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diff --git a/old/64879-0.txt b/old/64879-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3682a00..0000000 --- a/old/64879-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1599 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Spiritual Improvement of the Census, by -Robert George Baker - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Spiritual Improvement of the Census - A Sermon - - -Author: Robert George Baker - - - -Release Date: March 20, 2021 [eBook #64879] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPIRITUAL IMPROVEMENT OF THE -CENSUS*** - - -Transcribed from the 1851 Lavis edition by David Price. Many thanks to -the British Library for making their copy available. - - - - - - THE - SPIRITUAL IMPROVEMENT OF THE CENSUS. - - - * * * * * - - ~~~~~~~~~~~ - - * * * * * - - A SERMON, - - PREACHED IN - - The Parish Church of All Saints, Fulham, - - 30TH MARCH, 1851. - - * * * * * - - BY THE - REV. R. G. BAKER, M.A. - - VICAR OF FULHAM, - RURAL DEAN, AND PREBENDARY OF ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL. - - * * * * * - - * * * * * - - _WITH NOTES_. - - * * * * * - - * * * * * - - SOLD BY LAVIS, FULHAM. - - * * * * * - - LONDON - R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL. - - * * * * * - - - - -SERMON. - - - 2 SAMUEL xxiv. 10. - - “_And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people_. - _And David said unto the Lord_, _I have sinned greatly in that I have - done_: _and now_, _I beseech thee_, _O Lord_, _take away the iniquity - of thy servant_; _for I have done very foolishly_.” - -AT the time here spoken of, David had been, for nearly forty years, king -over “_the Lord’s people_.” The youngest of eight sons of one of the -shepherds of Israel, and raised from that lowly station to the throne by -the express appointment of Jehovah, it may well excite our surprise to -observe his conduct on the occasion to which the text refers. We might -have supposed that the incidents of his early life, no less than the -experience of his riper years, would have taught him a more simple spirit -of faith and trust than that which he now showed. “_A lion and a bear_” -came upon him while he was yet a boy, and took a lamb out of his father’s -flock which he was keeping; and he was not only delivered from them, but -enabled alone and unharmed to slay them. {3} At another time, when the -Philistine giant defied the armies of the living God, David went forth of -his own accord to meet him. Mindful of the same power which had saved -him from “_the lion and the bear_,” he asked no armour for his -protection. He sought no weapon for the fight. “_Strong in the Lord_, -_and in the power of his might_,” he prevailed, “_with a sling and with a -stone_.” {4a} And “_the weak thing_, _and the base thing_, _and the -thing that was despised_,” was chosen to confound and to “_bring to -nought the thing that was mighty_, _in order that no flesh should glory -in the presence of God_.” {4b} Then, again, how often had David been -rescued from the personal jealousy of Saul! What signal success had been -granted him against the enemies of Israel! And how strikingly had even -the rebellion of his own misguided son been overruled to the promotion of -his safety and glory! - -But it appears that all this instruction had been given him in vain. He -was still disposed to depend, in the transaction before us, upon the -“_arm of flesh_.” Proud of the extent of his dominions and of the -multitude of his subjects, and secretly pleased with the proof it would -afford to other nations of his own wisdom and good government, he caused -the people to be numbered; although, as the opening of this very chapter -shows, it was against the advice, and even the entreaties, of his own -officers. For “_Joab_, _the captain of the host_, _had said unto the -king_, _Now the Lord thy God add unto the people_, _how many soever they -be_, _an hundredfold_, _and that the eyes of my lord the king may see -it_: _but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing_? -_Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab_, _and against -the captains of the host_.” {4c} The heart of David, however, was soon -opened by Divine grace to confess and to deplore the offence which he had -committed. And the fearful judgment that followed served at once, in the -most instructive manner, to humble and to disappoint him, by showing him -how entirely he was dependent upon God for that _very source of strength -and greatness_ which his conceit led him to prize so highly, and how -suddenly he might be stripped of it. The account is given in the verses -which follow immediately upon the text. For being allowed to choose -between three visitations, famine, war, and pestilence, and preferring -that which he supposed would fall upon his country most lightly, “_the -Lord_,” we read, “_sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to -the time appointed_, _and there died of the people seventy thousand -men_.” - -It may be right for us to bear in mind, that what made this act of -numbering the Israelites so very offensive to God, was that it tended to -draw off the hearts of the king and of his people from that single and -undivided regard which they owed to Him. All the trials of that nation -carried on for such a long course of years, and all the statutes and laws -given for their guidance, were meant to keep this conviction uppermost in -their minds. They had been singled out from the rest of mankind, not -only as the guardians of the true faith and worship, but as witnesses to -all the world of the power, and love, and faithfulness of the Lord. -Special mercies, continued miracles, wonderful deliverances were wrought -for them, in order that they might feel, at every stage of their eventful -history, that they were peculiarly _His people_. If _bread_ was wanting -to allay their hunger, or _water_ to assuage their thirst, or _raiment_ -to cover their bodies, it was not provided by any of the slow -contrivances of human industry. But _the hard rock_ poured forth _their_ -water, and _the heavens_ showered down _their_ food, and their “_raiment -waxed not old upon them_,” even during the long period of forty years. -If the inhabitants of every other land gave way before them as they -advanced, _they_ were taught, and they might have learnt, from the utter -disproportion of their own powers, that it was “_the Lord their God_” who -drove them out. And if, in the restlessness of their spirit, they -desired to have a king to reign over them, they were reminded that “_the -Lord their God_” was _their_ King. However _few_, in any case, were the -numbers of _their_ hosts, they always proved _sufficient_ for the work -which they were charged to achieve. And however _numerous_ they were at -other times, it might yet please Him, as it did on the occasion here -recorded, to turn their strength into weakness in an instant. This -numbering of the people, therefore, showed an utter distrust of that -goodness which had never failed them, and called down a judgment so -severe, that it must have warned them for ever against a repetition of -the offence. - -The question will have occurred already, perhaps, to the minds of some -who hear me, Can any similar degree of guilt attach to that numbering of -our own people which is going on at this time throughout the land, from -one end of it even to the other? If, in the case of David, the measure -was condemned so fearfully, and involved so signal a punishment, what are -the circumstances in our own case that tend to remove from it any such -reproach, and may even lead us to hope that instead of thwarting the will -and pleasure of our God, we are really proceeding in conformity to it, -and even promoting his purposes of grace and goodness to our land? - -My brethren, in order to answer such an inquiry aright, it seems only -necessary that we should remember the essential difference already -pointed out between the chosen nation and any which the world has since -seen. Never in any other case has the civil