and subscribing too generally declines. Hence, the importance of making hay while the sun shines; and obtaining as much as possible before the doors of the chapel are opened. The committee should next submit the whole of their plans and proceedings to the County Association, requesting their counsel and support; or otherwise endeavouring to obtain the concurrence of the neighbouring churches. If this concurrence is obtained, the committee, with the assistance of an intelligent mason and joiner, or an architect, should draw a plan and description of the chapel, specify ing all the minutia connected with its external and internal construction. The building should then be advertised, and the lowest estimate taken, provided the person or persons can give a reasonable security for fulfilling the contract. Before the building is commenced, the committee should pass a resolution, That no alteration whatever shall be made in the plan and description according to which the builder has contracted, without a separate written agreement, signed by their secretary, and countersigned by the builder, as to the additional charge for such alteration or addition. Indeed, all such alterations or additions should, if possible, be avoided. I have known fifty or sixty pounds thrown away on a small chapel, through the neglect of this rule. The workmen will require constant inspection while proceeding with the building; and if the committee cannot themselves regularly attend to it by turns, it will be most advisable to hire a confidential and competent person to be always on the

spot, and to see that every thing is done according to the contract. While the building is advancing, the minister, or some other competent person, should be collecting

from the churches and religious friends, throughout the county or district in which the chapel is erected. It may be laid down as a general rule, that more will be obtained for a chapel while it is building than after it is finished; and more in the first year after its erection, than in any following year. Besides, in this way, the expense of mortgage might in many instances be saved; a young interest would not be left to languish under a heavy debt, nor people be deterred from joining themselves to the Society, through the fear of becoming involved in its pecuniary difficulties.

Chapel Case Committees. I approve of the plan of establishing local building committees, for the purpose of inspecting and discountenancing, or recommending, chapel cases. The committees of this kind, which have recently been established in various parts of England, I regard as some approach towards system and order.

In cities and large towns, I would have this committee to consist of all the orthodox dissenting ministers; and of one or more influential members, annually elected from each church in the district, willing thus to unite for the detection of fraud, and for the support of deserving cases. A committee thus composed would, I conceive, be most efficient and influential; and, what is of prime importance, would be most likely to insure the confidence of the religious public. Such a committee would not only be jointly responsible to the Christian public, but individually to their respective churches; to whom they should be expected to tender an annual account, both of those cases which they have recommended, and of those which they have refused. In small towns and in villages, congregational com

mittees of the same kind might be formed, wherever they were found to be expedient.

A fundamental rule in these committees should be, That among deserving cases, preference shall invariably be given to those within their own district, and in their own neighbourhood. A second rule should be, That no case shall be entertained, which is not recommended by neighbouring ministers or committees, and which has not received pecuniary support in the place where the chapel is built, and from the adjacent churches of the same denomination. A third rule should be, That no case shall be admitted unless satisfactory evidence is given that the chapel is regularly invested in trust; or a sufficient guarantee, that when finished, it shall be thus invested in trust. I do not quite like the rule which has been adopted by some of the building committees, to admit only a specified number of cases annually. Such a rule, indeed, may be necessary in the present state of things, but I do conceive, that if some such system as I have been suggesting were generally adopted, the rule would become obsolete; and all deserving cases might be safely entertained. In saying this, I would not be understood as infringing on my own rule, that preference should be given to home cases. deserving cases are turned away, it ought, unquestionably to be those from a distant part of the country. I would rather, however, that the distinction between near and distant cases should be observed by the givers in the amount of their contributions, than by the committee in entirely rejecting any deserving case, merely because it is from a distance.

If any

I do not by any means approve of building funds, whether entrusted to local committees, or to a VOL. XIII. N. S. NO. 69.

general building fund board in London:-1. Because the danger of abuse in the distribution of such funds is considerable. 2. Because it would greatly increase the care and responsibility attached to the committees. 3. Because it is impossible, by annual appeals for a general object, to excite the same degree of sympathy and interest, which is produced by personal applications for each individual case. 4. Because I am fully satisfied that not a moiety, I believe I might safely say, not a quarter, of the aggregate sum contributed in the course of a year to individual chapel cases, could be obtained in the shape of annual subscriptions to the general object.

