churches were resorted to daily; and "the parson in journey" gave notice
for prayers in the hall of the inn--"for prayers and provender," quoth
he, "hinder no man;" and the cheerful angler, as he sat under the
willow-tree, watching his quill, trolled out a Christian catch. "Here we
may sit and pray, before death stops our breath;" and the merchant (like
the excellent Sutton, of the Charter House) thought how he could make
his merchandize subservient to the good of his fellow-citizens and the
glory of his God, and accordingly endowed some charitable, and learned,
and religious foundation, worthy of the munificence of a crowned head;
and the grave historian (Lord Clarendon himself does so) chose a text in
his Bible as a motto for his chapter on politics; and religion, in
short, reached unto every place, and, like Elisha stretched on the dead
child, (to use one of Jeremy Taylor's characteristic illustrations),
gave life and animation to every part of the body politic. But years
rolled on; and the original impulse given at the Reformation, and
augmented at the Rebellion, to undervalue all outward forms, has
silently continued to prevail, till, with the form of godliness, (much
of it, up doubt, objectionable, but much of it wholesome), the power in
a considerable degree expired too.

Accordingly, our churches are now closed in the week-days, for we are
too busy to repair to them; our politicians crying out, with Pharaoh,
"Ye are idle, ye are idle; therefore would ye go and do sacrifice to the
Lord." Our cathedrals, it is true, are still open; but where are the
worshippers? Instead of entering in, the citizen avails himself of the
excellent clock which is usually attached to them, sets his watch, and
hastens upon 'Change, where the congregation is numerous and punctual,
and where the theological speculations are apt to run in Shylock's vein
pretty exclusively. If a church will answer, then, indeed, a joint-stock
company springs up; and a church is raised with as much alacrity, and