rations of these honest and important witnesses. But the witnesses who describe and deplore the wickedness of their country, afford examples of eminent sanctity and wisdom. Our acquaintance with the national corruption of the age in which they lived, is drawn from the writings by which they hoped that the corruption might be cured. Bede strongly urges his correspondent, the Bishop of York, to make immediate and important alteration in the general conduct of ecclesiastical affairs. Boniface wrote for the same purpose; and at his instance the Council of Cloveshoe was summoned in the hope of correcting the evils which he had detailed. Bede insists upon the necessity of subdividing the dioceses, of ordaining a greater number of priests, of sending them into all the towns and villages to teach and improve the people, of establishing annual episcopal visitations, of frequent communions, especially of the young and innocent, and of an increase of ecclesiastical zeal and virtue. The Council of Cloveshoe, and several others which were held about the same time, decreed that the Bishops should be more careful and industrious, more particular in the examination of candidates for orders, and more severe in their superintendance of monasteries. The priests were in like manner enjoined to study and practise the rules of Christianity to explain its doctrines to the people, and lead them away from the auguries and other relics. of Paganism, to which they still adhered. In short, the very canons, which prove the ignorance of the Clergy and the vices of the laity, prove also that efforts to remove them were repeatedly made. But the Monkish system rendered them fruitless. The rigid separation of the Clergy and laity, the imposition of a celibacy which makes more profligates than saints, the belief that the cowl, even when assumed upon the bed of death, will atone for the transgression of an abandoned life; the supposition, that a pilgrimage to Rome or a bequest to St. Peter would blot out all or any sin, the hope that masses and money would redeem the worst, from purgatory, these were the counteracting weights and forces which neutralized the piety of a Bede, a Cuthbert, and a Boniface. The distinguished Prelates of the eighth century saw and lamented the growing vices of their age. One wrote against the worshipping of images; another withstood Papal usurpation; a third remonstrated boldly with sinners of every rank; all united in their endeavours to humanize and instruct the people. But the monastic system counteracted every plan for improvement the power of Rome became daily more sensible and more injurious; and the avenging Danes were let loose at last to murder, burn, and pillage from Lindisfarne to Winchester. are capable of being understood in a double sense. To affix either a words, is fatal to all reasoning which wrong or indistinct, meaning to professes truth for its object; for if the terms of a proposition are confused, it is scarcely practicable for the disputants either to understand each other, or to come to a just conclusion. And I apprehend that in many cases a deal of wordy war and angry provocation might be avoided, a deal of misunderstanding might be prevented, if the parties would but consent at the outset to a clear definition of terms. Perhaps a little attention to this rule will enable us to make a very necessary distinction on a subject of great importance, viz. the right of private opinion in matters of religion. It has been asserted that every individual has a right to think upon religion as he pleases. Now before we examine this proposition, let us correctly ascertain what is precisely meant by it: for it may be understood in two totally distinct senses; and those of such a nature, that in one it is entirely true, and in the other as entirely false. It may signify, that every man, as a member of civil society, has a right to enjoy his own opinions, without being amenable for them to any human tribunal. Or it may signify, that he has the liberty granted to him by God of thinking as he likes, and that He will not hold him accountable for his convictions. The case therefore most widely differs according to the construction we put upon the word "right:" and it is certainly of most material importance to attend to the distinc tion, as many people have, without doubt, confused their notions, and adopted incorrect conclusions, for want of adverting to it. It may suit the purpose of infidel and latitudinarian writers to confound it as much as possible, since, the more the question is obscured, the less easily can the fallacy of their reasoning be detected. world can never convince him of his error, or make him think differently: and therefore the intervention of the civil power would be totally inadequate to the purpose of correction. Secondly, it is a question in which man does not possess a moral right to interfere; since to his Maker alone can any one be responsible for what passes within his heart. "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth." This, it is to be observed, does not affect the right of the civil magistrate to punish the authors of irreligious publications; (an exercise of power for which the welfare of the community loudly calls;) only let it be remembered, what is the realgist of the offence in such cases, that the offender is not punished for entertaining particular opinions, but for doing a public injury to society by promulgating them. But when it is said, that all opinions upon the subject of religion are matters of indifference in the sight of God, a most dangerous use indeed is made of the doctrine of man's moral liberty. Christianity is a religion, not of