cerely in offering the tribute of praise and adoration so justly due to that gracious Being to whom we are indebted for all our blessings. But even of these the majority seemed, at the conclusion of their devotions, as though not a single word had reached their hearts, or at least as if the impression which had been made was of very slight duration; for the moment the ser vice was over, their manner was entirely changed;-they retired from the temple and the presence of God with the vain and thoughtless levity of persons coming out of a theatre or a concert room, totally forgetful of the duties in which they had been engaged. This, Mr. Editor, is a practice quite different from the habits of the congregation with whom I have been long accustomed to unite in public worship. In the church to which I allude, and which I have frequented for more than fifty years, I never observed a careless, inattentive, or indifferent auditor, from the commencement to the termination of the sermon: every eye is turned with respectful attention on the preacher, and every ear is open to receive the salutary instructions he addresses to them. His principles and his precepts are drawn from the Gospel of his Divine Master, and are recorded in the hearts of his peo-ple; who, when the service is over, retire with a seriousness comporting with the solemnity of the duties in which they have been engaged.

Unwilling, however, to draw any general conclusions from one example, I waited till the following Sunday, when I went to a church which, I was informed, was frequented by some of the most illustrious families in the kingdom. Here, at least, I expected to witness that devout attention which should govern the minds and guard the hearts of a Christian assembly; but, alas! I again saw the same vain and improper ceremonies which I had observed in the former place of worship. Can it be possible CHRIST. OBSERV, No. 236.

that men and women who, from their rank and fortune must have received a liberal education, must have witnessed correct examples, must have been taught their duty, can suffer themselves to be so led away by vanity and folly that they cannot, even one day in the week, look beyond the pleasures and amusements of the present world! that intelligent creatures formed for the happiness of heaven, and blest with the means of obtaining it, should rashly hazard its loss, and dare thus to trifle with their Creator, by venturing into his awful presence with the most inconsiderate levity!

But let us follow them from church; let us inquire how they spend the remainder of the day; alas! not in the perusal of the Scriptures;-not in acts of devotion;-not in meditating on the goodness of God;-not in thanking him for the blessings he has provided for his faithful people ;~ for to do all this, after the severe duties of the morning, is more, they think, than can be reasonably required; their minds must be relieved; relaxation is necessary to renovate their faculties and enable them to enjoy the pleasureable scenes to which they are eagerly hastening-scenes in which the business of the morning will be no more remembered. In these, there is no lukewarmness, no inattention, no wandering of the mind after far distant objects; every one enters gaily and earnestly into the pleasures of the moment; and with such feelings can it be supposed they will quit scenes of so much hilarity, to return to the repetition of a dull, formal, cold-hearted duty?

I do not, however, pretend to know the heart, or to judge of the motives of my neighbours: to do so belongs to God alone: I have only attempted to express my feelings at the contemplation of manners so much at variance with the

duties of the day of sacred rest. The serious and pious observance

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of one day in seven has been appointed by God himself, for the contemplation of his works, the study of his laws, and other reli⚫ gious duties. And yet how many persons feel excessive lassitude in dedicating two hours in the week to the service of their Creator, who can voluntarily, without fatigue or ennui, devote six or eight hours every day to acquiring those accomplishments which are to distinguish them on the theatre of fashion, and to gain the applause of the world! To make a conspicuous figure in life, to be flattered and caressed by weak vain creatures like themselves, is joy and transport to their hearts; while to gain the approbation of their God and Saviour never enters into their thoughts. Thus, while temporal affairs prosper, all appears well, till at length disease or death stops their career, and the mistaken candidate for worldly fame finds how much he has lost, irreparably lost, by preferring the vanities of life to the glory and happiness of heaven.

