The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-29 00:00:00

IRELAND-REMOVAL OF CHURCH

PROPERTY.

THE FOLLOWING LETTER, WHICH HAS BEEN LAID BEFORE HIS
MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT, HAS BEEN HANDED TO US FOB

!NSERTION

TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
SlRE,—]laving had occasion to investigate the causes
which have obstructed the progress of the Reforwation in
your Majesty's kingdom of Ireland, and to consider the
means by which it may now be promoted, and having already
called the attention of your Majesty's Irish Government to
the subject, i feel it again to be my duty to lay the result
of my observations before your Majesty. At a time when
the stability of your Majesty's throne, the permanent tran-
quillity of this part of the empire, and the deplorable state
of the Church. urgently demand the most vigorous efforts,
no consciousness of slender ability, or want of influence,
could justify the loyal subject and faithful Christ;an in fail-
ing to attempt, at least, to discharge his duty.
The recetit political agitation—the t vents which are
taking place on the continent—the extension of education
—the proceedings of the religious societies—and the ex-
ertions of a number of your Majesty's Protcstant subjects,
are awaking a hopeful spirit of inquiry among all class
of your Majesty's people of Ireland : and, happily, all par-
ties are disposed to regard the Word of God as the sole
standard of truth in all religious matters.
As is usual in such cases, the abuses which affect the

temporal interests of men first arrest their attention ; and
at the present moment, the grievance of tithes and the
abuses of the temporalities of the Church excite a deep
interest among all &vacs of the people of this country.
This unhappy sutject of the temporalities, which has

all along, since toe Reformation, stifled the spirit of the
Christianity of Ireland, and converted the religious con-
troversy into an ambitious struggle for power on the one
hand, and a painful effort to retain it on the other, places
your Majesty's faithful Protestant subjects, who desire to
promote the Reformation, in a very awkward and painful
position. Honoured by God to be the aggressors, in the
diffusion of that generous truth which teaches men to
love Voir neighbour, to fear God, and to honour the King,
if they decline to declare their sentiments on the all-en-
grossing subj,et of these paltry temporalities, the people,
on the not unreasonable principle of " physician heal thy-
self," treat their instructions with contempt, and deride
their efforts to extend the Reformation ; but if, on the
other hand, they honestly declare themselves against the
abuses of the system, a number of unhappy men, who seem
to bare got into the Church unawares, immediately
raise a loud clamour against these upright individuals, as
enemies to the Protestant Church, and stir up the people
to oppose that truth which they themselves are sworn toe
clef. ml, and paid by the public to propagate. So strongly'
is party feeling excited in this way, that it is very plain to
all who know the state of your Majesty's kingdom of Ire-
land, that till the question of temporalities is finally settled,
the Reformation must, in a great measure, be arrested, AK
it has been these three hundred years ; and now that
Roman Catholic Emancipation has cleared the approach
to the doors of the Church, public attention will always
be strongly directed to that point, greatly to the annoyance
of your Majesty's Government, and not without danger to
the peace of the country.
To facilitate the progress of Reformation therefore, and
at the same time secure the permanent tranquillity of Ire-
land, there is now no alternative but to try the question
by the principles of Divine truth, and, unflinchingly fol-
lowing its unerring guidance, set the matter for ever at
rest ; and happily, so plain is the truth upon this point,
that it is only necessary to csll attention to the subject to
produce unanimity among all the enlightened and candid
of your Majesty's subjects.
Your Majesty and your Majesty's Government cannot
for a moment tolerate the idea that Church property is in.

violable, and held by the same tenure t.s private property.
This is not true in point of fact—when a Rector for cano-
nical ir rt-gulatities may be divested of his office arid de-
prived of his living ; and it were, to pronounce the trans-
fer of Ecclesiastical property effected at the Ref),
mation unjust, and to declare the whole to belong
to the Roman Catholic Church, in which it was
originally vested. Cburch property is rightly to be
considered public property, vested in the Church for a
puYie purpose, viz., the religious instruction of the whole
people, and the State which gave it may, for just reasons,
as has keen done once already, take it away and employ it in
a manner which it judges more equitable.
There is no question respecting the existr nee of the
Prot, slant E,tairliabinEnt, of which the ess, nti property
is that your Majtsty is a another of Ow Church, as
determined by the Constitution ; nor does the quest:on
affect tie controversy between the Roman Catholics and
Protestants respecting the true Clutch. It is unques-
tionably the duty of your Alaj,sty anti t: e other branches of
the Legislature, to protect, and by all right means to establish
the Church; and God forbid the time should ever arrive
when a British Legislature sl.ould feel indifferent to the
maintenance of the true Gospel, as set forth in the articles

