The attempt at making the dissent- than they are at present. This is the ing clergy stationary, and persecuting direct and obvious tendency of Lord their circulation, appears to us quite Sidmouth's plan. as unjust and inexpedient as the other measure of qualifications. It appears a gross inconsistency to say—“I admit that what you are doing is legal,—but you must not do it thoroughly and effectually. I allow you to propagate your heresy, but I object to all means of propagating it which appear to be useful and effective." If there are any other grounds upon which the circulation of the dissenting clergy is objected to, let these grounds be stated and examined; but to object to their circulation, merely because it is the best method of effecting the object which you allow them to effect, does appear to be rather unnatural and inconsistent. It is presumed, in this argument, that the only reason urged for the prevention of itinerant preachers is the increase of heresy; for, if heresy is not increased by it, it must be immaterial to the feelings of Lord Sidmouth, and of the Imperial Parliament, whether Mr. Shufflebottom preaches at Bungay, and Mr. Ringletub at Ipswich; or whether an artful vicissitude is adopted, and the order of insane predication reversed.

Nothing dies so hard and rallies so often as intolerance. The fires are put out, and no living nostril has scented the nidor of a human creature roasted for faith;-then, after this, the prisondoors were got open, and the chains knocked off;-and now Lord Sidmouth only begs that men who disagree with him in religious opinions may be deprived of all civil offices, and not be allowed to hear the preachers they like best. Chains and whips he would not hear of; but these mild gratifications of his bill every orthodox mind is surely entitled to. The hardship would indeed be great, if a churchman were deprived of the amusement of putting a dissenting parson in prison. We are convinced Lord Sidmouth is a very amiable and well-intentioned man: his error is not the error of his heart, but of his time above which few men ever rise. It is the error of some four or five hundred thousand English gentlemen, of decent education and worthy characters, who conscientiously believe that they are punishing, and continuing incapacities, for the good of the State; while they are, in fact (though without knowing it), only gratifying that insolence, hatred, and revenge, which all human beings are unfortunately so ready to feel against those who will not conform to their own sentiments.

But, supposing all this new interference to be just, what good will it do? You find a dissenting preacher, whom you have prohibited, still continuing to preach,or preaching at Ealing when he ought to preach at Acton ;his number is taken, and the next But, instead of making the dissentmorning he is summoned. Is it believed ing Churches less popular, why not that this description of persons can be make the English Church more popu pat down by fine and imprisonment ? lar, and raise the English clergy to the His fine is paid for him; and he returns privileges of the Dissenters? In any from imprisonment ten times as much parish of England, any layman, or ught after and as popular as he was clergyman, by paying sixpence, can betore. This is a receipt for making a open a place of worship,-provided it stupid preacher popular, and a popular be not the worship of the Church of preacher more popular, but can have England. If he wishes to attack the no possible tendency to prevent the doctrines of the bishop or the incummischief against which it is levelled. bent, he is not compelled to ask the It is precisely the old history of perse-consent of any person; but if, by any cation against opinions turned into evil chance, he should be persuaded of a persecution against persons. The the truth of those doctrines, and build prisons will be filled-the enemies a chapel or mount a pulpit to support of the Church made enemies of the them, he is instantly put in the spiritual State also, and the Methodists ren-court; for the regular incumbent, who dered ten times more actively mad has a legal monopoly of this doctrine

does not choose to suffer any interloper; lectual qualifications of a preacherand without his consent, it is illegal to such a man is the member of every preach the doctrines of the Church corporation ;—all impediments are rewithin his precincts* Now this appears moved :-there is not a single position to us a great and manifest absurdity, in Great Britain which he may not and a disadvantage against the Estab. take, provided he is hostile to the Estalished Church, which very few establish- blished Church. In the other case, if ments could bear. The persons who the English Church were to breed up a preach and who build chapels, or for Massillon or a Bourdaloue, he finds whom chapels are built, among the every place occupied, and everywhere Dissenters, are active clever persons, a regular and respectable clergyman with considerable talents for that kind ready to put him in the spiritual court, of employment. These talents have, if he attract, within his precincts, any with them, their free and unbounded attention to the doctrines and worship scope; while in the English Church of the Established Church. they are wholly extinguished and destroyed. Till this evil is corrected, the Church contends with fearful odds against its opponents. On the one side, any man who can command the attention of a congregation- -to whom nature has given the animal and intel

The necessity of having the bishop's consent would prevent any improper person from preaching. That consent should be withheld, not capriciously, but for good and lawful cause to be assigned.