I have been led into these reflections by observing the great variety of changes which have taken place in the world within the last fifty or sixty years, and which, to any one who, like myself, has not visited London during that period, 'must be strikingly obvious: luxury and dissipation have produced a lamentable revolution in the morals, manners, habits, and opinions of the great and little world. It must, however, be acknowledged, that the high polish which society has received, in this age of fastidious refinement, adds a charm to social intercourse unknown at any former period: modern politeness has drawn a splendid and brilliant halo round the manners and conversation of the higher orders of society which is truly fascinating, and is industriously imitated by every rank below them; but this artificial good breeding, however delightful, is a very inadequate substitute for that truth and sincerity, that honour and fidelity, that gene

rosity and benevolence, which appear to me to have been the distinguishing characteristics of the age to which I allude. Others must judge whether I am correct in my opinion, or whether, like other old men before me, I am merely a laudator temporis actime puero; but if my memory does not fail me, time was, Mr. Editor, when attention to order and regularity of conduct, to prudence and economy in the management of our concerns was duly appreciated by the rich and great; when the duties of religion were held paramount to every other consideration; when men of fortune were valued for the generosity and benevolence of their actions, the propriety of their conduct, and the purity of their principles; when they were honoured and praised for that kind and charitable attention to the wants and necessities of their poorer neighbours, which consoled them in misery, and comforted them in distress; and when the poor, grateful for such attentions, laboured cheerfully all the week, and on Sundays appeared decently vested at their parish church, and returned contented and happy to their peaceful homes. That such scenes are no longer realized, must be a source of bitter regret to every well-wisher to the order and harmony of society. The change has been productive of much misery and discomfort to all; and that a better order of things may be speedily introduced, must be the earnest prayer of every friend to public and private happiness. But can we hope that any effectual change will take place, when politics are more studied than religion ;—when the diurnal prints are more read than the Bible;-when parties of pleasure and places of amusement are more frequented than the courts and temple of the living God ;when the ceremonies of polite society are more practised and better understood than the precepts of the Gospel, or the commands of its gracious Author;when the pleasures and amusements

of the world are preferred to the happiness of heaven and the joys of immortality;-when dress and decoration are more esteemed than "the ornaments of a meek and quiet spirit;"—when whatever can please the eye, charm the ear, or amuse the fancy, is more assiduously cultivated, than the virtues that adorn the character, elevate the mind, and purify the heart. With such examples before them, what must be the consequence to servants, de pendants, and all who come with in the circle of their influence? When the inmates of a family seldom, or never, see the Bible opened, and more rarely hear it read, they lose all respect for its commands; what they see their superiors despise, they will not be forward to practise. If two hours of one day in seven are esteemed sufficient for the service of Almighty God by the rich, the great, and the noble, will not those who must labour the whole of the week to support themselves and their families, naturally conclude, that if so short a portion of time is sufficient for those who have so many comforts to be thankful for; the attendance of others, placed in such subordinate situations as themselves, may be wholly dispensed with? And with regard to servants, if they see morality despised, integrity laughed at, and religion neglected, what dependence can be placed on their attachment; what security on their integrity? Will they not be apt to consider all they have been taught in their youth respecting their moral and religious obligations as mere fables, delusive fallacies, or political contrivances? They see their superiors with all the advantages of a liberal education, act diametrically contrary to the principles of that education; and they naturally conclude, that to imitate such examples must be their wisest course, and best recommendation. Thus a wide door is thrown open to the introduction of scepticism, infidelity, and atheism; and to all the conse.

quences resulting from the dissemination of principles so adverse to the hope, and so inimical to the happiness, of a Christian. Did all the rich and great ones of the world, all who are in conspicuous situations, but reflect on the awful responsibility of their station, how much, as accountable creatures, they owe to God and society, how guarded they ought to be in their conduct, and how greatly the immortal happiness of those below them depends upon their example, they would, it is to be hoped, act a wiser and a better part.

From the days of the venerable Archbishop Leighton, many pious men have lamented that since the Reformation no retreat has been found, in the British Islands, for those devout servants of God, who, rendered incapable by age or infirmity of discharging the duties of their ministry, are unable to procure a livelihood, and who, though poor, deserve too well of society to be consigned to penury and neglect. What Leighton and other good men lamented is, at the present day, much more to be deplored: what they pronounced most desirable, has now in a measure become necessary, and claims the serious consideration and regard of all who wish well to the moral improvement of their country, the interests of the Established Church, and the just comforts of a most deserving portion of society.