The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1832-12-28 00:00:00

pointed must now be the hope (if ever it were enter-
tained) that the reform bill would satisfy and quiet
Ireland ! The becoming. gratitiide which is felt in that
country for• the framers of the.measure, is well manifested
by Mr. O'Connell in • his speech at an election in the
South. Speaking of •the repeal of the Union, he says—

`• I could prove to you that a reformed parliament is worse of
the two for this country. The Whigs are beyond measure worse
enemies to Ireland than the Tories; it was they enacted the
penal code, and it was in spite of them that we obtained legisla-
tive independence in 1782. .The whigs treat the people as some
do their cats—they give them as 'little as they can, and get at
their skins as soon as they can." •

. .
His attack upon that respectable body of men, the Qua-
kers, is really disgusting—
" Why are those envenothed bigotted Quakers, why, I de-
mand, are they arrayed against the people ? 'the sleek knaves.
they have got rich, the miscreants, by means of the people,
and now they turn on the people."

From 'one end of the country to the other the watch-
word is, "hatred to thegovernment, down with the whigs."
If we mistake not, our vise ministers actually employed
this same Mr. O'Connell to frame the Irish reform bill.
It appears that he has succeeded to hisutmost desire. No
less than six of his own family, and about twenty directly
nominated by himself have been returned, not to mention
that in every quarter, to be approved and patronized by
the "LIBERATOR," was a first and essential qualification.
At no time has the bigotted and burning zeal of the
Romish priesthood been so conspicuously exhibited.
Reckless of all consequences—the severing of thebonds of
social order—the violation of every honourable engage-
ment—loss of human life—in short every description of
outrage and crime perpetrated. if not at their instigation,
at least without any effort at prevention. The people
harangued from the altar on the sabbath, and those who
would vote to preserve Ireland from becoming a prey to
ruffian demagogues, denounced as objects of vengeance.
There is no people in the world who are more apt at
learning such lessons than the Irish; and, accordingly,
there has been no lack of the most sanguinary yutrages.
In the county of Cork, one of the most pious and ex-
emplary Clergymen of the Establishment, has been dia-
bolically assassinated in open day. Not a shilling of his
tithes had he collected for the last three years, and he is
said to have been remarkably kind and inoffensive, yet he
was a marked man.

That there are exceptions amongst the Irish priests
-we freely admit, and would rejoice to have it in our
power to rank more of them amongst the loyal and well
affected; but in the South the exceptions are few indeed.
It is, however, gratifying to know that many of the most
leading and respectable Roman Catholic gentry, are de-
termined enemies to the existing reign of terror, and
have given the strongest proofs of their hostility.
The Marquis of Anglesey has been a bad chief gover-
nor; this is admitted on all hands. We believe his in-
tentions to have been good, but he is a conceited, 'intem-
perate, and short-sighted politician. His despicable
truckling to the worst passions of the worst party--apar-
ty which experience has shown it is impossible to
propitiate—has lost him the respect and confidence of
every sound and well-judging man in the community.
His Excellency's memorable advice—
•

"Agitate, agitate, agitate ! ! ! "

has been too well adopted. It is written in blood, and is
even now causing a crisis which 'we shudder to contem-
plate.

NEXT to the praise of wise and good men, the abuse
of those whose pretensions lie the other way, may be
esteemed as a substantial and valuable compliment. It
is indeed the counterpart and correlative of the former,
and serves to give it finish and completeness, as shadows
enhance the effect of lights. Not therefore without feel-
ings of inward satisfaction did we perceive, that some
passages in our paper, on the subject of Church Reform,
published a few weeks ago, had been so fortunate as to
incur the unqualified disapprobation of the editor of the
Albion.

But we reaped a higher and more sincere gratification,
from the direct testimony which was rendered to the
truth and justice of our sentiments, by many of those per-
sons, to whom they were more immediately addressed.
To earn the continuance of that testimony will be our
endeavour,—to receive it, our pride.

It may suit the editor of the Albion to allege, that we
assail all dissenters under cover of an attack on the
Unitarians ; that we continue to promulgate sentiments
such as, on one occasion, unhappily and accidentally,
found a place in this paper, and, for the promulgation of
which, their author was peremptorily dismissed. With
honest and candid men, these charges need no refuta-
tion : with dishonest or uncandid men, no refutation
would avail; because truth is not, to them, the end of
controversy. And we hold it an attempt, alike ignomi-
nious and unprofitable, to chop logic with writers that
cannot reason, and to waste sentiment upon writers that
will not feel.

We divide Dissenters, as regards their political cha-
racter, into two classes. The Wesleyan Methodists,
principally, fill the ranks of one; the Socinians head the
other, and are followed by a portion of the Independents
and Baptists, not large we believe, if taken in reference
to the entire numbers of these classes, but prominent and
influential, because chiefly consisting of such of them
as are thrown into considerable masses, by residence in
large towns, enjoying great facilities for the loud ex-
pression of opinion, and gifted with ample readiness to
take advantage of those facilities to the uttermost.
• The first of these classes is generally actuated by a
spirit :of friendliness to the Established Church. They
admire her services, sympathize with her spirit, coincide
in her creed wholly, or almost wholly; and they desire
that she should exist as an Establilisment:—