government of kingdoms been -carried on by the immediate agency of Almighty power. _Our_ national -welfare depends not upon miracles, but upon those provisions of human -forethought or experience, which, under the Divine blessing, appear best -adapted to meet each exigency that arises. And although there is often -cause to lament that this blessing is so seldom _implored_ by us -distinctly and publicly as a Christian people, and so little -_acknowledged_ by us in the many mercies, which, as a Christian people, -we are enjoying, yet still we may humbly believe that the inquiry now -conducted cannot be displeasing to God. Many facts will be learnt from -it conducive to the common good, and tending either to suggest or to -mature provisions for our social improvement. Many practical lessons -will be gained, teaching us how we may better “_bear each other’s -burdens_, _and so fulfil the law of Christ_.” {7a} Many truths will be -derived from the results of this Census, which may strengthen our hands -as “_members one of another_;” {7b} and some objects, it may be hoped, -will be answered by it, in the advancement of which we may cheerfully -join in giving effect to the counsels of our rulers. - -At the same time there are thoughts mingling with this subject of a more -serious and personal kind, to which I could desire, in the guidance of -God’s Spirit, to direct your minds. And the occasion for suggesting them -appears so seasonable, and occurs so seldom, that it may reconcile us to -the omission of other topics of inquiry, and the endeavour to found upon -it some which may be made, under the teaching of that Spirit, conducive -to our edification and salvation. - -This enrolling of our people _every tenth year_, each man’s family in his -own house, may it not read to us some lessons as Christians; while it -affords to those who are set over us in the Lord, the materials for their -guidance in the great work of government and legislation? Whether we -regard it as private individuals, or as fellow-subjects in that civil -community with which the Providence of God has connected us, or as -members of the Church of Christ and “_heirs together of the grace of -life_,” {7c} it may suggest to us many reflections of thankfulness, -self-inquiry and abasement. - -_Ten years_ have passed away since this Census was last taken; and of -course by far the larger portion of those here present were at that time -included in it. These allotted periods fixed by the institutions of men -agree very remarkably with those which the Spirit of God in his word has -pointed out as warnings of the shortness and the uncertainty of life. -“_The days of our age are threescore years and ten_; _and if by reason of -strength they be fourscore years_, _yet is their strength labour and -sorrow_; _for it is soon cut off_, _and we fly away_.” {8a} If this, -then, be the limit to the life of man, what an important portion of it do -these latter years contain, quickly as they pass away, and short as they -now appear in looking back upon them! It is well known that nearly -one-half of the number of deaths that occur among mankind happen before -the tenth year of life is completed. Yet have _we all_ been spared, -through sickness, and casualties, and during one year of that term -through pestilence itself raging at our doors, to see the end of it; and -to improve it, as affording a rich fund of opportunities, and warnings, -and motives, and principles for the period yet to come. Nor is it only -life that has been thus continued to us; but life with all its attendant -health, and strength, and reason, and many temporal comforts. And there -have been dangers warded off, and blessings multiplied to us in a measure -which we should now find it difficult, even with the utmost stretch of -memory, to reckon; still less to trace out all those impressions of -gratitude and praise towards the Great Dispenser of them all, which each -of them, as it passed, ought to have fixed indelibly upon the heart. For -these are all the gifts, too often even the unasked gifts, but in every -case the undeserved and ill-requited gifts of Him “_in whom we live_, -_and move_, _and have our being_.” {8b} And in addition to these, how -mercifully have our spiritual privileges been continued to us, those -which unite us with “_Christ the hope of glory_,” {8c} and which open to -us the supplies of His grace, and which long since ought to have led our -affections from earthly to heavenly things. _For ten years more_ has the -revealed word of God been spread out before us, “_the engrafted word_, -_which is able to save our __souls_;” {9a} inviting us to “_flee from the -wrath to come_;” {9b} charging us to have our treasure in heaven; and -reminding us, wherever we open it, of the things which belong to our -eternal peace. _For ten years more_ has His Blessed Son been calling to -us to “_come to Him that we might have life_;” {9c} cheering us with the -promise that “_whosoever cometh to Him shall in no wise be cast out_;” -{9d} offering to meet and to bless us with His spiritual presence in the -ordinances of His own appointment upon earth, and interceding for us -continually before the throne of His Father in heaven. _For ten years -more_ has that Spirit who does “_not always strive with man_,” {9e} been -striving with _us_; often grieved by our coldness, our inconsistency, our -unwatchfulness; yet never quite leaving us to ourselves; and even now -waiting to be entreated by us, that He may purify and sanctify us wholly. -And let me say, that if it is an obvious, it is also a solemn thought, -that _these ten years_ have included above 500 Sabbaths; each of which -might have been, had we diligently improved them, a new step in our -advancement towards heaven. They might have made such an addition to our -stock of spiritual knowledge, and strength, and progress, as would ere -now have carried us far more onward than we have yet reached towards that -“_rest which remaineth for the people of God_.” {9f} - -And then comes the concerning question, from which not one person who -hears me can escape; In what manner, to what degree have these advantages -been turned to account? _These ten years_ of continued forbearance, and -longer trial, and multiplied mercies on the part of our God, do they find -us at the close of them living more closely to Him; more desirous of His -favour; more afraid of His displeasure; and adorning more, in our life -and conversation, the gospel of His own dear Son? _So much __nearer_ as -we must know ourselves to be to our latter end, are we in any, and in -what measure, better prepared to meet it? Do our tempers and pursuits -prove us to be, what this new stage of our journey must convince us that -we are, mere “_strangers and sojourners upon earth_,” {10a} seeking “_a -better country_, _that is_, _an heavenly_?” {10b} Or rather, are there -not some sins still, as in time past, a shame and a burden to us; some -evil habits or negligences, some ignorances or omissions yet cleaving to -us, and even growing with our growth, and strengthening with our -strength? The world, the flesh, and the devil, those three enemies of -our souls whom we engaged in our baptism to renounce, have they less -power over us than they once had? And do we find in ourselves more -readiness to pray, more comfort in our private prayers, more delight in -our Sabbaths, more of actual profit from all the means of grace, than we -did before? With such an inquiry as this presented to him, and quickened -by the thought, that as more time is gone there is so much the less -remaining, may not the most advanced and established among us find room -for confession and self-abasement? And if this indeed be so, if even -“_the righteous scarcely be saved_, _where shall the ungodly and the -sinner appear_?” {10c} Where those who “_make a mock at sin_,” {10d} -“_glory in their shame_,” and only “_mind earthly things_?” {10e} What -must be their state in the sight of God, and what their aggravated -danger, who for _ten years more_ have been “_crucifying the Son of God -afresh_” {10f} by their