The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-08 00:00:00

of those per-
.,ns that many
.ust 'devoted to the pure and holy
. they sincerely bCll'..7e, and endeavour
..e practical rule of their lives, are, from the
,petting nature of their disposition, the most
—dale to be acted upon by zealots and political priests,
who make a cat's-paw of the sacred subject, for the
accomplishment of their own narrow and selfish ob-
jects. Disregarding entirely the great and funda-
mental maxims which Christianity inculcates—a spirit
removed from the world and its ambition—a feeling of
humility—of expanded charity—of universal love for
all created being—of pious reverence for the inscruta-
ble and all-wise Creator, forgetful altogether, or
still more culpably smothering their convictions upon
this head—we see furious professors parading the
country under the name of Christian Ministers,
and endeavouring to stir up as much as they can the
embers of sectarian hatred—to set the professors of
rival creeds once more in deadly array against each
other ; and to make of our common Christianity a
source of permanent discord instead of a bond of unity
and peace. What is the object of these present dis-
plays of pulpit and missionary bigotry, with which mo-
derate and sensible men of all parties must be tho-
roughly disgusted ? Are the doctrines of Christianity
attacked ? Is the right of private judgment impugned ?
Is Protestantism really in danger, as it suits the pur-
pose of these people to assume it to be ? Too well
do they know that none of these things are so. Why,
then, these exhibitions of priestly rancour and High
Church fury against their Catholic fellow-country-
men, and the creed which they profess ? The answer
is, because it suits the purpose of a political priest-
hood, and of a desperate party which is reduced to its
last stake, to try if possible to play upon the love and
attachment which the people of Great Britain have to
their religious faith, in order to accomplish the factious
objects, which they cannot do by reasoning upon the
real points of difference between them and their liberal
adversaries. Hence it is that the M'Ghees and O'Sul-
Evans, and such like, are sent about the country to sow
discord and excite religious jealousies among different
classes of his Majesty's subjects. The proper answer
to make to these factious and bigoted zealots is, that
religion is too pure and sacred a subject to be pros-
titute:l to political objects ; that difference of creeds
and perfect toleration of various forms of faith being
permitted by British laws, it becomes not any one
of the subjects of this realm to set up his own
standard in the path of other people, and to insult
large classes of his fellow subjects by stigmatising
with abusive epithets the faith which they and
their forefathers have adhered to under the safe.
guard and protection of the laws of the land ;
that religion, moreover, is a matter between man
and his Maker alone ; that error on this highest ob-
ject is a misfortune quite sufficient, without subjecting
those who may labour under it to the accompaniment
of the sneers or reproaches of their fellow men, how-
ever certain of the evangelical truth of their own
creed, and wrapt in their own undoubted orthodoxy.
In truth, there is nothing whatever of the spirit of
Christianity- in these furious displays of bigotry and in-
tolerance. The spirit of Christianity is the spirit of
love—the spirit which animates our zealots in the spirit
of hatred, malice, uncharitableness, and revenge ; but,
above all, we fear there is the auri sacra fames—
tile temporal part of the Church question, we are
afraid, has more to do with these exhibitions than the
spiritual. When tithes were paid, we heard little of
Catholic enormities. A tithe-paying nation might
flourish in all the odour of Catholicism, without in-
ducing our 13islicps and Parsons to stir from the otium
cum dignitate which is so agreeable to poor humanity,
whether clerical or lay ; but when tithes and oblations,
horrendum dictu, are thought to be in danger—oh,
then there is an instant apprehension of the prevalence
of heresy l—then Popery is made visible to an obli-
vious people in exaggerated colours, and dissent and in-
fidelity become subjects for incessant and furious decla-
mation. Protestanfism, in the eyes of many of our church
.parsons, is identified with tithes—and the regular pay-
ment of church-rates and Easter offerings, like cha-
rity, is able to cover a multitude of sins. In fact, the
only Protestantism which is really in danger, is the
Protestantism which is identified with the temporalities
of a worldly and mercenary Church. But the days
in which the Church could have carried away the
good sense of the people are fortunately gone by--r-
-and the howlings of renegade zealots and political dig-
nitaries are lik the idle wind which passeth away,
and no man regardcth it. The temporals of the
Church of England, and especially of that branch of
it which delights to be called " the Church of Eng-
land in Ireland," may indeed be in danger of under-
going a considerable and speedy change ; but the
religion of the Church of Christ is in no danger, but
is permanent and imperishable as the eternal source
from which its revelation is derived. The mitre may
pass away, but the Cross will endure for ever.—
Morning Chronicle.