of the Church of England.
Nor is it to be denied that the present mole of paying '
the Clergy was originally not inconsistent with the prin-
ciples of secrest Scripture, as some sects have un-
warily contended. Christians are commanded to support
their teachers, and as the manner in which they are to
rase the funds is not prescribed, it was not unreasonable
to adopt the method appointed by God himself, under a
farmer dispensation; and while the Church embraced the
whole nation, the general principle of the tithe-system,
therefore, was unobjectionable. •
A yew order of things has now arisen. Bodice; of
Christians, unconnected with the Church, have not only
been tolerated, but have been recognised as part of the•
body politic, and form, at the present moment, the greet
majority of your Majesty's affectionate and loyal subjects.
To give satisfaction to these powerful parties is now a sub-
ject for the serious consideration of your Majesty's Go-
vernment and the Legislature, and most happily, the Di-
vine Law, respecting the provision for the Clergy, exactly
meets the case, and enables the Legislature to put the mat-
ter beyond all colt' ()easy.
" The Lord bath ordained th it they who preach ti e
gospel, should live of the gospel," 1 Cur. ix, 11; and has
expressly limited the claim of the Clergy for maintenance
to those ". who are taught in the word," or who receive
their instructions and are within the pale of the Church.
The reasonableness, equity, and expediency of the Sta-
tute, as well as its divine authority, must recommend it to
every enlight ned understanding. By this low the Clergy
of the Church—the true and perfect Church though it
were—have a claim only on their own flocks, or are en-
titled to that portion of the public property devote Ito the
maintenance of religion, which belongs to their people as
a part of the whole nation.
With this Divine ordinance the present law of the land
respecting the temporalities of the Church is completely
at variance. Ido not insinuate that the people are not
bound to submit to the low, and respect the authority of
your Majesty's Magis:rates. The precept in such cases
is, " submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord's
sake ;" and our Divine Redeemer gave an illustration of
this precept in his own person, first proving the tribute
demanded of him to be unjust, and nevertheless ordering
payment to be made that no offence might be given.
But though this consideration determines the duty of
your Majesty's subjects, it does not justify the human law,
nor deliver the Legislature and your Majesty's; Govern-
ment from the dangerous position of supporting their au-
thority, in opposition to the law of God and the feeling of
equity entertained by your Majesty's people. The right
of Parliament to employ the public property in the man-
ner which they deem most advantageous to the nation is
not disputed ; but in legislating with reference to the
Church their power is limited by the law of God, and
they must not subvert any of the Divine ordinances. The
law of God cannot be abrogated by Act- of Parliament.
Here there is an authority paramount to all human legis-
la• ion, to which the Parliament and the nation must sub-
mis•ively bow. The Church is a kingdom of which the
Divine Redeemer is Sovereign, alone possessing legislative
power. The New Testament is the Statute Book, and
the Clergy, legitimately appointed, are the executive Ma•
gistracy ; and within this kingdom no power on earth can
presume to legislate without a daring usurpation of the
prerogative of the Most High ; and that in direct oppo-
sition to the law of Gud, it has been attempted to sup-
port our holy religion by a compulsory exaction for the
maintenance of the Clergy, must be regarded by every en-
lightened and faithful Christian in your Majesty's empire
as a flagrant national sin.
The charge, indeed, lays principally against the
Clergy, who commit a double offence, in failing to dis-
charge their duty as the faithful teachers of all the
Divine commands, and in enforcing, for their own ad-
vantage, the law of tire land et variance with the
law of God. However inadequately a Clergyman may
be remunerated, or however much oppressed, as so many
of the working Cergy are, in common with the people.,
he cannot escape thiseserious charge in supporting the pre-
sent system. He is as truly guilty of exacting money
violation of the liw of God, as the felon whose life pays
the forfeiture of his crime. It is a monstrous inconsis-
tencv in the legislation of the country that so many of your
Majesty's unhappy subjects are condemned to conkti
punishment for taking paltry sums, by force or fraud, in
violation of the law, while the same law authorises the
clergy to exact millions annually in direct opposition to
the law of God. No wonder that the source of Christian