The Sun.
London, England, 1825-03-25 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

ROMAN CATHOLICS.
Ma. EDITOR----I must acknowledge, that not
possessing the Common Sense of one of your most
recent railers against the Roman Catholics, I
cannot perceive the madness of providing for a
religion, even if this religion were inimical to the
State, which remains to be proved. Now, to my
common sense it seems evident, that the surest

method of preventing any mischief on the part
of the clergy of any religion whatever, is to
keep them in your pay, and thus make them
look up to you alone for their support. So
thought the late Government of France, and so
thinks the present Government of that country.

Yes, Mr. Editor, that Popish Government, nay
that very Popish Government, so amazingly
bi-
gatted as to consider sacrilege as a crime, and so
barbarous as to punish it as such, this self-same
Government, actually pays the Protestant clergy
as well as that of its own Church establishment !
This is no doubt passing strange ; but it is
hardly more so than the opinion of your Corre-
spondent, that if the Government of this coun-
try support a Catholic hierarchy, it should, in re-
turn, require all Roman Catholic Governments
to support Protestant establishments in their re-
spective states. This is an idea truly original.
I should like Common sense, to inform us how

long it has been customary, whenever any Go,
verntnent chooses to ameliorate the condition o

any portion of its subjects, to require that other
Governments should immediately do the same ?
Strange, indeed, are the notions which prejudice
puts into the heads of even the most able and
the best intentioned men ? What would Comm*
Sense have said, if, when Buonaparte determined
upon granting salaries to the Protestant clergy
of France, he had demanded of his Protestant
neighbours to provide for the Ministers of the
Roman Catholics in their respective countries ?
he would have reprobated such a demand, as in-
terfering with national independence, he would
have represented it as an act of the most insup-
portable tyranny ; and then, indeed, he would
truly have reasoned with common sense.
la the same paper, I see another letter upon
the same subject, signed by a Protestant Lay-
man. here we have nothing to do with common
sense, I will allow ; but we have some very se-
rious hints upon the inevitable downfall of both
Church and State, should the rumoured conces-
sions be granted to the Roman Catholics. This
is indeed a topic which affords matter for serious
consideration. Things begin to look singularly
alarming. Now do we begin to perceive the sad
effects of a Catholic association, of a Cobbett's

History of the Reformation, so ably. refuted in
some of your papers. Reasonable hopes had
been entertained, that both Houses of Parlia-
ment, would ever have proved the Palladium of
the established Church. But no such thing ; here
we see, all of a sudden, the House of Commons,
and the House of Peers, including the whole bench
of Bishops, actually on the point of acknowledging
tke supremacy of the Pope !!!
These seem to be something like the feelings

