The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-24 00:00:00

CHURCH RATES.

BUNGAY, ST. MARY'S.
On Wednesday last, a Vestry was held to make a
Church•rate, and the Chair was taken by Archdeacon
Glover, attended by the Rev. Mr. Cookcsley, who has
succeded Mr. Cobb as Curate.
Mr. MANN, Churchwarden, asked for a twopenny
rate, which was moved by Robert Butcher, Justice of
the Peace, and seconded by Mr. William Dybale, Chief
Constable.

Mr. CHARLES CHILDS said, although he could not
hope to influence theproceedings of the Vestry, he would
not suffer the motion to pass without a protest. He
begged to remind the meeting, that a rate had never
been made without the unanimous profession of
a desire that the law were altered, and the present
mode was defended by the simple phrase, " It is law."
But it was to be remarked, that although this plea
might be urged by Churchwardens for collecting a rate
already laid, there was no such justification for making
a rate. There was no law to compel the Churchwar-
dens to ask for one—no legal necessity for the Vestry
to grant it—they were not forbidden by law to subscribe
the required sum, nor would law prevent its application
to the cost of maintaining their Church. It was the
voluntary act of the Vestry which could alone call the
law into existence ; and little value must be attached
to a profession which they so directly and practically
falsified. Ile would point with satisfaction to their on n
recognition of the principle he contended for ; they had
at their own voluntary cost fitted up the Church,
with gas-lamps, and lighted it for evening service ; nay,
on the very. accounts of the Church,:ardens appeared
yearly an item of 91. for maintaining the choir, and a
similar sum credited as collected by subscription. This
was the precedent which he now called on them to fol-
low, and before they left that room, to subscribe the
401., a sum which the Dissenters, with not a tithe of
their wealth, would at any moment raise for their own
religious purposes. He did not venture to argue the
question in this place on the grounds of right and
justice, but confined his appeal to the professions they
had themselves made, and the principles they had
partially adopted. He would further warn them
that for a trumpery 401. they were renewing a con-
test in which acrimonious and unncighbourly feel-
ing were sure to be excited, and which he had
earnestly hoped the presence of a new resident clergy-
man would have been the occasion of declining. He
wished finally to beg, that if proceedings should be
taken against him to recover this rate (which he assured
them was an invalid one), no hard words might be used
at his employing law to resist a demand founded exclu
sively on law.

Archdeacon GLOVER said the sum of this was, that
Mr. Childs wished the parish to adopt the voluntary
principle. If they were prepared to adopt this—the
begging box, which he was not, they would refuse a
rate—otherwise, they would grant one ; and he thought
ithis quite consistent with a desire to have the law
altered. He begged to ask whether Mr. Childs or his
family had not a pew in the Church ?
Mr. Crimes—Certainly not!
Archdeacon GLovErt—l understand a lady occupies
your pew.
Mr. CHlLDS—Application was made to me for per-
mission to occupy " my pew ;" and in order to guard
against all possible misconstruction, I replied that if a
pew were appropriated to the, house I rent, I would
not recognize any property in the church, or title to
the pew, by giving either a refusal or permission for
its occupation.