fenders of sound doctrine and the champions of the Church. And again because numbers of our parochial endowments are miserably small, there are not wanting men, honest and respectable in other parts of their conduct, men too of whom we cannot but hope that they fear God, and desire his favour; who (having abundant wealth and opportunities of setting the example by augmenting one or more of these endowments, and securing at their own cost an adequate hire to one labourer or more,) have deliberately proposed plans for rectifying the abuse, by seizing, without colour of justice or equity, the funds solemnly devoted of old, not to the general purposes of the Church, but to the benefit of the other specified parishes, with which the donors were connected. They have thought it a sufficient defence of such schemes, that the funds on which they purpose to lay hands, are more liberal than appears necessary to the economists of our day. Nay, to crown the whole, such projects have often found favour with the very men who are actually holding and "nourishing their hearts[1]" day by day upon the spoils of those parishes which they propose to indemnify at the expense of others.
Such have been the results of our measure of charity. By its fruits let it be known. Tried by this rule; can we think that we have even been desiring to reach the mark proposed to us
- ↑ St. James v. 5.
