1310.) 
bursting of a blood-vessel, he breathed 
out his virtuous spirit by an instant and 
quiet expiration. 
I now, my dear sir, close my letter. 
Much I have omitted, and many an in- 
cident have I suppressed which your re- 
collection will supply ; as I am unwilling 
to lessen general interest by minute am- 
plification, nor would I by too eager a 
zeal frustrate the labour of love. I have 
never, in the whole course of my life, 
offered praise to any man when living, or 
flung incense on his tomb, from the un- 
qualified consideration of his rank, of 
~ his connections, or of his wealth; but to 
genius, to learning, and to virtue, in 
what station soever united, I have always 
paid, and (however unworthy I may-be 
to do so) I hope I always shall pay, my 
most deliberate homage. I feel that 
this tribute is due to my deGeased friend ; 
and I know that my pen has been guided 
by a pious and disinterested affection, 
I hope also that you, or any of our friends 
into whose hands it may fall, will either 
approve or excuse this little memorial of 
a most valuable and accomplished. man, 
whom [loved and esteemed when living, . 
and whose departure I most sincerely 
and most deeply regret. 
EET a 
For the Monthly. Magazine. 
On the PROPOSED PARLIAMENTARY CON- 
SIDERATION of the s1rUATION of the 
INFERIOR CLERGY. 
HE king, m his speech at the open- 
ing of the session, recommended 
to the consideration of parliament, the 
situation of the inferior clergy; and for 
some time past there has, I think, been 
on foot an enquiry respecting all livings 
under 150/..a year; and when lord 
Harrowby, in the house of lords, made 
a motion on the subject, it was for an 
-account of the number and value of 
livings of the poorer clergy. 
Thus, it would appear, that it is only 
the beneficed clergy that are intended 
to be relieved by the proposed consider- 
ation of parliament. But there is a de- 
scription of the clergy, more numerous, 
more laborious, and more importantly 
useful, whose situation calls more loudly 
for consideration and relief, than even 
the lowest of the beneficed clergy—lI 
mean the officiating curates of England, 
by whom, I believe, the greater part of 
the parochial duty in the country is per- 
formed; and to whom, ina great mea-~ 
+ sure, it is left, under necessity and ob- 
Scurity, perhaps neglect and contempt, 
to elude or oppose the perverse passions 
Condition of the Inferior Clergys 
429 
and prejudices of mankind, to support 
the interests of virtue and religion, and 
to promote morality, decency, and order, 
in society. For, however little observed 
or acknowledged, it is to the divine in- 
stitution of the sabbath,and the constant 
and general exercise of the duties and 
services of religious worship, perhaps 
more than to every other cause, that 
we owe the preservation of both public 
and private morality and order in the 
world. This is a cause, of which 
though the operations be silent and une. 
marked, they are constant and universal; 
and however little their effects may appear 
in particular instances, it is not easy to 
calculate how great and extensive they 
are on the civil, moral, and religious 
characters and lives of the people, and 
on the interests of the public in general, 
To estimate these effects aright, let 
fs only suppose the institutions and 
public services of religion entirely abo- 
lished for a short time, and endeavour, 
in thought, to trace what the probable 
consequences would be. In the lower 
and ordinary ranks of life, (in this coun- 
try at least, where private and domestic 
religious instruction, admonition, and 
example, are so shamefully neglected,) 
we should probably soon see all regard 
to God, all sense of religion, and even of 
decency and morality, lost; and the most: 
debased) and abandoned depravity of 
character and morals, and finally bare 
barism itself, to prevail, 
Now, however light statesmen and 
politicians may hold all these in a merely 
moral and religious point of view, they. 
must be miserably ignorant of the nature 
of man, and of the history of the world, 
if they do not know how important they 
are in acivil and political view. It 
is presumed the British’ ‘parliament are 
fully sensible of their importance in every 
respect. Yet this -great -and ‘all-in. 
teresting concern is left almost entirely 
to the neglected and disregarded curates 
of England! y 
For instance: the place from which 
T now write consists of two parishes; the 
one living is a little above, the other a 
little below, 150/. Of the incumbents, 
the one has not visited his living for these 
fifteen years; he has indeed age and in- 
firmities to plead in excuse: the other, 
without any such plea, bas not seen his. 
living, heard from, nor been heard of in 
it, not even by his curate, for I believe 
more than seven years; though both of 
them reside within less than sixty miles 
of their livings, the whole duty and 
charge . 
