16ti The Cabinet Novel. [Aua, 



VIII. 

 EXTRACTS FROM A SERMON, 



Preached at St. Peter's Parish, by the Rev. DOMITIAN DRIBBLE, LL.D. F.R.S.A.S. S.A. L.S. 

 H.S., Rector of Pillar-cum-Steeple ; Vicar of Twaddle Town ; Perpetual Curate of St. All Good ; 

 Evening Lecturer at St. Everlasting's, Old Road ; Alternate Morning Preacher at LazyLazar House ; 

 Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Earl Capital ; Member of all the Philosophical Societies at St. 

 Petersburg, Berlin, Vienna, Paris, &c. &c. &c. &c. 



Brethren, I earnestly exhort you to give heed to my sayings. The 

 pulpit is not a place for mere religious instruction : it is meet that we 

 occasionally address you on the subjects of a good government and wise 

 politics. We live in most dangerous and unknown times, amidst shoals 

 and quicksands. We can scarce trust our nearest neighbour, or our dearest 

 friend. But we have a constitution handed down to us by our ancestors, 

 whose purity and excellence we ought ever to hold inviolate. Against 

 innovation of any kind, my friends, let us hold up our hands. When the 

 axe is once put to the tree, how know we but that it will fall aye, and 

 very suddenly ? You have visionaries in your houses, in your parishes, in 

 your country at large ; they are of all men the most desperate, and most 

 to be eschewed. Nay, but for the liberality of our church, I would 

 scarcely say that they were within the protection of our sacred rites. My 

 friends, beware of them. Let me not astonish you ; but I tell you that the 

 people whom it is proposed to introduce into our legislative assemblies are 

 men to be suspected. I would almost look down to their feet, lest I kept 

 company with a cloven emissary. 



Think, my hearers, of that misfortune which has deprived us of our best 

 and most established counsellors how will not the sons of anarchy rejoice ! 

 Our land will become a Babel each doing that which he thinks right in 

 the wickedness of his heart. Already I see the encroaching papacy stamp 

 upon our sacred shrines ! Already I behold the Smithfield fires kindled 

 our most honoured pastors martyred and our ecclesiastical liberty extin- 

 guished ! Wretched, wretched day ! You will have a petition left to-mor- 

 row in the vestry of your parish, against these rude removals of our ancient 

 land-marks. Go, my brethen go to a man and sign your testimony, 

 that the constitution of church and state, as by law established, may 

 remain unimpaired. 



IX. 



DIALOGUE. 

 Mr. HODGE HOCK, and his Companion^ JOHN OLD BULL. 



Old B. What are we going to sign, I lodge ? 



Hodge. Dom if I know. Parson said as how we ought to sign ; I'm 

 no great scolard, neither. 



Old J5. I won't sign what I don't know, if you won't. 



Hodge. Parson be angry, J ohn. Howsomever, it is an odd fancy. I 

 think our parson loves the loaves as well as any one ; for he has got 

 several plural latities. 



Old B. Plural latities! Urn! 



Hodge. Ah, and he loves change too, when it comes to do him good ; 

 for d'ye mind how he bothered the vestry till they built him a new church 

 in the parish, and then he got his son made parson on it. 



QldB. Ah, but what d'ye think of the ministry, Hodge? 



