The Sun.
London, England, 1840-07-25 00:00:00

opinion, all the resources belonging to the Church itself,
which by n p per arrengement could -be made applicable)
.0 such a hcno+i, ,al purpose, ,ugh' to be so applied, be-
fore other assistance was sought. There could be no
doubt th -t i' wAS mo-t de,rsble for the puliiie. th..t the
ineonvenienees w hich were col ni.cted with the exiit:ng i
system, and which were generally admitted, siii.uid be
remedied and removed. This measure was introduced for
that purpose ; and therefore he confessed he had heard
with astonishrcent that this petition, praying that the Bill
then under their Lordships' consideration should not pass
into a law, had been got up within the University of Ox-
ford. He could not concur in that prayer. On the con-
trary, being convinced that no measure could be devised
more beneficial to the public or to the Church itself, than
one which, like this, was calculated to remove and re.
medy the evils attending the want of parochial clergy in
i different districts, be should give it his support. Indeed,
he thought that in attempting to find means to remove
these evils, they ought not to proceed. wi bout, in the
first place, applying all thefunds of the Church, that could
be fairly and justly so applied, to the attainment of that
important object "
What the Standard may have made his Grace
say stronger than this in its Second Edition, we
are not aware. In substance, however, this tallies
with our own report, and we have no occasion to '1
apologise for our reporter, or to repudiate his re-
port. The Times makes the Duke say that " all
the resources belonging to the Church itself "
" ought to be applied before other assistance was
sought." His Grace, at the end of his speech,
repeats that sentiment, and puts it very strongly
when he says that " they ought not to proceed" to
remedy the deficiency in the number and emolu-
ments of the parochial clergy, " without first ap-
plying ALL the funds of the Church that could be
fairl,, and justly applied to the attainment of that
important end." His Grace, on this statement,
would be bound, therefore, to ascertain that all
the funds of the Church were fairly and justly ap-
plied, before he could authorise the grant of a single
sixpence ; and that obligation implies a convic-
tion on his part that Church property is
under the control of the State, and that the State
should see it fairly and justly applied. The Duke
of WELLINGTON would never talk of applying pri-
vate property fairly and justly. Private property
belongs to the individual, and the State has no right
to interfere with the manner in which it is applied.
His Grace is too straightforward and clear-
headed not to see, however averse he might natu-
rally be to meddle with the incomes of the Archbi-
shops, Bishops, and Rectors, that this principle of
public property, fairly :And justly applied, would com-
pel him to make a complete re•distribution of the re-
venues of the priesthood, so as to remedy the defi-
ciency as to the parochial clergy before appropriating
any more public money to their service. He
would do so unwillingly, and hence his appro-
bation of the clergy for having begun of them-
selves to provide a remedy for the deficiency.
But if they had not, he would have been, on
his own principle, bound to do it out of the
funds of the Church, till the whole of them
was fairly and justly applied. Whether the ver-
sion given by the Times, of what his Grace said,
or The Sun's version be the more correct, his
Grace's speech must be regarded as laying down
sound principles as to the application of Church
property, and as being directly at variance with
the doctrines of the GLADsTONEs, the GouL-
BURNS, and the INGLISES.
An immediate practical application will, we
trust, be made of his Grace's doctrine in the case
of the Weaver Churches Bill. The money which
that Bill applies to buildingl churches, where they
are not wanted, for the Flat-men are already sub-
scribers to Dissenting chapels, is public money, or
trust money destined to a public purpose. The
parsons might as well appropriate a part of the taxes
as a part of the poor-rates to build churches.
If the new churches, therefore, be wanted on the
line of the Weaver, which we deny, the Duke of
WELLINGTON cannot think of voting for the
Bill ; he must, indeed, vote against it till all the re-
venues of the Church in that neighbourhood be fairly
and justly applied to providing churches and
clergymen.
An immediate advantage also has resulted from
the Duke's speech. The Standard has at once
given up the Church Extension scheme by a grant
of public money. It said last night—
" We must adhere to the opinion which we held at first,
and follow the Duke of Wellington in approbation of
the measure now before Parliament. The measure de-
mands sacrifices, great sacrifices, from the Church, sacri-
fices such as in happier circumstances we could net think
of recommending. Millions in this Christian country
are wholly destitute of the means of any religious instruc-
tion whatsoever. It is the duty of the State to
remedy this lamentable deficiency ; but weakened and
distracted as the Legislature, which represents the
State, is by the hostility of infidels, and the sordid
jealousy of sectarians, any voluntary movement to
this end is hopeless on the part of a Parliament. The
people must urge the reform ; and among the people it is
surely the part of the class devoted to the ministerial ser-
vices of religion to lead the way, and that they may lead
with effect, such of them as can make sacrifices to the
great object, not inconsistent with the general interests of
religion, must prove the sincerity of their zeal by a prompt
rendering of these sacrifices. The Church, in short, must
apply liberally to the religious instruction of the people
whatever resources it can command, iu order that it may
with better hope join with the people in compelling the
Parliament to supply what shall be still found wanting.
We can never admit that the phrases robbery, spoliation,
invasion of rights, and other like phrases, which we regret
to have heard, are properly applied to an arrangement like
this, We presume that no one will dispute that, saving
what is necessary for maintaining the necessary rank and
honourable support of the several orders of the clergy,
the property of the Church ought to be administered with
a stern frugality, so as that it may go the farthest possible
in supplying the religious wants of the people. This
would be a sacred duty in any case ; but how much more
pressing does the duty become when the funds necessary
fir providing that instruction are inadequate—when we see
millions without even the simplest and least costly means
of religious worship ? Who can look to these millions and
think of small difficulties arising upon questions of local
and personal privilege, as a sufficient objection to the sup-
plying of their wants ?"
Poor Church—poor Sir R. INGLIS, to be thus
" Forsaken in their utmost need,
By those their former bounty fed."