speculation, but of truth its doctrines are propounded, not on the fallible conclusions of man, but on the certain assurance of Divine authority. It's obligations therefore cannot be various to different men, but must be one and the same to all; unless we make it contradict itself, and so destroy its authority altogether. How then can it be urged that all the discordant opinions that have prevailed in the Christian world can be equally right? or that truth is only truth so long as we ourselves are persuaded of it? But the prin ciple that all opinions are indifferent, will lead us to still further lengths; (for if once admitted, there is no limiting its extent;) it must eventually bring us to acknowledge, that infidelity itself has nothing in it displeasing to the Almighty the Deist, even the Atheist, has only to plead the sincerity of his convictions, and we must confess that he has an equal title to the Divine favour with the soundest and most pious believer; in short, we must be driven to deny the very existence of religious obligation. It is also of material consequence to ascertain the extent to which the concluding remark of the chapter is true. The Apostle says, "Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin." No moral truth indeed can be more manifest than this, that we do wrong if we act in opposition to our own convictions. But we must take care to remember, that the converse of this proposition will by no means hold universally good. If we are persuaded that a thing is wrong, we do wrong in committing it; but we cannot always be certain, that what we are persuaded is right, actually is so. Our thinking an action to be unlawful makes it unlawful to us; but our thinking it to be lawful does not positively constitute it so: for our convictions may be erroneous; and they may possibly be erroneous from some wilful perverseness, or want of taking proper pains to gain information, causes which do not leave us free from moral blame. So that there are cases in which we may act wrongly even while following the dictates of conscience. St. Paul verily thought with himself (as he observes in his defence before Agrippa) that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. He tells us that he acted ignorantly, in unbelief; and yet, in the face of this very declaration, he styles himself the chief of sinners. From the arguments used by St. Paul (Rom. ch. xix.) for the purpose of composing the differences between the Jewish and Gentile Christians, we may conclude the Apostle to affirm, that with respect to things indifferent, individuals may err in their judgment, without serving God less acceptably. In such matters he plainly considers each man's private conscience to be the ultimate rule of conduct. "He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord: and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks: and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks." But we should greatly overstep the Apostle's doctrine, were we to construe it to extend to matters not indifferent. He very properly tells the Jewish and Gentile converts to act as they thought best with regard to "meats." The substance of his argument is, all meats are legal; but if you Jews think otherwise, do not touch what you imagine to be prohibited. You Gentiles, on the other hand, may in. dulge in the indiscriminate use of all meats without scruple; but do not carry your liberty so far as to offend your weaker brethren, by compelling them to follow your example. It is evident that this full freedom to each party to follow its own persuasion, arose from the circumstance of there being no legal injunction any longer in force upon the subject. But apply the argument to a case of positive obligation; such, for instance, as the Christian Sacraments, to assert that they are binding only so far as individuals think them so, is an absurdity too glaring to need confutation. The direction which the Apostle gives in this chapter to the Gentiles, desiring them to abstain from forcing the Jewish Christians to do violence to their own opinions, ought certainly to extend to material doctrines, and things even of positive obligation, upon the principle before laid down, that there is no compelling a man to do right. On this account, free toleration ought to be granted to Dissenters of all denominations, as far as is compatible with the safety and welfare of the State. While, however, we grant them liberty to worship their Maker as they think best, we must take care that we do not depart from our principles, by regarding the questions in dispute between us as points of no importance. If a person professes himself unable to agree with the doctrines of the Established Church, I can only say to him, "Your secession from it is the unavoidable consequence of your opinions; for it is better you should offer an erroneous, than a hypocritical service to God: but while I admit the conscientiousness of your motives, I must, as a Churchman upon conviction, say that I think you to be in an error; nor can I, consistently with my own belief, allow that the reasons for which you secede are just." I apprehend that this is the proper view which we, as members of the Church of England, ought to take of the case of those who dissent from it; which will lead us to practise charity and moderation towards them personally, while we watch with unimpaired zeal and care over the interests of our own scriptural and apostolical EstablishI am, Sir, &c. &c. ment. C. P. Churchwardens should be ordered to pay 28. 