ΤΟ SIR RICHARD HUNTER, Dulaney Cottage, Sussex. MY DEAR SIR RICHARD, In these days, when the general cry is, overturn, overturn, overturn,—when religion is nigh in men's mouths, but far from their reins,-when (as Jeremy Taylor had occasion to say in his time) "the hinges of unity are taken off, all cognizance of schism passed by, and all sects mingled," so that Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek are banded together, Herod and Pilate are made friends, for the destruction of the Established Church in these realms;-at such a time, my dear Sir Richard, you have gained to yourself the honourable distinction of being one of those who have repaired the outward breaches of the Temple. Our Parish Church, at the time when you first became a resident at Patching, was fast going to decay, notwithstanding the yearly repairs, and though others dwelt in ceiled houses, yet this house lay waste. It is now beautified and repaired throughout, at your sole expense. Allow me, therefore, in dedicating to you this discourse, which was delivered at the re-opening of the Church, to express my hearty thanks for the Christian and munificent example which you have set to those who are rich in this world's goods, not only in the present costly instance, but in your every day walk of life. You certainly have not made an offering of that which "doth cost you nothing." May the humble desire of thus going about doing good have been a consolation to you under your late heavy domestic affliction ; but, as says the wise king, The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy'. You will observe that I have attached to this Discourse a somewhat lengthened extract from George Herbert's Poems, the author of the 1 Prov. xix. 4. Country Parson. I have done so, because the stanzas contain nothing but good; and as it is possible the Discourse may fall into the hands of some of our humbler brethren, they will learn from that excellent man, whose memory, as his biographer observes, is sweet-much that is profitable. As concerns the notes, it was perhaps needless to print them; but as they were written on the blank page for my own use, it has occurred to me that they may be interesting, if not useful, to any who may choose to follow up the subjects referred to. For this reason, and because our Old Divines are as meat and drink to me, I leave them. That you may long be spared to bless those around is the sincere prayer of, you, My dear Sir Richard, Your obliged and faithful Servant, JOHN WOOD WARTER. Vicarage House, West Tarring, July 13, 1835. Excellent is the question put by Socrates to Aristodemus in the Memorabilia of Xenophon:—Οἴει δ ̓ ἂν τοὺς θεοὺς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δόξαν ἐμφῦσαι, ὡς ἱκανοί εἰσιν εὖ καὶ κακῶς ποιεῖν, εἰ μὴ δυνατοὶ ἦσαν; καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐξαπατωμένους τὸν πάντα χρόνον οὐδέποτ' ἂν αἰσθέσθαι; οὐχ ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τὰ πολυχρονιώτατα καὶ σοφώτατα τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, πόλεις καὶ ἔθνη, θεοσεβέστατά εἰσιν, καὶ αἱ φρονιμώταται ἡλικίαι, θεῶν ἐπιμελέσταται; Lib. i. c. iv. §. 16. |