TO HIS GRACE

WILLIAM,

LORD ARCHBISHOP of DUBLIN, &C.

The humble Representation of the CLERGY of the City of DUBLIN.

MY LORD,

Jan. 1724

OUR Grace having been pleased to

communicate to us a certain brief, by letters-patents, for the relief of one Charles M'Carthy, whose house in Collegegreen, Dublin, was burnt by an accidental fire; and having defired us to confider of the faid brief, and give our opinions thereof to your Grace;

We the clergy of the city of Dublin, in compliance with your Grace's defire, and with great acknowledgments for your paternal tenderness towards us, having maturely confidered the faid brief by letters patents, compared the feveral parts of it with what is enjoined us by the rubric, (which is confirmed by act of parliament) and confulted persons skilled in the laws of the church; do, in the names of our

felves and of the rest of our brethren, the clergy of the diocefs of Dublin, most humbly represent to your Grace:

First, That, by this brief, your Grace is required and commanded, to recommend and command all the parfons, vicars, &c. to advance fo great an act of charity.

We fhall not prefume to determine how far your Grace may be commanded by the faid brief; but we humbly conceive that the clergy of your diocefs cannot, by any law now in being, be commanded by your Grace to advance the faid act of charity, any other ways than by reading the faid brief in our several churches, as prescribed by the rubric.

Secondly, Whereas it is faid in the faid brief, that the parfon, vicars, &c. upon the first Lord's-day, or opportunity after the receipt of the copy of the faid brief, fhall, deliberately and affectionately, publifh and declare the tenor thereof to his Majefty's fubjects, and earneftly perfuade, exhort, and ftir them up to contribute freely and chearfully towards the relief of the faid fufferer;

We do not comprehend what is meant b the word opportunity. We never do preach upon any day except the Lord's-day, or

fome folemn days legally appointed; neither is it poffible for the ftrongest conftitution among us to obey this command (which includes no less than a whole fermon) upon any other opportunity than when our people are met together in the church; and to perform this work in every houfe where the parishes are very populous, confifling fometimes here in town of 900 or 1000 houfes, would take up the space of a year, although we should preach in two families every day; and almost as much time in the country, where the раrifhes are of large extent, the roads bad, and the people too poor to receive us, and give charity at once.

But, if it be meant that thefe exhortations are commanded to be made in the church, upon the Lord's-day, we are humbly of opinion, that it is left to the difcretion of the clergy, to chufe what fubjects they think moft proper to preach on, and at what times; and, if they preach either false doctrine or feditious principles, they are liable to be punished.

It may poffibly happen that the sufferer recommended may be a perfon not deferving the favour intended by the brief; in which cafe no minifter, who knows the

fufferer

fufferer to be an undeferving perfon, can with a safe confcience deliberately and affectionately publish the brief, much lefs earneftly perfuade, exhort, and stir up the people to contribute freely and chearfully towards the relief of fuch a fufferer *.

Thirdly, Whereas in the faid brief the minifters and curates are required, on the week-days next after the Lord's-day when the brief was read, to go from houfe to house, with their church-wardens, to ask and receive from all perfons the faid charity: We cannot but obferve here, that the faid minifters are directly made collectors of the faid charity in conjunction with the church wardens; which however, we prefume, was not intended, aș being against all law and precedent: And therefore, we apprehend, there may be fome inconfiftency, which leaves us at a lofs how to proceed. For, in the next paragraph, the minifters and curates are only required, where they conveniently can, to accompany the church-wardens, or procure fome other of the chief inhabitants,

*This McCarthy's houfe was burnt in the month of August 1723, and the univerfal opinion of mankind was, that McCarthy himself was the person who had set fire to the house.

to

to do the fame. And, in a following paragraph, the whole work seems left entirely to the church-wardens, who are required to use their utmost diligence to gather and collect the faid charity, and to pay the fame, in ten days after, to the parson, vicar, &c.

In answer to this, we do represent to your Grace our humble opinion, that neither we nor our church-wardens can be legally commanded or required to go from house to house to receive the said charity; because your Grace hath informed us in your order, at your visitation An. Dom. 1712, that neither we nor our church-wardens are bound to make any collections for the poor, fave in the church; which also appears plainly by the rubric, that appoints both time and place, as your Grace hath obferved in your faid order.

We do likewife affure your Grace, that it is not in our power to procure fome of the chief inhabitants of our parishes to accompany the church-wardens from house to house in thefe collections: And we have reafon to believe, that fuch a propofal, made to our chief inhabitants (particularly in this city, where our chief inhabitants are often peers of the land)

would