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do practically destroy all pastoral responsibility. The parish of St. Giles in the Fields contains 36,432 immortal souls; that of Bethnal Green, 62,018; and yet the former is still entrusted to the care of three, and the latter of four, parochial clergymen. Nor are these solitary cases: in St. George's in the East there are 38,505, with two clergymen; in St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, 33,000, with two; in Stepney, 51,000, with three; in St. Luke's, 46,642, with two; in St. Mary's, Whitechapel, 31,100, with one. And taking an average of thirty-four parishes, we find the proportion of pastors to their flocks to be one to 15,100. Such is the condition of our metropolis. Many of the manufacturing and commercial towns are not much less destitute.

In two parishes in Liverpool there are but four clergymen to 34,000 souls; in Macclesfield, three to 23,000; in Oldham, four to 32,000; in Leeds, nine to 71,000; in Sheffield, the same number to 73,000. In other instances we find large districts (not towns, and therefore called villages), where, from the discovery of coal, and other causes, a scattered population has rapidly accumulated, and a flock of ten or fifteen thousand, dispersed over a surface many miles in extent, are still entrusted to a single pastor.

In all these cases our parochial system is little more than a delusion; we retain the name and the form, we call the incumbents the pastors of the whole flock-they are charged by the bishop with the spiritual care of the whole; but in the sight of God and man they are not, and cannot be, responsible for the performance of impossibilities. They are the ministers of their own churches-they are the heads, too, of a sort of mission, bound to labour according to their power for the spiritual good of the multitudes around them; but to require that they should penetrate the mass, and become personally acquainted with the thousands who compose it, that they should distinguish the several characters of those committed to their care, should warn the careless, should reprove the gainsayers, should build up the weak, should direct the inexperienced, in short, that they should duly exercise the pastoral care, would be extravagant. The people accordingly do not, and cannot, regard them as their appointed pastors. They feel themselves to be as sheep without a shepherd, and have generally no other notion of the very nature of a parish, than that it is a district relieving its own poor.

There has been, until very recently, only the erection of proprietary chapels, and the labours of pious individuals and societies. That a considerable amount of good has resulted from these means is unquestionable; without them our state would have been worse than it is; but they are palliatives, not remedies of a disease, which, if not radically cured, must in the end be fatal. If we suffer ourselves to account them an effectual cure, we do but deceive ourselves to our ruin, and change them from a good into an evil. They can but be palliatives, because, from the necessity of the case, they have been directed by an imperfect principle. Chapels have been erected, indeed, and congregations gathered, but no account has been taken of those who remain behind. We have seen only what is done, not what remains undone; and the result has been, that one here, and another there, has been snatched from the surrounding mass of ignorance and profaneness,

but the mass itself has remained unleavened. It could not be otherwise. And what has been the consequence? First, that there are thousands, nay, hundreds of thousands, who, although baptised with us into the same body, are not only, as we have seen, without any parochial ministry, and so are not invited to the house of God, and as the Lord commanded, "compelled to come in from the highways and hedges;" but for whom, moreover, there is no room, should they desire to come: they cannot, if they would, assemble with their brethren, where Christ has promised that he will be in the midst and will grant their requests; they are aliens of necessity from his Church.

What number of our fellow-subjects are thus excluded from the common blessings of Englishmen and Churchmen, it is as yet impossible to calculate. That there are many hundreds of thousands is certain and notorious. In the absence of accurate statistical information with regard to many parts of England, we may safely infer something from the facts which have been ascertained and made public by the most meritorious labours of the Glasgow Church-building Society, and especially of their secretary, Mr. Collins. Of the population of Glasgow, which amounts to about 240,000, there are, it appears, above 90,000 who, from age and circumstances, might attend church, but for whom no accommodation could be found in any place of worship whatever; although all, both of the papists and of all Protestant sects, Socinians included, and even of the Jews, should be thronged to the utmost. In this city, therefore, ninety churches at least, for one thousand persons each, would be requisite, in order to offer access to all.

Such is the state of one district, where inquiries have been made. Have we any reason to believe that the spiritual wants of our own manufacturers are more fully provided? We find that in and round Birmingham there are 101,292 immortal beings, who could not, if they would, attend the house of God. At Leeds, only 14,393 out of 123,393 can find room in the churches. At Manchester, about the same proportion; at Sheffield, one-ninth; at Wolverhampton, one-fifth; and this seems about the average of the great manufacturing towns. In London, meanwhile, there are thirty-four parishes, in which alone there are 756,754 beyond the capabilities of the existing churches; and, if we calculate that one-half of a city population ought to attend church (an estimate very low, in the opinion of those who have most accurately inquired into the habits of a town population), we need churchroom for 378,477, or more than 378 new churches, for 1000 each, in order to supply the deficiency.

