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Evil of Benefices in Plurality-Act to restrict such evil-Houses of Residence

-Dilapidations-Sir Robert Peel's Church Extension Bill-Appropriators

and Impropriators-Kennett's Case of Impropriations, &c.—Rectorand Vicar,

origin of Queen Anne's Bounty; Ecclesiastical Commission-Parochial

Ministration-Old Parochial System-New Churches and Schools-Dr.

Arnold and Sir Robert Peel-Lord Bacon on Non-Residents and Pluralities

-Archbishop Parker's Opinion-Value of Satirists-Skelton, &c.—The

Ecclesiastical Commission-Patching and Tarring-Ecclesiastical Commis-

sioners-West Tarring, &c.-Sinecures-Ecclesiastical Pensioners-Burke's

View of Augmentation of Small Livings-Consolidation of Sinecure Recto-

ries and Vicarages-Sinecure Rectory and Vicarage of West Tarring-

Ecclesiastical Commission-their ignoring of the Charities of West Tarring―

Proper grief for Parochial wrongs-Tithe Commutation and Repeal of Corn

Laws-Settled Payments undesirable-White Kennett's Opinion-Increased

Value of Money-Owen, Blakeway-Good Names-W. G. Rowland-

Shrewsbury's Benefactor-Shrewsbury, the First of Towns-why ?—Vicar,

Parson, Curate, &c.-Patrimony of the Church devoured-Vicarages highly

Rated in the King's Books-Dean Colet and St. Paul's School-Erasmus on

the Education of Children—Underpaid Clergy-Fault of Governments, &c.—

The Church and Church Principles-Church Reform-Revaluation of

Benefices-General desire to Reform abuses-Little Children like to the

Kingdom of Heaven-Roman Catholic Legend-Archbishop Gerson—Mrs.

Southey's Poem on .

Appendicia et Pertinentiae;

OR,

Parochial Fragments,

&c. &c. &c.

B

"Never did any public misery

Rise of itself; God's plagues still grounded are

On common stains of our humanity:

And to the flame which ruineth mankind

Man gives the matter, or at least gives wind."

LORD BROOKE, Inquisit. upon Fame and Honour.

“ Θαυμάσιοι δὲ ἀρεταὶ ἥ τε εὐτολμία καὶ ἡ ἐν δέοντι παῤῥησία πρὸς τοὺς ἀμείνους, ὡς καὶ τὸ κωμικὸν ἀψευδῶς μᾶλλον ἢ κωμικῶς εἰρῆσθαι δοκεῖν

̓Αν πάνθ ̓ ὁ δοῦλος ἠσυχάζων μανθάνῃ

Πονηρὸς ἔσται μεταδίδου παῤῥησίας.”

PHILO JUDAEUS. Quis Rerum Divinarum Hares. § 1.

"Sad events may sometimes be improved by men's censures, further than they were intended by God's justice; and it is more wisdom seriously to observe them to the instructing of ourselves than rigidly to apply them to the condemning of others."

FULLER'S Church History, b. iii. p. 16.

Introduction.

"The Church's proper arms be tears and prayers,
Peter's true keys to open earth, and sky,
Which if the priest out of his pride's despair
Will into Tybris cast, and Paul's sword try;
God's sacred word he thereon doth abandon,
And runs with fleshly confidence at random.
"Mild people therefore honour God your king,
Reverence your priests, but never under one
Frail creature both your soul and body bring,
But keep the better part to God alone.
The soul his image is, and only he
Knows what it is, and what it ought to be."

LORD BROOKE.-Of Church.

THERE is a most remarkable and striking passage in the works of that great, but much-neglected and long-forgotten divine, Thomas Jackson, with which, having to say somewhat of the Church's troubles, and of the trials of her members in particular, I would wish to preface this Introduction :-" This lower hemisphere," says he, "or invisible part of the world, is but as the devil's chess-board, wherein hardly can our souls move back, or forth, but he sets out one creature or other to attack them; nor have we any other means to avoid his subtlety, but by looking unto the hills from whence cometh our help, or into that part of this great sphere, which is altogether hid from the world's eye, where we may behold more for us, than those that be against And seeing we come in danger of Satan's check, either by

us1.

1 2 Kings vi. 16.

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