open unresisted ways of sin, despising the grace -of God, and giving a more free indulgence to those very lusts against -which the true believers have been at least watching, and contending, and -praying? - -My brethren, it may seem, no doubt, an alarming reflection, but it is -still a faithful saying, and confirmed by all our experience, that if -_ten years more_ have not carried us forward in our heavenly course, if -they do not find us growing in grace, in the knowledge of ourselves and -in the knowledge of Christ Jesus, they will too probably find us -confirmed in evil; more estranged from God; more ripe for judgment; the -chains of sin bound faster around us, and all our habits more difficult -of change; nay, even impossible to be changed, until that Spirit from on -high be given us, who can at any time turn a man from darkness to light, -but who, the longer He is wilfully slighted, is the less willing to be -sought. - -These are some of the topics, and, as I well know, they are but a few of -them, which a retrospect of this interval might urge upon us as -individuals; and these arise only from a review of our own position as -the survivors of this new period of probation which the Lord in mercy has -permitted us to pass. But I might well ask you to cast your eyes once -more back, (it will be wise and profitable for us to do so,) in order -that we may call to mind how many persons, some of them dear to us as our -own souls, _began_ this same period with us, who have not lived like us -to witness its _close_. If the thought suggests to any of my hearers -some recollections of pain, and sorrow, and separation, may they have the -grace given them to consider that it is the brightest light which casts -the deepest shadows; and that there are trains of thought which can edify -while they sadden us; like the shade of Peter’s body, which, as it passed -across the multitudes, gave life and health to whatever it obscured. -{11a} - -The number of interments which have occurred within the last ten years in -the three burial grounds of this parish have included more than a fifth -part of its population. Such is the sure and rapid way in which, day by -day, and year by year, the sentence passed upon our fallen race is -fulfilled. “_Dust thou art_, _and unto dust shalt thou return_.” {11b} -And some of these events, if I could now place them in order before you, -have been attended with circumstances so full of awakening instruction, -they have proclaimed so distinctly the instability of all earthly ties, -the vanity of all expectations that have not heaven for their object, and -the love of Christ for their security and their motive, that no louder -call could ever be addressed to those who have been most nearly affected -by them. And as surely and as quickly will the same mortality proceed -during the next decade of the world’s duration. Another like proportion, -another fifth, yes, my brethren, one person in five, of those who are -assembled here to-day, will be swept off from the engrossing cares and -the unsatisfying frivolities of life into the great charnel-house which -must ere long receive us all. How many more such ties will be loosened -before the same interval recurs again! Those whom we love the best may -be taken from us, or we from them, never more to meet until the -resurrection of the last day. With such perpetual notices before us of -the shortness of our time, and of the momentous nature of that work which -it is given us to do, let us resolve to work while it is day. Let us -neglect no call; let us abuse no warning; let us lose no opportunity -which may assist us in making our “_calling and election sure_.” {12a} -“_This I say_,” declares St. Paul, with a full conviction of the truth -upon his mind, “_This I say_, _that the time is short_: _it remaineth_, -_that both they that have wives be as though they had none_; _and they -that weep_, _as though they wept not_; _and they that rejoice_, _as -though they rejoiced not_; _and they that buy_, _as though they possessed -not_; _and they that use this world_, _as not abusing it_: _for the -fashion of this world passeth away_.” {12b} - -Suffer me now to advert to some topics of inquiry which such an occasion -as this presents to us, as members of the same civil community, -fellow-citizens of the same favoured land, or even as inhabitants of the -same parish. There are other mercies for us to review, and there are -other grounds of humiliation in the abuse of them, which we have to -cherish beyond those which belong to us as private individuals. And to -these we cannot safely be indifferent. - -Consider the many blessings we have to acknowledge as bestowed upon our -country. During the earliest of these intervals fixed for numbering the -people, of which we have now reached the sixth, we were engaged in -destructive wars, always a source of the most extensive misery and crime. -And ever, as the period came round for enrolling our living population, -there was an allowance to be made for the losses it had suffered of -multitudes who had passed into the grave before their full time, in -foreign lands, amidst the horrors of the battlefield or the naval fight, -their last hours wanting all the solace of domestic endearment or -spiritual comfort. But we have now been mercifully spared for nearly -forty years from any general or continued war. _Ten years more_ of -almost unbroken peace, or of peace broken only in the remoter -dependencies of the empire, have passed over us. And very few of our -countrymen, comparatively with other times, have had their lives cut -short by a scourge to which the pride and covetousness of mankind are -always urging them, but which it may be hoped the God of love and peace, -in answer to the prayers of His servants, will continue still to -restrain. It was a feeling of the terrors of that scourge which drew -from David the affecting entreaty recorded in the chapter before us: -“_Let us fall now into the hands of the Lord_; _for his mercies are -great_: _and let us not fall into the hands of man_.” {13} - -And if it cannot equally be said that our land has been spared from the -visitation of pestilence, if it has pleased God, within the last ten -years, to send again among us that fearful judgment, what cause had we -for thankfulness that even in the midst of that judgment He remembered -mercy, and that in the most direct answer to prevailing prayer that we -have ever witnessed, He caused the disorder to cease even at the time -when it seemed to be defying all human means of restraining it. - -There are two aspects in which this new enrolment will present itself to -the mind as connected with our national state. And there are different -conclusions to be drawn from it, according as they are viewed or not in -the light which the Scripture gives us, and tried by the rules which it -affords. It may be thought, when this new list is making out of our -people from one end of the country to the other, advancing as they -probably are in numbers, intelligence, and wealth, the result of it will -rather speak the language of exultation than of abasement. While we are -arranging in their different classes our men of opulence, and our men of -business, and our men of science, “_merchants_,” like those of the -“_crowning city_,” equal to “_princes_, _and traffickers ranked among the -honourable of the earth_;” {14a} our cunning artificers and our tillers -of the ground surpassing those of other lands in diligence, enterprise, -and talent; there is enough here, it may be thought, to assure us that -God is well pleased with us, and that all these proofs of worldly -prosperity are pledges of His favour. Surely, it will be said by some -who witness it, “_this great nation is a wise and understanding people_.” -{14b} And yet let us remember, that the distinctions of nations, like -those of individuals, are given to them as talents to be accounted for -and improved, not in order to flatter pride, or to promote the comparison -of themselves with others. The higher is the measure of our privileges, -the heavier is the weight