The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-03 00:00:00

NO POPERY.

The Rev. Newman Hall has been delivering a lecture
in his chapel on the subject of "No Popery." After
referring to what he considered the evils of Popery,
pOlitical, social, and doctrinal, be protested against similar
evils amongst Protestants. It was Popish intolerance
to insult Brother Ignatius and his congregation in Lora-
bard-street, and to prevent Murphy, the lecturer, utter-
ing his diatribes against Popery. There should be equal
respect for the convictions of, and impartial protection
for, all persons, so long as they did not interfere
with the equal rights of their neighbours. The greatest
danger of Popery was in the ranks of so-called Pro-
testants. Those who cried "No Popery" should be
earnest in resisting Popish error close at home. The
lecturer passed en to the subject of the Irish Church.
Many most excellent people feared that disestablish-
ment would injure Protestantism, and therefore they
raised the cry of "No Popery." He could not agree with
them. Because he was an earnest Protestant he desired
the disestablishment of the Protestant Church in Ireland.
The establishment of Protestantism had, as a fact, failed
in its object. While Dissent in England, unendowed
and discouraged, had covered the land and claimed almost
half the worshippers, Protestantism in Ireland, upheld
by all the emoluments and honours of the State, had lost
ground. This was easily accounted for by the prejudice
excited against it arising from the aspect of injustice
it wore. He also desired the disestablishment of Protes-
tantism because in the general opinion of statesmen and
the avowed purpose of the present Government, the only
alternative was the endowment of Popery, the "levelling
up." Mr. Disraeli's policy had been emphatically praised
by a journal published by authority in Rome, but Mr.
Gladstone's policy, though avowedly for justice and not
for Protestantism, was felt by him and his supporters to
be really in the interest of Protestantism. It was
a matter of congratulation that such a cause
had such a leader, whom all; candid people must
honour as a thoroughly honest statesman, even
though they differed from him 'in opinion ; and
against whom the worst charge was that he had not
retained during life the opinions of the nursery, but could
say : " When I was a child I spoke as a child, but when I
became a man I put away childish things." The lecturer
advocated national religion, but this consisted in the
religiousness of the people who constituted the nation,
not in a system upheld by the State. A religious con-
stituency would vote religiously, and not require
thousands of pounds to be spent by the candidates. A
religious Parliament would enact equitable laws, and a
religious ruler would govern in the fear of God. America
was not irreligious because it had no Established Church.
Our own Canada did not cease to be religious
when the Church ceased to be connected with the State ;
on the contrary, the bishops and clergy of that Church
affirmed that it had prospered snore since that disesta-
blishment. The lecturer strongly disavowed indifference
to Protestantism or hostility to the Episcopal Church.
He loved the Liturgy of that Church—he claimed as friends
many of its clergy—he rejoiced in all the goodness which
adorned it, and he desired its disestablishmcnt in Ireland
because he believed that this would purify it, promote its
zeal, remove impediments to its progress, and lead to
successes and a prosperity of which the bulk of its mem-
bers little dreamed.