ABUSES OF THE ESTABLISH E D CHURCH. . . BriX1011 Hai, 16th

December 1850., . Sin—Without any desire to. disturb the unauiruity with which, the Pro- testant feeling of the nation is now animated in its indignant defiance of an attempted Papal ascendancy in England, I would in sober earnestness ask nip Protestant fellow-countrymen if there are not some things in the present condition and management of one own-Church which it-is impossible for think- ing men to expect to be blessed by the Divine approbation ; and if there are such things, and if the State, iu whore is vested.by law the supreme prero- gative, permits their continuance, how can the nation look for a successful issue to its present attetiapt to defeat an "insolent and insidious" enemy? _ Some alarmed and timid.profestiors of our faith nutydepiecate all Allusion te imputations in-the hierarchical eonstitetion of that faitb.wlien..the enemy is at the very door--,nay, when rather he haa effected_ an entrance .within its

,sacred preempts: . „

• I am not one of those; for I; think in seasons of difficulty and danger the ttequirement is, to Set Out own house -in order-to" pluck outthe.beatii that-tam-our own eye; then we shall-see clearly to null out the-mete thetas in our :brother's Thie is*bitt.:Serietaitte aniontS, ;and hnmalt.auetifie ,n4.e."*I4PPY.°PdqFP.P'e.Fig.httIK14ft.93111-;(-.Tu,-, I, wia

The first-paraniount.duty, then,._is_to remove_thatstaimbling_tblock which

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, v? yii,ilitheiblio, Pt serve o ,masters—to worship Christ. and Antichrist: " whatsoever a man- -that shall he also reap.' If We soiv Itoinish feelings, lenniish doctrines, Ro- mish observances, we must sooner or later expect to reap Roinish ascendancy. I would in the next place notice some things in the internal arrangement of Church which call for amendment and purification before we can justly expect a blessing on the present Anti-Roinan movement.

The practice of 'simony, that sin against the Holy Ghost, which has long "excited the deep but unavailing regrets of pious men both in the Establish- inent and out of it, ought surelyid, he effaced from that Church whose highest boast is the purity of its faith and Worship. The Reverend Mr. Stott says—" The commerce in the souls of men is the most infamous Of all traffics that the &union of avarice ever devised; it is worse than that traffic in the flesh of men the slave-trade."

A. clerical magazine tells us, that out of the 11,386 livings in England, nearly 8000 are regularly bought or sold, or given to sons and other relations as settlements for life. Is qualification the title here ? or are not such occu- pants more likely to he "desperate handlers of 4',0_'s sacred things who rush fearlessly into his temple, not because he hati'lled them, but becaitse their relations have the keys Of the door" ?

AnotherWriter says--" A clergyman upon his intditation swears that be gave not the least consideration whatever either 'directly or indirectly, nor any person for him with hiepriVity, knowledge, or Consent; in fact, he has

only to pay the money and 'swear he has not paid it. - I not visit for these things, and will not My soul be avenged of such a nation as this % ' " The various modes of obtaining benefices bear in.many instances their na- tural fruit. that of unfitness for the holy office ; and Out of this .springs the 'result of non-residenee. Out of the 11;386 livings there are 8366 non-resi- dents; and although for these 3366 livings there are provided 1177 cheap substitutes, this does not lessen the Moral guilt of Undertaing a duty which personally they neglect to perform.: but beyond these 1177 substitutes, there- are 2189 livings without any regular officiating Ministers.

Again, Would it not be wise to popularize the Church a little more when- we have seen flagrant a proof of Want of sympathy between ministers and people as 1200 clergymen being banded together and. subscribing to a politic cal fund against the freedom of the elective franchise,' to the scandal Of their holy calling and the alienation of those of their flocks who are anxions be- regard the kingdom Of Christ, as he himself declared it to be, as net of this world? - • •

The distribution of the income of the Church—the system of prizes, as they are called, and justified, too, by those in authority as necessary stintulantit -to the pious and learned to enter into the reinistiy-4 another -evil that calls

loudly for redress. .

Hence we see the princely incomes' of some and the less than Peor-law.,. allowance of others ; the range being from 20,0001. to 3/. per annum.' For there-are 11 livings under IfiLper annum, 297 under 50/., 1926 under 1061,.. 4882 under 200/., to say nothmgof the poor emirates; while there,are6728- bishoprics, dignitaries; and benefices, varying from 200/.. to 20,000/. per aunties: Then there are about 60: sinecures-60 livings witheht- any duty ; the incumbents (or cumberers) eating the bread of thette who work hard mind have not enough to support themselves and families. The .Ecclesiastical Commissioners state that in one diocese five clergymen receive 6097/. a year among them for preaching four sermons! A certaiii Dean. and Chapter receive 1000d. or MOW. a year,' and give a curate le.. per dayfor doing the duty. One Rector held at onetime twelve places of preferment; the greater number being parochial benefices. ' Now, then, .the-tinie for the real conservatives and safe friends of the Church to seize- the tide that now agitates the waters—to hasten into the pool while the waters are being Moved, that the divers diseases of the Church may be healed ; that its abuses and corruptions, arising either from false friendS, slothful pastors, or ceremonial innovators, may 'beat once displaced by a faithful; humble, and sincere adherence to the utiening,'Principles of

gospel for 'which our fathers fought and bled. As I have only 'one.motise in penning these lines, to prove my own sense

of justice and consistency in humble attempt to make our own Church worthy of that Divine support which at this time, and at all times, she steeds. so greatly in need of; while I join in defending her from the attacks of a rival °Mitch whose name is Legion, and whose weapons I firmly believe are those Of Legion's forces, I trust that others will accord Inc the same affectionate 'adherence to the pure and untainted principles of our Protestant faith#hieh they claim for themselves.

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