THE GATHERCOAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oen pursuits do not often take us amongst the devious and thorny paths of clerical polemics ; and when they do, our happy ignorance scarcely allows us to estimate the controversial importance of the things we meet there. We learn, however, from the book before us, that public feeling, in the busier part of the religious world, has been highly excited by the Letters which a backslider from Dissent has published under the signature of L. S. E. In these Epistles of a Con- vert, he attacks the principles and practices of his mother faith with the proverbial zeal of a turncoat, whilst he claims authority and pri- vileges for his adopted church, that, stripped of the maze of words in which (unless our memory fails us) L. S. E. delights to envelop bis meaning, are not only unsupported by Scripture but revolting to reason. In an hour of rash good-nature or excited enthusiasm, the Lord Bishop of London officially recommended to the Clergy of his diccese this rude and ill-conditioned production. The public panegyric of Dr. Booms-men gave L. S. E. a weight which his own merits never would have procured hint. Unhappily, like HOMER and LONGINUS, the intemperate convert and the dignified metropolitan became connected in the mind of others, and the Spiritual Peer was held to his warrantry of the pamphlet-monger. In the mean time, remonstrances called the attention of Dr. BLOMFIELD to the work whose " useful information and sound reasoning" he had praised in his Charge. " Examination," or perhaps perusal, (for his friends, we are told, apologize for his criticism by assuming that his Lordship, like • a reckless re- viewer, had not read the work he puffed), induced a change of opinions. The specimens quoted in the Gathercoal Cor- respondence are doubtless the very worst that patient and minute inquiry could select; and bad enough they look both in temper and doctrine. But (assuming that it was a third edition of the Letters that was noticed in the Spectator's

" Progress" of the 22d November last) our impression Is strong that the rudeness of the polemic, the zeal of the new convert, and

the " baseless fabric " of the arguments, visible even to the general examination of an heblomadel critic " reporting progress" on a matter out of his line—wme sufficient on the merest glance to have induced caution in an overlooker of the Church. But the fault having been committed, the manly way would have been a candid avowal of the truth, and an apology for the error. Un- fottunately, the Bishop endeavoured to blink the matter, by resorting to a discreditable subterfuge; and the result is a Seeta- lion joy over the Episcopal sinner who has not repented. " Even the person BI NNEY* " triumphs over him in these terms—" When any man recommends' a book with which most other men are disgusted, the following alternative and train of reflection in- stantly present themselves to a thoughtful observer : He either read this book, or he did not ; if he did, it is a question of taste; if he did not, it is one of integrity. The first, in a Christian, would be disgrace; the second, in a g,entleinan, dislemour." On the horns of which dilemma the peron BiNNEY appears to leave the Right Reverend Father in God.

Out of this controversy sprullg the religious novel now before ue The Reverend RADSHAKEII GATHERCOAL IS leIWCSCAt.41 as' the younger brother of the doughty L. S. E—that is, Lucifer Sa nth:loan Euroclydon (Gathercoal These Posthumone Le,f- tu.c give an account of the youth and co:iversion of the brothers, and of the preaching and deeds of Rabshakell at his living, where he is supposed to act up to the principles expounded ia the epi .Iles of his senior, mingling with the theories of L. S. E. the pmetiees of titheolistrainers in England and tithe-erusaders in Ireland. His own epistles, with thuee of the Disseoting teachers and of the other inhabitants of the village, oarrate his own say- ings and doings at Tuddington. The controversial part is ma- titteed by the Catholic priest of the relish ; who argues agaiitst the form of' the Established Church frent history and traditien; Whilst Mr. Gathercoal's nephew, a student at Cambridge, and who finally dissents, endeave nrs to overturn it by reasonitors drawn chiefly from Scripture. The eliCet of folloeing out the " sound reasonieg set forth" by the quomlain protuoC! of the Bishep of London, is to cit'. e heartburnings and disseet iet the i•arish, to create litigation about tithes, a refosal of churelarates, and fit 'al a Het and a ceiling in of the military, which termi- nates in the death of several of the combatants and the drowning of the champion of the Church,— a catastrophe on the whole more adapted to the South of lreland than to ;lie neighbourhood of Leeds.

The Letters are not altogether free from the erroneous legic and controversial spirit which it is the object of the writer to expose. The first, however, is not so gross nor the second so offensive as that of his opponent. But the zeal of the sectarian has injured the vvork in a literary point of view, by inducing hint to substi- tute argument for action; and whilst he is bent upon convicting the Church of England of Papistry in forms and bAii of Papistry and of Calvinism in doctrine, the story pauses and the interost flags, leaving little to support the reader save the author's easy and idiomatic style. In this last, indeed, and in a dry, sly hu- mom-, with a nice perception of character, the principal entertain- ment of the work consists.

We will take a few specimens, and begin with •

TIIE REMOTE (..,USES OF MR. GATIIEnCOAL'S cONv7IISION.

