The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-23 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

each congregation apportioned to one minister of the Esta-
blishment
, would amount, in a population of twelvefinly
11., to 530 souls only. This Church, then, with all its
Power, authority, and multitude of its ministers,
with full
parliamentary supremacy over all other religious profes-
sions, and these enjoyed undisturbed for so many years,
now, at the last confesses its insufficiency, and descends
fromits
lofty pretensions to supplicate for more money---'
for more authority.
In good truth, there is no want of churches or of
ecclesiastics ; but there is a great, a prodigious, an
alarming want of piety in the lives, and of zeal in
the services of our State priests. Men of respect-
able habits as the world goes, and of ample scho-
larly attainments, we most readily admit them to
be ; but in the discharge of their duties they are
men of the world, not votaries of contemplative
seclusion—servants of the State rather titan of
G on—dependents upon the rich, not teachers and
comforters of the poor. The squire's' hail has
charms for them never found in the poor man's
hovel. They consider it enough if they
huddle
over coldly aad lifelessly once a week the morning
service and a dull sermon modelled upon one of
CICERO'S orations ; and should only half the
flock be present, they never trouble themselves about
the spiritual destitution of the other half. We
have ourselves taken the trouble to make some per-
sonal inquiries upon this matter, the result of which
perfectly astonished us. In this great metropolis,
filled as it is with churches and priests, we found
whole districts where the face of a clergyman was
never seen, and where the only religious knowledgs
known was communicated by some female agents
of the tract societies. No State priest ever came
to diffuse holy comfort round the bed of the dying'
or to welcome with a blessing the unconscious sad
yet unoffending offspring of poverty and despair.
The explorations of foul cellars and dirty garrets,
tenanted by crime and destitution, are not among
the duties which the State-Church priesthood pre-
scribe to themselves. It would seem as if theLY
imagined that Heaven was satisfied with the sulo.
stitution of an elegant appreciation of the beauties
.
of heathen literature for the apostolical mission of
preaching the Gospel to the humble, the simple!
and the ignorant. Now, for the poor so neglecte be
it is useless to build churches. They must
taught first to worship in them, and they can never
be so Laught while the State priesthood take no
heed of their existence, or while nothing is done to
improve their moral and physical condition.
and
Instead of crying out for more churches
ht to
cry out for more piety, and zeal, and commiseration
more money, the friends of the Church oug
for the poor in Churchmen. The time has come
etherl
when if the priests do not perform their duty, the
bulk of the people will learn to dissociate altog
Sever,
the names of religion and the priests.
Christian societies have already been formed to
London, not belonging to the Society of Friends'
in which the public worship of GOD is performed_
by members disclaiming the name and title of
priests, and who receive no emolument whatever
for their services. Such societies will rapidly
nlesspi
ground, and in the end overturn the Ch
her whole administrative system be changed alto-
urch u
gather, and her priests instead of contributing to
the pomp and recreation of the rich, devote their
lives and labours to the service of the poor. To
inspire reverence ihey must be found' at the bed-
sides of the sick pouring balm into the wounds of
sin and sorrow ; they must be recognized as cont.
forters of the afflicted, relievers of the distressed,
teachers of the ignorant, frien of the friendless'
guardians of the unprotectedds , and restorers of hat-
mony in the families of the criminal and the un•
fortunate. Multifarious and delightful to a mind
well constituted are the duties of a true priest of the
Gospel, of CHRIST. How pleasant to see the old
approach him with mingled feelings of veneration
and gratitude, and the young with awe, confidence'
and love—to witness him in imitation of his Divine
Master intent only upon promoting the temporal
and spiritual welfare of the people entrusted to his