By the universal establishment of chapel-case committees, the expense of travelling would, at all. events, be greatly reduced. Whether that expense might not be wholly prevented, or whether, at least, the services of ministers in these begging cases might not be dispensed with, are questions deserving of serious consideration; but on which, at prerent, I offer no decisive opinion. With respect to the churches in the immediate neighbourhood of the new chapel, there could be no great difficulty, whether the applications were made by the minister of the new chapel, or by some other suitable and authorized individual. It will, however, I believe, be invariably found, that more money is obtained by personal applications than by congregational collections; and, generally, that more money is obtained by a minister than by a layman. When it is necessary to extend the application beyond the district and the county in which the new chapel is built, of course the case, duly authenticated, would in the first place be forwarded to those local committees where the application was most likely to be 30

successful. If the case were approved, there would be no great difficulty in each minister stating to his congregation, that such a case had been received and was recommended by their building committee; and that those who felt disposed to contribute towards it, would have the opportunity of doing so at such a time in the chapel, or the vestry, or some other convenient place. The monies thus collected from each congregation connected with the district committee, might be paid in at the next monthly meeting of the committee, and the aggregate sum be remitted by them, in the most convenient way, to the place of its destination. And did all who contribute to the building of chapels, give only from a sense of duty and from Christian principle, I cannot see why as much money might not be raised in this way, as could be by personal application; while all the sacrifice of time and money, of feeling and of spiritual interest, connected with the old system would be spared.

Something like this, doubtless, will be the case, if ever the Christian church is restored to its primitive simplicity. In apostolic times we find that the abundance of the rich was voluntarily devoted to supply the necessities of the poor; and that Christians were taught, on every first day of the week, to lay by them in store for the purposes of benevolence, according as God had prospered them; so that every believer possessed of more property than his own necessities required, might thus have in his house a corban, or sacred treasury, to which he might have recourse, whenever a suitable occasion of contributing to the cause of God and of humanity was presented. Of the Macedonian churches we are told, "How that in a great trial of

affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty, abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record," (says Paul,) "yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves: Praying us with much intreaty, that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints," 2 Cor. viii. 1-4. I am far from looking with gloom on the present state of our churches; and I do conceive that a rapid improvemeat is taking place in reference to the principle and the practice of Christian benevolence. Speaking generally, however, they are far from having attained to that measure "of the grace of God, bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;" and therefore I fear we must be content a while longer to beg the people to give to deserving objects, instead of waiting till they pray us to receive their voluntary offerings. And I must again state my conviction, that in general much more money will be obtained by the personal applications of the minister of the new chapel, than in any other way.

In some quarters, I cannot help thinking that too much stress is laid on the official degradation, which is supposed to attach itself inevitably to the character of a chapel-begging minister. If deacons, or other secular men connected with our churches, could be found willing to undertake, and equally competent to fulfil this office, it is unquestionably most desirable, in order that the spiritual men, the ministers of Christ, and pastors of the churches, may give themselves "continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the world." But till this is the case, I suppose we must be content, rather than chapels shall not be built where really needed, occasionally to serve bricklayers and

joiners, as the Apostles in the infancy of the church appear to have served tables. And if the Apostle Paul did not think himself degraded in going from church to church, and from town to town, to make collections to provide food and raiment for "the poor saints at Jerusalem;" I do not see why any ordinary minister of Christ should think himself degraded, by devoting a portion of his time and energies to provide "a house of prayer," a place where the ordinances of religion may be dispensed, and where the gospel of salvation may be published for successive ages. And I do think that such a minister, on such an errand, is entitled to receive from all classes of dissenters and of Christians, every encouragement that can be afforded to him, and every expression of courtesy, kindness, and respect. Of faithful men engaged in such a work of toil and sacrifice, of self-denial and true benevolence, we may, without arrogance, adopt the language of the apostle, and say, "They are the messengers of the churches and the glory of Christ. Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love," 2 Cor. viii. 23, 24.