The Cabinet.

THE HEART.-"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." The heart on which our Lord here pronounces a blessing, is an heart that is not only inclined to God, but to him only, and to nothing else but in obedience and subordination to him. An heart that really loves God above all things else, and all other things only for his sake; an heart that is always flaming up to heaven, in ardent and fervent desires to please and honour God in time, and to enjoy him for ever; an heart that sanctifies the Lord of hosts himself, making him its only fear and only dread; an

heart that is never afraid of evil tidings, but is always fixed, trusting in the Lord; an heart that is continually rejoicing in the Lord, whether it hath or hath not any thing else to rejoice in; an heart that prefers the least duty to the greatest gain, and the greatest suffering before the least sin; an heart that is never shaken either by hopes or fears, but remains stedfast and immovable as a rock, whether the sun shines, or tempests beat on it; an heart that is sound in the faith, submissive to the will, obedient to the law, constant in the service, and zealous in the glory of God; but meek, and humble, and kind, and gentle, and true, and just, and charitable, towards others; in short, an heart that exercises itself to have always a "conscience void of offence towards God and towards man."Bishop Beveridge.

THE CHRISTIAN'S GAIN. How delightful a thing it is to count, and not to count but feel, the Christian's gains-faith and fidelity, peace with God through Christ, a renewed will, increasing love, and a hope full of immortality! And how short is the time of our suffering! if upon the whole we do suffer, and are not richly compensated, even here, in every condition, by the afore-named advantages. Go on, knowing whom you have chosen; and let neither your own weakness, nor the frowns of the world, terrify you: Christ will have his grace exalted in opposition to all discouraging, unbelieving thoughts from the former; and a faithful acceptance of it, and establishment in it, will make you victorious over the latter.-Rev. T. Adam, of Wintringham.

TEMPTATION. Whenever a companion of the moment wishes us to do what suits or pleases him, however objectionable we may think it, or it really is, the constant observation from the persuader is, that it will do no harm; that it is not wrong; that no evil will follow from it; that it will be gratifying; that it will be beneficial: whether it is to take liquors or food that we think we ought not, or to join in any scheme or action that we disapprove of, or that is forbidden to us. Every solicitation of this sort is a temptation to us, and is meant to have an inducing effect. Temptations in this shape occur almost every day, and we have always to resist them at every opportunity. Every pleasure is a temptation, and instead of yielding to its persuasion, we must learn to persist in acting as we think or know to be more proper. In this respect we are all tempters to each other-sometimes fatally so, even with much good meaning. All human beings must therefore be trained to hear a tempter's voice, and to endure his persuasions, without being influenced by them to do what we ought not.-Sacred History of the World, by Sharon Turner.

A GODLY HOME. -O great, unspeakable, is the blessedness of a godly home. Here is the cradle of the Christian; hence he sallies forth for encounter with the world, armed at all points, disciplined in all the means of resistance, and full of hope of victory under his heavenly Leader. Hither he ever afterwards turns a dutiful and affectionate look, regarding it as the type and pledge of another home; and hither, when sore wounded in that conflict, he resorts to repair his drooping vigour; and here, when abandoned by the selfish sons of this world, he finds, as in a sanctuary, the children of God ready with open arms to receive him; and here, the returning prodigal, enfolded in the embrace of those who know not, dream not, of the infirmities of the world with which he has been mixing, feels all at once his heart burst with shame and repentance. Merciful God, what a city of refuge hast thou ordained in the Christian home!Rev. R. W. Evans.

THE VANITY OF HUMAN LIFE.-Good Lord, what a shadow is the life of man! what a nothing is it! The time past, that's nothing; just like a bird fled from the

hand of the owner, out of sight. The time present, that is a vanishing, a running hour, nay, less, a flying minute, as good as nothing. The time to come, that's uncertain; the evening sun may see us dead. Lord, therefore, in this hour make me sure of thee; for in the next, I am not sure of myself. Lucas's Divine Breathings.

Poetry.

TO A LADY, ON THE DEATH OF A FRIEND.

BY CHARLES BAYLY.

(For the Church of England Magazine.) Oн, do not weep, though life is frail, And death takes those we love away; Grief for the dead cannot avail,

But Faith points out a brighter day. When in the midst of youth and health,

We see some lov'd one droop and die, How mean appears the pomp of wealth! How dearer far the mourner's sigh! Oh, then, when earth can yield no more, When nature bends to nature's God, May we his mercy still adore,

And humbly bow beneath his rod ! Nor let us wish to stay on earth

The spirit from its native skies, But joying in its second birth, Believe that God's decrees are wise.

