trict of Barking, the insertion of which in your much-read pages will not only be useful to many of your readers by exhibiting to them the actual state of the law and the fact, but also, I would trust, by the Divine blessing provoke others to similar good works, and labours of love, in their respective neighbourhoods. The Address is as follows. "We earnestly desire your attention to an important subject, which, from neglect or other causes, requires some notice and interference :-we allude to the profanation of the Lord's day. "No reflecting person can contrast the manner in which the Lord's day is now too generally profaned, with that holy reverence which ought to distinguish it, without feeling, very deeply, the inconsistency there is between our profession as Christians, and our practice as members of society. The office we are entrusted with calls upon us for a continual watchfulness over the moral and spiritual state of this neighbourhood; and though doubt less there are many in it who walk in the fear of God, yet a closer inspection into the habits of the generality, shews a degree of wickedness which gives us, and must give every serious Christian, very painful reflections. The object we desire by this address is, that the godly practices of our forefathers should be restored, and adhered to by us their successors in the faith. And lest any should misunderstand our design, we desire throughout the following observations to be guided strictly by the words of the law. "The general spirit of the laws under which we have the happiness to live, is this,-that All persons shall on every Lord's day, apply themselves to the observance of the same......in the duties of piety and religion, publicly and privately...... that no persons whatsoever shall exercise their ordinary callings on that day, or on any part thereof (works of necessity and charity only except ed),' on pain of various penalties. "The contrary spirit which is now, unhappily, abroad, will be clearly seen under the two following important heads;- Public-houses, and the general observance of the Lord's day. "Public Houses.—By law, All persons selling beer, ale, &c. are liable to different penalties and punishments for disorderly conduct committed in their houses,—to remain drinking or tippling in an alehouse is punishable-and a heavy penalty is laid on any person who keeps any common place of bowling, quoiting, carding, or any unlawful mode of gambling.' The publican is bound by his licence, not to 'permit drunkenness or tippling'-not to 'suffer any gaming-not to 'permit cock-fighting....or any such amusements-not to entertain or suffer men or women of bad fame, or dissolute boys or girls to assemble in his house-not to open his house, during the hours of divine service on Sundays-nor to keep open his house during late hours of the night. Upon which it may be observed generally, that there are at present, very few, if any public. houses in this neighbourhood, which do not violate in some material point, these necessary regulations. General Observance of the Lord's day. The law enjoins that no drover, horse-courser, waggoner, butcher, higgler, or any of their servants, shall travel on the Lord's day or any part thereof;-that, no butcher shall kill or sell any victual on the Lord's day (under a special penalty); and that no goods whatever shall be exposed to sale,-no person shall exercise their ordinary callings, and no workman, labourer or other, shall exercise any worldly labour on the Lord's day. Selling milk before nine o'clock and after four; baking between the hours of nine and one, and selling some kinds of fish are excepted. "In opposition to these excellent laws, we observe, that drovers with their cattle, dealers, &c. do constantly profane and disturb the quiet of the Lord's day, in those villages which lie on the high roads to London. Butchers do frequently kill meat on the Sunday morning: their trade is carried on openly till a late hour, and privately through the whole of that day. Blacksmiths (disregarding the law which limits them to works only of necessity and charity) regularly adopt the Lord's day morning, for arranging a great part of the business of the ensuing week-as direct a violation of the law of this country and of Almighty God as any existing. "Barbers also extend their business through much of the day.The business of baking, within the prescribed hours, is of great utility towards a due observation of the Lord's day; but opening the shop to sell bread, flour, meal, &c. (a practice much followed), is forbidden under the same penalties as in other shops. Shops in general are open, and trade is carried on, nominally till TEN o'clock, but really at any hour a customer chooses to call. -Fruit, cake, and similar shops, are professedly open through the whole day.-Labourers and workmen are often much, and unnecessarily employed; and the result of this (with the above evils) is, that, too commonly, their observation of the Lord's day does not commence until more than half that day is expired. A DAY set apart for rest and religious duties, is reduced to a very few hours! Paying wages on the Sunday morning, or at such an hour on the Saturday night as almost to compel the labourer to lay out his earnings the next morning, is a practice of most pernicious and reprehensible nature, though unnoticed by the laws. "If we lay these things together, we cannot but feel, that many among us have gone, and are still going, far in iniquity. It is no pleasure to expose our disgrace; but it is a duty to endeavour to awaken all to a sense of their actual condition, and to excite them to restore the purer practices of ancient times. CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 304. Let it not be said we are over-scrupulous: the evil has been, and still is, a growing and increasing one. Each abuse in itself may appear small, but the aggregate presents a high degree of criminality. As the case now stands, with a general profession of a Christian observance of the Lord's day, numbers openly allow themselves every liberty which is right in their own eyes. "The object of this address is, to induce you to assist, as far as your proper weight and influence extend, in discountenancing