A

CHARGE

DELIVERED TO THE

CLERGY of the DIOCESE,

OF

OXF OR D,

In the YEAR 1753.

Reverend Brethren,

HAVE never attempted in my former vifitations, nor fhall I I in this, to entertain you with any thing new and curious:

thinking it much fitter for me, and better for you, to speak to you of fuch points, immediately relating to common practice, as, though eafily understood, are too frequently difregarded. With this view I have gone through the principal parts of your duty, as parochial minifters, in refpect both of fpirituals and temporals. But befides what is wholly incumbent on yourselves, in fome things you are jointly concerned with your church-wardens: and in others, though not expressly commiffioned by law to interpofe, you may do it nevertheless, with culiar propriety, weight, and influence,

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Of the former fort are thofe offences against religion and morals, which the church wardens are bound by oath to prefent; and the incumbent, or his curate, impowered and charged by the 113th and following Canons to join with them in presenting, if need be; or to prefent alone, if they refufe. This naturally implies, what the 26th Canon expreffes, that the minifter is to urge the church-wardens to perform that part of their office. Indeed your firft endeavour fhould be, by due inftructions and exhortations, to hinder fuch offences: your next, by due reproofs, public or private, to amend them. But if both prove ineffectual, what remains is, to get them corrected by authority. I am perfectly fenfible, that both immorality and irreligion are grown almoft beyond the reach of ecclefiaftical power: which having in former times been very unwarrantably extended, hath fince been very unjustly and imprudently cramped and weakened many ways. I am fenfible alfo, that fometimes church-wardens, nay even minifters, are fo dependent on perfons, who deserve to be prefented, that they cannot prefent them without imminent hazard of ruining themfelves: and farther, ftill, that fome offenders, if they were thus expofed, would only become worse, ahd fet themfelves to make others worfe: while fome again, as the Apoftle expreffes it in this very cafe, would be fwallowed up with overmuch forrow (a). Now furely it cannot have been defigned by our gracious Redeemer, or the rulers of his church, that the power of fpiritual cenfures, which the fame Apostle hath twice declared the Lord to have given for edification, not for dejtruction (b), fhould be exercised in circumstances like thefe. Therefore when circumstances are evidently and undeniably of this kind, I think you should not infift on your churchwardens prefenting. But there is much more danger of their being guilty of too great remifinefs, than running into overmuch rigour. And therefore you must advife and entreat them to make prefentments of finners, where probably it will be useful; and to contemn the displeasure of bad people, when it can have no extremely ill confequences, (of which there is commonly much more fear than is neceffary) for the hope of their amendment and the good of others round them. The very office of church-wardens obliges them to this: their oath yet more firmly. And if they are backward ftill, after being told it doth, you must acquaint them, that you are directed by the 26th Canon, (in the execution of which however, as in all points of difcipline, difcretion fhould be ufed,) to refuse them the holy communion; not indeed for every neglect of prefenting offences, but if they wilfully neglect it in defperate dehance of their cath, when they are urged to it by their neighbours, their minifter or ordinary for fo the fame Canon defcribes the cafe: in which cafe likewife you will inform them, the court is authorized, by Canon 117, to proceed against them, for perjury. But, along with thefe tersors, you will be fure, to join fitting encouragements. You will pro mife to defend them to the parishioners, and even to the perfon prefented, as doing only their duty. You will allure them, as you may, fist, that the court will take notice of their prefentments, no farther, than is proper; fo that they fhall not incur, the difpleasure of the offenders and their friends for nothing; then, that it will proceed, not with a view to gain, (a)2 Cor. ii, 7. (b) 2 Cor, x. 8. and xiii. 10.

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gain, but to reformation and example, not with exceffive, nor, if it can be avoided, with the utmost rigour, but with equity and moderation.

