punishment and the wickedness, or | negligence-turnpike roads so shamethe insanity, of teaching the sepoy to fully neglected and public conveyrise against his European officer-the ances illegitimately loaded in the face contempt of the decision of juries in of day, and in defiance of the wisest civil cases-and the punishment of the legislative provisions? We confess juries themselves; such a system of our trepidation at seeing the Toleration conduct as this would infallibly doom Act in the hands of Lord Sidmouth; any individual to punishment, if it did and should be very glad if it were not, fortunately for him, display pre- fairly back in the statute-book, and the cisely that contempt of men's feelings, sedulity of this well-meaning nobleman and that passion for insulting multi- diverted into another channel. tudes, which is so congenial to our present Government at home, and which passes now so currently for wisdom and courage. By these means, the liberties of great nations are frequently destroyed-and destroyed with impunity to the perpetrators of the crime. In distant colonies, however, governors who attempt the same system of tyranny are in no little danger from the indignation of their subjects; for though men will often yield up their happiness to kings who have been always kings, they are not inclined to show the same deference to men who have been merchants' clerks yesterday, and are kings to-day. From a danger of this kind, the Governor of Madras appears to us to have very narrowly escaped. We sincerely hope that he is grateful for his good luck; and that he will now awake from his gorgeous dreams of mercantile monarchy, to good nature, moderation, and common sense. TOLERATION. (E. REVIEW, 1811.) Hints on Toleration, in Five Essays, &c. suggested for the consideration of Lord Viscount Sidmouth, and the Dissenters. By Philagatharches, London. 1810. Ir a prudent man see a child playing with a porcelain cup of great value, he takes the vessel out of his hands, pats him on the head, tells him his mamma will be sorry if it is broken, and gently cheats him into the use of some less precious substitute. Why will Lord Sidmouth meddle with the Toleration Act, when there are so many other subjects in which his abilities might be so eminently useful-when enclosure bills are drawn up with such scandalous The alarm and suspicion of the Dissenters upon these measures are wise and rational. They are right to consider the Toleration Act as their palladium; and they may be certain that in this country, there is always a strong party ready, not only to prevent the further extension of tolerant principles, but to abridge (if they dared) their present operation within the narrowest limits. Whoever makes this attempt will be sure to make it under professions of the most earnest regard for mildness and toleration, and with the strongest declarations of respect for King William, the Revolution, and the principles which seated the House of Brunswick on the throne of these realms; and then will follow the clauses for whipping Dissenters, imprisoning preachers, and subjecting them to rigid qualifications, &c. &c. &c. The infringement on the militia acts is a mere pretence. The real object is, to diminish the number of Dissenters from the Church of England, by abridging the liberties and privileges they now possess. This is the project which we shall examine; for we sincerely believe it to be the project in agitation. The mode in which it is proposed to attack the Dissenters, is first, by exacting greater qualifications in their teachers; next by preventing the interchange or itinerancy of preachers, and fixing them to one spot. It can never, we presume, be intended to subject dissenting ministers to any kind of theological examination. A teacher examined in doctrinal opinions, by another teacher who differs from him, is so very absurd a project, that we entirely acquit Lord Sidmouth of any intention of this sort. We rather presume his Lordship to mean, that a man who professes to teach | folly and inexpediency of it rest prehis fellow creatures should at least cisely upon the same grounds. have made some progress in human learning; that he should not be wholly without education;-that he should be able at least to read and write. If the test is of this very ordinary nature, it can scarcely exclude many teachers of religion; and it was hardly worth while, for the very insignificant diminution of numbers which this must occasion to the dissenting clergy, to have raised all the alarm which this attack upon the Toleration Act has occasioned. But, without any reference to the magnitude of the effects, is the principle right? or, What is the meaning of religious toleration? That a man should hold without pain or penalty any religious opinions and choose for his instruction in the business of salvation any guide whom he pleases; care being taken, that the teacher, and the doctrine, injure neither the policy nor the morals of the country. We maintain, that perfect religious toleration applies as much to the teacher as the thing taught; and that it is quite as intolerant to make a man hear Thomas, who wants to hear John, as it would be to make a man profess Arminian, who wished to profess Calvinistical principles. What right has any Government to dictate to any man who shall guide him to