which oppressed the , Proteytunt Layman wlte,
he penned the epistle I am noticing. By him,
any concessions to the Roman Catholics are con-
fidently represented as tending to shake and un-
dermine the very foundations of the Protestant
Throne, the Protestant Church and Legislature.
How all this is to be brought about, he does not
think it necessary to inform us, well assured that
the thing must be obvious to the meanest capa-
city. Every body well knows that Parliament
may change any existing Constitution. Every
body knows further, that acts are passed in Par-
liament by a majority of votes. Now from both
these premises it might be concluded that as long
as the Protestant Establishment preserved a ma.
jority, its existence could not possibly be endan-
gered ; and that, consequently, no minority could,
therefore, do the least harm. This most assuredly
was the case formerly, but times are strangely
altered !—lf the Catholic Emancipation Bill pass,
it is proposed to allow the Catholic Archbishop
1,5001., and to Bishops 1,0001. Must not this
tempt any Archbishop of York, or a Bishop of
Durham, to embrace a religion that promises
such an abundance of worldly good ? No one can
reasonably doubt it.—Again. If the Catholic
Emancipation Bill chance to pass, it is pos-
sible that a dozen of Catholics may find
their way amongst five or six hundred Mem-
bers of the House of Commons, and it is
certain, that half a dozen Roman Catholic
Peers, will be admitted into the House of Lords,
consisting of above three hundred Protestant
Peers, and which may consist of as many more
whenever it shall please his Majesty to create
them. But what Loyal Protestant can doubt,
for a moment, that, whenever this comes to pass,
the King will create none but Roman Catholics.
However this may be, it follows from the above
statement of facts, that should this most mishiev-
ous Bill of Catholic Emancipation happen not to
be thrown out, the destruction of the Protestant
Throne, of the Protestant Church and Legisla-
ture, must be inevitably accomplished by this
roost overwhelming minority. For let it be re-
membered here, that great effects are often pro-
duced by the most trifling causes. Every rational
and impartial man cannot fail, if he be acquainted
with the fact, to consider this Popish minority as
bull's-eye; the terror of mariners on the
Gdeosotdruicitoipoen—Onit
neither more nor less than that celebrated and
a all t
afitr sits,
a black speck, but it soon extends over the
dreadedoseas,n l y
yt
haec qpuraoi
tnetsettal
nwt. i 1.41 a timeym apor evceirsye
inuadt
exposed to its rage.
T
whole abloi ourti zt ohne , Chat:el of Good
ici-
ously predicts the effects it is certain
pro-
ducing. But alas ! like Cassandra of
of old, he
ure
lifts up his voice and w
of
hheocroauug:seh
warns us of dangers certain,
though unheeded, and no one will hearken to his
predictions, In v • aindoes he clearly demonstrate
the destruction of Church
and State, which is
now fast approaching ;
both Houses of Parlia-
ment, and time principal Ministers of the country,
nay. even the great mass of the population, are
as blind as old Priam, and as incredulous as his
subjects.
But let me conclude in a more serious strain.
It must be owned that the spirit in which most

of the topics upon the Catholics inserted in your
Paper would give any one, unjust and illiberal
enough to consider these opinions of a few indi-
viduals, as the sentiments of the whole Esta-
blished Church, but an indifferent idea of Pro-
testant toleration. With what grace can these
writers rail at the intolerance and bigotry Of
millions of their fellow creatures. They who
scruple not to step forth as the most strenuous
advocates of intolerance—they who seem obsti-
nately determined to look at the Catholics, not
through the mirror of truth, but through the
delusive medium of vulgar prejudice I Because
, the Roman Catholic stedfastly adheres to the
proscribed faith of his forefathers, he must sub-
mit to have his creed misrepresented and vilified,
and to hear his faith loaded with the most oppro-
brious epithets. He must submit to hear himself
represented as the most illiberal, the most cruel,
the most unprincipled of human beings; as one
whom no oath can bind, no benefit attach, as a.
disgrace to human reason, as the very Pariah of
the Christian world ! Is this fair—is it generous--
is it just—is it tolerant ? What is it but a species
of persecution, and one of the worst description ;
one that may not, indeed, torture the body, but one
that must necessarily harrow up the soul of every
man possessing the least spark of honourable
feeling. Let us hope, that sentiments such as
these will no longer be entertained by persons
professing a religion of which the very basis is
charity. Let the Protestant remember that the
Catholic acknowledges the same Divine Re-
deemer, the same Apostles, tare same fuudamenta I
Creed, reverences the doctrine of the same Holy
Fathers, recommends the practice of the same
virtues, reprobates the same vices, and tends to
the same great final encl. Both feel confident that
they are in the right path ; for surely none but
madmen would willfully persevere in the waf
leading to perdition; each should, therefore, feel
not hatred, but commiseration, for the fatal error
of his brother.
In fine, Mr. Editor, the time when the lives
and property of his Majesty's Roman Catholic
subjects were put in jeopardy by the cries of
"No Popery," are now happily gone by. We
live in an age when vulgar errors must necessa-
rily wither and die. The bright Surr of know-
ledge has arisen ; its rays have pierced through
the gloomy clouds of prejudices, and a truly ge-
nial light is now spread over the intellectual
horizon. The liberal minded of every religious
cannot but hail with joy so glorious a change,
the certain hv-rbinger of brighter days, of those-
days of sincere reconciliation, which every true
Christian must hope he will live to see. A. r•

THE KENT EAST INDIAMAN.