The Sun.
London, England, 1822-08-28 00:00:00

[FURTHER EXTRACTS.]
_ _.

On the subject of CHURCH DISCIPLINE, the
following Remarks on RESIDENCE are entitled to
the particular attention of the Clergy :

" On the ger eral obligation to residence, I will not re-
peat what I have said in former addresses, and have never
failed to inculcate, as opportunity offered, upon individual
Clergymen, in private. You cannot be ignorant that, what,
ever exemptions are allowed by the law, or left to the con,
sideration of the Bishop, the responsibility of declining the
personal discharge of your duties must rest with yourselveS ;
and that if you would staid absolved at a higher tribunal,
you must be well assured that the grounds of your proceed-
ing are ench as will abide the scrutiny of your own con-
science. In determining a point of so much importance,
you should be careful to understand your motives, and not
be lightly discouraged, by apprehensions for your health cr
comfort, from the performance of a bounden duty. Ido not
press the invidious topic of abandoning your charge to a " hire-
, ling." Thy expression involves an affront to a highly meritc-
rious pc ram of t:ie Clergy, engaged in the active and faithful di, .4
c barge of the most useful professional duty, and supplying a suc,
cession of Ministers for the higher departments of the Church.
The "hireling" is he, whether beneficed or not, who acts or.
personal views of pleasure or proiit, without concern for the
welfare of his flock; and nothing can be less consistent with
truth than the imputation of such criminal profligacy to any de-
scription of the Clergy. The distinction of beneficed and stipen-
diary is accidental and external, affecting in no way the intrin-
sical dignity of the Priesthood, which is neither increased nor di-
minished by the proportions of honour or emolument attached to
different situations in the Church ; nor do I knotv of any inferiori-.
ty of the Cnrate to his Rector, beyond the subordination result-
ing from this particular relation. This view of the case sup-
plies infallible rules for the regulation of their mutual inter-
course. The beneficed Clergyman contracts an engage-
ment with a brother, on whom he devolves a most sacred
and important trust; and not, it is to be presumed, without
proper regard to the requisite qualifications of attainments,
temper, morals, and piety. From a fellow-labourer of such
' a description in the care of his vineyard, it is hardly conceiv-
able that he should withhold the liberal treatment, the
offices of courtesy, the marks of attention, which are neces=
sary to make the situation of a Curate agreeable to himself,
and respectable in the eyes of his parishioners. In return,
he has a right to expect equal civility, a friendly and zealous
concern for his reputation and interest, a ready attention to
his advice, a respectful deference to his suggestions. The
Curate is without excuse, if he lose sight of the subordination
implied in his office, and of his obligation, both in duty and
decency, to comply, in all things honest and lawful, with the
directions of a principal, who cannot divest himself of the right
of con troul over his parish, or of responsibility for the conduct
of his substitute: 1 have been led to these reflections, from the
desire of rectifying the preposterous notion, which I am told has
been sometimes entertained, that the Curate is rendered inde-
pendent of the Rector by the Bishop's license, and cannot be
justly displaced, except for such flagrant misconduct as would
render him altogether unworthy of any professional employ-
ment."

The following is the close of the Bishop's
charge to his Clergy :
" In conclusion, allow me to observe, that While the Clergy
maintain that elevation of character which in their situation can
only be gained by wisdom, piety, and virtue ;—while they la-
bour with the zeal which becomes their profession, to train up
the rising generation in the principles of sound morality and
Christian faith, and secure the attachment of their flocks to their
persons and office, by conscientious attention to their duties, there
is little cause to apprehend that eitherdissent or irreligion will be
finally victorious in their assaults on the national Church. It is
true, that while the reason of man is obnoxious to error and
prejudice, while his affections are warped, by the influence
of partialities, interests, and passions, we must never hope to _
accomplish the entire extirpation of infidelity, or the union of
the whole population in the profession of one Common faith.—
But, whatever impediments are opposed to the complete suc-
cess of our exertions, we have no reason to think that, as
long as we labour with sincerity in the service of God, they
will prove altogether fruitless. The heart of the people
is still sound. If the ebullitions of desperate wickedness,
at a period of incidental excitement, 'occasioned a temporary
alarm, the opposition by which they were instantly met,
and the rapid return of tranquillity, have evinced the steady
preponderance of better principles and feelings. I am, indeed,
fully persuaded, that the extravagancies of frantic infidelity are
means in the order of Providence for the promotion of virtue
and truth, by provoking discussions which lead to the disper-
sion of error, by disposing the careless to reflection, by de-
termining the irresolute to inquiry, by awakening energies
which might otherwise have slumbered in inaction, and rous-
ing the horror and indignation which vice and impiety,
when they throw off the mask, will never fail to inspire in
generous and honest minds. Such, on all former occasions,
has been the uniform result of the violence directed by infidels
against our holy religion in this country ; and when I con-
sider the general expression of disgust at the blasphemcus
bell which were lately pat in circulation—when I recollect
the number and excellence of the popular tracts in deren..e
of the religion so basely traduced, and the reception which
they experienced from the public, I cannot but think that
the evidences of the Christian Revelation, and the nature
and grounds of the Christian Faith, are in consequence
more generally understood, and the people, on the whole,
more firmly attached to the creed of their fathers,' than if it
had never been called in question. 'When I behold, on the
other hand, the continued exertions of piety, in the distribu-
tion of the Scriptures and Scriptural tracts—in the enlarging
of churches—in the erection of schools, at home and abroad—
in founding extensive establishments with a view to the coin.
version of the Heathen—l am compelled to infer from this
active munificence, that the breath of impiety has neither
quenched the flame of religion among us, nor sallied its purity,
nor abated the intensity of its power."
[This Charge is, we understand, to be published forthwith.]