The profits of an incumbent proceed from fixed or voluntary contributions. It might be supposed that the general interests of the Church would outweigh The fixed could not be affected; and the particular interests of the rector; and the voluntary ought to vary according that any clergyman would be glad to see to the exertions of the incumbent and places of worship opened within his parish the good-will of the parishioners; but, for the doctrines of the Established Church. The fact, however, is directly the reverse. if this is wrong, pecuniary compenIt is scarcely possible to obtain permission sation might be made (at the discretion from the established clergyman of the of the ordinary) from the supernuparish to open a chapel there; and, when it is granted, it is granted upon very hard and merary to the regular clergyman.* interested conditions. The parishes of St. Such a plan, it is true, would make George-of St. James-of Marylebone-the Church of England more popular and of St. Anne's, in London-may, in the parish churches, chapels of ease, and mer- in its nature; and it ought to be made cenary chapels, contain, perhaps, one more popular, or it will not endure for hundredth part of their Episcopalian in- another half century. There are two habitants. Let the rectors, lay and clerical, methods; the Church must be made meet together, and give notice that any clergyman of the Church of England, ap- more popular, or the Dissenters less proved by the bishop, may preach there; so. To effect the latter object by force and we will venture to say, that places and restriction is unjust and imposof worship, capable of containing 20,000 persons, would be built within ten years. sible. The only remedy seems to be, But, in these cases, the interest of the to grant to the Church the same privirector and of the Establishment are not leges which are enjoyed by the Disthe same. A chapel belonging to the Swedenborgians, or Methodists of the New senters, and to excite in one party Jerusalem, was offered two or three years that competition of talent which is of since, in London, to a clergyman of the such palpable advantage to the other. Establishment. The proprietor was tired of his irrational tenants, and wished for A remedy, suggested by some wellbetter doctrine. The rector (since a dig-wishers to the Church, is the appointnitary), with every possible compliment to the fitness of the person in question, posi- ment of men to benefices who have tively refused the application; and the talents for advancing the interests of rechurch remains in the hands of Method- ligion; but, till each particular patron ists. No particular blame is intended, by this anecdote, against the individual can be persuaded to care more for the rector. He acted as many have done be- general good of the Church than for fore and since; but the incumbent clergy- the particular good of the person whom man ought to possess no such power is his interest, not the interest of the All this has been since placed on a Establishment. better footing.

who is nominated by the sovereign to issue | fine, or deeming it impolitic so to do, let us forth licenses to dissenting ministers, is submit to go quietly to prison, but with the competent to the task of judging of their resolution still to preach upon the first natural and acquired abilities, it must still opportunity, and, if possible, to collect a remain a doubtful question whether they church even within the precincts of the are moved to preach by the influences of gaol. He, who, by these zealous exertions, the Holy Ghost; for it is the prerogative of becomes the honoured instrument of conGod alone to search the heart and try the verting one sinner unto God, will find that reins' of the children of men. Conse- single seal to his ministerial labours an quently, after every effort of the ruling ample compensation for all his sufferings. powers to assume to themselves the right In this manner the venerable apostle of the of judging whether a man be or be not Gentiles both avowed and proved his sinqualified to preach, the most essential cere attachment to the cause in which he property of the call must remain to be had embarked:-"The Holy Ghost witdetermined by the conscience of the indi- nesseth, in every city, that bonds and afflicvidual. tions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.'

"It is further worthy of observation, that the talents of a preacher may be acceptable to many persons, if not to him who issues the license. The taste of a person thus high in office may be too refined to derive gratification from any but the most learned, intelligent, and accomplished preachers. Yet, as the gospel is sent to the poor as well as to the rich, perhaps hundreds of preachers may be highly acceptable, much esteemed, and eminently useful in their respective circles, who would be despised as men of mean attainments by one whose mind is well stored with literature, and cultivated by science. From these remarks, I infer, that a man's own judgment must be the criterion, in determining what line of conduct to pursue before he begins to preach; and the opinion of the people to whom he ministers must determine whether it be desirable that he should continue to fill their pulpit."-(pp. 168173.)

The sentiments of Philagatharches are expressed still more strongly in a subsequent passage.