We offered a few remarks the other day upon the
speech of the venerable Chairman of the Reform As-
sociation on the occasion of the dinner at Yarmouth
to celebrate the passing of the Corporation Reform
Bill. Mr. Coke, it will be remembered, adverted to
the necessity of a thorough " sifting " of the House
of Lords. It appears that his bold observations upon
the Chamber of Hereditary Obstructives have drawn
upon him the scurrility of the Tory organs, and no-
tably so of that poor miserable renegade, the Times.
The abuse heaped upon this patriotic and much-re-
spected gentleman by that base Tory print has, we ob-
serve, called forth the indignant remarks of some of our
Liberal contemporaries ; and doubtless, when we con-
sider the high and unsullied character of Mr.
Coke, he is well worthy of the eulogies which
our contemporaries have bestowed upon him ;
but still, with all deference to them, we think that these
comments of theirs were quite unnecessary. It is be-
cause Mr. Coke's character stands so high, and be-
cause his name, as a true patriot, and an ornament to
the class to which he belongs, is so conspicuous, that
we think any laudatory remarks upon him, which might
be called forth by the abuse of the Times, a mere
waste of time. Had the wretched apostate from Li-
beralism happened to have besmeared this respected
gentleman with its nauseous praise, it might have been
a question whether it was not time for his friends to
defend him from the imputation which eulogy from
such a quarter might probably cause to be cast upon
him ; but to defend Mr. Coke against the censure or
the calumnies of the Times ! Bah I It is like set-
ting up a laborious defence of the character of Mrs.
Fry against the drunken Billingsgate of an uncon-
verted inmate of Newgate.—Morning Chronicle.
The Popish plot begins to develope itself. A sys-
tematic resistance to tithes appears to be organized in
many parts of Ireland, and it is supported by actual
outrage or by threats, which, however savage, are sure
to be executed to the very letter. Not a word is said
about the Irish Church Bill ; but the plain blunt de-
claration of the Papists, that they will pay no tithes at
all, adds another to the almost innumerable proofs
already adduced that never were men so deluded them-
selves, or so bent on deceiving others, as were the ma-
jority of the House of Commons, and the Ministers,
when they contended that the Irish Church Bill was
calculated to lead to a final and satisfactory adjustment
of the Irish Tithe question. It will be seen by our
Irish letter that in Limerick this conspiracy has arrived
at the greatest height, and has been marked by so
much violence and intimidation that an application for
the assistance of the military has been made by a cler-
gyman of the diocese to Lord Morpeth. The follow-
ing is Lord Morpeth's answer :—..

" Dublin Castle, Sept. 30.
" Sir--In reply to your letter of the 23d instant, making
application for military assistance for the recovery of tithes, I
am directed to acquaint you, that circumstances having only
recently brought the different members of the Irish Govern-
ment together, it has not been found possible to return any
immediate answer with reference to the extremely difficult and
important question which this application involves. It is now
eirgaginr, their most earnest .attention, and the decision of
his Excellency will be communicated with the least possible
delay.

" I am, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,

" MORPETH "
In the mean time, Mr. O'Connell has been invited
to a public dinner in the city of Limerick, and has ac-
cepted the invitation by letter., which will be found in
another column, and is an exceedingly timely produc-
tion. We have already shown from his speeches in