of our responsibilities. These signs of -greatness may be found utterly worthless when they are weighed in the -balance of the sanctuary, and may be tending only to increase our -condemnation. If, indeed, our zeal for God’s glory had kept pace with -our experience of His mercies; if, placed as we are at the head of the -commerce of the world, our influence reaching to every sea and every -shore on which the sun shines, we had carried with us that best of our -national treasures, that which is interdicted to some nations, and, alas! -as yet unknown to many more, the pure, the full, the free gospel of the -grace of God; if, many years ago, we had taken up that position, to the -importance of which we seem only to have awakened of late, that of being, -as the heralds of the Church, the evangelizers of mankind; if the moral -and spiritual improvement of our people at home had advanced as rapidly -as their intellectual character, then, indeed, we might have given up the -account of our resources with joy and not with grief. But since it is -most true, as you yourselves also know, that while the largest funds are -never wanting for every scheme, the wildest, the most uncertain, of -worldly speculation or display, they are often left to fail, and to fall -away, and to be importuned for in the prosecution of the soberest, the -most scriptural plans for promoting the glory of God, or the welfare of -some distressed portion or other of our fellow-men; if all the boasted -improvements in our means of communication are only carrying into the -quietest and least corrupted districts of the land new incentives to -Sabbath desecration; if while we have been spared from the desolations of -foreign war, we are given up, at this very hour, to intestine divisions -pervading equally the Church and the State, and upon questions where a -Christian people ought to be found essentially agreed; here, again, we -have cause rather to humble than to exalt ourselves, and to fear lest our -God should enter into judgment with us for this poor requital of all the -distinctions with which we have been blessed. - -The most remarkable event which, within _the last ten years_, has -affected the spiritual state of our own parish, has been the erection, in -a district scarcely built upon before, but in the midst of a poor and now -rapidly increasing population, of a spacious and splendid Roman Catholic -church, with extensive school-rooms and the residence of a priest -attached to it. My brethren, there are but few probably among us who -would lament this measure, if its only design and its only effect were to -provide for the instruction of that large number of Roman Catholic -labourers who inhabit that and the contiguous districts. Shut out as -they are, by the stern prohibitions of their own priesthood, from all -access to our means of grace; taught to believe that all doctrine is -heresy, and all instruction hurtful, which does not flow directly from -their own communion; living among us, as they did, for so many years, -like sheep having no shepherd, who would condemn the only provision being -at length made for them, of which their unhappy state admitted? Nay -more; may we not hope that having been left hitherto equally ignorant and -fettered, ignorant of the commonest means of knowledge, and fettered and -precluded from attaining it, the instruction now given to their children -will one day become the blessed means of enabling them to throw off their -fetters, and make an opening for the light of Gospel truth to shine upon -their souls? But, alas! all that we see and hear forbids us to believe -that the only design or effect of this measure is to enable the Romanists -to provide for their own people. There is already too much evidence to -show that it has all the character of an aggression upon the faith of the -members of our Church. It is in full accordance with those measures, -which within the last few months have happily awakened the Protestant -spirit of our whole people, and have shown in its true colours the -influence of that unscriptural and grasping Church from which they -sprang. By devices the most insidious, our people are invited to witness -the imposing ritual of this new building; while depositaries are opened, -even at our own doors, for the public sale of cheap tracts, that tend, -with bitter irony and gross misstatements, to discredit _our_ -institutions and to recommend _theirs_. {17a} What will be the actual -result of all this conflict between truth and error before _ten more -years_ have passed, it may not be easy to say. If those among us who are -spared to outlive them are enabled to “_hold fast the profession of their -faith without wavering_,” {17b} they may not only save their own souls, -but lead others, who can only view Him now through the mists of their -corruptions, to honour the holy name of Him by whom we are called. But -surely, with these facts before us, there is the strongest inducement for -us all, not only to examine ourselves whether we are in the faith, but -why, and on what grounds we are in it; {17c} while there is a motive -created strong enough to induce all who have the means at their command -to promote any well-advised plans for arresting the evil, or turning it, -through God’s blessing, to good. {17d} - -To conclude. The inquiry which will be going on to-morrow throughout the -country is addressed to us all, as the heads of our separate households; -each giving a return of the names, and ages, and birthplace, and -occupations of those, who will pass this very night under his own roof. -But surely the thought will occur to _some_ among us, I would to God that -it might be brought home by His Spirit to the hearts of _all_, that there -are several other points of inquiry besides these, upon which the great -Head of the Church may be expecting, and really does expect, an account -to be rendered by us. We may have no power to influence the character or -to regulate the habits of those large masses of the people whose -irreligion, in the crowded districts that surround us, we may deplore. -The influence which is to affect a whole nation falls within the power of -very few. But that which affects the character of any family or -household, (and nations are made up of families) depends mainly on the -principles, aye, and even on the tempers and way of life of those whom -God places over them; for this also is an allotment of His providence. -Let us then suppose for an instant, that it was desired to obtain, as on -this same day, a return of what might be called the spiritual statistics -of England. Suppose, that laying aside, or rather looking beyond the -mere considerations of civil or political economy, it were wished to -learn by such distinct and palpable records as might be furnished, the -actual state of religion through the whole extent of our population. I -well know, indeed, that there are signs and marks of which no earthly -inquiries could take cognizance; proofs of spiritual growth in some, and -of declension in others; secret concessions to the corrupt nature in one -class, or inward aspirations after holiness in the other; hypocrisies -which no eye can detect among “_the children of this world_,” and -spiritual conflicts in the “_children of light_,” which can only be known -to the Supreme Searcher of their hearts. But when all this is allowed, -we might lay down some distinctions in every case, the existence or the -absence of which would go far to show, whether the master of that house, -and those around him, were really serving God or not. If it were -inquired throughout the land, or if, limiting the supposition to our own -parish, it were asked in every house, Is family prayer maintained _under -this roof_? {18a} Is the Sabbath observed by the master, by the -servants, by the children, as “_a delight_, _the holy of the Lord_, -_honourable_?” {18b} all work suspended which may be left undone, and -every pursuit given up which is inconsistent with the real spirit of the -day, as one of holy rest? Would the general answers to these questions -be such as