The Sun.
London, England, 1828-06-13 00:00:00

J. NI BET.

Mr. Irving has said, in this singular Epistle, that he is
" inapt to affairs of state ;" and with this specimen of his
politics before them, Englishmen will give him full credit
for sincerity. It is to be regretted, that his acknowledged
inaptitude did not prevent him from obtruding his rash
counsels upon the attention of our beloved Monarch, who
is far better acquainted with the nature of his constitutional
obligations, than is the Minister of the Scotch National
Church, who, being entirely eaten up of toryism, altogether
oveilooks the great principles which placed the House of
Brunswick upon the throne of this enlightened empire.
If the King has condescended so far as to read Mr. Irviug's
Letter,--a thing which we cannot for a moment imagine,
—it must have left upon his Majesty's mind a feeling border-
ing on disgust. The predictive, lordly, and fanatical spirit
which pervades every page of this reckless production, re-
minds us of some of the worst specimens of the Commort-
wealth. If the King " should sanction" the Bill for the
repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, " by the royal
assent," he "will thereby," says Mr. Irving, " do an'act
never yet done by a Christian prince, and effectually sign
away the Charter of this kingdom as a Christian king-
dom ;"—if he should do so, he expects " a peril from the
hand of God to come upon him ;"—he iutimates that
" God will interfere with express judgment upon so hide-
ous an apostacy from the faith and honour of his own
Son ;"—he professes to assure the King, " that God would
nut fail to avenge himself upon the kingdom which should,
from such a height, descend, of its own accord, into such
impiety and infidelity ;"—he declares, that " as surely as
Nebuchadnezzar was raised up in Sennacherib's room, to
lay Jerusalem on heaps, and carry her people into Babylon ;
so surely shall God raise up a scourge for Britain, to do
that of which it will be a pain even to hear the report ;"
he solemnly protests against such an awful act, and " warns
all of the fearful wrath and judgment of God, which
will alight upon the head of a nation, which, being
lifted up to heaven, and exalted to all but Almighty
power, bath, in her wantonness and pride, and
boastfulness, thrown off the authority of God, and wor-
shipped human wisdom, rather than Christ. Surely such
a nation shall be cast to the ground, be !nought unto ashes
upon the earth, and made a terror unto men."
In this way does Mr. Irving rave upon the subject of the
repeal of the Sacramental test; stigmatizing the efforts of
devout Churchmen and Dissenters to remove this stumbling-
block out of the way, as " an affected puritanism,"—as a
" zeal which bath of a sudden lamed up."
What grateful acknowledgments do the Dissenters of this
country owe to the Almighty Ruler of nations and princes,
that such men as Mr. Irving are without any power to
carry their fierce and proscriptive measures into effect•
The Protestant Dissenters of England have certainly de-
served well at the hands of Government; and it is their
happiness to know, that "the powers that be" are not
ignorant of their devoted loyalty and unbought patriotism.
It is too late in the day for Mr. Irving to attempt to stay
the resistless current of public opinion. By other and
milder measures must churchmen, in our day, expect to re-
tain their hold of a nation's affections. The mightiest
genius could net, and ought not, to screen the opinions ex-
pressed in this letter from contempt. They ale only fit
for the middle ages; they are nu warrant in the free and
tolerant spirit of the British Constitution ; they would net
be listened to for a moment in either of cur Houses of Par-
liament ; the English bishops and clergy (with the excep-
tion of Mr. Hyde Cassan) Would feel themselves disgraced
to utter them ; and our beloved Monarch, the descendant
of a race of beings to whom liberty hits been as a birth-
night, has shown his proud rejection' to them, by adding
his royal sanction to the repeal of laws which were a dis-
honour to religion, a weakness to the state, and a reproach
to this enlightened age. May the King live! and may the
prayers of the faithful on his behalf be more to him than all
the honour of temporal dominion !

On Saturday next will appear, THE BRITISH
POLITICAL GAZETTE. The First Number of this Publi-
cation (the Editors of which pledge themselves to the
Nation to prosecute the commutation of Tythes to some
legal and permanent enactment) contains the first part of
a reply to " Lord GazbivimAt's Easay on the supposed
Advantages of the Sinking Fund." In size of paper it is
similar to that Old Established Weekly Journal " The
Literary Gazette."—To be had. of all-Newsmen and Book-
sellers, and at the several Post-offices in the eountry.—
Price Tenpence, postage, ftes.—Pub!jibed by .Wita..1.431
Joy, Bookseller, 66, St. Patara.Chutvii:-yard.