If all this be unfuccessful, you must, in cafes that require it, offer to join with them, or even refolve to prefent without them. But you must never take any step in these matters, much lefs the more extraordinary fteps, from motives of refentment, intereft, or party. If fuch inducements can be with any colour of reafon imputed to you, they will fo grievously difcredit what you do, that probably you had better do nothing. But only take care to fhew, that you act merely from good intention, accompa nied with temper and prudence, after trying gentler methods in vain and fome will vindicate, and even applaud you: more will inwardly and filently refpect you; and the number of the reft will not be formidable.

But then whoever brings a complaint, muft enable the court to take due cognizance of it: elfe prefentments will be defpifed; and the confequences be worfe, than if they had not been made. Evidence muft of neceffity be furnished: otherwife there can be no proceeding. Expences, I hope I may promife, will be as low as poffible; and they fhould be cheerfully born for the good of the parifh and the public. It is not reafonable that the court fhould bear them. Temporal courts never do. And befides, there is room for plaufible, though unjuft, fufpicions of partiality, where the judge appears to be in effect profecutor too, and is interested in condemning the party accused.

ཏཉྩི ཝཱ

When perfons are prefented, you must ufe your beft endeavours to make them forry, not merely that they are in danger of being punished, but principally that they have finned and in proportion as you fucceed in that, recommend them to fuch favour, as can be fhewn them. When perfons are excommunicated, (which I heartily with no one ever was but for crimes, though indeed a wilful contempt of authority is a great crime) you must prefs them to confider feriously, how they would be affected, if a phyfician or a lawyer of eminence pronounced their case defperate; and of how much greater importance the concerns of eternity are, than thofe of time. You must alfo admonish them, that flighting a cenfure, paffed on them for their amendment, will make their condi tion ftill more deplorable. And when they have been denounced excommunicate, by the 85th Canon, the church-wardens are to fee, that in every meeting of the congregation they be kept out of the church. Nor muft you fuffer them to be fureties for children in baptifm, to receive the holy eucharift, or to have Chriftian burial. Farther, if they continue without abfolution for three months, the 65th Canon directs you to declare them excommunicate in the parish church every half year; that others, meaning fuch as have no neceflary connections with them, may thereby be admonished to refrain their company, and excited the rather to procure out a writ de excommunicato capiendo: that is, if the circumftances of the cafe make it requifite. Again, when perfons do penance, you must be diligent to make them seriously fenfible of the usefulnefs of fuch difcipline; and the unspeakable obligations they have to the Gospel of Chrift, which alone affures men of forgiveness on any terms. And lastly, both on all fuch, and all other fit occafions, you muft remind your people, that however the cenfures of the church may

be

be relaxed or evaded, the final judgment of God on obftinate finners is. both unavoidable and infupportable.

Befides the prefentment of perfons who give offence, you are concerned likewise in that of things belonging to the church, which are not kept in good repair and order.

I have already spoken to you concerning the repair of your houses and chancels and enlarged on the reasons, why both, but efpecially the latter, fhould be always preferved not only in a firm and fafe, but decent and refpectable state. Now the fame reasons hold in regard to the reft of the church: and after you have fet the example in your own part, you may with reputation and weight call on your parishioners to do what is proper in theirs. And indeed you are bound to it. For, as John of Athon hath justly obferved (c), Licet per confuetudinem exoneretur rector a fumptibus præftandis, non tamen eximitur a curâ & folicitudine impendendâ. Thus far even the body of the church is still under your infpection; and if any thing be remarkably amifs there, and you take no notice; good and confiderate perfons will lament it, as a bad fign and of bad confequence others will make your indifference a plea to excufe their own; and yet while they are glad of it, will be likely enough to condemn you for it; and perhaps be led by it to think meanly of religion, as well as of you. Befides, church-wardens have often but little fense of propriety in thefe matters: therefore you should labour to give them a fenfe of it: convince them, by reason and Scripture, of the honour due to the houfe of God:fhew them, that their own honour too is interested; that a church in handsome condition is a credit to the whole parish; and in particular to the officers, who have put it in that condition, and whofe names will be long remembered on that account. They are often afraid of the expence. Argue with them, that things may be done gradually, and fo the expence be rendered almost imperceptible: perfuade them to leffen their expences in needlefs matters; in eating and drinking at vifitations, and on other occafions, fometimes to excefs, never to any good purpose; and obferve to them, how much righter and more commendable it would be, to lay out or lay up that money for proper ufes : how fhameful indeed, to fquander it in riot and folly, and be never the better, but the worse the next day; when they might difpofe of it fo, as to fee the good effects for years, and have them feen for ages. If ftill you cannot influence the prefent church-wardens, try their fucceffors. You have a concurrent right with the parithioners in chufing them; and if your opinions differ, you are to chufe one, they another: unless there be a custom to the contrary. Surely then, within fome reasonable time, you may get fuch as will hearken to you. If you fail of fuccefs that way, defire your people to reflect how their money goes not in fees of vifitations, which are no higher now, than when the value of money was thrice, perhaps five times, higher, but in extravagance and intemperance: that therefore they ought not to complain of the court, but of their own officers; indeed ought to difallow the wrong and idle articles of their accounts; and may be affured, the court will fupport them in doing fo.