we could really ponder over with any comfort? Or again, if it -were asked, How many Bibles _in this house_ are diligently searched? How -many of its inmates are not only permitted, but encouraged and invited, -and if need be, urged to attend upon the public worship of God? Is there -a servants’ library _in this house_, to which every one of them may have -recourse for some edifying or self-improving reading during the leisure -intervals of their service? {19a} How many communicants are there _in -this family_ among those who have reached the proper age of full -communion with the Church, and with her living Head? How many of the -children are really reared in the spirit of their baptismal vows, -“_virtuously brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life_?” {19b} -Are not these subjects of inquiry on which there would be too great cause -for self-reproach to many among us; the reproach resting upon those who -had all the means afforded them for their spiritual sustenance and -growth, but have carelessly neglected to improve them? - -My brethren, I commend these remarks in all faithfulness and affection to -your private meditations and your prayers. And may your own consciences, -enlightened by the Spirit of God, guide you to some profitable -application of them! May it be given to each of us to feel this day, -that we are supplying a return of so many beings, not merely connected -with us by the ties and duties of an earthly relation, or a short-lived -existence here; but of those who are travelling on quickly with ourselves -to an eternity of bliss or woe; precious, never-dying souls; the objects -equally with us of the Saviour’s love, the Spirit’s teaching, and the -Father’s care; called equally with us to be members of Christ, children -of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. What “_I say unto you I -would say unto all_, _Watch_! _for ye know not when the Master of the -house will come_” to reckon with us, whether at the close, or the middle, -or the opening of this new decade on which we are now entering. - -But this we know, that when the Lord does come the second time from -heaven, then will be the great numbering of the nations: not the mere -periodical census of a single kingdom, which, with all its boasted wealth -and enterprise, is but a mere speck upon the surface of our earth; but a -numbering of all the myriads that have ever peopled it, from the family -of the first man until there “_shall be time no longer_;” {20a} “_the sea -giving up the dead which are in it_; _and death and the grave delivering -up the dead_” {20b} which are in them; and all distinctions of age, or -rank, or learning, or riches, or power, lost and sunk, in the simple but -everlasting distinction between those who served God, and those who -served Him not; those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, -and those not to be found there. And then will these inquiries and such -as these, which your ministers urge upon you now in “_the foolishness of -preaching_,” {20c} but which too often reach only unwilling ears and -careless hearts, then shall they be enforced by “_the voice of the -archangel and by the trump of God_.” {20d} - -Let us then “_walk circumspectly_, _not as fools_, _but as wise_, -_redeeming the time_, _because the days are evil_.” {20e} And may we be -found so far faithful to Him who calls us, that out of these our earthly -households, some may be continually gathering to join that “_multitude -which no man can number_,” {20f} who, on the sea of glass and before the -sapphire throne, are worshipping Him that sits upon the throne, and -casting their crowns before Him, and saying, “_Thou art worthy to receive -glory_, _and honour_, _and power_; _for thou hast created all things_, -_and for Thy pleasure they are and were created_!” {20g} - - - - -NOTES. - - -Note A. (P. 17.) - - -During the evenings of the late winter months a series of scenic -representations, twice in every week, was displayed in the school-room, -which is near the church; and the admission being free, they were -attended by large numbers of the poorer class, Roman Catholic and -Protestant. On these occasions the priest always attended, and explained -the subjects represented, which were uniformly taken from the Scripture. -And he lost no opportunity of inviting his audience to hear the same -subjects enforced in the church which thus interested them in the -school-room. - -The following extracts from some of these tracts, which are all announced -upon a large printed placard in the window of the house where they are -sold, as having received - - THE “APPROBATION OF HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL WISEMAN AND ALL THE CATHOLIC - BISHOPS,” - -will justify, it is presumed, without a comment, the epithets here -applied to them, as describing their character and tendency. They are -either untrue, unfair, or ironical. - -Extracts from a tract, entitled, “_Protestantism weighed in its own -Balance_, _and found wanting_. No. 1. _The Bible_, _and the Bible -only_.” - - “It is worth observing that this rule of faith, as well in its short - and popular form, as also when more fully drawn out and explained, is - rather negative than positive. Those who use it are more careful to - say what they do _not_ than what they _do_. They insist upon ‘the - Bible _only_’ to the exclusion of everything else, but they are not - equally jealous about receiving the whole Bible, every part of it. - They say that nothing is to be required of any man that it should be - believed which is not to be found in the Bible, or at least may not - be proved thereby; but they do not with equal distinctness insist - upon the duty of believing everything which _is_ read in that sacred - book or _may be_ proved by it. This is no idle assertion, but is - plain matter of fact.”—P. 1. - - “There are many texts even then which they do not really receive; - some which are to them as an unknown tongue, without any meaning at - all, and which they therefore make no use of whatever; others which - seem to be opposed to their own creed, and which they therefore try - to escape from and to explain away; lastly, there are others which - they even boldly contradict.”—P. 2. - - “If God did not intend the Bible to be man’s only guide and teacher - in matters of religion, but appointed His Church for this very - purpose, that she should fulfil this office, and promised her His - guidance, so that she should never be deceived in proposing anything - to our belief that was not true and had not been revealed by Him, - then of course, not only is the Catholic Church right upon this - point, but also of necessity right upon every other point also.”—P. - 6. - - “The Protestant professes that the only sure way of knowing God’s - will is for every man to read the Holy Scriptures for himself. I - take up the Holy Scriptures, therefore, for this purpose, and I find - there that our Lord appointed, and the apostles practised, quite - another way of learning God’s will and the right road to heaven. I - find that our Lord sent, not a message, but messengers; not a book - for men to read, but apostles for men to obey; and in like manner I - find that the apostles do say not a word about the necessity of not - believing anything that is not written in a certain book, but on the - contrary, that they distinctly say, Believe all that you have been - taught, whether written or unwritten.”—P. 9. - - “It is plain that our Lord did not use the words, ‘Search the - Scriptures,’ in the sense in which the Protestants use them. He did - not refer His hearers to the Scriptures in the same way that the - Protestant refers you. For if so, why did they need His further - teaching? He made the same use of the Scriptures as Catholics do in - speaking to Protestants at this day. The Catholic says to - Protestants, ‘Search the Scriptures,’ for these are they which - testify of the Church as well as of her Head. They expressly command - you to ‘hear the Church’ (St. Matt, xviii. 17).”