The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-07 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, OCT. 7, 1881.

If the two SOTEREIGNS who are now meeting at
Compiegne express their candid opinions to each
other on one topic, it would be in a few words—
that the POPE is a great plague. The Ruler of the
Catholic and of the Protestant country would be
perfectly agreed in that. And, probably, if they
gave utterance to their religious opinions there
would not be much difference either. We may
imagine the two Monarchs got to the stage which
Royal intercourse, we suppose, may never reach
—M. HOHENZOLLERN and M. BONAPARTE with
their feet ou the fender, doing justice to their cigars,
and disclosing to each other a few such personal
notions as may never appear in public documents
and speeches. M. BONAPARTE, with much sym-
pathy, would deplore that the old man of the
Vatican should give his good cousins on the Ger-
man side of the Rhine so much trouble by his
obstinacy, but adding, with an appropriate inter-
rogatory look, and a tentative twinkle of the eye
—" still yell know that the papacy is a venerable
institution."

M. HOHENZOLLERN—WeII, between ourselves—
a venerable imposture—a figment at the beginning,
with nothing but the ignorance and superstition of
successive generations to uphold it.
M. BONAPARTE— Between ourselves, again,
neither my uncle nor thyself have ever
doubted that, but then these peasantry of
ours have all got the notion of a Vicar of
CHRIST on earth, an infallible Head of the
Church they belong to, while they look on us as
very fallible governors. Perhaps we are so; but
the mischief is that they will not believe him to be
as fallible as we are. Here we have the supersti-
tion to deal with in our electors, taxpayers, Rol-
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say that Madame BONAPARTE was free from 1- 6:
What are we to do P

M. HosENzoLLEAN—Could his Holiness but go
up to Heaven, the Popedom with him, the Vatican,
and St. Peter's and all—so much the better for
earth I should say. Each ration could then have
its own church, or churches, among its own people,
and have no irresponsible intermeddling from the
south of the Alps. However, the laws of matter
standing in the way, besides some doubt in my own
mind whether Heaven's laws would admit the eccle-
siastics and their palaces, the only thing we can
do is to fight it out with such weapons as we have.
I advise, at all events, that we leave him to shift
for himself in his own quarters.

M. BONAPARTE—And send for General Goyon
home, you mean P

M. HOHENZOLLERN—Yes, why not You have
plenty of good excuses—or rather, I should say, it
must be monstrously difficult for you to find ex•
cuses for hanging on there so long.
M. BONAPARTE—It is, indeed. But then, cou-
sin of Berlin, you know it's pleasant to show all
the world that you are strong enough to defy it,
and to defy common sense and reason and anything.
I really am thinking, however, that I have in-
dulged this freak long enough. Nobody will think
now that I leave Rome because I am forced to do it.

M. HOIIENZOLLERN—Why, no, no—the thoughts
of people are all working the other way, so far as
I can judge. The notion is that you are forced to
stay—that the POPE and the French Bishops have
frightened and beat you ; they say you darenot go.
Now, let us suppose the colloquy broken in upon
* a copy or two of the POPE'S Allocation., and of
Father PASSAOLIA'S pamphlet brought in, to their
MAJESTIES. After a series of silent puffs over
their contents, what must be their common thoughto
The Prussian, being the representative, moreover,
of every educated European, would certainly
think—Well, here is one of the first
theologians of the POPE'S own Church
proving beyond• the possibility of refutation, the
contrariety of the POPE'S temporal power to sound
theology; and here is the old POPE himself cursing
and swearing at all who write and think so---while
he is answered by anticipation on the part of theo-
logian, who proves from hie theological resources
that causeless anathemas and excommunications,
like projectiles shot perpendicularly to Heaven, fall
back on the heads of those who utter them. And
his companion would know that such would be
the thoughts of all Europe as these documents were
published in all countries. Cursed—says the POPE
be those who propose compromise—" concilliation
is not possible between GOD and BELIAL. To which
the Father, relying on ST. AUGUSTIN, meekly replies
by anticipation—" If any amongst the faithful shall
be unjustly visited with anathema, the unjust sen-
tence will recoil on him who is the author of the
wrong, but do no harm to him on whom it is in-
flicted. For the HOLY SPIRIT dwelling on high,
by whom each man is bound and loosed, never in-
flicts an undeserved punishment."

Nothing would seem plainer than that the papal
pear is now quite ripe. The amplest guarantees
are offered for the personal security and the spiri-
tual independence of the POPE and of his Church
in Italy. The POPE'S own chosen theologian takes
up the ecclesiastical side, and shows that the POPE
is wholly in the wrong and the Italians wholly in

the right ; the PoPE has only one reply, which
might be briefly given in two words, a verb and a
pronoun, very current on the decks of English
vessels, when the angry tar condenses his
wrath into a pair of brief monosyllables. To
tell the truth the POPE seems inclined to
prove himself PETER'S successor by imitating
his cursing and swearing, rather than by imitating
the apostle in his declaration, " Silver and gold I
have none."

When, however, his HOLINESS is driven to vitu-
peration instead of argument, the EMPEROR'S game
must be a pretty:safe one. He is openly insulted
by the old man and his cardinals, the purport of
the whole being, as far as the EMPEROR is con-
cerned--" Now, Extfnoß, we have thee on the
hip ;" but the effect on all Europe being to lower
the POPE to a little old man scolding to his cardi-
nals, at his own theologians and his French keepers.
If the time be not come when the Prince of the
Remnants of the States of the Church should drop
down to his venerable bishopric only, we know
not when it will be. The harder task will yet
r'raain, that of liberating all the States of Europe
from his mischievous intermeddling. He will try
and console himself for temporal deposition, by
making his ecclesiastical reign more troublesome.
It is wise, in ti; is point of view to bind him over to
keep the peace, by ma2.sing his income dependent on
contributions flora the Catholic Powers.

