lous and persevering ourselves. If amongst the wonderful and fearful changes which are continually taking place, we have too much reason to apprehend that the cause of true religion is exposed to alarming danger, let us not have just reason to blame ourselves for any remissness on our part, for any want of zealous exertion;-for any unworthy temporizing policy, which would seek to avert an impending storm by the sacrifice of Christian principle. And whilst we are true to ourselves,— true to the cause of that Reformed and Apostolic Church of which we are members,-true to the cause of Scriptural education: whilst we liberally contribute and earnestly labour to instill into the minds and hearts of the children who attend our schools the sound doctrines and holy precepts of the Gospel, we may humbly trust that the blessing of him who views with approbation every work of benevolence and charity, will rest on our schools, and whilst they tend to advance the knowledge and the worship and the glory of the three persons of the Eternal Godhead, will, through the same divine blessing, greatly augment the number of the true servants of Jesus Christ, and guide them in safety to his kingdom of glory hereafter.

Now to God, &c.

NOTES.

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Note 1, page 11. The important statement here referred to was made by Dr. Yates, in a letter addressed to Lord Liverpool, in 1815, entitled "The Church in danger: a statement of the cause and of the probable means of averting that danger." I am tempted to transcribe a few passages from a pamphlet which produced a great sensation at the time, and was principally instrumental in remedying an evil the existence of which to so great an extent was not a little discreditable to the Legislature of a Christian nation. "An increase of habitations, and an "augmentation of population, have been gradually accumulating "around the Metropolis, and in many other districts, without "any correspondent' arrangements to secure for the Established "Church the due administration of its offices.-The parishes "immediately surrounding the City of London, long after their "original boundaries had been given to them, though of consid"erable extent, contained only a village population of 1 or 200 "souls, with a village Church of sufficient capacity to accom❝modate the whole, under the care of a Rector or Vicar, whose "personal knowledge of his flock rendered the discharge "of his official duties advantageous both to them and to the "state, his instructions beneficial, and his residence a blessing. "These parishes remaining for the most part the same in super"ficial extent, have increased in population to the almost "incredible amount of 30, 40, 50, and in one instance up

"wards of 70,000 souls, and no concomitant alteration has been "made to provide for the instruction and superintendance of "the Established Church. In these enormous and unwieldly "masses of population such a variety of discordant and conten"ding interests are generated, that many of the civil advantages, " and moral restraints, and almost all the Eclesiastical benefits "of the Established Church, are necessarily annihilated. An “immense numerical majority of the Inhabitants are excluded "from all instructive participation in the prayers and praises of "their parish Church. The due discharge of the salutary duties "of a resident parochial minister is become absolutely impossi“ble. . . . In vain do the laws call upon the Clergy to reside "and in vain does our excellent Church require parochial commu"nion between the minister and his parishioners, and make it his "dut to exhort and teach his people, and to catechize the children "of his parish,—if so many thousand souls are nominally placed "under his superintendence that he cannot possibly take any "personal cognizance of one 50th part of them." p 30-32. In the subsequent pages he states the population and the Churh-room in the different parishes. Amongst the most striking instances of the want of Church-room are the cases of St. Pancras with a population of 46,333, and only one Church capable of containing 3 or 400 persons, and St. Mary le Bone, with a population of 75,624, and a parish Church capable of containing not more than 4000. The total number unprovided with Church-room, within a circuit of about 8 miles around the City of London, is stated, after a minute detail of particulars, to amount to the appalling number of nine hundred and fifty

three thousand !

What would have been the moral and religious state of these parishes at the present time, if the Legislature had not responded to the call for assistance, and liberally contributed to remedy so great an evil!

Note 2, page 15. The Society for promoting Christian Knowledge was established about the year 1698. The following

is the preamble to their first proceedings.

"Whereas the "growth of vice and immorality is greatly owing to gross ignor

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ance of the principles of Christian Religion, we, whose names are underwritten, do agree to meet together, as often as we "can conveniently, to consult, (under the conduct of Divine "providence and assistance) how we may be able, by due and "and lawful methods to promote Christian Knowledge." The means which they used for the attainment of this great object were the erection of catechetical schools, the establishment of lending parochial libraries, and the distribution of good Books. Schools appear to have been their first object, and it is to a sermon preached by Bishop Marsh before the Society that the National Schools owe their origin.

THE END.

Printed by J. TRATHAN, Market-Strand, Falmouth.