—P. 11. - - “A Catholic priest at the present day might follow the example of St. - Paul, and show that Jesus whom he preached was Christ; that the - Church which he preached to them was in very deed the society to - which such high and noble privileges were promised in Holy Scripture. - And every one who should give heed to his preaching in the same way - as the Bereans did, would not fail to meet with the same reward. He - also would ‘believe;’ believe not only the one doctrine which had - been thus proved to him from Holy Scripture, viz. that the Church was - the appointed teacher of mankind, but also every other doctrine which - the same teacher might propose to his belief, whether written in the - Holy Bible or not.”—P. 14. - -Extract from another tract, entitled, “_The Church_, _the Guardian of -Scripture_, or, _How does the Bible come to us_?” - - “People are apt to think of the Bible, as if it were a whole without - parts, indivisible, self-existent, in short, a kind of divinity; or, - at least, as if it had come down from heaven precisely such as we now - have it, ready bound to our hands, if not with the Bible Society’s - stamp upon it.”—P. 7. - -Extract from another tract, entitled, “_The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin -Mary_, or, _The use of the Beads no vain Repetition_.” - - “Perhaps you find something that shocks you in the fact of the ‘Hail - Mary’ being repeated so much oftener than the Lord’s Prayer; and it - may be that there is in this a fresh instance of that unhappy - creature-worship which disfigures every part of the Catholic - religion. Now do not suppose that the reason of this is, that we - consider prayers addressed to the Blessed Virgin better than prayers - addressed to God. We do certainly think her prayers for us are - better, and more likely to be heard and answered than our own; - because we know that she was ever perfectly free from all stain of - guilt, and is now nearest to God in glory; and we feel ourselves full - of the defilement of sin.”—P. 10. - - “Christ has entered into His kingdom, and His saints are reigning - with Him. Which of them shall be nearest to Him in glory as once in - suffering, but her through whom He joined our human nature to Deity - itself? The anguish over, the grace and virtue crowned, the glory - never to pass away; surely, well may we again call the Queen of - Heaven, ‘Blessed among women!’ and more than ever trusting in the - power of her intercession, more than ever call on her, ‘Holy Mary, - mother of God! pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of - death.’”—P. 14. - - SECOND AND FOURTH OF THE FIVE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES. - - “2d. The scourging of our Blessed Lord, at the pillar by soldiers, - in Pilate’s house; the number of stripes they gave him being above - five thousand. - - “4th. The carrying of the Cross; in which our Lord Jesus Christ, - being sentenced to die, bears with most amazing patience the cross - which is laid upon Him for His greater torment and ignominy, meeting - His blessed mother by the way.” - - FOURTH AND FIFTH OF THE FIVE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES. - - “4th. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin; in which after her - death, twelve years after the Resurrection, she is assumed into - heaven by her Divine Son accompanied by the holy angels. - - “5th. The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin; in which, amid the great - jubilee and exultation of the whole court of heaven, and to the - particular glory of all the saints, she is crowned by her Son with - the brightest diadem of glory.”—P. 16. - -Extracts from a tract, entitled, “_Our Parish Churches as they were and -as they are_. 1. _Old stones tell tales_.” - - “I declare, it seems to me that the very idea of worship has almost - died out in England. Do you think that if people really felt they - were speaking to Almighty God, they would sit at their ease, or look - over a book, and never do more? Church of Englandism has such a - _comfortable_ look about it; it is the religion of people well to do - in the world, and have too much business to transact to turn their - minds thoroughly to anything else. It is a _one day a week_ - religion. Every thing about it is so formal, so decent, so sober, so - proper and respectable. It would look so odd to seem in earnest; to - be on your knees in prayer before so many well-dressed people, as - though you had a soul to be saved. Church of Englandism is such a - human thing; it smacks so much of the world and of ‘good society.’ - It makes a poor man feel awkward, just as he does when he finds - himself in a gentleman’s drawing-room.”—P. 10. - - “The Church of England would never have built such churches, though - it is very proud of them now it has got them, and lately has taken to - making a few others in imitation of the old ones. People never seem - to think of this. They are always bragging about their fine old - parish churches, and their venerable cathedrals, and all the while - they were built by the Papists, as they call them; and if it had not - been for the Papists they would never have had them to brag of. The - sparrow stole into the martin’s nest, and said, See what a nice warm - house I have got. He couldn’t say he had _made_ it, but he was quite - as cocky as if he had.”—P. 11. - - “‘And what is this?’ said I again; and I pointed at a curious sort of - niche with a hole at the bottom of it. ‘That,’ said he, ‘is a - _piscina_; it was for pouring the water away after the priest had - washed his hands.’ ‘Why should he wash his hands,’ said I, ‘more - than our ministers?’ ‘Because,’ said Peter, ‘he had to touch the - body of the Lord, and to lift Him up, as when He was raised on the - cross. And your ministers have no need to wash theirs, because they - have not got the body of our Lord there at all.’”—p. 14. - - “‘What was the use of saying mass for him,’ said I, ‘when he was dead - and buried?’ Peter smiled, and answered, ‘It is said in the - Scriptures, that it is a good and wholesome thought to pray for the - dead, and it certainly must be so.’”—P. 15. - -Extracts from a tract, entitled, “_The Church of our Fathers_.” - - “St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, to whom our Lord himself gave - the name of Peter, which signifies a rock, and told him at the same - time that on that rock He would build His Church, and that the gates - of hell should not prevail against it,—this same Peter went to Rome - and became its Bishop; and from that time the Church of Rome, as - being the See of St. Peter, has ever been looked upon by the faithful - as the mother and mistress of all churches, and each of his - successors in turn as the visible head of the Church on earth.”—P. 5. - - “It is generally believed that Caractacus settled in Rome with his - family; that his daughter was called Claudia, and that she married a - noble Roman called Pudens, who, together with herself, afterwards - became Christian; that they had a daughter who was afterwards - celebrated as a saint under the name of St. Pudentiana; and that this - Pudens and Claudia, whom St. Paul mentions in his Epistle to Timothy - (2 Tim. iv. 21), were no other than these. It is said also that this - noble British household gave shelter and hospitality to St. Peter, - while he lived as Bishop in Rome; a retired room in the house being - set apart as his chapel. A church was afterwards built on the site - of this house, which having been since twice rebuilt, is still known - by the name of St. Pudentiana; and it is this church which, from its - connexion with the history of our country, has been assigned to - Cardinal Wiseman as the church from which he takes his title.”—P. 7. - - “Several miracles attended the death of this our first martyr - (Alban). When on his way to death, he came to a river which divided - the town from the hill where he was to suffer; the people thronged - the bridge over it in such multitudes that he feared he should not be - able to pass all that day, and longing for his crown, raised his eyes - to heaven and prayed. And God straightway divided the waters as for - His people of old, so that he walked through dryshod.”