heaven, any more than it has to persecute the religious tenets by which he hopes to arrive there? You believe that the heretic professes doctrines utterly incompatible with the true spirit of the Gospel;-) - first you burnt him for this, then you whipt him,— then you fined him,—then you put him in prison. All this did no good;-and, for these hundred years last past, you have let him alone. The heresy is now firmly protected by law; -and you know it must be preached: -What matters it then, who preaches it? If the evil must be communicated, the organ and instrument through which it is communicated cannot be of much consequence. It is true, this kind of persecution, against persons, has not been quite so much tried as the other against doctrines; but the Would it not be a singular thing, if the friends of the Church of England were to make the most strenuous efforts to render their enemies eloquent and learned ?-and to found places of education for Dissenters? But, if their learning would not be a good, why is their ignorance an evil? — unless it be necessarily supposed, that all increase of learning must bring men over to the Church of England; in which supposition, the Scottish and Catholic Universities, and the College at Hackney, would hardly acquiesce. Ignorance surely matures and quickens the progress, by insuring the dissolution of absurdity. Rational and learned Dissenters remain:-religious mobs, under some ignorant fanatic of the day, become foolish overmuch,- dissolve and return to the Church. The Unitarian, who reads and writes, gets some sort of discipline, and returns no more. What connection is there (as Lord Sidmouth's plan assumes) between the zeal and piety required for religious instruction and the common attainments of literature? But, if knowledge and education are required for religious instruction, why be content with the common elements of learning? why not require higher attainments in dissenting candidates for orders; and examine them in the languages in which the books of their religion are conveyed? A dissenting minister, of vulgar aspect and homely appearance, declares that he entered into that holy office because he felt a call; — and a clergyman of the Establishment smiles at him for the declaration. But it should be remembered, that no minister of the Establishment is admitted into orders, before he has been expressly interrogated by the bishop, whether he feels himself called to that sacred office. The doctrine of calling, or inward feeling, is quite orthodox in the English church; and, in arguing this subject in Parliament, it will hardly be contended, that the Episcopalian only is the judge when that call is genuine, and when it is only imaginary. The attempt at making the dissent- than they are at present. This is the ing clergy stationary, and persecuting direct and obvious tendency of Lord their circulation, appears to us quite Sidmouth's plan. as unjust and inexpedient as the other measure of qualifications. It appears a gross inconsistency to say-"I admit that what you are doing is legal,- but you must not do it thoroughly and effectually. I allow you to propagate your heresy, but I object to all means of propagating it which appear to be useful and effective." If there are any other grounds upon which the circulation of the dissenting clergy is objected to, let these grounds be stated and examined; but to object to their circulation, merely because it is the best method of effecting the object which you allow them to effect, does appear to be rather unnatural and inconsistent. It is presumed, in this argument, that the only reason urged for the prevention of itinerant preachers is the increase of heresy; for, if heresy is not increased by it, it must be immaterial to the feelings of Lord Sidmouth, and of the Imperial Parliament, whether Mr. Shufflebottom preaches at Bungay, and Mr. Ringletub at Ipswich; or whether an artful vicissitude is adopted, and the order of insane predication reversed. Nothing dies so hard and rallies so often as intolerance. The fires are put out, and no living nostril has scented the nidor of a human creature roasted for faith ;-then, after this, the prisondoors were got open, and the chains knocked off; - and now Lord Sidmouth only begs that men who disagree with him in religious opinions may be deprived of all civil offices, and not be allowed to hear the preachers they like best. Chains and whips he would not hear of; but these mild gratifications of his bill every orthodox mind is surely entitled to. The hardship would indeed be great, if a churchman were deprived of the amusement of putting a dissenting parson in prison. We are convinced Lord Sidmouth is a very amiable and well-intentioned man: his error is not the error of his heart, but of his time above which few men ever rise. It is the error of some four or five hundred thousand English gentlemen, of decent education and worthy characters, who conscientiously believe that they are punishing, and continuing incapacities, for the good of the State; while they are, in fact (though without knowing it), only gratifying that insolence, hatred, and revenge, which all human beings are unfortunately so ready to feel against those who will not conform to their own sentiments. But, supposing all this new interference to be just, what good will it