The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-11-15 00:00:00

ounce

Tst,

we, who believe that Providhence governs the Moral worli
by the instrumentality of agents, shpuld not, make, provi-:
sion to have those agents ready, whenever an exigen's
may require. Again, the Friends, upon principle, de-
cline going to law, and this, as well as the former scru-
ple, is an amiable feature in the character Of their doe-
trince—" Why du ye not rather suffer wrong. 7 Shall
we, who believe such precepts to have a restricti7e sense,
applicable to christian societies alone, shall we expnerate
them from all contribution to maintain the executive de
partment of our constitution ?—shall the judicial bench be,
broken down because one section of christians think it
ought not to be supported ?—.ind thus, were we to follow
out the principle laid down by Mr. Lushington, and cla-
mOrnusly iterated by those who cast all their. thoughts
into the same mould, we should soon find every corner of
the constitution crumbling away—the " prinCiple",
not paying for that we disallow, would be a bonus offered
to every disaffected member of the state to declaim against
its institutions: _The collector of rates and taxes would
be met in almost every house with some disclaimer of
the object for which they were demanded, down to the
licentious leveller, who talks obstreperously about free
dour of which he understands nothing, who would ask
for the demolition of all government, it being his desire
that man should return to his pristine independence—and
this leveller, who is but the extreme term of the series,
has as just a claim, to be heard, as these clamourers for
the extinction of church rates, so far as both of them rest
aport.the same principle, that what they disallow, they
ought not be called upon to support.

-But is this oppcisition to church rates an isolated ques-
tion? Does not the dissenting eye look beyond it?
Was the church rates not the second object in the group
When the test and corporation acts were the first ?—and
do they not view in the back ground of the picture the
abolition of tithes ?—and all caught and coMprehended
with one iyncea❑ glance of dissent? "-But do they think
that 'recent events have not also quickened 'our dis-
cernment ? Apathy and credulity, though they slumber
long, may be aroused to activity and distrust—the hand
of benevolence may be closed by ingratitude—and a sense.
of abused kindness put us on our guard against a repe-
tition of treachery. There is, however, one obvious dis-
tinction between the test and corporation acts and the ex-
action of church rates; the former were temporary out-
works erected to defend the establishment from-the as 7
saults of those enemies whOse ensigns had not a suffici-
ently- marked character to distinguish to what party. they.
belonged—when the predominance of the national church
was fully established upon those principles upon which
it was originally founded, but which a spirit of persecu-
tion had attempted to shake, then she exercised, as it
ever is her delight to do, the character of generosity—
she pulled down those outworks, and proclaimed tolera-
tion to an extent which prudence might almost suspect
incompatible with social peace.