—P. 9. - - “The next thing that we hear of the Church in Britain is, that two - bishops from Gaul, Germanus and Lupus, were sent over here to preach - to the people, many of whom had been perverted by false teachers; but - all gladly listened to the preaching of these holy bishops, and - returned to the way of truth. They were the more easily persuaded, - because the preaching of these men was also accompanied by the - working of miracles. After a public conference, in which the - heretics had been completely put to silence by the eloquence of the - bishops, an officer in the Roman army stepped forward with his little - daughter who was blind, and begged that they would bestow such relief - upon her as they were able. The bishops desired him to try first the - powers of those false teachers who had been just now disputing - against them. But these declined the trial, and united with the - officer in begging her cure at the hands of Germanus and Lupus. Upon - this Germanus offered up a short prayer, and invoking the Holy - Trinity, pulled from his bosom a little box of relics which he always - carried about him. This he applied to the girl’s eyes, and her sight - was immediately restored.”—Pp. 9, 10. - -Extracts from a tract, entitled, “_How Antichrist keeps Christmas_; or, -_A Peep at Christmas in a Catholic country_.” - - “It is true, indeed, that Christmas is a festival of such universal - gladness, as to thaw for a moment even the icy heart of - Protestantism; sending a ray of joyousness down into the cold depths - of the population of this country, where all is so smooth and smiling - on the surface, all so chill and joyless underneath. At Christmas I - really believe a thrill of gladness darts through the heart of the - great majority of the people. Churches and chapels are made gay with - shining leaves and scarlet berries; carols are sung in the streets; - the words, ‘A merry Christmas to you!’ pass from mouth to mouth; and - beef and pudding, the outward form which joy is wont to put on in - this cold, hungry climate, smoke on many a board to which, alas! for - every other day in the year they are utter strangers. Nay, it is to - be hoped that even in union workhouses there is an intermission of - gruel for Christmas day.”—Pp. 4, 5. - - “Abundant food is a necessity of our climate, and a condition of our - physical well-being to a degree that the people of the South cannot - understand. We are told of our Saxon forefathers, whom I have before - mentioned, that their frames, though so tall and well-formed, were - neither so patient of labour nor of hunger as might be expected from - their apparent strength. Alas! for the necessity which grinds down - our poor to the endurance of both to such a hurtful degree. But to - return to Christmas. The difference between Catholic and Protestant - Christmas is this, that both love Christmas, but Catholics love it - far more distinctly and consciously for Christ’s sake. The very name - of the festival is theirs, Christ’s Mass; to Protestants one part of - the word has confessedly lost its meaning, and the other is a dim - vision. Look at the professedly religious part of the observance of - this feast, and see what it amounts to. In the churches of the - English establishment, except the holly boughs, what is there to tell - of the Lord’s birth? Of course the lesson from Scripture recounting - that event is read; so also are certain Psalms which prophetically - relate to it; and a sermon on the Nativity is (sometimes) preached. - But otherwise the ordinary routine of the service goes on the same as - usual. ‘Dearly beloved brethren,’ holds on the even tenour of its - way, with dulness scarcely mitigated; and there is really nothing - either peculiarly to draw out the devotion of those assisting at it - towards their infant Lord, nor, which is more to our present purpose, - any special outpouring of such devotion on the part of the Church - herself.”—P. 6. - - - -Note B. (P. 17.) - - -It is hoped that the following brief summary of the leading doctrines -held by the two Churches of England and Rome, with the authorities on -which they respectively rest, may prove useful to some of the readers of -these pages, whether as promoting their inquiry, or confirming their -faith. - -_Doctrines maintained by the Members of the Church of England and of the -Church of Rome_, _with the authorities claimed by each in their support_. - - CHURCH OF ENGLAND. CHURCH OF ROME. - I. I. - -Holy Scripture containeth all All saving truth is not contained -things that are necessary to in the Holy Scripture, but partly -salvation: so that whatsoever is in Scripture and partly in -not read therein, nor may be unwritten traditions, which -proved thereby, is not to be whosoever doth not receive with -required of any man, that it like piety and reverence as he -should be believed as an article doth the Scriptures, is accursed. -of the faith, or be thought If any one doth not receive all -requisite or necessary to these books (_viz. the apocryphal -salvation.—6_th_ _Article of mixed with the genuine and -Religion_. See Deut. iv. 2; Isa. canonical books_), with every -viii. 20; Rom. xv. 4; 2 Tim. iii. part of them as they used to be -15–17; Rev. xxii. 8. read in the Catholic Church, and - as they are contained in the - ancient vulgar Latin edition, for - holy and canonical, and shall - knowingly contemn the aforesaid - traditions, let him be - accursed—_Decrees of the Council - of Trent_. - II. II. - -We are accounted righteous before If any man shall say that the -God, only for the merit of our good works of a justified man are -Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by in such sense the gifts of God, -faith, and not for our own works that they are not also his worthy -or deservings.—11_th_ _Article of merits; or that he, being -Religion_. See Ps. cxliii. 2; justified by his good works, -Luke xvii. 10; Rom. iii. 22–24, which are wrought by him through -27, 28. the grace of God and the merits - of Jesus Christ, of whom he is a - living member, does not really - deserve increase of grace, - eternal life, the enjoyment of - that eternal life, if he dies in - a state of grace, and even an - increase of glory, let him be - accursed.—_Decrees of the Council - of Trent_. - III. III. - -The offering of Christ once made If any one say that in the mass -is that perfect redemption, there is not a true and proper -propitiation, and satisfaction, sacrifice offered unto God; or, -for all the sins of the whole that to be offered is nothing -world, both original and actual; else but for Christ to be given -and there is none other us to eat, let him be -satisfaction for sin, but that accursed!—_Decrees of the Council -alone.—31_st_ _Article of of Trent_. -Religion_. Gal. iii. 13; Heb. -vii. 26, 27; ix. 12, 22, 24–28; I further profess, that in the -x. 14; 1 John iii. 1, 2. mass is offered to God a true, - proper, and propitiatory - sacrifice for the quick and - dead.—_Creed of Pope Pius IV_. - IV. IV. - -The Romish doctrine concerning It is lawful to represent God and -purgatory, pardons, worshipping, the Holy Trinity by images; and -and adoration, as well of images the images and relics of Christ -as of reliques, and also and the saints are to be duly -invocation of saints, is a fond honoured, venerated, and -thing vainly invented, and worshipped. And in this -grounded upon no warranty of veneration and worship those are -Scripture, but rather repugnant venerated which are represented -to the word of God.—22_d_ by them.—_Decrees of the Council -_Article of Religion_. _Texts of Trent_. -opposed to the doctrine of -purgatory_: Eccl. ix. 5, 6; Isa. I most firmly assert that the -xxxviii. 18; St. Luke xxiii. 43; images of Christ and of the -Heb. ix. 27; Rev. xiv. 13. Mother of God, who was always a -_Texts opposed to the doctrines virgin, are to be had and -of the worship of images and the retained; and that due honour and -invocation of saints_: St. Matt. worship are to be given to -iv. 10; Acts iv. 12; x. 25; 1 them.