The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-11-06 00:00:00

government as finally disposed of ; yet, inasmuch as the
impression appeared still to remain upon the public mind in
both countries that the proposition was still pendinir, he had
been instructed by his government to communicate to that of
the United States its formal and absolute withdrawal of that
proposition."

The Quebec Gazette Extraordinary contains Lord
Durham's proclamation, announcing his intention of
resigning. He defends his general government at
great length, dwelling particularly on the disposal of
the political prisoners. This lie justifies on the ground
that he wished to avoid irritation, which would have
been the consequence of bringing them to trial. He
claims.credit for allaying the hostile feelings of the
Americans, and seeking their sympathies wi h the
disaffected. On his return to England, he adds—

" I shall also be prepared, at the proper period, to suggest
the constitution of a form of government for her Majesty's
dominions on this continent, which may restore to the people
of Lower Canada, all the advantages of a representative sys-
tem, unaccompanied by the evils that have hitherto proceeded
from the unnatural conilicts of parties; which may safely sup-
ply any defitieney existing in the government of the other
colonies; and which may produce throughout British Ame-
rica, a state of contented allegiance, founded, as colonial
allegiance ever must be, on a sense of obligation to the parent
state."

He concludes by assuring them he will use his best
exertions as a peer in parliament for their service.

CANADA.—The following is from the Montreal Courier :
W e really find ourselves compelled, both by our feelings
and reason, to declare, that the less the subject of the late
general amnesty and of the previous treatment of the politi-
cal prisoners, is agitated, the better. It has been a bungled
business from beginning to end. When Lord Durham ar-
rived i❑ the country it was altogether too late to repair the
mismanagement of old-womanish imbecility, and all that
could then be done was to finish off the drama by an act
more chivalrously magnanimous than strictly just. It is
needless now to disguise the' fact, that the entire policy that
has been pursued, has utterly failed to secure the results con-
templated. It has spoken a language which the mass of the
Canadians have not in any degree understood, which has
been interpreted to them by crafty men to mean the very
reverse of what it was intended to convey. and which has de-
gmaded in their e 3, es the Government it ought to have made
them love and revere. Were we to detail all that we know
upon good authority, of the lamentably perverted notions the
habitans entertain of the generosity which !Ms been shown by
the Executive towards the rebel leaders, we should be looked
upuu by those who have not similar opportunities of judging,
as credulous fools. It is our sincere conviction, that the
high-minded policy pursued has not been mercy to the
h«bi tans, it will, we fear, prove a snare, entailing miseries
upon them and their fellow-subjects more severe than those
yet experienced. As for the banished individuals, who have
been the cause of so much fuss, both here and in Britain, we
will not waste any more ink upon them.

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND—ITS FRIENDS AND ITS
ENEMIES.—We have long had it in contemplation to
introduce a series of articles upon the present aspect

of the Eslablished Church of England, in reference to
its friends and its enemies. But before we proceed to

'ay before our readers our views on this.all-importan

subject, we beg distinctly to intimate that we hold
ourselves personally responsible for every observation
which may appear in our columns under the head
which we have prefixed to the present article. We
have repeatedly observed that our radical contempo-
raries are extremely anxious to fix the authorship of

every thing relating to the Church which appears in
this and other conservative papers, on the clergy of
the town. To obviate any such imputation we have

thought it necessary to make the above declaration.
As a great deal of confusion has arisen from the
very ambiguous manner in which the Church is spoken
of by its opponents, it is necessary that we should de-
fine the meaning of the term. By the Church of
England we understand " that branch of Christ's holy
Catholic Church legislatively established in England."
From this expression it will be perceived that the

Church of England may be spoken of in two distincl
senses—as a part of the universal church, distinct from

the state—or as an established church, in alliance
with the state. It is of the greatest importance that
this distinction should be kept in view : and, in order
to render it still more intelligible, we shall further
explain our meaning in the language of the Christian

