The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-11 00:00:00

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LONDON:
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1840.

We brought evidence yesterday to show that the
suppression of objections to the Scriptures by re-
nal enactments is tyrannical, unjust, and absurd,
and that the law is partially administered. If we
return to the subject, it is from a deep sense of
its almost immeasurable importance. Our whole
internal policy, nearly, is framed with a view to sup-
port the Church. The Church is founded, or rather
pretends to be founded, on the Bible, but we are
now told by the decision of the Jury on Tuesday,
that it is a crime to object to its statements. The
happiness of society, then, is to be chained and
bound by principles and doctrines, which society
must not examine ; for if men must not object,
what is the use of examination ?
We see disorder pervading every part of society.
The poor arc set against the rich, and the rich are
zealously engaged in oppressing and coercing the
poor. Crime increases, and though more Churches
arc building, religion is decaying. The remedies
suggested for our disorders, within the bounds
sanctioned by the Church, are more numerous than
the disorders themselves ; but though confusion and
anarchy threaten us, the law forbids men to say aught
against principles which our rulers have followed,
while society has been brought into its present
condition.

What the law now decrees against what it calls
blasphemy, it decreed not two centuries ago against
witchcraft. It now denounces the former as displeas-
ing to GOD ; it then denounced the latter for the
same offence. Men and women were in those less

humane days burned for displeasing GOD, while now
they are only fined and incarcerated. By the pro-
gress of knowledge, lawyers, both barristers and
judges, have been compelled to give up that portion
of the perfection of human reason, and the law
against witchcraft has become obselete. If our
view of the law for suppressing objections to the
Scriptures, under the name of blasphemy, be cor-
rect, it is not more reasonable than the law
against witchcraft. While no lawyer, however,
will now lend himself to revive the latter or carry
it into execution, there are numbers, we ray
it to the disgrace of the profession, zealous and
eager to apply the former, at least to the penny
tracts which are addressed to the poor.
It is therefore with deep regret that we saw so
eminent a man as the ATTORNEY-GENERAL
lending himself to this sorry work. We are ready
to admit, as a Tory Contemporary has stated, that
he has done his duty, and he finds his reward in
the praise of the Tories. Nor did he show, as
far as we can learn, certainly not in his reply, any
reluctance to perform it ; people say he did it as if he
had something to atone for, and was rather eager
to gain the approbation of Bishop PHILPOTTS.
His labours were crowned with a success which his
own party reprobate. In Westminster Hall he has
triumphed, but an appeal lies from that to the
world, and even the Whigs, who have heretofore
denounced prosecutions for blasphemy as for witch-
craft, consider that in the last resort he will sustain
a terrible defeat.
Mr. HETHERINGTON has already suffered in
body and mind, in purse and health, and probably
awaits with apprehension the sentence, which may
consig❑ him to prison and ruin. He is down-
stricken by the law ; hut those who have read his
defence, and prefer reason to legal fictions, will place
him far above the triumphant ATTORNEY-GENE-
RAL. He made an admirable pleading for free
inquiry, which Plain JOHN CAMPBELL instituted
a prosecution to suppress. In his reply Sir JOHN so
far overstepped the bounds of propriety, that the de-
fendant would not allow him to proceed, and was
supported by the Court. In a bad cause the AT-
TORNEY-GENERAL used poisoned weapons. He
upheld a prosecution for blasphemy, which is as
ridiculous as a prosecution for witchcraft, and de
scended to misrepresent the accused. With our opi-
nion of the law he was enforcing, we are bound to
say that Sir JOHN CAMPBELL shod have left
such a duty to be performed by some taker of a
half-guinea fee, who never got beyond the precincts
of the Old Bailey. It was wholly unworthy of an
eminent lawyer, who has risen into political power
as a professed friend of free discussion. The
slaves to lust have some pleasure for their punish•
molt, but the servants of the grimgribber of
Westtniniter Hall, who sacrifice present fame to a
sense of duty to it, reap little more than disgrace
for their nauseous drudgery.
Sir JOHN CAMPBELL prosecuted Mr. HE-
THERINGTON, in the language of the indictment,
for being 44 a wicked, impious, and ill-disposed
person, having no regard to the laws of this realm,
but most wickedly, blasphemously, impiously, and
profanely devising and intending to asperse and