and checking these evils. Much may be done in this good cause, by example, by friendly advice and mutual co-operation. We beseech you to think upon, and act in, this matter under a conviction, that for the wilful omission of a positive duty, as well as known violation of a sacred law, we are answerable to the Judge of all the earth, who hath commanded us to keep holy the Sabbath-day. "We call especially on all churchwardens, and all civil and parochial officers, to do that which, by the engagement of a solemn oath, they are bound to do. But we also call upon you, and inhabitant every of our villages, to lend your aid. Improvement, to be general, must begin in private families. Every person must be careful that no offence is given by himself. "Let us only call to mind the inconsistency which exists between our devotions and our conduct. We call the Lord's day holy' and 'blessed.' Is holiness consistent with such profanation? Can a blessing be expected when there is so much disobedience? We pray, Thy will be done in earth.' Shall we tacitly countenance this open violation of it? We call this day, a day of restbut assuredly, neither temporal rest can be enjoyed in this life, nor will 'the rest which remaineth for the people of God' follow hereafter, upon any systematic violation of the Lord's day. "We conclude, with again beseeching you, to aid in restoring the 2 F better observance of this sacred day, both by your own domestic arrangements, and by a due use of the influence you may possess over others. By no other means can you more effectually consult the temporal and spiritual interests of yourselves and of all connected with you. When we look around on the multitudes waiting with ourselves for the coming of that Almighty Lord to whom we must give account, and reflect that many, scarcely knowing what they do, may, through our negligence (Ezek. iii. 17, 21), involve themselves in deeper guilt, by continuing to profane and violate the Lord's day, we feel compelled to recommend this subject to your serious and immediate attention. "We are, your faithful servants and pastors, (Signed) H. C. Jones, Westham; I. W. Burford, Westham; R. Collett, Little Ilford; G. I. Brookes, Eastham; O. Lodge, Barking; W. Gilly, Wanstead; G. R. Gray, Woodford; W. Wilson, Walthamstow; M. Terrington, Walthamstow; B. Nicholls, Walthamstow; C. H. Laprimaudaye, Leyton; G. Hughes, Leyton; J. C. Wigram, Leyton." Tothe Editorofthe Christian Observer. It has often struck me, that it would be a public service if yourself, Mr. Editor, or some of your correspondents, would give a series of papers on what I have been accustomed to call "minor morals;" I mean those imperfect obligations, if I may so call them, which most persons readily admit to be obligations, but are too apt to violate because they are imperfect. A moment's reflection will bring to the mind of my readers a variety of things, which, though not subjects of ethical, moral, or religious instruction, are nevertheless acknowledged as proper to be done, or avoided. To illustrate my meaning, I will give an instance; selecting a simple one, suggested by the circumstance of the present communication. You have then, Mr. Editor, I think, one of these minor duties to perform towards me—that is, if I have not hitherto written any thing unchristian or impertinent; I mean, to see what I have further to say. The conductor of a periodical work, I conceive, is, generally speaking, in some degree bound to look at every respectful communication. There may be many exceptions and limitations; but these you are better able to state than I am, and they will come more properly from your pen, should you favour us with a paper on the duties of correspondents. In the mean time, I will advert to only one limitation; and will freely own that I am under an obligation corresponding to the duty which I suppose to be imposed upon you. In whatever degree your are bound to read, so far am I bound to be readable. By this I only mean to write legibly, for as to writing in a fine style, it is more than you can expect from every body; and after all, who is to settle the matter of fact, if you and your correspondent should disagree as to this quality of his perfomance? But really the matter of legibility appears to me to deserve more at tention than is now commonly bestowed upon it, and in former days it received more. The biographer of Bishop Smyth (one of the most learned prelates of our church, and one of the translators of the Bible,) does not think it beneath him to record his lordship's "dexterous use of his pen, wherein he came not short even of professors themselves in that faculty;" and these professors' seem to have been no inconsiderable persons even in much later times. In fact, bad writing among educated people is, I think, in some sort a new fashion; for I seldom see a manuscript fifty years old, that is not more legible than many which daily come before me. I have met with men who were fascinating and in 66 than the Lord Chancellor, some of whose neat legible writing now lies before me. The excuse only shews that he does not take advantage of the great opportunities which he has for learning to write well. I myself have been writing almost ever since I was born; and though I have no reason to boast of my penmanship, yet I am sure that it has been all that time improving, and it would be strange indeed, if in this art alone much practice led to bad execution. Does not the apologist really mean something of this sort-that when a man has much of any business to perform, or wishes it to be thought that he has, he is privileged to do it carelessly? If he find any thing like this lurking in his private feelings, let him take it in its naked form and apply it to his own conscience, by which, I doubt not, it will be properly answered. structive in conversation, in the pulpit, at the bar, or in print, but who were, in manuscript, scarcely legible; and who, however they might edify mankind by other means, sadly perplex all about them with their unnatural cryptograms. To hear them speak or to read their books was delightful; but of their letters one could only say, Has quidem pol, credo, nisi Sibylla legerit Interpretari alium potesse neminem. To those