The Sun.
London, England, 1821-03-23 00:00:00

to be emancipated from every political
Bat if they cannot, be so, answered,
would pause, and inquire_ what ought to be dew)
00re them that ti ate and gee4inii freedom which.
they-want' in so Many other respect's; and whielt
it is absolutely necessary, they should possess;
in order to. render their deliverance from all paa
litical disability a safe and
_Wise measure. Ig
hort, if the abeve questiOn§ can be answered in
the affirmative, the Catholics aretin a situation to
become intelligent and rational men, and en-
lightened citizens;' and ought to be declared free
with respect to all political rights. If 'they ceu:
not be thus answered', they are in a state of peal-
live. bondage, of the very :tors( kind, which, I
conceive, fully justifies the disabilities- under
which they have been- so long placed by the.
laws of this otherwise (to them) free country:
In making these obs Ovations, I wish to point'
out in what "conceive the real danger of Cathee
lie Emancipatior. consists. The usual topics of
objection to this measure, are certain tenets, of
their faith ; and the objectors always fix* their
attention upon the ignorance -and wickets. sir
whieh unnaturally accompany them, instead of.ene'•
deavouring to discover how: they may be:rendert
'ed innocent and safe with respect to others
The only essential inquiry is; therefore, hosi they
may be rendered safe to • the PrOtestant popu
tion and to the State. My belief la., that this
can only be done by insisting upon their eecle4
siastical rulers adinitting. them to the Same reli4
gious 'freedom, and the.same facilities for acquira
ine-:religious and moral knowledge as their Prete
testant brethren. They ought to„ be allowed to,
read the Scriptures and worship Geo in their
Own language; and not merely allowed htiFenjoined
to do so without restriction. They: otie.ht to be
delivered from all excommunication front
.6,e,
privileges of their Church, which is not founded
upon the express morality of the Divine-Law,'
.because more than this isspiritual slavery and de-
gradation, and trenches upon their-liberties as the
subjects of a free__ Government. .Were these reel
blessings conferred upon them, there would be nf.,
reason to dread either the influence of the Pope,
or the infallibility of the decrees of the General
Councils of the Church. They would soon dis L..
cover that the Roman Poatitfs had often tinjustlf
and wickedly abused their. spiritual ,authority,
and might do so again,
.and that it was lawful to:
resist it. They would speedily' learn 'that no-
thing is injidlible hut the ;Ford cy. God,;, 11414
having it open before them, would quickly feet.
its power in banishing .all delusion and LigotTr
frOmtheir minds. Their mental powers would:
receive a new light, and a new energy e•anclealo4'
with their improvement in religious and moral
knowledge,they would quickly exhibit such rapid
advances 'in civilization and the arts'ef life, (I'
here speak only of a great proportion of the
lower orders) as would contribute in ea small de-
gree to the prosperity and, glory of their, country.,
If the Catholic Question is' now to be conced-
ed, universal emancipation should 'therefore
kept steadily in view. In particular,.a. free anti,
unrestrained access to every traostatisskofe the
Llible,in all the languages of the Kingaltim,Sheuld
be made lawful to every Catholic ; and it should
be placed beyond the peerer.of any ecclesiastical
ftuitr to interdict thiS undoubted .riglit of every
British subject, for no Church upon earth can have
any colour of divine authority for imposing let-,
ters.unnecessaiily upon the freedom of'..the bus";
man mind. It was to the reading of this intalue
able treasure of divine truth that ,Scotland Owed
her Reformation ; and it is to it she now owes the
high moral character of her ipeppler although zet.
one period it was made contrary to law to have
it even in possession, and it could only be perused
with safety at the midnight Insure or hi. cornet
mountain solitude. Under our free..Constitutioua
the Catholics cannot be subjected to the seine-
hard necessity by the Government ; but the evil
in their case will be even still gr. a e-, V they
retained in inconscious or willing igatoraoce of
thiiBacred Volume, which, beyond all others, is
the best and most.' efficient instrument for'the
emancipation of the human mind from daeknesa
and superstition. It is principally to the un restricts,
ed use of this divine record we ought therefore
to look for the real and most required emancipa-
tien of the Catholics. If a provisiOn to this effect
does not accompany the law which removes their
political disabilities, itis much to be feared that all
the danger to the State will remain, And little, or
no' benefit to the Catholics themselves ever result
frOm shbuld. therefore; in my-
hunble estiination, grant no emancilation to ter s
Cathplics of a mere political nature, hut upa''.
conditions which will- lay the secure fowl-
dation of, that universal emancipation; which
' will' make them free indeed-Lfree to study the,
genuine and uncorrupted reeerdS of the hOly
faith-free and able to discern the degradint
folly of believing in human infallibiliti-e-and free
to attain the power of delivering' themiselVel from
the disgraceful shackles of a blind superstition:.
I am, Sec.

LIDERATOIt.