Observer. That able advocate of the Church of Eng-
land remarks—" Me❑ may approve of the doctrines
and rites of the Church of England, and yet object to
its being established, as do many of our episcopalian
brethren in the United States ; or they may approve
of an establishment, and yet object to some things in
the doctrines or discipline of the Anglican Church, as
do the members of the Church of Scotland, and as did

th. early nonconformists in England, notwithstanding
they considered it the duty of Christian legislatures,
to entwine Christianity like a golden thread, with

civil institutions. Modern Dissenters, for the most
petrt embrituo both objections." And again, in refer•
ence to the same distinction—" It (the Church of Eng.
land) might be a true branch of Christ's Churci

without being nationally established; or be nationally
established without being a true branch of Christ's
Church. We cordially approve of it as a church, and
we also cordially approve of its being established; but
it would be preposterous to blend the two; and it

would be most injurious also to the cause which we

espouse to do so, as we should thereby lose the advan-
tage of the two concentric circunivallations of argu-
ment by which the Church of England is defended;
and should be advocating our faith as if it were only in
the books and parchments of Parliament, and not of

holy scripture."
The advantage of this twofold distinction will ap
pear most conspicuously when we shall have to en•

counter the arguments of the Papists and the Dissenters.
In reply to the former we can prove that the Churcl
of England is not merely " an act of Parliament
Church," as was alleged by Father Maguire, in the
discussion with Mr. Gregg; but that it is a true branch
of the holy Catholic Church, and would be as much so
if it were to-morrow separated from the state. In
reply to the Dissenter we can also prove that the
Church of England is a true church; ttrat its doctrines,
as expressed its formularies, articles, and homilies, are
in accordance with holy scripture; that its discipline
is pure and exemplary ; that it is not right to dissent
from it ; awl that its alliance with the state is justifi-
able on scriptural grounds,and is a source of reciproca]
benefit to the church as well as the state; and, conse-
quently, that it is a blessing to the community.
In the progress of our observations it will be our
painful but imperative duty to point out the dangers
to which the Church of England is exposed from ene-
mies to its spiritual welfare which are to be found
nestling in its own bosom, particularly from those who,
carried away by the spurious liberalism of the day,
have imbibed foolish and extravagant notions respecting
" Church Reform ;" and from those rash speculators
who would wish to assimilate the Church of England
the apostate and fore-doomed Church of Rome. I n
handling these matters we feel that much delicacy and
circumspection are necessary : we shall, therefore, en-
deavour to express ourselves as dispassionately as
possible, and to give utterance to nothing but what
springs from a patient and candid investigation.
Before proceeding any further it may be as well to
state that, besides the Papists and the orthodox Dis-
senters, there are several other
_classes • of formidable
enemies to the church—formidable, not so touch on ac-
count of their numbers, as on account of their unremit-
tingzeal and persevering exertions. Among these the
most conspicuous are the Infidels and the Unitarians.
The Infidel class comprises the blasphemous Atheist,
he licentious Owenite, the sneering geologist, and the
practical unbeliever. These men hate the church with
immitigable hatred, and seek to compass its destruc-
tion with the most pertinacious zeal, because it inter-
noses a bar to the spread of their abominable doctrines,
or imposes a restraint upon the gratification of their
unlawful passions. They hate the church because
they hate Christianity ; and their hatred to it is exactly
proportionate to the scriptural purity and integrity of
its doctrines, and the efficacy with which it aids in the
promulgation of those doctrines. Tire Infidel enemies
of the Church will not rest satisfied with the separa-
tion of the Church from the State : they will seek to
accomplish its demolition as a spiritual corporation.
This class of enemies embraces many of the most dis-
tinguished philosophers and the most profound sego
tars of the day ; and their activity in disseminating
their baneful principles is unceasing. There is little,
however, to fear from the more open and avowed In-
fidels of the day. Their attacks upon the sublime
verities of our holy religion, through the medium of
the Established Church, are, happily, too offensive to
the wholesome religious prejudices of the people of
England, to inflict any extensive mischief. The insi-
dious assaults of the sceptical geologists, materialists,
and neologists, are far more dangerous in their cha.,
racter ; and it is, therefore, incumbent upon the clergy
of the Established Church to warn their flocks with all
diligence against these advocates of " philosophy
falsely so called." It may also be necessary that the
discipline of the Church should be scion exercised upon
certain Professors of Infidel science, who are now
pursuing their unhallowed speculations by means of
the very leisure and pecuniary advantages which they
derive from revenues which belong to the Church,