Mr. MACNAUGHT'S letter suggests to our thoughts
something more serious than the topic now under
discussion in the daily papers—the reading of the
Clergy. The reading is no doubt an important
subject ; it has to do with the comfort of half
the worshippers of the kingdom some hours every
week. But the topic suggested by Mr. MAC-
NAUGHT'S letter of resignation has to do with
the foundations of morality, or of Christian
honour. He has long been a popular Minister
of ST. Cnwrsonom's Church at Liverpool—and
besides a large congregation, he has had a very
effective organisation of schools, and other
societies for the improvement of his flock. His
salary was, we presume, what his large congre-
gation would lead us to suppose; and the social
position of a clergyman thus placed could be a
matter of indifference to no human being. Be-
sides, he had, of necessity, a wide circle to break
with, which must be not a little painful.

Under these circumstances the incumbent of St.
Chrysoston's deems it his duty to resign his
charge—no mutiny of his flock, "no charge of moral
indiscretion, no difficulty in carrying out the bene-
volent projects in which he took an interest, much
less any desire to exchange a poorer living for a
richer one and leisure, had anything to do with the
resignation. The only reason he sums up in very
few words :—" Till quite lately," he says, " I have
accepted all the Prayer Book in some scriptural
sense. Now I find myself unable,any longer to ex-
press my unfeigned assent and consent to all and
everything contained in the Book of Common
Prayer ;' and therefore it is time for me to retire
from a position which demands sueh assent and
consent' from its occupants."
It had long been known that the rev. gentleman's
views have been tending in the direction indicated,
generally, by the celebrated "Essays and Reviews-'1
He was, however, both unwilling to act precipi-
tately, and to disturb without ample ground the
comfort of a congregation, amongst whom he must
have so many attached hearers. Moreover, ho
thinks the ministers of the Church of England are
more free than those of any other Church, and
that ho might " be doing positive harm, if any
should suppose thad one abandoned religion or
CHRIST in abandoning the position of an English
clergyman." Hence he writes with great desire
not to be misunderstood :—" I have, as firm a
hold—nay, a far firmer hold than ever—upon the
great Christian principles of love to GOD and love
to man. Reflection has strengthened—as I trust it
has also purified—my Christian hopes of a future
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theseaie not matters of doubt or disbelief with me.
I could still continue to preach on these subjects
honestly, and you will, perhaps, kindly think, not
unprofitably or unacceptably, as I have done
before." He could not, however, as he tells us,
be content to remain as a preacher among them,
which he could legally do by suppressing a few
truths which he now recognised, while on several
points, which he specifies, in the Prayer-book
he could " no longer express unfeigned assent and
consent ; that is, he could not—" if thesewords and
the Chnrehformutaries are to bear any natural and
grammatical signification.

Now it is impossible not to respect the English
gentleman and Christian minister who can take this
manly, straightforward view of the case. There
is a widely-spread opinion that the terms of sub-
scription to the Church of England ought to be
relaxed ; and also another very general opinion,
that if all intelligent and popular clergymen were
to utter their real thoughts, no ordinary congrega-
tion would hold them to be compatible with " un-
feigned assent and consent" to what they had sub-
scribed to at the commencement of their ministry.
Were all these men but to speak out, it would be
impossible at the present day to refuse to hearken
to their voice. If, as Mr. MACNAUGHT says, the
ministers of the Church of England are more free
than those of any other Churches in this country,
their hearers will think it is because they make but
too free with their own solemn declarations. The
popular opinion is that by no honest inter-
pretation can the formularies of the Church
be made to embrace the vagaries of the
Romanisers and the philosophy of the
Essayists and Reviewers. One or both must be
wrong; and either certain parts ought to be ex-
punged from the Prayer-book, or those who have
signed it to recal their signature. Probably, in
comparison with the mischief done by vulgar
" Sunday desecration," as it is called, the mischief
done by the clerical desecration of using formulas,
which, in their " natural and grammatical" sense,
are at variance with the clergyman's views, cannot
be overrated. A Protestant service read by a
Romanizer, a dogmatical service read by an im-
pugner of orthodoxy, is infinitely more demorilali-
sing than the Sunday pleasure-trip of the smoked
and toil-worn artisan. We need some
amendment here; the sincerity of our pub-
lic teachers, even if the sincerity is in error,
is of the highest moment. It is of infinitely more
consequence that a ministers example should main-
tain scrupulously the sternest sincerity in regard to
pledges, than that his notions should all be right. No
man can be really a Pope—can be really infallible;
—but every man can avoid paltering, or seeming to
palter with obligations into which he has solemnly
entered. Without therefore touching on the
opinions of Mr. MACNAUGHT, which are no busi-
ness of ours, we think his moral example of the
highest value, one much needed at the present day,
and one which can hardly fail to do much good in
the circle in which he is known.

Apropos of the new qualification for the Pulpit
recently insisted upon by the Bishop of ROCHES-
TER, we publish a communication addressed to us by
the learned gentleman who may be said to have
orieually inaugurated the whole movement out of
which this episcopal demand has grcwn. A twelve-
month ago Mr. CHARLES PLUMPTRE, of the Middle

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THE SUN.