The Archbishops and Bishops, the Deans and
Chapters, can no longer, with the approbation of
the Standard, receive and spend their princely
revenues in personal indulgence and family aggran-
disement; they must show the sincerity of their
zeal by giving all which they have for the purpose
of teaching the people, and must content them-
selves with that poverty which was the lot of their
MASTER, and which we have, for a long period, so
strenuously recommended to them.
Yesterday must have been a day of great tribu-
lation for the priesthood, wherever their great pre-
sent friend the Times reached; for they not only had
the mortification to read the Duke o- f WELLING-
TON'S disapprobation of their attempt to get hoid
of the public money, they had also the mortifica-
lion to read in the Times an indignant denunciation
of their claim to educate the people.
" We have," said our Contemporary. " already defeated
the Society's attempt to impose an ecclesiastical education
upon the people of England; we have no mind for such
monastic nonsense. Have the wiseacres who assert that
education is an ecclesiastical matter really perceived the
conclusions to which this assertion must lead ? If the
clergy have the right to conduct the education of the peo-
ple, this right must extend over the children of the rich as
wch as the children of the poor, over children as indivi-
duals, as well as children in the mass. Have the clergy a
right to come into our houses and superintend the educa-
tion of our children ? Let the National Society answer
this question, instead of prating about their imperishable
charter."
Against this claim of the clergy The Sun has
throughout contended, as it has throughout denied
the propriety of making any further grants to the
Church, and insisted on the property of the
Church being fairly and justly applied ; and now
e d
we have the pleasure to
the Standard coming round to our vi
The conversion of the latter seems to us almost
miraculous, and when cant no longer fills the pockets
of the clergy, we shall not despair of seeing a con-
version amongst them equally
miraculous. The
Quarterly Review has already
expressed its regret
at the disappearance of ancient healthy sports from
amongst the people. The Tories begin, therefore,
twohbeen
tot st ehnet shipebal
parsons
ott
ahntaset
fit
hthereain that
cheerful something more dange-
roust
at puritanism will
at-
tract men to church, they will become,au sleikneleltniftlioetjoalnlyd
monks of old, the patrons of healthy and cheerful
amusement on the Sabbath.

Mr. T. DUNCOMBE moved an Address to her
MAJESTY last night, in order to procure the re-
lease of JouN TIMBO000D; and supported his
motion by an able and convincing -speech.- Mr.
DUNCOMBE, by his conduct in relation to this
case, and to many other cases of injustice, has
merited the warmest approbation of all conscien-
tious Dissenters and all the friends of freedom and
justice. The mode in which Lord JOHN RUS-
SELL spoke on the same occasion will be much
more acceptable to the Dissenters and the public
at large, than his observations on the case the last
time it was before the House. Mr. HUME pro.
perly described the Noble Lopid's speech as satisfac-