The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-01 00:00:00

Martinln4

LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1845,

The retirement of Mr. GLADSTONE from the
Cabinet may be regarded as an event fortunate for
the country, a►id a proof that Sir R. PEEL is not in-
different to the anomalous, disgraceful, and dan-

gerous condition of the Protestant Establishmen
From all accounts this gentleman came from college
amply imbued with the Puseyite doctrines. An article
in a quarterly publication, imputed to him and not
denied, shows that he had lost none of his enthusiasm
for the new tenets by his political labours, and his
mingling with the world.; and his determination to
leave office rather than aid in checking this dangerous
sect, justifies the Prime Minister in accepting the re-
signation of a colleague, who, with all his abilities,
must be a blind bigot, and a dangerous accomplice of
the avowed enemies of the reformed religion. This
event also leads the public to anticipate some Legisla-
tive measures, by which men, who entered
the Church as Protestants, shall be com-
pelled to adhere to their ordination vows,
or be cast out of a community in which they are
acting the part of traitors and conspirators. But for
some measure of this description Mr. GLADSTONE,
we should imagine, had no reason to differ with his
colleagues, unless, indeed, on their commercial policy,
respecting the admission or exclusion of slave-grown
sugar, &c. It has been said that the scheme of " cer-
tificated growth," finally incorporated into the Act of
last session, was not one that had previously received
the unanimous support of the Cabinet. Mr. GLAD-.
sroNE is an excellent man of business, a good speaker,
well acquainted with trade, both practically and
theoretically, and perhaps as fit for the office which
he filled as any Member of the House. Sir R. PEEL,
however, cannot fail to see that the mischiefs caused
Puseyism are every day increasing—that the
Church has become the laughing-stock of Catholics
and Dissenters—that the Bishops are powerful only
for evil—and that the law alone, by which the
Establishment was constituted, can prevent its
crumbling to pieces. We attribute to him higher
motives, but even the political existence of his party
would urge to adopt some strong step for
maintaining one of its great bulwarks. No class
of the community are so useful for what are
called " Church and State" purposes; at elections they
are unrivalled in throwing abuse upon their oppo-
nents, in obtaining votes per
fas et nefas. The influence
of the hierarchy from its enormous patronage is almost
unbounded and in ordinary times can easily decide the
fate of rivals political parties at a general election. It
would, therefore, be imprudent in a Tory leader to
allow such a valuable machine to go to wreck. But
putting these considerations out of the question, he
cannot fail to see the many blessings which the re.
formed religion has I.estowed upon his country, the
noble contrast between its principles and those prac-
tised by the Jesuits, of whom the Puseyites are
faithful followers, and the rapid progress which Eng-
land and Holland and Prussia, and other countries
not shackled by ecclesiastical despotism, have made
since the days of the Reformation. With the excep-
tion of France, what Catholic country can show
such marked sn 1 beneficial changes ? but it is not