To my brethren engaged in this work, I would say, Take care not only that your case is good, but that it is sufficiently authenticated to satisfy any impartial individual capable of appreciating evidence; and then stand firm in your own integrity and the goodness of your cause. Present your case, and briefly explain your object, with respectful confidence and becoming zeal; and then leave the result with God, whose cause you are pleading, and with the conscience of the individual who professes to be his servant. Never dishonour your high vocation as Christians and ministers, either by obtrusive

rudeness, or fawning sycophancy, or low cunning, or tiresome importunity, or harsh and angry censures.

I have said, that by the universal establishment of chapel-case committees, the expense of collecting for chapels would, at all events, be greatly diminished. This is evident; for in the first place, greater caution would be used in building chapels. 2. More would be done for deserving cases by those who are attached to the new chapel, and by the churches in the immediate neighbourhood. 3. There would be no needless journeys; as the collector would have no encouragement to go, unless the case were admitted by the committee to which it was referred. 4. By passing under the sanction of an approved committee, in whom the religious public had confidence, the business of collecting would lose more than half of its unpleasantness; and would be much more easily, expeditiously, and efficiently accomplished. I should think the best plan would be to furnish the collector with a list, containing the name and address of the usual givers in each congregation, and in the neighbourhood represented by the local committee; leaving it, of course, to the option of each individual, whether or not, and, if at all, to what amount, he will support the case thus sanctioned and presented; and leaving it still to the option of the collector to travel out of his list, in any direction that he might deem expedient.

I would have it an established rule in all these committees, that the collector, when he has gone his rounds, and before he quits the place, shall be required to present his collecting-book to the secretary of the committee; who shall take an account, either of the amount collected in each congregation, or at least of the aggregate sum col

lected under the sanction of that committee; and who, at the end of the names in the collectingbook, shall subscribe his own name, as secretary, together with the amount collected in that district. This would be an additional guarantee against fraud and imposition, and it would, I conceive, be most satisfactory to every honest collector; whilst an annual account, specifying the number of chapels recommended, the places where they are built, and the amount collected for each, would be an interesting document to present to each congregation connected with the local committee.

The last rule which I would recommend to each of these committees is, That a copy of this annual account be forwarded, free

of expense, to the editors of the Congregational Magazine, before the 15th of November in every year. An abstract of these accounts, stating the annual amounts collected for chapel cases, under the sanction of each local committee, and also the aggregate sums collected for each chapel within the year, I feel assured that the editors would willingly insert in their list of congregational churches and ministers. Such an abstract would, I conceive, greatly enhance the value of those already highly valuable statistics of dissent; it would be another check on fraud; and it would act as a constant stimulus on committees and churches.

ERASTUS.

4. The importance of religious emancipation derives additional support from various collateral cir

cumstances.

The foregoing statements may perhaps excite in the breasts of some persons, that fear and alarm which is too often proclaimed in certain periodical and other publications. Why be alarmed? what evil have we done? Have we broken the bonds of society? Have we increased the profligacy of the nation? Are those who have espoused the principles of religious melioration, become worse members of civil society? Are they less attentive to their numerous relative duties? Are they worse subjects and less attached to his majesty and the civil constitution, than those who are members of the endowed church?

The patrons of religious emancipation desire only that all persons may enjoy unlicensed freedom to believe those doctrines, and offer that worship to God, which to them appear most agreeable to scripture. Men betray their deplorable ignorance, by supposing there is some alarming danger, lest the government should grow so liberal as to restore all worthy subjects to the common benefits of their countrymen. Does the safety or the prosperity of the church depend on the privations or oppressions of dissenters? Are these iniquities a shield of protection to the church? This is a modern expedient, with which the best of our forefathers were totally unacquainted; but the equalization of our natural rights would give the nation pre-eminent