,Firstly,—because they
_consider, that she affords the
best security fur practical, as well as legal toleration.
These two things are wholly distinct; legal toleration
says, "hands off." But practical toleration likewise
checks, not only the outward act, but the inward im-
pulse and desire of unwarranted interference with the
conscience of another man. And the gentle ascendancy
of the National Church, in this country, operates most

effectively, to foster this tolerant, liberal, and charitable
spirit, and particularly to soften the . feeling with which
difirent sects among the Dissenters regard one another.
If this be denied, we say, look to history : remember the
time of Cromwell ;

Secondly,—because they regard her as a living shrine
and oracle of the truths of God, which cannot be driven
from her fixed and public documents, although they have
unhappily, in process of time, from the want of these
precautions, been lost among other bodies of Christians.
It is thus that she effectually condemns and excludes
Unitarianism ;
Thirdly, because her influence goes to check and
moderate all extremes in doctrinal opinion, and to mark
strongly the difference between the most active and vi-
tal piety on the one hand, and fanaticism on the other.
If this be doubted, again we say :—Remember the time
of Cromwell. It is by her operation in this particular
thatshe crushes the active hopes of Popery, which always
expects a reaction in hers own favour, after a period of
great religious extravagance; and, on this principle, is
now playing the game of the foes to the English Church,
in this country ; or, we should rather say, they are
playing her game ;
Fourthly,—because the nature and duties -of govern-
ments are religious ; and must assume some particular
form. If the present form be corrupted, restore it :
if too exclusive, enlarge its basis ; if thoroughly bad, over-
throw it, and erect a better; but, on none of these ac-
counts, sacrifice the principle of a church establishment.
So long as our King receives his crown at the hands of
the ministers of God, as the delegates of the Most High,
so long those ministers must be appointed upon some
peculiar form. So long as it is admitted to be a duty of our
rulers to extend our religion along with our commercial
enterprise, their efforts must be governed by the rules
of some particular system. It is not for the present
church establishment, but for a church establishment,
that we now contend ;

Lastly, because by an Establishment alone can spiritual
instruction be provided for destitute and remote districts,
as the melancholy experience of America sufficiently
proves. . .

We would state as secondary, but still important, advan-
tages attaching to a Church Establishment, first, that it
is the best ally and prop of government in promoting
order and peace—which are essential to the success of
the operations of her ministers in their own peculiar
sphere : .secondly, that it affords perhaps the easiset, com-
monest,, and least objectionable channel by which talent
raises men and families out of the lower into the higher
ranks of society.

These, be it observed, are all grounds on which the
Wesleyan Methodists and many of the Dissenters are
averse to the overthrow of the Establishment. •

A higher one than any remains to us, as Churchmen :
which is, that we believe the National Church to be the
most effective instrument of diffusing general religion
throughout the land. We have, like America, the ad-
vantages arising out of the zeal of. Dissenters in large
towns: but we do not, like America, leave our poor bre-
thren in villages, who cannot find religious instruction
for themselves, wholly destitute of that inestimable be-
nefit; nor do we delegate the performance of this pri-
mary duty, to the• uncertain, unsystematic, unsustained
efforts of private benevolence.

As Churchmen, we do maintain that all dissent is an
evil: but in candour we must likewise admit, that a
portion at least of this evil has been owing to the very
defective operation of the Establishment itself: while, as
Christians, we are bound to be grateful for the exten-
sive good which dissent has been made the instrument
of producing.
We have said, and we repeat it, that the Church, as a
sect, might gain more active adherents and brighter eclat,
than even she posseises at present. This is no reason
for making her a sect : IF her indirect influence for good
over the community at large—over those who but for
her would be almost wholly destitute of any religion, and
over the general tone of feeling, and her usefulness as
a shield to all minor bodies against the intrusions of
Popery and Socinianism, be such as to render it more de-
sirable for the entire nation, that she shorild remain
what she is, the National- Church—bound to consult, as
far as she may, the interests even of those who prefer
other forms of worship, and, happily, owned by many
among them, as a friend and protectress.
Narrow-minded, and half-informed men- will forget,
that there are not only the particular interests of sects,
differing •on minor points, to be considered: but the ge-
neral interests which they hold in common, against their
common foes—Popery; the grand corruption of Christi-
anity, which might be mitigated and healed if it would ;
and Socianism, that more deadly adversary, which is
essentially incapable of mitigation, and admits only of
excision.

Now, as regards the second politicalclass of Dissenters,
we can easily understand why the Unitarians hate the
Church far more than any other Christian body : because
she is the only one among them all, that boldly and per-
petually condemns them. As to their followers, we lament
rather than blame the course they pursue: but as practi-
cal and safe reforms proceed within the Church, and as
wrath increases around it, we doubt not that many
among them will see the corruptions they have hated,
were her accidents, not her essence—her blemishes, not
her body; and we shall be enabled to number them, too,
amongst the friends of a Church based upon the word of
God, and watered by the blood of martyrs.
Such are our. sentiments : let them be fairly judged.
Reader, are they fairly described as attacks " on the whole
body of Dissenters, under cover of an attack on the
Unitarians ? " (See the Albion of Monday, Dec. 10.)

IT commonly happens, that the termination of a con-
tested "election is the signal for a cessation of those eva-
nescent animosities which are inseparable from the oc-
casion. Heretofore, this has been remarkably the case
in our town, and it has been gratifying to every man of
good feeling to observe how. quickly the keenest excite-
ment has subsided and disappeared. Some of our con-
temporaries- seem determined that the late election, for