Page:A Plea for the Middle Classes.djvu/16

 Alas! for the number! when we hear daily of public opinion apart from the Church, and the thoughts and feelings of a Christian man; and that in a country where all have been baptized, and where nearly all would be the dutiful children of the Church but for her long, long neglect. How ominous a word is "public opinion," when we see it take against the solemn institutions of religion, and in some cases even against Christianity itself. Who is to blame for it? Are the people reprobated in such cases, or has the Church been neglectful of her duty? Things have gone far enough already to call for scrutiny and retrospection. Public opinion is setting in strongly against law, order, and religion, and public men dare not oppose it—the best and bravest give way. The only power on earth which has the means of directing it, is the Church; and unless she takes steps to do so by some great effort, it would be the height of presumption to expect to escape the infection which has seized on the whole of Europe. The Church's mission is becoming every day of more and more importance to the interests of mankind. She is not now as she was of old: she does not depend now upon civil rulers for her stability. In her childhood and infancy it was so, that "kings were her nursing fathers, and queens her nursing mothers;" but those times have passed away, and she has now to make her reckoning with her own children. The stability of thrones now depends upon the way in which she fulfils her mission, and that particular class of her children for which I now plead, have more than once changed the destinies of this empire; and when it is matter of history that they have such power as this, can we be good subjects, good citizens, and what is a more serious inquiry, can we be good or even sincere Christians, if we neglect them or even allow them to escape us? I feel satisfied it is the great work of the age, and that we ought not to be deterred from entering upon it by any consideration of difficulties. We ought not to be put down by too great delicacy of feeling in making efforts, nor by the discouraging views of others. If we wish to work for the good of souls, we cannot do better than work in this way, for this is laden with promises of the richest harvest, since hereby we shall get hold of the main strength of the nation—the best disposed people in the kingdom if fairly dealt with; and, if give His blessing, if we gain them, a way is opened for effectually securing the poor. The national school children may then go home, and I will have no fear of their being corrupted, because they shall not