"It will, I believe, be everywhere found, that as the clergy are, or are not what they ought to be, so are the rest of the nation"

This quote by Jane Austen recommends that the behavior of the clergy is reflective of the habits of the rest of the nation. Simply put, if the clergy are not living up to their moral and ethical requirements, then the rest of the country is most likely not either. This suggests that the clergy have an obligation to lead by example and set a fine example for the rest of the nation to follow. Austen is recommending that if the clergy are not measuring up to their duties, then the rest of the country will suffer as an outcome. This quote is a suggestion that the clergy have an obligation to lead by example and set a fine example for the remainder of the country to follow. It is also a reminder that the habits of the clergy is reflective of the behavior of the rest of the nation, which if the clergy are not living up to their duties, then the rest of the nation will suffer as an outcome.