Frome.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.*
Go when the morning shineth,
Go when the noon is bright,
Go when the eve declineth,

Go in the hush of night;
Go with pure mind and feeling,

Fling earthly thoughts away,
And in thy chamber kneeling,
Do thou in secret pray.

Remember all who love thee

All who are lov'd by thee;
Pray, too, for those who hate thee,
If any such there be;
Then for thyself in meekness

A blessing humbly claim,
And link with each petition

Thy dear Redeemer's name.
Or if 'tis here denied thee
In solitude to pray ;
Should holy thoughts come o'er thee,
When friends are round thy way,-
E'en then the silent breathing

Of thy spirit rais'd above
Will reach His throne of glory,
Who is mercy, truth, and love.
O, not a joy or blessing

With this can we compare,
The power that He has given us
To pour our souls in prayer.

From the Hampshire Advertiser.

Whene'er thou pin'st in sadness,

Before his footstool fall; And remember in thy gladness His grace who gave thee all.

Miscellaneous.

PARSEES.-The Parsees are a numerous body, resident in the Bombay presidency. They profess the religion of Zoroaster, and are consequently worshippers of fire; but, like many others, they conform, in some measure, to the usages of different religions around them. Mrs. Farrar, now on a visit to this country with her husband, the Rev. C. P. Farrar, writes as follows concerning their general character: "There are only one or two individual Parsees at Nassuck the largest bodies of them are congregated at Surat and Bombay. They are a busy, enterprising, and thriving people: they deserve the praise of providing for their own poor; so that a Parsee streetbeggar is rarely met with. They are generally engaged in mercantile pursuits, in ship-building, and various kinds of handicraft. Some of their merchants are very wealthy; and many of their artisans display great skill in the higher branches of the art of cabinetmaking. Many of them find employment as head servants in the families of gentlemen in the civil and military services, where they exercise the functions of an English housekeeper; and some of them hold honourable and lucrative situations under government. Such honourable posts, and their wealth, give them much influence over the Hindoos, who, in general, fear them, and shew them much outward respect. I have heard the Brahmins greatly laud their generosity and gifts to Hindoo gods and temples. The Hindoos are flattered, too, by their worship of the sun, and their reverence for the cow, both which are objects of adoration with the Hindoo himself. The latter superstition-reverence for the cow-was not originally a part of the creed of Zoroaster; but when his disciples sought refuge upon the shores of India, the condition of abstaining from beef was imposed upon them by the Hindoo prince who granted them an asylum. Owing to this circumstance, the cow has been reverenced among their generations. The Parsees have the appearance of being more liberalminded than other bodies of the native community. They are very sociable with Europeans; and readily adopt European luxuries, elegancies, entertainments, equipages, and other modes of display. I have heard of one or more Parsee gentlemen, who had sent their sons for education to England; and of one gentleman, who was anxious to bestow education, or rather accomplishments, upon his daughter: but I am sorry to add, from Christianity they stand completely aloof; worldly mindedness, the love of gain, the love of pleasure, surround them, like other heathen, with, humanly speaking, an impregnable barrier. They seem ready enough to patronise the follies and superstitions of the nations among whom they dwell. I have known them to bring votive offerings to the shrine of the Virgin Mary upon the hill at Bandura; but 'pure religion and undefiled' appears to have no attractions for them. I have seen them assemble in large num

bers to worship the setting sun. Every individual, or head of a family, must keep up a sacred fire in his dwelling; and, on certain festivals, they worship divers kinds of fires-fires, I suppose, produced from various kinds of combustibles. To extinguish fire is thought a great sin or misfortune; on which account some Parsee servants are very unwilling to snuff a candle, lest they should accidentally put it out. They suppose the world, and individuals, to be under the influence of a good and of an evil principle. They wear next the skin a garment which is never removed, till, of its own accord, it decays, and drops off." The