Sometimes the church-wardens are willing to lay out money as they

(c) Conft. Othob. 17. verb. ad hoc tenentur. p. 113.

ought,

ought, but the parishioners unwilling. In that cafe you must acquaint the former, that no man's confent is wanted for their repairing and keeping in good order, both the church, and every thing belonging to it, which is either neceffary, or which they found there: nor is the confent of every man requifite, but of the majority only of a parish-meeting duly called, for adding any thing new, provided the ordinary approve it. However, they fhould do their utmost, and you fhould affift them, to procure the concurrence of all the parishioners; or at least, of as many as poffible: to whom you will reprefent for this end, that a moderate ex> pence now will prevent a much greater hereafter: that almost all the churches in the nation were built many ages ago, and a very great part of them about the fame time: that without constant and substantial re→ pairs, in another generation or another century, they will be falling at the fame time; and how will they be rebuilt? The inhabitants, if we may guefs from what we fee at prefent, will be both lefs able and lefs in clined. As for help from briefs: thofe for other things produce but little; but thofe for churches extremely little ; to the great fhame indeed of perfons, who call themselves Chriftians: and you should labour to rectify their prejudices on this head, and excite them to be more charitable. But God knows whether they will; and if hereafter they should, what can be hoped from it, when almoft every parifh in the land will want a brief? In many, it is to be feared there will be no churches ; in others, wretchedly mean ones; to the contempt of all religion amongft Infidels, and of the Proteftant religion amongst Papifts. Repeat and inculcate it therefore on your people, that they must take care of the churches they have: if not, their pofterity will run the rifque of having none. Too many will fcarcely be moved even by that confideration: but there is the more need of moving fuch as you can; and, getting in to a condition of moving more, by all proper methods of recommend ing the Gospel and yourselves.

But to perfons of rank and figure in your parishes, one fhould hope you might apply with very fair profpect of fuccefs. To thefe you may furely reprefent at favourable feafons, that labouring people part very hardly with the money, which they get very hardly: that therefore their fuperiors fhould not only ufe their influence and example to make them willing, but indeed fhould do for them what perhaps they are almost as unable to do, as they are unwilling; efpecially what goes any length be yond repairs abfolutely neceffary: for that people of low degree, though they may have fome notion of neatnefs and elegance, yet will murmur grievously to pay much for it in their churches, and part of their ill hu mour will fall on the doctrine taught there: that especially if they are tenants, their concern in the place being temporary, and poffibly alfo fhort or uncertain, they will of course endeavour to fhift off the burthen from themselves: but that landlords have a more lafting intereft, and will find their account better in doing things early at their own coft, than in letting them run on, till the coft is much greater: for then, in fome shape or other, it must come out of their pockets. With these confiderations you will not fail to join others of a higher nature: that facred fabrics are appropriated to the nobleft of uses, the worship of the great God, and to preferve or put them in a condition fuitable to it

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