We have said, there is a distinction between the test
and corporation acts and the exaction of tithes. The
former we have shown to be only accidental to church go-
vernment—the latter we think essential to it. " You
take my house when you do take the prop that doth sus-
tain my house; you take my life when you do take the
means whereby I live." The abrogation of the former
left the church entire=the extinction of the latter will be
the infraction of a "principle" endangering its exist-
ence ; let us therefore take heed to the slightest invasion
of " principle." The whole consequences of such an in-
vasion are seldom seen. If the tide, from the violence
of the gale, should sometimes rise and overflow the banks
which shut in our fields, we can easily estimate the da-
mage sustained, and if the evil he of frequent recur-
rence we can provide against it ; but if it has penetrated
through the base itself, though the mischief at first may
be little, it will every day increase, and eventually bring
with it irretrievable ruin. Should we concede the aboli-
tion of church rates, on the ground above alleged, that
he who does not acknowledge an institution ought to be
relieved from supporting it, how can we refuse the aboli-
tion of tithes? The arguments -which are valid in one
case, are equally valid in the other—they are founded
upon the same principle; and rest assured that the dis•
senters, after such a victory, will march on with redoubled
speed, and brandish their weapons with all the enthusi-
asm of success. Against the principle, therefore, stand
firm, and you will cast dismay into the enemy's camp.
But we have to complain not only of the injustice of
the claim now urged by dissenters, but the spirit and the
manner in which they urge it. • Such a combination of
flippant indecency, and constitutional insubordination, is
hardly to be found upon the record of our history. Un-
like honest men preferring a conscientious claim, they
have recourse to the stratagems of malignant sarcasm,
to the arrows of wit dipped in poison, and to the grossest
ribaldry.- We think it needless to quote examples in
verification of our charge, as any one of the speeches
of any one of the orators at the metropolitan meeting
will abundantly supply them. But we must now call, fOr
a moment, the public attention to the means which a re-
gularly organized association has put forth, as alone likely
to obtain for them what they ask. Will it be believed,
that a body. of men professing to be holier than their
neighbours—to be preachers of submission to "the pow-
ers that be"—to inculcate the truth " that laws are not
made for a righteous man," but for the disobedient and
unruly"—to " honour kings"—that such men should
conspire to set an example in contrariety to all these
wholesome precepts of good government, and to encou-
rage all their.clan to refuse payment of a legally autho
rived rate ? Do they hope to shelter themselves under
the specious cloak of passive resistance ? Is it a virtue---
a christian virtue assuredly it is not—so to act as to in- .
cur the perialty of a broken law ; and is not the seizure
of their goods, in payment of a refused demand, the
penalty affixed by law for such contumacy ? Dissenters
must have very plastic consciences, that can so easily
take an impression from the seal of self-will—they are
subtle casuists, Whd can reconcile strange contradictions,
and, very probably, will feel no compunction in setting
an example to the country, of refusing obedience to its
laws, whenever caprice may prompt. They tell us (for
so a morning paper reports) that there will not be found
brokers enow in the land to carry out the executions of
the law. What a shameless plea for resisting the pay-
ment of a tax!. It is the plea of•injustice'coupled with
craft in its worst form ; and what_a precedent will it be
to•roalify a refusal.of payment, off' any Other tax by. any
other section of the unquiet in the land ?—when minis-
ters of the gospel teach insubOrdintition, and practice
what they teach, where will ignoranc4 ierged on by the
incitements of political demagogeeki,' Siop ? Shall we
any longer feel wonder at :the systematic refusal of the
deluded Catholic in Ireland to pay 'tithes ? Shall we ex
press sdiprise at the acts of desperation that follow in
the train of this doctrine ? All is, without a -shade of
distinction, the same in principle with the refusal of
church rates. A body of men who claim for themselves
the highest.step on the ladder of holiness have copied the
example of a country of rebellious Catholics, in resisting
the laws of that government under which they live, from
which they derive all their temporal blessings, and to
which they owe a cheerful obedience. Nay more, in ag-
gravation of the crime of Ireland, they add hypocrisy to
their offence, because they teach doctrines from their pul-
pits which they discourage in civil life. We have not
space to-day to pursue this subject further; and we shall,
probably, very soon be recalled to it by parliamentary
dinas
procee

On Wednesday last Loyd Stanley passed through St. Quen•
tin with his family on his road to Faris, whence he will proceed
to Italy.
FIRE.—On Sunday morning, at about one o'clock, the po-
liceman on duty in Byrom-street became sensible of a smell of
fire in the neighbourhood ct the shop occupied by Mr. Mauegh,
provision-dealer, Byrom-street. This continued to increase till
about three o'clock, when,,as his attention hadixtemeontinually
directed to the spot, he saw smoke'and.slight tOligues of dusky
flame issuing from the shutters of!Mr. Mauegh'ri,shop: lie im-
mediately roused the family, and igavecthe alarm to the .officers
in the vicinity. Intelligence was conveyed to the Fire Police
Station, and the engineSoinder the command of Hewitt, were
quickly on the spot. In the meantime the.;/ire had. ascended
into the first story with- great rapidity, and before the engines
could be got into play, though but little time had elapsed, it had
attained a very alarming height,. and it was evident that the
whole interior of the building would be consumed. When the
engines got fairly to work, however, the fire began gradUallY to
give way before the immense quantity of water that was thrown
idnu,pon it, and by half-pait font' o'clock it was completely sub-
uee
smallnAolice.m
ofqrt:alsrnitaintyegh t
,plroe areper wasliatypp yto saved b the
was
insured.exertions
of state,thl by
The rapidity of the fire was occasioned by the necessity of burst-
ing open the front door to effect the deliverance of the inmates:
Hewitt was, as
usual, active and' infrepi&