power of self-righteousness and self-complacency in man, when comparing himself with others, rather than with the standard of the Gospel, is strongly evinced in the following fact, related by Mrs. Farrar:-" The Parsee servant of a gentleman with whom we were acquainted, was, upon one occasion, very attentive to Mr. Farrar's preaching, and remained the greater part of the day in the room where Mr. Farrar was addressing successive parties of Hindoos. His master, pleased to observe this, asked him what he thought of the preaching: upon which he observed, that it was all very true and very good. A hope was then expressed that he would profit by what he had heard: to which the Parsee replied:Master, what for I want to profit? I not say prayer to stone god and monkeys, like poor foolish Hindoo.'"-The Parsees are very jealous of their burying-places, to which they attach a religious reverence. The one near Bombay, a model of which is in the possession of the Royal Asiatic Society, is calculated to receive the bodies of thirty-five men, thirty-five women, and thirty-five children: its circumference at the base is 175 feet, and at the top 170 feet. It is open at the top. Within is a kind of circular platform, divided into three rows; the outermost for the reception of men, the next for women, the inner one for children. As this platform is exposed to the atmosphere, the sun, and the rain, the human remains are carried off into the well in the centre; at the sides of which are doors perforated with holes, to carry off putrid matter, and also rain; these doors communicate with wells underground. Eventually, therefore, nothing remains in the well but human bones, which fall into it. When the well is filled, the cemetery is left, and a new one is constructed. The door is of iron, with inscriptions on both sides. To the left is a small hole, from which is exhibited what is deemed by the Parsees the 'sacred fire.' Thus it is that hundreds and thousands of our fellow-creatures, perishing in ignorance and sin, are at length carried to the house appointed for all living,' while their souls return to give account to the Judge of quick and dead.—Missionary Register.

GRACE BEFORE MEALS.-The most ancient example, perhaps, to be met with of a grace, or short prayer before meat, is at the feast which Ptolemy Philadelphus gave to the seventy-two interpreters; and it is thus down, he (viz. Nicanor, who had been appointed by mentioned by Josephus :-" When they were thus sat Ptolemy) bade Dorotheus attend to all those that were come to him from Judea after the manner they used to be ministered to in their own country. For which cause he sent away their sacred heralds, and those that slew the sacrifices, and the rest that used to say grace; but called to one of those that were come to him, whose name was Eleazer, a priest, and of them, and prayed, That all prosperity might attend desired him to say grace, who then stood in the midst the king, and those that were his subjects. Thereupon an acclamation was made by the whole company; and when that was over, they began to sup." The next example we have is the practice of the Essenes, both before and after meat, related in Josephus's "Jewish War;" and the next is that of our Saviour, Mark, viii. 6. And we have also a form of grace or prayer for Christians at the end of the fifth book of the Apostolical Constitutions, which seems to have been intended both for before and after meat.

London: Published by JAMES BURNS, 17 Portman Street, Portman Square; W. EDWARDS, 12 Ave-Maria Lane, St. Paul's; and to be procured, by order, of all Booksellers in Town and Country.

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ROBSON, LEVEY, AND FRANKLYN, 46 ST. MARTIN'S LANE.

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THE BENEFITS OF CHURCH PSALMODY;
WITH HINTS FOR ITS IMPROVEMENT.
BY THE REV. JOHN EDEN, B.D.
Vicar of St. Nicholas, Bristol.
II.

IT was the wisdom of the English Church, when she reformed her doctrine and discipline, to retain instrumental melody, that noble and primitive part of public worship; and though, at a subsequent period, the sour and cold-hearted fanaticism of the Puritans attempted utterly to banish it from the land, yet it has been happily preserved to us, and our temples still echo to the sound of the organ, as well as to the voice of sacred song. Had these wretched and infatuated men, to whom I have alluded, been able to accomplish their full purpose; had they, as one step in their progress, destroyed every organ in the kingdom, we might, at least with respect to this beautiful science of churchmusic, have been at the present moment in a state of comparative barbarism. Whilst we are congratulating ourselves on this happy escape from the effects of their ignorance and bigotry, we should remember that the most expressive way of shewing our gratitude for it, is to cherish and improve the blessing thus preserved to us, and to honour our holy temples, and our pure and scriptural liturgy, by a punctual and devout attendance upon them. It is evident, then, from the view which we have taken of this sublime subject, that the benevolent Author of our being hath implanted in our breasts a love of harmony for very high and dignified purposes, and that they shamefully abuse this admirable gift of Heaven, who compel it to minister to the cor

VOL. VII.-NO. CXCVI.