"In the early ages of Christianity martyrdom was considered an eminent honour; and many of the primitive Christians thrust themselves upon the notice of their heathen persecutors, that they might be brought to suffer in the cause of that Redeemer whom they ardently loved. In the present day, Christians in general incline to estimate such rash ardour as a species of enthusiasm, and feel no disposition to court the horrors of persecution; yet, if such dark and tremendous days were to return in this age of the world, ministers should retain their stations; they should be true to their charge; they should continue their ministrations, each man in his sphere, shining with all the lustre of genuine godliness, to dispel the gloom in which the nation would then be enveloped. If this line of conduct were to be adopted, and acted upon with decision, the cause of piety, of nonconformity, and of itinerant preaching, must eventually triumph. All the gaols in the country would speedily be filled; those houses of correction, which were erected for the chastisement of the vicious in the community, would be replenished with thousands of the most pious, active, and useful men in the kingdom, whose characters are held in general esteem. But the ultimate result of such despotic proceedings is be

"Here a question may arise-what line of conduct conscientious ministers ought to pursue, if laws were to be enacted, forbidding either all dissenting ministers to preach, or only lay preachers; or forbidding to preach in an unlicensed place; and, at the same time, refusing to license persons and places, except under such security as the property of the parties would not meet, or under limitations to which their con-yond the ken of human prescience: - prosciences could not accede. What has been advanced ought to outweigh every consideration of temporal interest; and, if the evil genius of persecution were to appear again, I pray God that we might all be-(pp. 239-243.)

bably, appeals to the public and the legislature would teem from the press, and, under such circumstances, might diffuse a revolutionary spirit throughout the country."

faithful to Him who hath called us to We quote these opinions at length,

preach the gospel. Under such circumstances, let us continue to preach; if fined, let us pay the penalty, and persevere in preaching; and, when unable to pay the

not because they are the opinions of Philagatharches, but because we are confident that they are the opinions of

ten thousand hot-headed fanatics, and | The whole of Mr. Fox's life was spent that they would firmly and conscien- in opposing the profligacy and expostiously be acted upon.

ing the ignorance of his own court. Philagatharches is an instance (not In the first half of his political career, ancommon, we are sorry to say, even while Lord North was losing America, among the most rational of the Pro- and in the latter half while Mr. Pitt testant Dissenters) of a love of tolera- was ruining Europe, the creatures of tion combined with a love of persecu- the Government were eternally extion. He is a Dissenter, and earnestly posed to the attacks of this discerning, femands a religious liberty for that dauntless, and most powerful speaker. body of men; but as for the Catholics, Folly and corruption never had a more he would not only continue their pre- terrible enemy in the English House of sent disabilities, but load them with Commons- one whom it was so imevery new one that could be conceived. possible to bribe, so hopeless to elude, He expressly says, that an Atheist or a and so difficult to answer. Now it so Deist may be allowed to propagate happened, that during the whole of this their doctrines, but not a Catholic; period, the historical critic of Mr. Fox and then proceeds with all the custom- was employed in subordinate offices of ary trash against that sect which nine Government;-that the detail of taxes schoolboys out of ten now know how to passed through his hands; — that he refate. So it is with Philagatharches; amassed a large fortune by those occu-so it is with weak men in every sect. pations; and that, both in the meaIt has ever been our object, and (in sures which he supported, and in the spite of misrepresentation and abuse) friends from whose patronage he reever shall be our object, to put down ceived his emoluments, he was comthis spirit to protect the true interests, pletely and perpetually opposed to Mr. and to diffuse the true spirit of tolera-Fox.

tion. To a well-supported national Again, it must be remembered, that Establishment, effectually discharging very great people have very long meits duties, we are very sincere friends. mories for the injuries which they relí any man, after he has paid his conceive, or which they think they receive. tribution to this great security for the No speculation was so good, therefore, existence of religion in any shape, as to vilify the memory of Mr. Fox,choose to adopt a religion of his own, nothing so delicious as to lower him in that man should be permitted to do so the public estimation, no service so without let, molestation, or disqualifi- likely to be well rewarded so emieation for any of the offices of life. nently grateful to those of whose faWe apologise to men of sense for sen-vour Mr. Rose has so often tasted the timents so trite; and patiently endure sweets, and of the value of whose the anger which they will excite among patronage he must, from long expethose with whom they will pass for rience, have been so thoroughly aware. original.

CHARLES FOX.

(E. REVIEW, 1811.)

We are almost inclined to think that we might at one time have worked ourselves up to suspect Mr. Rose of being actuated by some of these motives:-not because we have any reason to think worse of that gentleman than 4 Vindication of Mr. Fox's History of the of most of his political associates, but early Part of the Reign of James the merely because it seemed to us so very Second. By Samuel Heywood, Serjeant-probable that he should have been so at-Law. London, Johnson and Co. 1811. influenced. Our suspicions, however, THOUGH Mr. Fox's history was, of were entirely removed by the frecourse, as much open to animadversion quency and violence of his own proand rebuke as any other book, the task, testations. He vows so solemnly that we think, would have become any he has no bad motive in writing his other person better than Mr. Rose. critique, that we find it impossible to