do? You find a dissenting preacher, whom you have prohibited, still continuing to preach, or preaching at Ealing when he ought to preach at Acton ;his number is taken, and the next But, instead of making the dissentmorning he is summoned. Is it believed ing Churches less popular, why not that this description of persons can be make the English Church more popuput down by fine and imprisonment ? lar, and raise the English clergy to the His fine is paid for him; and he returns privileges of the Dissenters ? In any from imprisonment ten times as much parish of England, any layman, or sought after and as popular as he was clergyman, by paying sixpence, can before. This is a receipt for making a open a place of worship,-provided it stupid preacher popular, and a popular be not the worship of the Church of preacher more popular, but can have England. If he wishes to attack the no possible tendency to prevent the doctrines of the bishop or the incummischief against which it is levelled. bent, he is not compelled to ask the It is precisely the old history of perse- consent of any person; but if, by any cution against opinions turned into evil chance, he should be persuaded of a persecution against persons. The the truth of those doctrines, and build prisons will be filled-the enemies of the Church made enemies of the State also,and the Methodists rendered ten times more actively mad a chapel or mount a pulpit to support them, he is instantly put in the spiritual court; for the regular incumbent, who has a legal monopoly of this doctrine does not choose to suffer any interloper; lectual qualifications of a preacherand without his consent, it is illegal to such a man is the member of every preach the doctrines of the Church corporation;—all impediments are rewithin his precincts. Now this appears moved :—there is not a single position to us a great and manifest absurdity, in Great Britain which he may not and a disadvantage against the Estab. take, provided he is hostile to the Estalished Church, which very few establish- blished Church. In the other case, if ments could bear. The persons who the English Church were to breed up a preach and who build chapels, or for Massillon or a Bourdaloue, he finds whom chapels are built, among the every place occupied, and everywhere Dissenters, are active clever persons, a regular and respectable clergyman with considerable talents for that kind ready to put him in the spiritual court, of employment. These talents have, if he attract, within his precincts, any with them, their free and unbounded attention to the doctrines and worship scope; while in the English Church of the Established Church. they are wholly extinguished and destroyed. Till this evil is corrected, the Church contends with fearful odds against its opponents. On the one side, any man who can command the attention of a congregation-to whom nature has given the animal and intel The necessity of having the bishop's consent would prevent any improper person from preaching. That consent should be withheld, not capriciously, but for good and lawful cause to be assigned. The profits of an incumbent proceed The fixed could not be affected; and from fixed or voluntary contributions. the voluntary ought to vary according to the exertions of the incumbent and the good-will of the parishioners; but, if this is wrong, pecuniary compensation might be made (at the discretion of the ordinary) from the supernumerary to the regular clergyman.* It might be supposed that the general interests of the Church would outweigh the particular interests of the rector; and that any clergyman would be glad to see places of worship opened within his parish for the doctrines of the Established Church. The fact, however, is directly the reverse. It is scarcely possible to obtain permission from the established clergyman of the parish to open a chapel there; and, when it is granted, it is granted upon very hard and interested conditions. The parishes of St. Such a plan, it is true, would make George-of St. James-of Marylebone the Church of England more popular and of St. Anne's, in London-may, in the parish churches, chapels of ease, and mer- in its nature; and it ought to be made cenary chapels, contain, perhaps, one more popular, or it will not endure for hundredth part of their Episcopalian in- another half century. There are two habitants. Let the rectors, lay and clerical, methods; the Church must be made meet together, and give notice that any clergyman of the Church of England, ap- more popular, or the Dissenters less proved by the bishop, may preach there; so. To effect the latter object by force and we will venture to say, that places and restriction is unjust and imposof worship, capable of containing 20,000 persons, would be built within ten years. sible. The only remedy seems to be, But, in these cases, the interest of the to grant to the Church the same privirector and of the Establishment are not A chapel belonging to the leges which are enjoyed by the DisSwedenborgians, or Methodists of the New senters, and to excite in one party Jerusalem, was offered two or three years that competition of talent which is of since, in London, to a clergyman of the such palpable advantage to the other. Establishment. The proprietor was tired of his irrational tenants, and wished for A remedy, suggested by