taken out of the Hands of thofe, whofe Mercies are cruel, and to have our Governors re-inftated in their antient Authority over us: When we defire, in fhort to be examin'd by them,before we be admitted to any Trutt, for fear of Infufficiency; to have our Allowances tax'd and determin'd by them, for fear of Difagreements; to have à Letter of Licence under their own Hand and Seal, for fear of Collufion, or Removes; and no Cause of Difmiffion allow'd against us, but fuch as their own Wisdom and Impartiality, upon a proper Hearing, fhall approve.

THESE are Privileges, my Lord, that we may call the Birth-right of the Inferior Clergy. Our Ancestors had them, from the firft Inftitution of Christianity in this Nation: Their Defcendents had them in the darkest Ages of Defcendents had them, in the darkest Ages of Popery, and when Oppreffion was in its highest Elevation: And, if we pursue the Enquiry farther, we shall find that they have been handed down to us, along with the Reformation, and make fome part, at this time, of our happy Conftitution, both civil and ecclefiaftical.

THE famous Statute of 21. Henry VIII. that transfers the Power of difpenfing with Plurality of Livings (which the fourth Lateran Council had plac'd in the Pope only) into the Hand of the Archbishop of the Province, makes no Alteration in other Bishops, with Relation to the Affair of Curates, but leaves them in the full Poffeffion of the fame Power that they had be fore by the Canon Law; which was to fettle them in Parishes where they were wanted, and to allow them fitting Salaries, under the epifcopal Seal. To this purpose we may obferve, that in the Form of Difpenfation, which has always been us'd fince the Reformation, there is Pro

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vifion made, that the Cure of the Church, from which the Incumbent is chiefly abfent, be, in the mean time, well fupplied in all things by fome fit Minifter, able to explain and interpret the Prin ciples of the Chriftian Religion, and to preach the Word of God to the People; if the Revenues of the faid Church can conveniently maintain fuch an one: And that a competent and fufficient Sa·lary for this Purpose be limited and appointed by *the Bishop of the Place, or (in cafe the Diocefan Bishop do not his Duty herein) by the Archbishop or his Succeffor, to be given and paid bona fide to the faid Curate.

THE Conftitutions and Canons of our Church are far from being defective in this Particular. The 41ft Canon requires, that whoever is intituled to a Licence or Difpenfation for the keeping of more Benefices with Cure than one, shall have under him, in the Benefice where he does not refide, a Preacher lawfully allowed, that is able fufficiently to teach and inftruct the People. Who this Preacher lawfully allow'd is, the 47th Canon declares, viz. a Curate that is a fufficient and licens'd Preacher: And then follow the Qualifi cations that make him fuch, in the very next Can. 48. Canon; No Curate or Minifter fhall be permit ted to ferve in any Place, without Examination and Admiffion of the Bishop of the Diocefe, or Ordinary of the Place, having episcopal Jurif diction in Writing under his Hand and Seal, having Refpect to the Greatness of the Cure, and Meetnefs of the Party.

+ OUR Church has therefore fufficiently ac quitted herself in these her Orders and Confti

Hoc falarium, fays Lndwood, debet limitari per ipfum judicem Non ex conventione fiendum per partes, fed ex ipfius judicis officio.

:

Vid. Preamble to the Genft, and Can. Ecclef

tutions.

tutions. But why the prefatory Injunction of them is no better minded;---why every Minifter, by what Name or Title foever be be called, does not, in the Parish Church or Chapel where he bas Charge, read them all over once every Year, on fome Sunday or Holiday, for their better Obfervation; why all Archbishops, Bifhops, and others that exercife any ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction within this Realm, every Man in his Place, do not fee and procure (as much as in them lieth) all and every the faid Canons to be in all Points duly obferved; not fparing to execute the Penalties that are mentioned in them upon any that Shall wittingly and wilfully break, or neglect to objerve the fame; efpecially fince they are charg'd fo ftrictly to do it, as they tender the Honour of God, the Peace of the Church, the Tranquillity of the Kingdom, and their Duties and Service to the King --is a Matter that affords but a melancholy Speculation.

