The National Register.
London, England, 1819-03-07 00:00:00

e,
iffzida

Xfj A,

No. 5i9.--VOL. XII.

ro OUR READERS.

Ifc presume on your Candour and illserality to .apolo-
gize for an improp iety in our last Sunday's Paper,
witich is no otherwise to tope for excuse, than as the
indispensably necessary consequence of an Accident
:which occurred at the Mmnent of oar putting the
Paper to Press. We allude, of course, to the 'circum-
stance of some Articles which appeared on the pro-
ceeding Sunday having been repeated in that publica-
tion. Under the then " existing circumstances," it
would, but for this trespass on the indulgence of our
Reader', Lave been impossible to have had the Paper
ready fur its due period of publication.
It is scarcely within the scale of probability, eat
such an uulleasant dicum-tance cam ever/kelt'.

PLIVS IN CHURCHES ANI) CHAPELS.

TO ?7E PDITON OF nil A'ATIOYAL BEGI4TER.

SI lay

YOURS being a Sunday Paper, and therefore best
Tlarted for religious purposes, I have taken the liberty,
'7 its means, of pointing out, what I, as well as many
more, conceive to be a great National grievance; I
riy national, because it lowers the value of our Church
c3tablishment, and because its practice is almost uni-
Nc:sal. The grievance to which I allude is to he found:
%%Lac ?—ln the Temple of our God! Yes, Sir--lat a
man enter any Church throughout this metropolis; and
he will there Mee, that that sacred place, intended for
t! -.e equal accommodation of the Pon., as well as the
Rich, is. like the Temple of Jerusalem, "bought and
szli;' and " instead of a House•of prayer, is nude a
house of Nlcroltauclize.'

It is painful to see so many aged and infirm, so many
respectaUe persona, who have attended from
the commencement of the service, kept standing
throughout the whole while by some coxcomb young-
ster, or showy female, walks in in, the midst of the
scrvioe, or, even at sermon time, shows the money. and
i:. instantly ushered into a Ite.V ; when, but a morneat

L.forc, "Am room could be found." With indignation
i have seen the purse pulled out, and money, paid with
as mu. .h regularity as at a market; and I have seen
Pew-openers publicly counting their earnings; whilrt
t.eo. c6:tgregation have been addressing a prayer to the
Throne of Mercy 1 When the Laws of God have pro.
nlunced the seventh day as a sabbith to the Lord ;
when the laws of the country enforce obedience to
them; when business is suspended every where else;
:hall it be borne, that in the very Temple are to be
found the "the changers of money; and that the
poor man cannot kneel to serve his Goa, unless be pays
fa; a place to kneel in

That things are so, we know too well: ea this is
one great cause of the present rage for Methottiln ;
'Tis perfectly natural, Sir, for a nxua 0 frequent that
place where he is best accommodated ; and, indeed, this
i,eerns to hare been appreciated by most or all dissenting
establishments; for you no sonner enter a Ntethed:st
Chapel, than, if there Le a vacant seat, you are asked
to take it : alba If a stranger, still a greater welcome.
Money mut not be taken, bpi t at the risk of tlwiiir places
and their eltartv:tcrs ; hence they fill, and respectably
ton; and it is my first opinion, that it is not as much
the tenets of the tici.t, as the convenience of the piaeo,
which cttracts such numbers. But it is not only that
:t drives the pious and well disposed from the National
'.7.stablishinont, and in their places admi,s the vi,dons,
the idle, the curious, and die profligate, wl o, to
ChurCh what time they may, are alnays sure of a scat
ny paying for it; bot the effects produced on tie morals
the young must be very great ; " it 4, but gust.''
reclaim, "if oven in the Chute!) tin+• ta•atLc for