who have never been sufficiently engaged in business to know the delay, the inconvenience, and the error which frequently arise from bad writing, (especially in the case of those whose circumstances require them to correspond with strangers,) it may not be possible to give any very strong view of the subject. Thanks to the sagacity of our post-office establishment, few letters go wrong; yet I saw one the other day which had been miscarried, because the postmaster of the town where the writer resides (and who is of course used to his mode of franking-I hardly dare call it writing,) had very pardonably mistaken a capital G for a capital N. Writers indeed generally take care to make the direction plain if possible, forgetting that it is of little use for a man to receive a letter which he cannot read; and that if, as has been judiciously observed," the inside of a letter is the cream of the correspondence," some means ought to be taken to prevent its being turned sour by the wry faces of the reader. However, sir, I think all your readers will admit that it really is a duty, though a minor one, to write legibly; and therefore, instead of attempting to prove this, I will, with your leave, address a few words to those who make excuses for not performing it. 1. "I have so much writing to get through," That is a sufficient reason for not writing German text; but no reason at all for writing illegibly. I dare say the apologist has not more business on his hands 2. "But I write only for myself, and what I write is not worth any body's reading." You cannot always write for yourself; and the bad habit encouraged in writing for yourself, will infallibly lead to your writing illegibly for others. The second part may be very true; but your hapless friend may not find it out without a world of trouble; and you have no right to make him pay so dearly for such a discovery. 66 3. People who write well themselves, may talk thus; but all persons are not equally skilful in the use of This is perfectly their fingers. true; and it leads to very singular modes of handwriting, but by no means necessarily to illegible writing. I have the pleasure to know two men, each eminent in his profession, who have always appeared to me peculiarly defective in manual dexterity; and when they take a pen in their hands, they remind me of a school-boy scoring his pewter plate with his fork. Yet I scarcely know two men who write more legibly. Let my reader keep in mind that I am not pleading for fine writing, but only for legibility. The difference is great. I suppose that if all "the wealth of nations" had been offered to Adam Smith, he could not have written so beautifully as Bishop Smyth; and yet I can testify that the minute and exquisite writing of the prelate is painful to the eye, while the square stubbed character of the political economist is as legible as five-line pica. I am ashamed to see the length to which I have run. I had in tended to say a word on crossed letters, or those cryptograms which are formed by writing over a sheet of paper in every direction; but I am glad to be prevented from entering on what is, for some reasons, a delicate subject. When you write on the duties of correspondents, I beg you not to be severe on those who have the misfortune to be prolix, and to believe me Your respectful reader, SCRIBONIUS LARGUS. Tothe Editorofthe Christian Observer. Ir appears that at the first promulgation of the Gospel, the Apostles and other preachers of it, whose pecuniary resources must have been very small, were brought forward on their journey" by the churches, or individual Christians, whom they visited. The hospitality and aid thus afforded to faithful evangelists, are in the sacred writings much commended and enjoined. In the present day, missionaries, when they are in foreign countries, and fall in with Protestant and enlightened Christians, usually experience à hospitable reception; and the remittance to the missionaries in foreign countries of money raised by our societies from the church at home, bears a resemblance to what was no doubt common in the days of the Apostles, and of which we have a particular instance in the case of the Philippians, who on several occasions sent a supply for the necessities of St. Paul. But our societies, in order to raise ade quate sums of money, find it necessary to employ competent agents to visit their Christian brethren in different parts of our own country, and to communicate to them in person, an account of the progress of the Gospel in distant lands. But these agents cannot travel in England without great experience; and the expense thus incurred is no small deduction from the funds of our respective societies. Considering then that religious persons in affluent circumstances, are in this highly favoured country to be met with in every direction, and almost in every place, it is evident that ample occasion is afforded for the exercise of a truly primitive hospitality; and it is highly gratifying to see, as we do, this hospitality, in conjunction with brotherly love, manifested to a very considerable extent: for the zealous advocates of the cause of Christ, go where they will, find, I believe, a hearty welcome on the part of their Christian brethren; and that even in cases where no previous acquaintance subsisted. But may I be allowed to suggest, whether this very pleasing principle of hospitality and love, might not be still further brought into exercise with much saving in a pecuniary point of view to our societies? Why should not our Christian travellers ordinarily sleep at the houses of their friends, instead of incurring expense by tak ing up their abode at public inns? Might they not also more frequently than at present be "brought on their way" to a neighbouring point of destination free of expense? The agent of Christian charity ought not to feel the same delicacy in aocepting offers of this kind, which he would experience were he travelling on his own account; for in his case the kindness shewn is for the sake of the Master in whose cause he is employed, and the pecuniary advantage accrues not to himself, but to the cause of charity. A material diminution of the home expenses of most of our religious institutions |