Monthly Review of Literature, 



guage that is, by leading them gradually, 

 through the medium of agreeable stories 

 impressed upon the memory, up to the 

 general priuciples of its grammar, instead 

 of adopting the old process of keeping 

 them for months among the cloudy heights 

 of those principles, uncheered by any 

 acquaintance with their familiar appli- 

 cation. 



The Spirit and Constitution of the 

 Church, in their Relation to the general 

 Welfare of the State, by the Rev. Charles 

 Mackie, M.A., Hector qfQuarley, Hants; 

 1827. The " Church " is of course the 

 hierarchy by law established. To demon- 

 strate the utility of this venerable insti- 

 tution beyond all dispute, is the purpose 

 of Mr. Mackie ; but to judge of the va- 

 lidity of the demonstration, we must first 

 glance slightly over his argument. He 

 takes a long reach, and begins with a 

 laborious confutation of a very senseless 

 objection which he thinks it worth while 

 to anticipate. First, does Christianity 

 countenance the distinctions and grada- 

 tions of society? Assuredly she does 

 Christianity and society have the same 

 divine origin. Society cannot exist with- 

 out some to rule, and some to be ruled 

 some to work, and some to be worked 

 for. Inevitably, and if so designedly, 

 some become rich and some poor. There- 

 fore Christianity sanctions these inequa- 

 lities of station, and shapes her directions 

 in accordance. There are virtues for the 

 rich, and virtues for the poor. She is no 

 enemy, therefore, to civilization none to 

 the farthest heights of which our nature 

 is capable ; for, in favourable positions, 

 progression in refinement is the course of 

 nature ; and Christianity springing from 

 the author aud source of nature, as was 

 said, sanctions, and applauds, aud acce- 

 lerates the career of refinement. 



Well, but looking to the records of 

 history, has not the course of civilization 

 been first to culminate, and then rapidly 

 to decline; and what but the same cycle 

 of events have we to expect ? We have 

 now risen to a height of refinement, per- 

 haps beyond the point, which any nation 

 the world ever saw has reached. May we 

 not then must we not expect a declen- 

 sion even more striking, and more rapid ? 

 No, says Mr. Mackie, with unhesitating 

 confidence ; like causes produce indeed 

 like etiects ; but like causes are not ope- 

 rating now ; at least, if like causes are 

 operating, another and a powerful cause 

 is operating also, which must of course 

 have a powerful influence on the complex 

 effect. In the declensions, to which his- 

 tory refers us, the check, which Chris- 

 tianity, or rather the Church, for that is 

 Mr. Mackie 1 !* point, presents, did not 

 exist. The church then it is consisting, 

 as it does, of a myriad of most learned, 



most moral, most active, most influential 

 persons which spreads the conservative 

 principle through the corruptible mass of 

 society, and must for ever obstruct the 

 ebbings of prosperity. The church then 

 it is, which it is the paramount interest 

 of society to support the church, in its 

 integrity, unentrenched upon in power, 

 and privilege, and emolument. 



To preserve this sacred institution in 

 its most effective state is an object wor- 

 thy, nay, demanding the most solicitous 

 attention. It is the sheet-anchor of so- 

 ciety ; and on the strength and tenacity 

 of its hold the wise statesman must wholly, 

 and then he may securely, confide. But 

 is it really the church of these happy 

 realms, that is to work this salvation for 

 us ? Why, what is the characteristic of 

 an efficient church ? Is it not an order 

 of men set apart for the service of reli- 

 gion, and not only a body so set apart, 

 but a body consisting of different grada- 

 tions of rank of bishops and archbishops, 

 priests aud prebendaries, deacons aud 

 archdeacons of persons calculated, some 

 by their acquirements, and some by their 

 purses, to influence every rank and sta- 

 tion of life bishops for the great, priests 

 for the middle ranks, and curates for the 

 poor? Does not the English church con- 

 sist of these gradations corresponding to 

 the gradations of society ; and if each be 

 conservative of each, will not the whole 

 be conservative of the whole ? The thing 

 is beyond dispute. Christianity demands 

 a church a church of gradations ; such 

 a church is the sole protection against the 

 relapses of civilization ; we have this pro- 

 tection an efficient church, and so long, 

 of course, as this church exists, we are 

 insured against ruin. Let us guard it 

 then as the apple of our eye as the sine 

 qua non of existence. 



Now assuredly we are not the persons 

 to deny the moral efficacy of the establish- 

 ment, but we have long felt deeply the 

 conviction, that this establishment what- 

 ever might be its merits, and we are ready 

 to allow them, in spite of all counter 

 balances, to be great was not so perfect 

 as to admit of no possible amendment. In 

 our simplicity, we had rashly supposed the 

 inequalities of the church looking at it 

 as a body of teachers, all of equal preten- 

 sions, from all of whom certainly the same 

 qualifications were demanded were al- 

 most intolerable; we looked with a jea- 

 lous eye on pluralities; and thought it 

 hard, peculiarly hard, that no access to 

 advancement existed, but through the 

 gates of political influence, or private and 

 family interest especially when the doors 

 of other professions were barred against 

 the unsuccessful candidate for ecclesias- 

 tical distinctions. Little did we expect 

 to find the tables turned upon us, as Mr. 