This qualrel, however, was made up at last in an amicable way; and my reverend brother, as a token of reconciliation, gave me a copy of his Letters, which had just appeared front the press. Ile begged Me to take it with me into Buckinghamshire, where I was going to look after some house property that had fallen to my share by my father s trill; and :IS We parted flout one another, he made this rental k, " Thiek what you like, Rah, about the Church and Dissent, but this is certain, that such plebeians as you and I hays, no chance of Leemning gentlemen but by turning parsous. The Bishops are hard pushed just now, and are glad enough to encourage bold and desperate Dissenters in joining the Establishment." I could nut but see the sound sense cf this re- mark, and it had its im.pressiou on me in due time. In the course of my journey, I lied to spend two or three days at Winfleor ; and there, one Sunday, curiosity led me to attend the service at St. George's Chapel Royal. My principal object was to see the King and Queen. The whole sere ice greatly delighted and surprised tire. The clergy looked amazingly smart in their white sheets, with black silk round their necks, and red silk at their backs. The two rows of young gentlemen in white sheets singing prayers against otne another on the opposite sides of the chapel produced a powetful effect ; I never before had heard a confession of sins chanted, nor an absolution warbled ; and I need not say how greatly I was delighted to hear the Apostle's creed in crotchets and quavers. The frequent repetition of the Patermeter tended to impress on my attention that important formulary: when thev had sung it five tones, I wished they had sung it five times more; do cop° say I, in spite of the Dissenters. When the officiating priest gave out in a solemn chant "God save our most gracious Majesty King William, the Sovereign, and all the Knights Commanders of thi, Most 1 lonourable order of the Garter," and when the whole choir responded " Amen," all my Dissenting prejudices gateway, and 1 burst into a flood of tears. They were the tears of repentance, which never were fully wiped away but by the surplice of the vicarage of Tuadington. The only thing that discomposed me in this magnificent fibril was the ft equent use of the opera-glass by the ladies; they- seemed to me to direct their atten- tions more to the Guardsmen than to the -Bishop: but I doubt not that this arose from their anxiety to ascertain that these brave men were wide awake, and ready to protect their Majesties in cased an attack upon the Court by schis- matics and Radicals.

STATE OF TODDINGTON.

The living I find for the last seven years produced about 430/. to the last • A Dissenting minister. t A person of the name of GATIVERC01.1 claims the aunouthip of thee Letters.

Vicar ; but :.Ir. Screw, a very pious attorney of this place, assures me that I may easily make GOO/. per annum, by compelling all the small gardeners, who are very numerous, to pay their tines without allowing any deduction. The late Vicar, a man of loose principles,

who had no regard for the welfare of his suc- cessors, has never pressed his demands on thcgardeners; but I fed it a duty I owe to the Church to gather to the utmost farthing; and I have already given directions to the excellent aud orthodox Mr. Screw to take the proper steps in this business. You know, my dear brother, that " the ox which treadeth out the corn is not to be ;nuzzled : ' we who are successors of the Apostles, have we not power to eat anti drink ? for who feedeth a Pock and eateth not of the milk of the flock ? I intend to get all the corn I caa, and all the milk I can : would that I could indeed eat of the great tithes ! Bet, alas ! the impiety of a generation which hated the Church has robbed the Cl e-gy of their dues, awl the

great tithe a are in the hands of the Duke of Something, however, still rernaius wot tit eating, and I will take care that tin :nozzle is put on the mouth

of your dutiful brother ilabshakell. • The I:06..1rd state of the parish im(11)1A:tide. Time population of the naval' is about Goo° souls. The Independent Chapel has a congregation of 300 ; the Baptists, :WO; tho Wesleyan Alethe Osts, sup ; the Pantos, 400 ; the Doman Catholics, Immo ; the Quakers, 30. .111 this pestmlential swarm of Dissenters is owing to time lax discipline and bad priticides of the late Vicar. Thompson was one of our Evangelicals, a canting- hypocrite, whose maxims were full of mischief. Dear Screw saysii was do .m preaching justification by faith ; and that he taught fahe iiortriite about the true Church, by totally omitting to show that ILL the Church of England only is there salvation. Ile never said a %word about the sio of sehisin and dissent ; and by this method the parish•church was crowded hi the morning service—but by what sorts of per- sons ? 111y, one-half of his congregatim, at the very least, were Dissenters ; for there was a general feeling among the sehismatics to go to church once on Sundays. Thew phrase was, " they wished to show respect to Mr. Thompson, who was a very good nian, and preached the gospel."

You will be shocked to bear that the Vicar went so far as to ask the Dissent-

ing ministers to dine at the Vicarage two or three times every year. Really this was too bad : it has made the parlour smell of schism, so that I have been obliged to have it new painted and coloured, to get lid of the Puritanical odour. Thompson often drank tea with the Independent teacher, who instructed him in Hebrew ; and lie in return taught the teacher's eldest lad algebra and the elements of mathematics.

THE FIRST SERMON, AND TIIE DINNER ALTER IT.

