The Sun.
London, England, 1839-07-01 00:00:00

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Tlll4'. BIBLE vereue ME PRAYER BOOK AN
CATECHISM.
PROTEST .',.ST D teer,NTERS—You have not yet forgot-
ten the principles for which your forefathers, the Puritans
arse Non-Confo:en:ets of former times, contended. _ The
right of, private jedgement, liberty of conscience, and
the perfection of the Holy Scriptures, as the only rule
of your faith and peactice, are still the themes of your
nd: • consistent testimony. By you, thin-core,
P .'-• and '
this ;tepee' on tin' subject of scripture) education for the
chi' ;rest of the poorer brethren, will, I doubt not, he
received with favour.
Wesleyan and other Methodists—You, or your Ec-
elesiaetical rulers in your name, object to your being
called Diesenters ; and in some respects, you are right ;
for, in your separation from the Established Church,
you did not formally recognise the above principles, as
reasons.for the formation of your antagonist societies.
But, both in your social and legal position, you are at
least seceders ; and iu the maintenance of your rights,
you have alwaes stood upon the same grounds at sheholr
Non-Conformists. You then, I trust, will givef
lowing thoughts your kind and candid consideration :
The subject of education is at the present moment
1 au all absorbing one. Three large and influential
I parties are putting forth their several schemes. Two
of them are for grasping the power of exclu-
sivelreducating the rising generation in their own
i peculiar dogmas. Last week the Roman Catholic
Archbishop of Tuam, forwarded from the Clergy of his
i diocese a petition (which was, however, rejected on ac-
i enunt of his having assumed the Protestant title); and
in that petition, the parties stated that " the education
of the people was c.rclitsirly vested in the Catholic
clergy of that diocese, and that they conscientiously be-
lieved it to be their right." A second crusade has been
conemenced against the plan proposed by the Govern-
ment, for introducing a nou-sectarian system. Lord. Sta-
nley, in moving an address to her Majesty to rescind the
Order in Council of April'23, authorising the formation of
a Board for the Superiutendeace of National Education,
said, " 'There were points of doctrine and of faith, on
which, eeuscientiouely, different sects might be divided.
which could net be blinked or frittered away, to fur-
ther the education of those who dissented from the
t stablishment." Amongst those doctrines ho namet
" the efficiency of infant bapr:.sru, and the mystery of the
holy Eucharist." Lord Ashley, on the same occasion,
I observed, that he did not shrink from the charges of
" bigotry, intolerance, and illiberality," .in affirming
that 4. secular should cot be separated from religious
edheation." 'The Rev. F. Close, in his rejoinder to Mr.
Dunn's reply, " claims as the birthright and privilege of
the Established Church," the maintenance of a " na-
tional and universal system of education." That cele
heated poet itrel eloquent preacher, the Rev. R. Mont-
goniery, hi a eegreert preached for the benefit of the
Nat.'„onal Seboek e,t Si. John's Church, Chcltcuhare,
said, .‘ With ugard to the toleration by the State of
every diversity of religious belief, he held that such
toleration must be founded either in blasphemy or
infidelity." These are but a few specimens of the
' Popery of Church of England Protestantism in the
nineteenth century. uttered by its champions in the
Senate, on platforms, in pulpits, and by the Press. The
! spirit of intolerance end persecution has awoke from its
slumbers ; it is high time, therefore, that the advocates
of equal religious rights should awake also, and, re-
gardlcee of opprohriou-; epithets, manfully maintain the
right of every subject in the realm to an education for his
children at the public expesnse; and, unconnected with
, the formularies of any perticalar f•hureh.
tl Protestant Dissenters and Sece aors—Your prin-
ciples, your several klisti net iv e appellations, and the very
posiOone you hold in the religious world, forbid that you
should place yourselves in the ranks of either of the
rival monopolists. , Your aversion to popery is exhibited,
not only by your protest against its errors, hut also by
your withdrawmerit from a Church which stiii, in your
opinion, retains many of its corruptions. It would
Itherefore 'amount to an insult, were I to urge you to
oppose a Roman Catholic scheme of public instruction.
But the hypocritical cry of " Bible education" is again
raised ; and those of you who are beguiled into signing
Ipetitions against the late Government proposals for im-
-1 proving the education of the people, are again to be
i solicited to aid the cause, not of Bible, but of
this " Prayer-
1 book and Catechisat education.', Yes, is the
't, proper title that should head the placards, notices, re-
ports 7 and petitions .of the State Church agitation.
That it is :not the Bible but the creed—not the book
of .04_110_4-the CAtirch—not the doctrines of inspi-
ration, -but ktbe sommandnients of unnea—not,- " the
.Holy,Scriptures, vvhce!‘ Are able to make wigs unto salvo.
tion," but such a course Of training the youth of Britain
; in the serni.Topials "•principlei-----of "the Church;'_ as may
i ultimately. tend to place her on the throne of undivided
1 spirits al '4uprernacy ; that it is not Scriptueal education
'alone which excites their intemperate zeal, is proved
bir the, ssiolent attacks of the Church monopoly party on
4 the British and Foreign School-Society, and the abuse
their organs are continually heaping on those whom they
call •". Political Dissenters Socinians, and Papists."
- --. --. .._ •
1 'To eau!thgobjecis of their high ambition, Prelates,
Dignitaries'," Rectora, Curates, Lay Lords, and Gentle-
men; have co:Scooted, and are now carrying into effect,
a instils Ical p4'W for engrossing the education of
yonr,children—yes, yours of the middle classes, which
tliel:
.kcknotvledge is the " stronghold of Dissent
; and. Methodism." Thus, you see, they aim at be-
coming • the sole instructors of the people ; and,
like -the Itomanists of Tuam, impudently
claim
it' its -their right. They vvish the law to compel the
Dissenters among the working classes to have their
children educated by the Church, or not at all ; and by
their new Diocesan Schools, to buy over, with money or
pitronage, the academies, where many of the middle
class' children of Dissenters are instructed. Just turn
back the pages of English history, and you will see how
this " very tolerant Church" attempted to secure the
saliC object by means of the Schisms Bill, in the reign
of 'Queen Anne ; a -Bill so odious and atrocious, that in
the fifth year of George I. the public voice demanded
and procured its repeal. By that Bill, no Dissenter was.
suffered to educate his own children, but required to
pdt them into the hands of conforming tutors ;
Fand all selinolmaetere were required to license
thiftlkelves as ministers of the Establishment,
, arerforbidden to be present at any Dissenting place
ni.,. ssavalsiv, You perceive that the object was
idin t1e4144.,___
_Yt the same, and involves the principle that
they amn"bght to be intrusted with the education of
the whole paossie,
lity of the present They dare not outrage the libera-
age, by resorting to such an infamous
piece of kgislation
i "fee:rem...did,"oie, ..s.i
I „batlike'', dire° not (verity avow,
as. their ancestors did ; but as their
in ----es. intention, " so do they"—
I they would covertly
i effect —tire viraltence of theirlatred to Non-Conformity
,1 is nbt abated.
nr perfect relioia
Verfect religious equality, -
I
-,
must be result of the present sag 4"' ' -ss of
ugg lf the clan,— ...
es despotism
i the Protestant Establishm en tia England, or of the Catho- i
4 - "-'" •