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rupt and sensual passions of mankind. That God, who is the "lover of concord," hath "shewed us a more excellent way" of employing this great talent. His gracious purpose in bestowing it was, that it should be conducive to the solemnity of public worship, to the earnestness of our supplications, to the fervour of our thanksgivings. And who among us has not experienced, in some measure, the potency of sweet sounds, when associated with appropriate sentiments, in producing these happy effects? Who has not felt the holy influence of music in tranquillising the breast, and in preparing it for the sacred duty of prayer? Who has not known its power in withdrawing the thoughts from earthly objects, and lifting them up to an intercourse with heaven? Who has not found its efficacy in reviving the languid affections, in renewing the energies of devotion, in giving fresh life and vigour to the exhausted spirits? Who of us is not so painfully conscious of the deadening effects of his ordinary worldly occupations, as to rejoice in cherishing any influence which may be of a counteracting character? Who has not so often felt "my soul cleaveth to the dust," as to hail any expedient which may help (even though it be only transient) to raise up his soul from that prostrate state, and carry it heavenwards? Now, there is nothing which does this so directly as divine music; and it would be well if, sometimes, when we are joining in this part of our worship, and feeling strongly its elevating power upon ourselves, lifting up our minds to high and heavenly things-we would lift up a secret aspiration to God, that he would continually keep us in this frame; and that if these

(London: Bobson, Levey, and Franklyn, 46 St. Martin's Lane.]

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delightful sounds cannot always vibrate on our ear, the heavenly emotions that attend them may remain, or never completely die away. Might we not also, occasionally, in the midst of worldly business, and when we find our heart (as the Scripture speaks) going after our covetousness," might we not go back to some late occasion fresh in our recollection, when our voice blended with the sounds of the organ, and we joined in imagination and in desire with the songs of angels that are around the throne of God? At all events, if we cannot thus beneficially summon up impressions of divine harmony that are gone, we may make an important religious use of it when it is present, and immediately acting upon us.

It has been affirmed that the bite of some poisonous reptiles may be cured by the sound of musical instruments: whether this be merely fabulous or no, it is most certain that the influence of evil spirits and malignant passions has been suspended and assuaged by the power of music. Of this we have an eminent instance recorded in the life of the royal Psalmist. "It came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him." And here I may properly observe, that as the association of particular airs with certain words or sentiments, is apt to fix them more firmly in the memory and to carry them more deeply into the heart, it becomes most desirable that the expression of our profoundest reverence towards God, and our most affectionate concerns for our neighbour, should be connected with the simplest and most intelligible airs or melodies. And where shall we find airs more natural and impressive than many of those tunes and chants which have been framed for the use of our cathedral and parochial worship? or where shall we meet with words or sentiments more suitable to them than in the book of Psalms? For this reason the Church has embodied them in the liturgy (pointed as they are to be sung in churches), and has also sanctioned the use of them in a metrical form adapted to musical composition of a different kind; fully persuaded, as the admirable Hooker speaks, "that there is nothing necessary for man to know, which the Psalms are not able to teach. Heroic magnanimity, exquisite justice, grave moderation, exact wisdom, repentance unfeigned, unwearied patience, the mysteries of God, the sufferings of Christ, the terrors of wrath, the comforts of grace, the works of providence over this world, and the promised joys of the world which is to come-all good necessary to be either known, or done, or had, that this one

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celestial fountain yieldeth." And the same admirable apologist of the Church of England goes on to observe, that she desires to make the Psalms "especially familiar" to all, because of their transcendent excellence. This is the very reason why she repeats the Psalms more frequently than any other portion of the word of God; why she accustoms the people together with the minister alone to repeat them, as he doth the other parts of Scripture. "As the first Psalm," says a living author of a metrical version of the Psalms, conveys the blessing of God to man, so the last offers the blessing of man to God. It calls on all his intelligent creatures, nay, on all that have 'breath,' to unite in praising Him in his sanctuary upon earth, and in his firmament above, for his external acts and for his essential greatness-to employ all instruments in his service, to call in the aid of music and song; and, in short, to omit no expedient by which we may be enabled to perform that most noble act which can be performed by any creature, the act of giving glory to the God who made him."

It will be acknowledged that nothing can. be more impressive or affecting than the union of a multitude of voices harmoniously and devoutly singing the praises of the Almighty. The delight imparted by such a scene as this is like a foretaste of that joy which will be the portion of those who stand before the throne and before the Lamb, saying (with a loud voice), "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and blessing. Blessing, honour, glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." If such, then, be the combined effect of many voices uniting in sacred harmony; if this holy exercise be nothing less than a training, a rehearsal for the minstrelsy of heaven, how highly do they approve themselves in the sight of God, and of his Church, who, by the exertion of superior musical powers, become instrumental in the improvement of their fellow-worshippers, inspiring them with a portion of their own spirit, and fitting them to bear a part in the choral songs of Sion. In this particular the zeal of other reformed churches may well be proposed to our imitation. The Lutheran churches, in particular, are assiduous in the cultivation of sacred music. An eminent Swedish professor has stated that he has had a class of two hundred persons at one time, and some among them of the highest ranks in society, who thought it no degradation to associate with persons of much humbler condition than themselves in the practice of sacred music, and in preparing themselves for the public service of God.

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