did in reality occafion the present law; or that they were greater than confinement would have occafioned. As I conceive the matter, the law of Refidence made under Henry VIII. would have grown fufficiently obfolete to give liberty, had it not been for fome litigious, revengeful, or interested informers. And to counteract fuch worthless people was the real defign of the prefent law: but to prevent vexatious law-fuits is, in effect, to defend liberty, or prevent its being punished. When a law was to be made, it might be thought proper and decent to regulate Refidence, and endeavour to correct abufes (for abufes certainly did, and always will exift); but I would submit, whether a new law would ever have been made, if worthy, well-meaning clergymen had not been haraffed by ill-meaning informers: though the liberty enjoyed from those in authority might be confidered as unreftrained.. It seems to me as if the abolition of Pluralities would have more effect in producing ufeful Refidence, that is, in answering the profeffed end and defign of the act before us, than any regulation which it contains. Yet pluralities it exprefsly and carefully maintains. (fect 40. as I understand it.) Men are often ready to urge, that a ftrict examination of a law under confideration is needlefs, becaufe that law would not be rigorously put in execution. And it is, I grant, frequently a better method to let a law fall into difufe, than to repeal it exprefsly: but this, I think, is only in the case of antiquated laws, the repeal of which would, in fome way, hurt the habitual feelings or notions of fome well-meaning perfons; the prefent law, being quite new, has got no hold of men's minds; nor has it any inveterate prejudices in its favour; neither, though the whole magiftracy of the country were were inclined to let it drop into difufe, could that happen: it could never become obsolete for the same reason that the old law of Henry VIII. never became obfolete, because interested or malicious men, will always have motives for profecuting, whilft they can get a fine. Were the whole power of cenfuring lodged in difinterested and enlightened judges, I verily believe that the present law would gradually fall into total neglect, if it were not repealed; but unhappily it conftitutes thofe perfons its prefervers, who have no legislative wisdom, nor any love for the public welfare, nor any concern for the interefts of religion. And in fuch a cafe, every degree of liberty, allowed by the wifest and beft men in authority, acts only as a fnare, and as a temptation to incur danger and lofs. How foon the penalties of the prefent law will be neglected by those in authority, must probably depend upon a fort of experiment: if the evils of relaxation prove great and fcandalous, the penalties may fometimes be levied; if not, the rulers of the church will probably, by degrees, pass them over unnoticed. And now, fir, I will conclude. I may have thrown out notions which I may hereafter wish to correct; nay, I am perfuaded, that fome of my friends, if I had opportunity of confulting them, would now correct fome things, though I know not which. Your correfpondents must supply their place: they have fhewn, in many inftances, how friends who thoroughly efteem each other, may entertain different opinions, and exprefs diffent inoffenfively. There is a great difference between writing one's own thoughts, as they occur; and deciding finally, on a careful review, and advice of judicious correctors. I am confcious that my meaning is good; that I have no defire to excite difcontent, even had I the power. I am a peaceful and obedient fubject, in church and state: but as those who make laws, are ufually in the great and busy world, fome things may poffibly efcape their notice, which may occafion actual difficulties to those, whose business it is to carry theory into practice. (96) ANECDOTES OF SKELTON. TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE. I SIR, WAS greatly delighted, and I hope much edified, by the perufal of the interefting memoir of Philip Skelton, which appeared in fome of your former volumes. Having fince met with the life and correfpondence of Richardfon, who was Skelton's printer and friend, I was particularly pleafed with fome notices refpecting that excellent man, contained in the letters of the Rev. Smythe Loftus, and as it is probable that many of your readers may not have feen the work, the following extracts will afford them an agreeable amusement. "I hope foon" fays Mr. Loftus, in his letter from Dublin, June 20, 1757, "to meet our common friend Skelton at Killian, my brother's country place. The good man is very well, and the diftreffes of his people by this hard feafon, have only ferved to fhew forth his uncommon virtue. He is very unhappily fituated in one of the wildest counties in this ifland, where he has nothing but a collection of very low working people, and thefe, by the badness of the