worst of plagues, that plague of religious and moral disorder, which has long deformed the face of civilized Europe.

Should not the salt have quite lost its savour, the land which we inhabit may yet be seasoned and thereby preserved. In such case, the judgments of the Lord now in the earth, instead of bringing down and destroying, will be employed in mercy to purge and purify our Church and nation.

To this end the priests and ministers of the Lord must stand between the porch and the altar, and exert themselves, before their eyes begin to wax dim, that they may not see; and ere the lamp of God goeth out in the temple of the Lord. If, in consequence of the unsettled notions which now prevail upon religious subjects, Christians are continually dropping away from the Church, let it be for any cause rather than on account of the irregularity, incapacity, or want of zeal, in its ministers.

Ignorance, among the lower order of people at least, is well known to be one general cause of separation from the Church. Let it be an object with the clergy, then, to remove that ignorance with respect to the Church, by bringing their people so acquainted with its nature, and the design of its establishment, that they may feel it their duty to continue members of it. Whilst they are suffered to remain uninformed upon this subject, the preservation of Christian unity is not to be expected. But above all, their object must be to take away all just reason for the desertion of their ministry, by giving full proof of their evangelical commission.

* 1 Sam. iii. 2, 3.

With the Apostle, they must be able to say to their hearers, We" take you to record this day, that we are pure from the blood of all men; for we have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God."* The plea generally advanced by modern separatists, that sound doctrine is not preached in our Church, upon how partial ground soever it may really stand, must at all events be effectually removed. For the people must not only be taught, that it is their duty to live in communion with the Church; they must moreover be satisfied, that they shall be profited by that communion. In a matter of this importance, men will take the liberty to judge for themselves: and if they have reason to think that they are not fed with the true bread of life within the walls of the Church, they will unquestionably seek it, where they fancy it may be found, either in fields or in conventicles.t

And if to the preaching sound doctrine the clergy would add an occasional explanation of the meaning of our Church offices, that their congregations may become active and spiritual performers in them, the people would soon be convinced that those Christians who would offer up to God the most reasonable service, must come to the Church of England to do it.

This is the only way, that I know, to preserve the unity of the Church; and to revive, through Divine grace, the spirit of Christianity; by informing men, in the first place, that there is such a thing as an established constitution of the Church of Christ, and that Christians are to consider *Acts xx. 26, 27. t Vindiciæ, c. i. p. 39,

themselves members of it, as a fold of sheep gathered under its shepherd, and not as straggling individuals; and, in the second place, by convincing them that the Church is best calculated to carry all those purposes into effect, for which it has been established by its Divine Founder.

It were devoutly to be wished, and I trust there is but one opinion among my brethren upon this head, that every minister of the Church might so discharge his duty in these respects, as to be qualified, in the language of Archbishop Sharp, thus to address himself to his people: "This I am sure of, so long as you continue in our communion, you are in the communion of the true Church of Christ. I dare answer for the salvation of all those who, continuing in our Church, live up to the principles of it. But I dare answer nothing for them, who, being brought up in this Church, and having so great opportunities given them of knowing the truth, do yet depart from it. I pray God they may be able to answer for themselves."

I conclude this discourse with what my brethren the clergy, may probably thank me for redeeming from oblivion; I mean that prayer from the elegant pen of Erasmus, which was heretofore set forth as a part or appendix to a Primer or Liturgy, which Henry the Eighth caused to be published by the supreme authority of the Church of England, and which appears strictly adapted to the circumstances of the present times.

"Domine Jesu Christe, qui omnipotentiâ tuâ fecisti omnes creaturas, visibiles, invisibiles, et Divinâ sapientiâ tuâ gubernasti disposuistique omnia

ordinatè; qui ineffabili bonitate tuâ custodis, defendis, promovesque omnia; qui profundâ misericordiâ tuâ reficis ruinosa, renovas collapsa, vivificas mortuos; digneris (precamur) ad extremum, in dilectam sponsam tuam ecclesiam, dulcem illum et misericordem vultum tuum, quo cælestia omnia terrestriaque, et quæ supra cœlum infráque terram sunt pacificas, conjicere: digneris teneros misericordesque oculos in nos convertere, quibus Petrum semel, magnum ecclesiæ tuæ pastorem aspexisti, et continuò rediit secum in memoriam, et in pænitentiam ductus est; quibus dispersam semel multitudinem perlustrasti, et misericordiâ commovebaris, quod boni pastoris defectu errabant quasi oves sparsæ palentesque. Tu satis vides, bone Pastor, quot varia luporum genera in ovilia tua irruperunt, é quibus unusquisque clamat, Hic Christus est, Hic Christus est: ita ut, si fieri posset, in errores deducerentur electi. Tu vides, quibus flatibus, quibus fluctibus, quibus tempestatibus, misera navis jactatur; in quâ pusillus grex tuus de submersione periclitatur. Quid autem nunc restat, nisi ut prorsum submergatur, omnesque nos pereamus? Hujus tempestatis causa est nostra iniquitas et depravata vita; hoc nos videmus et confitemur, justitiam tuam cernimus, et injustitiam nostram lamentamur: sed ad misericordiam tuam provocamus quæ (secundum psalmum prophetæ tui) exuperat omnia opera; multa supplicia sustinuimus, multis bellis fracti, multis jacturis bonorum consumpti, tot morborum pestiumque generibus flagellati, tot fluctibus quassati, tot perterrefacti; et nullus tamen nobis ità

fatigatis, et inusitatâ malorum vi debilitatis, portus perfugiumque apparet, sed quotidie magis magisque graves pluresque pœnæ imminere cervicibus nostris videntur. Non hic de tuâ asperitate conquerimur, misericordissme Domine, sed tuam potius misericordiam intuemur, quòd longè graviores plagas commeriti sumus. Nos verò abs te, misericordissime Domine, precamur, non quid meritis nostris dignum sit consideres aut perpendas; sed potius quid deceat misericordiam tuam, sine quâ ne angeli quidem in cœlo consistere possunt, nedum nos vasa luti infirma. Miserere nostri, Redemptor noster, qui facillimè exoraris, non quod nos misericordiâ tuâ digni sumus; sed hanc gloriam nomini tuo dato. Ne patiaris Judæos, Turcas, reliquosque qui vel non noverunt Te, vel gloriæ tuæ invident, perpetuò de nobis triumphare et dicere; ubi Deus, ubi Redemptor, ubi Servator, ubi Sponsus illorum est? Hæc contumeliosa verba et convitia in te, Domine, redundant; dum ex malis nostris bonitatem tuam existimant, nos derelinqui putant, quos emendari non cernunt. Cum semel in navigio dormires, et tempestas subitò exorta minaretur mortem omnibus qui in navi erant, ad clamorem paucorum discipulorum excitabaris; et continuò fluctus quieverunt, ventus cessavit, tempestas in magnam tranquillitatem conversa est; aquæ mutæ Creatoris vocem agnoverunt. In hâc autem longè graviore tempestate, in quâ non paucorum hominum corpora in discrimen veniunt, sed innumerabiles animæ periclitant; ad vocem universæ ecclesiæ tuæ, Domine, precamur, ut vigiles, quæ nunc in periculo submersionis est. Tot jam millia