6d. to every Brief, out of the parish Church-rates; this, through a whole Diocese, would always secure a tolerable sum; and if it were made imperative upon all officiating Ministers to read every Brief in their Church, (a thing which I know many never do) the collection would then be so considerable, as probably to exceed in many cases the sum required for the Brief.-The surplus being secured by a clause, to go to the Church-building Society, and that for augmenting small livings; Briefs would then be placed upon a proper footing, and would materially contribute in a gradual and silent way, to the maintenance of the Established Religion. Had something like this been de vised fifty years ago, the Church would not have been brought into the situation it is in at present; encroached upon, and endangered by Dissenting Meeting-houses. In all the populous towns of this county the proportion of Meetinghouses to Churches is nearly as four to one. In Leeds there are five Churches, and seventeen dissenting To the Editor of the Remembrancer. Chapels; in Sheffield, four Churches I PERUSED with particular interest the account with which you favoured us in your last Number (July), respecting Church Briefs, and as the subject is of vast import2 ance to our Ecclesiastical Establishment, I erave your indulgence for a few remarks upon it. The Diocesan plan appears to me decidedly the best; because in that case, the present expensive mode, so justly complained of, would be entirely done away with; the plan would be more simple, and the congregations, feeling more interested in the welfare of Churches, in their own Diocese, would give more liberally than if the collection was general throughout the kingdom. I also highly approve of the suggestion of Mr. Lyttleton, that and fifteen dissenting Chapels; and in some other places the proportion is greater. What all this will lead to, God Almighty knows; but with myself and others with whom I have conversed, it is matter of serious apprehension; and if it is not too late to offer a remedy, the establishment of a fund which should be in continual operation, might in time, through the blessing of God, work some beneficial change, and I humbly conceive that Church Briefs, if rightly ordered, would be very instrumental in produeing that change. Should the above remarks be deemed worthy of a place in your very useful Remembrancer, their insertion will oblige your constant reader, CLER. EBOR. 15 July, 1822. ANCIENT CUSTOM IN NEWNTON, WILTSHIRE. THE following description of a custom observed on Trinity Sunday is taken from a small and very scarce volume of Miscellanies, printed at London for Curll, 1714. Mr. Aubrey, who was collecting materials for a history of North Wiltshire, received the account from a Correspondent, in a letter dated on the Feast of Ascension, 1682. NEWNTON. This village affords a lovely prospect to the South, S. W. and S. E. On the South it is terminated by the blue hills of Hackpen, Cherhill, &c. Of that range between, with Malmesbury Town, and the ruins of the Abbey, with Charlton-house, (the seat of the Earl of Berkshire,) and, till the late unhappy wars, with the woods of Charlton-park, and the Park of Hyams. At the upper end of this village was Sir Giles Estcourt's house, Knight and Baronet, Lord of this Manor, flanked with a delicate grove of oaks, which he cut down and sold for 700l. This vil lage, long time ago, stood a little higher in the field, where they still plough up foundations of houses: the tradition is, that it was burnt, and then built here, and hence it was called Newnton, quasi NewTown. At the upper end of this town, at the old Manor-house, where the old Pigeon-house is, is a In the late wars this house was burnt down by the soldiers, and the following custom of supping is yet discontinued, together with brewing that quantity of drink. The rest of the ceremonies are yet continued on the Tot, and on the old door of the house which yet remains, which they carry then thither; and a small quantity of drink, of six or eight gallons, is yet drank after the ghirland is given. fine fountain of free stone, from whence the water was brought in pipes of lead to Malmesbury Abbey: they oftentimes digged for the pipes, but now I think few are left. Some of these pipes have been digged up within these twenty years. This town was given to Malmesbury Abbey. The church here was anciently a chapel of ease to that abbey, from whence it is distant above two miles. The Custom here on Trinity Sunday. King Athelstan raving obtained a victory over the Danes by the assistance of the inhabitants of this place, riding to recreate himself, found a woman baiting of her cow upon the way called the Fosse, which runs through this Parish, and is a famous Roman way that goes from Cornwall to Scotland. This woman sate on a stool, with the cow fastened by a rope to the leg of the stool; the manner of it occasioned the king to ask, why she did so? She answered the king, that they had no common belonging to the town. The queen being then in his company, by their consent it was granted, that the town should have so much ground in the common next adjoining, as the woman would ride round upon a bare ridged horse. She undertakes it; and for ascertaining the ground, the king ap pointed Sir Walter, a knight that waited on him, to follow the woman or go with her; which being done, and made known to the monks of Malmesbury, they (to shew their liberality upon the extent of the king's charity) gave a piece of ground, parcel of their inheritance, and adjoining to the church-yard, to build a house for the hayward to live in, to look after the beasts that fed upon this common. And for to perpetuate the memory of it, appointed the following prayers to be said upon every Trinity Sunday in that house, with the ceremonies-en |