—_Creed of Pope Pius IV_. -Cor. iii. 11; 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6; 1 -John ii. 1, 2. I constantly hold that there is a - purgatory; and that the souls - detained there are assisted by - the prayers of the - faithful.—_Creed of Pope Pius - IV_. - V. V. - -There are two Sacraments ordained Whosoever shall affirm that the -of Christ our Lord in the Gospel; Sacraments of the New Law were -that is to say, Baptism, and the not all instituted by Jesus -Supper of the Lord. Those five Christ our Lord; or that they are -commonly called Sacraments, that more or fewer than seven; or that -is to say, Confirmation, Penance, any of them is not truly and -Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme properly a sacrament, let him be -Unction, are not to be counted accursed.—_Decrees of the Council -for Sacraments of the Gospel, of Trent_. -being such as have grown partly -of the corrupt following of the I profess also that there are -apostles, partly are states of truly and properly seven -life allowed in the Scriptures; Sacraments of the New Law -but yet have not like nature of instituted by our Lord Jesus -Sacraments with Baptism and the Christ, and necessary for the -Lord’s Supper, for that they have salvation of all men, (though not -not any visible sign or ceremony all of them to every one,) viz. -ordained of God.—25_th_ _Article Baptism, Confirmation, the Lord’s -of Religion_. St. Matt. xxviii. Supper, Penance, Extreme Unction, -19; xxvi. 26; St. Mark xiv. 22; Orders, and Matrimony.—_Creed of -St. Luke xxii. 19, 20; 1 Cor. xi. Pope Pius IV_. -24. - VI. VI. - -It is a thing plainly repugnant Although the mass contain great -to the word of God, and the instruction for the faithful -custom of the primitive Church, people; yet it has not appeared -to have public prayer in the expedient to the Fathers, that it -Church, or to minister the should be everywhere celebrated -Sacraments in a tongue not in the vulgar tongue.—_Decrees of -understanded of the the Council of Trent_. -people.—24_th_ _Article of -Religion_. 1 Cor. xiv. 3, 6, 14, -16, 19. - VII. VII. - -The cup of the Lord is not to be Whosoever shall affirm that all -denied to the lay people: for and every one of Christ’s -both the parts of the Lord’s faithful are bound by divine -Sacrament, by Christ’s ordinance command to partake the most holy -and commandment, ought to be sacrament of the Eucharist in -ministered to all Christian men both kinds as necessary to -alike.—30_th_ _Article of salvation, let him be -Religion_. St. Matt. xxvi. accursed.—_Decrees of the Council -26–28; 1 Cor. xi. 28. of Trent_. - - I confess also, that under one - kind only is received the whole - and entire Christ, and the true - Sacrament.—_Creed of Pope Pius - IV_. - -Note C. (P. 17.) - - -It is confidently believed by those persons who are most familiarly -acquainted with the state of the property adjacent to the new Romish -Church, that within a very few years nearly the whole of it will be -covered with new buildings. And it is so far removed from the churches -and National schools at Fulham and Walham Green, where the population has -also increased of late very considerably, that it is easy to foresee the -necessity which will arise for some new provision for the spiritual -instruction of such a district, growing up nearly in the centre of the -parish of Fulham. In such cases, all experience teaches that it is far -wiser to anticipate the measures that may be required for meeting the -exigency, than to adopt them after it has occurred. And the Vicar, -therefore, deems the present a suitable opportunity for making it known, -that the promise has been secured of a most eligible piece of land, near -the locality here described, and containing rather more than the third of -an acre, which would be well calculated, either now or hereafter, for the -erection of school-rooms, or a church adapted to the wants of this -growing population. The owner of the land, knowing the important object -for which it has been wished to obtain it, has liberally consented to -accept a price considerably below that which its marketable value would -command, and the Bishop of London has kindly given his sanction to the -measure. To those persons whose interest in the spiritual edification of -their poorer neighbours may induce them to promote it, the Vicar will be -thankful to afford any information that may be wished, in reference to -this object, and to receive from them any amount of pecuniary assistance -that will be needed to meet the expense, which of course must be -considerable. - - - -Note D. (P. 18.) - - -To those members of the congregation at All Saints, who have not yet -introduced into their families the practice of domestic prayer, and who -may possibly feel the want of some suggestions as to the books best -adapted for conducting it, the Vicar would desire to recommend one or -other of the following publications, according as they may find them most -eligible for their own use. The different prices named would bring the -books within the means of every class of his people; and he ventures to -urge the adoption of the practice equally upon all. - - _s._ _d._ -Bishop of London’s Manual of Family Prayer, from 1 0 -1_d._ to -Family Prayers, by the late H. Thornton, Esq., M.P. 3 0 -Family Prayers, by the late W. Wilberforce, Esq. 1 6 -The Churchman’s Book of Family Prayer, by the Rev. J. 1 6 -H. Swainson, Rector of Alresford -A Manual of Prayer for Family and Private Devotion, 0 1 -by the Rev. C. A. Heurtley - -Note E. (P. 19.) - - -At a time when books of the most valuable and interesting character are -published at prices far below any former precedent, it seems to be little -less than the duty of every master of a Christian household to furnish to -his servants a collection, however limited, of such works as would be at -once most useful and acceptable to them, which a few shillings annually -would serve to keep up or to extend. The Vicar would wish to recommend -_The Churchman’s Monthly Magazine_ as one publication, which might, in -any case, be added with advantage to such a library. It has now extended -to five small volumes, and is continued periodically. - - * * * * * - - _The following Table shows the result of the former decennial inquiries - into the population of the parish of Fulham_: - - NUMBER OF HOUSES. _Males_. _Females_. _Total_. - _Occupied_. _Empty_. _Building_. -1801 723 15 . . . 2086 2334 4420 -1811 885 14 15 2714 3189 5903 -1821 987 46 13 2949 3542 6491 -1831 1163 111 52 3432 3885 7317 -1841 1441 52 9 4189 5230 9419 - - R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL. - - - - -FOOTNOTES. - - -{3} 1 Sam. xvii. 34, 35. - -{4a} 1 Sam. xvii. 50. - -{4b} 1 Cor. i. 28, 29. - -{4c} 2 Sam. xxiv. 3, 4. - -{7a} Gal. vi. 2. - -{7b} Eph. iv. 25. - -{7c} 1 Pet. iii. 7. - -{8a} Psalm xc. 10. - -{8b} Acts xvii. 28. - -{8c} Col. i. 27. - -{9a} James i. 21. - -{9b} Matt. iii. 7. - -{9c} John v. 40. - -{9d} John vi. 37. - -{9e} Gen. vi. 3. - -{9f} Heb. iv. 9. - -{10a} Psalm xxxix. 12. - -{10b} Heb. xi. 16. - -{10c} 1 Pet. iv. 18. - -{10d} Prov. xiv. 9. - -{10e} Philip, iii. 19. - -{10f} Heb. vi. 6. - -{11a} Acts v. 15. - -{11b} Gen. iii. 19. - -{12a} 2 Pet. i. 10. - -{12b} 1 Cor. vii. 29–31. - -{13} 2 Sam. xxiv. 14. - -{14a} Isaiah xxiii. 8. - -{14b} Deut. iv. 6. - -{17a} See Note A. - -{17b} Heb. x. 23. - -{17c} See Note B. - -{17d} See Note C. - -{18a} See Note D. - -{18b} Isa. lviii. 13. - -{19a} See Note E. - -{19b} Address to the Sponsors at the close of the Office of Baptism. - -{20a} Rev. x. 6. - -{20b} Rev. xx. 13. (See the marginal reading.) - -{20c} 1 Cor. i. 21. - -{20d} 1 Thess. iv. 16. - -{20e} Eph. v. 15, 16. - -{20f} Rev. vii. 9. - -{20g} Rev. iv. 11. - - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPIRITUAL IMPROVEMENT OF THE -CENSUS*** - - -******* This file should be named 64879-0.txt or 64879-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/4/8/7/64879 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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