IN the Eye of the Statute-Law, Licences are fo effential to the Being of a Curate, that no one is deem'd to ferve in that Capacity without them; and therefore the Preamble to that A&t in the 12th of Queen Anne, which provides for the better Maintenance of Curates, takes care to repeat the Condition, that entitles us to the Benefit of it, in the very Words of the abovecited Canon, viz. that they be licens'd Preachers; for no Curates or Minifters ought to ferve in any Place without the previous Examination and Admiffion of the Bishop. "How then, asks a very great Prelate," came Curates to offi"ciate without ever coming to the Bifhop at all, "or undergoing any Examination by him? This " is a plain Breach of the Canon, and ought to be reformed. For I think it a very great "Fault in thofe that have Pluralities, that they

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"look

"look no more after the Curates they employ, "and that they do not bring them to the Bishop "to be approv'd, and to have their Allowances "fix'd before they employ them." Efpecially confidering, that not only the neceffary Information of the Bifhop, but the Satisfaction of the abfent Minifter likewife, the Eafe and Encouragement of the refiding Curate, and the Peace and Tranquillity of the whole Congregation, feems in a great Meafure to depend upon

it.

1. WHATEVER then becomes of the Opinion, that the Bishop is the fole Paftor of his Diocefe, that the Care of all Souls is intrufted. with him, and other inferior Orders are no more than his Curates; tho' it be mightily fupported by Authorities from Antiquity: this certainly is true, in Relation to his Office (even if we bring it to its loweft Gradation) that he has a general Sway and Jurifdiction over his whole Diocefe; that the Body of his Clergy are more immediately under his Care and Superintendency; that he is concerned to acquaint himfelf particularly with them, and their Proceedings; to know their Qualities, and fee to the Execution of their Office: But then, that his Care is to center itself, as it were, and his Eye be more attentively fixed, where the grand Stress lies; on thofe, I mean, that have the main Execution of the Office devolved upon them; left the chief Points of the Paftoral Care (for reading Prayers, or a Sermon, alas! is the leaft part of it) *" the inftructing, the exhorting,

the admonishing and reproving, the directing "and conducting, the visiting and comforting, the People of a Parish, come to be neglected while the Incumbent is abfent, or does not

* Vid. Paft, Care, p. 16. Pref.

"think

"think fit to look after it, and the Curate "thinks himself oblig'd to nothing, but barely "to perform the ftated Offices of the Church, "according to Agreement."

WE fuppofe the Cafe then, that Pluralities are lawful, and that Non-refidence may be conniv'd at; yet, fince fo many Canons require, and the Fate of fo many Souls depends upon the Supply of a fufficient Curate, who fhall be Judges of the Man's Sufficiency? The Incumbent, I think, is excluded the Queftion; becaufe Cheapnefs with him, tho' with no body elfe, is a valuable Confideration, and a Foil may be neceffary fometimes to give a faint Luftre to very dull Parts. The People, we are told, have no Right in fuch Elections; but admitted they had, the Man must be a poor Tool indeed, that cannot impofe upon them, and either by the Help of printed Sermons, or the Strength of fome of his Acquaintance, mufter an handsom thing up for his firft Effay, whatever becomes of his After-performances. The Prieft's Lips, we Mal. ii. 7. are told in the mean time, fhould preferve Knowledge, that the People may enquire the Law at his Mouth; for he is the Meffenger of the Lord of Hofts And yet, by this Manner of excluding the Bishop from the Power of Examination, a numerous Parifh may be committed to the Care of an old Woman of a Curate, who has nothing to recommend him, but a grave Stupidity, and fanctimonious Look; who is forc'd every Sunday to commute for his want of Stile, Method, and Invention, with odd Distortions of Countenance, fudden Elevations of Hands and Eyes,and other theatrical Shews of devotional Grimace; who, instead of being a fufficient Teacher himself, has need to be taught the first Prin- Heb.v. 12. ciples of the Oracles of God; to be fed with

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Milk,