CHAPTER XXXII. LETTERS TO A TRUSTEE ON HIS DUTY AS PATRON-MR. SIMEON'S CHARGE TO HIS TRUSTEES-LETTER TO A FRIEND ON THE SAME SUBJECT TO THE BISHOP OF SALISBURY ON RESIGNATION-TO THE SAME ON CHRISTIAN JOY-TO MISS E. ELLIOTT ON HUMILIATION TO THE BISHOP OF GLOUCESTER FOR A COPY OF HIS COMMENCEMENT' SERMON-TO THE BISHOP OF CALCUTTA ON THE ABOLITION OF CASTE-TO THE SAME ON PRUDENTIAL CARE OF HEALTH—TO J. J. GURNEY, ESQ. ON THE LOSS OF HIS WIFE— TO REV. J. T. NOTTIDGE ON THE DIVINE DISPENSATIONS-TO MISS MARY ELLIOTT ON THE INDULGENCE OF AFFECTION TO THE SAME ON THE MIXED NATURE OF CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE. 1835. CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. To a Trustee, on his duty as Patron of a Benefice. "My dear Friend, "K. C., Jan. 5, 1835. "Wherever there is a good Minister, there will be, if any, a good Curate: consequently the Curate will ingratiate himself with the parishioners; and consequently in their view he will be the fittest person to present: and therefore petitions will be made in his favour. From every place I have had petitions upon petitions; and for fit persons too. But where then is my knowledge of persons, my judgment, and my right of patronage, and my conscience, if I too readily and without extreme vigilance comply with them? I must not only do well, but the best that I can possibly do; and I must spare no pains to effect this. It is on this account, that in my dying charge to my Trustees I have particularly guarded them against being influenced by petitions for Curates. But But you will say, or rather do say, that you fear for the interests of the Church. To this I answer, I will approve myself to God in doing the best I possibly can for His Church and people; and though some, through personal attachment, may be pained at the first, they, if they have a spark of piety towards God or of gratitude to me, will soon find reason to acknowledge, that I have approved myself faithful both to God and them. How did they all bless me for not attending to their petitions (one signed by 400, and the other by 700), when I appointed Mr.! Forty of the heads of both parties sent me an united letter of thanks, for doing for them infinitely better than they would have done for themselves. And a similar letter will in all probability be sent me on the present occasion within six months. In these matters I know none but God. I would not know my own father, or my son; and that is the spirit, which I trust you and all my trustees will exercise, when I am gone to a better world*. What a land would this be, if the Lord *The following is the solemn charge of Mr. Simeon to his Trustees. "IN THE NAME AND IN THE PRESENCE OF ALMIGHTY GOD, I give the following Charge to all my Trustees, and to all who shall succeed them in the Trust to the remotest ages. I implore them for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and I charge them also before that adorable Saviour, who will call them into judgment for their execution of this Trust, "1st, That they be very careful, whenever they shall be called upon to fill up a vacancy in this Trust, which they must invariably do within three months of a vacancy occurring, that they elect no one who is not a truly pious and devoted man, a man of God in Chancellor and all other Patrons would act to God in this way. "I would not have troubled you with this, because the presentation is on the road to you, but to give you an exposé of my mind. If I were to send them an ignoramus for his own sake, I might fear for the Church, &c., but when I send them the most blessed man that can be found, and that solely for their sakes, I have no fear but that God will bless my endeavours, and the people will soon be brought to a right mind. In such a case as that, a dissatisfied man says in fact, I will take the Patronage into my own hands; and neither God nor the proper Patron shall have anything to do with it; or if the Patron presume to think and act for himself, I will quarrel with him on account of it.' Such a person as this is not the proper person to consult or to follow. I would please deed and in truth, who, with his piety, combines a solid judgment and a perfectly independent mind. And I place this first, because a failure in this one particular would utterly defeat, and that in perpetuity too, all that I have sought to do for God and for immortal souls. "2ndly, That, when they shall be called upon to appoint to a Living, they consult nothing but the welfare of the people, for whom they are to provide, and whose eternal interests have been confided to them. They must on no account be influenced by any solicitation of the great and powerful, or by any partiality towards a particular individual, or by compassion towards any one on account of the largeness of his family or the smallness of his income. They must be particularly on their guard against petitions from the parishes to be provided for, whether on behalf of a Curate that has laboured among them, or of any other individual. They must examine carefully, and judge as before God, how far any person possesses the qualifications suited to the particular parish, and by that consideration alone must they be determined in their appointment of him." all men, but it should be for their good to edification; and how to do that, I must judge for myself. 66 Believe me, my dear friend, "Very affectionately yours, "C. SIMEON." To a Friend; on the same subject. "At Mr. M- I do not wonder; love with him swallows up all considerations, I had almost said, of wisdom and prudence. At you I rather do wonder. I thought that you would have known that I discard love and pity, and everything else, in comparison of love to God and to immortal souls. Why have I bought those Livings? Not to present a good man to each, but to fill them with men who shall prove great and leading characters in the Church of God. Mr. I doubt not, is a good man. But what great stir was there amongst immortal souls under his Ministry whilst he officiated in? What lamentations were there when he left it? What great efforts were made to retain him? Is this then the man to place there? He has shewn what he could do: and if I cannot find in Britain one, who may with God's blessing do more, I will appoint him; but I will search the whole kingdom, before I will despair of finding a fitter man. 66 "I trust you will understand me aright; I am not displeased in the slightest degree with your letter; but I wish you to know, that I am in a few days to give up my account to God, and to answer for all the souls for whom I have engaged to provide, and I will do that, and that only, which God will approve when I stand before Him. "They have sent a petition signed by eighty-eight persons. When I presented to I had two petitions, one signed by 400, and and the other by 700: I complied with neither, but sent them Mr. and within six months I received a letter of thanks, signed by forty of the heads of both parties, saying that I had provided infinitely better for them than they would have provided for themselves. In another Living I had, under far more pressing circumstances, a similar acknowledgement. "Let all, instead of petitioning me, petition Almighty God for me; and they will render more service to the souls of and to the Church of God at Let personal regards be banished. Let us know no man after the flesh. Let the good of immortal souls swallow up every other consideration. This at all events, God helping me, shall alone influence "Your very affectionate Brother, "C. SIMEON. "P. S. Without the intervention of five minutes after the receipt of your letter." To the Bishop of SALISBURY (Dr. BURGESS). "K. C., Camb., March 19, 1835. "I feel extremely indebted to your Lordship for your little poetical present, to every word of which my heart responds. I am myself dying daily: and I find that to be the best and happiest mode of living. Why should we not be taking Pisgah views of the promised land, and tuning our harps that we may be ready at any moment to join the heavenly choir in their songs of praise to Him, who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,' or rather I would say, to Him who loveth and washeth us from our sins? The Psalmist has strongly suggested this |