Dr. Birch, a clergyman of the right stamp, came hy appointment from his rectory, six miles oil, on Saturday. Ile slept at the vicarage ; and, I assure you, he entered into my views with all the zeal imaginable. Ile had engaged the help of thee other clergymen, besides his curate ; so that we marched six in a row to church on Sunday morning, the Clerk going before. As it was a gaudy day at Cambridge, the Doctor, to honour me, put en his srailet robes, fur tippet and cap; and looked wonderfitlly well, I assure you, for his face was as red as his robes, and his portly person resembled much the pictures of Cardinal Wolsev. When we came to the church-door, the Churchwardet.s met us at the porch, hat in hand,—for 1 hail arranged all this before; and thus, whilst the bells were firing salutes, and the organ playing " Sec the conquering hero comes,'' we entered the church in grand style, which i was crammed from one end to the other; so that we could hardly reach time Vicar's pew. They made a lane for us, however; and, as we walked threugh this great congregation, (upwards of two thousand persons,) it was evident we produced a wonderful effect. The people were all rising up in their pews to look at the procession. 6. After the sermon, our party retired to thin vestry. Dr. birch was ready IO jump for joy. Stubbs, the orthodox Churellwaiden, a rosy- fitced lover of the bottle, and of the " suceessors of the Apostles," had prepared a glorious bumper of parish wine to refresh me after Inv labours. " In the name of the parish of Ttuldington," said this honest fellow, after all the clergy present were dilly helped to a glass—" in the mune of the parish if Tuddington, I drink the health of the Reverend Itabshakeh Uathercoal, and thank hinn for his excellent sermon ; and as senior Churchwaiden, I request him to print that noble dis- course we have had the privilege to hear to-dim."

" And I second the motion," shouted Dr. birch, filling another bumper. " Alum," respontied the clergy, helping themselves to a second glass.

" 3Iy reverend brethren," said I, " and you, Mr. Churchwarden, I am hiehly flattered with your warm approbation of my sermon delivered this ?ay. These are dangerous times we live in. The Church 13 hard pushed by those gaping hulls of Bashan the I ho-enters; Church. rates are refused ; Irish bishoprics are abolished; Church Befoul: is threatened ; the Bishops are pelted ; and the nation is filled with pestileutial publications against the faith once delivered to the saints :" no man, therefore, who prays for the prosperity of Jerusalem can now refuse to come forward in the battles of righteousness, and to combat ' the wicked principles of Dissent, which have a direct tendency to destroy Christianity itself, and to abolish true religion from the face of the

earth : I therefore shall comply with your request, and will send my sermon to the press to-morrow."

" Huzza!" shouted Dr. Birch, brimful with joy, " Huzza! Mother Church for ever ! Long live the noble Vicar of Tuddington!" My friends began now to show so much excitement, that I thought it pru- dent to bring our conference to an end ; and it havino. been settled that Dr. Birch's curate should read the afternoon service without any sermon, we all adjourned to the vicarage to an orthodox dinner of roast beef, plum-pudding, and capons; to which, by particular desire of Dr. Birch, Churchwarden Stubbs was invited." He is an honest, merry fellow," whispered the Dieter; " he hates the schismatics, and they hate him. There are not many such in your parish; you must encourage hon." * * C *

We dined early, as some of the party had to ride home many miles after dinner. Alr. Screw and Stubbs were the laymen, the rest of the party was clerical. I will not enter into details of our symposium; you may easily sup- pose that it was orthodox and refreshing. The clergy paid me very high com- pliments, and said that I was raised up to be the ruin of Dissent. Dr. Birch, full of glee, said he would give me a title, " Schismaticomastix," or the Scourge of the Dissenters; which was much approved by my learned and reverend brothers, and my health was drunk in bumpers with this new addi- tion. I was somewhat perplexed what to do with Stubbs; for it must be con- fessed he got too much wine, and he had to traverse all the town before he could reach his house. There was, however, no helping it, so I sent him home in the evening in the care of my man John : but at the fishmonoer's corner in the market-place, where there Is generally a collection of idle tieople, Stubbs fell down, and rolled into the glitter before they could fairly get lion on his legs again ; not without the laughter and ridicule of the spectaiors, who, when they. saw Stubbs rolling home covered with loud, cried out " There goes Mr. Gatherdirt, prime minister of Mr. Gathercoal !"

Doctor Birch, as is too often the case with him, did not retire to rest in full possession of Ids masterly intellects. We had to put him to bed without much . assistance from himself.

In addition to what has been said of the controversial parts, we may add, that somewhat too much of the writer's strength is

• This flith. in priest, and deacon. the doctrine of L. S. E., consists in a humble obedience to bishop,

1' Letters of L. S. E., Page 33.

thrown upon " things indifferent." The surplice is not in our eyes the most tasty-looking of robes, yet if nothing else could be alleged against the Church of England, all rational persons should be quite willing to overlook this matter. Wherever a decent regularity is desired, forms of some kind must and do obtain. Dissenters might be at a loss to adduce Scripture au- thority for the black broad cloth and white cravats of their teachers.