We have seen, that the new laws dispensed with the important duty of remaining unmarried; that they did not require the parson to keep the church in repair and to divide his income with the poor and the stranger; but, though the new laws allowed of pluralities and non-residence to a very great extent, still they did enjoin residence, except in certain cases expressly "by law established;" and, they provided, that, if a parson should be absent from his living for a certain length of time, he should be liable, on information being laid against him, to pay a penalty of so much a month for the time of his absence. This was, to a certain extent, an obligation to reside at any rate. If a man had one living, he was to reside upon it; and if more than one, he was to rese upon one of them. No very great hardship, one would think, for the "shepherd" to be. where the "flock" was. We will say nothing at all here about the manner of taking care of the flock, but, we may, I think, insist, that the flock could not have much benefit from the shepherd, if the shepherd did not, for a long time together, go near the place where the flock was! That, I think, we may venture to assert.

Well, then, let us now see how the law, even the new and relaxed law, was, as to this matter, observed by the parsons of our Protestant Church; and, this brings us to my third and concluding topic.

III. Whether the present inundation of infidelity may not possibly be ascribable to the want of a full per

formance of duties on the part of the parsons. Now, on the ground just stated, I shall suppose it taken for granted, that, if the parson do not live where the flock lives, he can be of no use to it, either in inculcating the faith, or in checking the progress of infidelity; and, besides this, when the flock see him set his duties, his obligations, his solemn engagements, and the commands and denunciations of God; when the flock sees the pastor set all these at open defiance, is there not good reason to fear, that the flock will begin to go astray, to wander from the faith, to doubt greatly of the truth of the thing altogether; in short, to become unbelievers, or infidels; and in the fashionable language of the day, blasphemers?

The Prophet Zechariah, in the words of a part of my text, has, manifestly, such a result in his eye when he cries, "Woe on the shepherd that leaveth his flock." And the Prophet Ezekiel, in the other parts of my text, clearly means to impress the same thing on the minds of the priests. What, indeed, can be more just, than that woe should fall upon those, who" eat the fat and clothe themselves with the wool," but who feed not the flock! Who strengthen not the diseased, who heal not the sick, who bring back not those that have been driven away, who seek not the lost, but who " rule the flock with force and with cruelty?" Must not the flock be scattered, in such a case? Must they not wander? And, as to the shepherds, "Thus saith the Lord God; "behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require

"my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed "themselves any more: for I will deliver my flock from "their mouth, that they may not be meat for them."

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Nor are Christ and his Apostles silent upon this great subject. Paul, in writing to TIMOTHY says: "Preach "the word; be instant in season, out of season "prove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doc "trine." The Apostle tells the teachers to teach publicly" from house to house; to show themselves in "all things patterns of good works; to be examples "in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in pu"rity; to warn every man, to teach every man in "wisdom, that they may present every man perfect "in Jesus Christ." The teachers of the Gospel are called Ambassadors, Stewards, Shepherds, Watchmen, Guides, Lights, Examples. But, how are they to be

any of these, if they seldom or never see any of those, whom they have pledged themselves to teach! >

Jesus Christ says, "Go ye into all the world and "preach the Gospel unto every creature; and, lo! I am "with you always, even unto the end of the world." And the Apostle Paul, amongst his numerous urgent and solemn exhortations says, in Acts, Ch. 20. v. 27. “I take you to record this day, that I am pure from "the blood of all men; for I have shunned not to "declare unto you the counsel of God. Take heed, "therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to

"feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased "with his own blood." And he exhorts, too, that the teachers should do their duty for religion sake, and not for the sake of gain. A Bishop is not to be " greedy of filthy lucre, nor covetous."-TIM. Ch. 3. V. 3. And the same in TITUS, Ch. 1.V.7. And PETER,in Epist. I. Ch. 5. V. 2. has this exhortation, which ought to be written on the heart of every Christian teacher. "Feed "the flock of God which is among you, taking the "oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, "not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ex"amples to the flock. And, when the chief Shepherd "shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that "fadeth not away.”

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What, then! Can, we, with all this before us, believe, that a parson does his duty, if he do not even reside in the same place with his flock? And, when we see a man taking the income of two or three livings, and seldom, or never go near either of them, are we still to look upon him as a follower of the Apostles, and intitled to the respect and reverence that is due to their memories and names? I will say not a single word about the morals of our parsons; about the way in which the greater part of them spend their time; about the worldly affairs in which they are most frequently busied; about the part which many of them take in political matters, and especially in elections: I confine myself, solely to my text; and I say, that he who inse

charge of a flock, and does not remain with that flock, subjects himself to the woes there denounced against the unfaithful shepherd.

But, there is, besides the injunctions of Scripture, a positive promise, which the parsons make to God, at the time of their ordination. "They profess, that they are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon them this office and administration, to serve "God for the promoting of his glory and the edifying

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of his people. They declare also at their ordination "that they are determined with the scriptures to instruot "the people that shall be committed to their charge; "they promise that they will give their faithful diliแ 'gence always so to minister the doctrine and sacra, "ments and the discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath 'commanded, and as this realm hath received the same

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according to the commandment of God; that they will "teach the people committed to their cure and charge "with all diligence to keep and observe the same,

that they will be ready with all faithful diligence "to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange "doctrines contrary to God's word; and to use public "and private admonitions and exhortations, as well "to the sick as to the whole, within their cures, as "need shall require and occasion be given; that they "will be diligent in prayers and in the reading of the "Holy Scriptures, and in such studies as help to the

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knowledge of the same, laying aside the study of “the world and the flesh; that they will be diligent to