last harvest, and the deftruction that a mighty storm made of their corn, have long fince been driven to the greatest diftrefs, without any one to help them but himself. To do this, he forgave thofe who were poor (almost the whole of his parish) their tythe of last year; he laid out what money he had to buy corn for them; he borrowed twenty pounds, which was all he could get; he fold off thirteen pounds worth of his books, and he has fent four hundred volumes more (the only treafure he has) to Dublin, to be fold for them, and has left himself but about two hundred more, which he cannot poffibly do without." In a letter from Dublin dated August 3, 1757, Mr Loftus fays, "I was disappointed in my hopes of meeting my friend Skelton at my brother's country place; he wrote to me that he could not leave his poor people till the harvest was come in, and in that mountainous and cold country that this would would not be till the month of September. He tells me that he has the extreme pleasure of not having one perfon loft in his parish, nor one family broke, by this dear and ftarving feafor; and all this has he been enabled to do by his own flender means, and the additional bounty of about fifty pounds, which he got from others, when he had a large diftrict to take care of, that was filled with a number of low and very poor people; and he was forced to fend twenty of thirty miles for the oatmeal which he distributed among them.' It appears by a letter dated May 16, 1758, that Clayton, the Arian bishop, who endeavoured to fet afide the Nicene and Athanafian Creeds, was a perfecutor of Mr. Skelton for no other reason than this, that Skelton adhered like an honest man to the Articles which both he and his lordship had fubfcribed. The circumftance is curious and it shews that with all their outery against high-church rigour, and orthodox severity, thefe liberal-minded and rational Chriftians, as they call themselves, can be both oppreffive and intolérant when they have the power. "I am in great hopes" fays Mr. Loftus "that the death of the late bishop of Clogher, will be a real advantage to our friend Skelton. That gentleman grew to be a great enemy to him, for no other reafon but because he was not of his principles, and occafioned much disturbance to him from the heads of his parishioners; but his fucceffor Mr. Garnet, is of a quite different character; and as he has the general repute of a worthy man, I make no doubt but he will remove Skelton to a parish that will be fitter for the display of thofe extraordinary talents which God has bleffed him with. Our friend is adored by the lower rank of his ple, but those few of the better fort who have injured him, are therefore irreconcileable to him, and plague him as much as they can; which to a mind fo fenfible as his is, gives a great deal of vexation." peo In his last letter, dated November 23, 1758, Mr. Loftus fays, 66 All my pleafing expectations of meeting my friend Skelton in the country this laft fummer were difappointed. I need not fay how much to my regret. There has been a long intimacy between us, ever fince we were together in the college, and by a feries of mutual good offices, it has grown into a fettled friendfhip. I was detained fo long in Ο Vol. XIII. Churchm. Mag. for Auguß 1807. town town by various accidents, that when I went down his time was over, and he could not then come to me; we have not met for fome years, and now he writes me word that he believes we shall never have a meeting in this world. I was in hopes to have fent you the good news that he was removed to a more pleasant and pofitable fituation, and one that was fitter for his great talents. His bifhop has had a good parish vacant for fome time, and I hoped that it was defigned for him, but I have been mistaken. He has another scheme in his view, which I am very forry for. The poor man's health is, I know, much injured by his low fpirits. A continual application to study is impoffible to man, and he has not a foul in his parifh, or within ten of your miles, to converfe with, and he will fooner die among his people than leave them to the care of another. "There is not I am perfuaded, a better parish minister upon earth; and you will, I believe, think with me, that I can hardly give him a greater character." Between Skelton and that extraordinary genius Henry Brooke, there long fubfifted the closest friendship. Their souls were indeed perfectly congenial. On the death of Mr. Brooke, Skelton wrote the following epitaph:. Here lies a casket which of late refign'd Three jewels brighter than the folar beam! It is a pity that the Sermons, and the Deifm Revealed, by this worthy man and vigorous writer, are not re-published. I am &c. IOTA. ON ALTERATIONS IN THE LITURGY, &e. TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S IN SIR, MAGAZINE. 'N Mr. Pearfon's letter to the right hon. Mr. Percival, lately published, there are certainly many things which |