The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-10-31 00:00:00

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CH.ltitlr; UV 'Mt.: LORD Aat;H►IISUOP
OF DUBLIN.

(CROM THE DUBLIN MORNING POST or Turson.)
We notices, in our Paper of Saturday, tire Visitation
Cher7e of the Lord Archbishop of Dublin ; oar atten-
tion is actin drawn to the subject, by what seems to be
4n authorised publication, of his Grace's Sermon,
whirls appeared in the Patriot of Satnrday evening.
On a perusal of this very remarkable document, we
did really conceive, for a time, that the tage of the Pri-
mitive Christians had returned, with snch fervid elo-
quence does his Grace describe the sufferings and pers.-
I ations, amounting to all but martyrdom, of the clergy
of the present day! The reader may startle at this
alarming intelligence—to many it will be altogether
new ; we shall quote his Grace 'a words, and, surely,
inch an authority will be received without hesitation,
as a decisive proof of the fact.
At the commencement of his Sermon, his Grace enters
upon this very awful part of his subject :
" At the present, when the Established Clergy of this
land are beset with difficulties and perils of more than
common magnitude: when not only the interests of our
Order, but those of Religion itself, are endangered;
when, front the abounding of iniquity, the love of many
has waxed roll; when more than us-al hostility pre-
vails against our Zior, and even our very good Is too
often evil spoken of—it is impossible to enter upon the
reflections whit h hehang to the nature and occasion of
Out meeting, without feelings of anxious and painful
solicitude."
••'•• • • • •
" Polities! considerations, anfortenately, make It the In-
tyres; of many whose eonditlon is Influentiat„ t• court the
fevour of those who are hostile to the Established Church—
ant therefore In their property, their character, end their
teaching, the Clergy of the National Religion are resisted
and apprvued. In their persons it is deemed by many to
be no violation offitstire to infringe or evade the laws which
ere designed tc protect the main'enenee of all; no violation
of ecutdoxr to yield • ready belief to the most injeriotrs re-
ports, on grounds of evidence which would not be admitted
in the ease of others."

• • •
"• Bat why do I dwell upon these things? Not surely for
the purpose of eaconragind an Indifference to opinion even
thus unjustly formed; mueh less to rouse t spirit of hosti-
lity eon opposition to those who treat our Order with such
undeserved reproach and injury. No, my ohjsct is on the
the contrary, to excite to to increase of vigilance and ener-
gj in our calling, and to impress the necessity of employing
every means in our power to mitigate the 'Malignity of our
serorsaries:"
_ _

• The Archbishop then adverts to a description of adversa-
ries, to mollify whom, says the Reporter of the Charge in
the Potent, it was to he feared, all endeavours of the
Cergy must prove unevailing:—
" description of persons (of whom we have tinhap•
pi:y at present but too many) whose avowed object it is
to over:urn the estahlished religion of the land, and
of" the better to effect their purpose, labour to enlist
the rapacity of the unprincipled in their enholy warfare;
holding out the.spoils of the temple as the reward of its
subrertion, and representing its Ministers at all times in
soch odious colours as mat reconcile one class of the
community the more readily to their spoliation, and am
other, even to their personal extinction ; insomuch that
at this day the ;inflows+ clergy are placed in a state
hale short of otniter pansscuswoN, though ceder the
te,Astster protectic f?lthe Law."
Against such adversaries as these, the clergy, lie
stared, could derive no security from their virtues dawn
rel;gion. " Agaimt such, said his tirace, OTHER 11,re.
GUARDS are necessary; the same which are regoiredfor
t.ie preservation of the state itself !"
In this last passage Lis Brace seems to intimate the
propriety of making it HIGH TREASON to express any
opinion unfavourable to the continuance of tabs. We
cannot understand it in any other sense.
His Brace next proceeds to advise the clergy as to the
mode of conducting themselves under the manifold and
overwlirlmiug grievances which it is their lot to en-
counter :--

_ . .
Yet even to throe, (the enemies before described.)
although tee hare no hope of ambduing Cant by Chris-
tian for6earamec and mantas. it is still the
.part of pro-
denee, if not of duty, to employ them. It orng is not
our provioce; that is a contest in which we should he
outdone; and in attempting it, we should only Ore
fresh tare to our enemies, who though devoid of
tide Vitiation spirit 'bent:elves, would not fail to turn
the want of it in us to the discredit of the religion which
we profess. In all eases, passion and bitterness are to be
avoided ; and even in our moments of firmest resistance
to the wrolgs which are heaped upon us, we should ne-
ver 1. 'v./et that in oar's is involved a greater cause than
our ono; end that there are oci wounds so deadly to the
ioterers of r,ligion as those %hick are inflicted by the
usiscondiict of its professors.•'
• • • • • • • • •

We have fallen on • evil days and evil tongues ;' and
there is 1.0 slumbering on our post. We may rest as-
sured, ii,,t if we jvin lukewarmness from within to the
unending hostility which assails us from without, (and
assails tee in every form and degree, from the false and
hypocritical pretence of a desire for the improvement of
otir (triter, to the open violence which avows the pur-
pose alto exlioction) this triumph of Ocoee who labour
fur the downfall of our church will he soon completed."
. . • • • • •

•• The time is come, then IVP must show ourselves, in
truth and spirit, vi hat we profess ourselves to be, the
s &ler, and servants of Christ." _

What an extraordinary picture has bis Grate drawn
of the soffering,a, oppression%, and persecutions. under
waich the clergy labour !—the clernyof the Established
Church ! —the Lnds Spiritual, who sit in the Upper,
Illonse of Parliament—the Archbishops and Hishopa
the Deans, and .lrcli.leacons—Vicar,, Rectors, and In-
rembent.—Mesters of Uadvorsities—Jusrires of the
Peace and Quorum—Non-residents and Pluralists—who
live upon immense incomes, enjoying all the goods of
this life, in greater abundance than any other class or
portian of the conimunity, anti die worth hundreds of
thousands of pounds stethnp. After perusing this stale-
'tient from his Grace, of their hapless and helpless con-
dition, the reader will lament the deceitful apearance
of this life, and exclaim in astonishment,
eau such things he,
And overcome us like a summer cloud,

Without our special wonder.
Awl in apportioning to his lime the due mead of
praise. if to the Reverend Mr. Cooper shall be awarded
the palm of lesrned elocution— if to Sir Harcourt Lees
that of intellectual vigonr —no one can certainly be
fuui•d to dispute with his Brace the Archbishop of
the merit of bringing to the sid of pulpit elw
Timm., that
tion.
His Orate however, does not dismiss his R
acuti.ory, under the (too many) horrific impressions of
having to encounter martyrdom without some "crumbs
of comfort"—some small consolation ; the tenor of
which may be gathered from the following extract,
which forms the conclusion of his Grace's Charge:—
•` In having adverted to the property of the Clergy, I
feel it right to add, that I have not introduced a topic al-
t•azether unsuited to this place. Because, friai the is•
&Teary conferred by the secure and deep rowed tenure
o/• their property, which the Uteri," these lauds en
jog, which II trust they will never voluntarily relinquish,
is essentially connected, the independent discharge of
their duty ; which enables them to reprove, to exhort,
and to teach without fear; 'which enables them to pro.
end without fear, either of the vacs•: or of the MANY,