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The above is no doubt a very melancholy profpect, and will in time have a most malignant influence upon the morals of the clergy. But the truth is, the fettlement of parishes by prefentations, is directly and immediately hurtful to the characters of those who are training up for the facred office. When they know that their future fettlement does not depend upon the apoftolic qualification, their being " of good re"port," but upon intereft with the great, it muft neceffarily introduce, in many cafes, licen tious and irregular practices, as well as habituate them to fawning and fervility. There is more danger in this than many apprehend. On confulting the history of the church, we shall find few characters more odious in clergymen, than ambition, and open folicitation of ecclefiaftical preferment. I am forry that so much way has been given to this already, without having been obferved. Small changes in forms and language, do often introduce great changes in manners and characters. In ancient times men could hardly be perfuaded to take on them the weighty and important office of a bishop. In times not very diftant, in our own church, the minister or probationer called, was never confidered as a party, but as the fubject concerning which the process was carried on by the callers or refufers. But they have been for fome time past declared to be par

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ties: they begin to attend the cause, to appear at the bar, to urge their claim, to confider the people who are to be under their charge as their adverfaries, and too often to treat them with contempt and difdain.

I know fome treat with great neglect the danger of a lax and immoral miniftry, from the prefent method of fettling vacancies. So long as they are of this mind, it is no wonder they continue in the practice; for it can be of very little confequence how men are chofen, if they are fit for the office. They tell us, an edit is ferv→ ed before admiffion, where every man has access to object against the life or doctrine of the prefentee. The effect of this will be very small. Judicial proceffes of that kind are always expen five and invidious, often difficult, and fometimes dangerous. How few then will be fo publicfpirited as to undertake them? The example of England may fatisfy us of this. It is as competent to prosecute a man for error or immorality in England as in Scotland; yet what person or parish ever thinks of making the experiment?

Others tell us, "It is all in your own power: "why do you licenfe improper men? it is im68 poffible to present any man who has not a re"gular licence." How furprifing is it, that per→ fons of ever fo little reflection fhould make use of this argument? It proceeds upon a fuppofition,

which the least knowledge of human nature must fhow to be unreafonable, viz. That every prefbytery, through the whole kingdom, will be unalterably faithful and vigilant. If there be but a corrupt or negligent majority in any one of them, the licence will operate over all. Nay, let them be fuppofed ever fo faithful, they may be deceived by an hypocrite, or not able to find fuch proofs of what they strongly suspect, as to found and support a sentence of refufal. The more we confider the matter in every poffible view, wè fhall find, that a parochial election of minifters would be a better fecurity for regularity and decency in the clergy, than all the laws that ever were framed on the fubject. Frequently men cannot, and fometimes they will not, execute the laws; but this rule would operate uniformly and powerfully, and would execute itself.

I add only one other unhappy confequence of continuing the prefent method of supplying vacancies. If a prefentation muft fuperfede all judgment of the church-courts, as to the propriety of an ordination, and even the expediency of a tranflation, we may expect to fee fome of the weakest, and most contemptible minifters, fettled in the most confpicuous and important charges, Perfons of this character are not always free from vanity and ambition, nòr always deftitute of intereft by male or female connections, We have

have had fome inftances of this kind already; but much greater and more fhameful may be expected, fo foon as prefentations have acquired an irresistible power. It will be faid, perhaps, They have had all the force in law, for above forty years, that it is likely they ever will have. I answer, that is very true; but every one knows their very different effect in practice at the beginning and at the end of that period. Patrons continued long to pay a regard to the opinion of the heritors, according to rank and character in the congregation concerned. As they found their own ftrength increafing, however, they paid gradually less and lefs; they now pay very little; and the time feems just at hand, when they will pay none at all.

This argument will, I hope, have the greater weight, that I have known inftances of different perfons, both among the clergy and laity, who had concurred in fupporting presentations in other cafes, but who were both alarmed and provoked when they themselves came to be treated in a tyrannical manner. The heritors in general indeed have been long made inftrumental in bearing down the common people; and this being finished, they themselves, as is almost constantly the cafe in political ftruggles, muft feel the weight of that authority which they have established. The

evil hath taken fo deep root, that it is somewhat uncertain whether a remedy be now poffible; nay, it is ftill more uncertain, whether any resistance will be seriously attempted. The confequences however are like to be fo terrible, that they may well justify complaint, and, in particular, be my excufe for endeavouring to expose the conduct of those whom I confidered as betraying the liberties of the public.

As to the cenfures inflicted on minifters who refused to be present at the ordination of minifters to nobody, I fhall fay but little, becaufe that feverity feems to have ceafed. Several minifters have abfented themfelves, in like cafes fince the depofition of Mr. Gillespie, and yet have escaped with impunity. The reafon probably is, the thing is now fo common, that the odium attending it is become inconfiderable, and not worth the pains of an endeavour to divide it. But as that measure was once like to become univerfal, may I not observe, that it remains in the hiftory of our church an example of what, alas! appears but too plainly in the hiftory of every church, That, in proportion as authority is relaxed in inforcing the laws of God, it is commonly ftretched and carried to excess in support of the unneceffary, doubtful, or pernicious commandments of men. Let any man produce a period in which there was lefs rigour in punishing minifters for neglect of parochial duties, or irregula

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