some wellbetter doctrine. The rector (since a dig-wishers to the Church, is the appointnitary), with every possible compliment to ment of men to benefices who have the fitness of the person in question, positively refused the application; and the talents for advancing the interests of rechurch remains in the hands of Method- ligion; but, till each particular patron ists. No particular blame is intended, by this anecdote, against the individual can be persuaded to care more for the rector. He acted as many have done be- general good of the Church than for fore and since; but the incumbent clergy- the particular good of the person whom man ought to possess no such power. It is his interest, but not the interest of the * All this has been since placed on a Establishment. better footing. the same. he patronises, little expectation of im- equally by conformists and nonconformists. provement can be derived from this It is essential to the rature of a call to quarter. preach that a man be moved by the Holy Ghost to enter upon the work of the ministry; and, if the Spirit of God operate to appear as a public teacher of religion, powerfully upon his heart, to constrain him who shall command him to desist? We have The competition between the Established Clergy, to which this method would give birth, would throw the incumbent in the back-ground only when he was unt to stand forward-im-seen that the sanction of the magistrate can moral, negligent, or stupid. His income would still remain; and, if his in. fluence were superseded by a man of better qualities and attainments, the general good of the Establishment would be consulted by the change. The beneficed clergyman would always come to the contest with great advantages; and his deficiencies must be very great indeed if he lost the esteem of his parishioners. But the contest would rarely or ever take place, where the friends of the Establishment were not numerous enough for all. At present, the selfish incumbent, who cannot accommodate the fiftieth part of his parishioners, is determined that no one else shall do it for him. It is in such situations that the benefit to the Es. tablishment would be greatest, and the injury to the appointed minister none at all. We beg of men of sense to reflect, that the question is, not whether they wish the English Church to stand as it now is, but whether the English Church can stand as it now is; and whether the moderate activity here recommended is not the minimum of exertion necessary for its preservation. At the same time, we hope nobody will rate our sagacity so very low, as to imagine we have much hope that any measure of the kind will ever be adopted. All establishments die of dignity. They are too proud to think themselves ill, and to take a little physic. To show that we have not mis-stated the obstinacy or the conscience of sectaries, and the spirit with which they will meet the regulations of Lord Sidmouth, we will lay before our readers the sentiments of Philagatharches—a stern subacid Dissenter. "I shall not here enter into a comprehensive discussion of the nature of a call to the ministerial office; but deduce my proposition from a sentiment admitted give no authority to preach the gospel; and if he were to forbid our exertions, we must persist in the work: we dare not relinquish a task that God has required us to perform; we cannot keep our consciences in peace, if our lips are closed in silence, while the Holy Ghost is moving our hearts to proclaim the tidings of salvation: 'Yea, woe is unto me,' saith St. Paul, 'if I preach not the gospel.' Thus, when the Jewish priests had taken Peter and John into custody, and, after examining them concerning their doctrine, commanded them not to speak these apostolical champions of the cross at all, nor to teach in the name of Jesus,' undauntedly replied, Whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye: for we can. not but speak the things which we have seen and heard.' Thus, also, in our day, when the Holy Ghost excites a man to preach the gospel to his fellow sinners, his message is sanctioned by an authority which is far above all principality and power;' and, consequently, neither needs the approbation of subordinate rulers, nor admits of revocation by their countermanding edicts. "3rdly, He who receives a license should not expect to derive from it a testimony of qualification to preach. "It would be grossly absurd to seek a testimony of this description from any single individual, even though he were an experienced veteran in the service of Christ: for all are fallible; and, under some unfavourable prepossession, even the wisest decision upon the case. But this observaor the best of men might give an erroneous tion will gain additional force, when we suppose the power of judging transferred to the person of the magistrate. We cannot presume that a civil ruler understands as much of theology as a minister of the gospel. His necessary duties prevent him from critically investigating questions upon divinity; and confine his attention to that deputed him to occupy; and hence to exparticular department which society has pect at his hands a testimony of qualification to preach, would be almost as ludicrous as to require an obscure country curate to fill the office of Lord Chancellor. "But again-admitting that a magistrate, |