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caufe of religion and the influence of his profeffional labours. In addition therefore to the obligations by which every man is bound in the fight of God to make it his . object to felect a partner, qualified by steady piety and benevolence of heart to encourage himself and others who may be witnesses of her conduct, in a life of holiness and good works; the Minifter of the Gospel ought to be actuated by motives of duty peculiar to himself. How can he reasonably hope to fulfil his folemn promife of framing and fashioning his family according to the doctrine of Chrift, and in fuch a manner that it may be a wholesome example and pattern to his flock, if he places at the head of it a model fo imperfect that disadvantage rather than benefit is likely to refult from the imitation of it? How can he hope that his children and fervants will be habitually trained and exercifed in the ways of religion; if he by his own injudicious choice has provided for them a mother and a mistress, little impressed with the fupreme importance of having in all things the glory of God in view, of fetting her affections on things

above, not on things on the earth? Will his exhortations to fober-mindedness and humility be equally feconded by the proceedings of his wife, whether the be addicted to finery, expensive, arrogant, and diffatisfied, or of a meek and modeft and contented fpirit? Will she equally encourage him to acts of liberality towards the poor, whether she be of a grudging or of a charitable temper? Will he find it easy to continue on kind terms and in habits of frequc and friendly intercourfe with his neighbours, if his wife diflikes and despises them? Will it be no obftacle to his plans of doing good, if he is thwarted instead of meeting with co-operation at home? Will not every material failing in his wife's difpofitions and practice be likely to prove an impediment to the full exercife on his part of the oppofite virtue? There have been inftances. in which the wishes of the wife of a Clergyman have interfered to fuch an extent with the duties of her husband, as to induce him to abandon his proper place of refidence and the parish committed to his care, that he might live in a spot where her paffion for gay fociety and cards and public diverfions

might be more easily and more largely gra tified.

Abuses which take place in the administration of parochial affairs may frequently be corrected by the prudent interpofition of the Clergyman; and by his influence with those who are either not interested in their continuance, or not obftinately averse to co-operate in redreffing them. Of this nature are partiality in the diftribution ooney collected at the facrament; the carelefs management or perversion of charity estates; and the neglect fometimes fhewn by overfeers towards poor families in real diftrefs. But a Clergyman, it must be admitted, will in common do wifely in refraining from entering deeply into the adminiftration of the business of the parish, except in ftrong cafes; fince otherwise he may not improbably excite a degree of prejudice and odium against himself fufficient greatly to impede the effect of his labours in his peculiar fphere. His interference has a marked propriety, when they whofe immediate concern it is to maintain the church in fubftantial repair, and in a state of neatnefs, and well fur

nished

nished with books and other appendages of divine worship, are inattentive to their duty. But let him take care that his parishioners may not be fupplied with a pretext for excufing their own parfimony, by finding him tardy or avaricious in repairing that part of the fabric, the fupport of which is by law required of the Minifter; or by feeing him impoverish and commit waste on his glebe, and suffer his parfonage house and the buildings annexed to it to fall into decay, leaving his fucceffors to the inadequate remedy of (b) dilapidations. On the contrary, while he is cautious not to lay a burthen on future incumbents, by making the house which they are to inhabit too large

(bb) This remedy is often, imperfect, when the deceafed Clergyman has left property fufficient to answer every demand. For his fucceffor may find himself obliged to accept from the executors what is by no means a compensation, rather than incur the charge of urging his just claim by courfe of law. And if he reforts to the law, though he may recover what, if applied in time, would have prevented the damage from taking place; he can fcarcely expect to gain what will fully repair it, or to gain any thing without expence. The money recovered muft be expended on the buildings within two years. Blackftone, iii. 91.

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in proportion to the income of the living; let him improve it, if he is a man of affluence, to the extent of that limit, for their fakes if not for his own (ii).

There is no circumftance which fo often disturbs the harmony that should ever subsist between a Clergyman and his parishioners, as contention respecting tithes. Many objections are urged, and not without reason, against this mode of providing for the Clergy, as being injurious to the progrefs of agricultural industry. But this is the leaft important of its bad effects. The heart-burnings excited by it, the heats, the animofities, the quarrels, the spirit of rooted averfion long furviving the contest which produced it, and frequently difplaying itself in an obftinate desertion of public worship so long as the obnoxious Minifter continues on the living; thefe are confequences which in their tendency are fub

(ii) To fuggeft to a Clergyman the neceflity of scrupulous care in keeping the parochial register may seem too minute a caution. But the greatest attention ought to be, fhewn to render a record complete and accurate, the teftimony of which may be decifive in future litigations.

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