Star.
London, England, 1831-07-01 00:00:00

There is less precision in Lord DAC RE'S Tithe
Commutation Bill. Its chief object is to enable
parishes to apply to Quarter Sessions, which are to
appoint Commissioners, and these are to arbitrate
cud arrange between the incumbent and the tithe-
payers. In other cases, as those of lay impro-
priators, payment is to be made in a corn rent, or
rent determined by the value of corn. These mo-
difications will be good as far as they go, and may
render the system less irksome ; but we are for
leaving to the Clergy all their productive and
legitimate epiritualities, and improving the
annual amount of these, in certain cases, by
grants from the produce of the sale of
the tythes, for the public benefit. If the
tythes are public property, they do not belong
to the land proprietors more than to the Clergy ;
and it is the effect of all commutation, to serve the
land-proprietors at the expense of the Clergy. The
public interest ought to be consulted previously to
that of the landowners ; and if the parson has not
his full tythe, the deficiency belongs to the public—
not to the landowners—to whose high rents and cruel
consolidation of farms, the public and the Clergy
are under no obligations. After being liberal to
the Church, the sale of the right of tythes would
leave forty or fifty millions in aid of the public,
either for payment of debt, or for remission of
taxes on industry, or for r rates.
The convocation at Wesminster have presented
an address to the Kinn, very sound in its language
and general spirit, but very unsound in its main
object. With the most liberal professions of tole-
ration, it formally proscribes all writings against
the Christian Faith, and in regard to them, calls
for the protection of the secular arm of the law.—
This we regard as a mistake in policy and principle,
and we are concerned that the heads of a Church,
which we much esteem, should consider any pro-
tection necessary for its faith, but the Supreme
Power of that PRO V I DEN C E which it teaches, and
the counter-writings of its Twenty Thousand Learn-
ed Members, aided by the Funds of the Church.
Are not bible societies, Christian associations in
all forms, Education monopoly, tracts and tract so-
cieties, and the universally diffused machinery of
the church, with all its patronage, &c. &c. suffi-
cient to nullify a few pennyless scribblers, whose
strongest argument is the alleged necessity that
such multiplied power is obliged to seek an ally in
the law and its brute force ? It is a subject on
which we forbear to enlarge ; because the latitude
of toleration which we claim may be misconceived
or misrepresented ; but we are persuaded, in the
language of the Gospel, that all the powers of hell
and Satan cannot prevail against that which is from
GOD! There is no medium course, and if we:would
be a truly enlightened religious people, me must
be content to oppose argument to argument,
and reason to reason, or by a standard of human
judgment be sunk into the mental vassalage and
, darkness of the 12th century,— a period distin-
guished from the present, not by lack of religion,
but by barbarous mistakes about the measure of
toleration. To be useful, toleration should have
no measure ; for it is the friction and reaction
of any system of restriction, and, above all, the
impertinence and insolence of law, when brought
to bear on discussion, which produces the very
effect, that any degree of restriction is intended
to prevent. In fine, we must print only in Latin,
or have a censorship, and board of licensors, aided
by an inquisition, if by coercion we would sup-
press the latitude of discussion; or we must set
inquiry and publication entirely free, except in
personal libels, and depend on the omnipotence
of truth, and the neutralization of error by the
absence of restraint, and especially of the igno-
rant, servile polemics of courts of law.
We some time since remarked on a dangerous
change of manners iu confiding murderous weapons